The Front Street Journal - Reading Area Community College

Transcription

The Fr ont Str eet Jour nal
Reading Area Community College
FRONT
Reading, PA
STREET
News in and around RACC ■ http://www.racc.edu/stu_activities/FSJ.html ■ June 2003 ■ Vol.8 ■ No. 5 ■ Free
Kudos to Reading Area Community College for
another successful academic year!
Donation expands horizons Scholarly research efforts lend
ear to personal philosophies
By Adrienne Reed
Editor-in-chief
By Adrienne Reed
Editor-in-chief
On May 14 four RACC students weaved themes of scholarly
research and threads of personalism throughout their research
presentations at RACC’s Fifth Annual Student Colloquium.
Eric S. Hopewell, presented Influences on Construction of the Religious
Clause of the First Amendment, Dara Jarvis, presented Martin Luther King’s
Personalism Philosophy, Judy Miller presented The Post-Institutionalized
Child: A Personal Account of the Link to Learning Disabilities and Attachment
Disorder, and this author, Adrienne S. Reed, presented Ethnographic
Videography: The Changing Face of the Storyteller.
Addressing a crowd of approximately 30 people – consisting of the
Colloquium Committee, faculty, student, family, and friends – in room
Foundation donation offers hope to RACC students
Y117 in RACC’s Yocum Library, presenters themes were closely knitted
On April 30 Kay A. Haring, Executive Director of The Foundation even though their subjects crossed different lines of academic
for Reading Area Community College presented Dr. Richard A. Kratz, discipline.
Student’s presentations included methodologies used in the
RACC President, with a donation of $136,585.00, which represented
funds raised by the Foundation, on behalf of RACC
continued on page 5
Dr. Kratz graciously accepted the check, explaining that this
donation "represents hope for the people – a better life, a better job,
and expanding horizons." He nervously added his surprise that the
"overwhelming majority of attendants were from the financial
department," stirring up a rise of laughter from audience members.
Kratz credits the Foundation staff and the Board of Directors for
helping to raise endowment funds that have been built over the years
After a rocky start, the votes are finally tallied and Reading
and directs the audience to review the flyer explaining how the funds
Area Community College students have elected Ray Farina to
will be distributed. Distribution is as follows:
Students choose Farina
for SGA President
•
•
•
$76,172 for student scholarships and awards
$34,076 for the Division of Health Professions
$5,000 to the Early Learning Center to help students with daycare
expenses
serve as the 2003-2004 SGA President.
Kathy Heister will serve as the 2003-2004 SGA Treasurer.
Farina will nominate someone to serve as in the Vice
Presidential and Secretarial positions and SGA Senators will be
responsible for approving or rejecting his nominations.
Congratulations Ray!
continued on page 6
Editorial
2 ■ FRONT STREET JOURNAL
JUNE 2003
The Front
Street Journal
Letter from the Editor-in-chief
The Student Newspaper of
Reading Area
Community College
On Friday May 16, at RACC's
Academic Awards Ceremony,
RACC and the Humanities
Department honored "me" with a
Communications Award. This
award was specifically noted in
response to the work “I've” done
on the Front Street Journal. While I
thank both RACC and the
Humanities Department for this
honor, it does not belong to me
alone. I could not have published
6 fantastic issues of the FSJ this
academic year without the help of
many others, who also share in this
achievement and award honor.
No job is ever completed
without the heartfelt work of
many. Especially a collaborative
effort such as this. All who
contributed to the finished project
deserve this award recognition.
Therefore, I publicly thank
every staff member, student
E-mail: [email protected]
The Student Union Building
10 S. Second St. • Reading, PA 19603
610-372-4721, Ext. 6284
EDITORIAL BOARD:
Editor-in-chief
Adrienne Reed, 2002-2003
News Editor
Mary Beth Miozza, 2002-2003
Opinion Editor
Jodi Corbett, 2002-2003
Features Editor
James Strauss
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Ben Dalton
Office Manager
Christine DiMaria
Staff
Rachael Sabolis
Dawud Stewart
Lara Pursley
Andrew Kulp
Abraham Shapiro Jacob Shapiro
Stephanie Decker Steven Mietelski
Vic Starita
Dara Jarvis
Communication Award honors many
contributor, faculty contributor,
and our FSJ adviser; and to RACC
I say, thank you and I accept this
honor on behalf of all who
contributed, whether directly or
indirectly. For anything you’ve
"No man is an Island, entire of
itself; every man is a piece of
the Continent, a part of the
main; if a clod be washed away
by the sea, Europe is the less, as
well as if a promontory were,
as well as if a manor of thy
friends or of thine own were;
any man's death diminishes
me, because I am involved in
Mankind; And therefore never
send to know for whom the bell
tolls; It tolls for thee. '
done, or to anyone I’ve failed to
mention today or in the past,
please
know
that
your
contributions
did
not
go
unnoticed or unappreciated. We
have, together as a team, made this
paper what it is today.
It has been a privilege to work
with each of you. Thank you for
teaching me all that you did. You
have allowed me the opportunity
to rebuild my confidence in my
ability to be a team member and
leader. Thank you for the gift of
your friendship. It is an
experience I will forever cherish.
- John Donne (1572 - 1631),
Meditation XVII
Adrienne Reed
Editor-in-chief
Front Street Journal
Adviser
David Leight
Layout & Design
Reading Area Community College
Graphics Department
Printed by
The Reading Eagle Company
The opinions expressed in this newspaper
are the opinions of the writers and do not
reflect the views of the college
administration, faculty, or staff.
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Front Street Journal is
to provide a forum of the free exchange
of ideas and information among all
members of the college community.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
All letters must be signed. Keep it short,
simple and to the point. Character
assassination will not be allowed. Letters
should be typed or neatly printed with the
writer’s name, address, and phone
number clearly visible. The Front Street
Journal reserves the right to reject any
letter for publication. No reason must be
given.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR THE
SEPTEMBER ISSUE IS AUGUST 15.
Professor David Leight,
Front Street Journal Advisor
Adrienne Reed,
2002-2003 Editor in Chief
Mary Beth Miozza,
2002-2003 News Editor
Jodi Corbett,
2002-2003 Opinion Editor
A call to arms: the FSJ wants you!
By David Leight
FSJ Adviser
As this academic year closes, many students
will spend time with families and friends away
from the grind of papers and exams. Now might
be a good time to take stock in where they are in
their college program and to consider what they
want to do next year.
If you as a student are in that position, you
might want to consider joining The Front Street
Journal, RACC’s student run and student written
newspaper.
A college newspaper is one of the few places
that students can publish their work for a real
audience. The Front Street Journal publishes a
wide array of news, features, and opinion
articles. You can take your choice of what you
would like to write.
Also, this newspaper is widely used as a
source of information for the campus. The Front
Street Journal focuses almost exclusively on RACC
so that the entire campus community can use
the paper. Students, faculty, and staff can put
articles and advertisements in the paper and get
continued on page 7
News
JUNE 2003
FRONT STREET JOURNAL ■ 3
RACC students
selected as
Beacon Scholars
Dr. Kratz addresses Annual
Legislative Breakfast attendees
By Jodi Corbett
Opinion Editor
Dr. Richard Kratz, Reading
Area Community College
President,
presented
a
summary of the college’s issues
on March 28 in an appeal for
political support for state
funding during RACC’s Annual
Pennsylvania
Legislators
Breakfast.
RACC Board members,
administration, faculty and
students attended the one-hour
meeting, along with elected
local and state officials.
Dr. Kratz discussed the
delayed ground breaking of the
technology center. The project
is on hold until state funding
can provide 50 percent of the
capital budget. Dr. Kratz said
that the Technology Center fits
Berks County’s strategic plan to
increase jobs within the area.
Dr. Kratz assured legislators that
RACC will raise its 50 percent of
the money. The total budget is
$9,775,194 to build the center.
RACC’s capital campaign has
thus far raised $1,750,000.
The
Reading
Redevelopment Authority supports
RACC’s
commitment
to
building the center. Dr. Kratz
groups
said
that
the
Redevelopment
Authority
extended their agreement with
RACC until March 2005.
RACC is exploring other
options to build the center.
One proposed idea is to use a
developer’s
capital
and
workforce to build. RACC
would then lease the building
from the developer.
In addition, Diane Bosak,
House Representative, noted a
House Bill that allows bond
money to support capital
growth in higher education.
This $3 million bond proposal
offers colleges a fast track for
funding approval to build new
buildings in order to meet the
By Adrienne Reed
Editor-in-chief
from l to r: Victor Yarnell – RACC Board
Member, Representative David G. Argall
– Appropriations Chairman, James
Gilmartin – RACC Board Member
rapid rise in enrollment, she
explained.
Dr. Kratz addressed the
changes in state reimbursements. RACC’s FTE, or full-time
enrollment, is up 41 percent in
the 2001 and 2002 school year.
Although attendance grew
rapidly,
the
Pennsylvania
Department of Education
recently changed the way
colleges receive reimbursement
funding. Until last year, the
college calculated attendance
and received reimbursement
funding based on the first day
of class.
continued on page 4
Board approves new courses, position
By Jodi Corbett
Opinion Editor
The Board of Trustees approved new
Nanoscience courses, conduct codes, and a fulltime Public Relations and Marketing person
during the April 9 meeting.
RACC’s new Nanoscience program has two
new class offerings starting in Fall term: ELT 100:
DC/AC Circuits and ELT 200: Digital
Electronics/Solid State Device. Three RACC
students, Christy Jacob, Richard Sosa, and
Joseph Morrone, are the first graduates of the
Nanoscience
program.
Kathy
Evans,
Nanoscience Program Coordinator, said those
students will continue their studies at PSU
University Park. Nanoscience technology is a
growing field with job opportunities in
pharmaceutical and biotechnology research.
The Board approved a full-time Public
Relations and Marketing Position.
RACC
administration hired a part-time person, Melissa
Kushner, a Penn State graduate, a little over a
year ago. Ms. Kushner was promoted to a
salaried position. Ms. Kushner said her job
includes writing and editing letters, press
releases, the President’s annual report, and
Communique, a quarterly newsletter. She also
communicates with the Reading Eagle and local
and state officials. Her job continues to grow.
Four students from RACC have
been selected as Beacon Scholars
and will compete in the Beacon
’03 competition by presenting
their research papers on Friday,
June 6th at the Beacon Scholastic
Conference
for
community
college students.
“The Beacon Conference is a
great opportunity for students and
faculty of two-year colleges to
receive recognition for their
outstanding work,” so states the
Ulster
Community
College
webpage," and “fosters a climate of
community
through
the
collegiality that develops among
colleagues working on a joint
project; the intense relationship
that grows between students and
their faculty mentors; the
interactions among students
submitting to, presenting at, and
attending the conference; the
connections between the two-year
colleges and neighboring four-year
institutions which supplied panel
judges; and finally the communal
spirit at the conference itself.”
RACC students selected for
this year’s competition include:
Eric S. Hopewell for a paper in
the Social Science field titled
Influences on Construction of the
Religious Clause of the First
Amendment, and completed under
the direction of mentor John
Lawlor.
Anna Ackner, a 2002 RACC
graduate, for a paper in the
Natural/Physical Science field
titled Reintroduction of the Gray Wolf
to Yellowstone Park: Last Hope for a
Species?, and completed under the
direction of Annelle Soponis for
an Honors environment course.
Christopher Romanoski for a
paper in the Philosophy/Religious
Studies field titled Sergeant
Siddhartha: Being a Buddhist in the
United States Army, and completed
under the direction of Rev. Linda
Lewis Riccardi for a philosophy
course.
