SCENE THE
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Fall Issue 4
November 16, 2020
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A Day in the Life See page 3
Streaming rocks See page 4
St. Louis Community College at Forest Park
Food drive to help needy students By Markell Tompkins The Scene staff
Photo by Cassan Whitney
Culinary arts major Chasitty Crawley prepares pastry bags of dough for a class in the Hospitality Studies kitchen at Forest Park.
Culinary students keep cooking despite COVID Online ‘kitchens’ toss a spatula into the mix for some By Casaan Whitney The Scene staff Imagine learning how to cook through a computer screen. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way Forest Park students are training for jobs as chefs, caterers and other food-service positions. They now take some hospitality studies classes online instead of always being in the kitchen. “Work in class is hands on, so it is harder to get your point across online,” said Chef Martin Lopez, who teaches baking and pastry arts. “But I feel our students are doing an amazing job.” St. Louis Community College closed all its campuses in March due to the coronavirus. It has reopened gradually, giving students a choice of in-person, online, hybrid and virtual lecture classes this fall. Almost all culinary arts and baking and pastry arts classes are either online or hybrid, which is a combination of online and in-person. A fewer number of students are allowed in the hospitality studies kitchen at any one time, and they must wear masks and social distance. “Wearing masks is a hassle with the heat in the kitchen,” said culinary arts major Chasitty Crawley, 22, who would eventually like to open an Asian and soul food fusion restaurant. “It’s hot as hell,” added culinary arts
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many Forest Park students to lose their jobs or see their work hours cut. That’s one of the reasons a food drive is being planned this month by employees in Academic Success and Tutoring, Campus Life and the Student Assistance Program. The main organizer is Kathy Boykin, 50, administrative assistant in the tutoring center. She noted that some students won’t be able to spend the holidays with their families this year. “They can’t be around their elder relatives, or they’re going to be eating alone,” she said. “They have a fear that they might catch (the coronavirus) or they might spread it.” The food drive will run through Nov. 20. Decorated tables with bins are located at the entrance to the Forest Park library and in the Highlander Lounge. People can donate canned vegetables, coffee, stuffing, rice, mac and cheese, muffins, bread, jam or jelly, pasta and other items, according to a flier. “I think it’s an excellent idea because a lot of (students) have lost jobs, and they’re trying to get an education, so something has to suffer,” said Leonor Buchanan, 69, a tutor who specializes in reading and study skills. Buchanan pointed out that some students may not have money to buy food during the holiday season, which is normally a time for celebrating and being thankful. “Food is part of our celebrations always, and we love to eat,” she said. “I think it’s a good idea for those of us who have (the means). … We may not have everything we need, but we’re willing to share.” In conjunction with the food drive, the St. Louis Community College Foundation plans to buy turkeys that will be distributed to needy students. Tobias Knoll, 51, a tutor in the Forest Park writing center, thinks the food drive is an “awesome” way to help students who are suffering financially. At the COVID drive-thru food distri-
Photos by Markell Tompkins
Kathy Boykin, an employee in Academic Success and Tutoring, is organizing the food drive.
Holiday food drive Where: Library entrance and Highlander Lounge When: Through Nov. 20 Needed: Canned vegetables, coffee, stuffing, rice, mac and cheese, muffins, bread, jam or jelly, pasta and other items More information: Contact Kathy Boykin at 314-644-9267 or Tamala Turner at 314644-9027
bution sites in St. Louis “they throw a box in your trunk,” he said. “But a lot of students who come to a community college don’t have cars and take public transportation.” At the end of the food drive, packages will be distributed to needy students identified through the Student Assistance Program. For more information, contact Boykin at 314-644-9267 or Tamala Turner, coordinator of the Student Assistance Program, at 314-644-9027.
Photo by Cassan Whitney
Culinary arts major Rebecca Dubis uses pastry bags to practice forming numbers with dough. major Kade Cissel, 19, who hopes to teach in the field someday. COVID-19 has forced the hospitality studies department to temporarily discontinue some activities, such as Cuisine Club bake sales and restaurant-style dinners in the Anheuser-Busch Dining Hall. It also has changed the food-service industry as a whole. Many states have
See Culinary page 2
People who want to donate to the food drive should look for the tables with Thanksgiving cornucopias at the library entrance and in the Highlander Lounge.
