Feb. 1, 2016 by The Chronicle

SABOR gives CLC a taste of LAtino Alliance Page 5

MonDAY, February 1, 2016

Guest speaker ignites flame under tobacco industry

Patrick Reynolds, grandson of R.J. Reynolds

Betty Derza Staff Reporter

Patrick Reynolds, grandson of tobacco businessman R.J. Reynolds, spoke out about the dangers of smoking Tuesday and Wednesday. Reynolds’ grandfather created Camels cigarettes and popularized smoking in America. Growing up, Patrick Reynolds witnessed his father struggling to breathe from emphysema and decided he wanted to speak out against smoking. “In the twenty-first century, 100 million people died from tobacco use,” Reynolds said. “In this century, if present trends continue, we’ll see a billion people die from smoking.” He added that while smoking has decreased in the U.S., it has increased in other countries; developing countries have especially been affected because they do not know about the dangers of smoking. SMOKE /

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Truth Conquers All Since 1969

Vol 49, No.8

SGA’s Mallon campaigns for early voting at CLC Jamie Di Tommaso Staff Reporter

CLC’s Student Government Association has been working to make the college one of Illinois’ early voting centers. With CLC’s location in the center of Lake County, along with the heavy traffic of students that attend every day, SGA believes it is important to take the steps to make CLC an early voting center. SGA President Connor Mallon has high hopes that the early voting center will increase student involvement in local, state and national politics. “Many students have both work and class, making it difficult for them to find the time to travel to their local polling place,” Mallon said. “If CLC were made an early voting site, it would allow for all registered voters and residents of Lake County that attend CLC to easily and conveniently vote when they come here for class or work.” Even though setting up a whole new voting location is difficult and time consum-

ing, Mallon said with the 1,000 required signatures and working relationship with the local government, the future looks “quite bright.” “I have been in contact with both our Lake County Board member, who has been extremely helpful and enthusiastic regarding the petition, as well as the County Clerk, who I have been informed is also supportive of the petition, but is waiting until after primary season to make any movements,” Mallon said. Mallon said there will need to be additional staff to operate the voting booths and a perimeter established for early voting. “I expect CLC will have to establish an area specifically for early voting, find staff willing to work the booths for 30 days a year, 15 for primaries and 15 for general elections, and coordinate efforts with the Clerk’s office,” Mallon said. Mallon said that there hasn’t been any disagreement among the CLC Board members or the County Clerk’s office, so students

can expect the opportunity to vote early for the college in the 2016 presidential election. Until then, Mallon suggests students stay updated on state and national politics through the Internet and more involvement with the community. “I recommend students get as involved as possible,”

Mallon said. “Read various news and academic sources to stay up to date on current affairs. Watch the debates, and when possible, contact candidates and ask them questions about issues important to them.” The next debates are the Republican on Feb. 6, and the Democratic on Feb. 11 and March 9.

Jimmy Pierson • The Chronicle

TEFL certificate expected for 2017 Grant Spathis Staff Reporter

The Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate has been approved to be added to CLC’s curriculum in fall 2017. The TEFL certificate will be a 12-hour certification course with the goal of educating teachers in the theories and concepts necessary for teaching English in foreign countries. Based on a program offered by Cambridge University in England, TEFL has the

goal of furthering the teaching credentials of those educating abroad, both American and native born. As CLC teacher of TESOL, ELI and TESL and one of the architects of the program Jill Bruellman said, procuring the TEFL certificate is valuable abroad because of workforce globalization. “Abroad, there is a big deficit of people who can teach English, so if you know English, they hire you, but you have no background in any educa-

tion of teaching a language,” Bruellman said. The goal of the program is to give teachers in foreign nations a basis in the newest theories in English language education. Given that English is increasingly the language of global business, many foreign nations are striving to give their students a head start on this piece of international commerce. CLC ELI and English professor Dr. Jacinta Thomas said she and Bruellman

have been taking steps toward fulfilling CLC’s need for the certificate. “We have been very proactive,” Thomas said. “We have seen needs and said ‘maybe we should do it.’” The TEFL program was not an overnight occurrence, either. In 2003, CLC had been certified by the Cambridge University Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, TEFL

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TEFL

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one of the most renowned English education programs in the world, whose goal is to give teachers the practical skills necessary to teach English to students who are non-native speakers, typically in foreign nations. Not only does CLC have the history of being a part a prestigious program, they also have multiple programs whose focus is on teaching English as a Second Language and English Language Learners programs. Those programs are more focused on preparing educators for teaching in the U.S. The certification program will involve the completion of four courses, with one course focusing on the theoretical concepts of teaching,

while another will be centered upon the structural forms of English like grammar and phonology. There will be a pedagogy course, giving educators an idea of how to apply those theories in a classroom setting, and the final course will be fieldwork, giving them a chance to apply all they’ve learned in this course. With the introduction of this certification to CLC, the college is aiming to further its reach internationally. With the increasing interconnectedness of our world, through the internet and the ever growing reach of the global economy, this program aims to put CLC at the forefront of educating the world’s educators.

