The Scene Issue 3 Fall 2020

SCENE THE

THE

Fall Issue 3

October 30, 2020

THESCENEFP.COM

www.thescenefp.com

College during COVID See page 3

Positives in a pandemic See page 4

St. Louis Community College at Forest Park

Tutoring available, even during COVID

By Markell Tompkins The Scene staff

Photo by Fred Ortlip

Forest Park emplyees, from left, Lori Orlando, Keith Hulsey and Tiffany Bush depart the G Tower parking lot on Oct. 16 for a tour of the “other” Forest Park.

New Wellness group gets off to a slow roll Windy day, midterms may have held down bike ride participation

By The Scene staff As COVID-19 cases surge again and pandemic fatigue grips a weary country, a group of Forest Park employees have formed a Wellness Committee to help address the needs of faculty, students and staff in this challenging time.

Education professor Lori Orlando, chair of the six-member committee formed in September, announced its first event in early October, a bicycle ride through Forest Park – the park, not the campus – scheduled on the afternoon of Oct. 16.

The response was not what she expected, but the committee has more events in the works.

“I definitely expected more than two people,” Orlando said. “If I had to guess as to why there was so little participation, I would say COVID is probably an issue, as well as the fact that maybe folks just aren’t into bike riding or physical activity, and the weather wasn’t the greatest, as far as the wind and temperature.”

Orlando had created a bike ride flier and posted it around campus. It also was emailed to Forest Park employees on Oct. 6, and faculty members were asked to encourage students to participate.

It was sunny on Oct. 16, but the temperature reached only around 60 degrees, and a consistently strong wind might have discouraged some from showing up at the campus meeting place, the parking lot behind G Tower.

Besides Orlando and fellow committee member Keith Hulsey, the only other participant was Tiffany Bush, a vice president in Student Affairs.

Hulsey, professor and program coordinator for English as a Second Language, said the timing with midterms might have discouraged turnout as well.

The threesome headed east down Oakland Avenue and rode through the tunnel across from St. Louis Science Center, a roundabout way to cross Interstate 64 to get to the park from campus. Before 2008, an even quicker access was the pedestrian bridge near the college’s bus stop on Oakland. That overpass was demolished when the highway underwent major upgrades.

“The strong winds made it a bit of a challenge, so we kept to the lower terrain in Forest Park, enjoying some of the closedoff roads and outer bike path,” Hulsey said.

“The trails and paths can get quite busy, especially on the start of the weekend, but the wind might have kept the crowds down a bit.”

The group logged a total of 8.5 miles.

“It sounds like a lot, but we took our time and got to chat a bit while riding,” Hulsey said.

See Wellness page 2

Is remote learning stressing you out? Are your classes getting more and more intense by the week? Do you need a tutor who can help either in-person or virtually?

If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” you’ll be happy to know that Forest Park has reopened and upgraded its Academic Success and Tutoring center in the lower level of the library building.

Tutors offer in-person or virtual sessions, according to Kimberly Crank, the center’s new manager. She started the job in February, only a month before all St. Louis Community College campuses closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We changed our name since then, from Academic Support to Academic Success and Tutoring because we thought it was more positive sounding, and it’s clearer to students what services we provide,” Crank said. “A lot of times students knew they needed tutoring, but they didn’t know Academic Support was the place to get it.”

The center reopened at the beginning of fall semester. It has a writing center, math lab, computers for general use and a “bone

Academic Success and Tutoring Where: L-109 in the library building Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday; and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday More information: Kimberly Crank, 314644-9270 or kcrank@stlcc.edu

Lighting up the night

Kimberly Crank is the new manager of Academic Success and Tutoring.

room” that nursing students use to learn about anatomy and physiology.

On a recent Thursday, students with tutoring appointments included general transfer student Dina Beaubiant, 23. This is her third semester seeking help at the center.

