MONTAGE
The
Serving the St. Louis Community College - Meramec community since 1964 • ACP Award Recipient VOLUME 57, ISSUE 2
OCT. 7, 2021
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PHOTOS submitted by michelle rebello. Pictured above: The stage of the Meramec Campus Theatre is roped off following its collapse in April. Professor Michelle Rebello said that the collapse happened during a time no one was working, and no one was hurt. Currently, the theater itself is inaccessible to students and staff, but the theater lobby remains accessible.
All the World’s a (Makeshift) Stage Previewing an unusual restart to Meramec’s theater productions Jacob Politte MANAGING EDITOR
D
uring the pandemic, the stage at the Meramec theater gave way. The stage that once hosted George H.W. Bush during his run for the presidency and hosts countless other events and productions for the Meramec Theatre Department every year; collapsed this past April. Until the stage is repaired shows will be held in different locations and even streamed live on YouTube. Jean “Michelle” Rebello has been a director and teacher at Meramec since 1996 and has directed more than 50 productions at Meramec during that time, receiving the Faculty Lecture Award in 2017 for her efforts. She was also the first one to discover that the stage had partly collapsed on April 26. When asked what might have led
to the collapse, Rebello said that the college doesn’t know for certain. However, they have their suspicions. “[The college suspects] that during that time we had a bad period of rain and the pit took on too much water and triggered the electric cables under the stage to lift,” Rebello said. “The center one lifted so high it came off of the spooling of the cable and collapsed between the two other lifts.” Rebello says that a specific timeline for the stage to be fully repaired is uncertain. “We are looking at a timetable that is uncertain due to COVID and supply shortages in workforce and supplies,” Rebello said. “We hope we can be back in the space next fall.” Despite the difficulty of not having the stage that they are accustomed to, Rebello and the theater department are forging ahead with productions throughout the coming year. This
week, Professor Keith Oliver’s play “A Proposal for Marriage” premieres online. The play, which is Oliver’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “The Proposal,” premiered at 7:30 p.m. last night on the STLCC Visual & Performing Arts YouTube Page, and will continue to premiere daily on the page through Oct. 10. On Nov. 19, Rebello’s production of “All In The Timing” premieres in front of a live audience in Room 102 of the Humanities West building at 7:30pm, and runs through Nov. 21; the last show premieres at 2:00pm. “In November, we are finally producing work for a live audience over in the Music Room in Humanities West,” she said. “They were kind enough in the Music area to be able to share the space [for the production].” Rebello said she wasn’t sure of the specific capacity for the room, but said she thinks it is around 50 spectators.
She also previewed two shows coming this spring. “We will be producing a small musical entitled ‘The Trail to Oregon!’ which is modeled after the famous early computer game ‘Oregon Trail’,” she said. “Our fourth show will be a showcase of Student Director’s work.” While these shows are scheduled for the spring; specific dates and locations for them have yet to be determined. Admission to all Meramec Theatre productions is free.
What Will STLCC Do With $30 Million a Year?
