The Scene Spring Issue 2 2023

GOP TARGETS LGBTQ

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Spring favorites

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St. Louis Community College at Forest Park

Cafeteria to return this fall

By Theodore Geigle

The Scene staff

Forest Park is bringing back its cafeteria after two years without one.

St. Louis Community College has contracted with a national catering company that is expected to begin operating in time for fall semester.

“There will be pizza and a grill, which means hamburgers, and sandwiches and even a salad bar,” said Rodney Jones, Forest Park auxiliary manager.

“They will begin the setting-up process as early as May and will be ready (to open) around August, but this could change.”

STLCC closed cafeterias on all of its campuses in the summer of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Forest Park bookstore, whose main location is on the Student Center’s first floor, took over the former cafeteria’s kitchen and serving space and converted it into a convenience store. It sells STLCC merchandise, chips, soda, prepacked food items, frozen pizza and other microwavable items.

Funeral services major Alexandra Schad

College helps students dress professionally

By Shengnan Gao

The Scene staff

Students are often short on money, but they need food, toiletries and professional clothing for job interviews, work and school.

Two programs at St. Louis Community College have their backs.

One is the Student Advocacy and Resource Center, which has locations on all STLCC campuses. Staff helps students succeed, personally and academically, by helping them meet basic needs and overcome barriers that may interfere with educational goals.

“Our Archers’ Market provides basic things for students for free,” said SARC Coordinator Candice Pinkins. “For example, grab-and-go meals and snacks, groceries, personal-care products and other items.”

The market is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Fridays in Student Center Room 256. Any student can stop by and “shop.”

In February, SARC partnered with STLCC Career Development and Student Success on a clothing drive. They asked people to donate gently-worn, freshly-washed modern professional clothing for all sizes and genders.

“We hang them up, steam them,

See Clothing page 4

says she feels great about the return. “Fresh food would be good for students who are being forced to eat crappy food because you don’t have the time to leave campus and go to places nearby,” she said.

The company hired to operate the cafeteria is New York-based American Dining Creations. It also will take over the col-

lege’s coffee machines.

Shelving and other equipment now in the convenience store will be put into storage to allow American Dining Creations to move in. The store will be closed this summer.

“The summer semester is pretty quiet, so I hope not too many students will be bothered,” Jones said.

Students shopping in the store on March 22 welcomed news about the cafeteria being resurrected.

“I think it would be very beneficial so that people don’t need to bring a lunch or buy from overpriced vending machines,” said Kim Kraft, student placement coordinator, who works in the Center for Nursing and Health Sciences.

“If they had a salad bar, I would definitely go there, and the exercise would be great (walking across campus).”

Kali Martin, a bookstore employee and general STEM student, won’t be around to take advantage of the new cafeteria because she’s graduating this spring.

“But I think it would be great for students,” she said. “I am excited to graduate, but I wish they had fresh food while I was attending.”

Jones expects the cafeteria to operate year-round, at least for the first year. In the future, it may close for the summer.

Beyond cafeteria management, a company called Akademos will soon be in charge of online textbook orders.

The main Forest Park bookstore location won’t sell books on site anymore.

“It will more so be an area for order pickup,” Jones said. “We’ll also have bag of chips and such.”

Women hold their own in auto tech

One inherited love of cars from her father

By Precious Kenney The Scene staff

Louise Johnson raised four children and earned a high school diploma through a Mers Goodwill program before she decided to enroll in college.

Her field of study? Automotive technology.

The 43-year-old didn’t care that students at Forest Park and in similar programs across the country are overwhelmingly men.

“My long-term goal is to open my own automotive shop,” she said. “With all women.”

Johnson inherited her love for cars from her father, who owned a mechanic business in the St. Louis area.

“He would always tell me, ‘Don’t get stuck on the side of the road,’” she recalled with a smile.

“He taught me the tricks and the trades of not getting stuck on the side of the road, and when I graduated high school, I chose automotive technology.”