This author, Adrienne S. Reed,
for a paper in the Communcontinued on page 4
News
Board of Trustees
honors students,
leaders
Jodi Corbett
Opinion Editor
The Board of Trustees hosted
RACC student leaders during a
reception in between the Board’s
executive and public meeting,
May 14. The Board meeting also
honored RACC’s two All-USA, All
PA students.
Student leaders, such as
Adrienne Reed, Front Street Journal
Editor-in-Chief, Pearl Levengood,
Erin Roche represented their
student activities and talked to the
board. About twenty-five students
attended the reception, with their
nametags listing more than one
student activity. Rev. Aurand,
Board Member, enjoyed talking to
the students. Students enjoyed
Victor Yarnall’s, Board Member,
and wry commentary. Diane
Adams, Dean of Students; Joe
Kornoski, Student Activities
Coordinator; Robin Eckerdt, Early
Childhood Learning Club, also
attended in support the students.
The Board honored RACC
students, Jim Wheeler and Jackie
Hartz, as this year’s All-USA, AllPA student scholars. Both students
received
a
two-year
full
scholarship to attend a state
university.
Dr. Kratz presented a plaque
to Mr. Wheeler, President of Phi
Theta Kappa and a 4.0 student.
Mr. Wheeler also volunteers
fifteen hours a week with his
church and works full-time. Dr.
Kratz teased, "We need to work
with him on time management."
Jim graduates in June and will
attend Kutztown University.
Jackie Hartz graduated in
December and attends Kutztown
University. She is also a member of
Phi Theta Kappa with a 3.93 GPA.
As a part of a SHEA school
initiative, Kutztown selected Ms.
Hartz as one of two students to
study in China this summer. Ms.
Hartz was unavailable to receive
her award in person; she was
studying for college finals.
JUNE 2003
Beacon Scholars
continued from page 3
Scholarship News
ications field titled Ethnographic
Videography: The Changing Face of
the Storyteller, and completed under
By Brenda Creasy
the direction of Professor John
Financial Aid Office
Lawlor for an Honors Independent study project.
Two exciting scholarships are currently available.
This year the competition –
The first is the RACC Alumni Scholarship, which you
which will be held at Ulster
County Community College in
may apply for if you have a family member who graduated
Stone Ridge, New York – drew
from RACC.
nearly 140 student submissions of
The local union here at RACC sets up the second one,
scholarly work in 18 subject area
the
RACC Federation Union Scholarship, through
categories that encompass the
donations from their members. You may apply for this
humanities,
social
sciences,
natural sciences, technical fields,
scholarship if either you or anyone in your immediate
and special areas such as
family is a documented dues paying member of any
computer
applications
and
organized union.
multicultural studies.
Both scholarships are offered to returning RACC
The Ulster website describes
the BEACON Conference as "a
students only for the fall term.
truly inspirational event which
dispels the notion that two-year
Applications are available in the Financial Aid Office.
schools are not the place for high
caliber academic accomplishments."
This event is supported by a
coalition of junior and community
colleges located in the MidAtlantic and Northeastern United continued from page 3
States. Currently 19 colleges from
Maryland to New York and
Now the state requires colleges to calculate attendance figures
Pennsylvania to Massachusetts
20 percent inside the term. If a student drops the class within the
sponsor the Beacon Conference.
The competition began by first two weeks, it is unlikely that another student will enroll in
submission. At the second stage of
competition, three community their place. Dr. Kratz said that due to attrition through that
college faculty members, with period of enrollment, RACC lost $589,000 dollars through credit
expertise in a particular field, read and non-credit courses in 2002-03. According to Ms. Bozak, this
and ranked the papers in each
category. At the third stage of new rule is a result of Pennsylvania’s five-year lag in audits.
Dr. Kratz stressed the need for a community college advocate
competition, the authors of the
top three essays in each discipline in Harrisburg. He also said that community colleges should have
were invited to present their
papers at the Beacon Conference. a line item in the state budget rather than be lumped together
In the final stage of competition, with other institutions for educational funding. Dr. Kratz pointed
one winner will be selected by a out that community colleges offer a unique service in higher
judge from a four-year college or
university, from the three finalists education with open admissions policy, basic education classes
and literacy program.
in each subject area.
Beacon winners are chosen on
RACC’s funding budget remains the same for 2002-03. Dr.
the basis of the quality and
originality of research, written Kratz asked that legislators encourage Governor Rendell to
increase the basic educational budget. Basic writing and math
work, and oral presentations.
Prizes of $100 will be awarded skill classes enable many students to make the transition to
to both authors of the winning
papers/presentations and their college level courses.
Dave Argall, Appropriations Chairman, 124th District, PA
faculty mentors for each category.
The FSJ staff and RACC offer House of Representatives, suggested that RACC present their
congratulations to these students
for their hard work and wish them budget in a way that appeals to Governor Rendell. Mr. Argall
the best in the next phase of said, "Rendell is looking at direct and immediate impact on job
competition.
creation." Dr. Kratz agreed and added that many businesses look
We also congratulate each
to RACC for short term improvements in their workforce. The
mentor for their involvement in
helping these students reach their Governor’s budget deadline is July 15, 2003.
potential.
Legislative Breakfast
News
JUNE 2003
Scholarly research
research process and attributed
supporting data, as well as
personal
philosophies
and
experiences.
At first glance, Eric Hopewell’s
subject matter seemed daunting to
some audience members, but after
his presentation, they commented
that he not only "captured" their
attention, but "held it" as well, with
his heartfelt ability to "warmly
animate and make interesting a
sometimes-difficult subject."
Mr. Hopewell made a "valid
case" for the simplicity of and
often misinterpreted language of
the First Amendment of the
United States Constitution, which
reads, "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof."
Concluding
his
speech,
Hopewell noted "Given the
extensive variety of religious
practices and the opinions
concerning the role of religion in
the various states it can logically be
concluded that the phrasing of the
First Amendment was forged as a
compromise to effectively merge
the states into a single nation. The
language initially seems rather
indistinct, but upon exploration of
the factors that influenced its
construction one can begin to
appreciate the significance and
delicate balance achieved in this
statement of freedom."
Ms. Dara Jarvis also offered the
audience a new perspective about
an individual who we know so
much about, and yet even in death
he continues to astound us with
what we can learn from him. In
her presentation she recounted
her excitement to find that Martin
Luther King Jr. held a philosophy
not often spoken of or expounded
on, a philosophy of "personalism."
her research, and entrance into
the field of Special Education,
stating and applauding his efforts
that he "is now thirteen years old,
and every year I see great
improvement in his expression of
affection. I now feel that it is
genuine. This took ten years of
consistent love and nurturing to
achieve."
As a final thread to the
afternoon of quilted researched
stories, I personally shared my own
philosophy
and
offered
supporting research about "the
effect of story and storytellers
upon culture," using a Power Point
Presentation which included clips
of a videotaped collaborative
project that represented the
background, content, and context
of my subject.
Recounting and sharing the
experience of this yearlong study, I
told the visual story of the video
project that accompanied the
research
paper,
El
tesoro
desaparecido – The Hidden
Treasure, and how it specifically
"represented
the
MexicanAmerican culture" but in a
broader sense "applied to all
cultures attempting to statically
archive stories and storytellers
styles."
I explained to the audience
the anthropological methods that
were used in observing others in
the act of storytelling, both in my
family and within society, sharing
personal anecdotes about the
"John Knox" story that my family
has passed down for four
generations. I stressed the importance of making psychological
observations of body language,
"much like I do when interpreting
for the deaf," noting how it
"influences our understanding of
communication." I also shared
information I gleaned from
historical research, studying
books, journals, video and audio
tapes, as well as other archived
material that supported the idea of
"story," specifically "folktales," and
talked about how they are
"represent our heritage."
In conclusion, I emphasized
that although "cultural patterns
necessitate we embrace our future"
it is equally necessary that "we
embrace our past," so that we
remember "as the Navajo Indians
would say – who we were born for,"
because we help shape the future
of our culture as we remain
connected to our past in our ever
changing "fragmented society."
In her eloquent speaking
manner, Ms. Jarvis shared that
when she began to research
Martin Luther King Jr. she did not
believe he held the "status of a
modern
day
philosopher."
However, after research, study, and
reflection she found that, indeed,
a "personal idealism of God and
man is woven throughout his life
and work."
She closed her speech
underscoring the fact that King Jr.
had "hope for all men." She said,
"This hope means different things
to different personalities, but in
common they have a personal
reality," emphasizing that "The life
and the work of Martin Luther
King Jr. resounds with his
philosophy on personalism, that of
a personal God, and of each
persons worth as an individual."
Mrs. Judy Miller, in describing
her personal experiences as they
relate to the study of "learning
disabilities and attachment issues
of the post-institutionalized child,"
presented the audience with the
heartfelt story of the joys and
struggles her family has faced
during and after the Bulgarian
adoption of their 13-year-old son,
and brother, Ryan.
Miller related her findings on
attachment disorder to claims
made by Dr. Ronald Federici,
which state "‘love and nurturing
alone are not enough’" because
the older a child becomes before
adoption takes place the more
likely he/she will have difficulty
bonding. Mrs. Miller shared that
because her son Ryan "has had
some attachment issues," she has
"learned that attachment takes a
long time."
Concluding her presentation,
Miller introduced the audience to Pictured from left to right: Eric Hopewell, Adrienne Reed, Joanne Gabel-Colloquium
her son Ryan, "the inspiration" for Committee Chair, Dara Jarvis, and Judy Miller.
“Elegance of language may not be in the power of all of us; but simplicity and straight forwardness are. Write much as you would
speak; speak as you think. If with your inferior, speak no coarser than usual; if with your superiors, no finer. Be what you say;
and, within the rules of prudence, say what you are.”
- Alford
News
Education continues
at Health Fair
By James Strauss
Features Editor
On April 30, a community
wide health fair was held here at
RACC in the Berks Hall
building from 10am until 2pm.
From the Berks Hall lobby,
to the cafeteria, to the Pagoda
room and outside the cafeteria,
there
were
stands
with
everything from, respiratory
care, the March of Dimes,
nutrition information, men’s
health,
women’s
health,
emotional
health,
sexual
health, diabetes information,
children’s safety, the Greater
Lehigh and Berks Dog Therapy
plus a few more.
Each stand had an eyecatching set up and a lot of info
about them. Each table had
many pamphlets on ways to stay
healthy, how to eat right, and
much more, so the people who
attended could take some home
so if they do find a problem
they would know what to do.
The Greater Lehigh and
Berks dog therapy even had a
couple of the dogs they use to
help a person who is in the
hospital or disabled. They bring
the dogs to the person’s house
or the hospital and let the dogs
bring a smile to the persons
face, "A cold nose and a warm
smile, is always the best
medicine."
There was something for
everyone. There were plenty of
ideas for safety and early
detection of bad health as well
as education to understand
what poor health is.
There were also onsite tests
that
could
be
done
Our goal is to try to
promote early detection
and prevention, so you
can catch symptoms
early, and that you can
know about your health
and what you could
be at risk for.
~ Randy B.
JUNE 2003
Pat Hale Woodring nominated to
compete in national competition
By Adrienne Reed
Editor-in-chief
RACC Human Resources has nominated Patricia Hale
Woodring, Career Specialist and Counselor for Career Services,
as a representative of PA in the national award competition for
the 2003 “Outstanding Older Worker of the United States.”
