The Montage Student Newspaper

M T H E M O N TA G E

‘We were treated like children.’

Faculty express concerns with leadership, Chancellor responds KAVAHN MANSOURI EDITOR IN CHIEF Contribution by Joe Makoto

It was a day off for students and a day of professional development “hell” for some STLCC employees that lead to the Thursday, Oct. 18 Board of Trustees meeting in which STLCC Chancellor Myrtle Dorsey was confronted by several faculty members.

Florissant Valley professor Carol Berger, Ph.D. was one of the several faculty members to speak at the Board of Trustees meeting. Berger said in her 31 years of teaching with STLCC she had never attended a professional development day that was as big of a failure.

“I’ve been to every staff development day and I have to say; they haven’t always been winners, but I’ve always come away with something,” Berger said. “I’m sorry. I think maybe the road to hell is paved with good intentions and there

were a lot of people who were present Tuesday who would have said we were, in fact, in hell.”

The faculty expressed concerns regarding Tuesday, Oct. 16, when all STLCC campuses were closed and students were free to enjoy a day off while employees attended the annual professional development day at the Forest Park campus. Twelve hundred to 1,400 faculty and staff were seated in Forest Park’s un-air-conditioned gymnasium on the 80-degree day for eight hours, according to STLCC-Meramec Assistant Professor Lisa Mizes, who spoke at the Board of Trustees meeting. Mizes, along with eight other STLCC employees spoke at the meeting describing their frustration with the development day and the chancellor’s management of the college.

Story continued on page 4-5

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Voume 48 Issue 5

www.meramecmontage.com

October 25, 2012

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2 NEWS

October 25, 2012

ASHLEY HIGGINBOTHAM NEWS EDITOR

STLCC-Meramec home to sand sculpture Two weeks ago, international sculptor Dan Belcher was seen outside the Student Center creating another project: this one celebrating the 50th anniversary of STLCC. Belcher was visiting Meramec art students to introduce a different perspective on sand sculpting.

Belcher, who has been creating sand sculptures for 20 years, just came back from China after

finishing an ”enormous piece,” art professor Joe Tesla said.

Tesla was responsible for bringing in the artist.

“I usually bring artists in once a year or once a semester,” Tesla said, “and the Sculpture Club had enough money in their account to bring Belcher to Meramec, along with the help of Steve Brady at Student Activites.”

STLCC to hold informational sessions for school programs During the last week of October, STLCC will be holding informational sessions on programs such as Nursing, EMT and Court Reporting. Students will learn about academic requirements and general STLCC assistance. Students interested in these fields are able to attend the sessions. Registration for these sessions is recommended, and can be set by calling

314-539-5002. The Nursing program session will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 1 at the Florissant Valley Campus. EMT session is at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 30 in the Student Center at Forest Park. The Court Reporting session will be at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 11 in Room 105 of the Business Administration building at the Meramec campus.

Spring Registration begins Oct. 24 Registration for spring classes begins Wednesday, Oct. 24. Online registration is available through Banner Self-Service; students can register in person at the admissions office at their campus. Priority registration began

Oct. 19 for current students. For students who need assistance in choosing their classes, they are recommended to call the Academic Advising office at 314-984-7575.

PHOTO BY: KAVAHN MANSOURI A sand sculpture celebrating the 50th anniversary of STLCC stands under shelter outside the Student Center. The sculpture, created by international artist Dan Belcher, took almost a week to finish.

Preparing Students for Life Lindenwood University Offers • More than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs • Majors ranging from business to the arts • Small class size • Top notch professors who are committed to your success • A thriving athletic program with 26 NCAA teams and 20 student life teams • Beautiful residential campus in historic St.Charles • Great tuition rates and help with financial aid

Call 636-949-4949, visit www.lindenwood.edu or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LUDayAdmissions.

Transfer and Phi Theta Kappa Scholarships Available

NEWS October 25, 2012

Students with disAbilities

Media Literacy Week Events Monday, October 29 Student Journalism

have Access at STLCC.

Time: 11 a.m.-noon Location: STLCC-Meramec / Library Confluence Room

Film: DEBUT of The KOCH BROTHERS EXPOSED / Discussion with Robert Greenwald, the film’s producer/director Time: 7-9 p.m.

Location: Missouri History Museum / Room TBA

Tuesday, October 30 Using Media Literacy Strategies Across the Curriculum Time: 4:30-6 p.m.

Location: Ladue Horton Watkins High School / Performing Arts Center, Ladue, Mo. 63124

Learning How to Decipher the Many Confusing and Contradictory Messages of this Fall’s Campaign Season.

Time: 7-8:30 p.m.

Location: Washington University in St. Louis / McDonnell 162

Wednesday, October 31 Countdown to the Election 2012 Time: noon-1:30 p.m.

Location: Webster University / Emberson Library Conference Room Augmented Reality: We Are the Ghosts in the Machine Time: 4-5:30 p.m.

Location: Young Hall Auditorium, Lindenwood University Thursday, November 1 Soliya Connect: International Media Literacy in Action Time: 2-3 p.m.

Location: STLCC-Meramec / Library Confluence

PHOTO BY: CATHERINE BROCK Information Systems Professor Patti Ziegler talks with student Sam Chang at the Oct.10 Majors Fair in the Student Center Commons.

The fair was sponsored by the Academic Advising office and offered students the opportunity to discuss possible career paths with professionals.

Students with disAbilities

have Access at STLCC.

Students with disAbilities

have Access at STLCC. St. Louis Community College makes every reasonable effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities. If you have accommodation needs, please contact the Access office at the campus where you are registered. While accommodations may be requested at any time, some accommodations may require many weeks to arrange.

St. Louis Community College makes every reasonable effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities. If you have accommodation needs, please contact the Access office at the campus where you are registered. While accommodations may be requested at any time, some accommodations may require many weeks to arrange.

