The Scene Spring Issue 1 2023

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St. Louis Community College at Forest Park

Campus to get two new buildings

By Theodore Geigle

The Scene staff

Hospitality and transportation are the big winners at Forest Park in a capital improvement plan that was unveiled by St. Louis Community College officials recently.

Chancellor Jeff Pittman and Chief Operating Officer Hart Nelson came to campus announce that the college will construct two new buildings, demolish one building and renovate other buildings.

Officials expect to clear and prepare sites this spring and start construction this summer.

“There’s going to be challenging times during construction on campus, but once it’s finished, things will be better than before,” Nelson said.

STLCC Transformed is the name of the capital improvement plan for all four campuses. It’s expected to cost $456.5 million.

The money was made available by Proposition R, which district voters passed in August 2021. It raised property taxes to pay for college upgrades and improvements.

Pittman and Nelson held a “town hall meeting” on Feb. 16 in Café East at Forest Park to explain what will be happening in the coming months. About 20 faculty and staff members attended, but no students.

Hospitality and enrollment

STLCC Transformed calls for a new Hospitality and Enrollment Center to be constructed south of the Center for Nursing and

Health Sciences at Forest Park.

It will house culinary arts, baking and pastry arts and other classes associated with the hospitality studies program on the second floor.

The program is now based in the Hospitality Studies Center, south of the Student Center.

“We’re stoked,” said Ellen Piazza, chair of culinary arts and baking and pastry arts.

“(The current) building doesn’t really serve its purpose. It wasn’t made to accommodate for the future.

“We’ll be getting more pieces, modern equipment … And another thing people don’t think about often is presentation. If you come to my hotel and the doorknob is sticky, you won’t want to come to my hotel.

“Same as if you went into a restaurant and it had a gross mop smell. You wouldn’t want to eat there. So we’re exceptionally pleased to be getting a new and more modern building.”

The first floor of the new building will house an enrollment center, including the financial aid office, cashier’s office and counseling services.

“The intent is for students to have a central point where they can have most things taken care of,” Nelson said.

Construction of the $39 million Center for Nursing and Health Sciences in 2019 included creation of a landscaped plaza to the south with a sculpture consisting of 10 giant “light walls.”

See Buildings page 2

Box A represents the new Transportation and Logistics Center in the college’s capital improvement plan. Box B is the new Hospitality and Enrollment Center. Streets are shown in red, walkways in yellow and parking lots in white with a P.

It’s legal:

Forest Park weighs in on weed

By Precious Kenney The Scene staff

Marijuana has been part of college life for decades, but not all Forest Park students are happy that weed and edibles are now legal in Missouri.

General studies student Clara Abad, 20, thinks it’s a bad idea.

“I personally don’t smoke or do anything with marijuana,” she said. “I think it’ll be easier for kids to gain access to it now that there are fewer restrictions.”

Abad was one of a handful of Forest Park students and faculty interviewed recently by The Scene on the pot issue.

Missourians voted Nov. 8, 2022, to approve a state constitutional amendment that legalized marijuana for recreational use. The new law went into effect Feb. 3.

Dental hygiene student Natalie Confer, 22, supported the initiative, mainly because of the way cannabis can help people with chronic pain and other medical problems.

“There are many good uses, but we should put more time and money into teaching the communities that use it,” she said. “We must also be an advocate for awareness in individuals that have barriers to medication.”

Biology professor Kristine Mothershead fell somewhere in the middle of the debate. She wasn’t against legalization, but she wasn’t for amending the constitution.

“It didn’t need to be elevated to that,” she said.

Missouri is among states that allow residents to gather signatures and place constitutional amendments on ballots when they want to sidestep legislatures.

Mothershead believes it’s very important to protect this process.

“My fear (related to the marijuana vote) was that this was going to be the straw that was going to break the camel’s back for our initiative process,” she said.

“And now that is goal No. 1 in this next session. It’ll become more cumbersome, and it’ll be harder to get things on the ballot.”

Mothershead was referring to current

efforts by Republican state legislators to place more restrictions on the process.

Some 73% of Missouri voters approved Amendment 3, which legalized marijuana for recreational use. Before, it was only allowed for medicinal use.

Today, anyone 21 and older can purchase cannabis products, both weed and a variety of edibles, at one of nearly 200 dispensaries that have popped up throughout the state.

The closest one to the Forest Park campus is Good Day Farm Dispensary on the corner of Forest Park Avenue and Euclid Avenue, across from BJC Healthcare’s Center for Advanced Medicine.

“We believe in plants over pills and using the magic of Mother Nature to help people feel their best,” according to its website. “Our mission is to give everyone that perfect ‘day at the farm’ feeling and access to good medical cannabis.”

The dispensary offers a 15% discount for college students, military personnel and those 65 and older.