“If you don’t get something that your teacher is explaining to you, they show you a different way to actually find the answers,” she said. “It’s very helpful.”

As of Oct. 9, the center had provided virtual tutoring through Zoom to 363 students

See Tutoring page 3

Photo by Fred Ortlip

“Light Walls,” a 10-piece sculpture behind the Center for Nursing and Health Sciences, is the centerpiece of the new quad intended to serve as a central gathering place with seating and landscaping. The lights operate from dusk to 11:30 p.m. daily. Trees and ornamental grasses have been planted, but work on the grounds continues.

News Wellness

The cyclists noticed a large smoke plume to the east from a warehouse fire that day on the near north side of St. Louis. They also witnessed a photo-shoot on the road near Forest Park’s Grand Basin, noted hints of fall color and saw The Muny show banners still flying, a reminder of a 2020 season canceled because of COVID-19.

Orlando provided the group’s mission statement: “This committee identifies community building and wellness needs of all Forest Park employees and students. The committee plans, implements and evaluates activities that are designed to build connections and recognition throughout the campus community for all employees and students. This committee will also develop activities to promote the physical, mental and emotional well being of all involved.”

“It’s my understanding that the other campuses already had a Wellness Committee that planned activities,” Orlando said. “We wanted to get Forest Park on board.”

At its monthly meeting on Oct. 21, the committee discussed additional goals that include: • Finding an instructor to teach a meditation/mindfulness class in November, possibly on campus for a limited number of participants, and having the IT department stream sessions for those unable to attend.

• Starting a Walking Club that would get together three or four days a week at various times. Committee members would lead walks, preferably outside, depending on weather conditions, with people meeting in or just outside the Student Center lobby.

• Seeking a professional to present a

from page 1

Photo by Fred Ortlip

Forest Park administrator Tiffany Bush adds air to her rear bike tire.

Read us at home or on the run!

session on dealing with stress and living in the isolated virtual world brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, facilitated through the college’s Employee Assistance Program.

More information on the Wellness Committee is available by emailing Orlando at lorlando4@stlcc.edu.

Check out The Scene’s website at thescenefp.com

Join the staff of The Scene, the student newspaper at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park!

We’re looking for reporters in news, features, sports, business, politics, entertainment, technology, science, health, music or art, as well as photographers, editors, columnists, page designers, illustrators, cartoonists, graphic artists and advertising representatives.

• Earn course credit in journalism or do it as an extra-curricular activity.

• Expand your portfolio with clips and work experience.

• Gain skills in writing, editing, photography, advertising, layout or design.

• Keep students informed on local, regional and national issues.

• Express yourself through editorials, cartoons, reviews or columns.

• Work as a team, make new friends and be in the center of action on campus.

Photo by Fred Ortlip

Forst Park faculty members Lori Orlando and Keith Hulsey prepare for the bike ride.

Page 2

For more information, call the newspaper office at 314-644-9140 or stop by F-408.

The Scene

THESCENEFP.COM

Oct. 30, 2020

Opinion

College just isn’t the same during a pandemic The Barbershop

By Jordyn Barber The Scene staff How strange is it going to school during a pandemic? Extremely. But as a future vocal performance major, I’m sure my opinion on the matter is a bit different from that of the average St. Louis Community College student.

I was overjoyed when I was informed that all of my music classes this fall would have hybrid schedules. It was nerve-racking last spring, having to suddenly switch from in-person to online courses due to COVID19. I was blessed to be able to navigate the situation successfully, but it was certainly not my preference.

I will admit that it’s not ideal being on a campus where sneezing can make you a pariah and school is the furthest subject from most students’ minds. Nevertheless, I

Tutoring

was delighted to hear I’d be back learning in person for three out of my five courses this semester.

No doubt there are many cons to attending college during a pandemic. The most prominent is the heavy burden of getting on with your life while more than a million other lives have ended. This summer, I even had a moment where I “unenrolled” from all of my fall courses because I was questioning the importance of college in a world that seemed to be in constant decline.