According to the Experience Works website, if chosen as the
winner, Woodring will “receive an all expense-paid trip to
Washington, DC, from September 30-October 4, 2003, to take
part in a weeklong program of events, award ceremonies, news
conferences, and meetings with legislators.”
The Experience Works Prime Time Awards Program is a
yearlong, national program launched in 1998 to identify and
immediately.
Like blood recognize the contributions and accomplishments of senior
pressure and blood glucose workers in each state.
testing, both of which are done
Good luck Pat!
to check for risk of diabetes. I
had both done, and I must say
that I am in good health.
What I thought was the best
part of the health fair was that it
was community wide. Those
within the community, not just
the campus community, could
As the year comes to a close, I want to thank RACC students,
come and get information on
administration, faculty, and staff for a prosperous year. Thank you
health care without going to a
for the effort and appreciation you’ve shown to SGA, and to me
doctor that would charge them
personally.
"an arm and a leg" to just walk
Pearl Levengood
in the door.
It’s also a great idea to hold a
Health Fair at a college, so
young adults can be educated
on what to look for and ways of
staying healthy.
Another positive aspect of continued from page 1
the health fair was that the
workers of it were very helpful • $18,826 to purchase books and activities and major initiatives,
to anyone who asked for
materials for the library
including
securing
private
assistance.
• $1,511 to purchase materials funding, which helps to support
The health fair is a great
for the math and science lab
the activities mentioned above as
event here at RACC. It gave us • $1,000 for Saturday College, well as campus Cultural Series
clues on how to stay healthy,
enabling
underprivileged Programs.
and keep our bodies in good
children to participate in the
The
Foundation
has
shape, which will also help
Saturday
Kids’
College specifically identified the Training
when we get older.
program.
and Technology Center as a major
It’s always good to take
The Foundation for RACC is a project it is willing to support and
advantage of the free events separately incorporated 501 (c) 3 will spearhead the drive for
here at RACC, especially when non-profit organization that was securing funding for this
set up to assist the college in its endeavor.
they could save your life.
2002-2003 SGA President
says Goodbye
Foundation donation
News
JUNE 2003
Call to arms
their messages across to the entire RACC
community.
In joining the staff of The Front Street
Journal, you will find a surprising amount
of opportunities to lead as part of a
diverse group of writers and editors.
Unlike a newspaper at a four-year college,
the smallness of the staff of The Front
Street Journal allows quick ascension to
editorial positions.
But you don’t have to be an editor to
enjoy writing for this newspaper.
Whether you write one article or 20, you
will enjoy being a part of one of the most
enjoyable campus student activities here
at RACC.
More FSJ Staff . . .
Christine DiMaria
Office Manager
Lois Moyer
LEP Curriculum Specialist
“The best teacher is the one who
suggests rather than dogmatizes,
and inspires his listener with the
wish to teach himself.”
- Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Congratulations
to the SGA
Teachers of the Year
Full Time - David Brant
Adjunct- Robbie Phelman
News
JUNE 2003
RACC plans technology upgrade
By Jodi Corbett
Opinion Editor
Reading Area Community College had begun implementing a
three-year institutional plan towards improving campus-wide
technology that also coincided with RACC’s Middle States
Steering Committee recommendations.
Middle States peer evaluation is a ten-year cycle of
institutional reaccreditation. The college strives to meet Middle
State’s fourteen characteristics of excellence in higher education.
RACC’s Middle States Steering Committee began their most
recent self-study process two years ago, taking a hard look at the
campus’ lagging technology. The Middle States Evaluation team
visited in early March and agreed with the Steering Committee’s
findings.
RACC’s first Information Technology Director, Doug Davis
said, "The plan is to use technology to make jobs easier and more
productive." RACC hired Mr. Davis in October and presented him
with a long "to do" list.
Middle States Evaluation team’s report recommended a
planned budget connected to capital spending "especially in the
area of technology for administration and instruction." Mr. Davis’
first initiatives coincide with Middle States strongest
recommendations.
Computers will be leased rather than purchased on a threeyear cycle. Mr. Davis said $251,000 will go into technology
RACC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ORGANIZATION
Doug Davis, Director of Information Technology
Network/Help Desk Support
Arthur Brooks, Network Administrator
Rebecca Cibroski, Assistant Network Administrator
Administrative/AS 400 Support
Lucille Mock
Jose Arroyo
RACC Web Development
David Richards
(www. racc.edu)
Computer Lab Instructional/Support
Cathy Faller, Lab Manager
The Information Technology team also includes
computer lab assistants and several work-study students.
upgrades in the first year. He estimated another $646,000 will be
spent during the second and third year of RACC’s technology
improvement plan.
Mr. Davis made upgrading the administrative software
package and communications infrastructure a first priority.
Faculty received 57 new Dell™ desktop computers and 22
laptops, and administration and support staff received 54 new
computers. Full-time faculty and adjuncts have new RACC e-mail
addresses.
RACC has six Smart™ classrooms, which are continually in
demand by faculty. RACC will add three Smart™ classrooms a
year. The Information Technology team talked to faculty about
specific instructional needs before upgrading the classroom. A
Smart™ classroom has an interactive screen, Internet capabilities,
and connections for lap-top computers. Mr. Davis said that
upgrading a classroom costs about $13,000 per room.
RACC has 89 new Dells™ are in the following computer labs:
Berks 515 received 25; Berks 411 received eight; Penn 118
received 16; Penn 114 received four; Penn 126 received four;
Penn 418 received 25; Penn 129 received one, Penn 311 received
one; Yocum labs received five. The computers have Windows XP
Professional™ version loaded.
The Information System team plans a new Instructional
Support position, extended help-desk hours and upgraded phone
systems. Mr. Davis said, "The IT staff is focused on customer
service and they are doing a great job with the transitions."
Answer to last issue’s crossword puzzle
JUNE 2003
Arts & Entertainment
“Some Show” put on in cafeteria
By Ben Dalton
On April 11-12, the RACC
cafeteria was the scene for a
Mystery Murder Dinner Theater,
set up and run almost entirely by
students. Titled "Some Show," the
dinner theater took the form of a
talk show.
The evening began at around
7:00 p.m., when the catered
dinner, prepared by Kim’s
Catering, was served.
The show began around 8:00
p.m. The plot of the show
involved a pair of television talk
show hosts and their less-thanlikely cast of guests. Already in
character, the two talk show
"hosts" Nicki and Rickie Rivers
(played by RACC students
Aurora Smith and Tudor
Mazagareana) made their way
from table to table, welcoming
the audience.
Audience members were
then introduced to the quirky
personality of each of the guests.
Eventually, a murder occurs-one
of the guests is killed in a
mysterious fashion-and it is up to
the audience members and cast
to solve the murder.
Approximately 90 tickets
were sold the first night. No
money was made on the show;
the alternately five and ten dollar
tickets were sold in order to
insure that the proper amount of
food was available. For the most
part, "student activity fees" paid
for the performance.
The RACC Student Activity
Board initiated the idea and
sponsored the show. Ed and
Dave Cullen closes the Foundation
Cultural Series 2002-2003 Season
By Adrienne Reed
Editor-in-Chief
With 175 seats available in
the conference rooms of Berks
Hall, at least 145 audience
members filled the rooms on
April 8 to hear acoustical
"Guitarist
Extraordinaire,"
David Cullen.
Cullen humbly blended, as
the program guide promised,
"Classical, Jazz and World music
idioms in his engaging
performance,"
his
sound
landscape filling the evening air
with his "interpretive and
improvisational insights."
His masterful fingers nimbly
drew light rocking tunes, richly
haunting
sounds,
deep
resonating melodies, and
weeping harmonies from the
guitars strings, to the delight
and pleasure of audience
members.
A fitting end to the close of
the 2002-2003 cultural series
performance season, Cullen is a
regular around Berks County,
lives in Philadelphia and
teaches at West Chester
University.
The
Foundation
for
Reading Area Community
College and the Emma K.B.
Yocum
Cultural
Events
Endowment
sponsors
the
Foundation Cultural Series,
providing special learning
opportunities outside of the
classroom to help students
learn about the larger world in
which they live and work,
according to the Foundation
office staff.
Carol Butler directed the
performance.
Prizes in the form of RACC
shirts were awarded to audience
members
who
correctly
identified the murderer and to
audience members who gave the
most amusing answers.
The
quality
of
the
performance speaks for itself
through the words of those who
attended. Students attending the
show all said essentially the same
thing, namely, that the show was
quite entertaining and well run,
particularly for many first-time
actors.
After the show, the actors
came out into the audience and
started dancing. The crowd,
when they could be convinced to,
joined in. Our student activities
coordinator, Joe Kornoski, was
seen dancing with "Candy," one
of the plays characters. Together,
they brought the evening to a
close after a long process of
preparation and work.
More FSJ Staff . . .
Tudor Mazgareanu
FSJ Contributor
Lara Pursley
FSJ Features
Editorial Board
Abraham Shapiro
FSJ Staff Writer
Dawud Stewart
Poetry Contributor
Poetry Corner . .
JUNE 2003
The Reading Theater Project Presents Its Inaugural Production
a muse’ ical place
10 Minutes from Reading
Ten minute plays that show slices of life by residents of Reading.
Mature subject matter.
Directors: Susan Sneeringer, Mary Jo Carabello, Susan Wagner,
George Hatza
Playwrights: Jason Brudereck, Craig Czury, Chuck Gallagher, Roma
Greth, George Hatza, Felix Alfonso Pena, Susan Sneeringer,
Heather Thomas
Musical Performers: Regional Professional Writers and Artists
Music Director: Ken Blekicki
June 26, 27, 2003 - 8:00 P.M.
Sovereign Performing Arts Center (Ballroom 4th Floor).
Tickets $10.00
Purchase at the box office 610-898-7299
Made Possible By a Grant from Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
Handiwork
By Jodi Corbett
© 2003
late march brings
rough hands
cracking on the
knuckles
with winter
decomposing
under each fingernail.
a blister throbs
in the middle
of a long life line
with shallow
crisscross
scratches
stinging
from pruning roses
that hold a promise -tight salmon pink
blossoms
with the press
of summer dew
in mid-june
soon dropping
petals
as hands brush
away a day’s breath
POETRY
By DOWD Stewart
The big payout duff, dust thugs, duff and broad cuts
Drafts one body on duff freestyle to duff the bullets
Telephone data pup, it’s time to give it all up
The villa unda a siege up there in the electric drums
Who did it the informant, my team meets constant, s
Set up like a web page ceiling bricks, catastrophic
Who gets the grades, mainstream here we go dawud
Says give me this breaded facility, wit speed
Benz on an accrual basis meet the jurisdiction, front line
F.B.I.
Soldier on fort totally an upset, tied the judge strapped
With a boom ready to detonate, at the press of the press
Of a button at the N.B.A. standoff playoffs.
The Dance
By Dara Jarvis
© 2003
through
the dance
I am
able to
exorcise demons
I free
muscles
long held
tense
and
rarely used
easing in
light
space
where
tight
darkness
lives
JUNE 2003
“Thoughts of You”
by Pearl Levengood
My thoughts are on you!
With things you’ve said,
Perverted ~~~ Funny
And sometimes serious.
During the day,
I check my email
And smile if you’ve sent one.
When I go to bed at nite
And close my eyes,
I’ll have you in my dreams.
Why are you on my mind?
Maybe I’m just dreaming,
If so let the dreams begin.
Poetry Corner . .
a muse’ ical place
Don’t know what it is,
Or what it means,’
If anything at all.
