College offering new transportation options
Transcription
College offering new transportation options
Hipsters invade library thebinge Smoker’s unrest A Superior Publication for Somerset Community College Geeks in revolt Demand return of turf immediately Inside this issue Local student thinks snow days still in effect Business Efficiency major hasn’t been seen since January Page 27 April 1, 2010 • Volume 10, Number 5 No-smoking initiative unpopular at smokers’ sheds Page 8*-9 Page 04 A Superior Publication for Somerset Community College ‘Ride a Horse to Class’ program to begin College offering new transportation options By: Larissa Watkins For many SCC students, the current sour economy has made getting to and from college a lot more difficult. Money to buy a car is getting harder to come by and gasoline prices are again on the rise. A new KCTCS program should provide some needed assistance. “We are fixing to set up a place where students can save gas, money and help cut down on global warming by letting them ride their ‘charger’ to school,” said KCTCS administrator Martha Horsley. The “Ride a Horse to Class” program would provide stables at all KCTCS campuses and centers. Although specifics are still being worked out, Horsley says that the stables will provide shelter, food and water to all horses ridden to class. News of the program was especially well received at SCC, where plans are underway for a rent-a-horse option for students. “This idea makes a lot more sense than those crazy bicycles,” said Anita Goode-Mann, referring to the group of SCC-owned bicycles that students may rent for campus usage—but almost never do. “Riding a horse takes a lot less effort than pedaling a bicycle,” she said. “The bicycles do have one advantage,” she added. “They smell better.” For those who would rather own than rent, KCTCS has organized a horse sale for late April. As part of the sales effort, the community college system is providing advice and guidance for any first-time horse owners. The following step-by-step process will be available on the campus website in the coming days: Buying a horse that suits you: Step 1: A. Make sure you have adequate room for your horse. A closet is not the way to go; it may get stinky fast, and the horse may not appreciate the lack of space. Step 1: B and C. Make sure you can AFFORD the horse. It will require hay, possibly some form of extra feed such as grains, sweet feed and even treats if you really want to get on his/her good side. Keep an eye on your water bill. It might not be much more than usual, but it might make the difference in breaking the bank. C. Horse tack. There are different types and styles. You will learn as you go. If you want to ride immediately, there are plenty of books to help you find your way. Step 1: D. Make sure you have the time. Don’t pet it College administrators hope SCC students will be all smiles when the “Ride a Horse to Class” program is implemented. then forget about it. Don’t be afraid to bond with your horse. This takes time. Seldom can you ride at night, so make sure there is daylight when you feel like bonding. If it’s not, well, whatever happens is your damn fault! Don’t blame the horse for lack of brain function on your part. Step 2. Now that we have the space, the mullah and the era, you are ready to begin your checklist on what to avoid and what to look for. Step 2: A. Check for injuries, limping, sore places on the horse, sickness such as diarrhea (be careful, horses are like people and it may just be a nervous reaction and not an illness pertaining to the runs) and don’t forget to look for hoof injuries or eye problems. You can find more about this on the newest invention: The world wide web. Step 2: B. If it kills someone, nothing else is going to matter. So look for an attitude that matches your own. If you’re easy-going, choose something steady and upbeat. If you like competition, a horse may not be your thing or you may be a perfect team. Just watch the disposition of the beast. “If it’s kicking or biting--someone or another horse--or its frothing at the mouth or sweating too much you, may want to look elsewhere,” said Patrick Gaskin, a biology teacher at SCC. Step 2: C. What size do you want your horse? That’s right folks, you get to choose your size. They come in all shapes, colors and sizes. The shapes and colors of horses should be an owner’s last priority. Again, it won’t look so pretty if you end up dead. Look for a size to suit you and your height. If you’re on the short side, choose something closer to the ground. You don’t want to have to pole-vault into the saddle. Then again, if you’re tall, your feet could drag the ground, and the horse may find this offensive. Step 3 A. If the seller looks shifty, he probably is! Beware the horse isn’t drugged, beaten into submission or acting a bit odd. If the horse seems abused, you might want to contact someone in a higher position to take care of it. Fighting with the owner will only bring conflict, so have the ‘big guys’ take care of it. Step 4: A. If you’re a beginner get an experienced horse, don’t confuse this with buying a horse for the experienced rider. You want a child friendly horse, because in a sense, you’re a child to the nature of horses. If you’re experienced, then I’m not sure why you’re reading this section anyway. Step 4: B. Now we are ready for the looks, to some it doesn’t matter if it has bones that are protruding under the skin with flies surrounding it, it could be their black beauty. For the more self conscious, vainglorious riders this might matter to you. If you’re looking for black beauty indeed please keep this in mind, so is everyone else! Haven’t you seen Flicka? If not, you should. It’s a good movie. Campus News April 1, 2010 2 SCC Theatre to present ‘Avatar’ live on stage The Binge By JR Sroufe Respected Broadway producer Rupert Winklejohn has partnered with the SCC Theatre Department to bring the blockbuster ‘Avatar’ to the small stage in early 2011. With ‘Avatar’ losing the Best Picture Oscar® to ‘The Hurt Locker’ at the recent Academy Awards, the fee for the rights to the picture has become considerably more affordable. “We’ve garnered exclusive rights to the ‘Avatar’ stage play, Winklejohn said. “This will be the biggest thing to hit Somerset Community College since ground was broken for the first building.” Winklejohn took the idea for a stage production of Avatar to producer-director James Cameron. “He was reluctant at first,” Winklejohn said, “but once his exwife Kathryn Bigelow nailed those Oscars for her movie, he was on the phone to us before he was even out of the Kodak Theatre.” Bringing the glitz and glamour of a film as groundbreaking as ‘Avatar’ to the Stoner Building’s Little Theatre will prove to be no easy task: “We’ve hired one of the best production designers in the business,” Winklejohn said. “We may have to knock out a couple of walls and possibly raise that ceiling a few yards, but we’re pretty confident that we can pull this off without too much problem.” “We want this to be the ultimate 3D experience,” he added. The audience won’t even have to wear those silly 3D glasses for this, because the actors will be doing this in 3D, naturally. They’ll be right there. On the stage!” “The hard part is going to be the spacecraft scenes. We’re looking at some other effect besides real rockets, because of the chances of setting the first three rows on fire, but we think we have something that can do the job just as believably. It just might be a bit more expensive to pull off because of all those pesky EPA regulations on the stuff.” Winklejohn said “We’re looking at an initial budget of $360 million. But we’re not really too worried because this is a guaranteed sell-out. I mean, have you seen that theatre? We can pack that place out in 15 minutes flat.” He also noted that, “Ticket prices may be a little steep, but hey, it’s no more expensive than going through a ticket broker to get front-row Rolling Stones tickets, right?” All 10-foot tall, blue-skinned students interested in auditioning for parts in the production can contact Rupert Winklejohn at rupey@ gaspar-productions.com. A ‘model’ program for beautiful people By Donnie Branscum Have you ever dreamed of being an actor or model? Now is your chance! SCC is offering model/actor classes through the Platinum Modeling Agency. Derek Platinum, founder of Platinum Modeling Agency, is accepting students as early as this summer. “Even if you don’t think you have the right look with the expanding market there is opportunity for many different people, even ugly people. As long as the check clears, students will receive top notch training and be given great opportunities,” Platinum said. Derek Platinum has been a five-time cover boy for the magazine “Man Pretty” and starred in numerous movies that nobody has ever heard of or admit to knowing about. When asked why SCC and why now, Platinum said “I’m pretty sure there’s more to life than being really, really ridiculously good looking, and it’s time to give back.” Also, there was the fact that no other administrator would allow Student vehicles soon to be subject to intense scrutiny from law enforcement officials. Get your house cars in order By Critley King Sometime soon the Kentucky State Police will be checking the license and registration on all cars in SCC parking lots. Anyone found to be in violation will face a stiff fine. According to a KSP spokesperson, the specific day of the search will not be announced so as not to tip off offenders. Violators who do not have the proper license, registration, or driving I.D. will find their vehicles promptly towed to the local impoundment garage where they can be recovered after payment of a $5,000 fine. As to why SCC is being targeted by police for this project, officer Ronnie Hickland said, “Well let’s just be honest. We wanted to target an area where we would have access to the most people, and it was either here or Wal-Mart.” Faculty member Lana Dumbe was asked to comment but was unable to respond as she dashed to her car. Lisa Lielae, a library faculty member, was also asked if she was concerned about the police being on campus. “No, I’m not worried at all,” she said. “But I’ve got to go. I have some business to take care of at the court house.” Carlos Estúpido a student from Chicago said, “Well, they won’t bother me. I make fake I.D.s for extra cash. I might actually be able to make money off of this popo show.” *The Bridge takes no responsibility for the arrest of Carlos Estúpido. It was his mistake to voice his illicit side business in the middle of the lunch rush at The Grill while Officer Hickland