The sad truth is, I’m not the only person with these feelings. Many students, especially those in low-income households, have not only contemplated leaving college, they’ve been forced to act on it due to the lasting effects of the pandemic.

Another con is the requirement that people wear masks and social distance in a place that already presents challenges in forming meaningful relationships. The additional physical and social barricades among faculty, staff and students make communication even tougher.

However, I do commend professors and other employees for enduring all the extra training this summer to ensure the safest return for students. While the transition hasn’t been easy, the college has done its best, and it shows.

Some students may think it’s justified to feel melancholy and pessimistic at an unprecedented time like this, but I beg to differ. There is no true benefit to that. I have taken the other route toward optimism, and

I’ve found a couple of positive aspects to couple of weeks on campus, I found myself appreciate. apologizing profusely for getting too close I’ve noticed a sense of genuine caring on to people. Who knew 6 feet of distance campus that was absent before. For exam- would be so hard to manage? ple, faculty no longer assume the worst When bookstore employees started workwhen students miss class, but rather there ing in late July and early August to comis concern. It’s disappointing that it took a plete inventory, the campus was almost pandemic for this to happen, but it’s still silent. I was working with the same people worthy of acknowledgment. who I’d grown to get along with, but everyI’ve also learned that STLCC students are thing felt different. resilient. It’s absolutely amazing to see them I was unsure of how to start a conversacontinue to pursue their different degrees at tion, and truthfully, I wasn’t sure if I wanta time like this, and it further encourages us ed to. We worked quietly and in solitude, all to keep going. as opposed to the usual collaboration in a I attend school full time on the Meramec busy, Pandora-filled environment. I began campus, but I also work part time in the to understand that it was an adjustment for Forest Park bookall of us, and while store, and working we didn’t speak “I’ve noticed a sense of on campus during a much, I could tell pandemic also has my coworkers felt genuing caring on campus its pros and cons. the same discomI’ve come in confort as I did. that was absent before.” tact with many stuAs time passed, dents of all ages and we were able to degrees paths, and they all have one thing advance from small talk to full conversain common: They need assistance, now tions, and by the time fall semester commore than ever. menced, I started hearing genuine laughs People who aren’t fans of fast-paced work again. It was an accomplishment to adapt environments might see this as an annoy- and be able to help bookstore customers and ance or a stressful situation, but I was hon- relieve some of their stress. estly grateful to interact with students again If you take away anything from this, after being separated suddenly last spring. It remember that the world is negative enough was comforting to be needed. as it is. During such a perilous time in the On the other hand, we’re still in the mid- world, it’s important to stay vigilant and be dle of a pandemic, so the amount of contact sensitive to the situations of those around I have with other human beings is much you, but also to take note of the positives more limited than it used to be. The first and relish in them.

from page 1

Scene THE

Web manager: Victor Paletta Circulation: Zacchaeus Windham Reporters/photographers: Markell Tompkins, Casaan Whitney Columnist: Jordyn Barber Layout: Katelyn Clancy Faculty advisers: Teri Maddox, Fred Ortlip Provided

Tutor Dossah A. Edorh, left, works with general transfer student Dina Beaubiant in the Academic Success and Tutoring Center at Forest Park. and in-person tutoring to 370 students at all levels of proficiency and from all departments.

“So few classes are on campus right now that not that many students come by,” Crank said. “But I think it’s important for us to be here for the ones who do need face-to-face help.”

The center has 25 tutors who help students with reading textbooks, understanding other course material, solving problems and using computers in general. They also provide feedback on essays and other writing assignments, whether they’re for freshman

Oct. 30, 2020

Comp 101 or an advanced Business Law class.

“I like to teach, and I like to share my experiences with students,” said tutor Dossah A. Edorh. “Teaching is not about the money. It’s about where you are.”