White Phrase
By Adrienne Reed
© 2003
A Void;
The vast
And noiseless
Place.
Filled with
Loud
Singing
Space.
Harmonic shades
Of A Cappella
Cues.
Vibrating,
Blending,
In rainbow hues.
PYYd]b[ =cjY – ;`]bX @fUgg\cddYf
: ;YUgh ?UV`Y
By Adrienne Reed and Kyle Bredbenner ©2003
E
ong ago and far away, an abandoned mourning dove sat beneath the canopy of her Sycamore tree and sang tender love
songs. She dwelt in the land that nuzzled the crevice of the blue mountainside. It was a place alive with the countless
tints of the suns changing rays. A place where sunlight danced and glinted upon each turquoise ocean wave that adjoined the
shores surrounding her home, calling her name upon every salty spray. Day by lonely day, she lamented for friends but none
remained. In the gentle winds of early light, she passed the time by exploring the meadowlands that bordered her home, their
verdant fields carpeted with multi-colored quilts of flower heads. In the late afternoon sun, her woeful mourning flattered weary
strangers who traveled from afar. As she sang, she waited their arrival.
In the meadow bordering her home, golden heads of grain rustled in the breeze and brush stroked the horizon as snow-white
butterflies grazed upon beams of sunny light and floating dots of dust. When the light faded and the night’s dark curtain began to
fall, a breeze caught a mindless and wandering grasshopper and carried him upon the shoulders of the dove’s forlorn melody,
nestling him at the base of the paper white branches of her home. Beneath the shadow of the lonely bird’s respite, the
grasshopper’s heavy lids drifted off at the sound of her hypnotic call.
Blissfully, she sashayed to his side, her mesmerizing coo reassuring, calming, and soothing his melancholy heart. Her fairytale
cry enveloped his senses as she cradled his surrendered body in her beak.
M\Y FcfU` cZ h\Y Lhcfm7
Things may not always be, as they seem,
But, are most always seen as they truly are,
If one merely takes the time to look.
Features
JUNE 2003
Congratulations Graduates!
Associate in Arts Degree
Candidates
*Gregory E. Amoroso
Nadia M. Bashir
Daniel Bayer
*Aaron C. Bell
Jeni N. Biehl
Lynzie L. Biggs
Jennifer L. Brawn
*Patricio L. Caballero
Christine J. Calpino
Jill A. Crammer
Jessie R. Davis
***Linda A. DeBello
Thomas A. Engle
Patience O. Etim
Jeannine Flammer
William C. Fultz
Angela P. Galvan
**Harry Geissler
Pamela J. Gift
Anne M. Gingrich
Rachel M. Glass
Griselda Gonzalez-Munoz
**Constance J. Green-Fritz
Csaba A. Gudea
Ingrid Y. Guevara
Melissa N. Hamm
Victoria Hannahoe
Brett J. Harbach
**Kay A. Haring
Ryan E. Hesson
Leah Hill
Wesley R. Hopkins
*Holly A. James
Ellen Kazmierczak
Joseph E. Kirtner
Stacey L. Kmiec
Stephen P. Kreska
Jillian D. Lavery
Angela M. Little
Mike Lopez
*Edith D. Luna
**Darla J. Martin
Brad A. Mengel
Chasity L. Millisock
Theodore Moehring
Nora O. Munoz
*Kenneth S. Neiman
Thomas B. Newpher
Rafael A. Nunez
Kathleen V. Nye
Olesha L. Ohlinger
Monica Paredes-Franco
Steven J. Pauley II
Amanda L. Perricone
Deloris Ann Randall
Kari L. Read
Christopher Romanoski
Rachel J. Sabolis
Charles M. Scheetz
Heather M. Shallcross
Nicole M. Slifka
Aurora D. Smith
William B. Smith
**Stephanie A. Stolar
Angela M. Stoudt
Rebecca M. Tompkins
Tracy L. Wahl
*Charles Walden
***James L. Weller
Natalka Wiszczur
Associate in Applied
Science Degree Candidates
Jennifer L. Apgar
Margarita A. Avila
George H. Babilon
Jordan W. Baldwin
***Michele S. Bartow
Mary A. Becker
Tammy J. Benfer
Brenda L. Berger
Randy J. Bernat
Kay A. Bowers
Melanie M. Bowers
Heather A. Brensinger
Amy M. Brownell
Cassey R. Buck
Meranda J. Buck
Audry H. Buckley
Maria E. Byerly
Yulis Caraballo
Stephanie Catania
Valerie E Cepeda
Sandra B. Chute
Aaron J. Clouser
Ivy L. Copeland
*Jennifer F. Corell
**Dennis Curtin
*Dino G. Damiani
**Linda K. Davis
**Amy J. DeLay
**Heather S. Dietrich
*Lesa C. Diltz
Lynne A. Dinsdale
Roy A. Dolly
Dennis Dominguez
Barbara A. Dykie
*Holly M Eagelman
Melissa M. Eickhoff
**Sharon E. Faust
Sarah J. Feemster
Scott C. Freitag
Keith L. Fretz
Heather L. Garwood
Krysta M. Gehringer
Richard J. Geunes
Michelle D. Goodwin
Tara E. Green
Heather L. Guzick
Becky Guzman
Kathryn J. Hartman
Joseph R. Hartranft
April D. Hayward
Megan M. Heath
**Heather L. Hefty
Stephen S. Heitz
***Elaine J. Heller
Melissa A. Hill
*Denise L. Himmelberger
Amber L. Holsinger
Tim P. Hopfer
Renee L. Houck
Danielle M. Impink
**Jeffrey C. Jessell
Stephanie L. Johnson
Larry D. Jones
Mohamed S. Kamara
**Peter P. Kaminski III
Dipal H. Kapadia
*Bernadette N. Katulis
*Mindy J. Keim
*Jodie M. Keller
Sasha R. Keller
**Ronald M. Kelly
*Martin A. Kennedy
**Cinthia M. Kettering
*Lynn A. Kinzey
Jenny R. Kohl
Cindy L. Krammes
Thomas L. Krick
Melanie L. Kummerer
Kyle J. Kunkle
Michael J. Kurtz
*Kimberly A. Kutzer
**Deanne B. Labella
Sharon L. Lackie
Lisa M. Langton
Sandra J. Leal
Melissa D. Leiby
Jamie A. Linderman
Donna L. Lorah
Matthew A. Lowther
Clover D. Luciano
**Maureen A. Markowitz
Stephanie A. Mason
Erin K. McFadden
Abbe K. Meck
Andrea M. Mikaliunas
Heather N. Miner
Faye K. Montgomery
Gail M. Morissette
Kristy L. Moyer
Melody J. Moyer
*Canh H. Nguyen
Chau M. Nguyen
Heather M. O’Brien
Dawn E. Ortega
Edna I. Padilla
Maryann Pagerly
Denise M. Palmer
Matika N. Palmer
John W. Pelker
Kristen N. Peters
Zoe Z. Ponce
*Jessica N. Pottiger
Christine D. Price
**Robert S. Qualley
Melissa J. Reinert
*Tiffany L. Reinhart
Tracy L. Reppert
Scott M. Rinker
**Carmen M. Rios
Holly L. Ritter
*Mathew B. Robert
Nakia H. Robertson
**Erin K. Roche
Susan J. Rosenberger
Leona M. Sakho
Suzanne Schadler
**Donna F. Schnell
James W. Schoellkopf
Edward J. Schwank
Amy E. Seidel
Richard J. Seisler
David A. Shuman
Xiomara Silva
Tracy L. Smith
*Michele L. Sorg
Melanie S. Sorokach
Amy B. Steward
Jill M. Strause
Lisa B. Stricker
Crystal L. Strunk
*Dean N. Sunday
**Cris T. Swanson
Martha L. Swavely
Tara A. Swavely
Melissa A. Taubitz
***Jeffrey B. Taylor
Christopher M. Timmons
Angel L. Torres
**Laura L. Valeriano
Verlina L. Velazquez
Randall A. Wagner
Thomas C. Wagner
***Robert S. Wagner, Jr.
Tonya L. Wahl
Bonita A. Wall
Vicki M. Walter
Kathi L. Weaver
Jamie A. Weiler
Gail M. Wertz
**Eugene R. Whitmoyer
Adrian C. Williams
Tammy L. Willman
**Christina M. Woomer
AnnMarie G. Wright
Tamara N. Wright
Bee Xiong
Cheryl A. Young
Carolyn Y. Youngs
Denise Zarzuela
Sheila M. Zellner
**Rick A. Zettlemoyer
***summa cum laude
Associate in
General Studies
Degree Candidates
Chad J. Alena
Angel L. Arroyo
Leah M. Batarick
**Candi L. Cremer
Peggy A. Harter
Brenda R. Hartman
**M. Kathleen Hoffman
**Clint R. Kalbach
*Jessica T. Kaminski
Michael J. Kane
William P. Kinkaid
Andrea E. Kiser
Carly A. Kreshon
***Trisha A. Learned
Sonia J. Lebron
Cara L. Lobb
Kieshia C. Martin
Lauren C. Pettinato
Tracey V. Prout
Grisel L. Quinones
Lisa M. Reider
Cecilia E. Ruth
*Rosalyn A. Sensenig
Nicole L. Sobjak
Carole D. Walker
Sally J. Wilson
Andrew D. Zalewski
Certificate of
Specialization
Candidates
Allison M. Adams
David J. Bauer
*Tracey A. Baum
*David P. Brown
Sandi Brown
*Bonita C. Clark
David W. Cornelison
Pamela S. Donovan
Brian M. Hallman
Bradley D. Harp
Nancy L. Heim
Kathryn E. Henry
*Lingjun Huan
Julia Lugo
**Angela F. Moyer
**Tiffany A. Nugent
**Andrew C. Raugh
***Dennis Reinert
Matt S. Rollman
**Wendy S. Schutt
*Karen L. Snyder
Mirna I. Soto
Scott A. Trate
Diane L. Wasson
Dawn M. Wessner
**magna cum laude
Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars -- Les Brown
*cum laude
Features
JUNE 2003
Thank you for “Making A Difference!”
ADVISORS
Student Education Association
- Robin Eckert
Criminal Justice Club
- Tom McDaniel
Front Street Journal
- David Leight
International Club
- Reem Shibib
Leadership Institute
- Diane Adams &
Maria Mitchell
Legacy
- Joanne Gabel
Phi Theta Kappa
- Dr. Donna Singleton
Practical Nurses Club
- Merilee Grimes
Resspiratory Care
- Inez Whipple
Student Government Association
- Joseph Kornoski
Student Nurses’ Association
of Pennsylvania
- Diane Sassaman
& Cynthia Glick
Work Study Program
- John Schodowski
Student Ambassadors
- Pat Parks
Student Activities Board
- Joseph Kornoski
STUDENT EDUCATION
ASSOCIATION
Marilyn Acevedo
Janice Acker
Patricia Balthaser
Brenda Berger
Christine Boltz
Karissa Bossler
Jasinth Brown
Cassey Buck
Audry Buckley
Yulis Caraballo
Lisa Clavell
Madeline Disla
Anne DiCecco
Larisa Duffy
Donna Elgonitis
Jennifer Fackler
Jayda Farley
Amber Foley
Scott Freitag
Jennifer Gebhard
Griselda Gonzalez-Munoz
Leanne Granus
Kathryn Hartman
Melissa Hassler
April Howells
Monica Indycka
Dania Jackson
Miny Keim
Joy Koch
Mary Kozak
Susan Kreshon
Melissa Leiby
Brandi Leinbach
Marie Louis-Juste
Kristen Lucas
Stephanie Mason
Elizabeth Mullins
Anna Marie Nowaczynski
Denise Palmer
Kathy Petris
Tracy Reppert
Nakia Robertson
Erin Roche
Rachel Rogers
Adriana Sanchez
Leona Sakho
Jodi Shirk
Beth Soja
Michele Sorg
Sherry Stephenson
Amy Steward
Crystal Strunk
Melissa Taubitz
Shannon Umberger
Mariana Veresh
Beth Wharen
Ashley Witman
Christina Woomer
Elizabeth Wright
Marissa Young
WORK STUDY PROGRAM
Stephen Amsbaugh
Robert Angelo
Leira Arguinzoni
Angelique Bonilla
Michele Burke
Julia Centeno
Eric Chapman
Marie Charles
Kasima Charles
Connee Clark
Erin Clouser
Jennifer Clouser
Sandra Colbert
Auria Colon
Ivy Copeland
Aaron Deininger
William Dempsey
Paula Devonish
Angel Diaz, Jr.
