Confidential informants help police

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North Iowa Area Community College
Mason City, IA 50401
September 2, 2011
Volume 38, Issue 1
Confidential informants help police
•Page 4 Kolb-Jackson
spent 23 years on a
reservation
•Page 7 This NIACC
student has put his feet
where his cause is
•Page 10 Summer
camp leads to a scholarship offer for Trojan
Jacey Wood
Advertising Manager
tudents in NIACC’s criminal justice program are not the only students at NIACC
who help law officials fight crime.
The Mason City Police Department has recently began using female college students to help
the department on liquor store and bar stings.
“Each year we hold about 20 stings, one or
two per month,” Mike McGuire, Mason City Police
Department officer, said.
McGuire has been working with the Mason
City Police Department for over ten years now and
has seen how much of an impact the confidential
informant program has had on limiting alcohol
sales to minors.
“We’ve been doing these for about ten or
twelve years now and they have been extremely
effective in the process of catching offenders who
sell to minors,” McGuire said.
The most crucial part of the process is finding
students willing to work until early hours of the
Continued on page 5
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Artwork by Jordan Melcher
e-books may impact future of education
Eric Debner
Assistant Editor
According to a recent Des
Moines Register article titled
“Even social media can’t save a
victim of e-books”, the Borders
Group cafe in West Des Moines
closed its store in February 2011
because online and electronic
books had deeply cut its bookstore sales.
This event shows the changing times in society, and both the
College Connections Bookstore
and NIACC BookZone in Mason
City may face similar challenges
down the road.
Peggy Pitzenberger, manag-
er and owner of
the College Connection Bookstore, expressed
concern about
e-textbooks in
the future.
“Through
the internet, everything’s available online,”
Pitzenberger said. “Now students
are able to access college course
textbooks via the internet as
well.”
E-textbooks may impact the
need for students to visit bookstores in the future.
“Students are now able to
purchase e-textbooks directly
from publishing companies,”
Rhonda Nesheim-Kauffman,
manager of the NIACC Bookzone, said. According to Pitzenberger,
the internet has hurt “brick and
mortar bookstores” similarly
to online downloadable music
files adversely affecting music
stores.
“Music can now be downloaded directly to a person’s
computer online without the
need to go to the music store,”
Pitzenberger said. “This situation
is similar to how e-textbooks are
affecting bookstores.”
However, there is hope for
the future of bookstores.
Pitzenberger said e-textbooks have been slowly gaining
momentum.
“National research has shown
that e-textbooks haven’t been as
popular among college students
as one might think,” NesheimKauffman said. College students may feel
more comfortable purchasing
e-textbooks from their college
store, as a level of trust has been
established with their college
store.
According to NesheimContinued on page 2
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e-book technology still presents challenges
Continued from page one
Kauffman, college bookstores opting to
sell e-books are choosing a few titles to
start with.
Once they see if e-books are something their campus students are interested
in, they can choose to increase the number
of e-books available.
“I am hoping to have a few titles
available to students for the Fall 2011
term,” Nesheim-Kauffman said. “We try
to have as many options available for our
students as possible, thus we now offer
new books, used books, rental books and
will be dabbling in e-books.” Students interested in an e-textbook
would purchase an access code/card instead of a hard copy book. Pitzenberger said the College Connections Bookstore does carry e-textbooks,
however, only a limited number.
“This is because many of the paperback textbooks we carry haven’t been
converted to e-textbooks,” Pitzenberger
said. “Another reason is because not a lot
of students have been requesting them.”
According to Nesheim-Kauffman and
Pitzenberger, e-textbooks have expiration
dates.
Nesheim-Kauffman said she warns
students to realize that when they purchase an e-book, they will have access to
the textbook material for a limited amount
of time (the code will expire after three
months, six months, etc), and students
will not be allowed to print the e-book
material using NIACC printers. “Many times instructors reference
textbook material during class; therefore, students with an e-book would need
to bring printed materials to class, or
always have their laptop or other electronic reading device available during
class time,” Nesheim-Kauffman said. “My
recommendation is that students should
really think about if this is a good option
for them before they jump into purchasing
e-textbooks.”
Pitzenberger said the expiration
dates prevent students from selling the
e-textbooks back to the bookstore.
“I’m concerned for the students because e-textbooks have no resale value,”
Pitzenberger said.
According to Pitzenberger, it’s not
the companies that are pushing for the
e-textbooks but rather, the authors of the
textbooks.
“The authors want to sell more copies
of their textbooks, but that isn’t possible
when students sell and rent paperback
textbooks from bookstores,” Pitzenberger
said. “E-textbooks can’t be sold back to the
bookstores nor can they be rented or lent to
friends due to their expiration dates.”
Pitzenberger said e-textbooks serve a
purpose.“E-textbooks are great for students
who take courses that aren’t prerequisites
for a degree,” Pitzenberger said.
Portability is an issue.“One of the main
reasons why I think paperback textbooks
will continue to exist is because of their
portablility,” Pitzenberger said. “While
e-textbooks can be stored en masse on a
computer or electronic book, the danger of
e-textbooks is that if the storage device is
lost, so are all of the textbooks.”
Thus, electronic books such as the
Kindle have limitations.
“Another problem with the Kindle
is that it currently doesn’t offer all textbooks,” Pitzenberger said.
Pitzenberger said she thinks that
whether it’s a hard copy textbook or an
e-textbook, it’s important to find the right
fit for the student.
There is a future for bookstores like
the College Connection Bookstore and the
NIACC Bookzone
“In my opinion, college bookstores
will always have a presence on college
campuses, they just might look different then they do right now,” NesheimKauffman said. “College bookstores are an
integral part of education whether students
purchase books, rent books or purchase etextbooks, the bookstore provides students
with the information they need to be successful in their classes.”