Florissant Valley Access Office

3400 Pershall Road St. Louis, MO 63135-1499 E-mail: fvaccess@stlcc.edu Phone: 314-513-4551 Fax: 314-513-4876 Relay Missouri: 711

Forest Park Access Office

Meramec Access Office

5600 Oakland Ave. St. Louis, MO 63110-1393 E-mail: fpaccess@stlcc.edu Phone: 314-644-9039 Fax: 314-951-9439 Relay Missouri: 711

11333 Big Bend Road Kirkwood, MO 63122-5799 E-mail: mcaccess@stlcc.edu Phone: 314-984-7673 Fax: 314-984-7123 Relay Missouri: 711

Wildwood Student Enrollment and Disability Support Services 2645 Generations Drive Wildwood, MO 63040-1168 E-mail: wwaccess@stlcc.edu Phone: 636-422-2000 Fax: 636-422-2050 Relay Missouri: 711

St. Louis Community College expands minds and changes lives every day. We create accessible, dynamic learning environments focused on the needs of our diverse communities.

Florissant Valley

Forest Park

Meramec

Wildwood

www.stlcc.edu

Florissant Valley Access Office 3400 Pershall Road St. Louis, MO 63135-1499 E-mail: fvaccess@stlcc.edu Phone: 314-513-4551 Fax: 314-513-4876 Relay Missouri: 711

Forest Park Access Office

Meramec Access Office

5600 Oakland Ave. St. Louis, MO 63110-1393 E-mail: fpaccess@stlcc.edu Phone: 314-644-9039 Fax: 314-951-9439 Relay Missouri: 711

11333 Big Bend Road Kirkwood, MO 63122-5799 E-mail: mcaccess@stlcc.edu Phone: 314-984-7673 Fax: 314-984-7123 Relay Missouri: 711

Wildwood Student Enrollment and Disability Support Services 2645 Generations Drive Wildwood, MO 63040-1168 E-mail: wwaccess@stlcc.edu Phone: 636-422-2000 Fax: 636-422-2050 Relay Missouri: 711

St. Louis Community College expands minds and changes lives every day. We create accessible, dynamic learning environments focused on the needs of our diverse communities.

Florissant Valley

Forest Park

Meramec

www.stlcc.edu St. Louis Community College makes every reasonable effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities. If you have accommodation needs, please contact the

Wildwood

4NEWS October 25, 2012

PHOTO LEFT: Florissant Valley professor Carol Berger, Ph.D. speaks at the Board of Trustees meeting, referencing the professional development day as a day of “hell.” PHOTO MIDDLE: National Education Association (NEA) Junior College Division vice president and STLCC-Florissant Valley Professor Cindy Campbell addresses the board at the Board of Trustees meeting. Campbell said the faculty is the ‘foundational block’ of any academic institution. PHOTO RIGHT: STLCC Chancellor Myrtle Dorsey listens to faculty and staff testimonials at the Board of Trustees meeting.

Chancellor is confronted by faculty and staff CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ‘Climate of Fear at all Levels’ The last item on the agenda before the faculty members addressed the board was the Chancellor’s Report, in which Dorsey went over a few items and shared some words on the professional development day.

“I took that day to focus on communications. That was the intent; to tell people what we were doing, how we were doing and actually have some experts there to talk about those things,” Dorsey said.

“It’s my understanding that it wasn’t quite taken that way. I understand where there is some confusion. The intent was not to be disrespectful to anyone; the intent was not to make anyone feel badly about having to take leave or whatever.”

National Education Association (NEA) Junior College Division vice president and STLCC-Florissant Valley Professor Cindy Campbell was the first to speak for the faculty members at the BOT meeting. Campbell recalled being “talked down to” by an unnamed member of the administration at the development day for speaking out on the importance of faculty.

“I will not apologize or alter my feelings or thoughts related to the importance of faculty,” Campbell said. “We are not a corporation and should not act as such. We the faculty are the foundational block of STLCC, and faculty in general are the foundational block of any academic institution.”

Meramec Professor Kay Blalock, Ph.D., walked past the table where speakers addressing the board were asked to sit when her name was called, she turned her back to the board and faced her colleagues and stated she would not turn her back on them.

“Perhaps it is time for the board to acknowledge that low morale and a climate of fear at all levels, across the district, can

seriously affect the mission of the college, the success of our students and the image as an institution of higher learning of which STLCC is known,” Blalock said. “The disorganized event, the disgruntlement of those in attendance, the lack of productivity and the disrespect shown by the chancellor to the STLCC employees are dismal manifestations of the corporate direction that we’re headed in.”

Blalock added that no one was enriched at the meeting and that faculty was talked down to.

“We were treated like children,” Blalock said.

‘Relentless Micromanagement’ One by one, faculty members approached

said. “This event is representative of a much larger problem. The board is not in touch with anyone other than the chancellor, everything is top down management, everything is a secret and we’ll find out after the fact on all things.”

Leubke added that she felt the college was at a standstill with “relentless micromanagement.”

“There is either no reason to go to your dean, vice president or president because their hands are tied or they’re as much in the dark as we are,” Leubke said. “Nothing gets done and things don’t get approved so we can’t move forward because of relentless micromanagement.”

The rain of criticism did not stop at the professional development day. Meramec professor Margaret Hvatum spoke on

“This event is representative of a much larger problem. The board is not in touch with anyone other than the chancellor, everything is top down management, everything is a secret and we’ll find out after the fact on all things.”

Mary Leubke, Deaf Communications Professor

the white table; gave testimony to their concerns for the college, pleaded with the board for change and offered support to their colleagues; all of which was frequently interrupted by waves of applause from the meeting’s audience.

Deaf Communications professor Mary Leubke said the professional development event was representative of a “much larger problem.”

“It was perceived as the worst staff development day we’ve ever had,” Luebke

STLCC’s budget cutting affecting classes and student’s ability to learn. Hvatum said faculty members were willing to work in lowenrollment format classes and for less pay, but were denied.

“When faculty are willing to work for less you should take us up on our offer,” Hvatum said.

Leubke said respect for STLCC employees is little to none and that the college is running in a “climate of fear.”

