The award-Winning Student Newspaper of Illinois valley Community College
volume 57
Issue 10
april 27, 2023
news: scifest
IVCC employees retire pages 3-5
opinion: hello from 23-24 student trustee
Page 6
arts: breaking bad review upcoming concerts
Pages 7-8
photo/IVCC fIne arts
Illinois Valley Community College is changing up their education software and moving away from Blackboard.
IVCC instructor Dawn Lockwood discussed the learning management system (LMS) and new software.
According to Lockwood, Brightspace is an equivalent to Blackboard. It hosts assignments, along with tests and quizzes.
The reason for the change from Blackboard is the lack of customer service as well as need for a more modern system.
In terms of what students can expect from Brightspace, Lockwood stated the modernity of the LMS will be key.
“It works in your browser and the app will give you alerts,” she said.
Brightspace will be activated as the LMS for Illinois Valley Community College May 1.
Brightspace will also be here to stay for the foreseeable future as the college is locked into a
three year contract, Lockwood said.
When asked if she could name one word to describe Brightspace, Lockwood said, “Bright,” because of the newness of the LMS and the future of it at IVCC.
Ellen Evancheck, IVCC IT systems coordinator, gave her insight on Brightspace and what students can expect.
Evancheck said students who answered the survey wanted an easy to use LMS. That is what they are getting.
“The Brightspace Pulse app provides a great way to stay on top of notifications and due dates on mobile devices, and the Brightspace system works well on any mobile device’s browser,” she said. “All course content is accessed from the content link in the top navigation bar.”
Change can be difficult to endure and the decision to change is hard. IVCC is taking up the challenge to bring in their learning software.
Judy Day, Executive Assistant to the President and Secretary to the Board of Trustees, is retiring from IVCC on June 30 after 38 years at the college.
After moving to the area with her husband, Day saw an advertisement in the newspaper that IVCC was looking for an Administrative Assistant to the Dean of Student Services. Day took the job and remained in the position for over three years.
“I had worked more in academics at the previous college I had been at, so I just wanted to go back to that,” Day explained. “I had that opportunity to [be] the Administrative Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and I did that.”
Day has held her two current positions, Executive Assistant to the President and Secretary to the Board of Trustees, for the last five and a half years.
According to Day, she is proud to have worked alongside and learned from great academic leaders, including IVCC’s President, Dr. Jerry Corcoran.
Corcoran gave his insight on what Day has meant to the college.
“She's done her penance on earth. She is a quiet leader, very intelligent, and very thoughtful,” he said.
Corcoran also stated that IVCC would not be the institution it is today without Judy Day.
Day talked about her Southern Illinois roots and how the community college campus opening up there meant so much to her as a student.
“Before, I would have to travel or go and reside at another college, but it gave me a great start right there, and so I think IVCC does that in this community.
“I think IVCC is like the center of the Valley,” Day continued. “It's the go-to place for folks to come together for community events and cultural events, and a great opportunity for students to have [an] education. To be able to have an educational institution close by can mean so much to students.”
Day also explained how IVCC has changed over the years.
“It’s expanded and offered more opportunities [and] more in career and technical fields.”
For her post-retirement plans, Day says she has no plans to travel, but she looks forward to spending time with her husband, who has been retired since 2019.
Natural Science laboratory instructor LeeAnn Johnson of Tonica was selected recently by colleagues as the winner of Illinois Valley Community College’s 2023 Stephen Charry Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence.
Johnson has taught biology labs at IVCC since 1992 – as well as anatomy and microbiology labs. She was nominated for the Charry by biology lab student workers Isabella Lambert, Eliza Atkinson and Kailey McCauley.
“Mrs. Johnson uses every aspect of the lab as a teaching opportunity,” said Lambert. “I have learned how to make bacteria cultures, use an autoclave and prepare for labs. She makes learning fun, is approachable and extremely knowledgeable.”
McCauley credited Johnson for motivating students to be ac-
tive and concerned citizens.
A state and federally licensed wildlife rehabilitator, Johnson has led IVCC’s Raptor Rehabilitation Program for three decades and helped save more than 1,000 birds of prey including red-tailed hawks, bald eagles, American kestrel, Cooper’s Hawk and great horned, barred and screech owls.