They do so much more than just sell
books. College bookstores have a wide
variety of other items available for students to purchase, and they offer outlets
for students to sell their books when they
are finished with them. “In most cases, the revenue college
bookstores bring in goes back to support
their institutions, and ultimately the institution’s students,” Nesheim-Kauffman
said. “To me, doing what’s best for our
students is what it’s all about.”
“Most stats we get on e-textbooks
show that they aren’t as popular as one
might think,” Pitzenberger said. “Bookstores will flourish as long as they offer
choice.”
‘Phishing’ can pose security risk in e-mail
Eric Debner
Assistant Editor
“Phishing occurs when
someone requests the personal
information of another through
the internet,” Mark Greenwood,
associate CIO and director of
NIACC Technology Services,
said.
Phishing is an attempt to
trick an individual into giving
out personal information that the
‘phisher’ can use for his or her
own personal gain.
According to Greenwood,
this personal information includes passwords, Social Security numbers, birthdates, and
bank account or credit card
numbers.
Phishers wear the ‘skin’ of
their victims.
“If a phisher were to ac-
quire the login information to
a victim’s e-mail account, he
or she will use that account to
continue spamming out emails,”
Greenwood said. “By using the
new email account, the phisher
looks more legitimate to the
recipients.”
Greenwood said a phisher
posing as a NIACC student by
using a college e-mail account is
more convincing than a Hotmail
or Yahoo account.
NIACC students should be
wary of any e-mails requesting
personal information addressed
from NIACC Technology Services.
“NIACC Technology Services will never ask students
through e-mail message for
sensitive information,” Greenwood said. “As a matter of fact, I
know of no legitimate businesses
that request passwords or other
sensitive information through
e-mail.”
Phishers lay hidden traps.
“Many phishers will put up
websites that look exactly like
the original, especially popular
ones like Facebook and Bank of
America,” Greenwood said.
According to Greenwood, after creating a website replica, the
phisher will make a slight change
to its URL to catch individuals
who accidentally misspell the
original site’s address when typing it into their web browser.
Another technique phishers
frequently use is sending out
e-mails as a means of luring in
unsuspecting victims.
“Most phishing occurs
through e-mail,” Greenwood said.
“The phishers send out emails
to recipients saying something
like, ‘Your e-mail capacity has
been exceeded, please click this
link and fill out the necessary information to extend your e-mail
capacity.”
According to Greenwood,
recipients are likely to provide the information because
e-mailing is an important social
networking tool.
“I recommend any individuals who fall victim to phishing to
immediately log in to any and every account with connections to
the divulged sensitive information and change its password,”
Greenwood said.
Phishers will use that information to gain access to other
accounts such as Facebook accounts, Ebay accounts and bank
accounts.
“Most people use the same
e-mail address or the same password for multiple accounts,”
Greenwood said.
The Connections Newsletter recommends any individuals who’ve received suspicious
emails requesting personal information are encouraged to
contact Technology Services by
sending an e-mail to ‘phishing@
NIACC.edu’.
Individuals who fear that
they have been the victim of a
phishing attempt and given out
their NIACC e-mail account information are requested to notify
the NIACC Help Desk by calling
(641-422-4357 or 866-614-5020)
to prevent further damage.
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Sarah McCarthy
Editor
or most college students, sitting down
at a computer usually includes a habitual visit to sites like Facebook
or YouTube. Recently, some of
these sites have been causing
problems with NIACC computers.
“Streaming occurs when
you can see or hear feeds that
are not static,” Mark Greenwood,
director of Technology Services
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at NIACC, said. “In other words,
the computer is constantly talking
back and forth with the source of
the video or music.”
According to Greenwood,
streaming entertainment like
radio, video, TV programs and
movies eats up bandwidth, which
can cause problems for all of
the computers connected to the
NIACC network.
“Think of our bandwidth as a
pipe. With water, or data, pouring
through this pipe which is only
so big, not everything will fit,”
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College needs to limit ‘streaming’
Greenwood said.
NIACC pays roughly $50,000
a year for a 30 meg bandwidth,
or ‘pipe.’ This bandwidth tops
out at 1800MB/hour. Using this
statistic, Technology Services
has determined that if roughly
42 people are streaming radio on
campus, NIACC’s bandwidth will
be overwhelmed.
“Streaming for educational
purposes is fully understandable
and supported,” Greenwood said.
“However, streaming audio and
video for personal use is being
discouraged.”
In addition to using up bandwidth, streaming causes computers to noticeably slow down.
“When we get a call about a
slow computer, the first thing we
check is if they’re streaming on
it,” Greenwood said. “Streaming
causes the computers to keep a
connection live, which takes
away from the processing performance.”
Besides slowing down the
computer, streaming may cause
virus infections and hidden costs
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to the college.
A recent Burstek study indicated that 20 minutes of inappropriate use of a computer a day,
or the length of four or five songs,
costs a 100-employee company
more than $2,000 a week.
“Streaming on campus,
isn’t against the rules, but we’re
strongly discouraging it,” Greenwood said. “It’s having a negative
impact on our computers and
we’re just trying to avoid any
problems.”
Help Desk available 24/7 for student assistance
Eric Debner
Assistant Editor
NIACC students have remote access
to tech support via the NIACC Help Desk.
The help desk is a new service offered to
students for resolving technical problems
with computers.
According to Janice Ward, NIACC
chief information officer, the help desk
was implemented in November 2010, but
recently gained momentum in the 2011
spring semester when Sungard took over
the service.
“The main reason why NIACC started
using the help desk (with SunGard) was
to extend technology support assistance to
faculty and students 24/7,” Ward said.
