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Photos by Katie Hayes Graphic By Marissa Diercks

Lady Archers defeat Wentworth Lady Dragons on Cancer Awareness Day STLCC head into Region XVI Tournament following 46 point victory in home finale Christian Hargas Sports Editor

The STLCC Lady Archers defeated the Lady Dragons of Wentworth Military Academy, 9145, in the annual Cancer Awareness Game. The Lady Archers scored the first 11 points and led 30-6 after one quarter. It was nice to be able to just let the kids do what they were capable of doing, Head Coach Shelly Ethridge said.

“This kind of game, the way they performed tonight, as

long as I do not get involved they are going to win the game,” Ethridge said. “I am really happy for our kids and what they have brought to our program.”

Freshman Forward/Center Alfreda Roberts scored four points, had 11 total rebounds and two steals in the game. Staying focused in a game like this was the most important part to continuing their momentum, Roberts said.

“We came in prepared,” Roberts said. “We knew we had to focus on this game in order to look forward to the next game.

We had to bring our best here, in order to continue the momentum and be ready for the next game.”

The Lady Archers began the season losing eight of their first 10 games. They have won 13 of their last 18 contests, following their three point victory at MCCPenn Valley. The continuity and momentum has come together at the right time, Ethridge said.

“We have certainly come together as a team and as a family,” Ethridge said. “We are starting to play well together. It is all about peaking at the right time and staying focused and I think our chances will be good in the Regions Tournament, as long as everybody does their job.”

Against Wentworth Military Academy, the Lady Archers had

four players reach double-digits in points scored. Freshman Guard Shania Thornton led the team with 20 points and sophomore Guard Marcie Belcher had 19 points. Sophomore Guard Amanda Hughes scored 18 [leading the team with a threepoint shooting percentage of 63] and sophomore Forward LaShonda Brewer scored 14.

It was an exciting day for the athletes, Roberts said.

“It felt pretty good,” Roberts said. “We still have to focus on what we need to do in order to get better. We have to continue to learn and play hard in order to become better over time.”

VOLUME 51, ISSUE 10 | THURSDAY FEB. 25, 2016 | www.meramecmontage.com

The annual STLCC Cancer Awareness day took place on Saturday, Feb. 13. Being a part of this event was very important to everyone involved, Ethridge said.

“This was a very meaningful game for them and our program, especially since this was the Cancer Awareness game,” Ethridge said.

“Winning is always important, but the most important thing is that we are raising awareness about cancer.”

Roberts agreed.

“It was really important for us to be a part of this event and win a game like this,” Roberts said.

Story continued on Pg 11

NEWS

2

Online education receives increase in attention as enrollment drops STLCC becomes more accessible through ‘STLCC Online’ Katie Hayes News Editor

As the demand for online courses increases across the nation, St. Louis Community College is focusing more attention on the development of what Chancellor Jeff Pittman calls “STLCC Online.”

“Online education continues to grow across the nation,” Pittman said.

“Online courses at STLCC were up by nine percent this fall. The St. Louis regional population is interested in this type of modality.”

This spring, interest in online courses increased again.

Enrollment in only online courses increased 14 percent from spring 2015 to spring 2016.

Although retention rates for online classes are five percent lower than face-to-face classes, STLCC is right around the national average according to Robin Grebing, director of online education at STLCC. “As we look at enrollment trends, the demand for online classes increases and we have an unmet need in this region,” Grebing said. “We want to be able to offer and coordinate more classes for students.”

Pittman previously served as vice president of online education at Ivy Tech Community College, where he increased the retention rate of students enrolled in online programs.

There is currently a steering committee which meets twice per month to develop STLCC Online.

“We’re talking about how can we make this user friendly for students and how can we increase our market,” Communication Professor and Steering Committee Member Denise Sperruzza said. “You know, how can we get more students to take our online courses? How can we make the online courses quality courses?”

Although there is already a business plan, the steering committee looks through that plan to determine what STLCC Online will look

like and who will be involved.

“They have identified a certain amount of programs that are really close to being 100 percent online,” Sperruzza said. “Probably that will be the next step — to start looking at those programs and then add online classes that will allow those programs to be completely online.”

The online courses will be taught by current faculty as opposed to separate instructors. “[We’re] just kind of looking through the business plan and identifying things that need to be done,” Sperruzza said. “Who — in terms of people in positions in the college — need to be working on these different pieces?”

Staff members from departments including financial aid and student services will contribute to STLCC online as well, Sperruzza said.

The steering committee also discusses how to present STLCC Online to students.

“There are a lot of things we’re talking about, but the details haven’t been worked out,” Sperruzza said. “Some students don’t realize or think about that if you take online classes, you can really take it from any campus.”

One option the steering committee discusses is making online education its own campus on the Interactive Class Schedule, where students search for classes on the community college website.

Online courses would still be searchable by campus, but easier to find if students wanted to search only for online courses.

While the flexibility of online classes benefit some students, not all students are successful in them.

“Students think it’s easier, but it’s more challenging in several aspects,” Pittman said.

Pittman said the way to increase the retention rate in online courses is based on how the course is created and how engaging it is.

The steering committee continues to discuss how to increase the retention rate as well.

EDITORS Dalila Kahvedzic Jason Waters Katie Hayes Brittney Farrow Katie Leicht Christian Hargas Marissa Diercks Ashley Biundo Christaan Eayrs

Editor-In-Chief Production Manager News Editor Opinions Editor Art & Life Editor Sports Editor Graphics Editor Photo Editor Faculty Adviser

Proud member of Feb. 25, 2016

spring 2015 vs spring 2016 Enrollment Online Only classes

14%

increase

9% overall Decrease in enrollment In person only classes

Combination (online & in person classes)

15% decrease 2%

decrease

student enrollment choices Graphic By Katie Hayes

“How do we help [students] decide ‘is this the best choice for me’ and then how do we help them be successful,” Sperruzza said. “Because if we have more students in online courses, then at the same time we have to monitor our courses and make sure they’re good courses.”

talking about that for quite a while,” Sperruzza said. “We need some sort of orientation for students and we want it to be that students have to take it, because if it’s optional then students won’t and we want to make sure that everybody is ready and that all students

are some of the other markets out there,” Sperruzza said.

While students may take online classes through STLCC regardless of residence, the college cannot advertise to residents outside of Missouri.

To advertise to a broader market, STLCC is required to obtain a certification.

Sperruzza said she meets with other faculty members to discuss online education at least three times per month.

“People are specifically meeting and talking about what’s working, what’s not working, what’s working in other schools and what we can use,” Sperruzza said. “We sort of jumped into offering online courses because students were are going to be successful.” asking for it. We didn’t have Another hope for an office of online education STLCC Online is that it and we didn’t have as much will increase enrollment. training for faculty. We are This is also accomplished by actually having discussions advertising to a broader market. and developing a plan. I think “We’re kind of in that that will make [STLCC’s stage of making a list of what online education] better.”

“As we look at enrollment trends, the demand for online classes increases and we have an unmet need.”

The steering committee wants to create a free, but mandatory, one credit hour course for online students, which teaches them how to properly navigate online courses.