was standing nearby. STATS AT-A-GLANCE New modeling course hopes to put pizzaz in SCC programs. him to come near their school. Some of the skills that can be learned are the ability to do your little turn on the catwalk, breakdance fighting, and modeling philosophy. Examples include, “Moisture is the essence of wetness, and wetness is the essence of beauty” Platinum said. The modeling agency sounds like a slam dunk, even if modeling isn’t in your future, confidence is useful in any field. “You might think you’re too cool for school, but I have a newsflash for you, Walter Cronkite,…you aren’t” Platinum said. Anyone interested in enrolling in the agency should contact the sponsoring professor Dr. Ben Dover at 555-modelme. April Fool’s! Everything on this page and the previous page is all in fun! Enjoy... Larissa’s Travels thebridge Open for business A Student Publication for Somerset Community College Traveling reporter visits stock sale Livestock market makes for “meaty” story Inside this issue Drugs: The dark side of higher education A personal journey through addiction Page 12 April 1, 2010 • Volume 10, Number 5 Construction complete at London and McCreary Page 13 Page 10-11 Classes underway in new buildings A Student Publication for Somerset Community College why some students take the easy way out As SCC instructor Tony Armstrong demonstrates, it’s nearly impossible to prevent unscrupulous students from cheating in class. Photo illustration by Critley King Survey shows that most students believe cheating occurs at SCC By Critley King You may be shocked to know that a recent poll conducted by “The Bridge” shows that many students believe academic cheating occurs at SCC. Everyone in the group polled was asked the same question, “Do you think cheating occurs at SCC?” When tallied, 94 percent of the group said “yes” cheating occurs at SCC, while only six percent said “no.” Cheating is a rising problem facing colleges today, and with the introduction of online courses, the likelihood that students are cheating has doubled. The subject of academic cheating has been tacked by many news outlets from USA Today to 20/20, and has been the subject of many polls and studies. But something that is rarely looked at is why: why do people cheat? Some of the students and instructors gave us their opinion on why people cheat. Here are some of the things they had to say. Laziness? Many attributed cheating to laziness and the lack of effort. “People cheat because they expect life to be handed to them as a short cut or easy way out when they are fully capable of achieving the obstacle on their own. This happen(s) at SCC (and) it leads to students getting the same education as you are when they are cheating and you’re studying to try to pass with a decent score or grade,” said Chad McQueen Assistant Recruiter Specialist for the Kentucky Army National Guard and a student at SCC. Student Felicia Morrow seemed to think that some people want to have their cake and eat it too. “I think people cheat because they are too lazy to study themselves,” she said. “They want to have their fun but still get good grades. It happens at SCC, it’s the same at any school you go to.” See CHEATING, Page 14 4 Opinion April 1, 2010 The Bridge V IEW P OI N T COMMENTS, OPINIONS & LETTERS Breaking the pop culture addiction By JR Sroufe Managing Editor It’s very difficult for an older person to address current popular culture without reflecting on one’s own rebellious youth; especially if that person is going to talk about changing a major factor of society toward a more conservative direction. It seems that by taking issue with America’s obsession with artistic trends, celebrity, and fashion, the angst-ridden Young Turk of yore has finally become the angry old man in the neighborhood screaming “get out of my yard, you lousy kids!” The very nature of American popular culture makes it very difficult for an older adult to participate. How does one go about bringing about a change in thinking on something so influential as popular culture? Unfortunately, there isn’t a single, solid, physical answer. One way to begin is to address the problem of popular culture basically “eating itself”. That is to say that pop culture should start making the news rather than becoming the news itself. This is the cycle that needs to break first in order to cause a marked shift in the cultural mindset. Popular culture is determined by an increasingly youthful mass media. By appealing to that level, marketers know that young people will be willing to allow pop culture to permeate their entire lives; therefore any sort of weaning from the pop culture teat will need to begin early. Film, music, television, and fashion are all commodities made to be sold, and certain formulas have been found to be successful, but few are willing to take a chance and deviate from those formulas if the numbers are consistently in the black. Current purveyors of the products exhibit an immense bowel-siphoning fear of any sort of failure. When it was old guys with cigars that had no clue about current pop culture were calling the shots, innovators were at liberty to experiment with their medium at will. Now the hipsters with a little talent are the people upstairs making the decisions. If it doesn’t look, sound, or feel like the previous success, it gets kicked to the curb. Even news reporting is centered on what is popular rather than what’s important. Too often news stories that have direct, immediate impact on people’s lives are relegated to a side story. The amount of time and space dedicated to hard news is shrinking, even at a time of desperate national uncertainty. But I suppose a train wreck is hard to look away from. Rewarding this type of negative behavior with even more exposure seems to be what the pop culture press is good at these days. Another issue with popular culture is the total lack of originality. If someone needs an example of this, just turn on a radio and listen to the pop stations filling the airwaves. Musical acts these days seem to have not just one thing in common, but virtually everything. To me this represents a “dumbing-down” of the public’s sense of art. Where is that sense of risk-taking anymore? Another example of the vacuum of creativity within popular culture is the prevalence of “comic book movies”. Just about all the major blockbuster films of recent years have been big screen interpretations of super heroes and characters from graphic novels. I suppose this is another of those instances of the studios playing it safe. I guess it’s fairly easy to concoct a story or a screenplay with an immortal character who can return again and again in concurrent sequels (providing the box office return is sufficient). As long as the pay off with popular culture is consistently lucrative, no real changes are going to take place. There are masses of people that are culturally starved for something...anything substantial and different. See pop culture, Page 5 The reality of ‘sexting’ The term “sexting” is clevIn this modern age of erly derived from the term technology, there seems to When it appears be very little that is not By Stephanie Collins “texting.” that the person beside you possible. is sending an innocent text, You can become reuBridge staff you might actually be standnited with a friend from ing only a few feet away childhood through the many social networks like Facebook and MySpace. from electronic sex. It might seem innocent enough, certainly not an You can navigate your way through foreign cities issue that would come across as too shocking. Yet, with a device small enough to fit in your pocket. it has caused quite an uproar among those that are You can have endless amounts of literature that can concerned about the risks it could hold. all be carried around in one small convenient ebook. Just last year, six teenagers from Pennsylvania Now, you can even engage in sexual relations were charged with child pornography when three without ever taking off your clothes. Sexting, the act of sending sexually detailed messages teenage girls sent sexually explicit photos to three teenage boys. or photos electronically, is causing a buzz worldwide. This has not been the only case of child pornograWhat started as online dating, turned into online chat rooms, which turned into “cybersex” and has phy stemming from sexting, and while there is much now found its way into your mobile device. See SEXTING, Page 5 The Bridge April 1, 2010 • Volume 10, Number 5 “The Bridge” is distributed to all SCC campuses and is available on the web as a PDF file at “New at SCC” on the homepage of the SCC website: www.somerset.kctcs.edu The Bridge is the student newspaper for Somerset Community College Managing Editor: JR Sroufe; Staff: Donnie Branscum, Stephanie Collins, Kristy Jackson, Critley L. King, Larissa Watkins; Graphic Designer: Jocelyn Daulton Faculty Advisors: Jeff Harris and Stuart Simpson Send correspondence to: [email protected] Opinion April 1, 2010 5 The Bridge Pop culture, from page 4 But, as the case may be, I pessimistically don’t foresee any real changes in pop culture. The attention span of the public has decreased to the level that comparison to true art is not an option. So in order to keep from pissing off an entire generation of people (some of which may end up changing my diapers in a few years), I’ll just be content to sit idly by and watch the descent into madness. Sketch artist Sexting, from page 4 debate over the justice of it, the fact remains: you can be charged with child pornography if you distribute a naked photo of a child under the age of 18. While this may seem to leave adults out of the mess, it does not. Adult sexters need to remind themselves that the sender of a sext cannot be certain of who will receive their message. This reality has hit home for far too many men and women. What they thought would be a “your eyes only” message actually ended up circulating the hands of several others. So how might this be affecting the campuses of SCC? Allegedly, 33 percent of young adults have admitted to sending a naked photo electronically, while 59 percent have sent sexually explicit texts, according to a national survey in 2008. You or someone you know on campus are likely the sender or recipient of a sext. While it is at your discretion what you do with your personal life, before you hit that send button, you may want to consider the repercussions that could come. Is the recipient of your message or photo a person you can trust or just someone cute you met at a party last night? If they are a trusted spouse or significant other, never underestimate the possibility of an ugly breakup. After all, nobody wants to be a victim of “I want your sext” turning into “I saw your sext!” What if scholarships were available? What if transferring was easy? U N I V E R S I T Y K E N T U C K Y I want to earn my bachelor’s degree? Photo by Critley King E A S T E R N What If... SCC theater director Steve Cleberg works on an upcoming production. To find out exactly what he’s sketching out for a performance in Stoner’s Theater, see story Page 8. Eastern Kentucky University’s KCTCS Scholarship covers half of the cost of in-state tuition. Students who meet the scholarship requirements are automatically awarded the scholarship. No application or paperwork is required. To qualify, students must be a first-time transfer to EKU, complete a minimum of 24 hours of coursework at KCTCS, have a cumulative minimum GPA of 3.0 on all postsecondary work at the time of transfer and be enrolled as a full-time student. Contact Gail Creekmore, 606-451-6708, 859-248-5479, [email protected]. www.EKU.edu * 1-800-465-9191 Eastern Kentucky University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educational institution. 