The Montage Student Newspaper

Montage The

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St. Louis Community College–Meramec

Oct. 14, 2010 Vol. 47 Issue 4

Making ‘cents’ of finances Budget predictions may affect students, faculty and staff

Pages 8-9

5

New program offers ‘quick solutions’

The new Work force and Community Development set to train future workers.

10 ILLUSTRATION BY: JACOB HIGHT

Kurt Oberreither - Staff Writer -

Coming off of what is a tough fiscal year for STLCC, the 2012 year looks to pose greater problems for the school’s budget.

With a projected cut in state aid, priorities are contemplated.

Carla Chance, vice chancellor for finance and business services, said the 2011-2012 school year looks to be about a $4 million challenge.

Despite a societal push toward achieving higher education, Chance said state spending on community colleges has fallen almost 10 percent in the last eight years. “ H i g h e r education, whether or not you agree with it, in a lot of states is seen as a discretionary expense,” Chance said.

“All 50 states right now are struggling with these same issues.

States’ revenues are declining because employment is down.”

The recession may be over, but STLCC will continue to face financial hardships.

“We’re not absolved from experiencing some of the travails that go along with the

have always said that, as a portion of our budget, student tuition should be somewhere close to a third of the total cost, and we’re just about at that point right now,” Chance said.

I understand that tuition increases may be necessary at your institutions for the 2012 academic year.”

Another source of revenue for the college is local taxes.

While the tax rate

“Higher education, whether or not you agree with it, in a lot of states is seen as a discretionary expense.”

-Carla Chance, vice chancellor for finances economy as we know it,” Zerrie Campbell said, interim president of STLCC-Meramec.

An agreement between state lawmakers and public universities in January 2009 ensured that tuition would hold steady for two consecutive years. STLCC, along with other public institutions, has kept tuition flat, but the deal expires at the end of this year.

“At STLCC we

During the Higher Education Summit on Aug. 17, Gov. Jay Nixon addressed the impending budget gap and the effect it could have on tuition at public universities.

Nixon said, “. . . state revenue is expected to lag for some time.

That means that the potential cuts in [fiscal year] 2012 across state government – including higher education – will be substantial.

Given these fiscal realities,

increase approved by the STLCC Board of Trustees Sept. 22 from $21.36 cents per $100 to $21.79 cents for assessed property valuation in the district will increase local tax revenue, Chance stated that collection will still remain flat.

Nevertheless, enrollment at Meramec is running at capacity and enrollment is on the rise school-wide.

According to Chance this will help offset the state aid shortfall.

Campbell said that Meramec must maintain or increase enrollment funds. “[We’re] hoping that we maintain our enrollment numbers because that’s how we pay our bills,” Campbell said.

Nixon, during his collegiate address, also discussed “a statewide review of all academic programs.”

“We must take a hard and unsentimental look at all academic programs, and cull those that are of low productivity, low priority or duplicative,” Nixon said.

Chance said we can expect change in academic programs.

“I think, not just at St. Louis Community College, but all across the state of Missouri in the next 24 months we’re going to see a lot of focus on academic programs,” Chance said.

“STLCC budgets the finances for Meramec” See Page 4

“Assassins” at Meramec The Meramec Theatre presents its version of the sound-time musical.

16

Women’s basketball Women’s basketball looks toward the upcoming season.

Montage Reader Poll What is your opinion on the upcoming election candidates’ use of media?

A C

B

A. It’s been better than the previous election.

B. They’re no better nor worse than last election.

C. I would rather watch Spongebob to avoid seeing anything about the election altogether.

Oct. 28 Poll Question

How do you feel about the health care provisions and how they will affect young Americans?

To vote, visit: www.meramecmontage.com

2 NEWS

October 14, 2010

Clubs on campus earn their own funding through events Tim Doty

- Copy Editor -

In the last two years, the number of clubs at STLCCMeramec has increased from approximately 25 to more than 40. However, even with more and more clubs being created, the clubs at Meramec must work for their funding.

“The important thing is that they earn it,” said Michael Roman, Meramec student and public relations officer for the Student Governance Council (SGC).

Club funding can be earned in a variety of ways including cosponsoring and working events around campus. “[Clubs] need to be involved. If they get more involved, they will probably increase the money they get,” said Steve Brady, manager of student activities. “Clubs earn the money through working events. For example, if they work the Friday night movie, the money would come from that. Plus, they can do their own fundraisers.”

Some of the money clubs can earn comes from the Campus Life budget. Per

credit hour each student takes $5 from their tuition and 56 percent of that amount is given to Campus Life.

Campus Life then divides this money to fund the SGC, the Student Activities Club (SAC), and visiting speakers and a portion is set aside for clubs to earn. Campus Life determines which clubs get funding.

“Clubs get funding based on participation of events and private fundraising,” said Roman.

Clubs have become more involved on campus in the recent years.

“We used to only have a handful of clubs participating.

Now there has been more student and club involvement on campus,” said Chris Bathe, advisor for the SAC. Campus Life provides assistance to Meramec clubs through more than monetary means.

“Sometimes Campus Life will help out with events like if a club wants soda to serve at an event, we’ll provide some pitchers of soda. We want clubs to be responsible, to have a game plan. We’ll help to show them resources. Any

number of things a club needs is provided for them,” said Brady.

Each club has to report to the SGC at some point, though.

“It doesn’t go ‘Let’s form a club and let’s get money.’

It’s ‘Let’s form a club,’ then ‘What do we want the club to do? What activities do we engage in? How often do we meet?’ A club has to answer these questions. A club would have to be established in order to access any kind of funding,” said Brady.

Each club at Meramec falls under one of two categories: type-A and B clubs.

“Type-A clubs are required to come to all meetings and have the opportunity to be in the lottery. Each club has a representative that goes to meetings and has voting rights…We have lots of members from these clubs in our meetings. They want events,” said Roman.

“The lottery” is a list of events that will happen on campus. Each club gets to pick an event for which they want to work, and the SGC determines what event each club gets to help run. There are

PHOTO BY: ALESHIA PITT

Campus Life Club prepares its poster for the upcoming Halloween children’s event. Clubs on campus can raise money from events but are also financially supported by Campus Life.

some clubs that cannot be in the lottery.

“Type`-B clubs come into one meeting and turn in a roster. They have the opportunity to have a table to earn money at Club Days, but they can’t be in the lottery.

We do have B clubs that are active,” said Roman.

As of the fall semester 2009, there have been changes to improve the club funding process.

“Once a semester you can change the club status. Clubs used to be able to change the status at anytime; now it’s once a semester. This is still in the development stage,” said Roman.

Even with club numbers increasing, Campus Life still provides funding for clubs that are involved in campus events.

“It’s good that it’s going to the students. I like the fact that we earn it,” said Roman.

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BE HEARD BE HEARD BE HEARD BE HEARD BE HEARD BE HEARD BE HEARD BE HEARD BE HEARD

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* at the crestwood location for all of your school, team, or holiday function.

Crestwood (314) 822-4909 South County (314) 894-1600 Eureka (636) 938-7090

October 14, 2010

What’s happening at STLCC NEWS BRIEFS Meramec Majors Fair On Oct. 20, the Meramec Majors Fair will be held in the Student Center Commons from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fair will allow students the opportunity to explore careers and learn about different degree programs and classes offered at the college.

Academic department personnel will be available to answer questions. A free lunch will be provided for new and current students.

For more information, contact the Advising and Counseling Department at 314-984-7526 or e-mail mcadvise@stlcc.edu.

Concert Choir will be playing at the Rams game On Nov. 21, the Meramec Concert Choir, conducted by Dr. Jerry Myers, will be performing at the Edward Jones Dome.

The game will feature the St. Louis Rams vs the Atlanta Falcons and students will have the opportunity to purchase discount tickets.

For $35, students will receive a ticket for the 3:05 p.m. game, $10 in vouchers, good for food or drinks, and $5 of the ticket price goes to the newly created Meramec Choir Scholarship.

Tickets are on sale now in the Campus Life office (SC221) and will be available on a first-comefirst-serve basis. Tickets will also be available in the cafeteria on Oct. 4,12, 20 and 28 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For more information, please visit the Campus Life office or contact Dr. Myers at 314-984-7638

NEWS

Saving the environment one project at a time

Committee evaluates carbon usage on campus Clinton Borror - Staff Writer -

The Meramec Sustainability Committee is attempting to turn STLCCMeramec green.

Students, faculty and staff have joined together to make Meramec a more environmentally friendly campus, according to committee co-chair and professor of political science, Emily Neal.

The committee, formed when former President Paul Pai, Ed.D., signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment last year, it is tasked with building awareness of global warming emissions.