Caitlyn Sinclair

THE CHRONICLE Staff List

Managing Editor

Danielle Barber Copy Editor

Roy Valmores Sports Editor

Cydney Salvador Editor-in-Chief

Contributors:

Juan Toledo

Betty Derza, Adam Fritzshall, Andrew Ng, Courtney Prais, Lucy Petrosyan, Grant Spathis, Aaron Sporer, Jaime Di Tommasso, Louie Turcios, Luis Vargas-Soto, & Sam Yoo

John Kupetz Adviser

Opinion Editor

Tim Maddox

Jimmy Pierson

Photographer

Layout Editor

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Smoke

Early childhood learning program born at CLC

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While only 17 to 18 percent of American adults smoke, in the rest of the world, one out of every three people smokes. According to Reynolds, four factors lower smoking rates: higher tobacco taxes, smoking bans, state spending on prevention and cessation (e.g. media, ads on TV), and FDA regulation of tobacco and e-cigarettes. “The best way to decrease smoking globally would be to use government regulations and taxes,” Reynolds said. “We stand on the edge of a cliff at this time. It is in times of economic uncertainty that the worst leaders have risen to power.” “They all came to power based on an ideology, and when I see politicians saying, ‘don’t regulate, don’t tax,’ and going with this one-size-fits-all ideology, I get afraid,” Reynolds said. At the “Tobacco Wars” presentation Reynolds encouraged CLC students and faculty to vote for politicians

who make policies based on pragmatism, not ideologies. He said that under President Bush, his organization attempted to pass a high tax on cigarettes which Bush rejected. However, within two weeks of entering the Oval Office, President Obama approved the 69-cent tax on cigarettes. Because of this tax, there are 3 million less smokers in the United States. Reynolds added that some Republicans, such as John McCain, support anti-smoking regulations. To him, political parties do not matter. Rather, he is dreaming big-picture and wants the U.S. to become a smoke-free country. When politicians fail to implement new regulations and taxes due to their ideologies, Reynolds said, it leads to poor government. The anti-smoking advocate urged the audience to vote for candidates that look at situations pragmatically, whether they are left-orright winged. The organization, Tobac-

co-free.org, started when Reynolds had horrifying personal experiences with smoking. His only memories of his father were of him dying from emphysema. He also started smoking at 17, and it took him an additional 17 years to quit. Reynolds said that with his platform, he had an incredible opportunity to change the world and make a difference. “I found my calling in my deepest wound,” Reynolds said. “Many of us do. It’s the ex-smoker or the man who lost his father to smoking who starts to develop a passion for helping people quit or stopping a teen from starting.” “It’s the ex-alcoholic who becomes a great speaker on alcohol. It’s the ex-drug addict who becomes a wonderful advocate against drugs and drug counselor. Where we’re wounded most deeply, sometimes is where we find what we’re supposed to do with our lives,” Reynolds preached.

Press Release On March 2, the CLC Early Childhood Education program will offer a Gateways to Opportunity Launch Event to explain how students can earn stateapproved early childhood credentials while earning an Associate in Applied Science degree, or Administration and Leadership certificate. The event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in Room C005. As a Gateways to Opportunity Entitled Institution, CLC can offer the Gateway Credential to its Early Childhood Education associate degree graduates. Gateways Credentials recognize and validate educational accomplishments of early care and education, school-age and youth development professionals. They are awarded by the Illinois Department of Human Services Bureau of Child Care and Development and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. The event will feature Andrew Hand, higher education liaison from the Gateways to Opportunity Illinois Professional Development System, who will highlight the process and benefits of ECE credentials. In addition, attendees can also schedule

advising appointments with faculty. According to Diane Wolter, chair of the CLC Early Childhood Education department, early childhood educators who receive the state’s Gateways to Opportunity Credentials can earn higher wages and receive better job opportunities through employer recognition or salary supplement programs. “CLC is one of a growing list of Illinois community colleges to complete rigorous self-study and curriculum enhancements that are required to offer the entitled credentials (directly to students),” Wolter said. “We invested several years to revise and update ECE course work to meet both State of Illinois Professional Teaching Standards and NAEYC Associate Degree Program Standards that align with the Gateways benchmarks for early childhood professionals.” To attend the event, RSVP by Feb. 24 to cwelzen@ clcillinois.edu. For more information, contact Diane Wolter at dwolter@clcillinois.edu. To learn more about scholarship opportunities, visit www.ilgateways. com. To learn more about CLC’s program, visit www. clcillinois.edu/programs/ece