6 Campus News April 1, 2010 The Bridge CAMPUS NEWS FEATURE ARTICLES, HARD & SOFT NEWS John Sherman Cooper Lecture Series Breckinridge’s contributions to women noted by Dr. Hay By Larissa Watkins Madeline McDowell Breckinridge accomplished a great deal during her life. She was a leader of the woman suffrage movement, a reformer and one of the most influential women of Kentucky. The life of this unique woman was the subject of guest speaker Dr. Melba Porter Hay’s presentation during the fifth annual John Sherman Cooper Lecture, held March 15 on SCC’s Somerset north campus and sponsored by the college’s division of Social Sciences. Dr. Roger Tate introduced the author and historian and noted her recent book, Madeline McDowell Breckinridge and the Battle for a New South. During Dr. Hay’s speech, she described Breckinridge as a leader responsible for organizing, promoting and struggling for women to establish rights. Her efforts eventually led to the movement that ended with woman’s suffrage in 1920. Dr. Hay said she began researching Breckinridge in 1972 as a topic to complete a dissertation. Years later, after new information was discovered on her subject, Dr. Hay began her book. The work explores her subject’s struggles with illness, her marriage and the political and social issues Breckinridge faced until her death in 1920. “She was an attractive woman, a real ‘Bluegrass belle,’ and she helped those with a disadvantage,” Dr. Hay said. Breckinridge adopted a social status through birth and marriage, and used her position to become an advocate for women’s rights. She had struggled with Tuberculosis for most of her life, having her foot amputated not long after being diagnosed in her midtwenties. “She overcame illness, and surgery, and transformed from a society girl into someone driven for the paths less fortunate,” Dr. Hay said. Breckinridge knew how to use the forces around her to fight with her as well, Dr. Hay noted. Her husband was the editor of the Lexington Herald newspaper and frequently published articles noting the efforts of his wife. She was an advocate for the right of women to vote, to attend college, and to be the equal of men. Breckinridge’s struggles were rewarded when she receive the right to vote during the 1920 presidential election. She died a few days later on Thanksgiving. Dr. Hays noted that during her 48 years, Breckenridge became the most important woman in Kentucky history. At the conclusion of the speech, Dr. Jo Marshall, said that, “I hope we all see the world is a better place because women are in leadership positions.” There was a time when women were not allowed to attend college, vote or work alongside men. As an example of how far women have come, Dr. Marshall is now the first female president of SCC. Photo by Larissa Watkins Author and historian Dr. Melba Porter Hay was guest speaker at SCC’s John Sherman Cooper Lecture on March 15. Event coordinator Dr. Roger Tate looks on. International Dinner serves up a taste of culture By Larissa Watkins SCC representatives and area residents sampled a taste of the world without leaving home at the 10th annual Rotary Club’s International Dinner. The event, held March 6 at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset, helps raise funds for worldwide relief efforts. This year, 70 percent of the money collected will go to assist recently disaster-stricken areas such as Haiti and Chile. Volunteers representing many ethnicities shared food from their home countries for the dinner. Those who attended purchased sponsorship tickets to join in the festivities. A large tent in the middle of the room served as an example of some of materials that would be bought with the sponsorship funds. Other funds will be sent directly to disaster victims. Each table at the dinner not only featured international food, but also promoted the culture and the language of that specific country. There were cheers from across the room as each represented country was announced. Anton Miller took part in the recent Rotary International Dinner. Photo by Larissa Watkins SCC art instructor Darlene Libbey was one of those waiting in line to sample foods on the Kenya table. “It’s delightful,” Libbey said of the event. “I just wish we had more restaurants in town. It would be neat to say ‘let’s go to the Bosnia in town, or let’s go to Egypt for dinner.’” Other tables featured foods from Egypt, the Philippines, Taiwan, India and Pakistan. “It’s always been an enjoyable time seeing all the smiley faces here and we try to please as many people as we can,” said Scott Smith, an SCC student and an attendant for the Philippines display table. There was a wide variety of fashion, as well as food, at the event. Many of the participants wore clothing that represented their place of origin and family heritage. “It is an interesting experience getting to see all these cultures in one place,” said Anton Miller, another SCC student attending the dinner. Volunteers who prepared the food presented a wide variety of samples that they felt would best represent their country. “Not all of the food (featured at the dinner) is made every day,” said Smith. “Some (foods) are for parties, events, and weddings. The everyday food would be whatever the trade is of the family. For example, my grandfather was a fisherman and farmer.” Foods presented varied from strange to fun, spicy to bland, meats to vegetables and, of course, lots of breads. “I am discouraged that my stomach is not big enough to try every country’s food,” said SCC student Marina RojasHodges. “We will have to try again next year.” Campus News April 1, 2010 7 The Bridge A seamless transition for students who transfer from other colleges, with a timely analysis of your transcripts and as many credits as possible toward your degree. Most Associate of Arts degrees satisfy our general core requirements. Transfer scholarships available. NBKPST ACCOUNTING ART* BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE* #*0-0(: BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ONLINE COMPLETION $)&.*453: CHURCH MUSIC COMMUNICATION ARTS CRIMINAL JUSTICE &"3-:&-&.&/5"3:&%6$"5*0/ ENGLISH* EXERCISE AND SPORT SCIENCE FITNESS AND SPORT MANAGEMENT HEALTH EDUCATION* )*4503: $PMMFHF4UBUJPO%SJWFt8JMMJBNTCVSH,: XXXVDVNCFSMBOETFEVt NJOPST HUMAN SERVICES JOURNALISM & PUBLIC RELATIONS ."/"(&.&/5*/'03."5*0/4:45&.4 MATHEMATICS* FRENCH .*-*5"3:4$*&/$& MIDDLE SCHOOL EDUCATION QSFQSPGFTTJPOBM MUSIC 1):4*$"-&%6$"5*0/ .&%*$"-5&$)/0-0(: 1):4*$"-4$*&/$& 13&%&/5*453: 1):4*$4 PRE-ENGINEERING POLITICAL SCIENCE 13&-"8 14:$)0-0(: PRE-MEDICINE PUBLIC HEALTH PRE-NURSING RELIGION 13&0150.&53: SOCIAL STUDIES* 13&1)"3."$: SPANISH* 13&1):4*$"-5)&3"1: SPECIAL EDUCATION* SPEECH/MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS* THEATRE ARTS BIBLICAL LANGUAGES 13&1):4*$*"/"44*45"/5 13&7&5&3*/"3:.&%*$*/& )*4503:"/%10-*5*$"-4$*&/$& * TEACHER CERTIFICATION AVAILABLE SCHEDULE A VISIT by calling the Office of Admissions at (800) 343-1609 or (606) 539-4241 or by sending an e-mail to [email protected] Campus News 8 April 1, 2010 The The Bridge Bridge LETTERS POLICY Photo by Critley King Theresa Jean Kibby and Brad Schoolcraft rehearse a scene for their performance in “Sketches.” Annual comedic shorts at Stoner Hall SCC Theatre Department to present the return of ‘Sketches’ April 16-17 By Critley King The SCC Theatrical Department is preparing to debut its annual night of short plays, “Sketches,” produced by theatre professor Steve Cleberg. This time the list of characters includes everyone from two lobsters, a robber, a dog, a married couple, and a military man. This year’s selection of six skits just might hold a little something for everyone, and there will be two chances to view it. “Sketches” will be preformed on April 16 and 17, with both showings at 8 p.m. Also there will be an invited preview on April 15 also starting at 8 p.m. “Crime Spree” is a tale of a reluctant robber Joe and an unusual young woman Jolene. “My character is a woman going to take money out of the bank when she is stopped by a stick up man,” said Carole Brown. “It’s all quite silly, totally worth coming to watch” According to Josh Jones who plays Joe “Sketches” will be an event not to be missed. “It’s an extremely funny play and it has been a privilege to be a part of it!” he said. Driving Green is a short skit involving a married couple struggling to be “green.” “It’s funny, and real, and a very interesting look at both sides of the ‘green’ debate.” said Theresa Jean Kibby who is cast as Beth. “Moonshot” will take you through just about every urban myth you have every heard of all through the eyes of some very interesting characters who want to fool the world. Jason Baker who plays Phil, teased by saying, “A conspiracy could never be a conspiracy, unless the conspirators conspire to conspire the entire conspiracy.” “I’m A Dog” just might keep the audience guessing. “I think the audience will love it!” said Alaina Hall who plays Goldie speaking of the surprise ending. The story which is about a young man that meets a girl at bar is really about much more as Zach McQueary who plays Howie said, “The real meaning at least for Howie goes from trying to define Goldie but rather how alike they are, and how they begin to connect through their past experiences.” And in the grand finale the Interim Dean Sharon Whitehead will play one of two lobsters trapped “In the Tank”. Through rehearsal process the cast has managed to get along fabulously as stage manager Dana Floro said, “I’m privileged