“Faculty that have been teaching online, we’ve been

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NEWS

3

Theatre students feign illnesses to educate soon-to-be nurses on diagnoses Campus Innovation Committee selects project to represent Meramec at district level

that matter, he told me, there are a bunch of actors at that Christian Hargas school and I thought ‘you Sports Editor know what, you are right.’”

With just a little pow-wow Meramec hosted the “Innovation of the Year” at home, the idea was then presentation Thursday, Feb. 18. sent to Oliver and the theatre The presentation highlighted department, Cohoon said.

“That is pretty much when two ongoing projects I approached Keith with the initiated by campus faculty.

Theatre Coordinator Keith idea of either theatre students, Oliver and Physical Therapy improv students or whichever Professor Christina Cohoon students would be interested presented their project, in doing this,” Cohoon said.

“Theatrical Role Play for “See if they would be interested Therapy Practical Experience,” in playing the role of a patient which helps theatre students on practical experiences for collaborate with physical our students. He [Oliver] therapy students for an figured the improv club would authentic clinical experiences. probably be the best place to The committee selected start. They were responsible for their project to represent doing some service work and Meramec at the district level. he thought this would fit well Cohoon said the into their service category.”

With the clinical therapy idea of creating realistic clinical scenarios was scenarios, we [Oliver and inspired by a late night talk. Cohoon] really looked at “My husband went to the fact that this was a real Meramec several years ago and patient situation, Cohoon said.

“We were trying to focus was in several of the plays,” Cohoon said. “So, I was talking not so much on being graded to him one night about the for this, but rather working need to create a more authentic, with a real patient,” Cohoon clinical experience for my said. “These particular sets of students in the classroom and students from my program he said ‘well I will just come were only about two or three in and act it out for you.’ For weeks away from going out

Keith Oliver and Christina Cohoon present their project at Innovation of the Year.

and working in a clinic anyway.

The real emphasis was how they interacted with the theatre students like a real patient.”

Reaching students in ways both educational and fun are moments you go into teaching for, Cohoon said. Patient roleplaying is something that can build throughout the Meramec system.

“College wide, we have a lot of career and technical programs,” Cohoon said. “We

PTK travels to Washington D.C. for competition

Latest Honors In Action Project studies masculinity Katie Leicht Art & Life Editor

Come April, Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) officers are set to travel to Washington D.C. to attend NerdNation — a conference for other honor society members across the country.

PTK studied how perceptions of masculinity affect attitudes toward rape through the club’s latest Honors In Action

project, ‘How Masculinity is Defined in America.’

The project attempts to explain rape in American culture through a person’s level of masculinity. Epps said that neither gender nor sex necessarily correlate with their level of masculinity.

“We wanted to understand the why behind the actions,” Epps said. “We started looking at masculinity and things like how society shaped them to become who they are and shaped the definition of masculinity.”

Photo by Ashley Biundo

Phi Theta Kappa President Rachel Epps conducts weekly meeting.

PTK conducted six workshops in November 2015 over a three-day period.

There were 60 participants.

“We started each workshop asking everyone blindly — without any introduction to what we were doing — what their definition of masculinity was,” Epps said. “This way, we could see from before the workshop if their opinion had at all changed afterwards.”

Participants began by writing their definition of masculinity on a piece of paper in under 60 seconds. They also took a test to self-assess their gender — not their biological sex.

“You start the research process and you really get into it at the end of summer and then you work on it pretty intensively during fall semester and then we submited it Jan. 24 2016,” Epps said.

The surveys showed that even if a participant was biologically male, but possessed female characteristics, they were more likely to believe rape was a masculine issue.

“Our point of this was one of advocacy,” Epps said. “Everyone thinks there is either male or female and that’s not the case.

We’re closed in to think that.

It’s an ideology, it’s an opinion.”

have four or five at Meramec, but Forest Park has a whole lot of career and technical programs. I think there are multiple opportunities for this to go beyond therapy in theatre, but I think there are just a lot of different ways to problem solve with interpersonal conflicts that can develop and utilize different problem solving techniques from the programs in our schools.”

The second project,

Photo by Christian Hargas

“Parent Orientation Sessions,” presented by Academic Advising Specialist Mysha Clincy, focused on spreading parent orientation sessions throughout the STLCC district.

Five main departments were discussed: Enrollment Management, Academic Advising, ACCESS, Counseling Department and Financial Aid.Financial Aid was emphasised to ensure students’ financial aid is in process.

Campus Briefs Rodney Gee was appointed to the St. Louis Community College Board of Trustees as the seventh member. The decision was approved by the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education.

Gee’s six-year term will begin April 5.

Texas Ceramic Sculptor Steve Hilton presented his interactive installation in SW Lecture Hall Feb. 22 and Feb. 23. Students participated by creating clay balls as part of a larger piece.

Feb. 25, 2016

4

OPINIONS

The ‘90s vs now: which generation of cartoons reigns supreme?

Comparing two different eras of animation Alexis Austriaco Staff Writer

What do the mainstream ‘90s cartoons and current day cartoons have in common? It is simple, really: they both distract kids for a while so parents can catch a break from crazy adolescents and hormonally annoying teenagers.

That is not how I want to compare them, though. I want to talk about the differences between the two – not the obvious.

One way that cartoons have changed is how they use the element of foulness.

For example, when a fart sound was used in the ‘90s, it was perfect in timing, or the fart was used every blue moon (unless it was “Ren and Stimpy,” but at that time there was not much farting or bathroom jokes to begin with so it was still acceptable.) For the current cartoon shows, however, a fart is thrown in at every available opportunity.

For example, in the Nickelodeon show “Sanjay and Craig”, if a character even moves it farts. In one instance, an entire episode was based around a fart bubble.

So the element of surprise is out and the lewdness became expected and boring.

I also believe a lot of cartoons

Graphic by Marissa Diercks

today try so hard to stand out that their plots and ideas are a bore. For example, the Cartoon Network show “Uncle Grandpa” had an episode called “Belly Brothers” – an entire episode centered around how cool it is to have a big belly.

That was bad, but a few current shows that tried a different approach were pretty good – like “The Amazing World of Gumball” in its first few seasons.

Most ‘90s cartoons were so clever though without really trying.

In the pilot episode of “Rocko’s Morden Life” the titular character simply took out the trash. That in itself is such a simple task, but in that episode he really had to muscle through it – resulting in clever entertainment.

Another distracting difference is the style.

A lot of current shows try to be so different that they throw in life-like oddities – just as in Uncle Grandpa where a real tiger was

used as a character instead of one that could have been drawn in The underlying message is what stood out the most in a lot of ‘90s Cartoons, aside from the occasional farting or characters falling on their faces.

They taught the audience about sharing, not stealing or lying.

For example, in the Nickelodeon show “Hey Arnold”, Helga forced Stinky to be her boyfriend to catch the attention of her real crush, Arnold, but Stinky ended up

“The underlying message is what stood out the most in a lot of ‘90s cartoons...”

They had a lot of life lessons that taught kids the difference between right and wrong. Current cartoons do have some elements of morals, but it was much heavier in the ‘90s.

developing true feelings for Helga.

Helga denied him and then Stinky wound up with someone else, causing Helga to feel stupid (at least temporarily). That taught her – and the rest of us – kindness

Let kids roll in the dirt: skipping aisle seven and heading for the park

and karma.