“She answers the call for injured raptors,” Atkinson said.
A native of Lostant, Johnson earned an associate degree from IVCC (while also playing softball and basketball), a bachelor’s in biology from Northern Michigan University and a master’s in biology from Northern Illinois University.
She was the keynote speaker at the April 5 Student Academic Awards Ceremony and has been nominated for the 2023 Illinois
Scifest, the interactive science life event filled with experiments, presentations, and specialty booths, began at 7 pm. and lasted until 9 p.m. in the IVCC gym on Friday, Apr. 21.
Organized by IVCC chemistry instructor, Matthew Johll, the free and public event took place in the IVCC gym.
Scifest is traditionally organized by IVCC's CHEM/STEM Club and this year involved hands-on experiments and demonstrations like an inflatable planetarium, an imploding barrel, a fluidized sand bed, an augmented reality sandbox, a flame sound tube, a bed of nails, and more.
This year's event featured lunar moon samples obtained by NASA on various space missions. The materials remained under police surveillance and were monitored by Dr. Johll, giving numerous attendees the rare opportunity to interact with these historic space samples.
Additionally, the event included a wide variety of activity booths that contained displays of chemistry, biology, genealogy, and physics.
One experiment led by IVCC
Chemistry students Leah Smudzinski and Payton Giordano demonstrated the effective technique of lighting money on fire without tarnishing the bill.
Chem students demonstrated and explained the experiment to several attendees throughout the evening. When the bill is soaked into the solution, the water molecules soak into the bill while the alcohol remains on the surface. When the fire is put to the bill, the alcohol is what burns to leave the money intact.
Alex Johll took part in the annual bed of nails demonstration. He lay packed between two nail-covered planks, with a cinder block smashed on top of him with a sledgehammer.
He explained his experience, saying, “It definitely felt like laying on a bunch of really sharp nails, but it’s not really bad because there's so many nails to distribute the weight evenly to where it’s more like you're just laying on a really uncomfortable bed.”
What he demonstrated and described is that the bed of nails consists of a large number of nails placed close to one another. Both the weight of the demonstrator and the force of the blow on the cinder-
block are distributed through a large number of sharp points. As a result, pressure applied to a single nail tip is insufficient to break the skin or cause harm.
The event also featured a station showcasing a liquid nitrogen ice
cream experiment. Tim Nagel and Lindsay Nagel prepared ice cream and handed it out to several satisfied attendees.
For information on the event contact Johll at matthew_johll@ivcc. edu or (815) 224-0468.
IV Leader, IVCC’s student newspaper, won 16 awards, including second place in general excellence and second for best overall student media, during the April 12-13 Illinois Community College Journalism Association Conference.
“I’m proud of what we’ve put out the past fall and spring,” said Elisabeth Farrell, current editor of IV Leader.
“I was looking back at Hope’s [Beelman] work for guidance a lot last semester, so I’m really lucky to have had her as a sort of role model for this volume. I think we made a good team in the conference.”
The general excellence award examines the entire printed edition and judges remarked on the newspaper’s “variety of articles, strong layout and good photos.”
The overall student media award recognizes student newspapers that place well in several categories across the contest.
Individual awards were earned by several students:
- Eric Lockwood of Peru received first place in Arts Review for his review “Marvel returns to form with Wakanda Forever.”
- Elisabeth Farrell of Earlville received first place in headline writing; third place in feature photo; second place in Front Page Design; second place in News Photo; second place in Page Design; honorable mention for Editorial.
After a 34-year long career at IVCC, Fran Brolley is stepping down from his position as Executive Director of Community Relations and Development.
Fran Brolley’s personal involvement with IVCC began in 1988 as a newspaper reporter at the News Tribune where he covered the IVCC board. The story spurred his interest in the school and led him to apply for the job, where he was appointed as Assistant Director of Public Information starting in August of 1988.
The school has tied together the community of LaSalle and helped propel students into hundreds of fields.
Judy Day, who is also retiring this year, agrees with Fran and had this to say about the school and its success.