to work with a wonderful group of actors. It has been a blast!” Cleberg who had the challenge of choosing the plays that would be performed said, “This year is unique in that we’ve done a nationwide search over the internet to solicit short sketches from playwrights whose plays are not published. This way, we are presenting plays which are fresh and original.” And just what was he looking for in a play? “I was looking for a variety of sketches that all seemed to share a common sensibility,” Cleberg said. “This time around the sketches all share the same quirky comedy with a noticeable gravity at their center.” Speaking of the cast and the show he said, “I’m really pleased with the level of talent in this year’s production of Sketches. “Our experienced players are being matched up with many new and impressive talents. “We’ve always had a tradition of presenting an evening of short plays. Sketches continues that tradition.” Letters to the editor are welcome and appreciated. If you have something you wish to say, write our editor. Limit your comments to no more than two pages, typewritten and double spaced. Handwritten letters are also welcome, but must be legible. We reserve the right to edit letters in the interest of space and good taste. Letters must be signed and include a phone number for verification purposes. (Phone number will not be published.) Send letters to: The Bridge, c/o SCC, 808 Monticello Road, Somerset, KY 42501, or e-mail your comments to... [email protected] “At our electric co-op, we know the owners. Because we are the owners.” Innovation • Integrity • Accountability Commitment to Community Locally owned for more than 70 years by you, our members, South Kentucky RECC is dedicated to providing quality electric service. Our employees, who are your friends and neighbors, work hard for you and our community. Visit us on the web at www.skrecc.com. 925 North Main Street • Somerset • (606) 678-4121 Campus News April 1, 2010 9 The Bridge Art Club gives students a voice in displays at East End Gallery By: Larissa Watkins SCC’s Art Club welcomes all students who are interested in having fun and who wish to experience new things. The club began in 2006 as the East End Gallery (EEG) student council. Art instructor Darlene Libbey says the purpose of the club is simple—to involve more students in art. The gallery is located in Stoner Hall on SCC’s Somerset Campus. “When students become more involved, you have more information of what you talk about and being involved gives a greater understanding of how a gallery functions,” she said. “I wanted a more democratic approach to the exhibits rather than just me deciding what went in the who, it’s for the students to be more active in how the show is ran.” Libbey said that the number of members involved in the art club vary between 12 and 15 students each semester. She noted that anyone who is interested in art is invited become a member. For students, reason to join the group varies. Student, Matthew Shackelford, said he joined the group “for a cultural experience.” Another student Jared Floyd said he joined “for meeting people with sharing interests. It could be for everyone, but you need to have an interest in what your doing…art as a whole.” Tyler Fish humorously added that he became a member “for an outer-body experience.” Besides providing a space for art, the club is also involved with community projects. One project, “Paint the Town Pink,” had members painting a flat canvas to raise awareness for cancer. Future plans call for the possibility of traveling to art museums, a bake sale and other painting projects. “You don’t have to be an artist to enjoy looking at art,” said club treasurer Vonna Daniel. “(The club) is welcome to anyone who wants to join. The more the merrier.” Art instructor Libbey says that members of the group gain an understanding of presenting their work that can be valuable to them in the future. “I think the students would better understand of when you want to go into the world and show your work, to be more proactive, and for students to have a voice in what is exhibited at the East End Gallery,” she said. Do you know who I am? By Critley King Clue #1 This instructor has lived all over Kentucky—Louisville, Lynch, Falmouth, and Somerset—but considers Winchester her hometown. Clue #2 As a child she liked to read and play make-believe games with the neighborhood kids like Spies and War. She lived for playing kick-ball during recess, and she claims she was always the first girl picked! Clue #3 This instructor attended college at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a 3.74 gpa. She then attended UK for graduate school. Clue #4 Her current hobbies are scrap booking, photography, her children’s activities, and singing with the FBC2’s praise team. She also loves decorating and celebrating the seasons and holidays. And she is totally addicted to Facebook! Clue #5 Her television shows of choice are “Survivor”, “Chuck”, “Medium”, “Community”, “CSI Las Vegas”, and The Turner Classic Movie Channel is what she watches on the weekends. Clue #6 Her funniest story was when, “I used to drive a Honda Prelude with a stick shift. This was back in the day when cars didn’t have cup holders and screw cap pop bottles were still in the future. I always found drinking from a pop can and driving at the same time problematic. So, I would keep a straw in my car so I wouldn’t spill pop on my clothing. On this particular day, I was wearing a tight pencil shape skirt and holding my pop can between my legs wasn’t possible. So, I was driving down New Circle Road in Lexington balancing holding my pop can and shifting gears at the same time. Well, I forgot that I had put the straw in my can and when I brought the can up to my mouth, I rammed the straw so far up my left nostril I was certain it had punctured my brain. It was so painful. I immediately jerked the can back down. But the STRAW STAYED IN MY NOSE!!!! So, you can visualize how I was driving down one of the busiest roads in Lexington, balancing my pop can while shifting gears and now I had a straw hanging out of my nose! Drivers were doing double takes. I was trying to tilt my head so they couldn’t see. I didn’t have a free hand to pull the straw out. Plus, I was fearful about a nose bleed when I did. I had to pull off the road and carefully removed the straw. Thankfully, no blood and no brain tissue! I laughed all the way home. And I never put a straw in a pop can again!” she said. Her students say she always makes class fun, do you know who she is? SEE ANSWER ON PAGE 19 Somerset, K.Y. Boyd Motors “Reliable for less” Come on the lot and drive home a winner! Phone (606) 451-0737 South US 27 at Stop Light 24 10 Campus News The Bridge Campus News drugs April 1, 2010 April 1, 2010 11 The Bridge the bridge explores the dark side of “higher” education Stories by: Kristy Jackson and JR Sroufe Addiction in the Commonwealth steadily growing With Kentucky being burdened with an increasing amount of illegal David Gilbert said, “As of [Jan 28], we’ve found 152 meth labs. That’s drug operations and addiction to various drugs, we will attempt to probe 152 already this year.” some of the details surrounding this insidious dilemma on a local level. “There’s a relatively new method to make meth now. It’s basically a According to David Gilbert, Director of the Lake Cumberland Area one-step operation; the “shake and bake” method.” said David Gilbert. Drug Task Force, the main issue we have today, as far as drugs go, is the “Using a few chemicals and plastic bottle, in about 3 hours, they can prevalence of diverted prescription narcotics. make about one to two ounces of meth that sells for about $100 a gram. “There are teams of people, van loads of 6-7 at a time, will go down The profit potential is enormous.” to Florida and visit these pain clinics. They’ll get prescriptions for Gilbert talked about efforts to get pseudoephedrine (Sudafed®, etc.) roughly 120 pills each, and bring them back to Kentucky and sell them.” to be classified as a controlled substance. “We’re trying to get that Gilbert said. When asked if these “pill mill” doctors in Florida could through the legislature, but this is a three billion dollar business to these pharmaceutical companies, so they fight us lose their licenses for this, he said tooth and nail on this.” “They would if they were in Kentucky, “Using a few chemicals and plastic When asked about “cooks” looking to but they don’t have that kind of regulabottle, in about 3 hours, they can make buy the precursors for meth, Jim Cherry tion down there.” about one to two ounces of meth that sells mentioned a system called “MethCheck.” The lengths addicts will resort to in for about $100 a gram. “If you come in to our store to buy pseuorder to obtain prescription narcotics The profit potential is enormous.” doephedrine (the main precursor for methsometimes runs to the extreme. When amphetamine), we ask for your identifiasked whether addicts will try to have healthy teeth extracted from a dentist in order to get a prescription, local cation. We then enter that into the system along with the amount of dental assistant for Associates in Dentistry, Susan Haste said, “They do pseudoephedrine purchased.” MethCheck and the implementation of controlling access to pseu[try to get teeth pulled]. But we check out the tooth, and if we don’t see anything wrong with it, we won’t pull it.” LCADTF Director Gilbert doephedrine has made it more difficult to obtain these precursors, but echoed this with “Most of the dentists won’t [extract teeth without rea- the illicit chemists always find a way to skirt the system in order to get son]. But you figure that by even considering this, they might get maybe their chemicals. Within the confines of Somerset Community College, the drug users 8 pills. That’s pretty desperate.” Efforts to curb diversion of prescription medications are n place at all have managed to remain fairly low-key. Ken Estep, Security Supervisor pharmacies. The Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting for Somerset Community College says “We’ve only had one actual drug System (KASPER) tracks controlled substance prescriptions dispensed bust on campus. But it was kind of strange, a Somerset Police officer within the state. Somerset Medicine Shoppe owner and chief pharmacist started to pull somebody over on Monticello Street, out in front of the Jim Cherry said “People will come in here and get prescriptions filled for campus and the guy pulled over on the road leading onto SCC property, narcotics, and the information goes across a computer system to all other so I had to enter it