The Climate Commitment is an agreement in which participating colleges must take steps to minimize global warming emissions.

“What is the total carbon usage by this entire campus community? That includes

the commuting time of students, faculty and staff.

Then you also must think about when faculty go away on conferences. There’s jet fuel used,” Neal said.

According to Bonnie Sanguinet, co-chair of the committee and manager of Library Services, campus efforts are in the planning stage.

“We’re still trying to narrow down what we’re going to do. We are quite sure we are going to do a clothing swap, probably early in the spring semester. We will also be participating in Recyclemania next semester,” Sanguinet said.

Recyclemania is a contest in which colleges compete to produce the least amount of waste.

“Years ago the big thing was recycling. Now the big thing is, let’s cut down on use of materials. Let’s not print out so many e-mails.

Let’s print double-sided.

PHOTO BY: COURTNEY STARK

Campus is flourished with eco-friendly plant-life. The sustainability committee is devising new projects to keep the enviroment alive.

We’ve got all these recycling bins, but let’s not even fill them up,” Sanguinet said.

Rene Dulle, a student member of the committee, has worked with groups focused on recycling efforts.

"I am involved with Meramec green teams because I am truly passionate about

sustainability and realize that every little thing we do adds up in a big way in terms of conserving our environment for future generations," Dulle said.

The next Meramec Sustainability Committee meeting is Nov. 9 in SC Room 125.

Banner self-service login procedure changes anticipated Effective Oct. 19, St. Louis Community College will be expanding the reach of the current student network login.

The various parts used by students, such as, MySTLCC ID and password, exchange e-mail, Hyperion and blackboard will allow students to log into Banner self-service.

No more A-number and pin to remember.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY: COURTNEY STARK

For most students, including current faculty this should be a seamless transition, according to STLCC. In order to better

serve new students and new college employees, that may need assistance with the new process, the campus Center for Teaching and Learning, along with TESS representatives will be conducting a “how to” training sessions for faculty and student services. This will also be available for staff and department secretaries.

E-mails will be sent to notify individuals with more details in the next few weeks.

Additional information available at Clark Hall in the admissions dept.

Make a Difference Day On Saturday, Oct. 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., students will have the opportunity to help out the city of Kirkwood by placing warning signs against stream pollution.

In addition, students will also be tackling the invasive honeysuckle in Kirkwood Park.

Those interested should meet in Meramec Lecture Hall Lobby.

St. Louis Community College is an equal opportunity action institution and makes every effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities.

If any individual should need assistance, they can contact the Service Learning office at 314-984-7893 within two working days of the scheduled event to request needs.

Documentation of disability may be required.

3

Get Published!

MAJORS FAIR!!!

Once upon a time this student had this really great manuscript and...

Wednesday, October 20 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Student Center Commons Undecided on a Major?

Have Questions about a particular Major?

STLCC professors from various academic programs and majors will be available to answer your questions.

Come by and get lunch too!

This event is sponsored by the Office of Academic Advising For additional information, contact 314-984-7526

Submit your original: fiction plays art

non-fiction screenplays poetry

by November 22, 2010 to mccurrents@stlcc.edu

4 NEWS

October 14, 2010

Young adults health plan and what it means for Meramec Mark Livingston - Staff Writer -

Child-only plans have been struck from many insurance companies’ available options.

On Thursday, Sept. 23, the first provisions of the health care law under the “Affordable Care Act,” went into effect across the nation.

Insurers will not be allowed to drop any paying customer when they get sick because of an error on an insurance form.

Individuals under 19 cannot be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. In 2014, preexisting condition denials will be banned for everyone.

Co-pays and deductibles will be eliminated for proven preventive care in new plans.

The president has outlined his health care plan throughout his campaign for the presidency and has continued promoting the plan during press conferences,

town hall meetings, and while campaigning for other democratic candidates.

President Barack Obama said at a town hall event Aug. 15 in Grand Junction, Colo., “If you like your health care plan, you keep your health care plan. Nobody is going to force you to leave your health care plan. If you like your doctor, you keep seeing your doctor.

I don’t want government bureaucrats meddling in your health care.”

Insurance companies such as Humana, Aetna, Coventry, United Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield say they will no longer offer these child-only insurance plans. Insurers state they are subject to major losses in profits because people will not purchase the plan until the child gets sick.

The child-only plan policies enacted before Sept.

23 will not be affected.

Kenya K. Alu, 36, homemaker and registered

nurse who has two children, said, “I choose to stay home and raise my baby right now, but businesses are not hiring full-time employees.”

Alu said he feels that child-only plans are cheaper than family plans and doesn’t like the idea of being at the mercy of the government for the plan they deem best for her.

“This is my family, and I know what’s best for them; not a one size fits all approach the government has forced upon me and my family,” Alu said.

Corporations such as McDonald’s have recently stated their insurance provider would not be able to meet 2011 requirements, leaving nearly 30,000 of their employees questioning future health care benefits. McDonald’s Corp. denies plans to drop employees’ health coverage.

Jeff L. Klump, 47, economics graduate and insurance broker, said some

“It’s like buying insurance on a car, after driving it off a cliff. It just doesn’t make -Jeff L. Klump sense.” all sessions & tickets

scifeststl.org

PHOTO BY: JOE RAY

Meramec students sitting outside of the Quad. This photo represents the young adults of America

economists predict the small businesses will not be able to meet the new requirements and new hires will diminish, crippling the economy further.

Klump reinforced Alu’s point by saying that people will be forced into purchasing the more expensive family plans until the entire law goes into effect in 2014, or be faced without insurance for their children during the next four years.

The new law brings uncertainty to the economy,

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“It’s like buying insurance on a car, after driving it off a cliff. It just doesn’t make sense,” Klump said.

WCD Programs for STLCC-Meramec Continued from page 1... Wasson said.

Meramec Vice President of Academic Affairs George Wasson has said, that while nothing is permanent, “the chancellor is focused on maintaining our instructional core, which means our full-time faculty [and] our instructional operations.”

Free session for students

and the unintended consequences will affect more than just the health care field. Klump said, “Insurance companies are in business to make money, which they work off narrow profit margins.”

Klump said if people waited to purchase insurance until their kids got sick, there is no way insurance companies could stay in business.

Furthermore, according to Wasson, the upcoming November elections could have an impact on the budget decisions made.

“There are a lot of unknowns. We don’t know who’s going to be in the [state] legislature.

Wasson said the school’s budget faces “opportunity costs” like the economy or, on a smaller scale, a household budget.

That can make a big difference; there will be some people who will be more supportive of higher education,” Wasson said.

“When we have a decrease in income we have to decide what we are going to continue spending on. What are we going to cut out? You can’t have everything; you have to make a choice. Some of the choices will be more palatable than others,” Wasson said.

More answers will come at the end of January 2011 when Nixon will present his budget for the 2012 school year.

Regarding how decisions are made at the campus Wasson said, “There is input that comes from all different sources.

While the nation still faces a 9.6 percent unemployment rate, Campbell said it is during economically trying times that more people seek higher education and STLCC must maintain its level of quality provided.

There are forums that will be held with leadership, with faculty, [and] things such as that.”

“We’re all very anxious to hear out of Jefferson City what the revenue estimates are,” Chance said.

Wasson said that like this year, the school will take a look at supplemental programs rather than core instruction.

“People have got to get the proper education and training so they can get jobs, go to work, and improve the quality of their lives,” Campbell said.

“When a college starts into budget cutting on its core instructional, then you start cutting out parts of your ability to offer courses,”

“I think we all need to be as responsible, cost effective as possible and work together to address whatever [the] funding crisis may be.”

NEWS

October 14, 2010

5

Bringing enrichment to the STLCC experience

New program provides opportunities for labor force Shane Rice

- News Editor -

As businesses turn to community colleges for career changeovers, STLCC is developing new solutions for the vastly changing economy.

Work force and Community Development is an expansive service of STLCC. The WCD responds to the talent development and organizational performance needs of St. Louis businesses along with civic and community-based organizations.

Zerrie Campbell, interim president for Meramec said, “The community college was originally developed to be more responsive to the needs of the community.”

Community colleges have always been gateways to higher education in America. Community colleges are more than providers of courses for bachelor’s degrees; they offer lifelong learning opportunities, revitalization for local communities and economic development.

In fact, community colleges offer people a low cost alternative and accessibility that can keep pace with the speed of business change.

“Community colleges wanted to be more responsive to corporations, businesses and situations that presented themselves that didn’t require the four year pre-requisite,” Campbell said.