Mark Dieetrich
Robert Dunn
Irma Duroseau
Patience Etim
Jose Fabian
Howard Falice
Raymond Farina
Nerayda Fernandez
Xiomara Figueroa
William Fultz
Edna Garcia
Clarissa Gehman
Kelly Gerard
Anna Glass
Evelyn Gonzalez
Mohamed Hassan
Janelle Heaney
Janelle Hedgepeth
Kathleen Hiester
Qiana Jackson
Larry Jones
Aisha Kamanu
Danita Kase
Ronald Kelly
Tammy Kershner
Lena Knox
Holly Kohl
Rita Kruper
Amy-Oanh Le
Sonia Lebron
Tara Lehman
Luz Liberato
Mike Lopez
Kristen Lucas
Binnelly Manon
Anne-Lisse Markham
Tracey Mellor
Brad Mengel
Steven Mietelski
Jason Miller
Chris Moyer
Wendy Musser
Giao Nguyen
Hoa Nguyen
Mireya Ortiz
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Joshua Rambo
Francis Ramirez
Adrienne Reed
Timothy Reedy
Sheri Reinhart
Perla Rivera
Xiomara Robles
Eberkue Rodriguez
Theresa Rowles
Annette Sanchez
Darlene Sanders
Sesay Sano
Inti Santana
Charles Sheetz
Colleen Schmura
Cocheta Setalsingh
Jacqui Sharkey
Delbert Sharon
Marisa Sloane
Tracy SMITH
Tara Stetler
Dawud Stewart
Stephanie Stolar
Jennifer Stufflet
Rebecca Symonds
Jeffrey Taylor
Erica Titus
Lydia Trapp
Verlina Velazquez
Dinisse Velazquez
Duc Vu
James Walker
Joana Ward
Dan Whitaker
Kasahun Williams-Jaffe
Ben Wilson
Eric Winson
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
ASSOCIATION
Lisa Chisholm
Kobe Gudea
Kathy Hiester
Angela Izzo
Pearl Levengood
Tudor Mazgareanu
Brad Mengel
Erin Roche
Leona Sakho
Stephanie Schwambach
Aurora Smith
Vittorio Starita
Rebecca Symonds
Tamara Wright
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT
CLUB
Maria Baez
Patricio Caballero
Marie Charles
Fantonillia Esquilin
Robert Kiriago
Tudor Mazgareanu
Aurora Smith
Pierre Tran
Kasahun Williams-Jaffe
RESPIRATORY CARE CLUB
Tammy Benfer
Sandra Chute
Heather Garwood
Krysta Gehringer
Gail Morissette
Tiffany Reinhart
LEGACY
Jodi Corbett
Theresa Fort
Mary Beth Miozza
Adrienne Reed
Erin Roche
Marisa Sharon
LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Zainab Abdul-Fattah
Patricio Caballero
Jodi Corbett
Jackie Hartz
Pearl Levengood
Tudor Mazgareanu
Brad Mengel
Adrienne Reed
Roxann Roberts-Phillips
Erin Roche
Aurora SmithPierre Tran
STUDENT AMBASSADORS
Zainab Adbul-Fattah
Candi Cremer
Jackie Hartz
Adrienne Reed
Roxann Roberts-Phillips
Erin Roche
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
BOARD
Angela Izzo
Pearl Levengood
Brad Mengel
Judith Ogin
Erin Roche
PRACTICAL NURSING CLUB
Pamela Amos
Ruby Andujar
Samuel Assante
Carrie Bartolomucci
Noreen Bernardini
Lisa Devitt
Rosalie Doerrman
Tracey Doerrman
Brandy Epler
Juanita Falter
Miriam Figueroa
Eric Fleming
Jaqueline Flores
David Golden
Melanie Greth
Bonnie Haller
Peggy Helali
Denise Hermany
Sharon Huntsinger
Lori Landis
Joanne Ludes
Bonnie Moser
Christine Nepple
Vanja Nester
Carol Oswald
Pamela Pacheco
Mary Robison
James Rock
Terri Rodolff
Deborah Rowe
Asmika Sharkey
Denise Smith
Sonya Sweigart
Sherilyn Weaver
Jayme Werner
Bondu Yamba
PHI THETA KAPPA
Michael Ezell
Jackie Hartz
Cimone Justiniano
Martin Kennedy
Trisha Learned
Marybeth Nein
Judie Ogin
Erin Roche
Florence Stein
Mariana Veresh
James Weller
CRIMINAL JUSTICE CLUB
Dennis Dominguez
Amy Mammarella
Jacqueline Torres
Tamara Wright
STUDENT NURSES’
ASSOCIATION OF
PENNSYLVANIA
Faye Montgomery
Thomas Wagner
FRONT STREET JOURNAL
Jodi Corbett
Ben Dalton
Stephanie Decker
Christine DiMaria
Andrew Kulp
Steven Mietelski
Mary Beth Miozza
Lara Pursley
Adrienne Reed
Rachel Sabolis
Abraham Shapiro
Jacob Shapiro
Dawud Stewart
James Strauss
Features
JUNE 2003
New Phi Theta Kappa Inductees
By Melissa Kushner
RACC Public Relations/Marketing Specialist
On May 8, 2003, the following 49 Reading Area Community College students accepted the invitation to join Phi Theta Kappa, the
international honor society for two-year schools. They were inducted into RACC’s Alpha Sigma Rho chapter on Friday, may 9 at 7:00
p.m. in the Berks and Penn Rooms in Berks Hall.
Minerva R. Allen, Blandon
Cynthia Ann Amour, Mohnton
Michele S. Bartow, Reading
Jennifer Bell, Douglassville
Fabricio Pablo Beltran, Reading
William E. Brown, Fleetwood
Lynn Smith Cooper, Hamburg
Candi L. Cremer, Reading
Linda Ann DeBello, Reading
Maria Anne Fenstermacher, Fleetwood
Kedeen Natalia Fraser, Centerport
Lani L. Goldsborough, Shillington
Constance J. Green-Fritz, Boyertown
Darrell M. Grubb, Birdsboro
Bonnie L. Haller, Kenhorst
Alice A. Horan, Honeybrook
Kathleen Eleanor Hiester, Reading
Rola Julien Sayde, Wyomissing
Elise Kay Schiavone, Reading
Donna F. Schnell, Oley
Lee E. Seibert, Reading
Lisa Ann Slider, Mertztown
William Stanley Stettler, Sinking Spring
Susan G. Sweeting, Reading
Rebecca Ruth Symonds, Reading
Jeffrey B. Taylor, Reading
Laura Lee Valeriano, Reading
Jessica M. Webber, Richland
Adrienne Michelle Wentzel, Reading
Daniel Drew Whitaker, Kutztown
Gail Monica Will, Reading
Dawn E. Williams, Wyomissing
M. Kathleen Hoffman, Reading
Eric S. Hopewell, West Lawn
Cimone A. Justiniano, Kutztown
Joseph Ronald Kozik, II, Galeton
Benjamin J. Lewis, Reading
Robert M. Lizewski, Shillington
Christi Deiter Loverich, Bernville
Albert N. Maicher, Jr., Birdsboro
James A. Mason, Temple
Richard Taylor Mason, Fleetwood
Sarah M. Mayfield, Reading
Patricia M. Mellor, Fleetwood
Chris L. Moyer, Reading
Christine Marie Nepple, Reading
Lizabeth A. Pawlyk, Reading
Robert S. Qualley, Reading
David R. Reilly, Douglassville
Student tutors recognized
By Tomma Lee Furst
Tutor Coordinator
“Whatever you can do or dream you can,
begin it. Boldness has genius, power,
and magic in it.”
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The follow students were recognized for their support of students
at a Tutor Appreciation luncheon held on June 6th:
Reading/Writing/LEP Lab
Amy Terefenko
Dan Glass
Esmine Townsend
Lois Moyer, LEP Specialist/Tutor
Nadine Hoshauer
Pamela Light
Peter Sensenig
Ronald Maras
Sara Grace
Stephanie Stolar
Math/Science Lab
Adrienne Wentzel
Ann Balderama
Bernie Gouck
David Weilor
Geof Rader, Tutorial assistant
Giao Nguyen
Gift Kabilizya
JoAnn Rawly
Kobe Gudea
Kelly Chase
Linda Chowns
Mathew Roberts
Nancy O’Leary
Omasiel Reinert
Rhonda Ochs
Risa Marmontello
Christopher Moyer
Heater Hefty
Lanie Fessler
Computer Lab Penn Hall
Janet Hayes
Terrie Winson
Todd Hiester
Depal Kapdia
Nursing Tutors
Charlene Hayley-Moyer
Margie Castelluci
RACC Professor receives
international award
By Adrienne Reed
Editor-in-Chief
On April 5, RACC Professor of Writing and Phi Theta
Kappa Advisor, Dr. Donna Singleton was awarded the 2003
Robert Giles Distinguished Advisor Award, at the
International Phi Theta Kappa convention in Anaheim,
California.
This prestigious award is the first international award
received by anyone associated with the Alpha Sigma Rho
Chapter at Reading Area Community College.
Phi Theta Kappa is an international honor society for
two-year colleges.
Congratulations Dr. Singleton!
Features
JUNE 2003
Perfect weather for Sweet 16
By Andrew Kulp, Staff Writer
Photo by Vic Starita
The majority of the 2003
spring season has been chilly
and overcast, but on May 19,
the temperature went up, the
clouds went away, and the golf
clubs went to work. Several of
the
golfers
claimed
responsibility for the perfect
weather, but what actually
occurred was a phenomenon
that began 16 years ago.
The phenomenon is the
Foundation for RACC Annual
Golf Tournament, an event that
has raised almost $100,000
since its inception and has
never witnessed a day of
inclement weather. That insane
amount of money has been
awarded in scholarships to
Reading Area Community
College students over the past
16 years, and for some, has
quite possibly been the driving
force behind obtaining a
college education.
This year's tournament
was held at the Berkshire
Country Club. Participants in
the charity event were mostly
RACC employees, members of
the board of trustees, or
representatives of the various
sponsors. Teams of up to four
golfers competed amongst each
other in an 18-hole, "scramble"
style game, but winning was
obviously not the primary
objective on the greens. The
result was a casual day at the
course where it didn't matter
whether or not somebody was
swinging the club well.
Of course, there were
some notable shots that day.
Lou South had the longest putt
of the day with a 36-foot gem.