Chancellor Jeff Pittman explains the need for STLCC upgrades with Prop R Funds GENEVA LEE STAFF
St. Louis residents voted to pass Proposition R, which will increase funding for St. Louis Community College from $160 million a year to about $190 million “Prop R” was passed on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, by a 58% to 42% margin, according to the Board of Elections. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
reported that about 54% of county voters voted “yes,” compared to 73% of city voters. An off-year special election, only about 8% of eligible voters cast ballots, and taxpayers will now pay $0.08 more (a total of $0.2787) for every $100 of assessed property value. This new funding brings STLCC in line with other Missourian community colleges. St. Louis Community College district’s tax had not increased in almost 40 years and was lowest of the 12 Missourian community college
tax districts. With Prop R, it will be the fifth-lowest tax rate in the state, according to the Post-Dispatch. The college intends to use the funding to update job training programs, renovate buildings, upgrade technology, and improve safety and security on campus, according to Chancellor Jeff Pittman. These are the overarching aims for the new funds from Proposition R. How they will be specifically allocated toward improving facilities
and offerings, however, has yet to be determined. Pittman said that “the board is responsible for the fiduciary oversight of the college ultimately,” but it will rely upon input from the community. The chancellor said that the school is putting together campus committees composed of faculty and staff, and each campus will have a committee chair and consult each campus’ president
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A T
M E R A M E C
The Music Program at Meramec offers courses and ensembles for all students. Classes are available for general education credit and the Associate in Arts degree with a concentration in Music to prepare for transfer into a Bachelor of Music program. ** SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE **
COURSES
MUS 101,102,201,202 MUS 103 MUS 113 MUS 114 MUS 115,116 MUS 121,122,221,222 MUS 128 MUS 130 MUS 138,139,216 MUS 141,142,241,242 MUS 150 MUS 152 MUS 154 MUS 211,212
Join the Team Meetings every Tuesday at 4 PM via Zoom or in Student Center, Room 220A
Music Theory I,II,III,IV Basic Music History of Jazz Music Appreciation Class Voice I,II Class Piano I,II,III,IV History of Rock Music Beginning Guitar Jazz Improvisation I,II,III Applied Music (Lessons) I,II,III,IV Fundamentals of Music Technology Audio Engineering Music Recording with ProTools I Music History I,II
Interested in performing in an ensemble? All Meramec students may participate. No audition is required! MUS131, 132 and 134 are CORE42 performance courses!
ENSEMBLES
Music 131 – Concert Choir Music 132 – Orchestra Music 134 – Symphonic Band Music 138 – Jazz Improvisation All ensembles hold a seat/part assignment hearing during the first rehearsal. Members of the Concert Choir may audition for the Chamber Singers.
For more information, contact Music at Meramec Dr. Jerry Myers, Program Coordinator, gmyers34@stlcc.edu, (314) 984-7638
ADVERTISE IN THE MONTAGE Fall Publication Dates Nov. 11, 2021 Dec. 9, 2021 Back-to-School Guide: July 2022
Contact Shannon Philpott-Sanders at ssanders147@stlcc.edu for more information.
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The Montage
We know words. We have the best words.
Oct. 7, 2021
STAFF JACOB POLITTE MANAGING EDITOR MARIAH DOVER STAFF GENEVA LEE STAFF DEVYN LEJEUNE STAFF JERRID ROLFE STAFF ADELAINE TUDOR STAFF MAX WILSON STAFF
Shannon Philpott-Sanders Faculty Adviser
NEWS BRIEFS
NEWS 3
Film Series Continues The third film of the Queer Film Series will be “Taboo Teaching,” a documentary short about the experiences of nontenured social studies teacher Rodney Wilson after he came out as a gay man to his classroom at a suburban St. Louis high school in 1994. The film Taboo Teaching: A Profile of Missouri Teacher Rodney Wilson is free on YouTube. Access the library website to access the online discussion at 1 p.m. on Oct. 6. STLCC Art Faculty Exhibition Now through Oct. 15, the Meramec Contemporary Art Gallery is featuring the work by the art/design faculty of the St. Louis Community College district. An array of explorations in drawing, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, photography, digital media, painting, mixed media and graphic design will be featured from both full-time and part-time faculty members from the campuses of Meramec, Florissant Valley, Forest Park and Wildwood. The Gallery is located in Humanities East, Room 133. Please check the Gallery website for information and current health protocols.
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Mental Health Awareness Week Look for counselors outside Communications North with a table of resources about mental health and their services on Wednesday, Oct. 6, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. STLCC’s licensed professional counselors will be available to answer questions. For students to access services, or if you have questions about counseling services or the referral process, please email counseling@stlcc.edu.