“Perceptions are leading to a culture of

fear. I just spent a year fighting and beating breast cancer; so I am now afraid of very little,” Leubke said. “There is no respect for any segment of the employment population, especially faculty. In fact, there is downright distaste for faculty.”

STLCC-Wildwood Chair of Sciences and Physical Education Afzal Lodhi, Ph.D., also spoke about a climate of fear affecting the college.

“There were several people who called today and yesterday to tell me personally that they would very much like to come here, but they are afraid,” Lodhi said. “This is what we have done by having the chancellor we have now.”

Meramec Mathematics Professor Lillian Seese said the she learned more about the chancellor than professional development during the event.

“I wanted to let you know what I learned at Tuesday’s Professional Development activity. The first thing is the chancellor’s understanding of professional development is much different from mine. The second is that the chancellor appears to have an incredibly low level of respect for the employees of the college,” Seese said. “No professional development took place.”

Seese added the event served as a reminder of the “disconnect” between the chancellor and the employees of STLCC. Meramec Chair of History and Political Science department Steve Collins, Ph.D., encouraged the board to stop being “led” and added that his students learned “nothing” on Oct. 16.

“I encourage the board to not be led, but to lead,” Collins said. “Do not believe that the University of Texas Community College Leadership Program is a meccah for all great ideas. As a historian and a historian of technology, I know not all ideas are good.”

NEWS October 25, 2012

‘Room for Improvement’ After the speakers were through, Board of Trustee member Hattie Jackson responded to speakers by stating STLCC can only grow from the professional development day experience and that she was disappointed employees were not “energized” by the event.

“I believe you learn from your experiences,” Jackson said. “I hope we can have a conversation about expectation and how we can have a world class professional development program that embraces continuous learning for student success. I believe we can do that.

I believe the chancellor’s own reflection we heard tonight, and we heard a lot of your reflection and I’m disappointed that you were not energized and it wasn’t a learning day.”

Jackson added the college has next year and hopes the college can come together to energize each other and focus on student success. Board of Trustees Chair Libby Fitzgerald then called the meeting adjourned and the room emptied.

Campbell said she was excited about the attendance and the content of the meeting and added she is hopeful the board is open to change in the future.

“I am very excited as the vice president of the faculty union that we had such a great turnout and had so many quality faculty members speak on what they were feeling and there perception of how the professional day went,” Campbell said. “I am very hopeful that the board listened

and heard what we had to say so that things can be changed for the future. Our time needs to be valuable.”

Meramec President George Wasson said he felt the board and the chancellor were open to the faculties’ suggestions.

“It sounds to me as if the faculty feels that there is a lot of room for improvement and it sounded like the board and the chancellor were open to those suggestions,” Wasson said. “We’ll look for more ways to improve.”

Dorsey said although the Board of Trustees meeting was negative, she does

always tell people that it’s important that you do it, evaluate it and you try to make it better next time,” Dorsey said. “I had one person come up to me and say ‘thank you for treating us so professionally.’ One faculty member made a suggestion to me about something we could do so we’re going to talk about that at the leadership meeting.”

Dorsey said STLCC is in a period of a change and that she understands change can be difficult for employees.

“Change is difficult, it’s very difficult and it makes people uncomfortable. I

“I’m sorry. I think maybe the road to hell is paved with good intentions and there were a lot of people who were present Tuesday who would have said we were, in fact, in hell.”

Florissant Valley professor Carol Berger, Ph.D.

not believe the event was received in a unanimously negative way.

“I don’t think you can say it’s unanimously [negative]. I would not say it was unanimous,” Dorsey said. “It’s just like what we had at the forum; it was just a misunderstanding and people had answers, not the correct answers, to some questions.”

The important thing for STLCC is to evaluate what went wrong and do better next year, Dorsey said.

“Throughout everything that I do, I

think that this was different for them,” Dorsey said. “And again I don’t have a point of reference as to what it was [like].”

Dorsey said that there would be evaluations sent through email to those who attended the event to gain more feedback of the event.

“I don’t quite understand all of it, but again as I was telling them; I said it in the morning and I said it when we were about to leave that you’ll get an evaluation and we’ll take your comments into consideration,” Dorsey said. “And again, I

repeat, this is my first go around with this so I’m definitely going to look at that and see how we can make it better.”

The NEA will be holding an offcampus meeting for faculty members to “vent” and come up with a “game plan” based on the results of the Board of Trustees meeting Campbell said.

“We have not gotten any feedback,” Campbell said. “We the NEA are hosting a meeting off campus for all of our faculty, members and non-members alike.

Just so faculty members can decompress, we can talk about the state of where we think things are, what we thought of the meeting the other night, any directives or any kind of things we want to happen next and come up with a game plan for the faculty as a whole.”

Dorsey added that she has high hopes that she and the college can learn from this experience.

“I always, no matter what I do, I always say we can do things better the next time,” Dorsey said.

Campbell said Tuesday was a “tipping point” for faculty and that she hopes the board and the chancellor take what the faculty said into consideration.

“The faculty as a whole expressed their concerns and frustrations of how things are going and the tipping point was the Tuesday staff day,” Campbell said. “We obviously would hope there is communications and that we are listened to and that our thoughts and our feelings are taken into consideration by all of college administration.”

6OPINIONS April 19, 2012

A TIME FOR ALL

M AT T E R S

JOE MAKOTO STAFF WRITER

McDonalds vs.

Burger King

Our quadrennial presidential selection process has gone into high gear and the American people again have the opportunity to decide between The Burger King, who wants you to “have it your way!”, or Ronald McDonald, who wants you to be “lovin’ it.” As with the fast food chains represented, the candiate’s minor differences in substance are blown out of proportion by a multibillion dollar marketing campaign.

In order to appreciate the basic sameness of the two candidates, listen for what is not mentioned.

They disagree on trivialities about Dodd-Frank, but never mention the Federal Reserve or their extraordinary lending policies - actions which were confined to academic journals just five years ago. It helps to know both candidates and their parties supported the financial bailout in 2008 and see no reason to rock the financial sector’s boat.

