23Feb2012

M T HE MONTAGE

Community Colleges: The cure to unemployment?

KELLY GLEUCK MANAGING EDITOR On Feb 13, President Barack Obama announced his proposal to provide more Americans with 21st century skills through a new $8 billion Community College Career Fund which will be co-administered by the Department of Labor and the Department of Education.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said on a conference call with the media that this fund will provide with the latest certification and training, invest in registered apprenticeships, support paid internships for lowincome students and support new paid@themontage

for performance strategy to provide incentive and assure trainees find permanent jobs.

“Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers that can do the job,” said Cecelia Munoz, White House domestic policy council director.

“Think about that – openings at a time when millions of Americans are looking for work. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Once passed through Congress, this competitive program will create new partnerships between community

Voume 47 Issue 10

colleges and businesses to aid the training and placement of 2 million workers in jobs in high growth and demand industries that will help power America’s economic recovery, according to Munoz.

The Department of Labor and the Department of Education plan to allocate a portion of the funds to states as well as reward the schools focused on workforce innovation. Duncan said, potentially, $500 million to $1 billion could be rewarded to exemplary schools.

Story continued on page 4

www.meramecmontage.com

February 23, 2012

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BE IN YOUR ELEMENT The University of Missouri–St. Louis is a place where you can be you and transferring is easy. As a student at UMSL, take advantage of our nationally-ranked faculty, enriched student life and metropolitan campus.

Preparing Students for Life

Check out umsl.edu/future today.

Lindenwood University Offers

Douglas Hettich Transfer Coordinator hettichd@umsl.edu UMSL: 314-516-5161

• 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

umsl.edu/future 888-GO-2-UMSL admissions@umsl.edu

IT’S THREE MONTHS ‘TIL THE POOLS OPEN BUT KIRKWOOD’S ICE RINK IS OPEN YEAR ‘ROUND! The Kirkwood Ice Rink is located at 111 S. Geyer Road.

SUN ICE SKATING PUBLIC SESSIONS* *Subject to change.

Please check monthly schedule on Website **7:30pm session ends Feb 29

3:15pm5:15pm

MON

TUES

11am-1pm

11am-1pm

4:15-545pm

THURS

FRI

SAT

11am-1pm

12:30-2pm

10:30am-12p

3:15-5:15pm

1:30pm-3:30pm

8pm-9:30pm

7:30pm-9pm*

4:15-545pm

8pm-9:30pm 18+ Only

1:15pm2:45pm

FREESTYLE SESSIONS FOR FIGURE SKATERS

STICK ‘N PUCK (Hockey!)

Limited to first 30 skaters. Must have a HECC-certified helmet (with cage if under 18), gloves, stick, elbow pads, long pants, puck

WED

10am-11am

1oam-11am

3pm-4pm

3pm-4pm

11:15am12:15pm

1:15pm2:45pm

11:15am12:15pm

11:15am12:15pm

Skating lessons available too.

For admission information and pricing, call 822-5825, or visit us at www.kirkwoodmo.org

NEWS Black history celebrated This year, the African American History and Culture Committee is presenting three opportunities for students, faculty and staff to embrace their voice and passions at STLCC-Meramec.

Keynote speaker Jack A. Daniels, a therapist who serves high-profile individuals, will present “Discovering Your Passions.” The presentation will be followed by a greet and eat luncheon.

“This year we knew we couldn’t man as many events as we could last year but we still wanted to bring a keynote speaker,” Committee Member Rita Reinhardt said.

“Jack Daniels is excellent on keeping you motivated, discovering your passion to continue to have another successful 50 years.”

“Wanted: A Few Good Men,” a performance by the Black Repertory Theatre, will be held at noon on Feb. 23 in

the theater and at 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 in BA 105. Black History Month events will wrap up with an open mic and Brandon “Xplicit” Thornton’s presentation “Poetry for Personal Power” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 11.

Reinhardt said some committee members took on new jobs and the committee lost numbers.

“We would like to [expand]; it just takes a lot of man power so I think we need to start recruiting for volunteers,” Reinhardt said.

She said she hopes more students turn out for the events this year.

“The title can sometimes be misleading, African American History,” Reinhardt said.

“Sometimes it can be about finding your passion. I think it’s more or less about being open enough to discover who you are.”

For more Meramec black history, see pages 8 and 9.

Free tax preparation offered STLCC-Meramec and the Internal Revenue Service are set to work together for another tax season in an effort to help students and staff prepare their taxes.

Working together for a tenth tax season to provide free tax preparation through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, Meramec and the IRS have deployed accounting student interns with IRS certification from a course taught by Meramec faculty Robyn Barett, Amy Monson and Markus Ahrens.

The students are able to prepare federal and most state income tax returns using commercial tax preparation software, including US 1040, Schedules A, B, EIC and R, Earned Income, Child and Dependent Care, Education and Additional Child Tax credits.

The program is open every Wednesday from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. through April 11 and is appointment only. To schedule an appointment or for more information call the Accounting and Legal Studies department at 314-984-7514.

February 23, 2012

Kay M. Perrin, Ph.D., MPH

Keynote Address Thursday, March 1, 11a.m., Theatre

Ainissa G. Ramirez, Ph.D.

Keynote Address Monday, March 5, 11 a.m., Theatre

Women’s History Month

MARCH 2012

A Feminist Cafe

Mondays, March 5, 19 and 26, 1-2:15 p.m., SO-107

Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Faculty Forum Tuesday, March 6, 11 a.m., SC-200

Gender Speaks: Literary Reading

Tuesday, March 20, 12:30 p.m., SC-125

Open-Class Lecture/Film Series

March 6, 27 and 29

Triangle Fire: Film and Discussion Tuesday, March 6, 2 p.m., SO-204

Miss Representation: Film and Discussion

Tuesday, March 27, 12:30 p.m., SO-105

Gender Communication: Film and Discussion Thursday, March 29, 12:30 p.m.

Library Confluence Room

Women’s Clothesline Project Exhibit

Monday, March 26, through Thursday, March 29 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Library Quad (rain location Student Center) GRAPHIC BY: TOMI STOREY Correction: In the Feb. 9 issue of “The Montage,” a figure was miscalculated in “Night enrollment takes hit, classes cut.”

STLCC-Meramec accounted for 48.6 percent of the loss in students across the district. In addition, Enrollment Management Coordinator Kim Fitzgerald’s department is not responsible for rescheduling due to cancelled classes, but rather cancelled classes affect the whole Student Affairs operation.