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TRANSFER SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR CLC STUDENTS

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Photo by • Tim Maddox

Anti-smoking speaker Patrick Reynolds warns community of dangers of smoking.

appliedtech.iit.edu 630.682.6000

Features

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Page 4 | Monday, February 1, 2016

Business Club aims to partner with neighbor clubs Courtney Prais Staff Reporter

CLC’s Business Club has students preparing for realworld workforce situations through networking and organization. Jeff Varblow, one of the advisers for the club, gives insight to Business Club activities. “It allows students to engage in real-world examples through presentations, projects and rubbing shoulders with people that are out in the real world,” Varblow said. We live in a society where social media dominates how

we communicate, and where who you know helps give you an edge over competition when ﬁnding jobs or getting that acceptance letter from a university. Students who decide to join Business Club ﬁnd themselves in position for the next step after CLC. Varblow advocates for the importance of networking. “It helps them learn how to build a network of people that have similar passions and commitments and whether that network ultimately stays here, or might even branch out as they go out to different college or when they end up in a job

and say, ‘Oh wait—I met this person ﬁve years ago,’” Varblow said. Not majoring in business? That’s okay, too. The organization is there for curious students, and for those looking at options for a future career. “It’s open to anybody,” Varblow said. “I encourage them to identify where their passions lay and then balance the desires they have with the available time they have.” The Business Club, like the many other student activities on campus, is there for students to explore their options.

Photo courtesy of Tim Maddox

The club discusses the perks of networking and building connections with partnering four-year universities.

“We encourage our club to work with other clubs,” Varblow said. “We did a joint car wash with the Psychology Club and with the Asian Student Alliance.” Varblow explains that the best way to get a feel for their passion is by connecting clubs and having various student organizations working alongside each other. “Gain exposure to other clubs not by having to join ﬁve, but having your club reach out and rub shoulders with other clubs along the way,” he said. Most importantly, the goal of the Business Club to is provide their members with knowledge of the utmost importance on what it takes to succeed beyond CLC. “The ultimate goal is that everyone here should be going on for their degree,” Varblow said. “That’s what’s going to get you a job, that’s what’s going to be able to promote your lifestyle.” The Business Club has something different going on at each meeting. They have a guest speaker from the

professional world almost every week, with professionals such as economists, computer scientists and real estate brokers. They will also be holding a how-to on interviewing in one of their upcoming meetings. Members also take part in various discussions and events that gain them more exposure. For the spring semester, the Business Club is looking at going down to the Board of Trade as a ﬁeld trip, along with Feed My Starving Children as an outreach opportunity. On Feb. 15, the club will be working with the Job Center for the Internship Fair. Anyone is welcome to attend meetings. Fliers are posted around campus, and you can stop by T203 or T212 for more information. Providing both valuable information and handson experience, Business Club is sure to stand out on college resumes. Business Club meets Mondays from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in Room T232.

BLACK HISTORY hosted MONTH EVENTS by Black Student Union 7

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Black History Kick-off FEB. 1 C003 Noon 3 P.M. Guest speaker: Dr. Gentry

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6 Graphic by: Jimmy Pierson 13

Wall of Love A-Court 11 A.M. - 1 P.M. Purshase your crush a Crush pop. FOR $1: Write your crush’s name on a heart. Proceeds go to American Heart Association.

Hear why we celebrate Black History and take a journey down Black History Lane.

Black History Trivia Noon - 1 P.M. C125

How well do you know your Black History?

Pizza and Movie C003 1 - 3 P.M. “Dear White People”

The film focuses on African-American students and their perspectives under the light of escalating racial issues in prestigious colleges in the United States.