Propping up zombie banks is another point of agreement.

They discussed energy, with a trivial $90 billion in alternative energy spending being highlighted. But neither candidate has ever mentioned the at least 80 year old US government backed building of automobile dependent suburbia that has left the nation vulnerable to oil supply shocks. Promoting an energy intensive culture through federal action is another point of agreement.

They discussed state budget issues, with school funding as a perennial topic.

Yet niether candidate mentioned the astounding prison population growth over the past 40 years, which is largely due to the federally backed war on plants. Not addressing this wrongheaded and expensive policy is just another point

ILLUSTRATION BY: CORY MONTERO

of agreement.

Are there differences? Of course there are. And those relatively minor differences are trumped up to get the

message, style and substance. But do not be deluded into believing that you are eating anything other than inexpensive fast food.

hey, is something

IRKING YOU? write a letter to meramecmontage@gmail.com

EDITORS Kavahn Mansouri Alex Kendall Hans Steinert Lilly Huxhold Ashley Higginbotham Kelly Glueck Tomi Storey Spencer Gleason Gretchen Daniels Justin Villmer Shannon Philpott

voting public excited and ready to pledge their support. Just as each fast food chain have strong points that attract buyers, each candidate has a different

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THE EDITOR

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OPINIONS April 19, 2012

Save the breasts:

skip the mammogram

REALITY

BITES

VICTORIA BARMAK STAFF WRITER These days, pink breast cancer awareness ribbons are everywhere.

They are easily spotted on anything from socks to tape dispensers and jewelry to water bottles. These ribbons are meant to bring awareness to the cause; they are also a reminder for women to perform their monthly breast self-exams and annual mammograms.

Meramec is following the trend the country is diligently working toward. Cancer Awareness Day was held on Sept. 26. It brought several outside vendors to our campus and was intended to educate students and faculty on cancer awareness and prevention.

One vendor was the Missouri Baptist Mammography van.

According to their website they offer “state-of-the-art technology, which helps radiologists better detect subtle, yet significant, changes in breast

tissue,” i.e., free mammograms.

While honorable, it could be deadly: ample evidence suggests the very thing meant to save women’s lives is directly connected to causing the disease.

In late 2009, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of experts in prevention and primary care appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services, caused uproar when it issued new guidelines that recommend against routine mammograms for women younger than 40. Instead it suggests breast self-exams for everyone.

The independent panel concluded “these screening procedures have been causing too many false alarms and unneeded biopsies without substantially improving women’s odds of surviving the disease.”

On Sept. 7, ABC news reported on their website that women under 30 who have been exposed to diagnostic radiation, as well as having a family history of breast cancer and are carriers of BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations (genes that can contribute to breast cancer) are 90 percent more likely to obtain breast cancer. According to the same study, a history of mammography before age 30 also raises the risk 43 percent in women who did not carry the mutated BRCA 1 or BRCA2 gene.

Dr. Joseph Mercola of http://mercola. com said mammograms use high-dose ionizing radiation, which can cause mutations linked to breast cancer. A woman can get as much radiation from one mammog ram as from 1,000 chest X-rays.

Mammography also compresses the breasts tightly, which can lead to a dangerous spread of cancerous cells should they exist.

Dr. Samuel Epstein, one of the world’s top cancer experts, has stated, “The premenopausal breast is highly sensitive to radiation, each rad exposure increasing breast cancer risk by about 1 percent, with a cumulative 10 percent increased risk for each breast over a decade’s screening.”

In 2010, the “New England Journal of Medicine” published a study to examine the effectiveness of mammograms. According to Dr. Mercola, the findings are not what most public health officials want us to believe.

The bottom line is that mammograms seem to have reduced cancer death rates by only 0.4 deaths per 1,000 women — an amount so small it may as well be zero.

The questions then arise: do alternatives exist? And if they do, what are they?

Yes, they do exist: Thermography and sonography.

In order to understand the former, it is important to note that inflammation in the body is a precursor to many health issues including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer.

Thermography is one of the newer diagnostic devices designed to measure inflammation. Since inflammation radiates heat, it is easy to spot abnormalities in the body. Additionally, our bodies’ heat patterns are symmetrical, which aides in detecting those “out of place” hot spots.

The second option is sonography, aka ultrasound.

According to http:// everydayhealth.com, this testing method uses extremely highfrequency sound waves to bounce off tissues in the breast and create a picture of what it looks like inside.

Ultrasound imaging is “realtime,” meaning that it can show exactly what is happening in the breast at that moment, capturing how and where blood is flowing.

This is particularly important for women with dense breasts, which young women tend to have.

Considering the fact mammograms miss up to 25 percent of breast cancer in dense breasts, an ultrasound may be the first test to consider.

What all this means is we need to learn about all the options available to us and make educated choices; read pertinent literature and stay on top of new findings, especially if breast cancer runs in our families. We must do our due diligence and, as sad as it sounds, we must not blindly trust our doctors.

VICTORIA BARMAK STAFF WRITER

All that glitters is not gold

So here you are: you have read my previous columns, done some research of your own and you are firm in your decision to make wiser food choices.

Next time you are in the cafeteria, you will not go for that chocolate chip cookie that is calling your name. You now know better. You will instead go for the yogurt parfait. After all, now that you are equipped with knowledge, you know that yogurt is a smart food choice.

Not. So. Fast.

First, let me give you a very quick lesson in basic nutrition. According to the American Heart Association, daily consumption of sugar per day is six teaspoons for women and nine for men. That includes everything from table sugar to pizza to sausage to Vitamin Water.

So what is wrong with that yogurt parfait, you might ask?

One serving packs almost twice the daily sugar recommendation. The yogurt parfait served in our cafeteria, courtesy of Treat America, contains 70 grams of sugar, which equals 11 teaspoons. The double chocolate chip cookie on the other hand has 20 grams of sugar by contrast.

The difference seems pretty significant. Mind you, I am not advocating for cookies as your go-to snack. All I am saying is looks can be deceiving. Read the labels, do the math and realize that just because it sounds healthy, it does not mean it is.