The most incredible shot of the
day was the longest drive of the
day. Estimated at 310 yards,
Brad Reinhart drilled the ball
on hole 4, a length that many
professional golfers cannot
drive a ball. Brad's playing
partners bragged over dinner
that the shot was even "hit into
the wind." Sure, it was…
Before dinner, Augustas
Hatzas, Chairman of the golf
committee, gave out small
prizes, thanked the players, and
introduced President Richard
Kratz and former President
Gust Zogas. Mr. Zogas, who
helped start the event with Mr.
Hatzas, admired the players
who continue to come out, but
stressed, "the students profit
immensely" from the game.
The Foundation donated over
$150,000 to students last year
alone; making Mr. Zogas' words
a grand understatement.
The Foundation for
RACC hosts this annual event in
an effort to raise supporting
funds for the college.
Conference promotes understanding of refugees
By Ben Dalton
"Only those can understand
us – who ate from the same
bowl with us." Over half a
century ago, a young Russian
girl made this statement of the
infamous Soviet Gulag labor
system.
In the Soviet system,
political
prisoners
were
tortured until they confessed to
false crimes, and then shipped
off to the deadly forced work
camps where the majority of
them died. The Soviet Union
may have collapsed but today
there is a new camp where
hundreds of thousands scrape
by: the refugee camps.
Across the world, the
borders of chaotic countries are
swollen with refugees seeking a
return to peace and hope. Too
often, they find neither; and the
humanitarian aid they receive is
far from enough. They pour
into expansive refugee camps
living on virtually nothing, and
there they stay for years.
On the weekend of April 46, Villanova University hosted
the
National
Collegiate
Conference on Refugees. The
goal of the Conference,
according to its home page, was
to "offer students and others an
academic
venue
for
information, learning, and
discussion, focusing on the
political environments and
human condition of refugees."
Throughout the three-day
event, a broad variety of
speakers
addressed
the
attendees. The speakers ranged
from Mohamed Kanu, a
refugee from Sierra Leone and
RACC student, to Professor
Maryellen Fullerton, an expert
on international law as it
pertains to refugees, along with
many others.
The Conference was the
idea and project of Loraine
Blakely, a student at Villanova.
According to Blakely, she held
onto the idea for two years,
finally putting it into action six
months before the Conference
when she found an advisor and
students willing to help.
Work for the Conference
included
renting
rooms,
inviting speakers, arranging
food,
and
providing
Conference materials. Fellow
students Mike Dolan and Colin
Girgenti helped Blakely in the
continued on page 17
Features
JUNE 2003
RACC Survey questions graduates employment status
By Adrienne Reed
Editor-in-Chief
Some
Reading
Area
Community College graduates
indicated they are unable to
find work in their field of study
because RACC is not actively
helping students with postgraduation job placement,
according to the 2003 Graduate
Follow-Up Survey.
The Office of Grants &
Institutional Planning at RACC
surveyed 374 graduates from
RACC’s 2001-2002 graduating
classes. 199 students responded.
A few of the students who
answered the survey questions
pertaining to employment after
graduation commented that,
“The College needs to be more
active in career placement,”
and
“assistance
for
job
placement afterward is poor.”
However, the survey shows
that most students indicate
their current employment
status as positive, with 89% of
the graduates who are available
for employment stating that
they are employed, while 76%
of those employed, and not
continuing their education,
Graduates say RACC
education is exceptional
By Theresa Fort
FSJ Staff Writer
In a survey conducted by the
college, graduates said Reading
Area Community College plays a
vital role for Berks County
residents seeking a flexible and
affordable education.
To find out if RACC meets the
needs of its students, the survey
asked 374 students graduating
between December 2002 and
September 2002 to evaluate the
college’s services and procedures.
Of the 199 students who
responded to the survey, almost
half (49 percent) said they would
not have been able to continue
their education without RACC.
“RACC enabled me to go back
to college by offering night and
weekend classes and college @
Home,” said one recent graduate
surveyed, who works full-time as a
medical office manager and has
two children at home.
According to enrollment
figures for the Fall 2002 term, 61
percent of RACC students
attended classes part-time, and
almost 37 percent attended n the
evening. Getting an education can
be a challenge for busy people
with jobs and families, however the
college’s flexible class schedules
helps students create a curriculum
they can live with.
Finding time in a busy
schedule is just one obstacle
students face; paying for college is
another. As the cost of higher
education
rises,
community
colleges offer students the best
value for the dollar. According to
RACC’s student catalog, the cost of
attending RACC in the 2002-2003
academic year was $59 per credit,
compared to $167 at Kutztown
University and $490 at Alvernia.
Students at RACC do not feel
that they sacrifice quality for cost
and convenience though. Most
graduates responding to the
survey
rated
the
college’s
programs and procedures as
"good" or "excellent." Ninety-nine
percent of the respondents said
that they had accomplished their
educational objectives while at
RACC, and 97 percent said they
would recommend the college to
another person.
“I found my education at
RACC to be rewarding and
valuable,” said one graduate. “The
flexibility and affordability that
RACC offers is exceptional.”
replying that they are employed
in a job related to their studies.
The survey cited the few
student
responses
that
emphasized the need for
RACC’s Career Center to focus
on helping graduating students
find jobs. However, the survey
results reveal that 130 of the
199 respondents said they did
not use the Career Center.
Of the students who replied
that they had used the Career
Center, 24 rated the service and
procedures as excellent, 25
rated them as good, 15 as fair,
and 1 as poor.
In rating how helpful the
education and training they
received at RACC was to the
performance of their job, 53 of
the graduates who responded
to the survey relate it as
excellent, 83 as good, 9 as fair,
and 51 as not applicable/not
working.
According to the major
findings of the survey, 41% of
student respondents declared
that their enrollment at RACC
was the result of potential or
actual job loss or concerns
about future job opportunities
in their field of employment.
Project Graduation –
feed a body…feed a mind.
By Judie Ogin Senay
Alpha Sigma Rho Vice President
Project Graduation is a national service program that
supports the efforts of community-based organizations to
eliminate hunger and illiteracy. This goal is achieved by
tapping the collective resources of the audiences on college
campuses during commencement week.
Alpha Sigma Rho Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa Honor
Society at Reading Area Community College is participating
in this national service initiative. Donations of canned
goods will be given to Greater Berks Food Bank.
We are asking students, graduates, families, and others
who would like to donate to bring books and canned foods
and place them in the collection area throughout our
campus during the weeks of June 1 through June 16, 2003.
Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the TwoYear College administers Project Graduation. Phi Theta
Kappa is the largest academic honor society in the world
with approximately 90,000 members inducted annually. Phi
Theta Kappa includes 1,200 chapters on two-year and
community college campuses in all 50 states, Canada,
Germany, Japan, and U.S. territorial possessions.
Additional information on our chapter can be found on
our bulletin board in the center stairway in Berks Hall or
you can email us at [email protected].
JUNE 2003
Features
Career Services help students
By Adrienne Reed
Editor-in-Chief
While the Career Center is
not an employment agency, and
never charges a fee, the staff
there does offer many helpful
and free services to help
students explore a career or
find a job. Services offered
include:
Annually, RACC sponsors a
Career Fair, which provides
students and alumni with the
opportunity to network with
area employers and investigate
part-time
and
full-time
employment possibilities.
Career Fair Prep Workshops
are offered in the weeks leading
up to the Career Fair. Workshop
topics include how to write
winning resumes and cover
letters, appropriate attire, how
to interview effectively for
today’s job markets, and
networking. Students must preregister for these workshops.
Current part-time and fulltime job openings are posted on
the Web Site, on the Career
Center bulletin board outside
room B200, and throughout
campus, as well as listed in inhouse employers books. Job lists
are circulated to program
coordinators and division
chairs. Check out the Job List at
h t t p : / / w w w. r a c c . e d u /
CareerServices/joblist.asp.
Students and alumni are
encouraged to make individual
appointments to have their
resumes critiqued and sharpen
their
interviewing
skills.
Students
can
email
[email protected] the
career center with questions
they have about their resumes
or the interview process.
Students and Alumni can
Conference
promotes
understanding
In the Career Center, specialists and assistants help students - Georgene Zielinski and
Smita Aras
explore a career by visiting the
Career Center and setting up
an appointment for career
counseling, which will help
them identify career goals,
develop a plan to achieve their
goals, and provide techniques
to implement their goals.
The Career Center also
offers an extensive library, an
excellent resource area where
students can gather career
information.
Pamphlets,
reference guides, books, the
DISCOVER computer system,
and the Internet are available to
help with career exploration
and job search
Students can also take a
career inventory online; get a
list of career suggestions,
research career and labor
market information, and find
colleges
that
offer
the
education and training needed
to pursue their career goals.
Career Decision Making,
Resume
Writing
and
Interviewing,
and
Professionalism on the Job are
career
courses
offered
throughout the year. To see the
syllabus for each of these
courses, visit the RACC website,
link up with the career center,
and follow the links to each
course.
The Career Center also
works extensively with students
who qualify for a Cooperative
Education. This partnership
between the College and local
employers provides students
with the opportunity to apply
the knowledge they have
acquired in the classroom to
the rigors of the workplace.
This
program
combines
academic studies and work
experience related to a
student's major.
Visit the Career Center
webpage http://www.racc.edu/
CareerServices/default.asp and
follow the links to find out
more
about
information
mentioned in this article.
Email [email protected].
pa.us or call 610-607-6246 to
make an appointment.
Employers are also invited
to visit RACC to meet and
interview our students. Email
[email protected] or
call the career center to
schedule a visit
Career Center Hours
Posted by Term
Phone: (610) 607-6246
Fax: (610) 607-6238
Schedules are posted throughout
campus and outside the Career
Center (Berks Hall 200).
planning and execution of the
Conference.
According to Blakely, she
wanted to run the Conference
so that students and others
might discuss a prominent
modern issue that rarely gets as
much attention as it deserves.
The keynote speaker for the
Conference was Sima Wali, who
was once an Afghan refugee
and now works to help refugees,
particularly those of Afghani
origin. Wali spoke of the
horrible plight of many Afghani
women and called for a helping
hand. Wali also explained what
she meant by help. "We do not
need charity," she said, "We
need work and education."
Individual stories from
refugees themselves were a part
of the Conference as well. One
such refugee, Mohamed Kanu,
was forced to flee his native
Sierra Leone to come to
America. Kanu spoke of the
horrors of an illegal diamond
trade in his native country that
funnels money directly into the
pockets of brutal militant
groups. Other refugee speakers
spoke of the pain of losing
mothers or siblings, or of being
forced to leave behind one’s
family and having not seeing
them for many years.
Although the conference
conveyed the plight of refugees
all over the world, a plight that
few can understand save those
that have lived it, it also offered
a great deal of highly practical
information on how to get
involved. Close interactions
between the refugees and
attendees allowed for specific
questions and information to
be exchanged.
Features
Career Corner
"Dear Pat"
JUNE 2003
It’s never too early or too late
to start career planning
By Adrienne Reed
Editor-in-Chief
I received numerous interesting questions and comments since my last
column. Here are some of them:
Q: Could you suggest a good book that inventories my strengths and
provides Career suggestions and options?
A: One of the best books I have read in ages was a selection from the Professional
Student Services Reading Circle. The title is STRENGTHSQUEST. See me
for more information, please. It’s a winner!!!
Q: How can I prepare for Job/Career Fairs?
A. You can prepare for any Job/Career Fair experience by attending Career Fair
Prep workshops held regularly at RACC. Please see me to get your resume in
order and to review the guidelines for appropriate attire. By all means, attend
every Job/Career Fair opportunity possible for purposes of Networking with
employers!