Features

Chronicle

Page 5 | Monday, February 1, 2016

Merlock wants to be Frank Betty Derza Staff Reporter

Classes, interning, music production—this is all in a day’s work for CLC student and rapper Frank Samuel Merlock, known professionally as Frank, An Average Rapper. Merlock was always interested in music: he sang, played guitar, and dabbled in poetry. But his rap aspirations started with a high school project. “A guy in high school said we could do a song and for an easy A,” Merlock said. “He was like, ‘wanna rap with me?’ and I was like ‘well sure, easy A sounds good by me.’ We got an A, it was a rap battle between two Shakespeare characters.” Merlock said this encounter with creating music led him to want to make more of it. “It was pretty funny and although it was humble beginnings, the style of music was rather intriguing to me and something about the rhyming style was alluring,” Merlock said. From then on, Merlock’s interest for hip hop only grew. He made instrumentals and productions—things like mixing and mastering— for producers. After seeing his collection of “dozens and dozens” of instrumentals, someone suggested that he should try to create an album. On a whim, he released his first album, “The Dreamscape Project.” All the proceeds went to Cory’s

Project, a nonprofit cancer organization. The local rapper released his second album, “Let Me Be Frank” Jan. 1. It was a learning process. Merlock had to mix and master music and do many new things for the first time. He also used digital distribution to get album on music platforms such as Spotify and iTunes. The musician explained his attachment to hip hop as a genre and how he tells his story through the music. “When you write music, you have to realize what your story is and tell it through your eyes,” Merlock said. “You can’t tell a story that isn’t yours because that’s not correct art—that’s not how you should do art. Art needs to be a reflection of yourself through a certain medium.” Frank, An Average Rapper is a way for Merlock to tell his story and show off his creative side. “I’m an average kid who goes to college and writes about things that which relate to me, like drinking Capri Sun, eating frozen pizzas and watching Seinfeld,” Merlock said. “If I did anything else, that would be an injustice to the art. I’m your average, white, college kid trying to be a rapper.” The album “Let Me Be Frank” was an obvious pun on the phrase “let me be frank with you.” It describes Merlock’s experiences as a college student trying to make it in the music industry. “The album in itself is very honest,” Merlock said. “It doesn’t tend to preach, it just tends to say what is

and how I feel about certain things. It isn’t meant to get a message across, but just to tell a story.” Merlock said this authenticity is the best way for him to grow as an artist and a person. I’m not always going to do the right thing,” Merlock said. “I’m not a perfect person. But in the end, the only way I’m going to learn is if you let me be frank—let me be the person I am—and one day, I’ll figure it out.” While trying to get his name out to the world, Merlock has a full schedule. He works at a deli, interns at Skies Fall, produces music for other people and he is currently pursuing a Microsoft Certification. He hopes to eventually turn music into a full-time job. “I love performing, and I would love to continue performing and trying to get bigger shows,” Merlock said. “If I was ever able to get to a time in my life where I could do the behindthe-scenes mixing, mastering, instrumentals and make a living off of that, even if it wasn’t so much performing and doing the more technical aspects, I would be very happy with that. Being able to take artists’ final product and make it into something would be a dream of mine.” “Let Me Be Frank” is available now on Spotify, Soundcloud, Datpiff, and iTunes. You can follow Merlock on Instagram and Twitter at @anaveragerapper and his website is www.frankisanaveragerapper.com.

Photo courtesy of frankisanaveragerapper.com

CLC student Sam Merlock released his second album, “Let Me Be Frank,” Jan. 1

Photo by • Tim Maddox

Latino Alliance serves up traditional Mexican pastries.

Sabor gives CLC a taste of Latino Alliance Roy Valmores

the Latino Alliance looking

The Latino Alliance held a Hispanic cultural fundraiser called Sabor Latino, or “Latin Flavor” Wednesday. Sabor Latino, which translates to “Latin Flavor”, sought to bring to CLC a cultural event that showcased many things Hispanic. “The whole thing of it was to give a taste of the dance and a taste of the food,” Latino Alliance President, Jesus Zuniga said. To bring this culturallyinfused education to fruition the event had many Latin based food and refreshments, and even a Zumba instructor Ivan Flores, who teaches Zumba at CLC and owns the LatinoXpressions dance studio, sought to aid the Latino Alliance with this event. Attendees to the event were able to learn culturally musical aspects of Latin culture as Flores taught traditional Cuban and Dominican dances like the cha-cha, merengue, cumbia, banda and salsa. “He did it for free, and he was a really good help,” Zuniga said. As highlighted earlier, visitors were also able to taste a variety customary Latin foods and refreshments, including chicharrónes, a fried pork dish, churros and the time-honored Mexican beverages such as horchata and jamaica. The success of Sabor has