According to Campbell, the average completion rate for community college students is approximately six or seven semesters. As students require more “enrichment,” the colleges find that they may require more pre-requisites for developmental training before getting into the actual programmatic program of study. “Businesses and industries just don’t have that kind of time. They’re trying to increase the work force or trying to be responsive to the needs of their own production,” Campbell said.

To help both businesses and students, the WCD provides a way to provide a skill in a trained labor force, within a prescribed period of time that could range from eight hours to eight weeks.

“We find that businesses and industry want to know the worker

is trained, the worker is skilled based on the particular companies’ requirements,” Campbell said.

The WCD serves the community beyond the traditional college setting.

Each division of the WCD maintains a staff of experienced professionals along with state-ofthe-art resources designed to improve the quality of the region’s work force and provide increased opportunities for the area’s residents.

According to a report by Rod Nunn, vice chancellor of work force development, STLCC routinely tracks economic and employment activity. The idea is to assure that the right mix of programs and services is being pooled for the region’s employers.

“Career training programs are required to conduct industry focus groups at inception and before any major modifications in order to understand industry needs,” Nunn said.

In addition, the staff at the Missouri Career Centers meets with employers frequently to make sure that they understand the necessary skills and attributes of high performing employees.

Based on the same report, Nunn estimates that there are approximately 444,000 adults over the age of 25 with some college education but no degree.

“Many are dislocated workers, some are under employed, some are sitting in companies and doing just fine,” Nunn said.

debate about economic stimulus versus government spending all contribute to uncertainty.

New legislation and regulation in areas like health care and finance also give businesses reason to hesitate in expansion and hiring decisions. “ W o r k f o r c e development is not just a menu of offerings,” Nunn said.

“In collaboration with K-12 schools, community organizations, and four-year colleges we are able to help with the demand of workers needed in the change of business.”

So far, STLCC and various partners have been able to develop new and innovative programs that are designed as “fast solutions” in today’s vastly changing economy.

One such program is the AmerenUE Pre-Apprentice Training Program.

It’s designed to train line workers for possible employment with Ameren-UE as a line worker. Also there’s the Boeing training project that creates a pool of employee candidates for positions as sheet metal assemblerriveters.

Along with Boeing and Ameren, the WCD and STLCC will offer programs in health care, as a home health caregiver or a patient care technician. In addition, STLCC will provide opportunities in the fields of information technology, in partial because technology is a fast changing industry that requires lifetime training.

Business applications and technical training will also be placed into the WCD programs.

Nunn said that historically, non-credit instruction has been underappreciated and STLCC for years has been able to quickly mobilize resources.

This is done to provide an assortment of training and performance improvement services that benefit both business and students.

“If there’s a company or a corporation that has needs then we’re going to look at customizing programs that train the individuals they would like trained,” Campbell said.

For a list of programs or details on how to get involved with WCD programs, students or individuals seeking further training can contact the department of advising and counceling located in Clark Hall.

Career and Employment Services Presents:

According to http://stlworkforce. org, the 2009 State of St. Louis Report focused on an economy just beginning to transition from recession to recovery.

The 2010 report focuses on an economy that has experienced a jump start from a number of economic stimuli but is now settling into the reality of a long and uneven recovery, particularly in job creation.

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Lack of consumer confidence, Wall Street volatility and a foreign debt crisis, as well as the national

The Culprits.

What Are You Guilty Of?

Bring Your Resume Dress Professionally Business Attire Take Charge of Your Future St. Louis Community College—Meramec November 3, 2010 9:00 am—12:00 pm

Write about it.

The Montage is now hiring for 2010-2011 positions: Staff Writers, Photographers, Designers, Ad Manager and Ad Reps.

Apply online at www.meramecmontage.com

Room 105 Business Administration Building St. Louis Community College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution and makes every effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities. If you have accommodation needs, please call 314-984-7893 within two working days of the scheduled event to request needs. Documentation of disability may be required.

OPINIONS Self-improvement

October 14, 2010

Pursuit of Happiness

The 10 paradoxes of self-acceptance Joe Douglas

- Editor-in-Chief -

The pursuit of happiness is a paradox. While it’s natural to chase after happiness, people may catch themselves running in circles if their aim is off.

Happiness is right under their noses, they’re just looking past it.

Developing a sense of selfacceptance is necessary to being happy.

But developing that sense of self-worth, detached from outside objects, is challenging and has many of its own paradoxes that trap the average pursuer of happiness.

These “Ten Paradoxes of SelfAcceptance,” by Terry Cooper, Ed.D., Ph.D., psychology instructor at STLCC-Meramec, are the traps people find themselves caught in while trying to reach the inner Holy Grail. *If self-esteem is the ultimate focus in life, it may be impossible to reach.

Self-esteem comes from accepting you for you, not seeing self-esteem as an outside element that must be reached. *Constantly trying to win the approval of others often leads to not getting their respect nor their approval.

Often, the best relationships happen spontaneously.

POLITICS

Don’t overanalyze it or try unnecessarily hard to impress someone. *Fighting with secrets and hidden emotions will only put those things in greater control.

Acceptance is key.

Focusing on the negative aspects of life creates a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy where those thoughts may actually come to affect daily life. *Frantically attempting to eliminate anxiety and insecurity can lead to being even more nervously self-conscious.

It’s like running to burn off energy. Exercise actually increases energy levels. *By demanding a solid, totally secure identity before making commitments, it’s easy to forget that personal identity stems largely from those commitments.

Trying to be perfect before asking someone out on a date, or having the perfect outline for a book ready before writing it are wastes of time. Just doing it will provide a larger avenue of growth. *Confidence never comes to those who wait on it. Those who act, even when they lack selfassurance, develop confidence.

It’s like diving into cold water. It’s less painful than slowly sinking in and it won’t feel nearly as cold. *By trying to defy the past, the past gains greater control.

These people are always looking back while moving forward. They aren’t focused on the opportunities in front

of them and they’re turning stepping stones into stumbling blocks. *Without facing the staggering experience of hopelessness, it’s impossible to develop a deep sense of personal hope.

This one’s pretty straightforward.

Without losing, there’s no true sense of victory behind winning. *By attempting to “solve” the problem of self-worth through a loving relationship, it’s impossible to experience enough self-acceptance to have a loving relationship.

awakening” of sorts. It was meant to help people rally together in values and traditions that the country was built on.

Beck even told people, on his show before the rally, that they should leave the political signs at home and bring their families if they could. The crowd was enormous and was estimated as high as 500,000 attendees.

Remember that number.

on the National Park Service grounds, the National Mall was left almost pristine, hardly any trash anywhere after Restoring Honor.

Attaching the source of happiness to a relationship means losing that happiness when the relationship ends.

In addition, there will always be a lingering insecurity, potentially leading to overwhelming jealousy and paranoia. * Thinking personal worth is something “earned” may cause cynicism and immobility in feelings of inward poverty.

Those who seek personal worth outside of themselves often overlook or ignore their inner turmoil and insecurities.

Coming to terms with strengths and weaknesses, regrets, guilt and worries is the most important step forward anyone can take to reaching self-acceptance.

It’s not always about making things harder than they need to be. Simplest is best.

Politics and Media Keeping Them Honest Rallies contrast the direction of the country Patrick Olds

- Opinions Editor -

There was a discrepancy in the media coverage and the reality of the two recent rallies held in Washington D.C. The first rally held on Aug. 28, was called Restoring Honor, which was the event led by Glenn Beck and the tea party faithful but was not meant to be political.

The second that took place was seen as a response to the Restoring Honor rally but was specifically meant to be political.

The second rally was named One Nation. It was reportedly made up of union workers, minorities and self-proclaimed communists.

The second event was partly sponsored by the following groups: the Communist Party USA, the Democratic Socialists of America, the International Socialist Organization, the War Resisters League, NAACP, and others.

It’s striking to understand the different messages that were being promoted between the two rallies.

The Restoring Honor rally was held up by the media as a conservative political event.

Glenn Beck had a different idea and made it almost a “religious

The One Nation rally had a starkly different tone. Led

by Ed Shultz, it tried to rally a weakened liberal base. Many of the members of the rally were shipped in from around the country through union strongarming. Political signs were everywhere but the entire theme was ambiguous. With all these different democrat sponsors, it was the “big tent” of special interest groups. Many of the signs were pro-communist and attendees even had the audacity to redo the American flag, only without the 50 stars but one yellow N in its place that stood for Nation. It was estimated that tens of thousands attended with 100,000 being a generous high-water mark.

In taking those two attendance numbers into context, one has to wonder, other than being trumped in enthusiasm, how the pictures of the aftermath of each rally told a story. For almost a half a million people

The One Nation was less than one-fifth the size but the so-called environmentalists absolutely trashed the grounds.