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Meramec FAFSA Frenzy is Oct. 12 Do you need help filling out the FAFSA? Meramec is hosting a FAFSA Frenzy on Oct. 12, from 4-6 p.m. The event will be held both virtually as well as in-person in SC 125. Students should contact mcfinancialaid@stlcc.edu to sign up. Anyone who attends and submits a FAFSA during the Frenzy and plans to enroll in a Missouri college or university in fall 2022 is eligible for a $500 scholarship.
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PROP R: Funding won’t ‘necessarily’ lead to reduction in tuition Continued from pg.1
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and VP of student affairs, as well as have steering committees. Chancellor Pittman said he “would like to invite students to serve” in the steering committee to get their input. He is also putting together a chancellor’s advisory committee, bringing in CEOs from the region to get an idea of what jobs St. Louis employers are looking to fill and see how STLCC can better connect graduates to these jobs. The Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs is putting together a group of graduates to draw upon their experience at the college too. To gain more input from faculty, staff, students and the community, a public hearing was held on Sept. 23. Though the specifics have not yet been decided, there is a general idea of how the school would like to spend the new Prop R funding, said Pittman. STLCC will use Prop R funds to expand existing programs to meet demand in programs including healthcare, financial services, and information technology. According to Pittman, there are many “really well” paying jobs in the region, but the region lacks trained workers to fill these roles. He specifically mentions the large number of healthcare jobs that need to be filled—there are 2,500 nursing vacancies, for example—and the school is not able to keep up. “(STLCC’s) radiation program has an 18-month waiting list, and, meanwhile, the employers are jumping up and
down saying ‘we need more people’,” he said. Pittman also noted the need for upgrades to facilities: “the buildings were built in the 1960s, so they’re very dated, so that creates problems with infrastructure.” The college spends approximately $4.3 million a year on repairs and maintenance, and there are more than $150 million in repairs needed. Pittman highlighted the new Center for Nursing and Health Sciences at the Forest Park campus, explaining, “this building is a really good example of the future for the campus.” The building, which is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certified, consolidates all healthcare courses and was built at a lower cost than renovating the previous
facility, he said. Pittman said Prop R would allow for similar facilities built on the other STLCC campuses. When asked about how Prop R would “keep tuition low and affordable for students,” the chancellor said that Prop R funding would “not necessarily” lead to a reduction in tuition. Rather, it would allow the school to make the upcoming program and facility upgrades without resorting to raising tuition. “I just think we need to do everything we can to make college affordable,” said Pittman. “Many of our students struggle financially, and if they’re working and struggling to pay for groceries (on top of tuition) … it’s a hard thing.”
4 ART & LIFE
Oct. 7, 2021
A new era of ‘Law and Order’
Stabler and Benson are back together, and the television world feels back in sync
F
Jacob Politte MANAGING EDITOR
or better or for worse, “Law and Order” is part of the fabric of American culture. It’s library of episodes across the franchise spans over 30 years, and everyone has their favorite iterations and their favorite characters. One particular pair of characters that fans became particularly invested in are Olivia Benson (played by actress Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (played by actor Christopher Meloni). For the first twelve years of “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” (known as “SVU” for short), the Benson and Stabler characters dominated the show for the most part, as the electric chemistry between the two was too much to deny the show’s viewers. Everyone had an opinion about them: they should get together, they shouldn’t, it’s a brother-sister relationship, it’s wrong and etcetera. Meloni left the show in May 2011, and Stabler was written out, seemingly for good, by way of retirement that August. In his absence, the Benson character grew leaps and bounds, ascending the ladder of police management and tackling compelling personal challenges along the way. Surprisingly, the show’s quality didn’t suffer much in Stabler’s absence; if anything, his departure allowed the show to refocus and tell interesting new stories that weren’t necessarily bogged down by personal elements. But despite
the show’s continued success and presence on NBC, something did always feel like it was missing. Then came this past April. After 10 years away, Stabler returned to SVU and it was revealed that he had un-retired some years beforehand, and chose to work as NYPD’s liaison in Rome … all without telling Benson. It’s very hard to understate just how strong the Benson and Stabler dynamic comes across on television. Meloni and Hargitay have always brought out the best in each other, and from the moment they reunited this past April, they’ve easily
settled right back into that intoxicating dynamic. Stabler’s new show, “Law and Order: Organized Crime” only enhances the dynamic. Even if Benson and Stabler aren’t together on screen every single week, there have been plenty of crossovers, especially on “Organized Crime.”