The Missouri Cannabis Trade Association reported that dispensaries in the state sold nearly $5 million worth of products on the first day of legalization and $13 million on opening weekend.

The state levies a 6% sales tax on recreational marijuana, and local municipalities can impose additional taxes. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported tax revenue of more than $510,000 on opening weekend.

“Them legalizing marijuana was a good thing to do,” said Forest Park student Glenn Williams, 21, a health services major.

“In my honest opinion, I think that it’s about time that we’ve legalized it. We have been in a battle for so long. It’s not a bad drug or anything to be on. It helps people with cancer. It helps relieve stress. It helps people get sleep. It helps people with anxiety. It just helps all around the board.”

Williams doesn’t believe weed is addictive, and he knows people who just smoke a little to help them relax after a long day at school or work.

See Marijuana page 4

Photo by Precious Kenney

The closest place to the Forest Park campus to get recreational marijuana is Good Day Farm Dispensary at 20 S. Euclid Ave. in the Central West End.

“This is only possible because of local taxpayers participating in Proposition R.”

– Administrator Hart Nelson

News

That sculpture will be moved to make room for the new Hospitality and Enrollment Center.

“We do not own the light walls,” Nelson said. “They belong to Gateway Arts Foundation, which has generously let this campus use them, and we want to keep them around.

“Our intent is to move them to a location that is accessible and cool.”

Transportation and logistics

The other new building on the Forest Park campus will be a Transportation and Logistics Center on the northwest corner of the intersection of Wise Avenue and South Drive, where a parking lot is now.

That building will house the automotive technology department, diesel technology and truck driving.

The new garage will have large bays to accommodate not only vehicles but also big trucks. The old garage in the West Wing, formerly G tower, will probably be used for long-term storage, according to Nelson.

“Excited” is the way Joe Jackson, chair of the automotive technology department, described his feelings about the new building.

“I think it’ll increase our useable space by about three times,” he said. “Right now, we only have seven bays and five lifts, which limits us heavily space-wise.

“Diesel would be brought in and combined in the same building. (This) will get more employer engagement, and it will help students as well because a lot of students go from auto to diesel and from diesel to auto, and it will really help if they’re in the same place.”

Demolition and renovation

Officials estimate that the new Hospitality and Enrollment Center will be open for spring semester 2025.

After the opening, plans call for the existing Hospitality Studies Center to be demolished to make way for more green space and parking.

The building was constructed in 1999, making it much newer than the original Forest Park campus, which opened in the 1960s. Yet officials refer to it as “antiquated.”

“Frankly this building didn’t hold up too well,” Piazza said.

Nelson wasn’t in his current position when STLCC officials decided that the Hospitality Studies Center needed to be demolished, but he offered the following explanation to The Scene:

“What was told to me was that the space was built with a very limited budget and made with kitchens in mind, which are very specialized and difficult to convert. The building isn’t flexible and wasn’t built to the quality we want in our buildings.”

STLCC Transformed also includes money for renovation of existing buildings at Forest Park.

That includes the kitchen in the former cafeteria and other parts of the Student Center, although officials haven’t specified what will go into spaces now occupied by the financial aid office, cashier’s office and counseling services.

The cost of the new Hospitality and Enrollment Center is estimated at $38 million. Officials hope to bring that down to $32 million.

“We’re a bit over budget,” Nelson said.

“The usual process is, we contact the construction designers and ask them how much

it will cost to build it, and then they will bring us back a number, and then our process is to see if we can make it fit into the budget with value engineering.”

The cost of the new Transportation and Logistics Center is estimated at $50.1 million. Like the Hospitality and Enrollment Center, it’s expected to be open by spring 2025.

Nelson cautioned that supply chain issues could change that timeline.

“Some of the building materials, surprisingly, doors and glass, take a very long time to get in, almost 18 months, which is how long we’re expecting construction to take,

so we’re ordering them early on to avoid waiting on that in the future.”

The cost of the Hospitality Studies Center demolition and renovation of other buildings at Forest Park is estimated at $10.5 million. Officials plan to hold more town hall meetings on campuses to give updates on STLCC Transformed, and they hope to see more students attend and give feedback.

“We’ll keep updating our website with plans and funding,” Nelson said. “We want to be open about our plans. This is only possible because of local taxpayers participating in Proposition R.”

Scene

THE

Editor: Theodore Geigle

Circulation: Zacchaeus Windham

Reporters/photographers: Markell Tompkins, Leilani England, Shengnan Gao, Jerrell Phillips, Precious Kenney

Columnist: April Green

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 West wing, Room 413. 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 Jerrell Phillips

STLCC Chief Operating Officer Hart Nelson speaks at a town hall meeting in Cafe East at Forest Park about capital improvement projects.