Also, full-time NIACC Technology
Service employees are not available on
the weekends so the help desk expands the
hours of service for students, especially
those commuting and living off campus.
According to Ward, the help desk
plays a vital role in NIACC technology
support. “It provides a basic level of service that takes resolvable calls by the help
desk, and allows the local Technology
Services to work on the more difficult
issues,” Ward said.
Ward said the help desk’s main task
is to help students with account issues
such as password resets and usernames for
logging in to NIACC emails, WebAdvisor
and on-campus computers.
“The help desk can easily answer
these questions over the phone,” Ward
said. “This frees up time for the local
Technology Services to work on other
important projects.”
Students seeking technology support
should call the help desk. “This is for security reasons because anyone can pretend
to be you through an email,” Ward said.
“Emailing also tends to delay response
time from the help desk.”
The NIACC help desk has ties with
the SunGard Initiative in Florida. “The
NIACC help desk is managed and staffed
by SunGard Higher Education as a part of
the multi-year contract that NIACC has
with SunGard,” Ward said. “This is a key
component of the services that SunGard
was asked to provide for NIACC. “
SunGard’s help desk has several staff
members who are prioritized to handle
NIACC’s calls first and then additional
staff that handle overflow calls during
busy times. Ward said NIACC has a SunGard
employee who manages the remote employees and NIACC Technology Services
can go to him to address any issues. “NIACC still maintains a walk-up
help desk area in the Beem Center, and
calls are escalated from the remote help
desk to on-site technicians when needed,”
Ward said. “Ideally, the remote and onsite staff works seamlessly together for
handling issues.” According to Ward, all calls made to
the help desk go to a log that NIACC Tech
Service can view, and tickets get forwarded
to a group on campus.
Each call is prioritized. “Prioritization
is based on several things,” Ward said. “At
a basic level, prioritization includes how
many people are affected by the problem,
whether the problem prevents all work or
just certain functions or if they can keep
working, as well as factors like instructional time from faculty.”
According to Ward, almost all calls
received are prioritized at a level 3 or 4
call which are typical ratings for a call
affecting one person trying to do something and cannot, or in the case of level 4
a request that isn’t impacting the ability to
do work or is a ‘when you get to it’ type
of request. Level 1 and level 2 calls are reserved
for more rare occasions when many people
are affected or there is an outage impacting
instruction. “The fact that a call is a level 3 or 4
does not mean that it won’t be dealt with as
quickly as possible, but instead allows us
to quickly determine how large or substantial the request might be,” Ward said.
Ward gave out the following stats on
the number of calls made to the NIACC
Help Desk in 2011.
According to Ward, the total number
of calls to the Help Desk from January 1 to
March 31 was 1110, and 802 of them were
closed or resolved.
For the month of March alone, 267
calls were made and 208 were closed. The
most common issue of 116 of the 207 calls
was password resets.
Ward said this link, http://www.niacc.
edu/helpdesk, will take students to a page
in the NIACC website containing contact
information for the help desk.
“It has links to live chat sessions with
tech support, a help desk form that can be
filled out online and a toll free number that
students living outside of Mason City can
call,” Ward said.
NIACEA
North Iowa Area College Educators Association
“Welcome back students, staff, and faculty.
Have a great start to your fall semester at
NIACC”
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September 2, 2011
Kolb-Jackson spends 23 years on reservation
Sarah McCarthy
Editor
Deborah Kolb-Jackson,
the circulation assistant in the
NIACC library, has witnessed
unspeakable poverty and
violence. She has also seen a
unique and traditional culture
that many never get the chance
to experience.
Kolb-Jackson spent 23
years of her life living on the
Rosebud Sioux Indian Tribe
reservation in South Dakota.
“I moved out to the reservation to save a failing marriage,” Kolb-Jackson said. “My
ex-husband and I had at the
time reconciled and we moved
out to South Dakota where he
grew up. He was an enrolled
member of the Rosebud Sioux
Tribe.”
Kolb-Jackson, who grew
up in a small farming community south of Thorton, said she
was forced to submerse herself
in a totally new culture that was
completely different from what
she was raised in.
“I lived, in essence, in another country. The reservation
does not belong to the United
States,” Kolb-Jackson said.
“They have their own culture,
music, language, politics, everything.”
Kolb-Jackson spent her
time on the reservation as a
librarian for the tribal schools
and cultivated what she describes as a total awareness.
“I became aware of the
plight that the members of the
Rosebud Sioux Tribe live in
and their complicated ties to
the U.S.,” Kolb-Jackson said.
“I saw a culture that had been
subjected to colonialism and
the consequences that come
with that.”
Kolb-Jackson said she
learned how the U.S. government took children from their
families and put them in boarding schools throughout the
nineteenth century to attempt to
assimilate them into the mainstream white culture.
She noticed the aftermath
that resulted from generations
being put through this process.
Kolb-Jackson said she also
saw devastating poverty and
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Crispy Taco $.69
Beef Soft Shell $.99
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Logos photo by Sarah McCarthy
Deborah Kolb-Jackson, the circulation assistant in the NIACC
library, works in the shelves.
violence on the reservation.
ily escape or people not having
“The poverty is boneenough food to eat.”
crushing,” Kolb-Jackson said.
The violence is what Kolb“Right now the unemployment
Jackson said shocked her the
rate is around 86% and I saw all most.
of the bad side effects from it,
“The physical damage and
like people self medicating with death they can inflict on one
drugs and alcohol to temporaranother, incest, murder, drive by
P o n d f e s t 2 0 11
•When - Thursday, September 8
• Where - Pond next to the dorm
• When - 3:30 p.m.