L to R, Student, Anna Hehn, Maria Mitchell, and Pat Woodring
Q: I just don’t know what I should major in or what I should pursue in
When you enter the Career Services Office, located in Room
terms of a career. Tell me what to do, please.
A: Make an appointment to use DISCOVER, a fine and easy computerized 200 of Berks Hall, smiling faces and the drifting smell of
career-planning program in the Career Center, B 200.
cinnamon immediately greet you.
In a recent interview with Pat Hale Woodring, M.S. Ed. Career
Make an appointment to see a Career Counselor and enroll in Career Specialist, and Counselor, I asked her how difficult it was for
Decision Making class. The class is offered every term and provides the focus
students to decide on a career. She stated matter-of-factly
you need to make positive, decisions.
Q: What are the "Hot Career Tracts" in this era of a down economy and
a lack of jobs in general?
A: Teaching, Health Care, Federal and State jobs, and Information Technology.
These career tracks look excellent through 2008 according to Career Services
research.
Q: What can I do right now to improve my chances of employment?
A: Make an appointment with me to perfect a 10-second easy scan resume and
a three-paragraph, flush left cover letter. These two pieces will open the door
for you. Trust me on this!! Without them your phone won’t ring. Only 2 out
of every 100 resumes are read.
Q: How can I prepare for an interview?
A: Make an appointment with me to discuss and role play the interview and
learn tips on what to wear. Very, very important!!!
Q: What are the two most significant qualities employers look for in
potential employees?
A: Friendliness and the ability to be a team player. Are you surprised?
Experience is a given. Please don’t apply for positions unless you are
qualified to perform on the job with little or no training!
Good luck to our June graduates!!!! Have a wonderful and relaxing
summer. God willing, I will see you here in the Career Corner in the fall.
May I take this opportunity to thank my friend and former student and
Editor-in Chief of the FSJ for her dedication and drive. Hats off to you,
Adrienne Reed!!!!!
Pat Hale Woodring, Career Specialist/Counselor, Career Services B201
"Choosing a career is a job in itself!"
When asked about the importance of career planning she said
"You can’t go about it (looking for a job) in a random sort of way
if you want to spend your life doing something you love," adding,
"if you don’t care, that’s a different story." She says, "A career
should feel like comfortable clothes."
Ms. Woodring reminds students that they are not "out there
floundering on their own." The Career Center has two other
specialists besides herself. These include Director of Career
Services, Maria Mitchell and Coordinator of Assessments, Anna
Hehn. Additionally, three career center assistants can help.
Students of all backgrounds visit the Career Center, according
to Ms. Woodring. She says she works with "those students who’ve
never worked," as well as "tradesmen." She adds that Career
Center personnel do everything they can "to provide tools and
techniques that will help students."
Besides Co-Op experiences, the Career Center also
encourages students to consider volunteer, shadow, and
internship positions. Woodring says these are some of the "fastest
routes to finding out if you’re going to like a job."
Her final advice to students is that "It’s never too late to start or
change careers. Make the first move. Go to the door, B200 or
B201, and step inside."
Ms. Woodring holds an M.S. Ed. in Psychology, a BS in
Education/English, an AOS in Dramatic Arts, and is trained in
Gestalt Therapy.
While at RACC, she has worked in Continuing Education for
15 years and in Career Counseling for 10 years.
Features
JUNE 2003
Career Corner
"Here’s Anna"
In this issue of Career Corner, I want you to
get to know Anna Hehn, Coordinator of
Assessment and Adjunct Instructor for both
the Business and Social Services Divisions. She
also teaches the Portfolio for Life Experience
class for Continuing Education. Anna begins
teaching Reiki Theory classes at Conrad Weiser
High School this spring. A member of the
Career Services Department at the College, I
work with Anna daily, and I see how much she
crams into every moment. I thought she
deserved a pat on the back---so here goes!
Busy! Busy! Busy! Yes! That’s what Anna is
all about: great productivity, productivity,
productivity! What a marvel!!!!
Anna holds an M.B.A. from Kutztown
University, a B.A. from Alvernia, and an A.A.S.
from Reading Area Community College.
Additionally, she earned a Certificate in
Ornithology from Cornell University, a
Certificate in Commercial Art from the
Norman Rockwell School of Art, and a
Certificate in Dream Therapy from the PA
State Board of Social Workers.
Accomplished in Reiki, she achieved levels
I and II and Mastery in Reiki in 2003. Anna is
a member of the Berks Area Counselors
Association and a Review Panel member for
United Way Brite Ideas Grants. She served as
Chairperson for the Northwest Youth-Aid
Panel and the Reading Shade Tree
Commission, as well as participating as a
member of the Comprehensive Plan for the
City of Reading and the Clean Cities Panel.
The International Who’s Who of
Professional Management, 2oo2, includes
Anna, and the United Who’s Who of
Professionals
lists
her
this
year.
Congratulations!!
I asked Anna to write an article for Career
Corner, and she did. I am happy to know her
and work with her. This is her article. Enjoy!
When Life Hands You Lemons…
You Make Lemonade!
There are many ways to handle crisis in
your life. We all have heard and read about
these theories. However, when a life crisis
affects us personally, we may be slow to
remember the following:
The Chinese symbol for crisis means
Danger and Opportunity.
Where is the opportunity when you are feeling
the shock of an actual life crisis? Point well
taken!
When you are hit with a life crisis such as
losing a job, it is easy to focus on only the
negative results of such an event. Here are five
questions to ask yourself when life hands you
something you don’t like or want. And the
Universe will not take it back! These questions
are designed to get you through the crisis and
to help you manage your thoughts and
emotions as well.
Although I would like to take credit for the
responses, credit belongs to Jeff Herring, a Take the first step, walk through the door. Pat Hale
licensed marriage/family therapist who writes Woodring welcomes students.
for Knight Ridder Newspaper.
of work can expose financial areas of life that
you have not taken care of.
1. How can I make a life crisis work for me?
Once you begin working again, do you
This question presupposes that there is a way to
make this a positive situation. It also assumes need to get out of debt, take care of
that there are several ways to do this. It may retirement, or something else?
take a good deal of creativity, but creativity is
simply the ability to look at something that has 5. How many ways can I make this work for
always been there and turn it into something me?
Part of the answer is in the responses to
that has not been seen before.
questions 2, 3, and 4. However, it comes down
2. So, what’s good about this? What does to a difficult choice. Am I going to focus on all
unemployment allow me to do that I have not done the ugliness of what has happened to me or am
I going to focus on how to come out of this
before?
One of the many results of losing a job is that better, stronger and wiser than when I went in?
Jeff Herring
you suddenly have a lot of time on your hands.
KnightRidder Newspaper
While this can be scary at first, it also can work
to your advantage. Are there projects around
the house that you can now complete? Are
there members of your family with whom you There is a theory in Economics called an
can spend more time?
Opportunity Cost, which translates to mean: an
One of the best uses of this free time can be Opportunity Cost is the Opportunity Lost. I
to step back and consider what it is that you lear*ned this piece of wisdom from a former
really want to do in life. Especially, if you have RACC Professor, Joseph Richter. I shall never
been doing something that is not your passion, forget this pearl for many reasons. One being
Losing your job could be your ticket to living that the first time I tried to explain this in a
and working out your real passion in life.
response to an essay question I failed
miserable. But over the years, life experiences
3. What would you love to do?
give you the wisdom to understand that
If there is not a job like that around, how could indeed: an opportunity lost can be an
you create one in a way that would add value to opportunity found, and many times it helps us
the lives of others? The happiest people I know to move forward in life.
are those who are doing what they love for a
Anna Hehn
living.
CAREER SERVICES
4. What does this force me to do that I might not
Shaping Your World for Success!
have done before?
When our backs are against the wall, we
Pat Hale Woodring, Career
sometimes have to face issues we have been
Specialist/Counselor B201
avoiding. Do you need to improve your job
skills? Go back to school? Sometimes being out
Features
JUNE 2003
Students participate
in the 4th Annual
Berks County
Undergraduate
Research
Conference
By Adrienne Reed
Editor-in-chief
Three RACC students
were
chosen
to
participate in the 4th
Annual Berks County
Undergraduate Research
Conference, held at
Kutztown University on
Saturday, April 26.
Janice
Acker
displayed her research in
a poster titled Using the
Works of Great Artists to
Teach Art to Young
Children.
Stephanie
Mason also displayed her
research in a poster titled
Art Development in Young
Children. Presenting in
the paper session was this
author, Adrienne Reed,
with a presentation of the
research paper titled
Ethnographic Videography:
The Changing Face of the
Storyteller.
73
students
of
different backgrounds
represented
Albright
College,
Alvernia
College,
Kutztown
University, Penn State
University Berks-Lehigh
Va l l e y / S c h u y l k i l l ,
Reading
Area
Community
College,
Shippensburg University,
and Villanova University
as they gathered to read
and present innovative
ideas.
The Conference on
Undergraduate research
and
creativity
was
presented by the Berks
County
Higher
Education Council and is
co-sponsored by five Berks County colleges, including Albright College, Alvernia College, Kutztown University,
Penn State Berks-Lehigh Valley, and Reading Area Community College.
The 5th Annual Berks County Undergraduate Research Conference will be held here at RACC in the
spring of 2004.
JUNE 2003
Features
Legacy Volume II
Essayists, Artists and Poets
Students leave their “Legacy” in Volume II
Available to students June 9
By Jodi Corbett
Opinion Editor
Reading Area Community Colleges Scholarly Journal: Legacy
Volume II, arrived on campus May 30.
Legacy contributors received the first copies during a
publishing reception held in the Student Union Building Sunday,
June 8. Administration and faculty will get a copy through campus
mail. Starting June 9, the remaining 730 copies will be distributed
through Joe Kornoski, Student Activities Coordinator. His office,
located in the Student Union Building, is open from 10:00 a.m.–
6:00 p.m. Legacy Volume II will be distributed on a first come
demand with only one copy per student. Students can read
Legacy Volume II at www.racc.edu/StudentActivities/
Legacy/legacy.html
The Legacy Editorial Board, Jodi Corbett, Adrienne Reed,
Mary Beth Miozza, Theresa Fort, Marissa Sharon and Erin Roche,
worked with adviser Joanne Gabel. They read and decided on 32
essay submissions. Legacy Editorial Board held a Writer’s
Workshop and worked with writers one-on-one to edit papers.
Jodi Corbett worked with Cindy West, RACC Graphics Arts
Desktop Designer. Cindy devoted many hours to creating the
master disk for the publication. Cindy patiently pulled quotes,
sharpened artwork and photos, fidgeted with fonts, plopped in
biographies and offered her expertise to an otherwise novice
group of students.
Legacy’s well-written and researched essays are the main focus
of the publication. However, many facets of this campus are
featured in Legacy Volume II, making the publication richly
textured. The Early Learning Center, Front Street Journal and
Yocum Library’s Schuylkill Navigation Project are recognized in
this Volume. In addition, Legacy honored individual talent.
Artwork, poems, and photography added aesthetics and
additional perspectives.
If you have questions on how to join next year’s team or wish
to submit, please contact Joanne Gabel, office Y-109, phone:
(610) 372-4721, ext. 5093.