culturally educational benefits, it held positive academic benefits as all event proceeds went towards scholarships for members of the group. A goal that the Latino Alliance has now began to invest in much time and effort through an increase of other fundraisers like Sabor. “This year we’re trying to give out more scholarships so that’s why we’re trying doing more fundraisers than we used to do,” Zuniga said. This event also sought to bring more awareness to other Hispanics at CLC. “We have 25 to 30 percent Hispanics here, so we want to bring more cultural things to these people who were probably born here and don’t know much about it,” Latino Alliance Vice President, Miguel Guerrero said. The next event will be a Valentine’s Day sale of roses and chocolate-covered strawberries. Latino Alliance meetings are held Fridays from noon to 1 p.m. in C125. “(We discuss) future events, stuff in the Latino community if we need to, talk about scholarships,”he said. “We talk about what can we do better, we talk about fun stuff, and community services.” To learn more about Latino Alliance, visit their Facebook page or adviser Rodolfo Ruiz-Velasco in C002.

Sports Editor forward to making the event Additional reporting from Aaron an annual occurrence. Sporer While the event had many

A&E

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Page 6 | Monday, February 1, 2016

VoicePlay’s harmonies leave audience speechless Caitlyn Sinclair Managing Editor

VoicePlay, an a cappella group, performed at the JLC Tuesday and entertained a lively audience. The group of five originates from Orlando, Florida where they began their professional career at the Disney theme parks. The quirky quintet is graced with the presence of Earl, hitting high notes like it’s the easiest thing he’s ever done. He started the group off and impressed the audience with his tenor voice. The deep-voiced Geoff, who has the ultimate “charming announcer” persona, coordinated skits and interacted with the audience. How he hits those practically subsonic notes, no one will ever know. Layne, the beat boxer, is the originator of the group’s songs, as they always begin with the beat. Long before the formation of VoicePlay, Earl, Geoff and Layne performed together as 42Five. Eli, who refers to himself as “small but mighty,” gives off a soulful rock vibe and

has been a part of the entertainment industry for years. He also claims to actually be an alien here on Earth with the mission to better humans with his musical beauty. Last but not least is Tony, who sported fashion-forward leather pants and chimed in each song with his Jason Mraz voice. The group did a truly amazing job and had the theatre reverberating with the sweet sound of their wide range of vocals arrangements. The crowd was rowdy and wide-eyed when each one did a solo, and they left us all wondering why they aren’t more famous already. A student review by Jess Hamm from “The Torch” writes of another school’s love for VoicePlay as well. “The audience laughed, danced and sang along with the performers,” the article stated. “VoicePlay continued the high energy with a brilliant mash up of boy band songs and a serenade for an audience member.” The CLC press release advertised the debut of VoicePlay at the college. “VoicePlay has taken the timeless sound of vocal mu-

sic and turned it completely on its head. The group recreates the orchestrated sound of an entire musical production with nothing but the human voice,” it stated. The name VoicePlay may seem familiar to students and faculty, likely due to their participation on season 4 of the show, “The SingOff.” Throughout the event, the diverse group of men proved their inventive attitudes

during skits which included a comical depiction of their life on the road. They incorporated humor and all types of music, from NSYNC to One Direction, while reminding us that they are not a boy band. VoicePlay declares themselves “origimagidiculous” —which I am assuming means original, magical and ridiculous. Their website tells the story of their move from a

small-scale act to a worldwide phenomenon. “What began quite literally as a street corner barbershop act has now evolved into an internationally acclaimed touring sensation,” their website attests. Luckily, VoicePlay tours across the country often, despite their disliking of the northern cold. Their upcoming shows are in Wisconsin Tuesday and Feb. 20.

Photo courtesy of VoicePlay

Internationally-acclaimed quintet Voiceplay performed at the JLC Tuesday as a stop on their national tour.

Art gallery offers empty canvas for local artists Press Release

A Members Exhibition, featuring a diverse collection of 48 art works by artist members of the Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art, opened on Jan. 15 and runs through Feb. 21. The exhibit will kick off with a reception for the artists on Jan. 22 from 6-8 p.m. in the gallery, located on CLC’s Grayslake Campus, 19351 W. Washington St. The opening night reception, which is free and open to the public, will include refreshments and musical entertainment by the Anderson Nordmark Duo. A cash bar will be available. The gallery’s artist membership program helps to support the gallery and promotes opportunities for local artists. The $30 annual membership fee entitles each artist

to be included in the Annual Members Exhibition in January/February as well as other benefits. The Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art on the Grayslake Campus is located at 19351 W. Washington St. Due to construction, please park in Lot 1 on the north side of campus and enter through the Technology Building entrance (T1). The gallery is committed to displaying the works of Illinois artists and increasing the visibility of nationally known artists in Lake County. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The gallery is closed Sundays. For more information, call the Communication Arts, Humanities and Fine Arts division at (847) 543-2040 or visit http://gallery.clcillinois.edu/.