Another difference between the cartoons today and those of the ‘90s is that they are more politically correct.

For example, cartoons in the ‘90s created a dialogue about religious practices, holidays and more.

In current cartoons those things are hard to find.

The ‘90s characters are very diverse in looks and personality.

Do not get me wrong: some of the cartoons today look alright, but an adorable talking wallaby, a righteous football-headed kid, a boy genius in his secret lab and overly imaginative babies were what made Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network popular with the kids.

Overall the ‘90s cartoons were clever shows with loveable characters that did not overuse the power of the fart, while teaching kids a valuable lesson in morals.

Exposing children to bacteria is good for building their immune systems Evan Carlen Staff Writer

Why is it that any time a child gets a spec of dirt on their hands, their parents always fumble frantically for the antibacterial wipes? Really, the 500 pack of Kleenex?

Parents, this is simply not necessary and in fact, it is detrimental to the long-term health of your child. Just as a baby’s mind needs constant stimulation for healthy growth and development, so too does the immune system.

Playing in the dirt provides this microbial stimulation every immune system is searching for. It helps the body; it does not hinder it.

Yet, in our germaphobic culture where we have entire aisles of cleaning products at the grocery store, some children are being raised in over-hygienic conditions.

The hygiene hypothesis holds that without enough exposure to different bacteria and microbes, the immune system does not learn to recognize its own cells, and this could be a reason for higher rates of asthma, eczema and other autoimmune diseases.

An even more profound benefit of the brown wonder substance that we call dirt is that bacteria naturally found in soil actually plays a role in neuron activation associated with Feb. 25, 2016

serotonin synthesis – a chemical pivotal in maintaining bodily function that is proven to make you feel happier.

I do not know about you, but I would rather lay in the mud than on a shrink’s couch.

Plus, that is dirty money I would not mind saving.

Hear that dad: fivesecond rule applies.

But how do you get your kids dirty?

Start by taking them to a park full of other kids.

Every kid there is full of cooties and boogers from other environments.

You are actually being economical by not having to drive your kid everywhere the other children have been.

Next, while they are there, do not screech and intervene when your child starts chewing and licking.

The pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to children getting a little too personal with nature. My last recommendation is my personal favorite: once the family gets

home, do not shower. Just break out the raw meat bare-handed and whip up some tasty salad from your backyard garden. I am so blessed my father was not a

man keen on cleanliness. Not only did I reap the health benefits, I became the person I am today thanks to the outdoors. So parents, take notes from my father and

do not care when the toast lands butter side down. There are far more scary things to waste your time worrying about. It is the last thing parents need to worry about.

Graphic by Marissa Diercks

OPINIONS

5

The “Free Kesha” movement: rape accusations in the spotlight

How the brutal nature of the pop singer’s public legal battle will prevent other victims from coming forward Brittney Farrow Opinions Editor

Rape culture is no myth, and pop singer Kesha is just another prime example of how our legal system often fails survivors.

First hitting the mainstream music scene in 2009 with her debut single “Tik Tok”, Kesha’s image and brand have always been easy to spot. With glitter on her face and feathers in her hair and lyrics which boasted about wild party scenes, it was easy to see that her record label was marketing her as popular music’s new “drunk party girl.”

At the time such a persona was appropriate for her career; it was what listeners wanted, and many other artists took on their own similar versions of that character. It is that very image, though, which is being used like a weapon against her. Like an ax cutting down a tree, that very imagine is being used to undermine her credibility.

When she first filed a lawsuit against her producer Dr. Luke in late 2014, Kesha was immediately met with skepticism by the public.

She claimed that her producer sexually, emotionally and mentally abused her, and she attempted to remove herself from a contract with Sony Records that had her legally-bound to make six more albums.

While the validity of her claims will not be tested in a court setting until 2017, it was decided earlier this week by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich that Kesha had to honor the contract she signed into at only age 18, and that she would be obligated to continue a working relationship with a man whose control sent her into a downward spiral – which included a brief trip to rehab for an eating disorder.

Despite the horrible news and the shocking verdict, many female recording artists spoke out in support of the pop star, and the hashtag “#freekesha” began circulating around social media sites.

With that being said, the turn of the case is concerning for women everywhere.

If a high-profile figure like Kesha cannot even convince a federal judge that she was a victim of abuse, then how will millions of everyday women worldwide?

What does a case like this mean for rape victims? How does it change the game?

There seems to be a misconception amongst people I know personally that women can just throw around rape accusations left and right with little consequence. Furthermore, there is a common belief that the majority of rape accusations are false – the result of bitter, jaded women hoping to cause damage to a man’s reputation or to punish him for something he’s done.

If I can be so frank, this is a ridiculous thought process. Such a mentality makes the assumption that women call out their rapists or abusers and are immediately met with nothing but support, but we know that is not the case.

Reporting rape or sexual assault is a long, tedious process which can be both embarrassing and incredibly degrading for women.

Regardless of what “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” tries to make us believe, there are not a lot of Olivia Bensons circulating through police offices, cooing support and kind words to broken and scared women.

After remembering every horrific detail and gruesome memory, some women do not even have the assurance of knowing that their rapist will be convicted.

Graphic by Brittney Farrow

This is evident in the Kesha case; two years of legal battles and a hoard of publicity and Dr. Luke keeps his job and his status as a Grammy-nominated producer, while Kesha is forced to choose between making music with a man who makes her skin crawl and ending her chosen career.

We as a society need to recognize when these injustices

are happening around us. We need to be more aware of when years of carefully-crafted misogyny and rape culture are preventing the legal system from doing its job.

It may seem so minor; the legal struggles of a color-streaked pop singer may not seem like they apply to us, but they do. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN),

each year there are about 293,000 victims of sexual assault. Of those cases, 68 percent are never reported and 98 percent of all rapists will never spend a day in jail or prison.

This is repulsive; we can do better – we have to do better.

Pay attention to these things; the struggles of survivors are not trivial. They matter – and they affect us more than we think.

Letter to the Editor A Word from the Community

We would like to thank all of you who use South Geyer Road either to get to and from work, teach or attend class or events at MCC, or for whatever reason you need to drive between Watson Road and Big Bend on South Geyer.

Since the installation of Stop Signs in this one mile of road, you have shown us courtesy and care for our safety as we now try to enter or leave our driveway without getting broadsided. We deeply appreciate your concern for us.

Most residents living on this section of South Geyer were not asked nor consulted before the signs were put up.

We did not ask for these stop signs, we do not want these stop

signs.

The backups and problems they are causing are uncalled for. We believe that they are unnecessary and pose new dangers to those of us who live on South Geyer Road and the hundreds of other Kirkwood and St. Louis County citizens who use this street.

Residents were astounded at the Kirkwood City Council’s decision to put them up.

Now some people that favor these have asked the Council to not allow “others” to weigh in on the situation with the statement, “they should not get a vote”. This exclusion cannot be allowed in our community.

It is unfortunate how this

situation is being handled but so very important that each person be allowed to voice their opinion.

The 90-day trial period should end March 7.

Please let the Kirkwood City Council know your thoughts on these stop signs before they make any final decisions.