INTROCEPTION

LILLY HUXHOLD GRAPHICS EDITOR

Friend or foe So you have a friend, significant other or relative, who, frankly, is just not great for you. They take a lot from you emotionally and physically, but you have the need to keep giving because you care so much.

One of the hardest parts of life is realizing when to let go. Often attributed to giving up, letting go is not that you did not try. It is moving on and knowing that you gave 200 percent to a lost battle.

When letting go, in its wake you can have grief, relief, pain and a variety of separated emotions. It is absolutely terrifying. Unlike a cause and effect where you have no control, you are pushing forward; you are the catalyst. But it makes you stronger because you are telling yourself that you deserve more. You have the power to accept what you deserve and not settle for less.

Helen Keller once said, “Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.”

Obstacles are hard, especially when they come in the form of someone close, but we have to remember that even though we mean well, sometimes things cannot be fixed or resolved. Settling for something that will not change is unfair to the person you could become. Do not hold back because you are afraid there is nothing ahead of you. Trust me; life has better things in store.

8 INDEPTH October 25, 2012

TAYLOR MENKE ILLUSTRATIONS BY: CORY MONTERO

ECON

HEALTH IMMIGR Believes life begins at conception, Roe vs. Wade should be overturned, and abortion laws should be left to individual states to decide. He has also stated that he would support a Human Life Amendment (which would ban abortion across the country).

Believes the U.S. is the leader of the world, and should pioneer efforts at stopping Islamic fundamentalism, communism and dictatorships. Has taken a strong stance against China on the grounds that the Eastern country has manipulated currency and violated intellectual property rights, but supports mutually beneficial foreign trade with the nation.

Wishes to simplify the tax system and cut entitlement spending (social programs), but says these changes should not reduce benefits for current seniors or break the promises seniors have relied upon for their economic security in retirement.

Supports charter schools, merit-based pay for teachers, standardized testing, merit-based scholarships for students and English immersion. Discourages teacher’s unions.

Believes that marriage is between one man and one woman, and asserts that he would support a federal marriage amendment making unions between same-sex partners illegal even at the state level.

Implemented “MassCare” in Massachusetts. MassCare, or Romneycare, required all people within the state to purchase insurance or pay a fine in the form of taxes. Romneycare exists at the state rather than federal level.

Believes spending cuts and increasing revenue are necessary steps to balancing the federal budget.

http://mittromney.com/

FOREIGN

EDUCA

ABOR SAME-SEX

SOCIAL S

MEDIC

GUN CO

TERRO

ROLE OF GO

INDEPTH October 25, 2012

STAFF WRITER GRAPHIC BY: ANABEL GONZALEZ

NOMY

HCARE RATION

ATION

RTION MARRIAGE

SECURITY

CARE

ONTROL

ORISM

OVERNMENT

Pro-choice, believing that a woman should be able to access preventive and terminative care regardless of reason or ability to pay. He is against partial-birth abortions.

In Libya, Syria and Pakistan diplomatic discussions were attempted; when those discussions failed, and at the request of citizens and rebel groups, the Obama administration took military action (sometimes with the authority of the U.N.). The Obama administration emphasizes humanitarian efforts.

Believes spending cuts and increasing revenue are necessary steps to balancing the federal budget.

Strong supporter of public schools. Opposes private school vouchers, claiming they reduce the amount of money invested in public schools. Wants to expand charter schools, increase teacher’s pay and discern merit in teachers and school districts with something other than standardized tests alone.

Has always supported same-sex civil unions and opposed section three of DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act), which prevents recognition of same-sex partnership rights. Recently he has stated he supports full marriage equality.

Established “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”, Obamacare, with the intention of preventing insurance companies from: turning away those with pre-existing conditions, facilitating lower rates, increase disease prevention and ensuring all individuals have some form of insurance. Obamacare exists at the federal level.

Supports amnesty, medical care and pathways for citizenship for illegal immigrants. Has attempted to prevent the enforcement of illegal immigration laws. Voted in favor of the DREAM act (Development Relief and Education of Alien Minors act). http://barackobama.com/

ILLUSTRATIONS BY: COREY MONTERO

N POLICY

10 ART&LIFE October 25, 2012

TOP: Los Amancay performs in the Meramec cafeteria. The band performed as part of the Colombia in St. Louis Event, part of National Hispanic Month. BOTTOM LEFT: Meramec students dance to Los Amancay performing. BOTTOM RIGHT: Colombian art and fashion is sold in the cafeteria.

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Student Center Room 125

For more information contact: Career and Employment Services Tel: 314-984-7611 Email: CES@stlcc.edu

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ART&LIFE October 25, 2012

Finding common ground

PHOTOS BY: ALEX KENDALL

Meramec students participate in the Soliya Connect program

KAVAHN MANSOURI EDITOR IN CHIEF

In room SW110 five computers are equipped with web cams and microphones.

These are not just computers, they are tools of the Soliya Connect program at STLCCMeramec; a program that connects students across the world through video chat rooms to partake in ‘constructive dialogue.”

Across the world campuses participate in Soliya Connect, ranging from colleges such as Yale University to the Hashemite University in Jordan. Meramec is the first and only community college to participate in the program, and is the only higher education institute in Missouri to be a part of the program.

Meramec non-traditional student Deborah Caby is one of the five students involved in the Soliya Connect program.

She has interacted with students from Jordan, Tunisia, Egypt, Venice and several other countries. Caby said the program is a way for people across the world to ‘bridge the gap.’

“I think as we get to know each other as people we can then start a dialogue and build these bridges,” Caby said. “Then we’re not looking at each other through a big divide going ‘okay I’m against you you’re against me.’”

Soliya Connect is a virtual newsroom; students participate in constructive dialogue while facilitators keep the conversation rolling. Dialogue can range from post 9/11 foreign relations to the situation in Israel.

Students are also required to complete a 90-second advertisement from film clips provided by Soliya and are provided with readings for the program.