Program goes way back

Automotive technology was one of the first programs offered at the new Forest Park campus of St. Louis Community College in 1967.

In those days, only men took automotive technology classes, but that hasn’t been the case for decades, according to Joe Jackson, program coordinator and department chair.

“We have had women in automotive for a while,” he said. “Every semester.”

The diesel technology program isn’t as popular with women, according to instructor Daniel Borgers. There are no women currently enrolled.

“We encourage female students to enroll through school-outreach programs like SkillsUSA,” he said. “This helps us get our name out there and teach people about what we do.”

SkillsUSA is an organization that hosts regional competitions for high-school and college students interested in trade, techni-

cal and skilled-service careers.

Women join the automotive technology program at Forest Park for a variety of reasons, Borgers said.

Some want to become mechanics. Others just want to learn the terminology so they can communicate with people fixing their cars.

Anyone can enroll in diesel technology, but some women are discouraged by its physical requirements, including the ability to lift semi engines that weigh 70 to 80 pounds.

Six women are enrolled in the automotive technology program, according to Jackson.

“Everyone gets along,” Borgers said.

See Women page 4

Staff photo STLCC clothing and other merchandise are available in the kitchen and serving space of Forest Park’s former cafeteria.

Photo by Jerrell Phillips

Automotive technology students Louise Johnson and Tyler Havernstick work on a transmission in the Forest Park garage.

Jones

Johnson

Opinion

Brain Food

with Senate Bill 134.

It’s known as the Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, which is Missouri’s version of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

One of the sponsors is Sen. Mike Moon, a Republican who believes in the concept of “unborn children,” which is religion-based not science-based.

Senate Bill 134 prohibits the discussion of gender identity or sexual orientation by school personnel. It requires licensed mental health providers to inform parents before they discuss the topic with children.

On its face, that may seem like a reasonable request, but the more you think about it, the more it becomes painfully clear what a negative impact it would have on LGBTQ youths.

The bill’s goal is to scare children from being who they are, which could cause a multitude of problems for them when they get older.

wrong with being part of the LGBTQ community.

By including the phrase “child compassion and protection” in Senate Bill 134’s title, its sponsors are implying that being part of the LGBTQ community is in some way harmful, wrong or immoral.

There has long been anti-LGBTQ sentiment in popular right-wing media, and the Missouri bill aims to make its anti-LGBTQ rhetoric seem reasonable.

Two in three LGBTQ youths have had someone in their lives try to get them to change their gender identities or sexual orientations, according to studies reported by the American Association of Suicidology.

This aligns with the overall premise of hateful GOP attacks: That these children don’t know what they want, and parents can persuade them to be “normal.”

reported by the American Association of Suicidology.

Much of the suicidal risk for LGBTQ people originates from lack of social and cultural acceptance.

From 2007 to 2019, 76% of LGBTQ youths felt that the political climate impacted their mental health and sense of self, the studies showed.

This isn’t surprising.

Republican politicians at the federal level are pushing blatantly false rhetoric, such as the claim that all trangender people are pedophiles and that they groom children.

Then they use their own made-up logic to dehumanize trans people and justify their own anti-LGBTQ policies. They would fund institutions that provide information and resources to deter treatment. w

By April Green

The Scene staff

It’s a new year, and the Missouri GOP is off to a horrid start.

Republicans in the state House of Representatives worked for passage of a stricter dress code, prohibiting women reps from wearing shoulder-revealing attire.

The rules are now the same for men and women, but you have to wonder why this is such a big concern.

The change comes after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, another example of the government trying to control the bodies of women.

And let’s not forget that Missouri was the first state to ban once-legal abortions after the ruling.

Republicans continue to engage in culture-war and revenge politics, and now they’re targeting the LGBTQ community

These spineless Republicans are saying this is being done for their protection, the same argument they make whenever they want to take away the rights of trans people.

To have children, or anyone else for that matter, feel like they have to hide who they are out of fear of social and/or familial rejection only leads to negative outcomes.