You can contact the City Clerk at 314-822-5802 or MONTANBK@ KIRKWOODMO.ORG, but not while you’re driving…we value your safety too!

Once again, thank you all so very much for the care and courtesy you show us everyday as you sit in the backup on Geyer. Let’s work together to get this resolved.

Photo by Ashley Biundo

Stan and Mary Ann Rea, Community Members

Feb. 25, 2016

INDEPTH

6

Narcan: The Heroin Hero Evan Carlen | Staff Writer

Somewhat of a miracle drug came on the scene in the 90s and proponents have been pushing for the expansion of availability of it ever since. This drug is called Narcan or Naloxone.

Narcan is a drug that, when administered, reverses a heroin overdose. Narcan is an opiate antagonist and

works by kicking the heroin out of the opiate receptors in the brain and is available for intravenous, int ramus c u l ar, and subcutaneous administration.

Since 2000, more and more paramedics and even police officers have started carrying Narcan at all times in

case of a call involving an overdosed victim.

Some have argued that Narcan enables junkies by masking the consequences of dependency.

Most discount these claims saying a user isn't planning on overdosing and that making this drug less available would lead to more fatalities. Users must

The f

be careful after use of Narcan because they will feel completely clean and most likely be tempted to use again. It is imperative that this does not occur because despite not feeling the effect of opiates in their system, the overdose amount is still coursing through their bodies and further use is extremely dangerous.

H

How to get help

Dalila Kahvedzic | Editor-In-Chief Hero Inside is a community-run organization which utilizes music to spread awareness about the use of heroin and how to overcome an addiction – how someone can find the “hero inside” of themselves.

Co-founder Nick Menn lost three friends to heroin-related deaths in less than eight months and decided to write a song titled “Hero Inside.” This song provided understanding

A history of heroin Evan Carlen | Staff Writer Heroin is becoming ever more prevalent here in St.Louis. But what is heroin? Where did it come from and why was it synthesized? To answer these questions, one must first go back in time to the pre-civil war period.

Information from Narcanon, History Today, Alternet, and Heroin Info Feb. 25, 2016

on heroin and the idea to grow an organization for awareness, which was born in 2012.

Hero Inside was started with events for people who cannot afford rehab, Nick Menn said in a phone interview.

Members of this organization just want to help, Menn said.

“We help individuals get to a trusted place, get treatment and figure out how to pay,” Menn said.

Hero Inside also helps families pay for funerals who are struggling to do so because they believe cost should never be a deciding factor when an addict needs help.

“I’m a rapper for Christ’s sake,” Menn said as he laughed.

Although Hero Inside does not have a central location because it is a community effort, if anyone is interested in volunteering, donating

Pre - Civil War Before the Civil War, opium dens were becoming as big a problem as saloons in the American West. Chinese immigrants working on railways established dimly-lit dens to draw in cattle ranchers who would sometimes stay for days at a time entrenched in an opium educed haze. Chemists got a hold of these drugs isolated from the pulp of poppy

seed plants and started working to use the euphoric properties to help people.

What they emerged from the lab with was Morphine, named after the Greek god of dreams, Morpheus. This derivative of opium became so widespread during the civil war that in just ten years morphine became a nationwide epidemic.

o e h c H i

I a e I o p h a i

INDEPTH

7

The lowest point of the high One professor’s story of heartbreak and loss

facts of

Heroin

or sponsoring their next event, send an e-mail to: heroinsideorf@gmail. com or visit their website: Heroinside.org for more information.

They have ‘Hero Inside Day’ coming up - an awareness and no-judgment event in Fairview Heights, Ill. at Everett Moody Park on April 16 from 12-9 p.m. Students can go to have a relaxed time while also learning how to get involved.

Dalila Kahvedzic | Editor-In-Chief To lose a brother to a heroin addiction was devastating, said a Meramec professor who wishes to remain anonymous. It affected him and his family tremendously.

“We tried the intervention, we tried different counseling throughout the years. He died when he was 52 but we started noticing a problem when he was in high school,” he said. “So it’s been going on for 30 plus years.”

His brother had been battling a heroin addiction for the past three years, but the problem with drugs in general came before he was even 20 years old.

“It started with pot - like most people - and I believe he had some sort of a medical issue where he had to take pain pills and then after the pain pills, after he got better, I guess he decided he liked to used pain pills for recreational use. From there, for whatever reason, he decided that heroin was the next step,” he said.

With his family, they tried to help his brother in many different ways, he said.

“We tried formal programs that are set up for drug counseling and then he would get clean for a while – go through the counseling, go through the different steps that they’d recommend - but then his habits wouldn’t really change. He was still hanging out with the same people and they would still do the same thing,” he said.

None of these solutions worked for his brother.

“Some of them worked somewhat but then he kept thinking – ‘now is the time to get better’ – and they always said you had to bottom out but that bottom never happened,” he said.

His last hospitalization

lasted three days for rehab.

“He told me he felt like he turned a corner. He felt like he was really ready to make a change in his life,” he said.

His brother had said this before, but not to this degree.

“So I felt like he was probably ready, I felt like he meant it – it was something in his voice, it was something different that changed,” he said. “That was on Wednesday that I talked to him, and

by Saturday he was gone.”

His brother was living with someone who had a similar lifestyle.

“Sunday we were going to talk about his next steps – where to go, where to live.

He was going to move out of this guy’s house – we had to change the environment,” he said. “You can’t put an addict back into an addicts house and expect any change.”

He was set up there, it was cheap rent, it was a friend of his so he would have had to change his whole lifestyle which is what they were going to talk about on Sunday – but they never got a chance, he said.

He felt empathy for his brother based on personal experience having been prescribed Percocet – also known as white collar heroin.

Addiction is easy, he said. He could feel himself being one pill away from being an addict.

“Every day I wake up with some sort of pain, somewhere in my body something hurts – that’s just part of getting old.

So when I took Percocet, all my pain was gone,” he said. “It didn’t concentrate on just my leg or my joint or something else – it gets rid of all that pain and you’re feeling pretty good.”

So he knew that there was going to be a point where it was going to be very difficult to get off.

“I knew there was a potential for me to be an addict,” he said.

He went back to the doctor to try to get prescribed something else, and the doctor told him that was the best pain killer to give him – and proceeded to hand him another bottle.

“I said ‘isn’t there something else I can take?’ and he said no. He didn’t really care about the after effects, he cared about my pain,” he said.

The pain was so bad it crossed his mind to take Percocet again, so he told his family members to throw away the bottle.

Had the bottle been around, he would have been tempted, he said.

“It would’ve been so much easier if I would’ve had the bottle there and look at it and say – ‘I could take one more pill it’s not going to be a big deal, and then a second pill and a third pill,’” he said. “I’d much rather deal with the pain than the after affects. It took me a whole week to get off of that Percocet, a full seven days.”

For the first few days he was very tired, drowsy and slept a lot, he said. The third day and two days after, he felt like his skin was crawling from the inside out. The nausea set in for the next two days and on the last day, he was tired again.

“By that time I think the drug got out of my system enough where I thought I could handle it,” he said.

“That was seven days of hell.”

Kids nowadays do not realize the consequences of getting hooked on prescription pills such as Adderall, he said.

