The
Feel t Love he , p. 5
MONTAGE Serving the St. Louis Community College - Meramec community since 1964 • ACP Award Recipient VOLUME 59, ISSUE 5
FEB. 8, 2024
WWW.MERAMECMONTAGE.COM
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Professor Voyles and her students on the first day of class in the BDRG Park laboratory; Voyles teaching her course; the e d u c at i o n a l material and company brochures inside the complimentary tote bags offered by Professor Voyles at the beginning of the semester.
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
CULTIVATING CAREERS
Inside STLCC’s Cannabis Certificate Program and Billie Voyles’ courses
T
MORGAN DANIELS STAFF WRITER
his spring, St. Louis Community College moves into its second semester of the Cannabis and Hemp Production Certificate program, offering students a unique pathway into the growing cannabis industry. One of the culminating courses students take is Laboratory Methods for Cannabis Extraction led by Professor Billie Voyles at the Bio Research and Development Growth Park in Creve Coeur. Professor Voyles brings a wealth of industry knowledge to her classroom. Having transitioned from a successful career as a Lab Technician, Voyles now dedicates her expertise to teaching future industry professionals. “It’s my job to pass on the knowledge,” she said. “When people want education,
whether free or paid for, I pretty much jump on the bandwagon.” Other than the class she teaches at STLCC, Voyles is a professor at Saint Louis University within their Cannabis program, and an entrepreneur with her business Botanical Journeys, LLC as an educational consultant in the cannabis industry. Students enrolled in Voyles’ course receive not only academic instruction but also practical exposure to various aspects of the cannabis business. At the beginning of each semester, Voyles distributes tote bags filled with merchandise and educational materials sourced directly from cannabis companies. She tailors her curriculum based on insights gained from asking companies, “What do you want them to know before you hire them?” Voyle’s course curriculum covers a range of practical industry skills and
extraction techniques including making medicinal oils like Rick Simpson Oil (RSO), filling capsules, creating lotions and salves, and learning how to infuse oil with cannabis. Beyond traditional lectures and lab work, Voyle extends learning beyond the classroom with field trips to local distribution centers and manufacturing facilities. This semester, she’s taking her class of twelve to various cannabis distribution companies ranging from local to national, like Vibe, SWADE Dispensary, and Mint Cannabis. They will also take trips to manufacturing companies like Robust Missouri, which prides itself on its organic and sustainable cannabis cultivation, Teal Cannabis, and Standard Wellness Missouri, LLC. The goal for students after completing the certificate program is to equip them with the necessary
knowledge and skills to enter a career in the industry. The students in Voyle’s class appear to range in age and experience. Some have backgrounds in horticulture working at greenhouses while others are interested in the industry itself and the science behind cannabis. Nevertheless, they all will gain applicable knowledge and experience to enter the industry with a working understanding of cannabis and hemp production. The program’s four courses, including Introductory Horticulture, Introduction to Cannabis, Cannabis and Hemp Cultivation, and Laboratory Methods for Cannabis Extraction, make up 13 credit hours. However, they are currently only offered at the Meramec campus. For more information, visit the horticulture website or reach out to Program Director Jerry Pence (jpence@stlcc.edu)
Small Fire Temporarily Closes Social Sciences Building
The afternoon of Feb. 5 smelled a bit off at Meramec JACOB POLITTE MANAGING EDITOR Late Monday morning, STLCC sent out an “urgent notification” that the Social Sciences building had been immediately closed. The college said it was a precautionary measure as a result of a “burning smell” coming from inside the building. Later, they confirmed that a small fire broke out on the second floor of the Social Sciences building and that the fire department had extinguished it. At the time, the college did not release further details about what caused it or its exact location on the floor. Meramec Campus President Feleccia MooreDavis, however, has answers. “The fire was located in the walls adjacent to the women’s bathroom upstairs,” Moore-Davis said. “I don’t know if technically I can call it a fire, but it was smoldering.” “There wasn’t any smoke in the air, but the smell… because it was in
the walls and in the piping,” she said. “There was some work that had been done, some maintenance work that included soldering some of the pipes. I’m not sure what happened thereafter, but the soldering wasn’t complete in some way, and that’s what caused the smoldering that occurred over the weekend.” “When we walked into the building that morning, the smell was throughout the building,” Moore-Davis continued. “We were trying to discern what the smell was, so we brought in our staff to discern what the smell was. Ultimately, they said we needed to shut [the building] down to figure this out.” Moore-Davis said she immediately walked over to the building upon her arrival to campus at 8:30am, noting that staff was already in the building trying to figure the situation out. She noted that when she walked into the building, the smell was noticeable throughout it, although in some areas more than others.
PHOTO BY JACOB POLITTE The wall on the second floor of the Social Sciences building being repaired on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. This is the wall that President MooreDavis said was “smoldering” throughout the weekend.
continued on pg. 3