“IVCC is the center of the valley, the go-to place for folks to come together for community events, and cultural events.”
members attended IVCC. So that was probably the highlight of my career that evening and just the week before Thanksgiving in 2015.”
Over the course of his career, Brolley’s contributions have been noted by many students, staff and community.
President Jerry Corcoran is also retiring, and shared his experience working with Brolley over the years.
- Hope Beelman of Peru earned third place in Front Page Design; honorable mention in Headline writing; third place for Sports Photo; third place for Editorial
- Noah Simon of Princeton received first place for Sports Story
- Nyah Nowakowski of Utica garnered second place for Sports Story; third place for Sports Feature
- Nathan Orlandi of Ottawa earned second place for Sports Story
- Drake Weber of Peru received second place for Sports Feature Farrell is editor for the 2022-2023 school year. Beelman was editor during 2021-2022. The contest included issues published from January through December 2022.
Brolley is a long-time member of the IVCC staff and has upheld the Brolley legacy over his 34 year long career at the college. The Brolley legacy began with his father, Ray Brolley, attending and teaching at IVCC when it was LPO Junior College.
When questioned about the Brolley legacy Fran stated, “We have had a long stretch, maybe... 70 years.”
This long standing legacy has been accompanied by many IVCC accomplishments that Brolley has contributed to.
Fran commented on what his personal success and accomplishments during his time at IVCC meant to him.
“I just think of some of the connections we made with some of our alumni and in the community as well,” he began.
“The college is, you know it’s fantastic. It has so many success stories What a collection of individuals we have here that come to our campus every day to learn and to help teach us as well. It's an amazing place to work.”
Brolley also reflected on some of his proudest contributions to the college. He spoke of the donations and gifts that IVCC has received, and being able to tell the IVCC story through thousands of press releases.
“I’m happy about that, being that kind of voice for IVCC,” he said.
Among these moments, Brolley described one event in particular that stuck with him throughout his career, the establishment of IVCC’s Hall of Fame which honored about 75 individuals and teams. It also honored his father who was inducted along with Fran’s long time friend, alumnus and IVCC donor, Ralph Scriba.
“It was just a great treasure of mine, of my life to be able to meet an individual like Ralph when he visited campus. And then Jerry (Corcoran) and I actually flew out to California and spent time with him out there at his beautiful home. So we honored Ralph that night and then we also honored one of ours. It was actually the night we honored Buckacre, a local legendary band whose
Corcoran stated, “He (Fran) has always been here one phone call away. He would drop everything and run through a brick wall for IVCC. So I can’t think of a person that I’ve ever met who’s been in a position to have a greater impact on the college than Fran has. He’s honest, he's sincere, he's personable, he is approachable I think it's because of his grit and determination and his hard work ethic that we have been able to accomplish everything that we have in his office. But we could have the same office and somebody else in there, and I don't think they would be able to do it as well as Fran.”
Brolley has been a crucial member of the Illinois Valley Community College institution and has dedicated his career to improving the quality of the IVCC experience.
Post-retirement, Brolley plans to work with Starved Rock country Community Foundation in order to continue the work that he has accomplished for a different institution with similar missions to that of IVCC.
Illinois Valley Community College recognized Thomas J. McCormack Scholars among many honorees at its annual Student Academic Awards Ceremony Wednesday. A crowd of 120 students, parents, faculty and administrators attended the event in the gymnasium.
McCormack Scholars, their parents and majors are:
- Isabella Barrientos of Ottawa, Kayla and Jose Barrientos, criminal justice;
- Cara Bonczkowski of Serena, Julianna and Robert Bonczkowski, art;
- Elisabeth Farrell of Earlville, Jim and Christine Farrell, English;
- Gage Schmitt of Ottawa, Daniel Schmitt and Lauren Scotti, automotive technology; and
Emma Kamin of Earlville (graduate of Serena High School), Christine and Kevin Kamin, welding construction.
To earn the college’s highest academic achievement, McCormack’s maintain a minimum 3.75 grade point average in at least 14 hours over three consecutive semesters. In addition, all five were recognized for academic honors over three consecutive semesters.
Several long serving staff members and faculty of IVCC are retiring at the end of the 2023 school year, on June 30th. Dr. Corcoran, Judy Day, and Fran Brolley have all been a part of the administrative staff of IVCC for as long as many students can remember.