Kids do not have the capacity to think long-term consequences.

“They think it’s okay, they don’t realize the consequences.

Some of the doctors – they

prescribe these things like candy and they don’t think about what it’s causing that person to go through – all they’re doing is dealing with the pain,” he said.

It is so easy for doctors to misdiagnose patients, he said.

“Kids lie just to get the drug because they know what it’s worth and they know they can get high off it,” he said. “I think prescription drugs are certainly a big issue in this country, we have to deal with that problem.

And how do you deal with that problem when most of congress is bought by big pharmaceutical companies?”

Dealing with a family member who struggles with addiction comes with strategies, he said. “[Help] As best they could - with any junky that is coming off it – you just have to be with them and talk with them,” he said.

Giving up is not an option when it comes to family members or friends struggling with an addiction, he said.

“Don’t give up – keep talking to them, keep talking to other people, keep trying to get them in counseling and try different combinations of drugs and therapy – some combination will work if you have enough time. We just ran out of time,” he said.

Personally, within the family, they tried everything to help.

“We did everything that we could and ultimately it comes down to the person – they have to want to change.

We can sit and talk to him all day, which we have. We can counsel him, we can put him in different therapy groups, but until they recognize they have to change there’s only so much we can do,” he said.

Illustration and page design by Jason Waters 1870 Enter Heroin, Another derivative of opium, synthesized in Germany.

Heroine’s sales pitch to U.S. doctors in the late 1870's was that it was a "safe, non addictive" substitute for morphine. Doctors pounced ,and soon, were prescribing

1920 heroin for everything from alcohol withdrawal to coughs to remedying old age. This mistake would not be recognized for years and heroin roamed the plains and mountains as freely as wind skims over water for nearly 50 years.

By the time the U.S. government realized the tenacity of the addictive qualities of these opiate narcotics, it was too late.

When the dangerous Drug Act was passed in 1924, illegalizing heroin, there were more than 200,000 heroin addicts in the country, a trend that continues to this day.

Today Once heroine became illegal, the price skyrocketed. Oddly enough, the term “junkies” was first applied to heroin users in the 1920s. As heroin’s legal status began changing, addicts in New York City began collecting and selling scrap metal to support their habit. They spent their days scavenging junk and thus were called junkies.

Today, the number of heroin "junkies" is at an all time high.

In fact, heroin use has more than doubled among 18-24 year olds in the last decade.

This means that nearly eight percent of young adults have tried heroin, a trend many organizations are trying to reverse.

Feb. 25, 2016

ART & LIFE

8

“Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

- Dylan Thomas

Former oil industry worker Dr. Carl Campbell has passion for dig sites Meramec professor has passion for his students to give their all Patrick Niehaus Staff Writer

Professor Carl Campbell of the Science Department at Meramec has a passion for Geology that seems to be second only to his love of teaching.

“I wish I could have done more teaching,” Campbell said This is so even after more than a decade at Saint Louis Community College, Campbell said.

He currently teaches Geology, Oceanography, Earth Science and Astronomy. He is also the head adviser of the Geology Club.

Campbell has a true passion for teaching and enjoys when the students put their best effort into their projects.

“If you are going to give a presentation, give it with a little enthusiasm,” Campbell said.

Campbell appreciates when

students take his class seriously and are actually interested in what they are learning in his classes.

Prior to getting two Master’s Degrees in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Indiana, Campbell had other ambitions.

Like many young adults, he had a plan of what he wanted to do when he graduated Kirkwood High School.

“I wanted to be an M.D.” Campbell said. “I went to college, and I took a few geology classes my junior year and decided I wanted to major in it.”

Dr. Campbell has come a long way since his days at Indiana.

He worked in the oil industry, trying to find and explore new spots for drilling in Canada.

“The oil industry doesn’t want PhD’s,” Campbell said.

“They’re more useful for research than exploration, which is what I wanted to do. They want

people with a Master’s Degree.”

Dr. Campbell worked in the oil industry for most of his professional career, he even owned his own oil company eventually before he left and decided to try teaching.

Another love of Professor Campbell’s is dinosaurs. He has been on digs in Northeastern Montana on several occasions.

“We found a lot of different dinosaurs up there,” Campbell said.

He was even apart of some digs with different partial skeletons that he helped dig up.

“We found T-Rex, a lot of Duckbill’s and Triceratops also,” Campbell said. “The Triceratops were like the cows of the Cretaceous period. They were everywhere.

And I just mean everywhere.”

Dr. Campbell has many different stories of times he has been to dig sites and enjoys telling them.

He is always available to help in any way with the physical sciences.

Photo by Ashley Biundo

Dr. Carl Campbell outside of his office in Science South room 214.

What’s the Word?

Personal views on tattoos and piercings around campus Alexis Austriaco Staff Writer

How many piercings or tattoos do you have?

“One tattoo: half a heart. My sister has the other half. And two gauges in my ears.”

Do you think you will ever regret your tattoo/piercing?

“I won’t regret either. The tattoo is a special bond between two sisters and the gages are small enough that if I decide to take them out they will still be small enough to close.”

Alan Cross

What do you find more attractive on someone? Piercings or tattoos?

And why?

Carl Conevita Sara DeClue

What do you find more attractive on someone? Piercings or tattoos? And why?

“Piercings because they’re removable if needed.”

“Piercings because they’re removable.”

Where is the sexiest place for the opposite sex to have a tattoo or piercing?

Where is the sexiest place for the opposite sex to have a tattoo or piercing?

“Tramp stamps are nice, right above the butt crack. And piercings on the nose, earrings and belly buttons.”

Feb. 25, 2016

“The ears.”

ART & LIFE

9

Concert Choir travels back to Walt Disney World for Candlelight Procession Meramec students perform with the prestigous Voices of Liberty in Florida Katie Leicht Art & Life Editor

In December 2015, Meramec’s Concert Choir, led

by Dr. Jerry Myers, was fortunate enough to travel back to Walt Disney World to participate in the well known Candlelight Procession. This performance is held during the Christmas season and is hosted by various celebrity guests. These guests usually tell the story of the birth of Christ or a Christmas Carol and the choir sings in the background. This past December, the choir was able to return to Disney for a second year to be a part of this prestigous concert.

Gloria West, a 15 year former Disney pianist, now works for Meramec in the music department.

Before West moved, she had auditioned for Disney over 15 years ago, and was just what they needed because she was hired on the spot.

West knew the ins and outs of the business at Disney which was a helpful step in the audition progress for the Concert Choir.

Lauren Carroll, a Meramec student in Concert Choir, has been on this specific trip twice, going two other times prior to the school trip. With this being her second year with the choir,

she was very fortunate to be able to travel to Disney once again.

“The first year I was in choir was the first year we were doing the choir trip,” Carroll said.

The year was 2014 when the choir sent their audtion tape to Disney. This tape included actual footage of the choir singing ‘O Come All Ye Faithful.’ Carroll was nervous for the audition when it finally came around.

“My problem with the first year was that I was too scared to even listen to the part recordings to practice,” Carroll said.

Carroll, along with her other classmates, had to memorize 14 pieces,two of them being in different languages one french, one german.