Restoring Honor was held on the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s march on Washington, with Dr. King’s niece as one of the keynote speakers talking about holding true to traditional beliefs of America while still moving forward.

In contrast, One Nation supporters held up signs accusing the tea party, Beck and Sarah Palin as bigots and racists.

In both senses, the media played a large role and an imbalanced one at that. There was almost no mention of either rally except for a few modest sound bites. What should be outrageous is that they were treated as the same size event.

The idea that the One Nation event actually compared to the Restoring Honor rally is nothing but shameful.

Nothing was reported about the aftermath of trash or the vile political signs at One Nation.

This was all an incredible disservice to the American public and should only motivate people further to find other ways to acquire news.

Adult Content

Sex

Homophobia is so gay Jacob Hight-

- Graphics Editor -

Sept. 22, 2010, Piscataway, N.J., Rutgers University, Tyler Clementi, 18-year-old violinist, plunged to his death from the George Washington Bridge into the Hudson River after being outed by his roommate who surreptitiously broadcast several of Clementi’s discrete homosexual encounters live over the Internet.

Sept. 2010, 53 Christopher St., N.Y., a homosexual patron of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar made iconic by the gay rights movement, was attacked and beaten by two homophobic men.

Sept. 19, 2010, California, Seth Walsh, a 13-year-old middle school student, hung himself from the tree in his family’s backyard unable to endure years of anti-gay bullying.

Homonegativism kills.

It violently takes lives and drives others to take their own.

Homophobia is a rabid dog.

Even those that reject a violent course of action may irrationally deny badges of equality such as marriage, openly gay military service or donating life-saving blood.

H o m o n e g a t i v i s m villainously tries to eat away at one of the most precious senses of self: the right to exist.

Whether we allow homophobia to succeed is a matter of life and death. We must not let homophobia continue claiming lives and deny human pursuits of happiness simply because those lives are different.

Innately irrational, there is still much speculation as to causes of homophobia. There is one psychological study that supports the theory that one causes of homophobia is latent homosexual tendencies in the phobic person.

In the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1996, Vol. 105, No. 3, Henry E. Adams, Lester W. Wright, Jr., and Bethany A.

Lohr, members of University of Georgia’s Department of Psychology, published findings from a study of homophobic and non-homophobic men exposed to heterosexual, lesbian and homosexual pornography.

“Only the homophobic men showed an increase in penile erection to male homosexual stimuli,” states the article. “The results indicate that individuals who score in the homophobic range and admit negative affect toward homosexuality demonstrate significant sexual arousal to male homosexual erotic stimuli.”

The Encyclopedia Britannica defines a phobia as “an extreme, irrational fear of a specific object or situation…”

With prison-rape as heterosexual’s erroneous poster child of male-male anal sex, homophobia makes sense in an irrational way. No one wants to be the prey, a victim of someone’s life-altering cruelty.

No one wants to be cast out of the graces of their family, siblings, friends and possibly their God (after all how do you argue with an alleged allpowerful, infallible, improvable Creator Myth). No one wants to be isolated, left ashamed of who they are.

The truth is that rape has nothing to do with sexual orientation of the rapist and most homosexuals are looking for other consenting homosexuals.

The anxiety, discomfort and terror some people experience around homosexuals should be their motivation for supporting homosexual equality. If homosexuals were acknowledged as equal in human dignity and respect, there would be no need to fear them, become one, or secretly be one.

It is the sacred trust of the majority to safeguard the welfare of the whole.

Whether homophobes are latently homosexual or not, their fear is the realization they could be treated the way homosexuals are treated every day. It means they don’t want to be treated that way.

Neither do we.

Online Columns That’s what she said; that’s what he said Giving into temptation Shane and Kelly explore the obtacles of longing for someone unattainable.

Shane Rice

Kelly Davis - Copy Editor -

America kicks ass The keytar kicks ass

- News Editor -

What do you get when combine the melodies of the piano with the shred of the guitar? The keytar, of course.

Kavahn Mansouri - Art & Life Editor -

www.meramecmontage.com

October 14, 2010

7

OPINIONS Obsessed: when technology takes over

Ashley Porter - Staff Writer -

For most of the current generation, social communication tools like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and text messaging h a v e become an obsession.

From the time people wake up until the time they lie down to sleep there is usually a phone by their side.

College students no longer check their Facebook pages every few days to keep in touch with long distance friends or to coordinate events more effectively. For many, it has

become a daily ritual that can last for hours at a time replacing much of their face-to-face interactions with one another.

This technological overindulgence has revolutionized the way college students communicate with one another and the way they experience life. The idea of courting someone has certainly shifted, and nearly dissolved due to easy access of things like Facebook pages along with the new medium of texting.

Without having to muster up the courage to walk up to someone and engage in a conversation about one’s interests, friends or personal thoughts; it’s very easy to find out a person’s last

name and much more information just on their Facebook page.

With this type of accessibility into people’s personal lives, the idea of “getting to know someone” by spending time with them and allowing them freedom to disclose this sort of information is lost.

The idea of a true valuable relationship with someone has changed. The word “friend” has new meaning; it has become a verb.

Nowadays, the irreplaceable poetry of body language, tone of voice and setting is gone.

The act of being somewhere in reality, not cyberspace, in front of someone, speaking, and living is being lost. An array of small subtleties such as these greatly affects

one’s appreciation or quality of life.

Approximately 19 million American adults suffer from depressive disorders according to Upliftprogram.com.

Such massive amounts of time spent with an inanimate object such as a computer, induces a lack of physical activity, face-toface human interaction, and time spent in the sunlight, which are three important aspects to maintaining a mentally-sound state.

H o w e v e r , technology, and these new communication tools are not to blame.

Much good, especially in emergency circumstances, has stemmed from these new and efficient types of communication.

But overindulgence in these resources is causing a generation to miss out on so much of life that makes existence in this world, and in this life eternally beautiful.

It is important to understand what is happening in the fog of all of these new efficient devices and look at what is being lost.

The accidental grazing of hands, eye contact with someone that stems for too long of a time, the shuffling of feet out of nervousness are a part of the human experience.

These moments are to be cherished and appreciated.

Technology was meant to enhance lives, not devour them.

Unearned gold star: Obama Elementary New school next in line to honor current president before end of term Tim Doty

- Copy Editor -

The Normandy School District in St. Louis recently decided to combine two o l d e r elementary schools into a new, state-ofthe-art elementary s c h o o l located in Pine Lawn near Jennings Station Road and Vetter Avenue.

The district, which has been in the news the last several months, made a wise decision; the two schools that are closing, Pine Lawn and Garfield Elementary, are older buildings. As education in society changes, the resources need to as well. Combining the two schools is an effort to help the students who should be, and hopefully are, the main focus of that district. However, there was a special meeting held to determine the name of the new school.

The students of the two

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Proud member of

schools were asked to vote on what they would like the new school to be called.

They overwhelmingly chose one name: Barack Obama Elementary. The Normandy school board voted unanimously, 7-0, to name the new school after the 43rd president of the United States.

Naming schools after presidents is nothing new, especially for the Normandy School District. They had schools named after presidents, George Washington and James Garfield. Garfield Elementary is one of the schools that is closing. The main issue here, however, is the fact that the students and board were so willing to name the new facility after a sitting president.

Obama was elected as the first AfricanAmerican president of the U.S. This is no small feat. No matter what one’s political views are, this is still an accomplishment.

A member of the school board, President Cozy Marks, III, said that Obama

represents the American dream, fairness and provides inspiration.

How vague and generic is this reasoning?

Presidents can provide inspiration and can represent the American dream, and Obama does do that to an extent, but what about scientists, astronauts, teachers, or senators? Are they any less deserving of recognition simply because they did not become president? Why not name the school after Thurgood Marshall or Medgar Evers or even after the street on which the school is located, Vetter Avenue.?

Let’s remember that the students of these schools were asked what they wanted the new school to be named. These are younger students who may only remember George W. Bush and Barack Obama as the presidents. They were influenced from the outside whether by family members, teachers or the media.

Bush, possibly one of the most unpopular presidents ever, was not

the greatest man to take the reins of the executive branch, but neither is Obama.

Obama has been hyped by the media since day one.

Once he won the election in 2008, most of his supporters felt that he would fix everything; be a panacea to the problems of the nation. Other nations must have felt this, as Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, barely a year into his presidency, for coming up with a plan to end the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why wasn’t Bush or Gen. David Petraeus given any awards for their war strategies?