SAINT LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER

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VISIT STAR TREK: THE EXHIBITION FOR A SPECIAL EVENING RATE OF $12 WITH STUDENT I.D. (ENTRY TIMES FROM 4:30 TO 6 PM; EXHIBITION OPEN UNTIL 7 PM) ON LECTURE NIGHTS! ® & © 2011 CBS Studios Inc. All rights reserved. STAR TREK and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc.

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4NEWS February 23, 2012

President Obama’s $8 billion to fund job training for the unemployed Jumped from page one Roderick Nunn, STLCC vice chancellor of workforce and community development, said if this bill passes, STLCC would be well positioned to compete for those dollars. He said community colleges plan to train 4,600 workers in the health care industry, which is suffering most from unfilled job positions; at STLCC, an additional 1,100 workers will be trained through courses developed and utilized by regional hospitals such as SSM, BJC and St. Luke’s Hospital.

“We work really closely with area hospitals on a pre-employment training program where we customize a curriculum to the hospital environment,” Nunn said. “We’ve had two classes with a total of 26 students and of that, we’ve had 20 job placements.”

STLCC has been awarded similar federal and regional partnership grants in the past such as Training for Tomorrow, MoHealthWINs and Graduate St. Louis to update and build community career resource centers.

According to STLCC Board of Trustees Chair Melissa Hattman, in the last 18 months, STLCC has responded to industry needs with the Harrison Center on the Forest Park campus, the new Corporate College and The Center for Workforce Innovation near STLCC-Florissant Valley.

“All of these [community career centers]

were built to be able to provide training spaces and training programs to benefit the training and retraining of those in our community so that they are ready to take on new jobs that are necessary for a growing economy,” Hattman said.

Meramec President George Wasson said Meramec’s success as a community college relies on STLCC’s partnerships with business industries, such as SSM and many others. He said that he and each department head work closely with St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, the Kirkwood Webster Groves and South County Chambers of Commerce as well as small business partners in the area.

“We have a pretty good track record; I’m really proud of our faculty and our departments here.

They work hard to develop those relationships and get our students jobs,” Wasson said. “They have a great deal of success.”

Wasson said one example is the interior design department. The department works with Kirkwood small business owners to build relationships and offer on-the-job opportunities.

“You can go almost anywhere in town and find students saying ‘Oh yeah, I went there and I did this.’ It’s pretty exciting,” Wasson said.

The Department of Labor projects 1 million job openings in the next decade for jobs in areas of health care, clean energy

and information. It also predicts a half a million more in wages over the course of a lifetime for steady employees in those fields.

While unemployment is a national issue, the Obama administration said they would also like to meet the regional needs of the community.

According to Nunn, those regional needs include professions in health care, life sciences, aerospace and manufacturing, sustainable technology and information technology.

“We want to provide our industry partners with skilled workers and also we want to make sure that we are giving these adult learners everything they need to continue their education or take a different navigable career path,” Nunn said.

Wasson said that despite what happens when the budget is taken to the Congressional floors, it is rewarding to those that have dedicated their lives to the community college system to be recognized as a valuable means to create and improve America’s workforce.

“Over half of the undergraduates in the country have been in community colleges and it’s just under half of every college student -- graduate, professional, undergraduate,” Wasson said. “So it’s something people are finally realizing that this is where a lot of education is happening, this is where people are getting access to higher education.”

Budget 2013 FISCAL

3.8

$69.8 BIL educational investments

YEAR

Trillion Dollars

$8 BIL

$500 MIL-$1BILL

comm. college competitive cc grants career fund

GRAPHIC BY: LILLY HUXHOLD

I wanted more out of life.

I was tired of having a dead-end job.

I needed a career change and getting a degree was the best way for me to achieve that goal.

Kristina Fisher ‘10 Bachelor’s in Business Administration

On campus. Online. Or both.

Toll free: (877) 999-9876 www.ccis.edu/iwantmore

4411 Woodson Rd. • St. Louis

NEWS February 23, 2012

SGC puts pressure on clubs

?

Clubs forced to propose ways to spend unused funds MIKE ZIEGLER PHOTO EDITOR

WHERE DOES ALL THE

MONEY GO

48

club accounts

THEN 2010-2011

$118,950.64 NOW February 1, 2012

there are

$119,327.92

26

totaling

accounts that have $1,000 or more

$111,137.03

horticulture club has

$ 40,322

horticulture has the largest amount of money

n o w then

Phi Theta Kappa

$10,903.04 $9,213.37 other expenses food expenses

$2,234

$5,084.67 $2,231.40

scholarship account

D ATA A S O F F E B R U A R Y 1 , 2 0 1 2 GRAPHIC BY: ANABEL GONZALEZ

STLCC clubs district-wide are feeling the financial pinch in the form of increased scrutiny by administration over how funds are spent—or not being spent.

All STLCC-Meramec clubs were informed during the Jan. 24 Student Governance Council (SGC) meeting to submit plans by the Feb. 21 meeting on how they expect to use their remaining account funds by the end of the academic year. This was specifically directed at clubs with more than $1,000 or more available in their accounts.

Of the 48 club account records made available to “The Montage”, 26 accounts have $1,000 or more in their club account as of Feb. 1. Funds held in the 26 accounts total $111,137.03.

“If you are in one of those clubs with more than $1,000, I’d think very carefully about spending it before they take it,” said SGC President Mark Wilson during the Feb. 25 meeting. “Warnings haven’t seemed to make a difference in the past.”

The Horticulture Club submitted a plan to spend its remaining funds. Plans include a behind-the-scenes tour of the Botanical Gardens for about 30 members and a trip to Chicago, Campus Life Manager Steve Brady said.

The Horticulture Club has $40,322 in its account as of Feb. 1.

Some clubs did not submit expense plans by the Feb. 21 meeting, Brady said.

Issues on making balanced expense plans prevented them from being completed.

“You’d think spending money is something [clubs] love to do,” Brady said.

“Spending money isn’t as easy as it would first appear.”

Wilson offered suggestions for clubs such as putting on an event or raising money for a charity or scholarship.

“At this point in time it’s not, ‘We’re going to stop this car,’ but it’s getting really close to them saying this is [going to] happen,” Brady said, addressing club representatives in attendance during the Feb. 21 SGC meeting. “[District administration] will actually discipline you all and say since you can’t come up with a plan, we’ll come up with your plan and their plan is give us the money.”

Money held by all clubs totals $119,327.92 as of Feb. 1. Club balances include remaining funds rolled over from previous academic years. Before the 2011 academic

year start, rollover funds from 2010 totaled $118,950.64.

“I think last year clubs earned more than $20,000 through new student orientation and club days,” Brady said. “That’s their number one way of earning money.”