Dr. Corcoran said that by the time he retires, he will have been working at the college for 33 years. Corcoran has been in his position as president for 15 years.
When asked what of his work throughout his storied years at IVCC he considered to be the best, Corcoran said, “Where we are right now, as a matter of fact, in the Community Technology Center (CTC), is a point of pride for all of us.”
The CTC, where the interview took place as mentioned by Dr. Corcoran, was completed and officially opened in November of 2013. Since then, it has proved a
valuable space for numerous classes and communal events.
Corcoran said the collaborative effort involved in the construction of the center as one of his favorite memories at the college.
The president was also asked how he felt the COVID-19 pandemic affected his legacy.
He discussed the uncertainty, panic, and difficulties in switching to online learning.
“Am I glad that I was the president here during it?” he asked. “Yes, in a strange way, because honestly, I had started thinking about leaving eventually, but I wasn't too sure when, but I knew in my heart, I couldn’t walk away when we were in the middle of all that.”
Corcoran was born to a
farming family, which holds a great importance to him.
“There are a lot of things on the farm that I’m excited about working on,” he said his about retirement plans. He also mentioned planning vacations to Wisconsin, Hawaii and Ireland, to celebrate his Irish heritage.
“My heart will always be here,” he said in closing. “I love IVCC with all my heart.”
Graduation, or commencement, is almost here!
Those participating should be aware that the ceremony will be held May 13, at 1:30 p.m. in the gymnasium.
Graduates will assemble in the main campus lobby before the formal ceremony. Graduates should arrive no later than 1 p.m.
Practice is Thursday, May 11 at 1:30 p.m., and graduates should meet in the main campus lobby.
It will last one hour and is mandatory for all plan-
ning on participating in commencement, as it will act as a guide for lining up and ensure that participants’ names are pronounced correctly.
Photos with graduates' diplomas will be taken after crossing the stage during the commencement. Also, from 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., a professional photographer will be available in the main campus lobby while lining up during the ceremony. All photos will be available online for purchasing. See www.ivccgradphotos.com for more information.
Those who ordered cap and gowns can pick them up
beginning the week of May 8 in room CTC-202, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you are unable to pick up your cap and gown during this timeframe, contact angie_partride@ivcc. edu or you can call (815)224-0361 to pick up your cap and gown at another time.
Graduates may bring four guests. Special accommodations are available in the counseling center for those with physical impairments.
For information, contact Mark Grzybowski at (815) 223-0361 or check www. ivcc.edu/commencement.
Hello, Eagles! My name is Elizabeth Boyles, but I go by “Libby” most of the time. I have been voted in as Student Trustee for the 2023-24 school year, filling the role of Ashten Dille.
During the 2023-24 school year, I will be a sophomore. I also recently received the opportunity to become a Student Ambassador, where I will advance and share my knowledge about IVCC with any current, new or prospective students.
During my first year at IVCC, I played both volleyball and softball. I was also voted into the Student Government Association on the Freshman Programming Board and was an active participant in SGA meetings and events.
As Student Trustee, I plan to seek the opinions of the entire student body on any and all issues and be a voice to our
E D I T O R I A L
Board of Trustees as well as our other electees in the Student Government Association.
I also plan to be informative to all students about topics discussed in the monthly board meetings with the Board of Trustees. I will do so by writing a column in every new issue of the IV Leader.
As a voice for the students, all students will be able to come to me with any concerns. You may contact me via email K00381F2@ivcc.edu and/or find me in the SGA office, located in the Student Life Space, across from the Ping Pong room. I will be in the SGA office when my schedule allows, but you are always welcome to leave me a note in the SGA office or send me an email.
Thanks, Eagles, for another successful year of IV Leader!
This is my last issue as your editor—which also means it’s my goodbye.
I’ll be leaving for ISU in the fall to go further in my goal to become an English teacher. When I was first trying to figure that whole career thing out, I hadn’t even considered IVCC. I was looking at the state schools, some places in Wisconsin… filling out applications for basically anywhere honestly, as long as they were free. And then—I don’t know. I just picked this place, and that was that.