With all this praise and recognition going so favorably to this one man, it’s no wonder that these young students wanted to name their school after Obama.

Not to say that Obama has accomplished nothing during his time as president, but the thing to remember is that he is still president. He is still just in his first term as commander

Shannon Philpott Faculty Adviser sphilpott@stlcc.edu Joseph Douglas Editor-in-Chief Stephanie Stough Managing Editor Jeanetta Roberts Online Editor Courtney Stark Photo Editor Joe Ray Multimedia Editor Jacob Hight Graphics Editor Shane Rice News Editor Kavahn Mansouri Art & Life Editor Patrick Olds Opinions Editor Spencer Gleason Sports Editor Kelly Davis Copy Editor Tm Doty Copy Editor

Shah Jahan Ali Staff Writer Clinton Borror Staff Writer Shawn Bruce Staff Writer Luelana Bustamante Staff Writer Joshua Cowsert Staff Writer Amber Davis Staff Writer Jayson Gifford Staff Writer Mark Livingston Staff Writer C.J. McDonough Staff Writer Alex Nezam Staff Writer Kurt Oberreither Staff Writer Ashley Porter Staff Writer Amicia Ramsey Staff Writer

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in chief.

Rewarding a president with anything while he is still in office is like giving away Super Bowl rings in the preseason, or awarding an Oscar to a film after its premiere. This is also not the only school to be named after Obama.

A school in Long Island, N.Y., renamed itself Barack Obama Elementary School in November 2008, the month when Obama won the presidency.

A multitude of people have exemplified the American dream and provide inspiration to the young. The American people voted Obama as the first African-American president, proving that with hard work and the right mindset, anyone can become president of the United States. Obama is still currently president, though, so society should refrain from naming anything after Obama, or any sitting president to follow, until that person’s presidency is over and their accomplishments beneficial to the public.

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InDepth

Age of oversharing

Criminals look to social networking websites t Search

their Internet status.

Burglary rash nationwide

Stephanie Stough - Managing Editor -

People work for their things. They work to enjoy vacations, have electronics and make a lifestyle for themselves. These people, who correlate their social lives with their lives on the Internet, whether they are aware of it or not, are making themselves prospective victims of a new rising crime; a crime that may take these personal and most of the time, very expensive belongings out of their homes simply because they updated

In September, there was a rash of at least 50 burglaries in N.H. Police confirmed that the thieves were using Facebook and Twitter updates to figure out when their victims were going to be out of the house, stealing about $20,000 worth of goods, according to NECN, a Boston News Network. Facebook users Keri McMullen and Matt Chapman both were made victims of this type of rising crime after posting their weekend plans via the web, according to a report from ABC. McMullen was even victimized by someone she used to know.

17,000 friends of friends On Facebook, there are at least 364 people registered to the "St. Louis CC" network and the average Facebook user has about 130 friends.

Based on individual privacy settings, the average Facebook user's page that belongs to the STLCC

network can not only be seen by these 364 people, but also by 16,900 of their "friends of friends."

Becoming vulnerable Making personal information available to such a large amount of people, Sarah Elhoffer, criminal justice professor at STLCC-Meramec, explained can make people vulnerable to these kinds of crimes. Social network related crimes can be committed by those who are least expected to.

"Anyone is capable of committing these types of crimes. It's just a matter of who is motivated enough to put forth the effort," Elhoffer said.

Facebook has over 500 million users and Twitter has just about 75 million tweeters.

In a world where status updates can spread from someone’s fingertips to around the world in a manner of seconds, social networkers are advised to take precautions to what personal information they are posting and who can see it.

Richard Wright, Ph.D., professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Missouri- St. Louis and author of “Burglars on the Job: Street life and Residential Break-Ins” explained that exposing such personal information, as such location and time put people at extreme risks.

"Obviously sharing any kind of contact information like where you are and where you're going to be or anything like that absolutely put you at risk. Anytime you let people know where you will be or won't be, you're putting yourself at risk," Wright said.

Technology, crime evolve

ILLUSTRATION BY: STEPHANIE STOUGH

Over time, the techniques of criminals have changed to adjust with the increasing amount of information that is easily available to the public.

Chief Paul Banta, police chief at Meramec, said that in the 1930s, criminals would steal from people of high society after the realization many may make routine trips to the theater.

They became so frequent that these crimes were dubbed “theater burglaries.”

Since then, burglars have scoped the obituaries for homes that may be vacant during a funeral and more recently are studying their victims from behind the computer screen.

in it so what they really want to know is when people are home or not. They are just trying to figure out people’s routines. Most people are looking for cash, weapons, pharmaceutical drugs, illegal drugs and anything else they can benefit from,” Wright said.

Elhoffer explains that people who want to burglarize homes are looking for anything for which they can get quick cash.

“They look for an easy target. Generally people who use Twitter and Facebook as a

“The best way to avoid over sharin and victimization is to not disclos people who have no real need to k

criminology and criminal justice “When people know you're not at home, as in the old obituary burglaries, they would go to the house when they knew it was vacant. I can see Facebook and some of the other networking sites being similar to that because if you announce you're going to be on vacation, at a funeral, at work a certain time and any type of information that puts you anywhere but your home, it makes your home vulnerable to someone being in there while you're gone,” Banta said.

Routines: a necessity for criminals Thieves and burglars throughout history have always been in search for more information about their victims. Wright explained that making schedules public on the Internet gives thieves exactly what they are looking for.

“Criminals want to know people's routines.

They pretty much know all houses have the same kinds of things

tool to find their victims they are looking for quick easy products they can take on the street. They are looking for cash, electronics, cars, things that are easy to get rid of and easy to sell for cash,” Elhoffer said.

“Check-Ins” publicly announce location Burglars strive to know when their victims will be and more importantly, where they won’t be so they can plan when to strike. The new tools that are becoming popular to Twitter and Facebook users can be a vital resource crooks use to find out the location of their prospective victims.

Foursquare, a Twitter application, allows people to “check in” to where they are located through the GPS on their phone. When someone checks into a location, it shows up on their Twitter page and shows up on their followers’ feeds. The location is presented in a link; when

October 14, 2010

9

to find prospective victims Home

Profile

Account

Behind the screen: prevent Internet-related crimes clicked a window opens with a map of the location, how to get directions and how many times the person has “checkedin” to this location. Facebook’s competitor application, “Places,” like Foursquare, lets users announce their location with their smart phones, containing a link with a map and when and how many times they’ve checked in.

A personal feeling medium As social networking’s popularity continues to rise,

ng information se information to know it.”

-Richard Wright e professor at UMSL some may wonder why people are choosing to post so much information about their lives, in some cases very personal and miniscule details about their day.

Wright explains that it may be due to the nature of the social networking.

“The medium itself is a personal feeling medium, we all know that. The very medium itself feels personal; it kind of seduces people into over sharing. Part of it is the seductive nature of the medium and of course people are doing it because it’s the popular thing to do,” Wright said. “It’s about being part of a network; people want to feel like they have somewhere to belong. It’s an alternative world.”

Amanda White, Ph.D. and assistant professor of sociology, explains that she believes that people are making a turn towards becoming more self-centered in regards to publishing their everyday plans, without necessarily worrying about the audience or the

repercussions.

“I think in our individualistic society we really think that what we are doing at this exact moment is of interest to others. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it really isn’t. I think that most people don’t assume that information they post can be used against them in a negative way. With recent events, for example, crimes committed using information on Facebook and identity theft or burglary, however, people may want to reconsider what they post,” White said.

Prevention tips There are several steps social networkers can do to prevent themselves from being a potential victim of Internet-linked crimes.

First off, it will probably be most effective if personal information and the profile itself were kept private.

“If you are going to live your life on the Internet, be aware of what you’re posting and who might see it. Make it private so just your friends can see [the profile],” Elhoffer said.

For those users who don’t necessarily want to keep from disclosing personal information may need to pay attention to whom exactly has access to their page.

“I’m not sure there’s an issue of sharing too much information, but rather an issue of sharing certain information that the wrong people can gain access.

Keeping that in mind, we should be concerned with what information we are making available and to whom,” White said.

To completely avoid being a victim of Internet related crimes, Wright explains, simply just don’t expose information to those who don’t have to know.

“The best way to avoid oversharing information and victimization is to not disclose information to people who have no real need to know it,” said Wright.

Know who your real friends are Anyone can commit a crime, especially those who are least expected to. Filter who becomes a “friend.” Make social networking profiles private so that only trusted friends can see updates, such as location and future plans.

Update after the event Before leaving vacation or simply a night out, don’t update when and where you are going to be. Better yet, don’t text in your status updates as the night goes on. The more criminals know about the victim’s location, the more vulnerable their victims become. Wait until after the event to post about how much fun you had and upload photos then.

