December 9
Crusader
Mighty Megadeth
Crusader reporter Rustin Watt interviews bass player James Lamenzo of Megadeth. —Page 8
SEWARD COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE/ AREA TECHNICAL SCHOOL
Presorted Standard US Postage PAID Liberal, KS Permit NO.114
www.crusadernews.com
Year 41, No. 5
2009
Liberal, Kansas
Former SC coach and resident of Fort Hood deals with attack Dacee Kentner Crusader staff
Miss Liberal Pageant contestants needed Full-time Seward County female students between the ages of 17 and 24 have the opportunity for a scholarship through the Miss Liberal Pageant. To enter, students must present good moral character; be single; never married, divorced or pregnant; be a resident of Seward County for at least six months; and be a U.S. citizen. The Miss Liberal Pageant will be Feb. 14, 2010, in the Liberal High School Auditorium. For more information contact Lu Haynes at 620-6249153 or haynes@swko.net
Everyday is a risk for the current United States military. With a war overseas and the constant threat of terrorism, no soldier is immune to the effects of war. Recently, however, Fort Hood, Texas, the largest military base in the United States, came under attack from within when army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan shot and killed 13 people and wounded 30. Former Seward County Community College bookstore employee and assistant softball coach Michelle (Armstrong) Palma and her family were among the 40,000 military resi-
dents who lived on base at the time. She first heard of the attack from her son, who was leaving school when the teachers called the kids back inside. “My 13-year-old, actually, called me from school,” Michelle explained. “It was an early dismissal school day and the elementary school where I worked had already been dismissed. I couldn’t believe it!” Both the elementary school and Smith Middle School, where Michelle’s children attended school, are within a mile of the building where the attack took place. Michelle’s 12-yearold son had been sent home sick from school that day and was home alone when the lockdown took place. As she was trying to get in touch with her
family, Michelle realized that the cell phone towers were down and getting through on the landlines was becoming difficult. “He had been home about a half hour by himself. The first thing I did was call him and make sure he was OK,” Michelle said. “Then I called my husband.” Michelle’s husband Sgt. 1st Class Johnny Palma was at work when the lockdown occurred. “The building he works in is 10 blocks from the building where the shooting took place,” Michelle explained. Initially, Palma was not made aware of why the lockdown was occurring. Instead he was given orders to communicate
The Palma family with his crew to make sure everyone was safe. Next they were directed to the company, the administrative headquarters
PIE dismisses merge rumors Zach Carpenter Crusader Staff
Library books due
All library books are due back by Thursday, Dec. 10. Students who have not turned in their library books will have a hold put on their transcripts.
Administrators to serve free breakfast
The Moonlight Finals Breakfast will be served 910:30 p.m. Dec. 14 in the cafeteria. The Moonlight Finals Breakfast is a tradition at the college where students are encouraged to take a break from studying for finals and eat breakfast served by the administrators of the college. Breakfast will be free to all students.
The Laramie Project performance Dec. 15 The theater appreciation class will be performing a reading of The Laramie Project at 7 p.m. on Dec. 15 in the Showcase Theater. The Laramie project is based on the true story of the murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo. Admission is free, but the reading is not suitable for children under 13 years of age.
Bookstore buys back books
The Saints Bookstore will be buying back and collecting text books Dec. 14-16. The store hours will be from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Students wishing to sell back their used text books must bring their student ID. Students who are on book scholarship must return all books or else they will be charged for the books. Art by Daylyn Young
Student art exhibit open for viewing The college’s biannual student art exhibit will be hung in the Shank Humanities building this week. The exhibit will display the art created in the college’s art classes this semester, and displays media from photography to jewelry.
on base, to be locked down. They remained there until the premises were cleared. •See Fort Hood Page 7
Telolith entries receive awards Jose Rodri guez Entertainment editor
Edward Kentner won third place in the humor division of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association awards for his story “Edward” in the student art and literature magazine the “Telolith.” “This is a big deal,” said English instructor Bill McGlothing. “It placed among other entries from four year schools where they have departments dedicated to creative writing.” Kentner was pleased with his win. “It’s great, a bit embarrassing getting recognition, but it’s very humbling,” Kentner said. The CSPA awards are through an association that honors student journalists who produce newspapers, yearbooks and magazines. It was founded in 1925 and is operated by the Columbia School of Journalism in New York. Another winner was Bill Asumussen who won a certificate of merit for his story “Workweek Lexicococryptography.” Something both men have in common is that they were both in the creative writing class taught by English instructor Bill McGlothing every fall. “I had both in the creative writing class, not that I want to take any credit at all. Both those students worked hard and it’s paid off,” McGlothing said. However, both Kentner and Ausmussen agree that the class was a major part in their success. “Immensely, the benefit is the feedback you get having other people read stories and comment on them,” Ausmesssen said. Kentner agrees that the class was a big help. “Absolutely, in fact I would call him (McGlothing) my inspiration,” Kentner said. “I’ve always done and enjoyed writing but he’s challenged me and I’m grateful for that.” This is the first time the magazine has been recognized for writing. Overall, the magazine ranked as silver medal finalists. They were gold medal finalists last year. “We would certainly have liked to have a gold, but that was the judge’s choice,” said art instructor Susan Copas.