The choir heard the good news about their audition being selected, which is exciting news since mainly high schools around the Florida area are selected to be in the Candlelight Procession Carroll said.

I was nervous about not being able to afford the trip but fortunately school helped out a lot with the costs, Carroll said. All choir students were applicable to attend the trip if they could afford it.

“It’s a really good deal if you love Disney and you love singing,” Carroll said. “I love Disney. When I went there for

BSEEC hosts Valentine’s Day dance for senior citizens Ashley Biundo Photo Editor

On Feb. 12, BSEEC and SAC had the honor of hosting a Valentine’s Day Dance at Rose Hill Nursing Home. The President of BSEEC, Brian Barlay helped put the dance together.

“People often get consumed with all the things that are going on with their lives and they inevitably forget to live the moment,” Barlay said.

You do not have to wear a cape, be president or any higher up positions to make a change or difference, Barlay said.

“Making a difference sometimes submerged from our personal struggles and inspiration.

Let’s use those two things as a

vehicle to create a future of altruism and humbleness,” Barlay said.

This is the first Dance BSEEC has hosted for the school and they are willing to do something like this again.

Barlay would like to do another dance with a different theme at some point before he graduates from Meramec.

“Unfortunately, this is my last semester here,” Barlay said.

The dance was a success; the atmosphere was filled with happiness and everyone was having a good time, Barlay said.

“They [Rose Hill Nursing Home] were surprised when they see the lights and the halls were decorated really nicely,” Barlay said.

The night ended with the crowning of Ralph Ford and Barbra Lambert as King and Queen.

Submitted Photo

Concert Choir in Walt Disney World performs with the Accapella group, The Voices of Liberty, during the Candlelight Procession in December 2015.

the first time, I fell in love with it.”

As for Carroll’s second time auditioning, she felt more confident than the year before.

“You already have the experience of doing it, so it’s not as scary,” Carroll said.

Meramec’s concert choir is one of the only college choirs that are featured in the Candlelight Procession. The choir prepares by rehearsing a few months prior, and then they pack their bags for Disney. The performance is held at

Disney usually up until the week of Christmas. The choir went down to Florida and spent a couple of days bonding and enjoying the different theme parks in downtown Disney before their day in the spotlight. Since the upcoming holiday is Christmas, the park is decorrated in a Christmas fashion.

“When you’re there during christmas, it’s one of the most magical things ever; it’s amazing,” Carroll said.

The choir puts on two

seperate performances on one of the last nights they are in Disney.

The students entered stage in gold robes while Daniel Day Kim, the celebrity host, narrates the Candlelight Procession.

The students hold candles during their entire performance.

After the performance, the students are full of energy even after a very tiring week of fun. The choir will hopefully be heading back to Disney for the third year this coming December.

Student Spotlight: Lauren Rist the United States from Vietnam and she is the first generation to be raised here. “ M y family is all immigrant – I’m the first generation that was actually born here. They were really, really poor and we’ve done really well for ourselves so it’s my generations turn to give back,” Rist said.

Other than her studies, Rist likes to hoola hoop in her free time.

Photo by Dalila Kahvedzic She started about two “I want to fix cleft palates years ago, she said. for impoverished countries,” “I was going through a really Meramec student Lauren Rist said. rough breakup and my best friend Rist is currently studying is actually a hoola hooper – she’s to achieve her general transfers really into it – she didn’t have any degree from Meramec and has friends that also hoola hooped and applied to WASHU to pursue her she had been trying to get one bachelor’s degree in pre-med. She of us to pick it up and I needed hopes to transfer to either Oxford something to distract me so I or Cambridge University to study just started doing this because facial reconstructive surgery.

Rist’s family moved to it helped me work through a lot

of my frustrations,” Rist said.

She said that when you are hoola hooping – it is like meditation.

“You really don’t have time to think about anything else. If you do you’re probably going to hit yourself in the face so you have to stay very focused and in that way it’s kind of meditative,” Rist said. “It is also an awesome workout, you don’t realize all the calories you’re actually burning.”

Some advice for anyone who wants to start hoola hooping is to get the right hoop, Rist said.

“When you start out, you want to get the right size. The best size is to measure from the ground to your belly button and add about two inches and make sure it’s not too light to start off with,” Rist said. “The lighter ones are able to spin a lot faster so when you hit yourself it really hurts.”

Rist lived in Hawaii for one year which is now pushing her to get a group of hoola hoopers together.

“In Hawaii there’s this huge community of hoola hoopers. We all get together and hangout and show eachother tricks – it’s very much of a kinesthetic experience.

You can’t just watch it, you have to work together and I would love to get something going like that here in St. Louis,” Rist said.

If anyone is interested in hoola hooping as a group, contact Lauren Rist at lrist@my.stlcc.edu.

Interior Designers of Meramec present Fabric Sale.

This fabric sale will include fabric samples, carpets, craft ideas and various crafts made my students available for purchase.

Proceeds will help fund an upcoming trip to Chicago.

Photo by Ashley Biundo

BSEEC President Brian Barlay dancing with Queen Barbra Lambert at the the Valentine’s Day dance at Rose Hill Nursing Home.

Location: Student Center Lobby When: March 2 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Feb. 25, 2016

? g n i r r e f s n a r T n i d e t s e r Inte ity of Missouri–St. Louis

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Office hours for STLCC Meramec students: Mondays & Thursdays Call 314-984-7575 for an appointment 9:00 am – 6:00 pm Advising Center – Clark Hall

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APPLY TODAY in SC-220A or Contact Shannon Philpott (sphilpott@stlcc.edu) for more information The Montage is a student-run, written and produced campus newspaper that strives to bring the community comprehensive coverage of the news and events affecting the St. Louis Community College at Meramec campus. The Montage staff structure models that of professional newspapers across the world. The role of a student journalist, one that Montage staffers take seriously, is to produce accurate and balanced reporting while serving as the campus watchdog.

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SPORTS Christian’s Corner Christian Hargas Sports Editor

Archer Basketball Slams Cancer Awareness Day The temperature outside the Forest Park gymnasium was frigid on Saturday, Feb. 13 but things were quickly heating up inside. The STLCC basketball program celebrated its annual Cancer Awareness day by sweeping Wentworth Military Academy in dominant fashion.

The Lady Archers kicked things off with a convincing 46 point victory over the Lady Dragons, 91-45, followed up by the men’s 28 point win of their own despite trailing by seven early. Fans came out in droves and packed the gym to show their support and the athletes responded to that in thrilling fashion. It was a fitting way to close the season at home.

It was a day that people will talk about for years to come, a day that athletes and fans will never forget. It was a day that brought STLCC together for two main common goals: to celebrate the basketball program and spread awareness about cancer by donating what they could. It was a fitting way to close the season at home.

From the sophomores being honored in between games to the incredible halftime performances by the Modern Day High School drumline to the lucky winners of the raffle prizes, it was a fitting way to close the season at home.

From Amanda Hughes drilling three pointers with ease to LaShonda Brewer imposing her will and dominance in the paint, to the combined trio of Nate Rigmaiden, Marcell Lee and Jason Johnson snagging almost every rebound imaginable, it was a fitting way to close the season at home.