“Organized Crime” is a different kind of “Law and Order” than we’ve seen before, as it is heavily serialized. The nature of organized crime is complex, and so the show requires a different kind of formula other than a “case of the week.” For the most part, this works. But in addition to the excellent action and writing on display, the series also gives Meloni a chance to show off a different side to Stabler than we’ve seen, one that appropriately reckons with the kind of cop he used to be in addition to realistically showing a person suffering from and coping with PTSD following the death of his wife in a horrific act of treachery. Meloni’s return seems to have reinvigorated “SVU” as well, and the show as a whole feels more indispensable than it has in quite some time. Just the mere mention of Stabler’s name, which went mostly un-uttered for so many years, drums up excitement. This is mostly because the show is leaning more heavily than ever before into a Benson and Stabler romance. Some fans of the shows may not like that, but that’s perfectly fine. It’s been nearly a quarter century. Let them try it out, the rest of the fans have waited long enough. Between the shows’ shared universe, the tighter writing and the return of the Stabler-Benson dynamic, we are entering the latest new era for “Law and Order.” And it’s an era with no end in sight.
‘PERIL’ is an apt title for new Woodward book
New book details the final few months of one presidency, and the beginning of another
T
Jacob Politte MANAGING EDITOR
he Washington Post’s Bob Woodward is arguably one of the most important journalistic figures of our lifetimes. Back in the 1970’s, his reporting and trusted confidence in his sources resulted in award winning coverage of the Watergate scandal and the downfall of the Presidency of Richard Nixon. Now at the age of 78, Woodward is still working for the Post as an Associate Editor, and he’s still reporting, interviewing and writing books about the various figures in our nation’s capital. In the last few years, his most recent three books have all centered around one man: former President Donald Trump. The most recent of the three, “PERIL” was co-authored by Post reporter Robert Costa and released on Sept. 21. While his sources in these books usually aren’t directly named (Woodward uses a journalism technique called “deep background” in order to protect their identity), it’s very clear that quite a few in the Trump administration cooperated with Woodward on these projects over the years; the details found in these books are too specific for that to not be the case. Trump himself was interviewed extensively for “RAGE” over a period of 18 months; audio recordings of these meetings exist and can be found at the end of the audiobook. Trump likely regretted talking to Woodward, and thus he did not grant Woodward’s request for an interview for “PERIL.” The book doesn’t suffer from that, however. If “FEAR” was the story of a new administration’s tumultuous beginnings, and
“RAGE” was a sort of historical document with lasting negative implications on a man’s legacy, then “PERIL” is in effect a non-linear timeline of how we got to the point that we have, as well as a timeline
of Trump’s accelerated descent into complete and total madness during his last few months in office, and especially after his election defeat. It also details the direct reactions of those closest to Trump during this time. Some wild stories emerge in the pages of “PERIL,” including the fact that Mike Pence had to be convinced by former Vice President Dan Quayle, of all people, to go through with certifying the 2020 Presidential Election results. It also details Army General Mike Milley’s secret phone call to his counterpart in China, General Li Zuocheng following the events of Jan. 6, assuring Zuocheng that Trump would not be able to launch a strike on that country; Milley’s concerns over Trump’s mental state are also detailed extensively in the book, and the book’s early pages show Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in the same light as well. More stories emerge on the pages of “PERIL” about various other political figures and Trump allies, and no one on that side of the story comes out unscathed. “PERIL” also spends an extensive amount of time detailing Joe Biden’s decision to run for President, his successful campaign against President Trump and the beginnings of his own Presidency. Biden also declined a request to be interviewed for the book. “PERIL” may not prove to be as historically significant as “FEAR” or “RAGE” but it is without question one of this year’s most important political reads, and like Woodward’s other books, provides great insights into key events that often have slipped through the public eye.