Depending on their status designating them as “A” or “B,” clubs can earn up to $550 for working their club table during new student orientation and club days held both during the fall and spring semesters.

“That should be enough for most clubs to function at a minimal level over the course of a year,” Brady said. “They have the co-sponsorship so if they have plans for additional activities they can earn money.”

Club events that have campus-wide interest can appeal to be funded through grants from SGC committees.

Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society of the two-year college, holds $9,213.37 in their account as well as a PTK scholarship account holding $2,234 as of Feb. 1. The scholarship fund is used to help cover chapter fees for members needing assistance.

“We use [money] for a large number of events, including specifically signing day, any sort of fellowship or group event; those events are specifically designed for the members,” Charles Lambert, vice president of communications for PTK, said.

PTK began the academic year with $10,903.04 available and has incurred $5,084.67 in expenses as of Feb. 1. Of their expenses, $2,231.40 of it went toward Treat America catering for events and meetings held during the 2011 academic year.

“Those students are working to get that money, and we feel that students should benefit from that money,” Tori Lamborn, SGC secretary, said. “They should feel the reward for what they worked toward.”

Some organizations, such as “The Montage Student Newspaper” and the Student Activities Council, are funded through campus life and are not required to work or co-sponsor events to fund expenses.

“The Montage” was allocated $33,000 at the 2011 academic year start. Expenses from printing, supplies, convention participation and food costs for this academic year total $22,522.41. Remaining funds available for the academic year include $10,520.09 as of Feb. 21.

BLAST FROM THE PAST FLICKS In conjunction with STLCC’s 50th anniversary Friday Night Flicks will be showing Animal House on March 2, at 7:30 p.m.

Bring two can goods for admission

Ad from Vol.16, Issue 11

6OPINIONS February 23, 2012

Off the eaten path Molldeli’s Delicatessen JESSE HOFFORD OPINIONS EDITOR A town can never have too many delis.

These houses of succulent meats and amazing cheeses are a sandwich lover’s dream and Molldeli’s Delicatessen on Tesson Ferry Rd. makes those dreams come true.

Molldeli’s menu boasts everything from salads and luxurious pizzas to appetizers such as wings, macaroni bites and the St. Louis staple, toasted ravioli. However, their crown jewel, like any deli, has to be their sandwiches. Beverages include soft drinks, as well as beer and wine.

With a staggering 18 different sandwiches to choose from, it will take a while for

customers to get tired of the selection.

Sporting a French Dip with au jus, a shrimp Po’boy, a Reuben and even a Veggie sandwich for the vegetarians out there.

Sitting at the top of the list is the Molldeli Special. This sandwich has it all. Capicola, volpi salami, mortadella and roast beef.

Topped with lettuce, tomato, crunchy giardiniera peppers and mozzarella cheese all piled on French bread and drenched in oil and vinegar.

Eating the Molldeli Special is a joy.

There is so much Italian flavor packed into this sandwich. The flavors of the various meats play off of each other with the spicy

capicola adding some kick. Meanwhile, the peppers throw some crunch into the mix.

As delicious as this sub was, there were a few issues with it. The roast beef on it really took something away from the whole experience. It tasted cheap and kind of old.

Not as fresh as it should have been. Another was the price; this sucker is $8 excluding tax. Despite the number of ingredients, the price did not seem justified. Lastly, this thing is messy. Diners who order this thing will need several napkins.

The inside of Molldeli’s is as clean as can be. Everything is wiped down with not even a crumb in sight. Your standard

run-of-the-mill tables, chairs and booths make up the seating arrangements, with the counter where orders are placed off to the right as you walk in the door. They offer free WiFi and have big flat screen TVs that display the menu, which are some nice modern touches.

Molldeli’s has something for everyone, whether it is pizza, a salad or just a fat sandwich. They are located at 11836 Tesson Ferry Rd, St. Louis, Mo. Their hours are Monday through Thursday 10:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.; and they are closed on Sunday.

America Kicks Ass America has swagger KAVAHN MANSOURI EDITOR IN CHIEF

Cory Montero Staff Designer

America is huge; it has huge armies, huge cars and even huge food depending on what city you are in. But most of all, America has a huge ego and that is another reason America Kicks Ass. Disagree that America has a huge ego? Do not run from it, it is something we all should be proud of. Think about it, when America goes to a party, everyone knows who America is; when America shows up to an awards show, you best believe that America is wearing the most flashy, most ballin’ outfit there.

It is hard to miss America, as a nation we are pretty huge, third in population to be exact and with this hugeness our ego grows.

Flaunting mega armies and helping our brother nations when they are in trouble, we

are a pretty cool nation. I mean, who would not like a nation like us, we have all the best things in the world; celebrities, guns, fast food and a huge flag that says, “Hey look at us, we are super free.” We are so cool that nations give us gifts; France gave us a smoking-hot statue of Lady Liberty for free.

America deserves its ego. Every evening when America goes to sleep, it can rest easy knowing, “I am the coolest nation around, and no one is a nicer, gentler, more happening nation than me.” And that is why we thank you America, because if it were not for your enormous ego, we would not drink from American flag cans, sleep under American flag snuggies and wear our American flag pants.

The Wife of Campus Life Finding Balance KIMBERLY MORICE SENIOR STAFF WRITER One month after the first day of classes and the spring semester is in full swing.

Students have to balance studying, work, personal lives and campus involvement.

A student who knows about this lifestyle better than most is Addison Brown.

Brown is in his fourth semester at STLCCMeramec and is involved in a number of clubs including Student Governance Council, Campus Crusade for Christ, the engineering club and he is also a math tutor. Like many college students, Brown experiences a lot of late nights and sometimes pulling an allnighter before an exam.

“I’m right in the middle of trying to really get organized because I know everything’s

just going to start falling apart if I don’t get everything set and balanced,” Brown said.

Balance and organization is something students struggle with on a daily basis. The list of assignments and exams seem to pile up as the weeks go on. Organization is the key and figuring out where your priorities lie is also important.

“I think that you’ve got to get your priorities straight. School is always number one, classes are always number one, then you’ve got your jobs and they understand being a college student.” said Brown.

“They understand that being a math tutor and being a server at a restaurant is not what I want to do for the rest of my life,

so they understand that school is more important than the job at this moment,” Brown said.

Students who are apprehensive about balancing their involvement in college life and schoolwork will need to figure out what is most important to them. Listmaking, time management and keeping track of when assignments are due are all things that can help keep the stress away.

Knowing when the appropriate times to hang out with friends can also be helpful.

The toughest part is getting into the mindset of a college student, which some may think consists only of thoughts of drinking alcohol and sleeping the day away.