“Concealing one’s sexual orientation can lead to significant mental and physical health issues, increased health care costs and dampening of the visibility necessary for advancing equal rights,” said John Pachankis, a professor at Yale School of Public Health.

A lot of social development happens during childhood, and it’s important for children (and adults) to discuss these feelings to understand who they are.

Despite the GOP’s efforts to make people think otherwise, there is nothing inherently

And there is a real possibility that these horrible parents can succeed in suppressing their children’s identities. They are incapable of comprehending that LGBTQ people are born that way.

Children should feel safe talking about something as sensitive as gender identity and sexual orientation.

Senate Bill 134 would serve as a deterrent for anyone who under 18 to seek advice from trusted counselors. It fits right in with the anti-LGBTQ campaign and targeting of transgender people that most Republicans and right-wing media have embraced.

Additionally, there are consequences that result from having horrible parents who fall victim to anti-LGBTQ rhetoric propagated by right-wing media. Youths try to change who they are, get kicked out of their homes or commit suicide, the worst possible outcome.

LGBTQ youths who undergo conversion therapy are twice as likely to attempt suicide as others, according to the studies

So, if the Missouri GOP truly wants to “protect children,” they would make it safer for those children to talk about why they’re feeling the way they do in private.

They would set up institutions that exclusively serve LGBTQ youths, helping them to understand why they feel suicidal. And lastly they would stop their attacks and efforts to dehumanize trans people.

But it’s clear that they don’t intend to protect anything except their fragile and misinformed understanding of gender and sexuality.

One way we can stop these out-of-touch cowards from taking our rights away is to protest, get involved in the community and talk to our representatives by email or phone. Let them know there is real danger to their ignorance.

There’s also the option of joining an organization like the Democratic Socialists of America or other left-wing groups in Missouri that are looking to improve worker conditions and fighting for LGBTQ rights.

Scene

THE

Editor: Theodore Geigle

Business manager: Jayda Griffin

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.

LGBTQ community is latest target of GOP’s culture war

Campus chatter

“My favorite thing about spring is the daffodils. I like seeing them grow. It’s my favorite flower. And the rain is really nice with the warmer temperatures.”

“It’s cool. When it starts getting sunny outside, I start to like it better.”

“It’s just nice weather to go out and take a walk, go to the park or go to the zoo.”

“The weather is nice, not much else.”

“I like spring because (the weather is) calm, warm, easy going. It’s not hectic, like storms. It’s not too hot, not too cold, just regular.”

“I love that the days are getting longer. I don’t like the dark, and I don’t like shorter days. I don’t like getting up in the dark and going home in the dark.”

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT

Spring?

By Markell Tompkins

“Not having to worry about school (over spring break), being able to work on what you want and getting the hours you want.”

“I like the weather the most, the fresh air.”

“I really like the weather getting a more passable temperature, not too hot, not too cold. I have a bit of an issue with allergies. Fall ends up being the better time for me. It also looks nice (in the spring). That’s a plus.”

“The warmer weather, first of all. I’m getting out of school not having to worry about cold weather, and being able to go outside and spend time in nature. Animals are coming out, butterflies, rabbits, things like that.”

“One of the things I like is trees blooming and stuff. … Another is, just generally a lot more people seem upbeat and happy.”

“I like the weather. It’s not too hot, not too cold. It’s nice and bright, perfect weather. Watching all the plants bloom and the trees start to flower, and then you see the buds coming out of the ground. It’s beautiful.”

Dearius Wheeler, 19, physical therapy

Michell Montoya, 18, biology

Brandon Prater, 18, general transfer

Alex Newcomb, 19, nutrition

Nolan Clark, 19, physics

Rachel Clay, engineering

Sumaya Yusuf, 19, sonography

Alisha Merlenbach, 20, graphic communications

Gabriel Amunategui, 17, dual enrollment

Leslie Garcia, 19, nursing

Rashad Jones, 21, science engineering

Amanda Gallogly, writing center supervisor

Clothing

from page 1 get the wrinkles out, and make sure all the clothing donated is in good shape,” said Jacqueline Meaders Booth, director of STLCC Career Development and Success. “And then we put them on the racks or fold them neatly.”