Meramec Professor Angela Hamilton discovered the Soliya Connect program during her sabbatical. She said the program offers a way from her students reading Middle Eastern literature to understand

the perspective of students from the area.

“It was through my sabbatical research that I found Soliya, they were linked to the United States Institute of Peace and that threw me in right away,” Hamilton said. “I was trying to find a way to fill that chasm between having my American students reading Middle Eastern literature but not having any contact with students who were living in the Middle East who might have a different perspective.”

Hamilton found funding for the Soliya Connect program through a grant awarded to Meramec from the Missouri Humanities Council; the funding allowed five students to participate in the program.

Hamilton said the program her experience with the program through training sessions inspired her to bring it home to Meramec.

“Last fall I did a training session for 10 weeks to become a co-facilitator for the Soliya Connect Program. This last spring I co-facilitated a group of students from the Middle East and the U.S. It was extremely rewarding and solidified my decision to pursue the Connect Program for this campus,” Hamilton said. “I have five students participating in an eight-week program, which started last week. I’d love to expand it but I’d need more support to do that.”

Caby said the program helps merge the differences between cultures across the globe.

“They give you a reading and some film clips and you talk about it; it’s about the culture, merging the differences between a Muslim culture, or Christian, or Jewish, or whatever,” Caby said. “Going across those different cultures and religions and getting to know each other as people.”

Caby added the program gives students

a chance to understand each other’s differing situation and the things they have in common.

“We’re looking for commonalities in human nature and how we can bridge this cultural divide,” Caby said.

Meramec student Kaitlin Hayes said she felt honored to be able to participate in the program and represent the college.

“I was worried when I heard we were the first community college to do this, I thought there would be some prejudice but there wasn’t. It’s really exciting to be able to represent Meramec like this,” Hayes said. “I almost feel honored to represent Meramec.”

Caby said some of the conversations in her first connection “surprised” her.

“We were talking about unemployment and I asked the men, with the women getting so much freedom all the sudden? ‘How does that affect you? Are you resentful of that or not resentful for that and they were kind of defensive about that. ‘Why would you ask a question like that? Do you not want women to be free?’ It was surprising,” Caby said.

Hearing men defend women from an area where there is sexism is thought to be the norm was shocking, Caby said.

“I was surprised by it and one of the men said ‘you know my mother is a woman,’” Caby said.

Caby said she feels lucky to be part of the program and that, because of her age, she felt younger people would benefit more from the program.

“I’m not as technical savvy as a lot of people are,” Caby said. “I feel incredibly lucky. Then it was like ‘why would they pick me?’ At first I thought it would be good for only younger people to have this advantage, and then I realized I have a lot to offer too. Being older I have been through a lot

I’ve understood a lot and I’ve told other people around school as an older person we’re handing younger people a world full of messes that we’ve managed to screw up royally.“ Hamilton said co-facilitating the program is rewarding in its own ways.

“Hearing from someone perhaps from Jordan and someone from Kentucky coming to this agreement about an issue like how to approach the subject of Israel is amazing,” Hamilton said. “Or even smaller than that; I had a student and a student from Lebanon whose grandmothers had things in common and they were talking about that.”

Hayes said the program is teaching her about different cultures globally and helping her understand different viewpoints from different cultures.

“I feel like I’m getting a lot out of it and I hope others are too,” Hayes said.

The experiences that Soliya Connect students share during sessions will affect the rest of their lives, Hamilton said.

“Getting into the group and talking on that level was incredible. But when I step back from co-facilitating and I see that these are students who are not going to forget these experiences, I know that what they do from here on out will somehow be shaped by the friendships they developed in the Connect Program,” Hamilton said. “It’s pretty amazing to me and I think it does influence how we treat others.”

Caby said its important for someone her age to be involved in Soliya Connect so younger students understand the “mess” they are inheriting.

“You need someone there with you going ‘okay we know we screwed up, let us help you.’ Instead of us just handing it off and expecting you to take care of it,” Caby said.

12ART&LIFE

a recipe

October 25, 2012

BOXY ART PROJECTS!

For the intermediate crafter.

RUbik’s CUBE

for disguise

MATERIALS Black long sleeve shirt and leggings or jeans A square box that fits your upper torso Packing tape or duct tape Black paint Box cutter/scissors Nine sheets of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and white construction paper Glue

KELLY GLUECK OPPINIONS EDITOR

Halloween is in a week, but do not freak! Whether your Halloween party is in a few days or a few hours, The Montage has you covered. Grab your glue and some old sheets and follow these simple directions to create a spooktacular costume. But that is hardly all, we also have fool-proof recipes for blood and mustaches to keep you looking bloody sharp.

PROCESS Secure and seal the flaps of your box then brush or spray paint black. After the paint dries arrange and cut nine construction paper squares to each side of box. Try to leave an inch gap between colors and glue squares. Next, cut a hole for head, arms and waist/ hips. Make sure your waist/hip hole is large enough to fit your shoulders since this is how you will enter the cube. It also helps to the put the costume on before you cut the arm holes. If your arm holes are too high or low it could be an uncomfortable night.

GET IT TOGETHER! For costumes on the fly.

Ghost MATERIALS

An old Queen-sized bed sheet Scissors PROCESS

Cut eye holes. Viola! Spruce your costume up by adding glasses, a tie or a mustache.

MUMMY

TIn MAN MATERIALS Gray or silver long sleeve shirt and leggings, tights or jeans Gray or silver shoes Silver spray paint Torso-sized box One oil filter String or strip of elastic Ax (optional) 4” clock face Red construction paper 3M tape or velcro Silver body or face paint PROCESS Seal your box with tape. Spray paint box, funnel and ax (and white clothes or shoes if needed). Keep in mind this will stiffen your clothes and will not wash out. Next, cut holes in box for head, arms and legs.

You can cut out the bottom flaps to keep an open hole at the bottom if you wish. It also helps to the put the costume on before you cut the arm holes.

If your arm holes are too high or low it could be uncomfortable. Fasten clock to chest area of box with 3M tape or Velcro. Cut a hollow circle the size of clock face into the red construction paper and then cut a heart around the circle. This is makes the Tin Man’s courageous heart. Complete your costume by covering the rest of your skin liberally with silver body or face paint.