Students can make reservations for tutoring sessions by filling out a request form, either at the entrance to the Academic Success and Tutoring center or through the Navigate Student app. It asks which date and time you’re available and the name of the class with which you need help.

The Scene is a publication written and designed by students at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, 5600 Oakland Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110.

The office is in F Tower, Room 408. The telephone number is (314) 644-9140. The e-mail address is the_scene_fp@yahoo.com.

All text, photos, graphics and other content are property of The Scene and may not be used without permission.

Views expressed are not necessarily those of St. Louis Community

The Scene

THESCENEFP.COM

College, its Board of Trustees or administration.

The Scene welcomes opinion pieces and letters to the editor. They should be signed and include the writer’s student or staff number.

They can be mailed to the above addresses or delivered by hand. We reserve the right to edit for length and taste.

The Scene will run classified ads for students free of charge. They should be submitted in the manner described above.

Page 3

Campus chatter Tamara Martin, 21, childhood development “I would say, yeah, a little bit. I work at a child-care center, and when all the other centers were closing, mine stayed open. She did let some of the people go, but I stayed, and I gained full-time hours.”

Katie Wagner, 30, fine arts “I think I’ve been able to spend more time at home with my friends that are in my bubble and with my animals, and it’s been kind of relaxing a little bit. I do enjoy that part of COVID.”

John Snider, 47, environmental health “No, not really. I do eat more at home, so I’m probably eating more healthy. As for the positives, that’s about it.”

Johny Hood, 26, theater “No, it’s been a major suckfest on everything. As someone who is a part-time merman (male mermaid), I am trying to find somewhere to swim here in Missouri, and there’s slim pickings because of the virus.”

Any positives with the pandemic?

Nhan Le, 22 biotechnology “I think COVID-19 is bad because I have to wear a mask. Otherwise, I have to stay at home. I lose my job, and I need the money to buy food and clothes, especially in the winter.”

Tracy Barron, 55, liberal arts faculty member “We as faculty have another modality to reach students. We are now teaching live virtual lecture, as opposed to just online or on campus. (Also) we have been able to learn a lot of new technology, not just faculty but students and other staff and everybody on campus. So we moved forward very rapidly on that aspect. And then I think with the live virtual lecture, it’s been easier to meet with students during office hours.”

Page 4

By Markell Tompkins

Aqilah Zulkifli, 31, biotechnology “Not really. Well, work has definitely picked up – I’m a lab technician – which probably isn’t a good thing.

I used to work in surgical technology, and then I moved over to infectious diseases because they needed more help over there, and we run COVID tests pretty much all day, and it’s just like super busy. They definitely were looking to hire more people over there, so I guess that it’s created some work.”

Aretha Brown, 25, academic advising secretary “Personally, I haven’t been able to gather with my loved ones on holidays. The virus has interrupted our traditions. On the academic side, (I’m in) law school, so holding classes through Zoom has been quite challenging at times. Learning online is OK, but only when it is your preferred choice. But COVID-19 has made a positive impact on me. It has humbled me to be grateful for what I do have and not for what I don’t.”

The Scene

THESCENEFP.COM

Meme Seals, 31, staff in IT support “It has most definitely affected me in a positive way because it brought me back to thinking about what’s really important.

It made us really feel as if these miscellaneous things that we used to worry about and do are not that important.”

Quentyn McDonald, patient caretaker “Not really. A lot of the people that I know have gotten COVID. I work in hospitals, so it’s not really been a positive experience in any way. If I had to come up with something, working from home has positively affected my roommate. She has fibromyalgia, so it helps to work from home, and that’s something that wouldn’t have happened without COVID.”

Keyahndra Cherry, 19, general studies “No, not really. I recently lost a job. It’s been a little bit of a struggle to get my things together for school, like to come to college and everything. It’s been really confusing to get everything back up and running. … It’s just been a little more difficult than it normally would have been.”

Oct. 30, 2020