in the crime log.” Estep said he has never had to get involved regarding any drug use or pharmacies and the doctors.” When asked if this information goes to law sale on campus. Estep said, “No I haven’t. Of course you always have enforcement as well, Cherry said “I can’t tell you that.” Cherry also said that a pharmaceutical warehouse in Lexington had your suspicions, and you kind of just know, but it has to be seen and reported by a student or faculty member before I can get involved.” been broken into, and a pallet of hydrocodone products had been stolen. Gilbert said that he only knew of one time that he could remember in “All of those drugs will end up being sold on the street,” said which an SCC student had been arrested by law enforcement on camCherry. With the biggest drug problem in Kentucky being diverted prescription pus , and that was several years ago involving a female subject from drugs, the most dangerous by far is the scourge of methamphetamine. McCreary County. While SCC has not been a huge center of blatant drug use, stories Trooper John Hawkins of the Kentucky State Police in Frankfort said, “There is no legitimate use for methamphetamine. This stuff is made from circulate among students of people who seem high, or people seeing suspicious activity going on in the parking lots. Individuals have shared highly toxic materials under the most unsanitary conditions.” In 2004, a record number of 600 meth labs were discovered. In 2008, personal stories in writing and speech classes about addictions and/or that record was broken with 716 labs discovered in the Commonwealth. incarcerations to their classmates or instructors. Painkillers, pot and problems: A personal journey through addiction “It was my sixteenth birthday, I’ll never forget. I was going to get a tattoo and my older brother gave me two Lorcet (pain pills) to take, and some pot to smoke. That was the first time I ever used any kind of drug, and the day that opened the door to my addiction.” Starr Sizemore Kidd, a thirty-year-old mother of three is now 44 days sober. Her son, Logan, 3 and daughter, Chloe 1, climbed in and out of her lap while she recounted the events that led up to her addiction and consequences that lifestyle has brought her. “I was 5 when my parents divorced,” Starr said, “I lived with my mom until I was 14. She was an alcoholic and having two teenage daughters proved to be more than she could handle. Her nerves were bad and she sent us to live with my dad.” Starr said her dad also had a history of alcohol and marijuana abuse. His lifestyle wasn’t the ideal environment in which to raise his two teenage daughters. Starr’s step mother, was also a drug user, Starr said. “We had parties (at home), and daddy just joined in,” she said, “He tried to be my best friend instead of my dad. I had no curfew. By the time I was 18, I was a full blown drug addict.” They lived in a small town in Clay County. Her grandparents were influential people in the community. One grandfather was the school superintendant; her other grandfather was a school principal. “My grandparents handed everything to me, I guess to make up for the pitfalls of my parents,” Starr said, “They bought me a car, gave me money anytime I asked, even though I had a job. Every time I would get in trouble they would ‘talk to people’, and get me out of it. They both had a lot of ‘pull’ in the community. Looking back, I wish they hadn’t made it so easy for me to get out of trouble. If I had to face the consequences for my actions back then, things may have been different.” She looked down at her hands and fidgeted as she recounted her years of addiction. She fought back tears as she described some of the most painful events. “There are so many things that I have done that I’m not proud of,” she said, “I’ve stolen things from my family members; I constantly manipulated my grandparents into giving me money. I always had some hard luck story to give them, and they believed me.” For that reason she was forbidden by restraining order to see her grandparents for the last 5 years of their life. “My dad is gone too. He was murdered about three years ago. The men convicted of killing him were drug dealers, they beat him to death.” Her criminal record speaks for itself, and is far too long for a woman of her age. Her record will continue to close doors for her, even as she has begun the road to recovery. Convicted felons cannot apply for most types of low-income housing assistance, and some government assistance programs, not to mention “My life is finally looking up. I start classes at SCC in August, something I probably would have never done before.” Photo by Kristy Jackson being near impossible to find employment. “No one wants to hire a felon,” she said bluntly, “Especially when you have an extensive criminal record like mine. I have been if five different rehabs in the last five years.” The charges on her record include possession, theft, multiple DUI’s, “and the list goes on.” She also currently has a suspended driver’s license. “I have been in and out of jail since I was 19,” Starr says, “Staying as long as six months once, that was the worst time of my life.” The father of her oldest son is in prison for drug and assault charges. He has been in prison for most of her son’s life. She met her current husband in a rehabilitation program; they have been married for five years and have two more children. They struggled early in their relationship both trying to overcome addiction to pain pills. Oxycontin was their drug of choice, but they have “tried it all” at least once,” Starr said. “I used mostly pain pills, Oxy, Zanex, and pot,” she said, “I’ve tried Meth a few times, but it just wasn’t my thing. Pain pills made me feel energized. It was so physically addictive, after a while I felt like I had to have them to function. I felt sick and achy without them, like I had the flu of something.” “I have literally lost years of my life. There are certain parts of my life that I have no memory of because I was so high. Not just days, but months at a time.” Starr regrets what she has put her children through the most. Just a couple years ago, after doing well for a long stint she relapsed, and overdosed on Klonopin, a nerve pill. She was hospitalized for several days coming home with a severe case of pneumonia caused by her being immobile for so long. Shortly after recuperating from the overdose she was arrested for trying to steal hundreds of dollars in merchandise from the local Wal-Mart. She had her youngest child, an infant, with her when she was arrested. This prompted social services to get involved and all her children were removed from the home and placed with her current husband’s parents. Though this sounds horrific, it may have been a blessing in disguise. The judge sentenced her to three years in prison with the option to attend “Drug Court” instead of the sentence. “Drug Court” is a program that offers addicts a second chance at sobriety. In this program she has to serve forty hours a week community service, attend four Narcotics Anonymous meetings every two weeks. She has individual and group therapy every week and a minimum of three drug tests a week. If she is not compliant she will be made to serve her full sentence. At times it is difficult for Starr with no driver’s license and three small children to adhere to such a rigid program. It has put a strain on her family having to spend so much time away from home, and her husband having to act as mommy. But this program has lead her to become 44 days completely drug free. “It’s a good program; I only wish I had something like this when I was 18. It has made me become accountable for my actions. I feel better (physically) now than I have in a very long time.” “My life is finally looking up,” she said, “I start classes at SCC in August, something I probably would have never done before. I want to go into counseling, so I can help people like me. I would like to work with teens so I might make a difference early before they waste half their lives. Starr is planning on earning her associates degree through SCC, then transferring to Lyndsey Wilson to earn a bachelor’s for human services. “I know from experience that it helps to talk to someone who has been there. Someone who knows what it’s like to wake up in the middle of the yard and don’t know how they got there. I think I can make a difference.” Campus News 12 April 1, 2010 The Bridge Deadline is April 28 Paper seeks applications for managing editor post GUEST SPEAKER—Community journalism is alive and well according to Willie Sawyers, publisher of the London Sentinel-Echo newspaper. Sawyers spoke recently to the staff of The Bridge about his years in the newspaper business and what the industry can expect in the future. The publisher, pictured third from right, is shown with staff members during his visit. Larissa’s Travels Visit to Patton Market offers unique look at livestock sales mini-horses, ponies and By Larissa Watkins even donkeys. Some of Spring is finally here. the horse breeds you’ll The flowers are growing, see at the sales include bees are buzzing, and stuTennessee Walking dents can’t wait to gather horses, Thoroughbreds, in those smells of the barnStandardbred’s, Quarter yard. Yes, that’s right, the Horses, and Appaloosa. barnyard! When you attend, be While students are sure to listen closely to making their to-do list this the auctioneer and ridspring, they should coners as they spout out sider visiting a place that’s small details about their not on any tourist map— mounts. And, while Patton Livestock Market watching riders randomly in London. The livestock hop on and off of horses sales is just a short drive may look amusing, this from the London Campus gives potential buyers a Every Tuesday the aucbetter understanding of tion is filled with farmwhat the horse’s manner ers, barterers, and animals and personality might be ready for the picking. like. Bidding is held in the Photo by Larissa Watkins Those looking to buy a livestock arena. If you want to bid, be sure to You’ll find buyers, sellers and lookers-on at horse can also walk back to the stalls and see the bring extra cash and don’t Patton Livestock Market in London. animals before they enter forget to get a number at the customer window. All that is needed is a drivers the ring. This gives potential buyers an opportunity to see how horses interact with each other and to talk license and your up and ready to bid. As the people gather and sit around the arena, the with other buyers. Not looking to buy an animal? No problem. auctioneer will announce different breeds and species There’s always an assortment of people who attend of animals for sale. The stock sale can range from horses and mules, the sales just to hang out, see horses, smell the barn to pigs, goats and chickens. Outside the arena you’ll smells, buy the homemade beef jerky, horse tack, and find other eager sellers who are more than happy to to consort with other people. If you need more information contact the Patton show you their wide range of goods. Horses steal the limelight every first and third Livestock Market at (606) 862-7900. It is located at Friday of the month at Patton’s equine-only sales. 