Dedicated students will find themselves in situations where Facebook is more enticing than textbooks, but they have most likely learned when to take breaks. With no assignments due for a few days in a row, the weekends can be used for relaxation and catching up with friends.

How students relax is up to them, whether they catch up on TV shows, go to a bar–if they are of age, of course–or hang out at someone’s house. There is a time and place for students to relax and take a break from the stresses of schoolwork. As long as they are responsible, students should be able to balance their personal lives, schoolwork and campus involvement without a problem.

OPINIONS February 23, 2012

Rebels for a cost Pop co-opts rock’s rebellion and sells it to us, naturally JAROD POWELL STAFF WRITER

Witnessing the Internet generation’s war on authenticity makes it difficult for any self-respecting adult to defend, let alone be a fan of, any singer embraced by Ryan Seacrest and his Top 40 monolith. It has always been the listener’s job to distinguish between the real and the fake. Music is a multi-faceted product we are being sold, after all. The industry, from the beginning, took on the role of manufacturing a lifestyle –sometimes taking cues from established trends and sometimes pushing to create them.

In the past decade, the trend of selfreferential cheekiness has made its way into music. In lieu of making an artistic statement, many artists now simply dilute the provocative nature of rock, pair it with post-disco beats, spray on some live theatrics and sell it. Pop has now become a parody of rock. This year’s two main musical events have sparked enough fauxoutrage to hold us for the rest of the year.

The Grammy Awards have never been considered cool by anyone under 40. It is a music industry institution: part celebration of the Recording Academy’s yearly achievements, part media conglomerate self-aggrandizing ritual. It is where shameless album promotion and credibility awkwardly meet one night a year, agreeing to put their differences aside for the kids, both performers and audience. Those two things culminated painfully loud when Nicki Minaj took the stage.

In a performance that could be described

as clumsy, forced and incoherent, it sure seemed to have one clear purpose: To make the heads of the Parents Television Council and the Catholic League explode at once.

There was an exorcism of Minaj’s alter-ego “Roman Zolanksi”. There were scantily-clad backup dancers dressed as alter boys, performing mock sex acts on what one can only assume were strippers.

There was the pointedly ornery rendition of “O Come, All Ye Faithful” in the middle of the song. Of course, there was the questionable song choice itself, the selfconsciously weird “Roman Holiday”, a track off of Minaj’s new album, which is not even scheduled for release as a single.

In a word, the performance was a mess.

It is understandable why she did it. On paper, it is a perfect mash-up of “shocking” themes, condensed into one performance from one of the world’s biggest pop stars, to drop your jaw. As we know by now, nothing gets “family-focused” groups more riled, or excites the kids, quite like subversive religious imagery.

It is quite a blunder for Minaj, if she wants to be taken seriously. But we have finally reached the point where a star’s breakout performance, their coming out party, has to invoke canned outrage. It is now a requirement. And you can blame, at least partly, the PTC, an organization that is sustained entirely by canned outrage.

Ever since Janet Jackson’s little “mishap” during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, thanks in part to the PTC –

the organization has been a major player in cultivating pop stars’ “edginess”, deluging the Federal Communications Commision with thousands of complaints every time a pop star is seen on network television doing something naughty on stage. It is not only expected, it is almost obligatory. The PTC is such a powerful presence in pop culture, and such a laughingstock, that one starts to wonder if they are an entertainment industry cog. They have, in a strange way, become a rite of passage for whatever singer is our current entertainment industry MVP. Take this year’s other elicitor of conservative outrage: British rapper M.I.A.’s bird-flip during Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime performance. It was a split-second moment that most people, including Madonna herself, did not notice when it happened. Madonna frowned in disapproval on Ryan Seacrest’s talk show (a staggeringly hilarious hypocrisy on its own), the NFL and NBC both blamed each other and M.I.A. essentially shrugged her shoulders and blamed “nerves and adrenaline”.

It is easy to assume the whole thing was orchestrated with a smirk, everyone involved knowing exactly what comes next.

The PTC issued their stock press release, writers scrambled to form some half-baked opinion on the matter, and everyone else failed to truly care for more than a few days. But with that split-second gesture, M.I.A. went from that chick who sang

that song from the “Pineapple Express” soundtrack, to the artist who managed to offend Madonna and flip off one of the biggest nights in the music industry.

This puerile portrayal of “edginess” is really not unique to modern pop. Rock ‘n roll, one could convincingly argue, was landmarked by the salacious hip-swivels of Elvis, rather than his music. What has always been so hard for a 20-something to outwardly enjoy about modern pop is the ubiquitous gloss that covers every inch of album art, every frame of a music video, every step in a live performance –a heightened portrayal of glamor that a teen can appreciate, but an adult can see through. Invoking a rant about pop music’s sexual and moral decline from the adults is now expected of every female pop star, as their initiation onto the top tier. The gloss is still there, however.

It is possibly a pointless exercise to concern oneself with pop authenticity. It seems the trend has spoken, as it always does, and the phony outrage is just another element in a big, bloated theater of sheep.

In the 21st century, irony and earnestness have converged into one big shriek of static.

They are increasingly difficult to separate.

We all know those bratty internet commenters are right about inauthenticity in music. It is very hard to care, however, when the industry seems eager to let us in on the joke. The problem is that when they are all jokers, the punch line becomes elusive.

Cory Montero Staff Designer

EDITORS Kavahn Mansouri Kelly Glueck Mike Ziegler Hans Steinert Lilly Huxhold Kurt Oberreither Alex Kendall Jesse Hofford Tomi Storey Spencer Gleason Kait Thomas Justin Villmer Shannon Philpott

Editor in Chief Managing Editor Photo Editor Multimedia Editor Graphic Design Editor News Editor Art & Life Editor Opinions Editor In Depth Editor Sports Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Faculty Adviser

MONTAGE STAFF THE MONTAGE Amber Davis Steven Duncan Victoria Barmark Chris Campbell Brian Haenchen Jordan Heath Anastasia Heermann Nick Herrin Sadie Hill Jace Jones Aaron McCall Brian Haenchen Jarod Powell Daniel Reynolds Kimberly Morice Sara Murillo David Kloeckener Nick Rousseau Jake Simorka Anabel Gonzalez Kyle Melsheimer Cory Montero

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8 INDEPTH February 23, 2012

1969 Carnival Queen awaits parade to start 1970a Warriors win Central District Sectional 1970b “Happy Ending” play 1971a Vashon Students take tour of camp 1971b Newly registered voters are sw 1971c First Miss Black Meramec 1974 Black Student Union s Culture Week

1988 First Black Pr

Meramec cam

1988

1974

1971a 1969

1970a

history through

PHOTOS

INDEPTH Februrary 23, 2012

reflects Commentary on commentary Alumnus on the times KURT OBERREITHER NEWS EDITOR

pus

weared in

c crowned

sponsors

resident of mpus

An alumnus from then Meramec Community College (MCC), Charles Stith, was appointed as the ambassador of the United States to Tanzania by President Bill Clinton. He is also the founder and former president of the Organization for a New Equality (O.N.E.).