Photo by • Cydney Salvador

The Members Exhibition will feature 48 pieces from Jan. 15 through Feb. 21 at the Robert T. Wright gallery.

A&E

Chronicle

Page 7| Monday, February 1, 2016

Critics give ‘This is Acting’ standing ovation

Luis Vargas-Soto Staff Reporter

With her album “1000 Forms of Fear,” Sia received worldwide attention. Over the years she has provided hit after hit, even when she is not the one delivering the hits. Many great singles released in the past eight years have been Sia’s work. Her new album, “This is Acting,” was released Jan. 29, although many of the songs have been released early. The album is made up of songs that she wrote for other artists, but were not taken. Each track is so masterfully crafted and each has such a signature Sia sound it leaves one wondering why the songs were not taken. But then it becomes clear that these songs would only work for Sia herself. It is her unique voice and style that gives these songs

life and beauty. Sia’s voice is unlike what she has shown herself to be—unabashed, unrestricted and commanding of attention. There is a wild and powerful emotion in Sia’s voice and in “This is Acting,” it is beyond clear that Sia has let go of anything that hinders her voice. The song “Bird Set Free” narrates a piece of that experience. She sings of how singing, even when it is off-key, frees her. Her song is for her freedom and not for the pleasure of anyone else. Being no stranger to symbolism, “One Million Bullets” was released when her video for “Chandelier” reached one billion views. The song itself carries a similar tone to “Bird Set Free.” In “One Million Bullets,” Sia proclaims to a lover, assumingly, that she would take one million bullets for them and wonders how many they would take. While on the lines

of a love song, there is a still a twinge of uncertainty and unclarity which offers a proclamation of sadness. “This is Acting” is not without the great pop sound that we all know Sia capable of creating. “Cheap Thrills” holds a strong resemblance to “Chandelier.” Both tracks have an easy to dance to beat with dark lyrics that set a somber undertone. The lyrics paint a clear picture of someone who is partied out yet doesn’t stop. The lyrics show a clear selfawareness which gives it an even more melancholy tone. “Unstoppable” resembles “Titanium” in that they are both songs about empowerment and standing up to opposition. The fast pace and the volume of the song gives the lyrics power and weight as Sia claims that she is “unstoppable today.” A similar sound can be found in “Alive.” The song takes a slower rhythm but has no less power as

Sia flaunts her range. Despite all these songs being written for other artists, they are each still strongly Sia songs, and they all fit together. It leaves one wondering how different the songs

would have turned out had the artists accepted the songs. But it’s a gift that Sia got to sing them herself and move through a variety of sounds and emotions created by herself.

Photo courtesy of RCA Records

Sia’s artistic persona continues to awe and confuse listeners.

A farewell to three influential music icons

Juan Toledo Opinion Editor

January is the month of new beginnings, a month to be festive and excited about what the future holds for the entertainment business; however, most of January was spent reminiscing on the past. No more than a month apart from one another, the music industry lost three incredibly influential musicians: David Bowie, Lemmy and Glenn Frey. With both David Bowie, 69, and Lemmy, 70, dying of cancer, and Glenn Frey, 67, passing after a grueling complications from rheumatoid arthritis, one can’t help but experience a feeling of emptiness at the loss of these iconic names. Ian Fraser Kilmister, better known as Lemmy, was the harsh, take-no-prisoners vocalist and bassist for heavy metal band “Mötorhead,” a group mostly prominent in the development of the metal scene in London that eventually made its way

overseas into the American airwaves at the start of the 80s with singles like “Ace of Spades,” “Overkill” and “Bomber.” Lemmy uniquely innovated the grunge sound that most rock and metal bands attempt to mimic today by altering the mechanics of his amp that made his bass sound crisp and rugged. He had an uncontested skill set on the bass guitar that could not be captured for years to come. Lemmy can be credited for influencing a younger generation of talented hard rock and metal musicians that have since created names for themselves like: Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Them Crooked Vultures), Sid Vicious (Sex Pistols) and James Hetfield (Metallica). Glenn Frey’s name will always be synonymous with “The Eagles”; even at the tender age of 67, Frey continuously performed great hits with the band that has made hundreds of billions of dollars touring all around the world. According to billboard.

com, The Eagles fall two spots short from charting in the top ten for the highest grossing touring bands of the decade. Nonetheless, high numbers such as those speak volumes for how successful the band was. Last but certainly not least, for those of you don’t know him from anything outside of his appearances in famous films like “The Prestige” and “Labyrinth,” David Bowie captivated a multitude of genera-