From the silent motivation of Head Coach Shelly Ethridge to the highly intense motivation from Head Coach Terry Collins, it was a fitting way to close the season at home. These coaches clearly wanted this win on this day and their athletes responded in kind.

This day was not just about basketball, it was about coming together as a community of students, athletes and fans for a great cause. Cancer is a very dark thing because of how many people if affects and the potential endresult it can have, but events like this held shed light for the greater good. The players and coaches all shared the same emotions throughout the day. It was more about the cause than the games.

To the fans, it was about supporting the athletes and letting them know how much they care about them and the hard work they all put in year round. Speaking to these players and coaches, they said how excited they were to be a part of a program that is becoming something special.

11

Lady Archers defeat Lady Dragons on Cancer Awareness Day Continued from p. 1

The Lady Archers had a field goal percentage of 54, shot 40 percent from the three-point range and collected 44 total rebounds. They also forced 25 turnovers of Wentworth Military Academy. Their largest lead was 46 points and came with 7:58 left in the fourth quarter.

Despite the convincing win at home, they [Lady Archers] do not want to lose focus or intensity heading into the Region XVI Tournament, Ethridge said.

“You do not ever know if this game is going to be helpful to you or if it will hurt you,” Ethridge said. “Our most intense time comes during practice. We will have time, before we reach the Region Tournament, to get refocused and get the intensity and aggressiveness back.”

There were many different emotions and feelings before,during and after the game, Ethridge said.

“It means the world,” Ethridge said. “To see the crowd come out for this Cancer Awareness game and for our sophomores, it just shows you that people genuinely care. This program is starting to develop into something special and I am really excited for the future. It was just a wonderful day overall.”

The Lady Archer players wanted to make this day a

Photo by Katie Hayes

Guard Shania Thornton scored 20 points leading the Lady Archers in their 91-45 win against Wentworth Military Academy Lady Dragons.

very memorable one for their head coach, Roberts said.

“Being prepared for this game, knowing what this day meant, it was really all about making her [Ethridge] proud,” Roberts said.

“We wanted to do what she asked us to do, which was to go out there and play together for each other and her. Making her proud

really meant a lot to us as a team.”

With the win,the Lady Archers have a 14-12 record heading into the final week of the regular season.

They finish the regular season with two games on the road against Three Rivers Community College on Monday, Feb. 15 and MCCPenn Valley on Saturday, Feb. 20.

Wins boost confidence, but there

is no time to take the pressure off heading into the Region XVI Tournament, Ethridge said.

“We still have two more games that we would like to win against Division I Three Rivers and another big region game against Penn Valley,” Ethridge said. “We would like to finish strong. We are taking it one game at a time and hopefully we can bring our best to the Region Tournament.”

The Lady Archers were defeated by Three Rivers Community College, 74-65, on Feb. 15. Brewer scored 24 points, 17 total rebounds and two blocks.

They led 34-30 at halftime before being outscored 44-31 in the second half. They defeated MCCPenn Valley, 67-64, on Feb. 20.

The Lady Archers finish the regular season with a 15-13 record. The Region XVI Tournament begins on Friday, Feb. 26 in Joplin, MO. The players believe they can maintain their consistency and continue to build off of their momentum heading into the region tournament, Roberts said.

“I feel like we can do it,” Roberts said. “We play together and play strong the whole game.

If we play up to our ability and potential, I feel like we can achieve our goal. We can win regions.”

Meramec Ultimate Frisbee club flying high for spring 2016 semester

Club members encourage interested students to get involved and ‘enjoy the game’ Christian Hargas Sports Editor

STLCC-Meramec offers Ultimate Frisbee to any interested students on campus. The club was founded in the spring 2015 semester,Meramec student and club President Rusty McDonald said.

“We made this club last spring and we played unofficially,” McDonald said. “We did not meet as a club technically because we did not have our sponsor all set up and we did not have everything going. The fall 2015 semester is when our club actually started and we had probably about 10-15 members show up to each meeting, which is great.”

The club is looking to join the St. Louis Ultimate Association which is a recreational league, McDonald said.

They also intend to join USA Ultimate which hosts a tournament beginning in March.

“We have wanted to join a league and play against other teams for a long time,” McDonald said. “We are joining that [SLUA] but we are not joining it as a team.

The way it is going to be set up is we are going to have two to three people on each of the league teams; there are about eight league teams.

That way, our members can get experience from other people, see their input and learn the game.”

USA Ultimate is the other league the club showed interest in joining, McDonald said.

“They [USA Ultimate] are sort of the official league

coordinators,” McDonald said.

“They do national tournaments and regional tournaments in different ways. We want to participate in a college league but we cannot do that this spring, unfortunately, because it started earlier. They have a tournament coming up in March that we want to do and that would be a really fun event for us.”

Ultimate Frisbee is a sport that should be recognized as something college students can do for fun, Godar said.

“They want to learn more about the game; they just want to play the game,” Godar said. A lot of these people are new; they are learning how to play and they really enjoy it. To me, that is what it is all about; getting people involved and having fun.”

McDonald agreed and said having fun is the key element.

“Ultimately, our club is about having fun,” McDonald said. “We want people to have fun and learn the rules and aspects of Ultimate Frisbee. I am a very competitive person, so I like the competitive factor along with a lot of the other members. We, however, also recognize that we do not have to be competitive to have fun. It is really a great group of kids out there that love the game of Ultimate.

The St. Louis Ultimate Association league in the spring requires a membership payment, Godar said.

“We are doing the [SLUA] league and you have to have a membership/account with USA Ultimate and that is about $30. The league starts on Mar. 9 and you have to pay for the league you play in

Photo by Patrick Niehaus

The Meramec Ultimate Frisbee club practices every Thursday and Friday at 2 p.m. at Bohrer Park.

which is about $50. It definitely has its costs but it is certainly worth it.”

Ultimate Frisbee is very similar to other sports with some exceptions, McDonald said.

“You have to communicate with teammates while moving the disk down the field,” McDonald said. “There is a lot of running so it is kind of hard to communicate while you are running so much; trying to make sure everybody knows which position they need to be in.

Having good communication and eye contact is instrumental in sustaining success while playing the game of Ultimate, Godar said.

“You have to always be on the same page,” Godar said.

“There are set plays and you have to always be in the loop and be an equal member.”

With this Meramec team people are learning how to play the game, Godar said.

“It is just the matter of being on the same page, committing to how the game is played and trying to learn new things every day we practice,” Godar said.

The club encourages new students interested in playing the game of Ultimate to attend the weekly meetings each Thursday and Friday at 2 p.m., McDonald said.

“If you like throwing the disk, being outside and being somewhat sporty while enjoying the weather, come to our Thursday practice,” McDonald said. “For our Thursday practice, the atmosphere we are trying to create is not one that is competitive but rather trying to just have fun. You do not have to know how to throw the disk; there are even people that do not even know how to throw the disk or never even heard of Ultimate Frisbee.

Sometimes that is how people get involved and enjoy the sport.”