MATERIALS

Neutral-colored or tea-stained white shirt and pants (long underwear works well) 14+ yards of 2-inch wide gauze or old bed sheets cut into strips Baby powder PROCESS

Wearing your shirt and pants, begin by loosely wrapping the gauze around your torso. Wrap each section of your body separately to prevent unraveling. It helps to cut the gauze every few feet and tie knots. Apply powder liberally and walk like a zombie. Mummies were the first zombies.

Hint: You can make a pretty gruesome rotting flesh effect by mixing 8 tablespoons of allpurpose flour with 5 tablespoons of warm water. Mix the resulting dough with a small amount of Elmer’s glue and apply unevenly to your face and let dry for 15 minutes.

ROBOT MATERIALS Two boxes (head sized and torso sized) Silver Spray paint Box Cutter/Scissors Two Dryer Duct tubes (or one cut in two) Hose handles, drawer knobs, reflectors, clock watch faces, blank CDs, watch batteries, anything that can resemble a button

GRAPEVINE

MATERIALS Black or green long sleeves and leggings, tights or jeans A pack of green or purple balloons A pack of safety pins A helping hand PROCESS Blow up your balloons and fasten to your shirt with safety pins. Make sure to stick pin through the tied end of balloon to prevent your grapes from becoming raisins. Use a helping hand to help you with your back.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY: CORY MONTERO

PROCESS For the torso box, cut holes for your head, arms and legs. You can cut out the bottom flaps to keep an open hole at the bottom if you wish. It also helps to the put the costume on before you cut the arm holes.

If your arm holes are too high or low it could be uncomfortable. They also need to be as wide around as the dryer ducts. For your head box, cut a head hole and eye hole. Make sure to put the robot head on before you cut your eye holes. If the eyes are not positioned where you would like them, get creative and use the mouth or “buttons” as eye holes. Spray paint your boxes silver. Attach the dryer duct arms by screwing them in a little and tape

ART&LIFE October 25, 2012

A super challenge.

Draw your life-sized mask or head piece on a file folder or cardboard.

Feel free to decorate with glitter, sequins, construction paper or paint. If you are making a crown or a protruding headpiece, make sure to decorate the reverse side. When you are finished, use your elastic to hold the mask or headpiece in place.

It is time to suit up. Use leftover duct tape to create designs and logos. Look to your favorite superheroes for inspiration.

BELT

MATERIALS Tights Top Old sheet or blanket (color of your boots, grannies and mask) Velcro File folders or cardboard (optional) Fabric paint or spray paint (optional) Colored granny panties (color of your boots, cape and mask) Old shoes (Flats or slip-ons work the best) Knee high tights or socks Duct tape the color of your boots Scissors Ruler Eyelets Shoelaces Duct tape the color of your belt Decorations Glue Elastic string or strap

MASK HEADPIECE

SUPERhero

EDITORS CHOICE

CAPE

Fold your sheet in half diagonally to create a triangle. Fold the top corner of the triangle to create a 2’ flat top which is now parallel to the folded bottom . Your triangle should now be a trapezoid. Wrap the end you just fixed around your neck/collarbone and make sure it is a comfortable length. Take the ends you just folded and attach Velcro to the corners so they may fasten together. If cape is still uncomfortable, try folding the corners into your shirt and Velcroing to the inside of your shirt. Feel free to stencil-paint your logo on cape. Create own stencil by using a box cutter to cut your design out of a file folder or cardboard. If you are choosing a Batman cape, try using parts of a large old black umbrella.

Wrap duct tape around your belt if you would like a certain color. This usually compliments the boots texture for a more consistent costume. Feel free to design duct tape patterns and logos for your top as well to create a more uniform look.

TEXTURE

BOOTS

Cut a 3” wide strip of new or leftover file folder or pliable cardboard. This piece should be able to wrap around the thickness of your calf with 2” gap and works best if it has a slight arc shape. Cover your boot cuff with duct tape, leaving a little extra extending off the shorter end of the arc (or the bottom). Set your cuff to the side and put on your shoe, again, flats or slip-ons work the best. Put your sock over the shoe. Tape the excess tape from your boot cuff to the top of your sock. You may need a few layers to get the cuff to hold itself up.

Continue to wrap the duct tape down the calf to the toes. The more layers, the more sturdy

OLD SCHOOL

For a scaly look, put fishnets over your face and then paint your desired scale color. Make sure to pull your nets tight so they do not slither away.

Spray body paint works best for this.

Give it an old or vintage look (great for Mummies and Ghosts) Boil a large pot of ten or so bags of black tea and let it cool to room temperature. Soak the fabric in teaand then hang over shower curtain rod to dry (make sure to clean the floor and tub. Tea wil stain). Repeat as needed if the fabric does not come out grungy enough for you.

MATERIELS

1 Gallon Tropical fruit punch 1 cup corn syrup 2 tablespoons of red food coloring 1 tablespoon of chocolate syrup 2 tablespoons of cornstarch 1 tablespoon of powdered cocoa

P R O C ES S

EDIBLE BLOOD RECIPE Combine all of the ingredients in the blender and mix for ten seconds. Since different brands of fruit punch vary in color, you will need to tweak the recipe to arrive at your perfect batch of fake blood. Some fake blood connoisseurs recommend a cup of coffee in place of the fruit punch. You may need to reduce (or eliminate) the amount of chocolate syrup and powdered cocoa used in the recipe. Remember, it is all about experimentation! Take the white towel test by dripping a few drops of blood onto a white towel to see how realistic it looks. You can also roll up your sleeve and drip a little on your arm to see how it looks on skin. Is that not bloody fantastic?

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SPORTS October 25, 2012

Raised on the game Sophomore Lady Archer, Brooke Valeroy, grew up with sports as a part of her family DAVID KLOECKENER SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER As a 10-year-old, Brooke Valeroy’s older brother dressed her up in his hockey pads: elbow, shoulder and shin guards — everything except for his helmet. That was too big to fit properly on her head.