News
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Culinary
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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
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
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.
Photo by Casaan Whitney
Students wear masks and practice social distancing as Chef Martin Lopez, right, leads a baking and pastry class in the Hospitality Studies kitchen at Forest Park. closed restaurants to indoor dining, limiting them to carryout and delivery. “Many people lost their jobs,” Cissel said. Culinary arts major Rebecca Dubis, 25, wonders whether jobs will even be available for students after they graduate. Enrollment in hospitality studies programs has decreased this year, according
to Chair Ellen Piazza. But she thinks the restaurant business will return to normal. “I am confident that our industry is quite resilient and will return to pre-COVID numbers by the end of 2021 or early 2022,” she said. “… The desire to go out for socialization and celebration will return and so will our industry.”
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The Scene
THESCENEFP.COM
Nov. 16, 2020
Opinion
‘Underground’ is profound and heartbreaking The Barbershop
By Jordyn Barber The Scene staff If you’re looking for a TV show that will cause you to experience a wide range of emotions while also shedding light on the extreme atrocities this country was founded on, well, I’ve got just the series for you. But I will warn you, it’s not for those with weak stomachs nor weak minds. Created by Misha Green and Joe Pokaski, “Underground” premiered on WGTV on March 9, 2016, a time of ever-growing racial tension in America. Its message is only reapplying now in 2020. The plot of Season 1 centers around a group of seven slaves who become known as the “Macon Seven” when they run away from a Georgia plantation that was owned by a man named Tom Macon. Episodes document the difficult and
treacherous journeys of slaves making their way to the North, including environmental struggles (being exposed to leeches and snakes), starvation, sexual assault and the ever-present danger of being hunted by “slave catchers” seeking rewards. The series simultaneously tells the stories of the slave catchers and abolitionists who the Macon Seven encounter along the way. The second season of “Underground” premiered in March of 2017, picking up where the devastating losses of the first season left off. The storyline continues as the country inches closer to the American Civil War. A key character that gives life and meaning to the series title also appears in Season 2: Harriet Tubman, the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad. I’ll admit that I was unsure how I felt about this at first because I actually enjoyed the little-known story of the Macon Seven all by themselves. I thought I could relate more because those slaves didn’t get a chance to tell their own stories. And well, of course, we’ve all heard of Tubman. However, I was sorely mistaken. Having Tubnam interwoven into the storyline only caused me to become further attached to the series. I was exposed to historical information that I’d never heard about Tubman and the Underground Railroad. For example, I learned that Tubman’s father was a lumberjack who taught her skills that she used to bring herself and others to freedom. “Underground” also shows that even Tubman, who motivated slaves
and abolitionists alike, understood that the fight wasn’t over just because people made it “safely” to the North. Activists such as Fredrick Douglass and William Still also are featured in the series as the movement to abolish slavery continues to blossom. However, the abolitionists, both former slaves and whites, are far from safe. A major theme of “Underground” is the length to which people are willing to go for the freedom of others. I guess this is a good time to let you know that this series ends after only two seasons. As tragic as it may seem, “ U n d e rg r o u n d ” didn’t get renewed for a third season, despite the fact that many cast members and producers fought for it. That included John Legend, who played Douglass and served as an executive producer. Many fans, including me, were devastated by the news. I still recommend this series to anyone who desires to understand more about America today, because history certainly shapes the present. As a viewer, you will battle alongside the Macon Seven as they fight to get to the Ohio River Valley. I watched “Underground” with my sister.
