SCENE THE
THE
Spring Issue 1
Feb. 21, 2020
THESCENEFP.COM
Movies are dying
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Artists who travel See page 8
St. Louis Community College at Forest Park
Former college employee gets six years By Joshua Phelps The Scene staff
A former St. Louis Community College employee who admitted to stealing more than $7.5 million from STLCC and the state of Missouri is headed to prison. Don Robison, 57, of Ballwin, has been in U.S. Marshals Service custody since Aug. 14, when he pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. On Dec. 13, Judge Stephen Clark sentenced Robison Robison to more than six years in prison and ordered him to pay back more than $7.5 million in restitution, a $1.5 million assessment and a $125,000 fine, according to the U.S. District Court Clark judgment. “The FBI is pleased to be able to recover the stolen money to return for restitution,” stated Special Agent in Charge Richard Quinn of the FBI St. Louis Division in a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office. “That said, we should never forget that for 20 years, Don Robison abused his position of trust to deny Missouri workers and taxpayers’ money intended for them. He will now be held to account by forfeiting his time and ill-gotten gains.” Robison worked 27 years for STLCC and most recently served as manager of corporate services for its Workforce Solutions Group, which offers “programs and services designed to advance people, businesses and communities,” according to its web page. Robison was fired in April after authorities froze his bank and investment accounts. He was accused of creating a fake company and paying that company for job-training services that the state had contracted with STLCC to provide over 20 years. Robison is being represented by David Slaby, an attorney with Paule, Camazine & Blumenthal in St. Louis. Slaby could not be reached for comment. “It’s our policy not to comment on pending cases,” said his legal administrative assistant, Phyllis Fernandez. Robison is awaiting transfer to
See Robison page 6
Where have all the trees gone?
Invasive beetles force college to remove many ash By Mackenzie Gregory The Scene staff
Forest Park is losing its forest. The college has cut down more than 30 trees on campus, leaving only stumps. Officials blame beetles called emerald ash borers, which have been slowly killing them. “The tree looked perfect,” said Manager of Facilities David Christensen, describing one tree that was cut down. “It split open when it fell. It was completely rotten on the inside.” It’s believed that the beetles, which are native to Asia, migrated to the United States in wood cargo in the early 2000s. Since then, the invasive species has spread across the country. The beetles mainly affect ash trees, as their name suggests. They lay eggs on the inside, and the larvae feed on the wood, causing damage and eventual death. “The emerald ash borer is responsible for the destruction of tens of millions of ash trees in 30 states,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture website. The college also has cut down a few pine trees, but that had nothing to do with beetles. It was because of problems that developed with earlier maintenance. “You’re supposed to trim 10 to 15 percent of the tree, but the trees were trimmed 50 percent,” Christensen said. “They were dying. With being in that condition that close to the building, they were a safety concern.” Trees were cut down at Forest Park along Campus Drive near the Art Annex, between the theater building and Highlander Drive, and along Wise Avenue by parking lot F. The sycamore trees in the courtyard will not be affected by the tree-cutting project, and efforts are being made to protect them. Some students, faculty, and staff have strong feelings about the importance of trees, including those at Forest Park. “Trees are alive like we are,” said general transfer studies student Demario Williams, 19. “It is like taking away an energy source.
Photo by Larry Cox
Several ash trees have been cut down along Campus Drive near Macklind Avenue. Other trees in the background await the same fate.
Replacement campaign
The STLCC Foundation has set up a fund so people can donate to help replace the ash trees. Donation site: bit.ly/37JwrJM
It can depress you, not having a source of life around you.” The disappearance of landscaping on campus also has bothered English professor Angela Warfield. “I hope they replace the trees,” she said. “We still have a lack of green. I’d like to see more plants here. Maybe some more native species.” This wish may come true. The college plans to replace the trees that have been cut down. Officials have set up a tree fund through the STLCC Foundation that is accepting donations to buy and plant trees. The fund idea came from faculty members who were concerned about the loss of trees on campus, said James Munden, dean of STEM and business. “What we are trying to do is work with Facilities for the money that is donated, and then
See Trees page 7
Provided photo
This photo shows damage from the infestation of emerald ash borers to one of the downed ash trees on campus.
5,000 affected by college data breach By Joshua Phelps The Scene staff More than 20 employees with St. Louis Community College fell victim to a phishing attack that caused a data breach for an additional 5,000 students, faculty and staff members. “Sensitive” information such as names, phone numbers, email and home addresses, dates of birth and college A numbers were leaked, according to a Feb. 4 email from Keith Hacke, STLCC chief information officer. Social Security numbers were involved in 71 of the cases. “Most of the compromised accounts
were secured within 24 hours of the incident,” Hacke wrote. “All accounts were secured within 72 hours.” The data breach took place on Jan. 13, according to STLCC Communications Hacke Manager Nez Savala. “Some employees fell for a phishing incident,” she said in a phone interview. “An email was sent, and someone opened it mistakenly, and that led to (the hackers) having access to student data.”
The college had reasons for waiting three weeks to announce the data breach, Hacke said in his email. “For example, information needed to be collected and analyzed from multiple systems to identify all of the impacted individuals and ensure the accuracy of the information that was contained in employee email accounts.” Students, faculty and staff members affected by the data breach were alerted by mail or email, Savala said. The news was upsetting to fine arts major Aniya Woods, 21, even though she didn’t
See Breach page 8