ART & LIFE 5
Oct. 7, 2021
Vice Chancellor Strives for Work/Life Balance
STLCC Welcomed Dr. Christine Davis During the Pandemic
D
GENEVA LEE STAFF
r. Christine Davis, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs is in charge of student development, involvement and achievement: Essentially, her job is to make the college experience a good one for all STLCC students. Davis said she has always known she wanted a career in education and in service. “As an immigrant who came here for a better life, education was drilled into my head as a ticket to a better life … I wanted to be a teacher [and] in the helping profession,” she said. When Davis herself went to college she “fell in love … and wanted to tell the story of higher education.” After attending undergraduate school, Davis earned her master’s degree in adult and community education and obtained her PhD in education leadership. She worked in higher education for almost 20 years before coming to STLCC. Davis said she was drawn to STLCC because she “really felt like STLCC really cares about the students, and they wanted to take a direction where the students are at the center of their work [to] make things better [and] improve the student experience.” Davis joined the college on the cusp of the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020. The pandemic created a huge challenge for the STLCC community, and balancing safety, education and overall student well-being was a daunting undertaking, she said.
“We realized that our student population is being disproportionately impacted, [and] we really just stepped up to the plate and responded,” said Davis. She said that STLCC used CARES relief money from the federal government to try to mitigate the difficulties of the pandemic for students: For example, the school allowed students who withdrew in
“Students require handholding and support. It’s important, I think, that they feel a sense of belonging, that they’re important.” Dr. Christine Davis, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs
a hundred students assigned to an academic advisor … right now, our ratios are higher than that,” she said. The role of advisors who report to Davis encompasses more than just course scheduling. “They are responsible for intrusive advising, support and making sure that they stay on track and get to completing … this would be one way to say how important they are to us.” She emphasizes, “You’re not just a number.” This attention to students extends beyond the classroom to her home. Davis balances her scholastic duties with raising her 14-year-old daughter and ensuring her academic success. On top of starting her new job in a pandemic, Davis had to “Make sure, being a mom, that her [daughter’s] high school experience was a positive one, despite being virtual in a new school, as she prepares to go to college in a few years. That was probably the biggest challenge, wanting to make an impact at the college, but also making sure she was okay with that transition as well.” Davis said the values that guide her in this work are “integrity” and “hard Submitted photo work.” “If I say I’m going to do something, the Spring 2020 to come back and [I] do it. I have high expectations of retake their courses at no additional myself, so I have high expectations of cost. Davis said she and her coworkers our staff and our students because I asked, “How can we make this easier, know they can do it, and I want them how can we lift this burden from to do it,” she said. It is through this students?” integrity and “putting in the hours” Building upon this work, Davis’s that Davis pushes onward in her work vision is to impact retention above on behalf of students. everything. “I want to work with When she is not at STLCC, Davis the team to improve our services to said she loves to visit St. Louis parks. the students, whether that’s to add “I like to get out whenever I can and services or improve what we’re doing hike and walk. There’s some amazing to improve completion,” she said. “Too spaces in our surrounding area for us many of our students leave without to enjoy,” she said. completing. We have an obligation Though her time outside may when a student enrolls to help them be limited, she said “I’m loving the succeed.” different seasons, though I know that Davis said to achieve this, “Students may wear off as I stay here longer … require handholding and support. It’s there are days in February where I’m important, I think, that they feel a sense like, ‘What is happening?! Can I even of belonging, that they’re important.” go outside?!” “If I had my magic wand … if resources were limitless, I would want