Don’t “check in” to Places and Foursquare Criminals look for easy targets. They want to know the location of their prospective victim and when the house they plan to rob will be vacant. For those using “Places” and “Foursquare,” be aware of who has access to seeing your location. All social networking sites have privacy settings that can cater to those who wish to keep their location private and themselves less suspectible to criminals.

ART & LIFE

October 14, 2010

Mereamec Theatre group performs “Assassins”

Meramec students and staff participate in production focusing on presidential assassins Jacob Hight

- Graphic Editor -

Oct. 6 through 10 Meramec Theatre staged “Assassins,” a Sondheim musical taking an anachronistic journey into the lives and minds of America’s notorious presidential assassins.

“I like that it’s Sondheim and so the music is difficult and challenging for the students to learn. It’s not a traditional musical… there’s a good blend of [scenework and music]… that was appealing to me,” said Michelle Rebollo, associate professor at STLCCMeramec and director of “Assassins.”

The musical doesn’t have a traditional plot line, following a more review-sical format. Though there aren’t any dance numbers, there are electric-chair executions, hangings, and students wielding firearms taking a shot at the commander and chief.

“At times the play feels like a memory because you relive these moments where [the assassins] shoot the president. We are invited into their world by their songs and the proprietor goading them

into this fever,” said Rebollo.

The main scene is set on a fair ground; the infamous assassins are collectively propositioned by the fair’s proprietor to take a shot at the President of their era.

“It seemed to be for both Weidman, who wrote the book, and Sondheim that they wanted to know ‘what if?’ They were curious about what if these killers were all together in one place, what would they talk about, what would they say,” said Rebollo.

Just a week before tech rehearsals, it became necessary to find a new actor for the role of Leon Czolgosz, assassin of President William McKinley. Rebollo remembered one of her students from the spring that could read music as well as sing. She sought him out for the role.

“I immediately went to him and checked his availability and thankfully he was willing and able to do it … His process has really been expedited. He had about a week to [learn everything]; he’s been doing fantastic,” said Rebollo.

Jerry Myers, musical

PHOTO BY: NATE CORLEY

Assassins was shown from Oct. 6 through 10 at the Meramec Theatre and directed by STLCC-Meramec professor Michelle Rebollo.

director of “Assassins,” sought out Troy Rollen, Meramec student majoring in playing the harmonica, for a harmonica piece included in the show.

“Dr. Myers came up to me and said ‘there’s a harmonica part in the song, but it sounds really weird on the keyboard.

I know you’re a harmonica major so how about you do it,” said Rollen, who was not

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required to audition.

Even an alumnus from Chicago was sought out in the production.

“The hanging effect, where they hang Guiteau at the end of the first act, we actually had an alumnus come in, a guy named John Moore who works for Hall Special Effects, he actually came in and rigged that,” said Darren Thompson, scenic and lighting director of “Assassins.”

Thompson was also part of the design team for the production, including the director, costume designer, and properties master.

“The typical design process is you show the director rough ideas and then that refines to a point where you come together on an actual design. However, that design can’t be implemented until our shop foreman, John Huston, says he can actually construct it,” said Thompson.

Technical elements

such as the flying effects, lighting and location of the orchestra pit were all taken into consideration; so was manpower.

“Where we run into our biggest challenge is our time and personnel. This set, as big as it was, we had several volunteers to come in, but our core build crew was only three people,” said Thompson.

For some viewers, fascination may begin to border on wondering if the purpose of the musical is not just to understand these antiheroes, but to support them.

“It’s important to see the seeds of where these people come from and the injustices that are apparent in our society, but it’s not to condone this. It’s not to say this is what you should do,” said Rebollo.

Visit

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Montage

.com

for a photo slideshow of the play

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ART & LIFE

October 14, 2010

Hoop it up!

11

What’s there to do in the Lou? The St. Louis Botanical Gardens hosts World Hoop Day Elizabeth Rousseau

Kelly Glueck

Hula hoops, bubbles, live art and music brought a crowd of men and women all ages to the Missouri Botanical Garden on Oct. 10, 2010.

Hoop Day started off with performances by the members of the St. Louis Hoop Club. After performances from five members of St. Louis Hoop Club, workshops were held to work on technique for both beginners and advanced hoopers. The days’ event ended with an open hoop jam.

“Its about community and giving to the less fortunate and celebrating the hoop,” said Michelle Schaeffer of the St. Louis Hoop Club.

At the event, they hoped to raise enough money or have enough hulahoops donated to give to the St. Louis Public Schools to teach them to hoop in their physical education classes.

World Hoop Day is a world recognized holiday.

According to http:/ worldhoopday.com, Hoop Day was started in 2006 as a not-for-profit organization that uses a communitybased, grass-roots approach that provides children growing up in poverty or under-developed countries of the world a hula-hoop as a simple and effective tool to an otherwise devastating situation.

“I like hooping because it is so stress free. You can never be mad

St. Louis offers an unlimited amount of entertaining events for people of all kinds. The following art exhibits, comedy performances and concerts are taking place in the area within the next two weeks.

- Staff Writer -

Meramec’s Hoop and Hack Club were among the many celebrating World Hoop Day.

while hooping,” said Laura Mines, a sophomore at STLCC – Meramac.

According to the World Hoop Day website, a single hula-hoop has positive benefits on mental and physical health. They also stimulate imaginations and enables feelings of joy and bliss.

“I started hooping two summers ago, I didn’t want to stop,” said Jillian Anderson, sophomore and president of the Hoop and Hack club at STLCC– Meramec.

One day every year, hoopers from

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around the globe are able to gather in parks, on beaches, and in community centers and schools to raise awareness for the need to stay in shape while doing fun exercise.

They also are able to give back to their communities while raising funds to send Ambassadors with Hoops to remote locations with children in need.

The St. Louis Hoop Club meets most Sundays at the South City Koken Art Factory. The next celebrations of World Hoop Day are on Nov. 11, 2011 and then again on Dec. 12, 2012.

Get your Balls wet Ge

Get your Balls wet

- Staff Writer -

Bob Dylan at The Chaifetz Arena $27 w/Student ID Doors @ 8 p.m.

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12 ART & LIFE

Master of Disguise

October 14, 2010

A day in the life of an original entertainer

PHOTO BY: SARAH SOUDERS

Alec Brimmer skates through the parking lot dressed as a magician. Brimmer dresses up everyday as a different character.

Amber Davis - Staff Writer -

Alec Brimmer, a student at STLCC-Meramec, is no ordinary college student typically seen walking around Meramec. Brimmer is visibly noticeable; he sings a song while cruising on his skateboard while going to class.

But that is not all that is noticeable - he wears a costume and sports his signature black top hat on his head just about every day.

“Every day is a party, why not make it a costume party?” Brimmer said about why he wears a different costume every day.

Brimmer has several different costumes locked away in the trunk of his car. The trunk is his go-to costume closet and has a variety of different clothing such as a jumpsuit, wings, tails, an army suit and much more.

After wearing one costume, he will put it away for another week to switch

with something else.

“If I am just wearing jeans and a T- shirt for the day I will open up my trunk and say ‘What could I add?

Oh, a trench coat will go with this. Now what is next? How about a cane… you typically do not see that any day; let’s go with the cane, and to top it I will put my top hat on.

Now I will sing Willy Wonka songs going down my skateboard,’” said Brimmer explaining his typical day to search for a costume in his trunk.

Brimmer said nothing stops his creativity in the

PHOTO BY: SARAH SOUDERS

Alec Brimmer holds up props often used in his costumes he wears around campus. He participated in Meramec’s production of “Assassins” and hopes to become an actor.

Brimmer said he typically goes for a vintage-type style for his costumes from the Victorian era to World War

ordinary, which is why he chooses his friends that embrace his personality with open arms rather than insult

“Every day is a party, why not make it a costume party?” way he dresses.

“Keep doing this ‘til people embrace it with me, others need to vary up their own outfits,” Brimmer said.

PHOTO BY: SARAH SOUDERS

Alec Brimmer keeps his props and costumes in the trunk of his car.

II and he shops online for his clothing. Brimmer has several different costumes to choose from, but his favorite is his World War II gas mask and flight suit.

“I go for the shock value while choosing my clothing, and I did so by having the security tell me not to wear my World War II costume to class anymore. It rose too much suspicion when I was just wearing a costume.

Another time I was wearing white contacts and my teacher told me to either take them out because they were freaking her out or leave. So I took them out, only because I enjoy that class,” said Brimmer.