• Why - Pondfest is the social kickoff for
the year. It allows students, faculty and staff
an opportunity to meet and compete (only if
you want to). There’s canoe racing, hot shot
basketball, and the 3-person Winger contest.
In addition there’s a rock climbing wall, sand
art, music and a fantastic barbeque. All free.
See you there - don’t miss it!!!
shootings, it’s very dangerous to
live there,” Kolb-Jackson said.
Kolb-Jackson said she
recalls one story of senseless
violence that stands out in her
mind that took place five miles
from her home.
The story of a young girl
named Richanda Roubideaux who was a middle school
student on the Rosebud Sioux
Reservation.
Roubideaux simply went
missing one day. When her parents couldn’t find her the FBI
was brought in.
Kolb-Jackson said Roubideaux’s body was found about
seven days later. She had been
molested, mutilated, murdered
and left in a ditch. The perpetrator was never found.
“Poverty is scary. Some of
my students fought so hard to
stay alive,” Kolb-Jackson said.
“That was their daily existence,
struggling not to be beaten,
molested or murdered.”
Kolb-Jackson said she
shares her experience on the
reservation with NIACC classes
that ask her to come speak
because she thinks there are a
lot of people that have never left
their comfort zone and experienced other cultures.
“There are also a lot of
people out there with Native
American blood that we don’t
know about,” Kolb-Jackson
said. “I’ve developed friendships and connections with
people by sharing my story.”
Kolb-Jackson said that
her 23 years on the reservation
taught her many things, but
there are a select few that linger
with her today.
“Never take anything for
granted,” Kolb-Jackson said. “It
can be taken away from you just
like that.”
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NIACC to offer special forum for Constitution Day
North Iowa Area Community College will offer a program on Federalism
and the Constitution on Friday, September 16, in Beem Forum 200 on the
NIACC campus from 3- 5 p.m.
This free public forum will be
facilitated by John Schmaltz, emeritus
instructor at NIACC, and will commem-
orate Constitution Day which is held on
September 17 of each year.
This year’s program will examine how the division of power between
the national government and the state
governments has evolved and changed
since the Constitution went into effect
in 1789.
NIACC’s presentation of this
forum complies with the federal law requiring every school that receives federal
funds to provide students with a program
on the Constitution.
This program will be the seventh
offered by the college to NIACC students and the public.
Free copies of the Constitution
will also be given out to those in attendance.
The Constitution Forum is offered
to the public as well for no charge
through NIACC’s Lifelong Learning
Institute.
College life can be whatever you make it
Remember when
Emily Philipp
Entertainment Editor
[email protected]
through the stress and in fact is
still going through it, it will all
work out, and in the end it’s all
worth it.
Many things are gained from
college that have nothing to do
with an education, although getting an education is one of the
most important things you should
ever want to gain.
But other things you will
gain from college life are independence and confidence for
example.
You will have the indepen-
dence to do what you want, when
you want, and how you want, as
long as it isn’t illegal and doesn’t
offend.
You have the choice to
choose your classes, choose
your instructor, choose to have
a roommate, and choose to do or
not do your homework. But take
it from me; it’s not the smartest
idea to skip the homework.
Confidence will be gained
every day if you go about college
with an, ‘I can do it’ attitude,
because you can. It just takes a
little time and effort. Speeches
and papers will get easier as you
get into the knack of things.
And always remember, everyone’s nervous, it’s a natural
emotion to have. But if help is
needed, don’t be afraid to ask.
College is an adventure,
but how you decide to deal and
face this exciting time in life will
determine how well and how far
you will get. It can be stressful
but take it one step at a time and
success will follow.
“Doesn’t matter how old they look, the girls
need a squeaky clean record with no former alcohol violations...” -Mike McGuire, MCPD
they look, the girls need a squeaky
clean record with no former
alcohol violations or anything,
and most of the time they know
someone in the law enforcement
field,” McGuire said.
As far as the penalties go, it
isn’t just the bars who cover the
bill when caught by the informants, the bartenders receive a
hefty fine as well.
According to Iowa’s state
laws concerning liquor and minors, selling to a minor 18 years
of age or younger is considered
a class 1-misdemeanor for the
licensee which is a full year in jail
and a $1,000 dollar fine.
The clerk who actually sells
the alcohol is liable for all the
same penalties as the licensee
(that is, he or she can be arrested for a class 1- misdemeanor,
depending on the age of the
minor). The state also imposes other
punitive sanctions, like suspending the clerk’s driver’s license for
30 days to a year. NIACC students help the
community and law enforcement
in many ways from fundraisers to
volunteer work.
Students who take the time
out of their weekends to be
confidential informants help to
continue this tradition.
So a new year of college life
is upon us. Some may be coming
back for more and others may
just be starting out, getting their
feet wet and taking a taste of college life for the first time.
It’s a bit scary out there on
your own, meeting new people,
listening to the instructors say
what is expected of you and
trying to fit everything on your
schedule.
But don’t worry. We have
all been there and take it from
someone who has already gone
Confidential informants ‘have been extremely effective’
Continued from page one
morning doing this job.
However, there are those
willing to help.
“I was asked earlier this year
to be one and overall I’ve done it
about four times and have gotten
roughly over 20 places caught
selling to minors,” Sandy, whose
name has been changed to protect
her identity, said about her involvement in the program.
According to Sandy, the last
time she had gone on one of the
stings, it was for Mason City
businesses and they managed to
catch 12 of 40 places selling to
minors.
The students, under 21, use
their real ID’s and they are given
a set list of places to hit each
night.
Informants enter the establishment with an officer who is
undercover at the time.
“It’s so crazy when you go
up to buy the alcohol and the
person scans the ID, which is denied because it’s underage, then
they’ll just void it sometimes,”
Sandy said.