Her brother, who was five years older, stood back several feet and took a slap shot.

“My brother was an amazing hockey player,” Valeroy said. “Of all the places to hit me, it hit me square in the forehead.

All I remember is him coming up to me [saying] ‘Do not tell mom. Do not tell mom. Do not tell on me. I am sorry.’”

Being the youngest of three kids in her family, Valeroy recalls that her older brother and sister would use their seniority to their advantage.

“They took out everything on me and I was always the one doing the dirty work,” Valeroy said.

Valeroy, now a sophomore midfielder for the Lady Archer soccer team, has helped lead the Lady Archers to a Region XVI Title this season and hopes to continue the season’s ride into the national

tournament. Her passion for sports stems from her family. More times than not, childhood memories center around sports and bonding time spent with her brother.

“I have two older siblings and we were just born and raised on soccer. My dad coached it,” Valeroy said. “My brother is mainly the one that would, as a kid, make me stay outside and play soccer with him. We both loved the sport so he would make me run hills with him and work on soccer skills.”

While running up and down hills helped to strengthen her lower body and stamina, Valeroy also learned a unique facet of her soccer game about the same time as the hockey incident — the flip throw-in.

“I was in the fourth grade and I went to a soccer tournament and saw someone do it.” Valeroy said. “It only took about a month to learn.”

Valeroy said her first try with the throw-in was with a bouncy ball inside the house, but “it did not go well.”

Valeroy also credits gymnastics with helping her improve her throw-ins.

CONTINUED ON PAGE

PHOTO BY: DAVID KLOECKENER Lady Archers’ midfielder, Brooke Valeroy, does a flip throw-in during a home game against the St. Charles Community College Cougars on Sept. 11. Valeroy learned to do the flip throw-in when she was in the fourth grade.

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16 SPORTS October 25, 2012

Movin’ on up Lady Archers soccer team wins Region XVI Title

The Lady Archers soccer team gathers together for team unity during a home game on Oct. 9 against the Parkland College Cobras. The Lady Archers lost 2-1 in overtime.

PHOTOS BY: DAVID KLOECKENER

SPENCER GLEASON SPORTS EDITOR It was a historic moment for the STLCC Lady Archers on the soccer field in Independence, Mo. on Oct. 21. When the final minute had finished on the clock, the score read STLCC, one, Metropolitan Community College- Maple Woods, zero.

The 2012 Lady Archer soccer team had just won the Region XVI Tournament for the first time in their history.

Following the STLCC Archer men’s and women’s basketball teams Region XVI Titles last season, the Lady Archer soccer team is only the third STLCC team to accomplish such a feat in the short athletic history of the STLCC Archers.

Although the season started with a record of 0-2-1 on the road, when the Lady

Archers began playing on their home field, they went on a 10-game winning streak.

“It obviously took awhile to make sure that we got all those components to work together,” Lady Archer head coach Juergen Huettner said before their ninth consecutive win. “I think four or five games into the season it slowly kicked in. It is nice to see now that they play very well together.”

The roster that holds seven sophomores and 14 freshmen currently sit with an overall record of 15-3-1.

“You do not get the feeling that this is a team that is dominate with freshmen. It does not look like an inexperienced team,” Huettner said. “It looks like a team that has been together for a long time. It does not feel

like a junior college team in it’s first year. It is almost like a four-year school. It feels like a bunch of juniors and seniors on the team.”

The Lady Archers now await the winner of the Region 24 Tournament, from Illinois, to play in the District Tournament.

The winner of the District Tournament will move on to the National Tournament.

The four teams remaining in the Region 24 Tournament are Heartland Community College, Parkland College, Southwest Illinois College and Kaskaskia.

In the regular season, the Lady Archers defeated three of the four remaining teams, losing to Parkland College, 2-1, in overtime on Oct. 9 — their only loss in a stretch of 14 games to end the regular season.

Before the season started in August, Huettner was hopeful that this would be a memorable season. He was optimistic the 2012 Lady Archers would put STLCC on the map.

“I think that if this team has some luck come their way and we play the way I think we are capable of playing,” Huettner said in August, “I think that there would be nothing wrong to say that this team could be one of the STLCC women’s soccer teams that picks up on some glory days back in the 1990s. My dream would be that we have a long postseason run.”

With the Region XVI Title, the Lady Archers are one step closer to their coach’s prediction.

LEFT: Lady Archers’ defender Annie Miskovic jumps for the ball over opposing Parkland College Cobra players on Oct. 9. MIDDLE: Lady Archers’ midfielder Brooke Valeroy slides for the ball, kicking it out of the way of Cobra midfielder Kelsey Nystrom. RIGHT: Lady Archers’ defender Katie Rapisardo battles for the ball. The Cobras are one of four teams the Lady Archers could face in the District Tournament.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

While a member of her high school team from Saxony Lutheran High School, Valeroy led her Crusaders with 13 goals and had 3 assists. Since joining the Lady Archers in the fall of 2011, Valeroy has continued to develop her soccer skills according to STLCC head coach, Juergen Huettner.

“She has fine-tuned her flip throw,” Huettner said. “I think she has just become more dangerous since she has been here.”

Since Valeroy has been around the game of soccer her entire life, her experience is invaluable. She has shown that she is able to play the game of soccer at a high level and be a leader on and off the field according to STLCC assistant coach Alex McDonald.

“She’s taken a strong leadership role for us,” McDonald said. “Players follow her based on her actions on the field — her hustle, determination and work ethic.”

The 2012 Lady Archer soccer campaign has been different than last season according to Valeroy. Aside from the win and loss record and the steps closer to a national tournament birth, the camaraderie of the

team has strengthened. With this being her last year in an Archer uniform, Valeroy hopes the season continues as long as it can.

“This season is so much more exciting than last season and the girls are amazing,” Valeroy said. “All of the girls on this team [get along] so [well together]. We mix so well.

I am seriously going to be sad when I have to leave them and the coaches are the best.”