During his time at MCC, Stith wrote a number of columns for “The Montage” in 1970, a time of civil unrest in America and war overseas. His first commentary was titled “The Black Point of View.”

“During those columns, [it] was not only a way of expressing myself personally rather than to [reflect] on the times, but it was also a way of giving expression to some of the issues we were struggling with as black students,” Stith said. “... there was thunder and then a light. And then came a voice from the

winderness saying unto me, Dig, I want you to write and tell the folks about some really relevant stuff (‘cause “relevancy” is the thing nowadays).”

Thursday, September 24, the A.B.C. (Association of Black Collegians) presented poignant viewpoints on two very “relevant” controversial subjects: racism and the oppressive conditions exiting in this country, and the war in Viet Nam. The form of this presentation: two films, Interview With Bobby Seale and People’s War. During the interview, Bobby Seale revealed some of the abuses he encountered during his incarceration. “To try and break my spirit, they (the guards) choked me and beat me, kicking me in the groin area until I passed out. When I came to, I was in a cell, hole-like in appearance. There were no windows, no furniture, but there was a hole that I was suppose to use to take care of my wants, defecation and urination. There was a flushing mechanism above the hole, but when I tried to use it, it made the contents in the hole, defacation and urination, back up. The stuff was about an inch or an inch and a half deep, covering the whole floor. I was made to exist under these types of conditions for hours.” Bobby Seale also commented on the racist and oppressive conditions existing in this country, but this is something that we’re all aware of (Sure we know!)

The second film, People’s War, conveyed some of the prevalent attitudes of the South Vietnamese people. One, that they do not look upon the United States as the Great Protector, but as the Great Destroyer. Secondly, that the United States will be defeated in her efforts to subjagate neo-colonialistically, South Vietnam. Finally, that they (the South Vietnamese) are more than prepared and willing to wage their war of resistance.

Eavesdropping: (a man (?) talking to two boys (?))”, “Looka here -- fellars, ya’ll shouldn’t hate “The man (?),” just think how good he’s been to ya! (?)”

“The Black Point of View” originally printed in Volume 7, Issue 3 by: Charles Stith

“Contextually it was a very interesting time,” Stith said. “You had the war in Vietnam going on, you had the new militancy. Issues had a lot more of an edge; it was an interesting period in that respect.”

At Meramec Stith said he focused on sociology and journalism and was president of the African American student union, the Association of Black Collegians (ABC), from 1970 to 1971.

“The level of conversation about issues was very thoughtful and very sophisticated,” Stith said. “Like most college campuses, the debates around the war, the debates around social justice were pretty intense, as they were all across the country.”

Martin Luther King Jr., Stokely Carmichael and other members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee were among the activists that influenced the content of his column, Stith said.

“From an intellectual perspective, it was a very stimulating time – not just as in related to movement politics and the history of people liberation struggles,” Stith said.

While with O.N.E., Stith’s efforts led to the first comprehensive community reinvestment agreement in the country: a $500 million package for communities in Massachusetts.

“The fervor and the energy of that point in history that really forced America to look at these issues of race and justice, opportunity laid the foundation for everything we’ve seen since then,” Stith said.

Stith said after two years at Meramec, it was clear he wanted to be a minister. He transferred to Baker University in Baldwin, Kan., before earning a masters of divinity degree from the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Ga. In 1977, he earned a masters of theology from Harvard University Divinity School.

In 1995, Stith published Political Religion, a book which aims to answer whether or not politics and religion can mix. He has also contributed to publications such as the Chicago Sun Times, USA Today and the New York Times. He said his style has evolved over the years.

If he were to write from the black point of view today, Stith said it would be “a bit different” from what he wrote at Meramec, both contextually and in terms of content.

“If you asked me in 1970 – when I was a student at Meramec Community College – if I thought I’d live to see an African American elected president of the United States, my response in 1970 would have been ‘no way, no how,’” Stith said.

Currently, Stith is the Director of the African Presidential Archives and Research Center and an adjunct professor of international relations at Boston University.

Stith said over time he was able to find his voice and it is important that perceptions change too.

“For a good portion of the black experience in America, we have reflected some of America’s most significant mistakes. And the fact that we are recovering is a testament to the resilience and vibrance of our democracy,” Stith said. “But the fact that we’ve had challenges in this country that haven’t fully evolved yet, we’ve made unimaginable progress.”

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10ART&LIFE February 23, 2012

Love for writing creates professor’s long career

AMBER DAVIS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

PHOTO BY: ALEX KENDALL

Professor Michael Burke explains his military past. Burke worked as a military officer for 27 years.

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Leaning back in a computer chair is Michael Burke, an English professor at STLCCMeramec, adjusting his polka dotted bow tie. Displayed behind him, Burke’s army calendar hangs in his office As he places his hands back on his lap, Burke says he is “not as formal as people think.” Burke’s normal attire includes a buttondown shirt, a jacket and one of his 30 “signature” bow ties.

“I prefer dressing that way just because I think what we are doing in the teaching business is important enough to get dressed up for it,” Burke said. “I think a lot of people misinterpret as ‘Oh he must be very conservative or very formal.’ And that’s not my intention.”

Before teaching at Meramec, Burke worked as an army officer for 27 years. He said he joined the Army to pay for college.

After graduation he planned to go to college for four years and then straight into military service for another four years.

Burke said he stuck around because he said he realized he enjoyed it.

In the Army, Burke served as a linguistics officer where he went into his first Gulf War. He taught English at the U.S. Military Academy.

While Burke was a linguistics officer he made sure no one ran out of gas, ammunition, provided supplies, repaired parts and gave soldiers food and water when needed.

“I commanded a company when I was younger and a captain in Germany, where we stored and maintained equipment for war-type use,” Burke said. “And I had a bunch of civilians work for me. I was the first guy that took over a

British unit that was going away and we had to basically hire people off the streets and make them mechanics. It was quite an experience.”

In the early 90s, Burke spent three years at the Pentagon as a compensation staff officer.

His job was to keep track of the paying benefits for retired soldiers as well as their family members.