•See Telolith Page 7
Courtesy photo
Amber Ansari of Liberal, who is currently enrolled in classes at Seward, poses with her husband on their wedding day.
Life, home what people make of it Fareeha Amber Ansari Guest columnist
“You are transferred to Liberal, Kansas”, my manager said to me. It was Duncan, Okla., and I was working as engineer for an oilfield company. I walked out of his office thinking it was just like any other transfers that I had taken in the past. However, this thought took a 180 when I announced my new station to my colleagues. I was swarmed with a multitude of tell-all tales about Liberal and none of them sounded encouraging. September 1, 2004, was a frosty evening and I was driving to Liberal with a heavy heart. It got heavier as the terrain got flatter. Was everything I had heard true? I asked my new boss the first day of my assignment, “In how much time can you transfer me out of here?” Little did I know that the place I wanted so much to get away from would one day become my home away from home. How? Only time was going to tell. My mom always says that things happen for reason, and for the first time in 33 years, I believe her. I have been in Liberal for five years now. In these five years, every day I have learned something new and good about the small town Liberal and life in general. Some of the best teachings of life don’t come from the book. That is the first thing I have learned. I am originally from Pakistan. My husband is from India. Both of us have travelled across the oceans pursuing our dreams and two very different careers. He is an orthopedic surgeon, and I am a civil engineer. Of all the places in the world, I met my husband in this little town tucked away in High Plains. I have learned the grace of destiny. The two sisters who introduced us were complete strangers to me. Yet they made the effort to introduce me to someone in town. I have learned you can meet angels anywhere, and they don’t have to be from your country or religion. I have seen the spontaneity of goodness in this small town. My husband has worked in many places around the world and within the US. He often exclaims with joy that the doctor-patient bond that can develop in a small town is not possible in big city. “It makes your job worthwhile when you receive thanks or a grateful smile from the patient,” he says. For many people, big cities are synonymous with success. And for the most part, it is true. Big cities have jobs, the glamour, and “everything else lifestyle.” But not everyone can live in big cities. We are taught from a very young age about making choices, and which ones are good or bad. What we are not told a lot about is how to manage when we are not given a choice. For me coming to Liberal was not a choice. But being here I have learned that being thankful is also a choice. Trying to look beyond the obvious and finding beauty in little things is also a choice. The flat lands of Liberal which I did not like before are now prairies with rabbits running around. They are still flat but now they look beautiful. Most of us think of life as a mold which shapes us. But I think that life is a like jelly and we are the molds ourselves. It is up to us to how we want to mold the jelly-–our life. Currently I am taking classes at SCCC. Obviously it is a step back for me and hence most of the students here are younger than I am. They remind me of the times when I was their age, and under a lot of pressure to get good grades, a good job, and then join the rat race of being the best at your job. The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you are still a rat who is constantly pushed to race again. In the end we are all unhappy rats confined to our dreams. Solution: Open Up. Most of the students reading this article will soon graduate and pursue careers in Kansas or elsewhere. I would like to say that wherever you go and whatever you do, remember it is entirely up to you to make a school, a university, a career choice, a city good or bad. My husband and I are both very far from our homeland but we have come to love the small town Liberal so much that it is the only place in the US we proudly call our home away from home. Be open to the prospects life is going to walk you through and embrace with an open heart the places life takes you to. Across the oceans– if we can do it, maybe you too can someday call an offbeat career your passion and an unusual place your home away from home. You meet the best people and build castles of memories in places you least expect to.
Rumors have been circulating for quite some time now about the “merge” of the Gas Compression Institute and the Measurement and Pipeline Institute, but according to Petroleum Industry Education committee member Don Ukens, that is certainly not the case. “That is just a rumor,” Ukens confirmed. “We’ve talked about that possibly happening for as long as I can remember, because the number of employees in the gas market continues to decline as companies cut back on operating jobs, so we get fewer people in the immediate area to attract to the gas institute.” PIE is the umbrella over the two institutes, and according to SCCC Dean of Educational Services Dale Reed, PIE is assessing and evaluating the future of the two institutes because of declining attendance. PIE has hosted the two committees, the Gas Compression Institute in the spring and the Measurement and Pipeline Institute in the fall. Last year PIE advertised the two institutes by radio in Trinidad, Colo., Chanute, and Amarillo, Texas. People from these areas attended, but now in addition PIE is looking in Seward County for new faces. PIE has enlisted the help of students from SCCC’s journalism department for advice on how to market the two institutes in a highly appealing way. The days of sending out invitations to the people who attended these events previously with the urging “Come on back!” are over and done with, according to PIE member Dave Miller. The attendance of these two institutes is not just declining locally. Attendance has dropped in Denver, Colorado, and Oklahoma University’s attendance is down to mere handfuls of potential employees. With dwindling numbers like this, PIE continues to trudge forward to create awareness of how important these institutes are. “This has been one of my beefs for a long time,” Ukens said. “I don’t think anybody in Liberal in the business community understands what this gas institute does for Liberal, because we bring in more people than pheasant season.” He supported his point with the fact that when people travel to these events they buy fuel, check into motels, buys meals, and some buy clothing. Each event lasts three days and, “It’s millions of dollars for the local economy,” added PIE member Tom Kitts. •See PIE Page 7