1253 South Main Street London, KY 40741-2010, The day features buying and selling of horses, mules, right next to the London Cemetery. •Be currently enrolled at SCC Applications will be accepted in April for managing editor of with a course load of no less than SCC’s student newspaper, The 9 credit hours; •Submit an official Bridge. The person application, including selected for the post resume and samples of would serve a one-acwriting; and ademic-year term, Fall •Enter into a formal 2010-Spring 2011. agreement with the The student selectSCC Board of Student ed by the Student Publications. Publication Committee For an application will receive a 12-hour or more information, scholarship to SCC. The scholarship will be The Bridge prints interested students good for two semes- three issues each can e-mail [email protected] ters. semester. or stop by the Visual Qualifications for Communication department. the post include: The deadline to submit an •Have a rank of sophomore; •Have a cumulative grade point application for this position is Wednesday, April 28 and interaverage of 2.5 or higher; •Have appropriate management views will be held the first week of May. skills; Cundiff Rental Properties Phone: (606) 679-2176 Bank of Jamestown 270-343-3186 Three Locations To Serve You!! www.bankofjamestown.com EQUAL HOUSING LENDER April 1, 2010 Campus News The Bridge 13 At Laurel Campus and McCreary Center New SCC buildings are now open for business By Donnie Branscum The Laurel Campus and McCreary Center have opened new buildings this semester. “The building in McCreary was open on the first day of class, January 11,” said Larry Abbott, the Chief Operations Officer at SCC. The building will add classrooms, a computer lab, offices, and a conference room. The Laurel Campus Allied Health and Technical Building opened on February 12. SCC announced on Friday, October 31, 2008, that a bid has been accepted from Hacker Brothers Construction Company for the new 20,000 square foot building. “The building contains a law enforcement laboratory, a computer laboratory and a new hospitality and culinary arts laboratory. The building will also contain three studios for art classes,” said Dave Cazalet, Director of Public Relations at SCC. The Art Department at SCC is now offering new art classes at the McCreary Center. “For six years SCC has had drawing and painting classes, but the classes have outgrown their space,” said Darlene Libbey, Assistant Professor of Humanities and Fine Arts. “One of the new classes offered will be pottery. The drawing and painting studio has a gorgeous north light and is specifically designed for art with individual spaces for an artist to store their supplies and racks for storing paintings,” said Libbey The new building is on the north side of the SCC McCreary Center at 250 College St. in Whitley City on the west side of U.S Hwy. 27. The Laurel Campus Allied Health and Technical Building is located on U.S. 192 By-Pass adjacent to the Laurel County Public Library. “It is a two story structure with 53,756 square foot with a project budget of $14,015,000.00 constructed by D.W. Wilburn Inc.,” Cazalet said. The building opened on February 12 and allows SCC to relocate and expand existing programs. “The programs include practical nursing, respiratory therapy, medical assisting and a new opportunity for new health programs in registered nursing and pharmacy technology,” Abbott said. Cazalet noted that the facility would also provide a new “one stop” student services component that will allow students to access Admissions, Financial Aid and Counseling Services in one area. “The project has also included more parking and campus storage,” he said. New buildings at SCC’s Laurel Campus, above, and McCreary Center, below, are providing more classrooms and services for students. 14 CHEATING from page 3 She also said she felt cheating would lead to bad habits for that person in the future. Even though cheating leads to failure, some students will continue to be lazy and rely on others to do their work. And as Sandra Barnett a student said, “You will not know how to do (your job) yourself.” “I don’t believe that cheating happens a lot at SCC, but I do think it happens some,” she said. Another student, Darren View, pointed out that cheating can stem from lack of studying, and can lead to a person wanting something for nothing. “I believe that cheating leads to lying and an attitude of trying to get something for nothing,” he said. “And ultimately (it) leads to being lazy and not applying one’s self.” “It happens more than one may think,” Vires added. “But I don’t believe it’s a wide spread problem.” Some believe that laziness is part of being young and that students will grow out of cheating as they mature. Student Shelly Simpson said, “I think it (cheating) happens a lot at SCC, but just with freshman. (Then) they learn that teachers will not allow cheating in their class.” Unfortunately some people cheat because they simply do not want to do the work. Campus News April 1, 2010 The Bridge As another student Lance Gentry put it, “Basically, it’s an easy way out. Cheating happens everywhere, (but) it hurts and cripples you from completing what’s expected of you honestly.” Student Gordon Dowell felt that some just not being prepared. “People cheat to get a better grade, because they are not prepared. I think it happens very often at SCC,” said Josh Jones. “Sometimes cheating leads to a good grade, but if a student has good character Regardless of the reason, “When you cheat it’s a character issue. It’s a lack of character and a lack of values.” —SCC math instructor April Spears people cheat to get by simply because it’s easy. “I feel that cheating happens a lot at SCC,” Dowell said. “Just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean that its not there” Even former students such as Eric Whitson agreed “I think people cheat because they think it’s easier and will serve their goals in the long term,” he said. (On whether cheating occurs at SCC) “Depending on the instructor I would guess a lot,” Whitson said. “If you have an instructor who has a bunch of tests, and you never know what you might get, it could keep cheating from happening. Cheating leads to people who are not ready to take on a role (in life) outside of college.” Not Being Prepared? Other students think it comes down to (he or she) will not feel good about cheating,” Jones said. Time? Cheating can often root from poor time management. “Students get in a panic and just want to get it (the assignment) over and done,” said Kimberly Toby, Instructional Specialist at SCC. “But what they don’t realize is that it’s not just about completing, it’s about learning.” One might assume that if a student had paid for a class then that student would actually want to learn, but some feel online classes aid students in cheating. “I do worry sometimes with online classes like the one I teach that the one who signed up for the class is not the one who is actually taking the class,” Toby said. “We have policies in place that hope- fully deter cheating,” she said. “If you cheat you get kicked out of the college. It’s ‘sorry, see ya.’” Interim Academic Dean Sharon Whitehead felt that there were many reasons why students cheat. “To give them the benefit of the doubt, some of them have work, and/ or kids.” she said. “So they don’t have the time, or they don’t see the importance of studying, people are just too committed.” Pressure? Whether it comes from peers, parents, the school or the students themselves, many students feel the pressure to succeed. Often success can mean perfect grades, and some students thought this pressure coupled with low self confidence might lead to cheating. Tawana Eastridge said, “We all have tendencies to sell ourselves short on occasions, I think students often cheat because they don’t have enough confidence in their own knowledge and fear of failure.” Eastridge was certain that cheating was occurring at SCC, but said, “I don’t know if I would say a lot.” Some people feel pressure from family or friends to do well so they cheat, or because they think they just can’t do it on their own. Regardless of the reason, “When you cheat it’s a character issue. It’s a lack of character and a lack of values,” said April See CHEATING, Page 15 April 1, 2010 CHEATING from page 14 Spears a SCC math instructor. Some students believe that people cheat because the system puts so much pressure on them to achieve grade-oriented success. “Pass or fail systems don’t put that incremental pressure on a student,” said Timothy Conway, an SCC student from New York. “I think cheating is rampant wherever testing takes place. It certainly occurs at SCC. It probably takes place as much at SCC as anywhere,” Conway said. “Cheating either leads to passing grades or expulsion... since it is so difficult to prove cheating I suspect it more often leads to passing grades. I wonder how often people cheat in ethics classes?” he said. Entitlement? And as student Carole Brown pointed out, some people just feel entitled. “In this society kids have been taught equality and fairness but in actuality, the world is not fair and everyone will not be treated the same. This teaches them to not put forth the effort to try to do good things themselves (but instead) to find someone who does. It’s more convenient for them to copy. They therefore get a grade they don’t deserve.” Thrill Seekers? Is it possible that some students cheat just for the thrill? “You have some (cheaters) that do it for the thrill of wondering if they are going to get caught,” said Spears. Campus News The Bridge Excuses? “Some people excuse what they do. They don’t think of it as cheating if they copy a friend’s paper, or look online and say ‘That’s a great essay!’ and then just copy it,” said Whitehead. “I wonder too, if sometimes in grade school teachers reward students that copy answers out of the textbook, rather than coming up with their own words,” she said. “It’s a copy and paste trap that students can fall into.” “They are being short-sighted about a grade, but they are losing the education. Every time you do something wrong you lose a little bit of yourself,” she said. The Verdict According to many SCC students and faculty, whatever the reason why people cheat, they are only harming themselves by leading their lives down the road to failure rather than success “Cheating leads to a lack of confidence,” student Stephanie Harris said. “If you must rely on another person to pass certain assignments or tests you are not gaining personal insight or challenging yourself. Then when asked to do certain things you may feel like you can’t do it on your own because you’ve never pushed yourself to do so.” “Unfortunately, yes, cheating happens at SCC,” said Kim Cleberg, Star Center Coordinator. “Many students are blatant cheaters. (But) they will pay in the end.” 15 Photo by Stephanie Collins Longer days and warmer weather has put a spring in the step of many SCC students. 16 Campus News April 1, 2010 The Bridge Students can exercise and save at fitness center By Stephanie Collins The average yearly cost of a local gym membership in Somerset falls between four and five hundred dollars. The cost of one credit hour at Somerset Community College is $125. Therefore, SCC students can enjoy a yearly workout (fall, spring, and summer semesters) at a fully equipped facility, right here on campus for $375. With financial aid, they can enjoy it for free. Aerobics member Steffani Dyson considers this to be the best part of the program, saying, “I don’t have to pay for it!” The Fitness and Wellness Center is located on the lower level of the Hal Rogers Student Commons building. Students can gain access to the gym by taking part in one or more of the six KHP classes provided. Such classes are Fitness, Strength and Flexibility, Conditioning, Resistance Training, Nautilus, and Crosstraining. Each class offered is a one credit hour course and can be covered by those students receiving financial aid. What students might not know is that these classes are provided on a “come and go” basis, according to the Coordinator, Jeff Brickley. “We don’t really have class meetings, students can come as they please,” said Brickley. Essentially, showing up to work out is the only participation these classes require. There are no books to juggle, tests to study for, or time restrictions. “We will write out a plan for you,” said Brickley. According to Brickley, this plan serves as the student’s curriculum throughout the semester. Their progress is made by following this plan and their participation in the course is monitored by stamping their personal card after each visit. Carl Weller, a member of the Fitness class, says, “He showed me how to use the equipment and I just went at it.” The Fitness and Wellness Center is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 7pm. Amenities include locker rooms equipped with showers, along with an activity center. The activity center has a ping pong table, pool table, and television where students can relax, socialize, or enjoy their lunch. The activity center is open for all students of SCC, not just for those enrolled in a fitness class. For more information, students can contact Jeff Brickley at 606-451-6746 or 606451-6940. He can also be reached by email at [email protected]. Photo by Stephanie Collins SCC’s fitness center has a wide variety of finess equipment available. Campus News April 1, 2010 17 The Bridge A Q U I C K B I O G R A P H Y Bio-to-Go A quick word from students at Somerset Community College Callie Phillipe from Casey County Major: Radiography Jeremy Lyons of Pulaski County Computer Programming David Ronquillo from Pulaski County Who is your idol? My sister My father My parents Who’s your celebrity crush? Ryan Reynolds Charlize Theron Nobody Favorite movie quote? “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird,” - The Notebook “I could have been a contender” - On The Waterfront “I like mushu” - Rush Hour 2 If you could be an inanimate object, what would it be? A rock A rock A table Where would you want to be a fly on the wall? At work The Oval Office Math class Favorite vacation spot? Panama City Beach Myrtle Beach Miami Beach Liberal, conservative, or in between? Conservative Liberally conservative Liberal What was your first car? 2006 Monte Carlo Toyota pickup Cadillac DeVille Favorite method of communication? Texting Face-to-face Face-to-face Who or what is your favorite fairy tale creature? Donkey off of Shrek The Griffin Puss from Shrek Send your suggestions for Bio-To-Go questions to [email protected] CD REVIEW Faubush Hill ‘Under a Jealous Moon’ One of the clichés about modern life is that we all go around in our own little technological bubbles and that the music of the living room and the back porch is as much an anachronism as party-line telephones. In Somerset, thankfully, this conventional wisdom could not be more wrong. Nowhere is that more apparent than at the End Zone Pizza Pub in Burnside on Friday and Saturday nights where some talented and original musicians are singing and playing their hearts out for an appreciative local crowd. One of the bands, Faubush Hill, has just released a CD of original songs that rival some of the best songs of such luminaries as Emmy Lou Harris, Darrell Scott, Johnny Cash, and Lyle Lovett. Recorded primarily as a project by husband and wife duo Kevin and Robin Dalton, Under a Jealous Moon features songs influenced by every genre from kick-up-your-heels Texas swing in “Fiddle in the Middle” to the Beatles-era ballad “Funny Shoes” to the kind of ironic songs about love, devotion, and the inevitable losses that make up the best country and Americana music, the kind that Lyle Lovett might sing with his large band or on the road with John Hiatt. The band that produced this gem of a CD, however, is not large. Thanks to what Kevin Dalton calls “Les Paul and the invention of multi-track recorders,” on many of the early tracks recorded for the CD, Kevin and Robin are the sole performers, with Robin’s sultry, soulful contralto voice leading most of the songs and providing harmony for Kevin’s tenor on the rest. A multi-instrumentalist with an impressive range of skills, Kevin shows his chops on guitar, both lead and rhythm, and also drums, keyboard, mandolin, and bass. The two exceptions are “Fiddle in the Middle,” with Kevin’s phenomenally talented Uncle Tom Minton pro- viding the fiddle, and “Church on Sunday” featuring Kevin and Robin’s son T.J. Smith on lead guitar, Kris Kirkpatrick on drums, and Mark Sloan on harmony vocals. As Under a Jealous Moon became more of a reality, Kevin realized that live performances of their music meant that the band had to grow. They added Joe Dobbs on bass and Kris Kirkpatrick on drums, both gifted musicians who add depth and texture to what the duet is able to accomplish musically on their own. The live band, playing as it does to a late-night audiences, often focuses on the work of other musicians and writers. The CD, however, is Kevin Dalton’s baby, made up of fourteen lovely tracks that are beautiful not only because of the musical range and richness, but also because of Kevin’s lyrics that show the writing ability of a mature poet who has been able to take his life experiences (and those of Robin, his wife) to fuel songs that are both universal in appeal and at the same time intensely personal. “Pretty Bird,” for example, tells the story of a woman who goes in search of her father, a man she never knew. Mixed with the feelings of loss and the hope of reconciliation is resignation: “You don’t have to take There is not a false note here or a bad song... me in/I’m not no little kid/And you don’t have to love me/Just tell me why you never did.” “Red Mandolin,” one of the most whimsical tracks on the CD, is a gypsy romance. Yet even while it has its fun telling the story of a woman Picasso painted in greens, who sings and plays her red mandolin “beneath a jealous moon,” it understands the depth of a love whose tears “fill up the wishing well” and is intense and lasting: “I would lay/I would lay/I would lay my life down for you, dear/shelter all your innocence/ Swallow all your tears.” There is not a false note here or a bad song, and this is truly a project the duet can be proud of. Here’s hoping that we hear much more from Faubush Hill, and that this marvelous CD gives them an opportunity to show some other music fans around the country and the region the kind of homegrown talent we have right here. Information about the band, copies of the lyrics, schedule of appearances, and ordering information the new release Under a Jealous Moon are all available at www.faubushhill. com. The CD is $10 if you catch them live and buy it or $13 if they ship it to you. Wanda Fries Campus News 18 April 1, 2010 The Bridge All your library quandaries explained by... Madame X L ibrarienne of M ystery A look at the Interlibrary Loan program Arnow Conference set for Friday, April 9 SCC will host the 8th Annual Arnow Conference on Appalachian Literature and Culture on Friday, April 9, in the Harold Rogers Student Commons located on the SCC Somerset Campus North. This year’s special guests include: Poet Jeff Worley, Short-story Writer Jim Tomlinson, Playwright Liz Fentress, Writer Kate Larkin, Historian Ron Eller, and Kentucky Poet Laureate Gurney Norman. The theme of this year’s conference is “What does the future hold?” Registration for the conference is $40, which can be paid at any time up to the day of the event. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. At 9:45 a.m., there will be a creative writing workshop. A series of workshops by the visiting writers will be held beginning at 11:15 a.m. There will also be a book signing by all of the guest authors at 11:15 a.m. The Keynote speaker at the luncheon will be Ron Eller. His subject will be “Does the Future Still Hold Uneven Ground?” Eller’s most recent book is entitled, Uneven Ground: Appalachia Since 1945, The book will provide a basis for his comments about the region’s future. Creative writing will resume at 1:30 p.m. and workshops on short fiction and playwriting will begin at 3 p.m. At 3:15 p.m. the Arnow Cultural Legacy Commission will update the conference on their efforts to save the Arnow-Casada one-room school. That will be followed by a memoir by Tom Arnow, the son of Kentucky author Harriette Simpson Arnow. The annual SCC conference is named for Harriette Simpson Arnow. Arnow was born Harriet Louisa Simpson in Kentucky. She was an avid reader, and began writing poems and short stories when she was a young girl. Even with her love of English and reading, she decided to major in science in college, though she continued to write, and was a member of a literary society. She taught for a short while after graduating from college, but decided to concentrate on her writing, and moved to Ohio. Her first novel, Mountain Path, was published in 1936, and was highly successful. Her next novel, Hunter’s Horn, came 15 years later. It was a 1949 best seller, and a Fiction Book Club selection. In 1954, she published her most impressive work, The Dollmaker. It remained on the best-seller list for 31 weeks and also placed second in the National Book Awards and won the Friends of American Writers award the next year. Other awards Arnow won include the Weathorford award which is “given for writings that further an understanding of Appalachia” and also the Mark Twain Award for Distinguished Midwestern Literature from Michigan State University. She was married to Harold B. Arnow in 1939, and they had two children. WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Travis Leffew making the grade at UK Submitted by SCC’s Student Government Association, Mira Spangler-Baker, President Travis Leffew, a 2009 graduate of SCC with an Associate of Arts degree, now attends the University of Kentucky as a Transfer Scholar. While at SCC, Travis was a Student Ambassador, Phi Theta Kappa member, and a reporter for the student newspaper, “The Bridge.” At UK, Travis is a member of the Wildcat Marching Band, student government’s Residence Life program, UK’s Men’s Choir, and Hispanic Studies Program. He is a Broadcast Journalism major with an emphasis on news media production. He aspires to work at WKYT-TV, Channel 27 News in Lexington. In December of 2009, Travis had the opportunity to travel with UK’s Wildcat Marching Band to the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee to support the UK football team. Travis also tours with the UK Men’s Chorus. Their most recent performance was in Miami, Ohio over spring break. Outside of music and his studies, Travis enjoys visiting his home in Monticello. A former member of Wayne County High School’s Marching Band, he continues to volunteer time to help with the band. A fan of the Ford Mustang, Tarvis often attends Somernites Cruise when he is home from UK. To date, Travis said his most memorable moment at UK was attending the UK basketball team’s game against South Carolina. Even though Kentucky lost the contest, Travis says, “It was amazing. I was on row ‘A’ right behind the team and Coach Cal—The best $5 I spent in a long time. Because you know how I am, cheap.” Travis is scheduled to graduate from UK in December 2010. This month, a reader asks: Dear Mme. X: We were given a reading list with titles our professor suggested for the book review we have to do for his class. My public library doesn’t have any of them, and when I came to the college library, I found out that the library doesn’t have all of the things on the list, and the ones that they do have are checked out. What now? ~A Procrastinator Dear Procrastinator: Everybody puts things off from time to time, so quit beating yourself up about this. While the SCC Library makes every attempt to buy the items on the various course reading lists, professors often change Have a library or researchrelated question? those and don’t tell us. If you wait too long, E-mail Madame X at as you’ve said, the titles that we do have are [email protected]! checked out by “early bird” students. Unless the things on your reading list are reasonably Your SCC Library- online popular fiction titles or recent, best-selling 24/7@ non-fiction, don’t be upset if your public somerset.kctcs.edu/library library doesn’t have them. Public libraries have to buy for everyone, stretching their dollars between Curious George, Twilight, and the latest Danielle Steele title - college libraries buy things that are related to the college’s curriculum. If the preferred item is not owned by the SCC Library, or our copy is lost or missing from the collection, we can request that it be sent from another library. This is called Interlibrary Loan and it typically takes about a week to a week and a half for the item to arrive from the lending library. There is also the option of swallowing your pride, admitting to the instructor that you put off the assignment, and asking if you can borrow his or her personal copy of the title- although I strongly recommend that you be scrupulous about returning it in pristine condition, since the professor controls your final grade. I suggest exhausting all of your other options before pursuing that one, though. —Yours in mystery, Mme. X New at the library this month: National Library Week is April 11-17, and this year’s theme is “Communities Thrive @ Your Library.” The chairperson is graphic novelist Neil Gaiman, author of the Sandman series. Take some time to consider how the ‘community’ in Somerset Community College is defined! Thanks to everyone who participated in the library’s Oscar trivia contest as well, and congratulations to the winner, Laura Morgan, who received a copy of the Disney-Pixar movie, UP. SCC student recieves national recognition SCC grad Travis Leffew, right, with the UK Wildcat Band. Students enrolled in SCC’s Physical Therapist Assistant Program recently attended the American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Sections Meeting in San Diego, California. Valarie Cooper of Jamestown was recognized by the Orthopaedic Section as the section’s Outstanding Physical Therapist Assistant Student for 2010. This is the third consecutive year that the winner of the award was from the SCC program. Valarie Cooper Campus News April 1, 2010 The Bridge Intramural hoops Pick-up play a fun way to ‘get your game on’ Photo by Donnie Branscum Intramural basketball games are played at Somerset’s National Guard Armory every Tuesday afternoon. By Donnie Branscum SCC may not be known for Final Four appearances and AllAmerican basketball players, but that doesn’t mean the sport isn’t played here. Intramural basketball is being played each Tuesday at the National Guard Armory in downtown Somerset. Games are held between 4 and 6 p.m. Sean Ayers, Admissions Advisor/Student Affairs and Trent Poole, staff member at SCC, have been running the league for over eight years. “It is more of a pick-up game than a league,” said Poole. “This year has been the best turnout we’ve had.” “Students, faculty, and staff are all welcome to play,” Ayers said. Teams are made up of all three groups and the type of game varies depending on how many players show up. For example, on Tuesday March 9 there were eight players, and they played a four-on-four half court game. On March 23, there were enought players for full court play. “I would like to see more people show up and play basketball,” says Ayers. First year player Travis Hull said “I have played every week.” So whether you want to try to recapture those glory days or just have fun, there is a place for you in the SCC intramural basketball league. Picture this... Maintenance staff Ron Smith, left, and Tandy Withers display a poster in Building 2 on SCC’s Somerset Campus south. Visual Communication students took the photos, which depict the variety of courses available. The posters were designed by the Print Shop under direction of SCC’s Institutional Advancement Office. 19 Answer from Page 9 Question I’m Johnna AtkinsonBigelow Answer: Johnna AtkinsonBigelow is a Communications Professor who teaches Basic Public Speaking and Interpersonal Communication here at SCC. She also is an advisor and co-sponsor of Phi Theta Kappa, the national honors society recognizing two year colleges. Atkinson-Bigelow is often a student favorite because she makes her classes fun and inviting. She said, “I believe with all my heart that both Basic Public Speaking and Interpersonal Communications are classes that can have a life-long positive impact on my students’ lives. I tell my frightened Public Speaking students at the very beginning of the semester that by the end of the semester it will be their favorite class of all time! I don’t promise that they’ll love Public Speaking, but they will love the class. They look at me like I’m crazy. Perhaps I am...crazy like a fox! ” Photo contest to be part of Earth Day celebration Few would argue that Kentucky is a beautiful place to be during springtime. Now, taking just the right picture of this beauty could make you a winner. SCC’s Media Matters: Photography Club is now accepting entries for an amateur photo contest—Flora and Fauna in The Wild. The competition is being held in conjunction with SCC’s Earth Day festivities. Submitted image should only include photos of or in “the wild.” There is no charge to enter the contest, but the club requests that each contestant submit only one picture for judging. Only amateur photographers are eligible for the contest and images should not have time stamps and/or watermarks. Submitted images Theme of this year’s amateur photography contest is “Flora and Fauna in the Wild.” Entries should be sent to [email protected]. One entry per person. should have no obvious manipulation. Cash awards will be presented to the top three images selected by the judges—$50 first place; $25 second place; and $15 third place. Certificates for honourable mention will also be given. Judging the contest will be a panel of Media Matters Club members. To submit an image to the contest, attach your photo to an email and send it to [email protected]. In the email include entrant’s name, a name for the photo, and tell where the photograph was taken. All images should be in .jpg or .png format, and should be no smaller than 800x800 pixels. Images for the contest will be accepted until Tuesday, April 20 at 5 p.m. Winners will be notified by Friday, April 23 and will be recognized at the SCC/East KY PRIDE Earth Day celebration on Sunday, April 25. Earth Day festivities begin at 1 p.m. and will be held on SCC’s Somerset Campus north. (Visit SCC’s website for more infor- mation on the celebration.) All entries may be viewed prior to judging by visiting our Facebook page. Find us by searching for “SCC Media Matters Club” on Facebook. Entries will be displayed in the order in which they are received. Media Matters: Photography is an SCC club for those interested in photography. The club provides an online home for SCC students, staff and faculty to post their digital images. For more information on the contest or Media Matters: Photography, contact club president Jocelyn Daulton at kaityslanaa@ gmail.com or club vice president Jules Jenkins at [email protected]. ©2010 McDonald’s. PRICES AND PARTICIPATION MAY VARY. starting at 2 $ 29 mocha & caramel Frappés Three Point Frappé