Career Development Hosts Fall Workshops The STLCC Career Development department is hosting several events to help students gain a competitive edge in the job market. For more details about the following workshops, follow Career Development on social media or follow events at https:// events.stlcc.edu/department/careerdev. Oct 6: How to Navigate a Virtual Career Fair Oct. 6 & 7: Resume Writing Workshop Oct. 11: Internship Orientation Oct. 14: Resume Review Drop-In Oct. 19: Open Q&A: Virtual Career Fairs Oct. 20: Fall 2021 Virtual Career Fair
Think About Your Future Thursdays (Thursdays, 3:30-4:30 p.m.) Oct. 7: Elevator Pitch Oct. 14: Virtual Career Fair 101 Oct. 21: Employer Follow-up Oct. 28: Networking
6 ART & LIFE
Oct. 7, 2021
Walking Dead Recap: Heart-To-Heart In the last episode before the fall finale, Maggie and Negan have an honest conversation and Eugene punches a kid in the face Max Wilson STAFF The Walking Dead: “Promises Broken” Season 11, Episode 7 Airdate: 10/3/2021
“
Promises Broken” was a slower, but effective build up to the fall finale “For Blood” which looks to be one of the more intense hours in the history of this long-running show. In order to overcome the Reapers, the rather reluctant duo of Maggie (actress Lauren Cohan) and Negan (actor Jeffery Dean Morgan) turn to the creepy tactics of their former rivals. Seeing Maggie wear a Whisperer mask was quite the scene, but she takes to the tactic pretty well, thanks to Negan’s instruction. This gives Maggie and Negan a chance to talk once more, and while Negan attempts to earn Maggie’s trust, he doesn’t exactly apologize for his past actions. If anything, he tells her he didn’t go far enough. “I would’ve killed every single one of you,” he says, referring to the infamous incident in the clearing where Maggie’s husband Glenn (actor Steven Yeun) lost his life at Negan’s hands back in “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be.” Negan justifies this behavior by reminding Maggie that her group initiated the conflict in the first place after massacring all of the soldiers at one of his satellite stations in the dead of night, and he’s mostly right. It’s amazing how one single mid-season
episode of this show (in this case, “Not Tomorrow Yet” from Season 6) continues to be referenced and has ramifications that affect the characters to this day. Fans on the show, for the most part, continue to be torn between forgiving Negan for his past actions and labeling him as unredeemable. Murder, even in the zombie apocalypse, shouldn’t necessarily go unpunished. But Negan has arguably severed his time. And his justifications for those past actions largely make sense if you suspend any bias that you have for our team of heroes; as a leader of a significantly sized community, he felt that he had to hold the responsible party accountable. And given the rather large number of people that our group killed at that satellite station, Negan only killing two in return almost seems like an underreaction. It’s not the wisest move to say that to the widow of a man that you killed, but Negan says that in order for them to co-exist they have to be honest with each other. And he’s right. A truce was made between the two, and they’ll likely never be on the exact same page, but it’s almost time for them to take the fight directly to the Reapers. Any further conflict will have to wait. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Commonwealth, Eugene (actor Josh McDermitt) and company are clearing buildings of walkers so that the community can continue to expand; this is the group’s punishment for breaking the law in “Out of the Ashes.” Things seem to be going
well, until Eugene and the Stephanie doppelgänger come across Sebastian Milton (actor Teo Rapp-Olsson). The son of the community’s most powerful leader (Pamela Milton, whom we have not seen on-screen as of yet) is quite the jerk, and seems to have an extremely low opinion of literally everyone around him. This makes it so incredibly satisfying when Eugene punches the kid squarely in the face after saving his sorry life. However,
his actions land Eugene squarely in a Commonwealth jail cell. It’s also worth noting that the real Stephanie is Pamela Milton’s secretary, which makes her role in things even more interesting. The last episode of the year airs next Sunday, Oct. 10. Check out more complete reviews of “The Walking Dead” at meramecmontage.com.