David Bowie

January 8, 1947 – January 10, 2016

tions with his progressive themes, outstanding vocals and flamboyant appearance. Prominently known and praised for his alter ego Ziggy Stardust, which stands as a strong role model for today’s liberal society. Nevertheless, Bowie’s activities inside and out of the studio, such as theater and musicals, made him the triple threat that he is known for today. Bowie is celebrated for being a creative soul, and age—or

Glenn Frey

November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016

illness—certainly did not prevent him from releasing his final album “Blackstar” before his untimely death on Jan. 10. Since its release, the album has surpassed Adele’s “25”. Bowie has influenced the like of Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers), as well as inspired new movements from almost every music scene. All three talented artists will surely be remembered throughout the ages, and their legacies will thrive for the generations to come.

Ian (Lemmy) Fraser Kilmister

December 24, 1945 – December 28, 2015

Opinion

Chronicle

Page 8 | Monday, February 1, 2016

Students hung up closing the academic gap Juan Toledo Opinion Editor

One of the most interesting aspects of being a CLC student ambassador are the New Student Orientations that recent high school graduates and transfer students are required to attend before registering for classes. While extremely vital to the enrollment process, it’s not the NSO sessions that I find interesting, rather it’s the students themselves. Most of the individuals that attend these orientations are residents of Lake County or at least familiar with the area, but one of the most common trends amongst these new students is the months that they’ve spent away from the classroom to focus on their careers or personal endeavors. These students are known as “stop-outs,” and unlike drop-outs—who completely distance themselves from the education system—stopouts take extensive breaks in-between semesters. When asking about their

absence from school, the most common response I receive from these students is that many of them have— or have had—full-time jobs that occupy their schedules, similar to the way a 12-credit hour schedule would for a college student. The transition from being a full-time employee to a full-time student seems to be the biggest concern students have due to the conflicting commitments of school and work. Now, being a full-time student can be wearisome, and being a full-time student with a part-time job can be strenuous. Finding a way develop time management skills can build more unnecessary stress than needed, so when students decide to prioritize one task over the other it seems reasonable that someone will decide to stop-out from school or quit their jobs. However, during the 2015 spring semester, CLC reported that student enrollment was on the steady decline of three percent

per semester. On the Sep 7. edition of “The Chronicle,” contributing writer Berenice Villalobos reported that the dropping numbers was likely a result of an improving economy. Villalobos writes about how during times of economic stability students tend to steer towards the workforce because of the vast opportunities for upward mobility that the economy presents. U.S. economy, since the 2008 recession, has been known to fluctuate, meaning that there is no guarantee that they’ll keep their jobs, as the US Bureau of Labor statistics indicate that a member of the working class will typically hold 11-12 jobs throughout his or her career. Nevertheless, a study done by Toby J. Park, an assistant professor of the educational leadership at the University of Florida, examined the effects that spending long periods of time away from the classroom can have on a student’s willingness to return to academia. Park found that 94 percent of students

that enrolled in at a Texas community college in 2000 “stopped-out” at least once before graduating with their bachelor’s. This isn’t to say choosing work over school is necessarily a poor choice, understandably if a drastic situation called for an individual to take time away from the learning environment to accumulate financial stability than by all means, life is life. But for those who choose to chase careers without completing their education for the sake of keeping their position or high wage should consider that the chances of students who have taken or plan on taking time away from school to pursue a career have a less likeliness of returning to complete their degrees. Park found the chance of someone coming back goes down by 13 percent. “If you leave twice, you’re not coming back,” Park said about students that have stoppedout more than once. Needless to say, a distinct connection can be

made between non-student enrollment and the enrollment deficit CLC currently faces. A better economy entails that CLC can expect less students to register for classes, and a crumbling economy illustrates a spike in attendance. While CLC has taken measures in hopes of revitalizing attendance and encouraging students to take courses by increasing their marketing campaign, however, students that neglect, or lack the effort, to register for classes typically won’t return to their education unless the economy calls for them to get a certain skill set which demands them to take courses at CLC, but rather than becoming another statistic of being a college drop-out and wait for the their place of employment to get back to the books, why not be perceptive and think about the long-term logistics by finishing the degree all at once to avoid risking their jobs because someone else arrives with the experience required for the position.

Young voters pulled to early primaries

Luis Vargas-Soto Staff Reporter

The wonderful part about democracy is that an entire country, united, will gather to make a decision—a decision to elect a new leader. Voting gives strength, power and voice to the people of a nation. As the presidential primary elections draw close, it is important to understand what is at stake and why each vote matters. In recent years, there has been an increasing strain between political parties, and moderates are becoming increasingly rare.