“I did enjoy [working at the Pentagon]. You realize how complicated the Department of Defense is,” Burke said. “People forget sometimes that there is over a million people in uniform plus about a million civilian family members and it operates in 140 countries. So you are setting policy for an organization that’s that big and complicated; you have to take in to account that there’s a lot of parts. It was a really interesting job.”

While working in the Army, Burke said he started falling in love with writing during his second tier at West Point at the U.S. Military Academy when he was 45. He said he had to write several different types of reports and studies where he considered himself a “reasonably good writer.”

“I had a master’s in English and I’ve been writing for years and years. But I think that was the first time I really felt that I understand how to put together a document, how to craft a sentence in the paragraph that someone would really want to read it,” Burke said. “You don’t need to be fabulous now, just better at the end.”

After retiring from the military Burke began teaching at Meramec. In his tenth year, he teaches courses ranging from English 020 to Honors

Composition.

Asama Alamery, a former student of Burke’s English Composition 101, moved to America during the summer of 2009 from Iraq and said she was scared to go into a classroom with “native speakers.” Alamery said she was nervous that she would not do well in Burke’s class.

“During my first paper I received the highest grade in the class. I was shocked, I was so worried since I’m not a native speaker I would be very bad,” Alamery said.

“His encouragement and his understanding of my culture made me feel comfortable to do better. He is just a wonderful teacher.”

Besides teaching, Burke said he also enjoys freelancing for a couple of publications. He enters in a contest every year at Urban Journal and has written book reviews for Army Magazine for 15 years.

“Urban Journal has a contest every year that they call Opinion Shapers. You submit a sample column and I’ve done that five times,” Burke said.

“I’ve been successful enough to get a column accepted. Then you have to write two more over a year. I’ve done that several times.”

The thing Burke said he enjoys the most about teaching is watching his students’ progress throughout the years they attend Meramec.

“That’s the stuff that I really like the best, watching someone who really doesn’t know how smart they are, then over the time period they become really smart and they figure out how to be really good students and they succeed,” Burke said.

ADMISSIONS 800.232.7242 | 312.629.6100 | ugadmiss@saic.edu

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St. Louis Community College is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

If you have accommodation needs, please contact the event coordinator at 314-984-7611 at least two working days prior to the event. Documentation of disability may be required.

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ART&LIFE From backpacks to babybags February 23, 2012

STLCC student Christa Boshers tackles motherhood and college ALEX KENDALL ART & LIFE EDITOR Christa Boshers, 21, grabs a diaper bag and her schoolbooks before buckling her 13-month-old daughter, Payton, into the car seat. Boshers is dropping Payton off at her parents’ house before finishing some last minute homework and driving into work.

“I like everything about being a parent,” Boshers said. “I don’t know what I would do without her.”

In her second year at STLCC-Meramec, Boshers’s life changed when she found out she was pregnant at the age of 19.

“This pregnancy changed my life very dramatically,” Boshers said. “I had to be good with time management now that I was having a baby.”

In 2009, a total of 409,840 infants were born to 15 through 19-year-olds, with more than half of those unintended, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Boshers had Payton on Jan. 2, 2010, and determined that she would continue on with her schoolwork.

“I started [Meramec] a week and a half after I had her,” Boshers said. “I had online classes right after she was born so it was much easier.”

Even with online classes, Boshers said

that having Payton and going to school was hard at first.

“She was only a couple weeks old and I didn’t know how to balance her and my life,” Boshers said. “It was extremely hard and overwhelming, but I eventually got through it.”

According to http://guttmacher.org, teen pregnancies have declined dramatically in the United States since their peak in the early 1990’s, with 2008 being the lowest level in nearly 40 years.

Even with the numbers lowering each year, only about 50 percent of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by age 22, versus nearly 90 percent of women who had not given birth during adolescence, according to http://cdc.gov. “[Single mothers] need to finish school first, because if you don’t have somebody there to help you, it is almost impossible,” Boshers said. “It is possible but it is very hard.”

With the support of her parents, Boshers said she is able to keep calm and understand being a parent.

“My parents have helped make me a stronger person and parent because they have given me tips on what to do in certain

situations and how to handle it,” Boshers said. “They have been a great support.”

Doris Johnson, a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) student advocate at Meramec, works with students and single mothers in need on a daily basis. Even with the help she provides, Johnson said that it is the single mothers who end up helping themselves.

“A lot of times it’s the single moms that go to help each other; it is more beneficial than some of the help that I can provide,” Johnson said. “They have more resources and more suggestions; it’s an opportunity for them to come together and help each other.”

With her new responsibility, Boshers says that most of her friends now are other single mothers and parents who understand what the other is going through and how they deal with it.

“I don’t really hang out with a lot of the friends like I did in high school anymore,” Boshers said. “I mainly hang out with people who have babies.”

To Boshers, Payton has helped her understand who she is as a person and a parent.

“It gives me a lot more responsibility and

a different outlook on life,” Boshers said.

“She is someone that I know will always be there for me. That’s why I love being a parent.”

Boshers said that the little things that Payton does are some of the most memorable.

“I like seeing the new things she does, me being her mom, me seeing her do her first thing; it’s super exciting for me and I love just seeing her reach each milestone,” Boshers said.

To many teens, college is a time to party and live carefree. Boshers said that with having Payton, she does not take her life for granted now.

“I used to never wear a seat belt and now I think to myself, what if I get into a car accident and die?” Boshers said. “There is nothing like a mother-daughter bond. And I know I’m the best person to take care of her and to be there for her. And I would not want to jeopardize that.”

Boshers said she plans to go back to classes on campus now that Payton is older.

“I trust more people with her now so it will be easier to go back to school, physically back to a classroom,” Boshers said.

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12ART&LIFE February 23, 2012

KIMBERLY MORICE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Art books, tattered papers, overstuffed folders and a plastic dinosaur line the shelves in the corner office of STLCCMeramec’s art department. Its owner sits, blinking behind his thinly-framed glasses, in a chair while rubbing his palms on his pant legs.

David Hanlon began his career at Meramec as a part-time professor in 1990 after receiving a history mass communications degree at Lindenwood University and a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Kentucky. In 2002, he was hired as full time instructor and now he teaches photography and photo history.

“When I was in graduate school, since I was from St. Louis, I was communicating with artists and teachers that I knew and I would see them at conferences. When I was finishing my graduate work, two colleagues that I knew who taught at the campus were interested in finding someone to work with their students as an instructor,” Hanlon said. “From what they had known of me they thought I would be fairly successful. I was honored that they asked me to join as an adjunct faculty member.”

Hanlon says that photography is something that has interested him for many years, though teaching was not always in his plans.