Sandy said she really has
enjoyed helping the police department with this, but she says
most of the time the people do
not let her buy the alcohol, and
that can be embarrassing.
However, the way these
students enter the program, as an
informant, is not as easy as one
might think.
McGuire said having a certain look isn’t important but the
background is essential for selection into the program.
“Doesn’t matter how old
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September 2, 2011
Some students master ‘How to Fail College 101’
I
Wendy Smith
Feature Editor
n an attempt to help
students be successful
in college classes, Dr.
Jeff Platt, a NIACC
social science instructor, tells
students at NIACC how to fail
college.
According to Platt’s website; when a student misses a
class, he or she should ask the
instructor “Did we do anything (important) in the class I
missed?”
“Instructors everywhere
love this question because it
keeps instructors humble by
reminding them of the insignificance of their job and their
efforts,” Platt, who teaches
psychology, said.
A great follow-up question is asking, “So all we did in
class was take notes?”
Again, one of the most important jobs of students is to put
their instructors in their place.
Platt says students
wouldn’t want their instructors
to get big heads from thinking
that students appreciate their
efforts.
Remember, there is nothing
worse than an instructor with a
healthy self-esteem.
If class gets boring, take a
nap on your desk. You paid for
the use of that desk with your
tuition, right?
Sending and receiving text
messages during class is fine
because the important thing is
that you came to class.
Just showing up should be
good enough for a C. (C stands
for “cool” anyway.)
The final suggestion given
by Platt is waiting until your instructor is getting excited about
some topic he or she finds interesting and ask, “Is this going
to be on the test?”
According to Platt, this is
a very important thing to do
because if something is not on
the test, it’s not important or
worth your time.
Platt says he posted these
tips to his website in order to
help students be successful in
college.
“It is written as an attention getter,” Platt said. “If I
wrote how to succeed in college, no one would read it.”
For more tips on how succeed in college (or not) go to
staff.niacc.edu/jplatt
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September 2, 2011
niacc.edu/logos
TOM’s shoes help those in need
Jacey Wood
difference without being loved making a difference
PROOF TIME Advertising
8/11/2011Manager
9:20:42 AM part of the normal
MS- idea and getting a sweet pair of
Half the people in the of helping like recycling shoes out of it too.”
do not own a single and
help in animal shelDaclison purchased
REP ID:
NEXT RUN: world
08/12/11
SPAD110810_134257
pair of shoes. This includes ters, which I do as well,” an additional two pairs
300 million children. They Daclison said about his and said he will continue
are forced to walk around participation in TOM’s to purchase more.
barefoot, often in unsafe— Shoes and it’s One-forDaclison doesn’t just
even life-threatening— One program.
buy shoes for this cause,
situations.
The One-for-One pro- he helps spread the word
However, there are gram takes each pair of about Tom’s Shoes to other
organizations in America shoes that is purchased, people and he wears his
that work to stop this dev- and duplicates the exact pairs as often as possible
astating statistic, and at same shoe. Then the du- to help introduce the cause
least one NIACC student is plicated pair is given to a to others.
involved in the effort.
child or an adult in need of
“I really wanted to
Back in the summer of a pair of shoes.
be an intern for the orga2010, Jon Daclison, then a
In addition this is nization, but there were
freshman, stumbled upon done for those in need in too many requirements,”
an organization called the United States.
Daclison said.
TOM’s Shoes via a friend,
Daclison said he beHe said some specua company that matches gan by purchasing his first late that the shoes might
every pair of shoes pur- pair of TOM’s shoes back not wear as well because
chased with a pair of new in the summer of 2010.
they are made out of cloth
shoes given to someone in
“I loved them from and canvas. “Do not believe
Logos photo by Wendy Smith need. One-for-One.
the start, with so many dif- them, I’ve had my classic
Jon Daclison, a NIACC student, wears the TOM’s
“I wanted to help with ferent styles and options,” grays for over half a year
Shoes because the company helps those in need.
something that is making a Daclison said. “I just now and they still look
CUSTOMER:
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anytime, anywhere.
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7
perfect,” Daclison said.
However, he did caution that the classic pairs are
not to be worn with socks,
so they do tend to smell due
to feet and dirt.
Daclison said one
could wear socks if that is
the preference, and all pairs
of shoes are machine washable, which helps.
Those interested in the
program can go to TOM’S.
com and read their story
and browse their styles.
Daclison said he derives pleasure from participating in the program.
He said knowing that
he helped someone in need
somewhere out there without shoes is fulfilling.
“People tend to forget
that we have human needs
and that at the end of the
day we all just want love,
care and a peace of mind,”
Daclison said.
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niacc.edu/logos
September 2, 2011
Ta k e t i m e t o r e m e m b e r
On September 11, 2001, Americans watched in horror as the
biggest act of terrorism in recent history played out along the east
coast. The images and commentary on television depicted four hijacked airplanes crashing into both of the World Trade Towers, the
Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Images of Americans jumping to their death from the two towers and rubble and debris falling and crushing others were seared
into the minds of those watching from every corner of the country,
igniting a quiet anger in the American people.
But the attacks also united the American people in a way that
few things could.
Former President George Bush stated in an address the night
after the hijackings, “These acts of mass murder were intended to
frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our
country is strong. A great people has been moved to defend a great
nation.” Bush was right.
With the 10-year anniversary of these awful attacks quickly
approaching, it’s important to remember exactly what was lost that
day and how severe the aftermath still is.
It is estimated that 2,977 Americans lost their lives that day,
leaving families and friends of victims with unimaginable pain and
suffering to deal with.
The attacks launched a war that continues to this day.