On The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
By Benjamin Lewis
Ethnographic Videography: The Changing Face of the Storyteller
By Adrienne Reed
The Taliban’s Rise to Power
By Lisa Spatz
Global Warming and the Inuit Culture
By Dawn Williams
Genetically Modified Foods: Beyond the Surface
By Barbara Liszcz
The Post Institutional Child: A Personal Account of the Link to
Learning Disability and Attachment Disorder
By Judy Miller
Meeting the Needs of Gay and Lesbian High School Students
By Karen Steward
Voices of a Gendered Nation: Barbie and G.I. Joe Speak Out
By Theresa Fort
Mission Impossible: How Racism and Sexism Were Not
Confronted in the Women’s Movement
By Isis Hollis
America’s Labor Unions in the Twenty-first Century: A Personal
Account
By Frank Borawski
Martin Luther King Jr.: Personalism Philosophy
By Dara Jarvis
Influences on Construction of the Religious Clause of the First
Amendment
By Eric Hopewell
Artistic Interpretation of Hemingway’s "Hills like White
Elephant"
By Marissa Sharon
A Raisin in the Sun: Historically Correct
By Stephanie Decker
Mary Cassatt: A Life in Art
By Lara Pursley
Art Critique: "A Portrait of A Man"
By Connie Green-Fritz
The Dark Lady and the Elizabethan Age
By Rachel Zimmerman
Illustrations and photography:
Jodi Corbett, Omar Mewborn, Rachael Lyba, Edna Padilla,
Linna Roemer, Marissa Sharon
Poetry:
Thomas Alexander, Malcolm Carter, Jodi Corbett,
Baudi Hildago, Dara Jarvis, Adrienne Reed, Dawud Stewart,
Tamara Wright
Features
No Barriers!
By Adrienne Reed
Editor-in-chief
Fred Indenbaum, Director for
the Center for Counseling &
Academic Development at RACC,
has a “thoughtful spot” in his heart
for his students.
"Hiiiiiiiii," he said, as he invited
me into his office and offered me
his favorite antique rocker, which
he said is his favorite "thoughtful
spot."
No matter who you are, as you
step into this cozy corner of RACC,
Indenbaum embraces you with his
warmth, much like the sunshine
which spills through the window,
illuminating his plants, a few
favorite books, and framed quotes,
from Albert Einstein, Martin
Luther King Jr., and John Lennon.
Always upbeat and happy, he
has an open door policy for his
students, doesn’t typically wear a
jacket because "it seems like
armor," and he prefers to be called
Fred. "Because ‘Mr.’ seems so
distant; besides, only my mother
calls me Mr. Indenbaum," he said
with a smile.
Fred has a natural ability to
embrace you with his words, his
manner, and his smile; always
looking into you, yearning to know
more about who you are and how
he can encourage and nurture you
to be better, rather than looking
through you, the way much of
society does today.
Is it any wonder he has been a
in Higher Ed for 23 years?
Whether a Faculty Member,
Counselor, or Administrator, at the
Community College or University
level, Indenbaum is a man whose
main interest is helping students
succeed.
According to The Bete Co.’s
pamphlet Learn About Diversity, this
is no small feat in today’s American
culture, which resembles more of
"a tossed salad – a variety of flavors
textures, colors, and shapes," as
opposed to the past idea of a "great
melting pot" where cultures and
customs blended together "like
ingredients in a cream soup."
In fact, when we look around
RACC, the proof of educators
challenge can be seen in the
diversity of the ever-increasing
student population.
In meeting this challenge head
on, Indenbaum responded to the
diverse needs of RACC’s students
by writing and publishing his first
book, No Barriers! College Success
Strategies for Hispanic Students, after
observing the lack of textbooks
aimed at meeting the needs of the
bilingual and bicultural student
who is making the effort to
overcome life’s obstacles to
achieve a college degree.
He says he wrote No Barriers!
for
the
bilingual/bicultural
student who wants to start college
because "Some Hispanic students
face the challenge of adapting to
the English language, but more
importantly, they find themselves
faced with adapting to the North
American
higher
education
system, social style, and learning
style."
No Barriers! is a 250 page bilingual flipbook, 125 pages for
English and 125 pages for Spanish.
According to Indenbaum, writing
the book in English and then
translating it into Spanish was an
effort aimed at incorporating
"both
languages
in
the
teaching/learning process" and
was intended to encourage
students to "prepare for college,
even if their language skills need
improvement."
Indenbaum said he wrote the
book this way because "Spanish
speaking
people
are
very
intelligent within their own
language, social style, and learning
style but need to adapt to the
North
American
teaching/
learning environment."
He said he wants students to
know that, "It’s ok for the Spanish
speaking student to use his own
language to learn with along with
the English language," stating that
in this way the student will have a
better understanding of the course
content because of Spanish
"reference points."
He said that a bilingual
education is not a new idea, and is
ideal for the learning process,
referencing
that
most
industrialized nations, like Europe,
Switzerland, and Germany use this
method of teaching.
"Both Hispanic and North
American students can use this
book; but because it is written in
both Spanish and English, Latino
students can use both languages to
learn," Indenbaum explained.
A way of teaching that offers an
"an educational and therapeutic
flavor" to learning, he said.
No Barriers! begins with a
message that encourages students
to work with the "10 Most Powerful
Resources" within themselves, an
introductory
message
for
instructors that briefly describes
the
goal
of
the
book,
acknowledgements,
and
an
introduction, which explains the
philosophy behind the book.
Opening chapters include
cultural dialogues on "Hispanic
and North American values," and
include statistics, and student
comments which "echo the role
cultural differences and socioeconomic factors play in student
success."
Subsequent chapters explore
learning styles, time management,
test taking, stress management,
coping with cultural differences,
career decision-making, and
learning tips and exercises that
encourage students to explore
their ideas and beliefs.
In the Appendix Section
JUNE 2003
students will discover more
exercises that highlight "the power
of
association,"
and
offer
individual profile and career
profile questions to further aid
them in "the self-assessment
process," as well as a "Student
Success Contract" that the student
and instructor can use to increase
their chances of success.
Fred’s personal belief that
“adapting to and enjoying
American life does not require
Latino’s to surrender their
Hispanic heritage,” but allows
students to celebrate their
bilingual and bi-cultural identity,
which will bring more meaning to
their life experiences, is one of the
many insights noted throughout
the book.
The message he offers
Spanish-speaking students is,
"Take pride in your language and
embrace your heritage."
No Barriers! is all about living
life "with dignity," and is the result
of Fred’s own work developed over
the years. It interweaves crosscultural elements, which come
from his teaching and counseling
experience.
Indenbaum said, “The book
can be purchased at the RACC
campus bookstore and is also
being marketed nation wide.”
Fred’s personality, life and
work, much like his office, reflects
the essence of the "thoughtful
spot" he holds in his heart for
every student he counsels.
JUNE 2003
Features
International Student Club hosts annual festival
By Adrienne Reed
Editor-in-Chief
On Saturday May 17,
RACC’s International Student
Club hosted its 8th annual
festival,
presenting
administration,
faculty,
students, and Berks County
residents with ethnic foods,
music, dance, displays, and a
fashion show.
According
to
Tudor
Mazgareanu, Club President,
"This was my first festival ever
here –and in my opinion it was
great."
Club member, Patricio
Caballero, said the fusion of
entertainment
included
"charged performances by
African, Latin, Vietnamese and
Polish musicians and dancers,"
among others.
Caballero added, with a
smile, "The festival was
interesting, especially I would
say – the belly dancers."
"Next year," Mazgareanu
said, "the club plans to have
more food and more helpers
because this year most of the
volunteers were "running
backwards and forwards during
the performances" trying to
keep up with the days events.
Congratulations
to all
2002-2003
Academic
Award
Recpients
Features
JUNE 2003
Strategically Planning Your Career (editorial)
By Adrienne Reed
Editor-in-chief
Students who sail through
their academic career without a
thought about or plan for their
professional career after college
are likely to reap the consequences
of post-graduate disillusionment
when, after graduation, they are
unable to find the job they want.
Some RACC graduates believe
that RACC is to blame for failing to
actively prepare or place them in
the jobs they want.
However, it has been my
experience and observation that
when we fail to plan for our lives or
refuse opportunities that are
offered to us then we can only
blame ourselves.
There is a lot of talk these days
in the private and public sectors
about
planning,
specifically
strategic planning, but what does it
mean and how does it affect us?
Simply speaking, a strategic
plan is a management tool or
disciplined effort that focuses on
the future.
In a broad sense, a plan helps
an organization focus their energy
while ensuring that its members
are working to achieve the same
goals, is used to assess and adjust
direction in response to changing
environments, and generates
fundamental decisions and actions
that will shape and guide the
organization – what it does and
why it does it.
Ok, why does this little
vocabulary lesson mean anything
to students who are not yet a part
of a large corporation or
organization?
Because, strategically planning
for ones future is an essential
mindset that we (i.e. single
organizations) should actively
include in our daily lives.
For
college
students,
calculated planning is not only a
good idea but also a necessary part
of an education if they want to be
prepared for a professional career.
Planning focuses on the future. It
focuses
our
energy
on
intentionally
setting
goals:
choosing a desired future and
developing an approach that will
help us achieve those goals.
Living for today without
planning for tomorrow is a strategy
that benefits no one and can
negatively affect everyone.
Looking at our nation, it is easy
to see how the lack of planning
affects us. Our national budget is
in a deficit condition, businesses
are closing – taking workers
retirements and stock market
investments
with
them,
unemployment is up, graduates
are working in jobs unrelated to
their field of study, divorce is on
the rise, single parents struggle to
make ends meet, and currently
bankruptcy is a popular form of
credit control.
While there are few calculated
formulas that we as average
individuals
can
follow
to
strategically control economic
trends or supply and demand we
can control whether or not to
follow a blueprint for our lives.
Planning will help us make
fundamental decisions and carry
out specific actions that will shape
and guide us toward achieving the
goals we want to achieve – what we
do, and why we do it.
We start by analyzing our
needs, wants, abilities, and
limitations,
then
move
to
developing a plan that best suits
our individual or corporate
qualities.
As
time,
changing
environments, and situations pull
us in different directions we can
reassess and adjust these plans,
always keeping our eyes on the
goals.
By following specific formulas
and designs, students can lay out a
plan that will help them verify
their goals and the steps to
achieving those goals.
RACC offers its students and
alumni a host of exploration and
planning tools to help them
prepare for a career – whether in
college or after graduation.
From course work to a Career
Center and support staff that train,
teach, nurture, and encourage us,
the sky is the limit.
Most of what we need to
succeed is found on campus, at no
charge.
As part of the fee, the
coursework itself offers free tools
and tips that professionals pays
thousands of dollars for.
Strategically minded students
will utilize what RACC has to offer,
exploring the best-individualized
plan to meet their goals, one that
suits their personality.
They will take advantage of
every opportunity available to
them and use every tool necessary
to plan their academic career in a
manner that places them in the
best possible position for the job
opportunity they desire either
during or after college.
It
is
our
individual
responsibility, as students, to take
the necessary steps to prepare for
our professional careers. We do so
by exploring our individual core
beliefs, setting goals that ascribe to
these beliefs, and making a plan
that suits them, at every level.
Each of us is individually
responsible for our future. We may
not see the long-range effects of
the decisions we make today – for
years to come – but it is up to us to
manage the things that we can in
order to lessen the negative effects
upon our lives.
RACC offers tools that will help us
to find our way and make our
transitions smoother but we must
take the initiative to step up to the
challenge of effectively planning
our future.
RACC has taken the first step.
The door of opportunity is open
wide, but we must walk through it
ourselves.
You are not alone, there is
someone waiting to guide you on
the other side.

The Front Street Journal - Reading Area Community College

Transcription

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