Campus chatter

Nolan Clark, 19, physics

“Probably ‘All’s Quiet on the Western Front’ (best picture nominee). I read the book, and it was one of the best books I have ever read. It’s a book about World War I adapted into a movie. It’s one of the best representations of the hell that was World War I.”

Brenda Palomares, 18, general transfer

“I don’t really watch many movies, but I like Zoe Saldana, who appears in ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ (best picture nominee).

Ann

“My favorite nominee is Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng (best actress in a leading role) because I like her in films. I also like Tang Wei. I don’t know if she is nominated, but I like her in the film ‘Decision to Leave’ (not nominated).”

“I really liked ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ (best animated feature nominee). I also thought ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ (best picture nominee) was really good, although I thought the first ‘Avatar’ was better.”

Neah Cobbs, 18, early childhood development

“I don’t really know the Oscar nominees, but someone I feel should get one is Michael B. Jordan. And Meagan Good … she should get one. That’s about it in my opinion.”

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE

OSCAR NOMINEES?

Everardo Avila Jr., basic needs support specialist

“If I had to choose somebody, I would say my favorite nominee is Angela Bassett for best supporting actress. My other one is ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (best picture nominee).”

By Markell Tompkins

Kay Matthews, 19, nursing

“I don’t know, but I like Tiffany Haddish, Betty White and Sarah Paulson (not nominated).”

Rashad Jones, 21, science engineering

“I don’t have one. I guess if I had to pick a movie … I don’t know. It’s pretty hard to pick just one.”

C.J. Cook, writing tutor

“From this year, I did really like ‘Everything Everywhere

All at Once’ (best picture nominee). I thought that was really good. For best horror movie, I’d pick ‘Barbarian’ (not nominated). I think it’s a great commentary on white flight and gender dynamics and cancel culture and stuff like that.”

Delia Rainer, writing tutor

“The only movie I saw that’s on (the Oscar list) is ‘Elvis.’ I really liked it, and I see that the main actor who played Elvis, Austin Butler, is nominated for best actor in a leading role, and I totally think he should win. He was super good as Elvis. I really recommend that movie. It’s an explosion of sensory experiences and a really interesting exploration of music history.”

La Toya Smith, enrollment administrator

“If I had to choose a favorite, I’d say Sidney Poitier. He won an Oscar (for best actor in 1964 for ‘Lilies of the Field’). He is an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) winner, along with Viola Davis. Quincy Jones is another, for his music.”

Annie Kullman, 23, funeral services

“I don’t know. It’s hard to say. I haven’t really watched any new stuff that’s come out.”

Tyler Morhaus, 21, music

Li, 18, general transfer

Marijuana

Williams also likes the idea that people will no longer go to jail on drug charges related to pot.

“Other states have legalized it already, and we have been battling this for so long,” he said. “You know, California was one of the first, and I think it should be legalized in all 50 states. It’s not a bad drug, and it helps people.”

Adjunct psychology professor Masen Wilkinson has yet another perspective on the topic. He formerly worked at three locations of Swade Cannabis, which dispensed medical marijuana in Missouri after it became legal in 2018.

Each location varied in traffic and clientele, according to Wilkinson. Ellisville was consistently steady, if not busy, serving patients ranging from 14 to 90. The Delmar Avenue location drew a younger crowd, mostly 25 to 30, and business tended to be slower during the day.

Wilkinson described the Cherokee Street location as “super interesting,” with a variety of customers.

“I think that as we have access to more information regarding the benefits of marijuana (in coping) with the stresses of everyday life, we will see a decrease in the amount of alcohol consumed by the younger crowds,” he said. “We have seen what alcohol does to people, and we want to do things differently.

“I feel that this is the spirit of the ’70s coming back, because we are anti-war and pro-weed.”

On the negative side, Wilkinson argues that the new Missouri marijuana law isn’t equitable, and it doesn’t allow enough Black people to share in the profits.

from page 1 Confer

St. Louis Public Radio reported that only three out of 192 dispensary licenses were obtained by Black Missourians. Some blame “exorbitant” application fees.

“Until we see actual equity in cannabis, it will continue to put money in white people’s pockets and Black people in prison, or worse, for doing the same thing.

“I do have faith, however, that we will see this change as more Black St. Louisans attain access to this extremely lucrative capital venture. … So I have faith that the people out there fighting for equity in this space will be successful very soon.”

Illustrator at work

JOIN US! TRANSFER INFORMATION SESSION

Student McKena Sharp uses Adobe Illustrator to edit an image of a woman for a computer arts class on the fourth floor of the West Wing.

Photo by Jerrell Phillips

“It’s not a bad drug or anything to be on. It helps people with cancer. It helps relieve stress. It helps people get sleep. It helps people with anxiety. And it helps just all around the board”

– Student Glenn Williams