This includes matching suit jacket and pants or skirts, blazers, slacks, blouses or shell tops, button-down shirts, ties and bowties, dress shoes, dress belts, socks and panty hose

On March 21, students were invited to shop for clothing items at a pop-up-style boutique in the Highlander Lounge on the Forest Park campus.

“We feel that it’s important that we help students plan for unplanned expenses, such as professional attire,” Booth said. “This is an opportunity to give them professional clothing to help them move in a direction seeking job opportunities, interviews, job shadowing and internships.”

Students who missed the pop-up-style boutique can still look at professional clothing in time for the next STLCC career fair March 29 on the Meramec campus.

Such career fairs also are held on other campuses. They give students an opportunity to interview, ask questions and make first impressions on representatives of companies and organizations looking to hire.

“We want to make sure (students) feel comfortable when they get these opportunities and want them to present the best of

Women

“This field is very male-dominated. It’s generally a fast-paced environment, but everyone is team-oriented.

“If you can’t physically do something, you need to be willing to ask for help. Overall, the automotive community is like a family.”

Most students are male

Five percent of automotive technology students in Missouri are women, according a MoSCORES report by the state of Missouri. At Forest Park, it’s 7%.

STLCC offers both a certificate of proficiency and an associate in applied science.

At the end of coursework, students must pass an Automotive Service Excellence exam to prepare for employment in the automotive service and repair industry.

from page 1

male students, she said. “Oh, they all love me. They love me.”

Visitor likes seeing women

On a recent weekday, Denise Depelheuer stopped by the Forest Park garage to get her oil changed by her son, Nathan Depelheuer, a student in automotive technology.

Denise Depelheuer, 67, is a retiree who worked in administration and labor relations for the United Auto Workers, the largest automotive union in the country.

Denise Depelheuer was happy to see women in the Forest Park garage.

themselves,” Booth said. “We figured one way that we can help our students with that is by providing this professional-clothing experience.”

To reach Pinkins, call 314-644-9027. To make an appointment with Basic Needs Support Specialist Everado Avila Jr., write to eavilajr@stlcc.edu.

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK @theSceneForestPark

Johnson’s current project in the Forest Park garage is rebuilding the 3.4-liter engine of a 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. She’s partnering with students Tyler Havernstick, 20, and Will Vankirk, 18.

Johnson is one of two women Havernstick has worked with in the program, but he has noticed no difference in the way they’re treated by instructors or other students.

“If there was a difference, someone would say something.” he said. “We are all going for the same associate’s, and we’re all getting certified.

“We are all in the same group, on the same team. Nobody is going to be getting special treatment over someone else.”

Johnson has no problem working with

“I worked in the automotive industry for 25 years,” she said. “Half my career was in Michigan (and) half was at Wentzville GM. When I started, there wasn’t a lot of women involved in that kind of stuff.”

Denise Depelheuer’s father also worked for GM, which sparked her interest in the company.

“It was tough,” she said. “It was a different time for women back then. The best thing was when I met men who weren’t afraid to share their knowledge.

“I met a lot of great role models (both men and women) who weren’t afraid to share knowledge, and that’s who helped me advance my career. The women weren’t like, ‘I made it on my own, so you’re on your own honey.’ It wasn’t like that.

“I love seeing women working hands-on and not just being on the paperwork side. I don’t think everyone needs some fancy college degree to be successful.”

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“I will always recommend Webster University because of the culture of the school and because of the people—the professors want to see you succeed.”

Igho Ekakitie

Depelheuer

Vankirk

Photo by Shengnan Gao

Career Specialist DeVonte Jackson displays professional clothing that is available at the Student Advocacy and Resource Center.