As of early 2011, the death toll of American troops in the
Middle East was roughly at 4,446, which is an approximation based
on Pentagon figures.
That means well over 7,423 Americans have been killed because
of these attacks.
With the upcoming anniversary, take time to remember all
those effected by this tragedy, be thankful for everything you have
in your life because it could all be turned upside down in an instant,
and most importantly, thank a soldier.
the
logos
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the editorial board.
North Iowa Area Community College
500 College Drive • Mason City, IA 50401
(641) 422-4304
Editor
Section Editors
Sarah McCar t hy
Mitc h O’Connor - Spor ts
Assistant Editor
N ate Johnson - N ews
Er ic Debner
Sarah McCar t hy - Opinion
Adver tising Manager
Wendy Smit h - Feature
Jacey Wood
Emily Philipp - Enter tainment
Adviser
Caleb Bassey - Photo
Paul Peterson
www.niacc.edu/logos
Webmaster- Sean Peters
Policies
Logos is published every other week throughout the year to inform, educate and entertain
the students and staff of the North Iowa Area Community College. We encourage readers to write letters to the editor on matters of concern. Letters should be delivered to the
editor of the Logos in room 210 in the Acitivity Center on the NIACC campus. Any one
student may write one letter per issue. Letters must be signed. The staff reserves the
right to edit letters for length or libelous content. The staff will not print letters that are an
invasion of privacy. Letters should be limited to 250 words. All opinions expressed on the
opinion page are those of the writer and not the newspaper staff, administration or board.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the editorial board.
‘Maybe’ can cause a mess of problems
When I was young and
classmates sent birthday invitations out in the mail, I had two
options, to RSVP yes or no.
With the recent spike in social
media usage, I’ve noticed this has
changed, and the change isn’t for
the better.
As Facebook has changed
the landscape for inviting guests
to an event, Evites pop up in
my inbox on a weekly basis,
but instead of the standard yes
or no RSVP option, a button on
Facebook lets you answer with a
wishy-washy “maybe.”
This reply has quickly become the go-to answer for events
ranging from fundraisers to graduations. But experts say “maybe”
is having a negative effect.
Gerald Goodman, professor emeritus of psychology at
UCLA, stated in an interview that
responding to Evites by clicking
“maybe” sends the message that
the person isn’t important enough
for us to schedule them into our
lives. This is damaging to rela-
This writer’s reality
Sarah McCarthy
Editor
[email protected]
tionships that we may have spent
years building.
However, this Facebook faux
pas doesn’t just apply to everyone’s online life, it’s effecting
personal interactions as well.
Recently, my sister asked me
to take her to the mall on one of
my nights off work. I wasn’t sure
if my mountains of homework
could be put off for a couple of
hours, so I told her “maybe.”
She then planned her night
around the shopping excursion
she was hopeful would happen,
and when I decided I didn’t have
the time, she was upset and her
disappointment was tangible.
I realized then that if I had
given her a to-the-point answer
instead of the mediocre M word,
I wouldn’t have let her down.
Using “maybe” can not only
impair relationships, but also
leave us more stressed out about
all our unmade decisions. The
choices linger in the back of our
minds and cause us to tense up.
“Maybe” has a way of cropping up in our vocabulary that is
almost inescapable. But the reality is that if our Facebook friends
don’t like this evasive response;
neither will instructors or even
future employers.
I’m retraining myself to be
definitive with every answer I
give someone. A simple yes or
no answer worked for my nineyear-old self while RSVP’ing for
birthday parties, so I have every
confidence it will work just as
well now and in the future.
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9
Skipping class can create a host of issues
Bring stability
Eric Debner
Assistant Editor
[email protected]
Skipping college classes can
create a host of problems.
First, it creates an air of
tension between a student and
instructor(s).
Attending class is one way
to show the instructor that a
student is serious and interested
in the course.
Skipping inadvertently
shows lack of interest to instructors which leads the instructor to
potentially lose interest in the
student.
As a result, the student might
find it more difficult to get help
from the instructor.
Second, it can negatively affect a grade point average.
Students lose the chance to
learn valuable material in class
that could be on a test when the
individual skips.
If a student isn’t adequately
prepared for a test, then the student risks failing the test.
This outcome lowers a
student’s overall grade for the
course.
Some instructors also utilize
attendence points to further motivate students to attend class.
Those students who don’t attend miss out on points that could
mean the difference between failing and passing a course.
Third, it costs students money.
Essentially, students are
exchanging money for the instructor’s time when they pay
for tuition.
Every day of class skipped
is time lost and thus, money
wasted.
I’m sure you’ve heard this or
a similar phrase, “This is college,
this isn’t the real world.”
Don’t believe a word of it.
College is a stepping stone to the
real world.
If a student starts skipping
while he or she is in college
there’s a chance it could become
a habit that will follow the individual long after graduating.
That’s why it’s key for students to develop strong work
ethics now by attending class
every day it’s held.
Don’t skip college classes.
Treat them like a job.
Who you are now is who
you will be later in life.
I urge students to be responsible by attending class,
and building a strong work ethic
for life.
be there when your children,
grandchildren — or even you —
need them.
It is often said that “an investment in our youth is an investment in our future,” and for
years now North Iowans have
done just that through their generous support of North Iowa Area
Community College. As a result,
NIACC is regarded among the
top community colleges in the
state and has proven time and
time again to be a valuable asset to North Iowa — not only in
the outstanding educational and
cultural opportunities it offers,
but in terms of job retraining and
entrepreneurial assistance in this
challenging economic climate.
More non-traditional students
than ever are utilizing NIACC,
as well, to better their lives and
brighten their futures.