“Since I was in college and I had started to work more seriously with the medium, I thought it would be an area I would personally be concentrating in. I also really enjoyed the camaraderie and the give and take of intellectual ideas that students were having in the medium, so that was an environment I wanted to stay in for an extended period,” Hanlon said.

Many changes have occurred in photography and the techniques used while Hanlon has been at Meramec.

“The department and the division has really been supportive in constantly maintaining the newest tools that are available so the students can have them right away and start experimenting with them,” Hanlon said. “The real benefit of what’s happened in the last 15 or 20 years is that there is a lot more options for artists to make work with different kinds of apparatus, so you have a lot of choices to create an impression that’s a distinct one.”

While changes to the department have occurred, one thing has stayed consistent.

Like many professors, Hanlon says his biggest reward is seeing his students succeed at the end of each semester.

“A lot of folks obviously wouldn’t continue professionally with doing work a lot, but everybody takes photographs when they think they see something that

Focus

PHOTO BY: KIMBERLY MORICE

David Hanlon, photography instructor at STLCC - Meramec, reviews a student’s work.

Hanlon has been with the college since 1990.

they really want save,” Hanlon said. “It’s important to realize, at least for me, that I can help them gain a confidence to do that.”

Hanlon’s work within the world of photography stretches beyond the classroom. He currently has a show running at the PHD Gallery in St. Louis until March 3.

“I do my own personal work regularly.

I’m always working on some new folios of things; when I’m ready I’ll propose them to people,” Hanlon said. “I write about the medium a lot too; I’m finishing

up a manuscript I’ve been working on for some time on the history of the medium.

I’m really involved in it all of the time, with my own work and obviously the students in my classes.”

Hanlon’s involvement in photography outside of Meramec focuses on architecture and interior spaces.

“More recently I’ve been doing studies of larger interior spaces of architecture, where the design was made to overwhelm the viewer with the scale. I’ve also been working on a new project over the last couple of years recording the Cahokia

Mounds sight,” Hanlon said.

Hanlon uses the skills he has acquired from working in the field to teach students how to achieve better photographs.

“I’m really interested in having students become more interested in seeing things better, in terms of having the ideas of what they want to have achieved in a photograph that they make successfully come out, rather than having guesswork or apprehension about whether it will work out,” Hanlon said.

Art classes at Meramec often collaborate on projects; students will be shown or given one of their peers’ photographs and be expected to write a story about it or have Photoshop students work use in their projects.

“It’s great to be able to see the visual mediums really provide an ability to tie in a number of different ideas together.

That really becomes important as you become involved in a number of fields,” Hanlon said.

Hanlon teaches a number of different classes at Meramec, though he says he does not favor one over the other.

“I don’t necessarily have a category of imaging that I like more than another.

I’m always just excited when students become really interested in a topic or a project,” Hanlon said.

Sometimes when students begin taking a photography class, they may not know what to expect.

“Initially there are a lot of complaints because it’s not what they had expected, but then they realize after they look at the results that they’re getting some impressions that are pretty strong,” Hanlon said.

Though students may not always understand how photography works before they enter a photography course, they always have the support of Hanlon throughout their time in the program.

“Ultimately the students who are with the photographic program for a while will develop a collection of prints or a folio.

The other facets of the teaching element that I really like a lot is helping a student edit a folio, collect images to strengthen the collection that they’re really happy to bring forward to show people,” Hanlon said.

Hanlon says he is always available to students who are considering a career in photography.

“When students come to visit, I always maybe give a couple of insights. One is that the field is wide open for them, if they’re worried that they don’t have enough training. Your own experiences, your own insights and feelings are really what’s primary. The skills that you gain are things you acquire over time, no one expects it to be immediate,” Hanlon said.

ART&LIFE February 23, 2012

The music of Meramec

Professors push importance of music programs KIMBERLY MORICE SENIOR STAFF WRITER Gary Gackstatter sits behind a cluttered desk, his fingers flicking the edge of his coffee-stained desk calendar as a tea pot boils water on his bookcase. Gackstatter has been a music teacher at STLCC-Meramec for the last five years.

“You meet people every day that don’t even know we have a choir, or an orchestra, or a jazz band or a band here. That’s been my goal the five years I’ve been here, to raise the profile,” Gackstatter said.

Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities Jerry Myers sits across the hall in his office, glancing at the piano covered in sheets of music to the right of his desk. Myers explains the importance of music programs in schools.

“Prior to college, when you think about elementary school, middle school and high school, music programs are just as integral to the well-rounded education. It’s not just for the students who might have a talent for it, it’s for the students who might want to learn about as many possible subjects as they can and have the opportunity to be a well-rounded person,” Myers said. “I think that speaks to a better society, overall a more intelligent society.”

Unlike high school and middle school, colleges often offer a degree in music, which Myers says is one main difference.

“We’re fortunate here with so many of the high schools that feed into this program that there are some outstanding music programs. I really consider us very fortunate that students that come here already have that love of music there in some way. Maybe it’s that I need to help bring that out even more,” Myers said. “I hope they’re involved in the program as much as they want to be.”

According to Gackstatter, Meramec is a good example of administration giving freedom to their music program. Gackstatter says he realizes the importance of music and art programs staying in schools.

“The problem with St. Louis Community College is that we’re big, there are a lot of

great teachers here and everyone does their own thing,” Gackstatter said. “I’m trying to involve the art, the theater and getting involved in the theater was a great thing for me. I’m trying to get our name out.”

Myers also finds himself appreciating the college’s ability to recruit so many talented musicians.

STLCC is very supportive of their art programs, which Myers says is unusual at the community college level.

“I’ll tell you one thing, this college supports the arts. That’s one of the things that excited me the most about this college is how much they support the arts,” Myers said. “It honestly doesn’t take a lot of financial support, especially to maintain a program. It just takes the support that this is important and that it needs to be a part of the daily life of the college.”

Many instructors of the arts find themselves having the subject on their minds every day. Gackstatter says his love of music is apparent in his day-to-day life.

“I live and breathe it as much as I possibly can. I’m either thinking about it, teaching it, writing it or talking about it,” Gackstatter said. “The only other thing I do is art. I’m kind of right-brained in that way.”

Myers said that music is not just a hobby, but a way of life.

“It becomes your life. You ask what our hobby is and it’s music,” Myers said. “It becomes our lives; it’s not a separate job and a separate hobby. Once you dive in, if it’s the right fit for you, that’s it. That’s what I try to encourage in students, to just be.”

The main hall of Humanities East is almost always filled with the sound of students singing, playing instruments and rehearsing for plays.

Myers says this is one of his favorite parts of the music program at Meramec.