We found ourselves furious or mourning one minute and rejoicing with the characters the next. I have one more episode to watch, but I’m holding off because I know the ending won’t suffice. Regardless, I have grown so fond of this series and its profound yet heartbreaking episodes. I’ve grown accustomed to the process of getting attached to characters, not knowing how long they will be around, which mirrors life. I understand that some people aren’t fans of seemingly unstable character development, but it’s realistic, and to me, that’s more effective than painting a world of make-believe in a series. “Underground” has helped me tremendously to draw parallels between the horrific mindset of the 1800s and the society we live in today. Slave catching played a role in the evolution of the police system and its training, so it’s no wonder that people of color are still being ostracized and harmed. Sure, it’s nice to watch TV shows that are based on scenarios that you’d likely never see. But for me, personally, I like to dig deeper. I want to “get underground” if you will.
A Day in the Life of
Forest Park
Photo by Fred Ortlip
A St. Louis MetroBus heads west on Oakland Avenue, past the new St. Louis Community College sign on the Center for Nursing and Health Sciences building.
General studies student Cedric Galadja, 30, studies microbiology late in the afternoon of Nov. 11 in an otherwise empty cafeteria.
Photo by Fred Ortlip
Photo by Fred Ortlip
Nov. 16, 2020
A student takes advantage of the recent warm weather at a courtyard table outside E Tower, this G Tower study area is off-limits due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The Scene
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Campus chatter How has streaming changed your life?
Photo provided by vector4free.com
Gabrielle Sims, 18 Early childhood development “It has affected how I learn, like I can’t learn as good as I did with in-person classes. As far as music, I can get it faster. I can get it right away. (With movies) I can get it immediately instead of having to wait for it in movie theaters.”
By Markell Tompkins
Jalen Scott, 18 Criminal justice “I’m more informed on certain things that I wouldn’t be if I didn’t watch TV.”
David Camp, 20 Automotive technology “Streaming has changed my life by making it easier to find entertainment and all that because everything’s in one spot once you pay for that package deal. You just pretty much get whatever shows you want. Then they’ve got VPNs. … Say you’re in a different country, so you can get Netflix, and say they didn’t have a movie or a TV show you want, you can watch it in that country. They’re cool like that.”
Layout by Katelyn Clancy
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Laurie Hawkins, 45, Senior health staff “I no longer have cable, and I love that I can watch my shows without commercials, and my children also like it because they do Hulu and all their favorite shows without commercials.”
Mendy Dao, 26, English as a second language “I think it’s more helpful, like I can watch the news immediately, like for today, like the vote/election. I can watch Donald Trump or Biden, then talk about it … I (don’t) have to watch it on TV. I can use the phone for streaming. And also I can watch some TV shows whenever I have free time.”
Lyndell Hunt, 18 General studies “It hasn’t changed my life that much because I focus on other stuff, like making music.”
Maolina Band Ali, 19, Nursing “I personally use it to help me with my school and homework and … when I’m alone or sad, I watch motivational videos or listen to audio books. It’s a great way to have fun and to learn and (do) social media and all that. … I use it to connect with my family and friends who don’t live in this country, and that’s a great way to help me with stress and anxiety and depression.”
Tracy Smith, 59 Career Employment Services secretary “I don’t stream. I have regular cable.”
Zion Noland, 20 General studies “It has changed my life a lot in regard to music, movies, TV, anime, video games even. It’s all convenient, and it’s at the tip of my hand, really, on my phone, on my tablet, on my computer, on my laptop, on my game (console). It’s everywhere. You don’t really need to pay for certain things anymore because they’re all in one space. … Say I miss some show on TV, I can go on a certain app, and they’ll probably have it on there, like the next day or something. It’s very handy.”
Hamdiya Omar, 19 Dental hygiene “I’m able to connect with people more, like for example, I’m not from this country, but I’m able to see what my country is doing by watching YouTube videos and stuff like that, and just being closer to my culture and also American culture.”
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Alonzo Harmon, 26 Mass communications “It made me into a better person. It challenged me to do things that I normally don’t do, that I hate to do, but I’m gonna have to do or to get to where I’m trying to get to.”
Tiffany Phelps, 34 Respiratory care “It makes it easier. You can access music. You can access anything you need. It just makes it easier. Without having to download a million and one different songs, you just go to one area and get what you need.”
Nov. 16, 2020