And I’m very, very, glad I did.
At IVCC I got the taste of “real” college without renting a dorm; I got a chance to meet people I hadn’t before but also reunite with kids I knew in grade school; I got a job and a lovely, adorable, extremely kind group of coworkers (shout-out to the TWC). I even got that all, like many of you did, on the precarious edge of a pandemic. Oh. And I got the opportunity to edit IV Leader.
Look, a secret between you and me? I don’t even like journalism. It’s not what I want to do by any means. But I like writing, and I like designing, and
I like getting to know people I would’ve never talked to in my normal life.
My point is that not everything you do will be your passion—but most things end up connecting to something you really enjoy, because if you really enjoy it, you find that passion in everything you do.
IVCC is a great place to explore what that passion might be. And, sure, you might not find your passion here, but I think you’d at least find some genuinely good people that can point you where to go.
Make the most of this place while you’re here, whether that’s making connections with your instructor, forming friendships with classmates or coworkers, or taking advantage of the many opportunities available to IVCC students.
Oh! But before I go, here is a list of the editorials I would have written, had I the time, will, and perhaps monetary motivation:
- how the collective work of Nine Inch Nails, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode and the Super Mario soundtrack department should be enough to musically sustain you for your entire life
- the insulting and deeply concerning new addition to
Snapchat, MyAI
- why Dostoyevsky is good but you need to read Gogol
- why Bungou Stray Dogs is the best animanga to ever exist (not at all related to the previous point)
- what your favorite Spider-man actor says about you—and if you don’t have one because you don’t like Spider-man… oh boy, does that say a lot
Take them. I insist. They can be your own personal writing prompts now. Something to stew over in your free time. A D.I.Y. editorial, if you will.
You know, if you’re interested in that sort of thing, there’s a position opening up…
Editor: Elisabeth Farrell
Assistant: Ryan Nolasco
Staff:
Drake Weber, Julian Godina, Eric Lockwood, John Cheli, Mia Mazzorana, Noah Simon, Logan Bland, Erin Brooker, Kendra Martin, Natalie Neal, Macy Anderson, Bonnie Hall.
IV Leader, a member of the Associated Collegiate Press, is published monthly by students of Illinois Valley Community College. Editorials and columns express opinions of student and staff members and do not necessar-ily express the views of IVCC, the adminis-tration or the Board. Editorial opinions are those a student editorial board.
Letters to the editor must be signed and should be addressed to the IV Leader Office B-316, IVCC, 815 N. Orlando Smith Rd., Oglesby, IL 61348-9691.
www.ivleader.com
Read the IV Leader online, meet the staff, apply for a staff position, and explore the newspaper’s long, distinguished history online.
IV Leader is a member of Associated Collegiate Press and the Illinois Commu-nity College Journal-ism Association.
The hit show Breaking Bad, airing from 2008-2013, which earned a 9.5/10 rating on IMDb and 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, is having a resurgence in viewers and popularity recently.
Memes of the main characters, Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, have been circulating online, prompting newer generations of viewers of the show.
The show about a high school chemistry teacher turned methamphetamine kingpin, follows Walter White’s attempt to balance a half-mundane suburban life and his illegal drug manufacturing business, and how it all unravels.
Having just finishing the show myself, I asked students Sam Lucas and Leilani Landeros their thoughts.
SL: I like how the show was about characters that are bad people, but they still have likable qualities. We sympathize with them because what they’re doing is really interesting, and we somewhat relate to their struggles of living mundane lives.
LL: The main thing I like about Breaking Bad was how every character that was introduced had a background and story. Everything comes full circle in the show. Another thing I like about the show was the complex relationships that they showed, especially how Jesse Pinkman and Walter White cared for each other yet made selfish decisions and had arguments with each other. Hank and Marie’s relationship was complex like that too.
SL: I like all the characters a lot. Every character is really interesting to follow, especially Saul, Hank, and Walter White, who is my favorite character. Walter is my favorite character because he acts the way a lot of people want to. Most people want to break free of their boring lives, and he is a character that’s never afraid to do that. If it weren’t for him there’d be no show. He’s always pushing the plot forward in crazy unexpected directions.