Brimmer said he is not afraid to be out of the

-Alec Brimmer

him on how he dresses or does things.

“I have some people try to insult me, but I learned to just ignore them. When someone insults me in person I normally just say ‘What did you say? I’m deaf, I cannot understand, you’re mumbling’ then they tend to leave me alone,” said Brimmer.

While at Meramec, Brimmer wants to get a degree in acting. He was in the recent play at Meramec called “Assassins.”

“I want to become an actor maybe for a professional theater company or theater company that travels around.

I do not believe I would be

wanted in a movie to act, which is fine with me. My older brother, being there a two year difference, acted, but now he is a special effects and a make-up artist for theater. I might want to get my arts degree instead and join what my brother does to possibly start a business together,” Brimmer said.

Brimmer said he also likes to spend his time playing the card game “Magic: the Gathering” and table-top games like “Dungeons and Dragons” to help him with his acting, reading Stephen King books, and collecting comics.

“I’m simple, and if were not so openly gay I would be a girl’s perfect boyfriend.

I dress for a shock value and I will continue doing this ‘til others embrace how I dress with me,” said Brimmer.

Brimmer said he wants others to accept that how he dresses is not different or weird but who he is.

“For Halloween I am planning on wearing something normal, like a regular T-shirt and jeans,” Brimmer said.

13

ART & LIFE

October 14, 2010

Vegging Out

eggie alternatives: where non-meat is as good as meat burgers w o H

Kelly Glueck - Staff Writer -

STACK

With a growing concern about where food comes from, it is no surprise that nearly 20 percent of all college students consider themselves vegetarian, according to Jonathan Safran Foer, author of “Eating Animals.” One of the more difficult tasks of trying to live a different lifestyle is finding tasty, meatless alternatives. Below are some of the best-known and loved vegetarian and vegan restaurants around St. Louis.

Visit

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UP

Mokabe’s Located across the street from Tower Grove Park at the corner of Arsenal Street and Grand Avenue, Mokabe’s is never vacant and open late, making it a popular spot among college students. Featuring the largest menu of the bunch, Mokabe’s menu carries an array of carnivorous and herbivorous

options for breakfast, lunch, and a variety of late-night favorites, such as coffee and baked goods.

Students are often seen eating lunch on the patio, enjoying a nice twitter break on the free wireless network. Mokabe’s is also LGBT friendly and promotes the equality and tolerance of people of all appetites.

Mokabe’s Mokabe’s had the most recognizable burger. Served on a Kaiser roll with ketchup and mustard like any American burger, this burger had a tasty consistency and a hint of nostalgia. Try the spicy black bean burger for a more flavorful burger.

Local Harvest A burger that doesn’t crumble in your mouth, Local Harvest served the most gourmet veggie burger, topped with house-made hummus, red onion, pickles, greens and roasted garlic aioli.

Local Harvest Cafe The most accredited restaurant on the list, Local Harvest was named Top New Restaurant last year by the Riverfront Times, and within the top 60 restaurants in St. Louis. Local Harvest, located off Morgan Ford Road, uses only produce, butchers, and manufacturers from the metropolitan area.

While carrying local favorites such as Schafly and other O’Fallon beers, Local Harvest

also features an exclusive selection of rotating wines and seasonal cuisine for herbivores and carnivores alike. While in the area, make sure to check out the Local Harvest grocery store across the street and pick up some Billy Goat potato chips. Local Harvest also hosts one of the largest farmers markets in the area in Tower Grove Park from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

Vegadeli

Vegadeli This year, the Riverfront Times has listed Vegadeli as Best Vegetarian restaurant in the greater St. Louis area. Vegadeli is 100 percent vegan, 50 percent raw, and Kosher certified. There are also several gluten-free items on the menu. Located in

the Hilltown Village Center in Chesterfield, Vegadeli prides itself in carry health conscious items, boasting “Nothing fried, frozen, or artificial.” If vegan food is a foreign concept, this is the place to forget how great cheese and dairy really are.

The veggie burger at Vegadeli was kosher and gluten-free.

Vegadeli’s burger patties had a crumbly consistency, but the sweet and tangy sauce that topped it made the burger.

Sweet Art

While Sweet Art’s burger looked the best, its taste was not as sweet as expected. The Sweet burger had quite the assortment of veggies inside of the patty, however, when compared to the others.

Sweet Art seems to be best for it’s cupcake happy hour.

Bleeding Deacon

Bleeding Deacon The Bleeding Deacon is the perfect place for anyone looking for a smoky dive.

This dimly-lit bar is on the corner of Chippewa Street and Gravois Road and carries a fully-stocked bar with a rotating beer selection PHOTOS BY KELLY GLUECK

of about 60 different types of draft, bottled, and canned beer. The Bleeding Deacon serves all homemade sauces and dressings accompanying its authentic menu, printed cleverly on old 1970s album covers.

Sweet Art Sweet Art on S. 39th Street has the aesthetics and the menu for everyone. This cafe, bakery, and art gallery thinks that the way something looks should be as sweet as it tastes. Sweet Art features a small vegan and vegetarian

lunch menu, as well as a vast selection of custom made cakes, cookies, and, most importantly, cupcakes. Sweet Art has a “buy two, get one free” cupcake happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The Deacon’s Boudin Burger had all the right spices, but I hope you like your burgers like you do your hummus, mushy. For a tasty alternative try the Portabella Burger; it is rich in taste, flavor and consistency.

14 ART & LIFE

The history of Facebook

October 14, 2010

EA scores goals with fans

“The Social Network” tells tale of website’s creation The FIFA series takes it home again with “FIFA 2011” Steph Stough

Joe Ray

- Managing Editor -

- Multimedia Editor -

“The Social Network,” starring Jesse Eisenberg, premiered in the theaters this weekend, bringing in over 21 million dollars. The blockbuster tells the background story of the most influential invention of the 21st century.

Facebook.com was invented by Mark Zuckerberg in 2003 and since then has brought in over 500 million users and is worth 25 billion dollars. Zuckerberg, the youngest billionaire in the world, created “The Facebook” when he was a student at Harvard, along with his friend and later business partner, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield).

This film is not only an in-depth look into the raw and honest personality of Zuckerberg (which comes as a surprise), but also tells the real story of betrayal, creativity and, most importantly, miscommunication that lead to a multimillion-dollar court case.

“The Social Network” opens with a breakup scene between Zuckerberg and his love interest, Erica Albright (Rooney Mara), that later leads him into a rage of angry blogging and the invention of his first website hit, Facemash. Because of its popularity among Harvard students, the site crashed Harvard’s network within hours.

The film then jumps back and forth between the beginning stages of Facebook and the legal battles that ensued years later between the people

Coming off an exciting World Cup, EA Sports released “FIFA Soccer 11” on Sept 28, 2010.

This addition to the already fantastic series, only improved on every aspect of the game. Adding a personality system, a Be a Pro: Goalkeeper mode, a new take on celebrations, and many others “FIFA 11” has proved itself to stand out among the rest.

The graphics for this installment were off the boards and FIFA sharpened it skills by adding a few more modes and revamping some of the old. At times the graphics were a little off with some players, but for bigger players such as Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney, and several other soccer stars, the facial features were right on, and could be mistaken for real life images.

The Be a Pro: Goalkeeper mode was also added to the game. Players are given the chance to become the goalie on any of their favorite teams.

Throughout the experience, players will often find themselves waiting for the game to reach their goal, but when the action comes it comes in heavy doses. The mode gives hints during the game on where the ball might be expected to land, which is a plus for most players. At times, it is hard to guess where the ball might go and requires players with more experience and fast eyes to really perfect this mode.

who claim that they were involved at its inception.

Zuckerberg reminisces through flashbacks on his journey that led to becoming a billionaire through questions lawyers ask him in the present time. This unique approach makes for an interesting and easy-to-follow movie out of one that could otherwise be boring.

“The Social Network” was directed

by David Fincher, who also directed “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Fight Club.”.This film, just like ones previous, reflects Fincher’s signature dark cinematography, resulting in a film rich with edgy visuals throughout the entire movie, especially scenes showcasing Harvard University. The film also breaks out of its gloomy feel with a few clever comedic reliefs.

“The Social Network” runs at two hours and is rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug and alcohol use and language.

Celebrations have been improved from the previous installments, with a new arsenal of moves and the ability to react with teammates. Nothing beats scoring a goal, but taunting your opponents with a creative celebration always makes victory taste a bit sweeter.

Overall, “FIFA 11” improved on the small amount of areas where “FIFA 10” failed, although awkward at first the game grows and becomes addicting over time. The camera angles gave it the feel like players were actually in the game and playing with their favorite teams. For any die hard soccer fan, “FIFA 11” is a must have.