Feb. 25, 2016

SPORTS

12

Archers defeat Wentworth Military Academy Dragons on Cancer Awareness Day ‘Improved Archers’ defense’ overcame early deficit in 28 point victory Christian Hargas Sports Editor

Following the Lady Archers’ 46 point victory against the Lady Dragons of Wentworth Military Academy, the STLCC Archers defeated the Wentworth Dragons, 83-55, on Saturday, Feb. 13. The Archers tailed 9-2 to start the game but took the lead following a 12-4 scoring run in the first half. Moving the ball was an early problem that was corrected later in the game, Head Coach Terry Collins said.

“We started off a little sloppy with a lot of one-on-one play instead of passing, cutting and moving,” Collins said. “We were relying too much on having one pass and then a shot. We needed to move the ball and once we started doing that we started getting better shots.”

Sophomore Guard Nate Rigmaiden led the team with 23 points scored and 15 total rebounds against Wentworth. His performance was credited with the help of his teammates, Rigmaiden said.

“It was an okay performance,” Rigmaiden said. “I could not have done it without my team. Their defense and steals opened up my chances to score and hit buckets.”

Experience and improved defense contributed to the win, freshman Forward DaVonte Harrell said.

“We played a decent game,” Harrell said. “On the defensive side it took us a little while to get into it. After half, we came back with a different approach to the game. I say the leadership from our captains is what willed us back to being where we needed to be from the start.”

The Archers led by 34 points with 6:49 left in the second half, the largest spread of the game.

They wanted to control the pace and flow of the game from the start, Collins said.

“When we play well, we are holding the other team somewhere in the sixties [points allowed],” Collins said. “We got away from that during the last two games and we were giving up a lot of points. We feel if we can hold the other team to around 60 we will

probably have enough offensive fire power to be in every game.”

The Archers fell behind by seven points with 14:42 left in the first half. They knew they had to make adjustments, Rigmaiden said.

“It was more like we as a team were not hitting our shots like we usually do,” Rigmaiden said.

“Coach called a timeout and told us to pick it up on the defensive end. The defense is what got us back in the game, and that opened up some good shots for us.”

Rigmaiden collected seven defensive of his 15 total rebounds, the Archers had 47 total rebounds as a team.

The defensive improvement throughout the game was in part because of the ability to collect offensive and defensive rebounds, Collins said.

“He [Rigmaiden] has been scoring for us but the significant thing was the seven defensive rebounds,” Collins said. “We need that because we are not a big team and we are not tall. I think the other guards who had a lot of rebounds were Jason Johnson who had five and Marcell Lee who also had five. Between those three guards, that is 17 rebounds which is very significant.”

That type of performance can improve any team’s chances of winning, Collins said.

“Because then they [opponent] are only getting one shot,” Collins said. “They are not getting offensive rebounds so that limits the other team’s chances of scoring.”

was very good for me and it was great being a part of this event.”

Harrell agreed.

“That was a good feeling, also seeing the people come out and support us,” Harrell said. “That was really the main feeling for me, the support from the people during our last game on our home court. I really liked that.”

It was a good experience that can hopefully be as enjoyable next year, Harrell said.

“It was my first experience as a junior college player,” Harrell said. “To see what happened today, how the girls went out and took a wonderful approach to their game and how we came out and did the same, it was a really good experience for me as a freshman. I look forward to doing it again next year.”

Collins agreed.

“It was a nice crowd,” Collins said. “You always want to perform well in front of them, that is just human nature. It was also sophomore day so you want the sophomores to go out on a high note. It was a good way to finish the ‘home’ portion of the season.

Now, we go on the road and want to keep playing better and take our chances in the tournament.”

The fans were great in showing their support during the Cancer Awareness event, Rigmaiden said.

“I love the fans,” Rigmaiden said. “They get us motivated when we are down. I just love them because they were outstanding for us. We are trying to do

“We will find out what kind of team we are.”

Before tip-off, the sophomore athletes were honored at midcourt for sophomore night.

It was an honor to be a part of the ceremony, Rigmaiden said.

“It was a great honor,” Rigmaiden said. “It was sophomore night and I got to come out with my team and get the win. Today

this for them and they help us get to where we need to be.”

Harrell excited the crowd with a dunk in the second half. It was a thrilling part of the game, Harrell said.

“Personally, I thought it sealed the game,” Harrell said.

“When he [Lee] passed me

Photo by James Claiborne

Sophomore Guard Nate Rigmaiden scored 23 points and had 23 total rebounds in the Archers’ 83-55 win over Wentworth Academy.

the ball I had to go in there and finish it for him in good fashion.”

Throughout the course of the game, Collins paced up and down the sidelines motivating his players to keep pushing.

It was to make sure the team did not let up the pressure and lose their lead once they had it, Collins said.

“That is what happened to us during the last game against North Central Missouri,” Collins said. “We had the lead, by 15, and they ended up beating us by three.

I just felt like we did not need to worry about the scoreboard but rather to keep playing hard and they did a good job.”

Following the win, the Archers’ amassed a record of 1114 winning 10 of their last 16 games. With the Region XVI Tournament coming up on Feb. 26-27, they feel like they will be in good shape, Rigmaiden said.

“We still have to get better as a team and keep getting better on defense because we are a really small team,” Rigmaiden said. “Our defense is going to get us to where we need to be.

If we can get that down we

should be in pretty good shape.”

This kind of win serves as a major confidence booster, Harrell said.

“We are looking at a tough schedule heading into the tournament,” Harrell said. “We are putting this game behind us and moving forward to the final games of the regular season, and then the tournament.”

The Archers finish the regular season on the road against Three Rivers Community College, Mineral Area and MCC-Penn Valley.

The next three games will tell the tale of the season, Collins said.

“The record is better as of late,” Collins said.“These last three games are against highly ranked teams.

We have to prove to ourselves that we can beat a highly ranked team.”

The Archers began their 10-6 run after defeating Moberly Area on Jan. 2, Collins said.

“That gains confidence for us to get better,” Collins said. “Now we face those high quality teams again on the road this time. We will find out what kind of team we are.”

The Archers were defeated by Three Rivers, Mineral Area and MCC-Penn Valley to finish the year.

Meramec campus offers free gym, weight room and swimming pool hours to students Campus facilities are available to students every day of the week at various times Andrew Ameer Staff Writer

Need a free place to exercise that is nearby and convenient for you? STLCC-Meramec offers open gymnasium, weight room and swimming pool hours for students to use. Students can use the facilities during open campus hours.

Campus Gymnasium The Meramec gymnasium features a 2,200 seating capacity with a 17,300 sq. ft. floor, six glass basketball backboards and Feb. 25, 2016

two volleyball courts available for students to use. Students must supply their own balls.

Students can run indoors during snow or cold weather [13 miles equals one lap]. The gymnasium is available for use when during no classes or team practices.

Swimming Pool The Meramec swimming pool feature six swimming lanes, seven feet wide each, and has six starting blocks and a spring board.

It is 25 total yards in length and 42 feet wide. Students are open for

lap swimming Monday-Thursday at 8-8:50 a.m and MondayFriday from noon-12:50 p.m.

Weight Room The weight room has an assortment of equipment including a bench press, squat rack, incline press and full sets of dumbells.

The weight room is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 9-11 a.m. and 3-6 p.m.

It is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-4 p.m. and open each Friday from 10am-11am and 1-5 p.m.

Photo by Ashley Biundo

Meramec Physical Education facilities are available to students on Monday-Friday at various different times.