In this ever-changing world,
maintaining state-of-the art
equipment and technology is
critical to providing the education today’s students need for
tomorrow’s workforce. Students
10 years ago didn’t need to be
as well versed in such things
as computer software interfacing, Global Positioning Systems
(GPS), robotic CNC routers or
wind turbine technology. In today’s job market, they do.
In order to properly prepare
students to meet the expectations and needs of today’s businesses and industries, NIACC
needs your continued support.
A voter-approved instructional
equipment levy began in 2001
to help provide the needed tools
for learning through a six cents
per $1,000 assessed valuation
collected by the college. These
funds are specifically reserved
for instructional equipment,
which benefits students directly,
and cannot be used for things
like faculty salaries or building
maintenance.
In light of ever-tightening
financial resources and reductions in state support that col-
leges are now facing, the need
for this instructional equipment
levy has never been greater.
Please help keep “NIACC
FIRST!,” as the motto says, and
moving forward for the benefit
of North Iowa with a “Yes” vote
on Sept. 13.
It’s an investment that we
really can’t afford not to make!
Sincerely,
Keep NIACC First Committee: Jack and Joyce Nielsen of
Mason City, Mark Wicks of
Charles City, Rita Foley, Joyce
Hanes and Valerie Cumming,
all of Mason City, Kevin Kolbet of Osage and Brent Hinson
of Garner
“It helps me with keeping up on my
grades and it also helps with everyday life.”
Charles Robertson
Milwaukee, WI
“It makes research easier and also makes
Letter to the editor - Continued investment in our future
To the editor:
The NIACC instructional
equipment levy expires this
year and voters are being asked
to consider its renewal with a
referendum Sept. 13 during the
2011 school board elections.
This is NOT a new property
tax or an increase. It is simply a
continuation of a vital piece to
the funding puzzle that will help
keep NIACC in the forefront of
educating and training North
Iowans for the workforce of tomorrow. Many credit and noncredit courses at NIACC depend
upon equipment purchased with
this funding. Without it, modern learning resources may not
PHOTO OPINION: “How does technology impact you as a student?” By Nick Pilgrim
“I have found that technology has
made being a student much easier.”
Gerald Stephan
Winona, MN
“It allows me to stay in contact with
my girlfriend and to research topics
for class.”
Daniel Bodtke
Riceville, IA
“It keeps me up to date with the
NIACC alerts, cancellations and
delays.”
Kendall Brown
Akron, OH
communication between instructors and
other students more convienent.”
Amanda Eldridge
Mason City, IA
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Summer camp leads to scholarship offer
Cassie Christianson
Staff Reporter
ichelle Lechtenberg, a
member of the NIACC
volleyball team, has always set
her standards high. Lechtenberg’s
dream job is to become a physical trainer for a pro sports team,
preferably in either football or
baseball.
She said she wants to work
with athletes by creating training plans, treating injuries and
conducting physical rehab.
“I want to be a physical
trainer either at the college level
or pro,” Lechtenberg said.
Lechtenberg has already
been working with athletes.
She worked as a coach for
two separate volleyball teams
in 2010.
She coached a North Star
Club team out of NIACC along
with NIACC teammate MacKenzie Schindler.
She’s also worked as an assistant coach for a Junior Olym-
M
pic Volleyball league.
“I’ve always been around
sports,” Lechtenberg said. “My
older brother was a huge influence on me. I wanted to be
involved in athletics just like
him.”
Lechtenberg said her older
brother played five different
sports in high school before attending NIACC where he played
football when the school had a
team.
This is primarily how
Lechtenberg became aware of
NIACC.
Her junior year, Lechtenberg
went to a summer volleyball
camp on the NIACC campus.
She said she got herself
noticed by the coaches and was
recruited by them her senior
year.
“She really has a passion
for volleyball,” Chris Brandt,
NIACC head volleyball coach,
said. “She has the desire to
improve and get stronger funda-
mentally, physically and emotionally.”
Lechtenberg, a defensive
specialist for the Trojans, always
plays in the back row.
Brandt said Lechtenberg
was a leader on and off the court,
always wanting to be involved.
She also said Lechtenberg
has a strong court presence and if
she is in the game, fans know it.
Lechtenberg said what she
loves most about volleyball is the
excitement of playing in games
and the opportunity to meet new
people who become a sort of
family.
“It’s fun,” Lechtenberg said.
“I’ve met a lot of friends who I
will hopefully keep in touch with
throughout my life.”
In order to work towards
becoming a professional physical trainer, Lechtenberg hopes
to move to Georgia and attend
Armstrong Atlantic State University.
Logos photo by Cassie Christianson
NIACC sophomore volleyball player Michelle Lechtenberg works
on her game during an open gym in the Rec Center.
For success the harder you work the more you find
J Here’s my pitch
Mitch O’Connor
Sports Editor
[email protected]
Fall term.
A time of optimism, hope,
hard work and luck for the com-
ing semester; and that’s just in
the sporting arena.
The late, great Joe DiMaggio once said, “You always get
a special kick on opening day,
no matter how many you go
through. You look forward to
it like a birthday party when
you’re a kid. You think something wonderful is going to
happen.”
That’s an analogy that
sports fans and athletes alike
will relate to.
It’s that unique time of
the year where for one day
only everyone is back on even
terms, that one day where even
the most monumental outsiders
stand an equal chance and can
at least dream of what potential
glories may lie in wait for them
come the season’s end.
NIACC, like other colleges
nationwide, welcome back this
year’s hopeful athletes.
They include a mixture
of last year’s returning sophomores and this year’s freshmen.
They are all hungry to
leave their mark on their respective programs and achieve
success.