OPINIONS 7
Oct. 7, 2021
Jake’s Take: Stop The Pain
I’m 25 years old, so why am I adding and subtracting fractions?
O
jacob politte managing editor
riginally, this edition of Jake’s Take was going to be something completely different. But recent events have caused me to rethink that original column, and honestly, I think this one will be alot more enjoyable for our readers. Basically, the following is a no-holds-barred rant. I am a college student. Not a High Schooler. I haven’t been a high schooler in almost 8 years. And as someone who is trying very hard to proceed to the next chapter of his life, and towards financial stability, I am ungodly frustrated with some of the math courses that I have had to take. Currently I am taking MTH 161, otherwise known as Quantitative Reasoning. That is my only online class this semester, but that factor hasn’t helped or hurt me. The class, on the surface, is pointless. I’d like to make it very clear that I don’t blame my instructor. Teri Graville is a wonderful human being, and an excellent teacher who has earned the high ratings she gets from her students. She does her absolute best to make sure that her students understand the material. When you’re choosing your classes for a semester, she is among the best math professors that you can choose from at this particular institution. Admittedly, I have never been the best at math. But quite honestly? I don’t think that’s the reason I’m so disenfranchised. Simply put, I’m too old to be concentrating on complicated math problems that aren’t going to help me get ahead in life. I’ve been through absolute hell this year, so I may
have a shorter fuse than I would otherwise. But I quite literally don’t care about how to add, subtract, multiply or divide fractions. I don’t care about Permutations … How are they supposed to help me?
I’m majoring in communications, not mathematical engineering or statistics or whatever. I’m not going to need any of this, and you can’t tell me I ever will. Teach me about finances. Teach me about interest rates and how they work. Teach me how to do my taxes, or how to budget my money. These shouldn’t be things that I have to go out and learn on my own. Or in the case of some of these classes, confined to a single
Listen to the scientists MAX WILSON STAFF
I don’t know how to say this in a way that hasn’t been said before. Maybe I should use an analogy: If you woke up to find your house in flames, who would you call first? The fire department, with years of training and practice and specialized equipment, or your cousin? Your cousin doesn’t have any specific knowledge of fighting fires. He doesn’t even know CPR. But he insists that people who die in fires actually die of other things, like smoke inhalation. And that not everyone will die in a fire. The firefighters have the skills necessary to save your family and stop the fire from spreading, but your cousin read an article on Facebook that said that firefighters actually make fires worse, and that they get money for every person who dies in a fire. Plus, your brother’s neighbor’s cousin’s wife’s sister died the same day she installed a smoke detector—which Big Fire insisted everybody needs. Sure, your brother’s neighbor’s cousin’s wife’s sister died in a car crash, but isn’t it a little suspicious that the car crash happened the same day she installed a smoke detector? Who do you call? We’ve all had to make that choice over the course of this pandemic. Do you trust medical professionals and scientists who say that wearing a mask has been proven, again and again, to slow the spread of a deadly virus? Or do you claim that your
unit in a course. It’s laughable. Just as laughable as the Personal Finance class that I actually did take in High School, which essentially consisted of a cheap booklet and my teacher watching the Cardinals game on his computer. I realize that STLCC can do little to change the structure of these courses, but I do think that it is well-overdue for math courses at institutions across the country to be more specifically tailored to a student’s particular interests. I’m going to be writing things for the rest of my life, and I don’t need to waste my time or my money doing a bunch of stupid math problems about divorce rates (I’m not kidding, that’s been the basis for more than one of these math questions) that the nitwits at Pearson come up with. I do need this class in order to be done with math at STLCC and eventually to get my degree, and then I likely won’t have to worry about taking another math class again. I will have to do my very best. But the fact that so many college students are still subjected to these unrelatable, illogical math problems that they will likely never have to use again in life, is rather pointless to me. It is an unnecessary waste of time, and not just to the students. It’s a waste of time to the institution as a whole. I realize that some students may need to learn this information. But the students that have indicated that they want to pursue a career path that doesn’t require them to learn this information shouldn’t be subjected to it. It’s not fundamentally important to still be lingering around adding and subtracting fractions. It’s not going to help them. Financial literacy is so important, and quite frankly, needs to be more focused on than it is. And that’s the bottom line.