“The music students that we have, whether they’re music majors or not, that I see so successful, they just live out here,”

PHOTO BY: KELLY GLUECK

Gary Gackstatter, music instructor at Meramec, plays in a band in his spare time at STLCCMeramec. Gackstatter has been with the college for five years.

Myers said, motioning in the direction of the theater. “It’s become a culture here and I’ve seen that spike within the last couple years.

There are days that I’m walking through and I’m kind of disappointed to leave. I want to be a part of it. But sometimes you just have to leave it to them and let them have their fun.”

Every day, students walk into a music classroom expecting to learn and to change.

Two of Meramec’s music teachers say their biggest hope is to help be part of that change.

“A love of music and I think that’s it,” Myers said. “It’s going to be completely different for every student. How they’re going

to apply this in their life–maybe it’s just a hobby and they’ll attend concerts, or perhaps their aspiration is to be on the concert stage, to conduct, to teach high school. That part doesn’t matter unless they have a love for music.”

Gackstatter said that music stays with people forever.

“That’s why we’re in the business. Music isn’t something that you just take and then you leave, it’s a lifetime of playing. That’s what all of my teaching, whether it’s in general music or conducting, that’s what it’s all aimed at. It’s to get them involved,” Gackstatter said.

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Sam Tataum enjoys a sexy cupcake during the Healthy Sex and Relationship day. Sponsored by the Student Activites Council, the event promoted safe sex through free condoms and couseling.

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SPORTS February 23, 2012

Peaking at the top of the Arch

STLCC men’s basketball team looks to finish regular season on a high note AARON MCCALL STAFF WRITER

The 2011-2012 STLCC Archer men’s basketball team has scored an average of 74 points per game through 26 games this season. While only allowing an average of 67 points per game defensively, the Archers have positioned themselves with a 20-6 record. With the Region XVI Tournament being held on March 9 and 10 in Kansas City, Mo., the Archers look to ride their 12 game-winning streak into the tournament.

“We’re [20-6]; we’re on a [12] game-winning streak so I don’t think we can be in much better shape than we are,” head coach Randy Albrecht said. “Right now we have season momentum, we have won [12] in a row, and that’s the kind of momentum you want.”

According to coach Albrecht, this season had a slower start than usual, but the players and the coaching staff have worked together to overcome that. Currently, the Archers have won 15 of their last 16 games.

“I’m pleasantly surprised at this point in time,” Albrecht said.

One pleasant surprise, Albrecht said, is his Archers’ free throw shooting. Shooting 73 percent from the free throw line has his Archers leading all Division II teams in the nation. Free throws have come in handy this season, Albrecht said. Of the team’s 20 wins this season, six of them have been by five points or less.

“We do not have to rely on one person every game,” Albrecht said. “I like that kind of team to coach.”

SPENCER GLEASON SPORTS EDITOR Mixing in three freshmen along with six sophomores, Albrecht said he hopes to start a new tradition with the navy blue and silver.

“Most research done on why guys pick the colleges they go to is because of tradition of the school,” Albrecht said.

“We have no tradition; we had tradition at Meramec.

There are a lot of positive changes here, but there are still things that are concerns. That’s why it’s really important for us to have a good year this year, to start a tradition.”

While outscoring their opponents by an average of seven points per game, the Archers look for a winning tradition and give Albrecht 28 consecutive winning seasons.

“We’ve been playing great,” Charlie Mueller, freshman center, said. “[We’ve been] working our butts off on defense and making it tough for people to score on us.”

Mueller, a 6-foot-7-inch center, has 59 defensive rebounds and blocked 27 shots, averaging 1.1 blocks per game, helping the Archers under the basket.

“Being an undersized team, we do not have a lot of height,” Kyle Rice, sophomore forward, said. “Most of the guys we play are bigger than us.”

With an average height just under 6-foot-1-inch, the nine players that put on the Archer uniform do not see size as an obstacle. “[Our goal is to] win the regional [tournament] and go to the national tournament,” Albrecht said. “That’s our ultimate goal.”

PHOTO BY: DAVID KLOECKENER Sophomore guard, Clyde Jeffers makes his way to the basket during a practice drill on Feb. 9. Jeffers has scored 42 points during this season.

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16SPORTS

Hooping February 23, 2012

Spending eight months out of the year together, teammates often become more like a family. The camaraderie that has brought the 2011-2012 STLCC lady Archers closer together, has given them a 15-9 record, with two games left in the regular season.

Having already clinched the number one seed heading into the Region XVI Tournament after a 74-66 win against the North Central College on Feb. 18, the lady Archers will enter the tournament on March 9 and 10 looking to make another run toward a national championship.

“For me personally, this has been probably the toughest challenge I’ve ever had,” Archer head coach Shelly Ethridge said after a 6559 come-

for history SPENCER GLEASON SPORTS EDITOR

from-behind-win against Lewis and Clark. “We had 15 new players at the beginning of the season and not only trying to make them become a team and get them to be able to play together, I’ve had to deal with my dad’s passing away. I kept telling them that if we hang in there we’ll get to know each other and start winning some games during the end; if we have trust and faith in our systems, and that’s what we’re starting to do right now.”

The Archers have won 10 of their last 12 games and have gone 11-2 at home this season.

“I don’t know what it is about home,” Cierra Gaines, freshman guard, said.

“There’s nothing better than being somewhere that you’re wanted. It’s such a good feeling of being at home and you automatically want to win

because you’re at home.”

Gaines, who has scored 220 points this season, along with 99 rebounds and 30 steals, has found herself in a leadership role.

“I’ve come a long way,” Gaines said.

“Coming into college, I had the role of being a leader, something I’m not used to. From the beginning to now, I’ve learned a lot.”

The learning curve for all 14 girls on the Archers has brought them on the brink of achieving a historic moment for STLCC athletics.

“I think that they’re pretty happy right now and they’re pretty confident,” Ethridge said. “We know we have to stay confident and we aren’t putting the cart before the horse. We’re staying low-key and level headed and we’re focusing on one game at a time.”

PHOTOS BY: MIKE ZIEGLER Top: Sophomore guard, Markita Mosley, brings the ball down court during the Archers win against the Lewis and Clark Community College Trailblazers on Feb. 20. The Archers came from behind in the final minutes of regulation to win, 65-59.

Mosley is one of two sophomores on the lady Archer roster.

Mosley has scored 68 points this season. Below: Freshman guard, Cierra Gaines, heads toward the basket against the Trailblazer defenders. Gaines and Mosley have combined for 158 rebounds in 24 games. Left: Freshman point guard, Shakaunna Futrell, goes up against a Lewis and Clark defender.

Futrell is averaging 12.2 points per game.