But how do we measure
success? Whether success to
you is a cabinet full of silverware of merely self-improvement there is one factor we can
all agree on needed to get you
to your personal pinnacle. Hard
work.
If you can show me a
sportsman that has become successful without hard work, I can
show you a liar.
Hard work is the foundation to any success, none more
so than that of NIACC sophomore Anna Buenneke.
Buenneke, a double national champion in both 5000m and
3000m runs in her freshman
year, didn’t become a National
champion overnight.
It was through endless
hours of hard work and endeavor coupled with raw talent
that enabled her to achieve such
success.
Thomas Jefferson once
said, “I’m a great believer in
luck, and I find the harder I
work the more I have of it.”
Success is much the same,
the harder you work the more
you will find you have. On your
marks, get set, go.
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Fall sports previews
Cross country teams look to build on previous successes
Mitchell O’Connor
Sports Editor
his fall semester the NIACC
men and women’s cross
country teams return to action in a program which
boasts a growing reputation for success.
The Trojans return to action off the back
of another successful season under the
direction of head coach Curtis Vais.
Last season ended with both the men
and women’s teams placing number 14 at
the NJCAA D1 Cross Country National
Championships in Spartanburg, SC.
Vais insists that the previous year’s
T
success won’t add pressure to the program
but instead provide the catalyst that motivates this year’s crop of hopefuls.
“I don’t think that there is any extra
pressure on us this year after last year’s
season,” Vais said. “I think the success of
last year will provide us with that extra
bit of motivation to go in and do what we
know we are capable of.”
Despite previous successes, Vais is
determined not to rest on previous team
laurels and said he believes that this year’s
group can build upon the previous year’s
success.
“We’re looking to remain at the top of
our region, and I also think that each team
is capable of finishing in the top 10 at the
national tournament,” Vais said.
After some flourishing performances
on the national stage, 2011 could prove to
be a big year for some promising, returning sophomores.
“Blake Nelson set himself up last year
to have a very good sophomore year,”
Vais said. “Ashley Ubbelohde also has
potential, with a good summer of training
she can do well.”
In many junior college athletic programs the integration of returning sophomores with incoming freshmen often plays
a key part in the success of a program and
Vais said he believes that the current crop
of sophomores display all the necessary
leadership qualities.
“The team is really shaping up to be
one with the best in leadership I think
we’ve ever had,” Vais said. “I think that
the sophomores we have are people who
will really be able to help the new freshmen with the transition from high school
to college running.”
The Trojans opened their campaign
at Southwestern Community College,
Creston, Iowa on August 27 and will run
at Mt. Mercy on September 3.
Soccer team will be shooting for a trip to nationals
Cassie Christianson
For the Logos
ast year, the NIACC
soccer team was
stopped just short of
the National Tournament, ending with a 16-3-1 record. The
nationally ranked 2011 team
hopes to make it all the way this
season.
Mike Regan, head soccer
coach at NIACC, has seen four
seasons, four All-Americans,
57 wins and only 14 losses in
his time here. He hopes to add a
first appearance at the national
tournament to this list of statistics this year.
NIACC soccer has made it
to the regional semi-finals and
regional finals twice each in the
last four seasons.
“We have everyday goals,”
Regan said. “But at the end of
the day, we want to win the region and make it to the national
tournament.”
The team has several
returning sophomores to help
keep this goal in focus including Patrick Kinsella, Simon
Brown, Jon Schnell, Robert
Kiernan, Andrew Power, Mitchell O’Connor, Hamad Jaman,
James Lovell and Mark Hiller.
The 2010 season graduated
11 sophomores, the majority of
which are continuing to play
at four-year universities. To
fill this void, Regan said he is
bringing in 10 freshmen from
all over the globe.
The Trojans have a tough
streak of games right out of
the gate. Their first four games
are against nationally ranked
teams. “Everybody on the team
will know what we’re about,”
Regan said. “Starting off
against such tough competition
will show us where we are and
where we need to be by the end
of the season.” NIACC kicked
off the season with a home
tournament against Parkland
Community College and Illinois Central College on August
27 and 28 and will be home
again on September 10 against
Iowa Central at 12 p.m.
Jacob Caryl
For the Logos
After a good start in her
first year as head coach of the
NIACC Trojan volleyball team,
Chris Brandt is ready for an
even more successful secondseason this year.
The 2010 Trojans finished with a record of 9-19
and Brandt said she is looking
toward the future. She said that
it was very different coaching at
the collegiate level.
“This was a good learning curve for me, and I’m glad
that the experience of being the
new head coach has worn off,”
Brandt said.
Unpredictability will not be
a factor for her this year and she
said that she is lucky to have
her assistant coach Jamie Williams back for the 2011 season.
Brandt said returning
sophomores Sammy Nelson and
Michelle Lechtenberg should
provide leadership for the squad
this season.
Some new recruits to the
program to watch include Darcy
Nelson, a sophomore transfer
from Southeastern Community
College, and freshmen Chelsea
Dougan and Taylor Chrencik.
Darcy Nelson is the sister of
Sammy Nelson.
Other than the basic rules
for eligibility required by the
NJCAA, the volleyball players
have their own set guidelines.
Brandt said they are
required to attend at least three
hours of study tables during the
week to work on schoolwork.
She said that if players are
having trouble in classes they
must schedule an extra tutor,
and they do community service
that includes reading to the
elementary school students in
Mason City and their Dig Pink
volleyball game to raise money
for breast cancer awareness.
“I want my girls to be
prepared for the real world,
volleyball is not everything,”
Brandt said.
This year’s volleyball team
started the season with a tournament at Marshalltown Community College August 26 and 27.
The first home match will be on
September 2 at 7 p.m. against
Wartburg.
L
Brandt hopes to build off first-year experience