experts when they go on TV and urge everyone to get vaccinated? Or do you say that the vaccine is unnecessary, that you read on the Internet that the vaccine makes you magnetic, that you’re young and healthy, that God gave you an immune system, damn it—and then, when you do get sick and doctors and nurses and respiratory therapists are leaning over your ICU bed, telling you that it’s time, you need to be intubated and put on a ventilator, insist that you actually do want the vaccine? This isn’t a hard choice. Listen to the people who have dedicated their lives to studying medicine and the human body. I know that we’ve gotten a few mixed messages over the course of this pandemic. The science and data are constantly evolving. When the vaccines were first authorized for use by the FDA, we didn’t have the Delta variant. Let me be perfectly clear: unless you are a scientist, you do not know more about infectious disease or medicine than people who have spent decades studying and training. Your five minute Google search that you call “research” is not the same thing as the research that the CDC does. ILLUSTRATION BY: HAYDEN WILSON Your neighbor’s cousin’s brother-in-law’s friend’s coworker’s sister’s high school classmate freedom is being oppressed, your civil liberties are is actually not the best person to listen to—unless being infringed upon, that by wearing a piece of cloth your neighbor’s cousin’s brother-in-law’s friend’s over your nose and mouth at the grocery store, you coworkers’ sister’s high school classmate is, in fact, are being assaulted and offended? an infectious disease expert. Listen to the scientists. Do you trust the nation’s top infectious disease
8 SPORTS
Oct. 7, 2021
Archer Athletics Continue With Fall Schedule
Four Teams Play to Win in October
Volleyball
Mens Soccer Oct. 9: 11:00 AM at Heartland Comm. College Oct. 11: 3:00 PM vs. Wabash Valley College Oct. 11: 5:00 PM vs. Frontier Comm. College Oct. 16: 10:00 AM at East Central College Stats as of 10/5/21: 10-12
Womens Soccer
Stats as of 10/5/21: 6-3-1
Oct. 8: 4:00 PM vs. East Central College Oct. 10: 12:00 PM vs. Holmes Community College Oct. 13: 4:00 PM at Lewis & Clark Community College Oct. 24: 2:00 PM vs. TBA Region 16 Quarterfinal
Office of Admission 470 East Lockwood Avenue St. Louis, Missouri 63119
Find Complete Archer Schedules online at: archersathletics. com/
Stats as of 10/5/21: 2-8-2
Baseball
Oct. 6: 4:00 PM vs. John Wood Community College Oct. 9: 1:00 PM vs. Jefferson College Oct. 13: 4:00 PM vs. Crowder College Oct. 19: 1:00 PM vs. Gateway Academy Oct. 23: 2:00 PM vs. TBA (Region 16 Quarterfinal)
Oct. 7: 3 p.m. East Central College Oct. 9: 12 p.m. Missouri Baptist University Busch Stadium Game Postponed Due to weather and wet field conditions, the Archers game at Busch Stadium on Oct. 3 was postponed. Stay tuned to the Archer Athletics website for a rescheduled date.
(314) 246-7800 (800) 753-6765 admit@webster.edu
Webster University invites qualified students to become WATTS Scholars n
Up to $10,000 award for WATTS scholarship (based on financial need)
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Applicants are also considered for merit scholarships up to $16,000
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WATTS Scholars receive specialized learning opportunities
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Qualified applicants will be incoming transfer students to Webster majoring in Biology or Chemistry with proven competence in science, 3.0 cumulative GPA and who have demonstrated unmet financial need.
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Learn more and apply today at webster.edu/watts