With each new social, political and economic strain our country faces, there is still an increase of polarity. Since Iowa is the first state to hold the primary election, the entire country has its eyes on the outcome of Iowa’s election. Because of all the attention placed on Iowa, it is a chance for a presidential candidate to show that their campaign has made the first move and achieved the first win. This would no doubt mean a great deal of media coverage and a lot of free publicity and great

boost of confidence to supporters of that presidential candidate. Many issues facing Americans have reached the point to which they now demand immediate attention. Picking a leader means picking which actions get taken to resolve these issues. It is important to know exactly what one is supporting with their vote. The primary elections will determine who will get to be in the main race to the presidency. This election cycle has brought out a lot of passionate people, all rallying to get

the politician they support into office. The consequences vary, for some it means a stronger country, for some a more divided one. It is because of what is at stake that all votes matter in this election, particularly the votes of the youth. Young voters have, together, make up the largest group of potential voters that the nation has ever seen. Whether good or bad, young voters have a great deal of power and influence in any election. Young people so often

feel as though they do not have a say in the matters of the world around them, but by being of voting age, a young person’s voice is given a platform. Some politicians choose to see the power of young voters as an asset and appeal more to young voters. Other politicians see the youth as a threat and count on young people from abstaining from voting. To any student at CLC who is unsure about voting, it is important to know that no matter where you stand on any issue, your voice is important, as you are a part of this country as much as anyone else, and that means that your voice and your vote need to be heard. Politicians are meant to represent the people, but if only a few people are voting, then only a few people are being represented. Register to vote and give weight to your voice.

Opinion

Chronicle

Page 9 | Monday, February 1, 2016

Bookstore closes chapter on quick service

Samuel Yoo

Staff Reporter

With only a small time at CLC can one see and understand the thinning patience slipping through the loose grasp of nearly every student. The construction has taken a toll on both students and faculty with the dozens of classroom shutdowns, and with the addition of the lastminute room changes and numerous pathways being blocked off, there has been a tangible, growing sense of irritability. Another casualty of the construction overtaking the campus is the bookstore. Formerly, students waited in line until a bookstore clerk allowed in several

people at a time. Clerks would wander around, assisting students in ﬁnding their books at their own volition if requested. Now, it is mandatory for students to print out their course material list from their online myStudentCenter, drop the sheet off at a checkpoint in the line where they are given a call number, wait for the last stretch of the line outside the actual store, coming to a halt by the pick-up counter to wait for their number to be called, before going into another line to pay for their books. While any student who has gone through this process can attest to its strain on their patience, there are some pros to

The Peking Acrobats

this system: For one, students cannot mistakenly buy the wrong book. Finding out several weeks into a course that you’ve purchased the wrong book when it is time to use it is a sureﬁre way to lose out on hundreds of dollars. Secondly, students are able to ﬁnd out their required textbooks well before classes start, both through myStudentCenter and through instructors putting their syllabi on BlackBoard or sending out an email if they choose to do so. Students are then able to price hunt at various textbook sources and save money. Despite this, there are several issues that dwarf these pros. For one, the waiting

lines have grown since previous years. The addition of needing a printed course material list has caused another line to be made next to the line to get into the store itself. Coinciding with construction blocking off the majority of the hallway space, students are crammed into a very limited amount of space. Often times, students are ﬁnding themselves waiting in the wrong line as well. Many are not aware of the new course materials list, and end up waiting in the main line only to ﬁnd out they have to leave and start all over again. While getting my own books for the semester,

I saw this happen numerous times while waiting in line. Several other waiting students unanimously agreed and even commented that the long wait times seem unnecessary and quite inconvenient. All over both the hallway outside of the bookstore and the interior are reminder posters urging students to order their books online. Ordering books through the bookstore’s website in order to beat the staggering lines seems to deﬁnitely be the preferred method of both students and the bookstore workers. Yet, it also illustrates the painful self-awareness of the discombobulated and chaotic situation that’s settled onto the bookstore front.

30th Anniversary Tour

Friday, February 19, 8 p.m. Mainstage Theatre

An Evening of Edge-of-Your-Seat, Awe-Inspiring Entertainment— Perfect for All Ages!

2015-2016 Professional Touring Series Order Your Tickets Today! 847.543.2300 • www.clcillinois.edu/tickets JLC Box Office: Monday-Friday • 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 19351 West Washington Street, Grayslake, Ill.

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