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SPORTS

October 14, 2010

Men’s Magic basketball looks for a rebound Shah Jahan Ali - Staff Writer -

The men’s Magic basketball team is coming off another successful year, with a record of 21-11. The team is looking to redeem themselves from a loss in the regional title game. Their 2010-2011 season will begin at home on Nov. 3 against the Missouri Baptist Spartans at 7 p.m.

Head coach Randy Albrecht, who is entering his 34th season with the Magic, is looking to take his team back to the regional title game and advance to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) tournament.

After a few practices, this year’s team is similar to Magic teams of the past.

“I think it’s similar in terms of we’ve only had four or five practices,” said Albrecht. “We start with the same number of players, but there are a lot of new guys this year on our team.

You see a lot of possibilities.”

Dietrick Sooter, who was the Magic’s starting point guard last year, is entering his second season with the Magic.

Sooter was also named to the All-Region XVI and All-Conference teams following last year’s season.

“I’m pretty excited after coming off a winning season last year,” said Sooter. “We kind of have a grudge on our shoulders after losing in the regional championship. So, I’m excited to get this one started and see what happens.”

After being so close to their ultimate goal last season, the Magic are looking to improve upon last year’s defeat and carry themselves over the hump.

“I think we have the potential to be a good 3-point

team,” said Albrecht. “We are a good ball handling team and we have perimeter quickness.”

With the constant turnaround of players in a two-year college, every season gives the Magic a new look.

One year’s weakness can be another year’s strength.

“We are not physically strong,” said Albrecht when comparing last year’s squad to this year’s team. “Last year, we were physically rugged and this year I think we will be a quicker team— play more up and down.”

With such a fast paced squad this year, Albrecht will have to look to his bench to carry some of the load and give his starting five some rest.

“The depth is really important in junior college, in particular at the guard position,” said Albrecht.

It is vital that every player on the team plays their role to help the team win. To reach the team goal that the Magic look to attain—winning—every player must play their part.

“We have our own individual and our own team goals,” said Sooter.

“The team goal is to win the game, obviously.

The individual goal is to play your role and get everybody involved; doing what we need to do to get the team a victory.”

The competitive nature that the Magic strive for comes from Albrecht. The players look for the wins, but Albrecht coaches to compete. When the players compete and play hard, the wins will tally up.

“I don’t put a lot of expectations in terms of winning,” said Albrecht.

“We want to have a competitive team that represents the school, plays hard and keeps improving.”

FCOMMENTARY or the love of the game

This past weekend, the National Hockey League began its season. The fast-paced sport of hockey has given many fans cheers, but struggles in America to overcome other professional sports, such as the NFL, MLB and NBA. Is hockey strong in its American fan base? Two sports enthusists weigh in.

Hockey triumphs Spencer Gleason - Sports Editor -

The raw emotion that an NHL player feels when they flip the puck high in the back of the net, just past the catlike reflexes of a goalie, is a unique moment when the pure excitement of the goal is shared by hockey fans across the country.

The rejuvenation from young players, such as Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis’s very own T.J. Oshie, have put fans back inside

chilly stadiums since the 2004-2005 season lockout.

Last year, of the 15 cities in America where both the NBA and NHL call home, the NHL led attendance in nine cities.

Hockey teams only lacked attendance numbers in cities such as Los Angeles, with the Lakers, and Phoenix, with the Suns.

More people, however, attended B l a c k h a w k s games than Bulls games in Chicago.

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16SPORTS

October 14, 2010

Magic kicks restart button

Women’s soccer looks to rebuild its season in October Luelana Bustamante - Staff Writer -

As October started, the STLCC-Meramec Magic’s women’s soccer head coach Jeff Karl was not pleased with the way the team was playing in the regional championship. Up until now, the Magic have a record of 4-8.

In his 28th season as head coach, Karl said that the team is having problems with passing and is having a difficult time scoring goals.

“We are not skilled in certain areas at the game as with what I had had in previous years. We work hard to get up there and get to the attempts, but we are not capitalizing it,” said Karl.

Lauren Moran, one of the captains of the Magic, also thinks the team has problems to solve. “ W e have a lot to

improve on, like communicating more with each other and moving in one motion and same timing,” said Moran.

Even though the team is not in the place that Karl wants it now, Karl said he will make sure the team will be more productive in October and plays stronger in the playoffs.

“If we play better, we will probably beat some people we are not supposed to.

In the end of the day, anything can happen. We are not throwing the towel,” said Karl.

For now, the coach prefers to just look at October’s results.

After winning the game on Oct. 3 against L a k e

County, the Magic have a record of 1-0 this month.

“I think that when we look at ourselves as an athlete and we know we have three wins and eight losses; that can be a little frustrating. I don’t want the girls to have those feelings constantly. I might as well say we are starting all over and that will give us a different outlook,” said Karl.

Talking about thinking positively, the coach wanted to emphasize the strength of the team.

According to Karl, the team has good players such as midfielder Meghan O’ Sullivan, goalie Rachel Choler and striker Kelsy Rich, who has scored five goals so far.

“I really worked on recruiting Rachel for this program and she has done beyond what I expected from her as a goalie,” said Karl.

According to Karl, the Magic have a good defense right now because that is something he has been focusing on.

However, having a good defense is not enough to Karl.

After the game against Lake County, which the Magic won 3-1, Karl still wasn’t completely happy with the way the girls played.

“We were a better team than this team [Lake County], but I think we just didn’t play the kind of game I believe we can,” said Karl.

According to Karl, the girls are very capable and already have done it a couple of

PHOTOS BY: DAVID KLOECKENER

Above: The women’s Magic soccer team plays against the St. Charles Community College Cougars on Oct. 12. Left: Magic goalie Rachel Choler kicks the ball into the playing field during the game against the Cougars.

times, but the team needs to develop consistency.

With more than 28 years of experience as a coach, Karl knows his job and how challenging it is to take new players every year and put them together into a squad.

“That’s something I got myself pretty acclaimed by to do. What I try to do is to develop them so they can go on to a fouryear school,” said Karl.

According to Karl, being the only coach in the country that has been coaching for so long in this division can make him start to think about retirement.

“My knees, my feet, my ankles are not doing what they used to do, so I don’t know about my future.

When it gets time, I will let people know it,” said Karl after his 330th career victory.

“I might as well say we’re starting all over and that will give us a different outlook.”

-Jeff Karl, head coach Visit

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Women’s basketball hopes to make Magic this season Kelly Davis - Copy Editor -

STLCC-Meramec is dribbling towards a new women’s basketball season. Shooting hoops and running layup drills, the team is preparing with new hopes and new strategies.

“I expect that my kids will play really hard and give a 100 percent this season,” said head coach Shelly Ethridge, who has been coaching at Meramec for two years.

Ethridge said they are utilizing their strengths this year. With new and former players, they have a lot of advantages. The squad has the qualities and experience to compete for the regional title.

“We have a very good and talented squad this year,”

said Kasei Evans, who is a returning team member. “The team seems to bond very well and we have good chemistry.”

There are 14 players total, seven returning members and seven new.

“I’m excited to see how well the team plays.

Last year they were awesome, so I have high hopes for them this year,” said Nikki Rushlow, Meramec student and basketball fan.

Last year the team ended their season with the record of 11-14.

Ethridge said she believes they will have a better

outcome this season because there are so many players with a lot of experience.

However, the team does have a setback.

“We are short on posts.

Tournament, which takes place in Arkansas. On Nov. 3, they play for the first time at 7 p.m. On Nov. 4, the team has their second game at 1:30 p.m. Their first home game has yet to be announced.

E v a n s said, “I am really excited about the tournament.

The team is ready to show off their strengths.”

The team will play 30 games this season.

Evans said the team has been preparing for these upcoming games by practicing, working out and getting a lot of rest.

However, the team has to

“I expect that my kids will play really hard and give 100 percent this season.”

- Shelly Ethridge, head coach Luckily the posts we have are strong though,” said Evans.

“We are very guard heavy.”

Meramec’s Magic women’s basketball team will be starting off the season with the North Arkansas

make time for their education.

“We succeed in the classroom,” said Ethridge.

“Homework comes first.”

Ethridge said she does not want the students to fall behind on their homework.

She wants the players to strive for a better education and succeed on the court as well.

“I give the players a lot of credit. I would be exhausted if I played basketball, worked and went to school.

I would have no down time in my life,” said Rushlow.

Evans said the basketball team is anticipating a long and eventful season.

“No matter what the outcome, these girls will hold their heads up high for they tried their best this season,” said Ethridge.