LL: This is a hard question because I liked a lot of characters. One of my favorite characters was Hector Salamanca because he was clearly a bad guy, but he also was loyal and cared for his nephew Tuco. My second favorite character was Steve Gomez or “Gomie”. No matter what, he was loyal and cared for Hank in his darkest moments. His character is someone people should look up to.
Would you recommend the show to others?
SL: I’d definitely recommend the show to others because it’s great from start to finish, and it’ll keep you hooked. It’s one of the best shows of all time probably.
LL: I would recommend this show. I learned a lot about the DEA and how someone’s actions can impact others and ruin a family. I also learned how you can find a bond with people even if they aren’t necessarily family. Walter and Jesse had sort of a father-son bond and relied on each other when they had nothing and no one else.
With a strong combination of storytelling and impactful poetry, Dr. Jonah Mixon-Webster gave an empowering speech on April 5 at the Mary Margaret Weeg Cultural Centre about his life through his debut poetry collection, Stereo(TYPE).
His story is that of a young black boy who was bullied because of his looks and sexuality, and how as a young man he struggled living in Flint, Mich., during the Flint Water Crisis.
After sharing some of these harrowing experiences, he still urges the audience to look for the beauty in life and if you can’t find it to, “make stuff beautiful for yourself.”
The most important message Mixon-Webster wants to pass on through his story was, despite how many times you fail, to not give up.
Being a two-time college dropout and hasving been to jail three times in his life, Mixton-Webster stated, “No matter where you are in your journeys... just don’t give up
on yourself. That is the most important thing I want my work to tell people.”
This event was made possible by the work of the One Book, One College Program at IVCC and more specifically, Delores Robinson and Jayna Leipart Guttilla.
When asked for comments on the event both Robinson and Guttilla shared similar sentiments, saying it was great that Mixon-Webster was able to share his perspective on troubling topics like racism, homophobia, bullying, and inequity.
They were also thrilled to see the turnout of the event and to be able to bring the community together and offer this experience to them.
Mixon-Webster is a poet and conceptual sound artist. He is an alumnus at Eastern Michigan University and earned a doctorate in Creative Writing at Illinois State University.
His collection, Stereo(TYPE), has received the 2019 PEN America/Joyce Osterweil Award and the 2020 Windham-Campbell Prize, and was a finalist for the 2019 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry.
A number of concerts will be held in the Mary Margaret Weeg Cultural Centre at IVCC in May, both from IVCC ensembles and the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra.
During the week of May 1, four concerts will be taking place in the Cultural Centre, all of which are free and open to the public.
On May 1, the IVCC Choir will be performing at 7 p.m. On the following evening, May 2, the IVCC Jazz Ensemble will perform at 7 p.m.
The IVCC Student Recital will be held at 7 p.m., May 3. Bringing the week's events to a close, the Wind Ensemble will have a concert at 7 p.m., May 4.
“We have prepared a unique program for this last concert,” says Phil Whaley, Wind Ensemble conductor. “There are many familiar
songs that the audience will hear, but they will be heard in ways that aren’t as conventional.”
IVCC will also be hosting a concert from the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra (IVSO), titled "Celebrate Culture!" The concert, featuring Kate Tombaugh, will be held at 3 p.m., May 7.
"Orchestral music is alive and thriving throughout the world, as attested to by the proliferation of orchestras in Asian countries and in Latin American countries," says the IVSO website. "We celebrate the richly colored and rhythmically captivating music of the cultures of Latin America and Spain."
Tickets for this event cost $20 for adults and $5 for college students. The concert is free for K-12 students. Tickets may be purchased on the IVSO website.
Michael Pecherek, music instructor at IVCC, has 50 tickets for the IVSO concert available for free to college
students. Pecherek highly recommends that college students contact him for a free ticket. His email address is michael_pecherek@ivcc. edu.
With finals coming up, Pecherek encourages students to attend a concert in order to take a break from all their hard work and studying.
"You have to clear your mind a little bit and do something different," says Pecherek. "Sitting and listening to a live musical concert is just a great way to get away from it all for an hour."
"Sitting and listening to a live musical concert is just a great way to get away from it all for an hour."
-- Michael Pecherek