The Scene Issue 3 Spring 2021

SCENE THE

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Spring Issue 3

April 2, 2021

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Women you admire See page 4

St. Louis Community College at Forest Park

Thousands get vaccine at Forest Park

College hosts one of three area COVID megasites

By The Scene staff

When Colleen Doherty showed up on the Forest Park campus to get her COVID-19 vaccine shot on March 25, she was surprised to see hundreds of people standing in line.

The 32-year-old St. Louis woman knew the mass-vaccination site was appointment-only, and she was 15 minutes early for her 10:30 a.m. appointment.

She thought perhaps students were waiting to register for classes.

“Where’s the gymnasium?” Doherty asked a Missouri National Guardsman on the stairs Doherty outside of E Tower.

Doherty soon realized that the line for vaccinations snaked all the way from the theater building, around the courtyard, past the library, down the stairs by the Student Center, through the quad and over to the physical education building.

The Guardsman suggested the line wouldn’t be so long later in the day. That was enough to persuade Doherty to delay her shot for a few hours.

“I’ve got a doctor’s appointment later this morning, and I’ll come back here this afternoon,” she said.

But patience was rewarded for the hundreds who braved morning temperatures in the 40s. By the end of that Thursday, healthcare workers had administered 3,468 doses of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to the St. Louis Department of Health.

It was the largest number of people vacci-

Dean Brisker of St. Louis grimaces as he gets vaccinated March 25 in the Forest Park gymnasium.

nated for COVID-19 in the city in a single day.

An additional 3,132 residents got their shots at Forest Park the following day, when wait times were much shorter, for a total of 6,600.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported that 18,000 people were vaccinated March 25-27 at three mass-vaccination sites in St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Charles. St. Louis

Hundreds line up in the Forest Park courtyard to get their shots.

Photo by Fred Ortlip

Community College hosted the one in the city at Forest Park.

Campus President Julie Fickas sent an email on March 30, thanking faculty and staff: “Our facilities and IT department worked very long days and were able to make sure things were ready at a moment’s notice,” she wrote. “Recruiting made sure that they had videos playing while people waited 15 minutes after their vaccination and also had enrollment information and swag everywhere possible. They also made sure you couldn’t walk more than a couple of feet without seeing a recruitment sign.

“MarCom prepared signs to help direct people around campus. Campus police had to deal with logistics of dignitaries on campus and many people all over the campus.

Everyone working on campus had to park further away from buildings than they normally do. Because of all of this work, 6,600 people in our community are now vaccinated. Thank you for your patience and help through this two-day event.”

Gov. Mike Parson, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and city health officials made appearances at Forest Park, where shots were administered in the gym, the end of up to two-hour waits for many on Thursday.

St. Louis city spokesman Jacob Long attributed the long lines to people arriving early or late for their appointments.

“We understand that there’s still sort of a scarcity mentality,” Long told the St. Louis

See Vaccine page 2

Photo by Fred Ortlip

Photo by Fred Ortlip

Lauren Murphy, right, and Kyle Murphy waited nearly two hours on a chilly morning.

Vaccine

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Post-Dispatch. “But we are committed to getting a dose to every person who signs up with us. If your appointment’s at 4:30, please don’t show up at noon.”

Some people were forced to spend extra time finding places to park at Forest Park.

All of the college’s lots were jammed with cars, forcing many to settle for off-street parking.

In an effort to speed up the line, organizers opened another part of the gymnasium Thursday morning to process paperwork, Long said. By 3 p.m., the wait time was down to 20 or 30 minutes.

Dean Brisker, 44, waited for more than 90 minutes Thursday morning. At one point, he sketched out a serpentine diagram on his phone to send to a friend coming later to show where on campus to find the back of the line.

At the point that Lauren Murphy, 29, and Kyle Murphy, 32, were within 100 yards of the gym entrance, they’d been waiting for an hour and 20 minutes. Lauren Murphy quickly realized she was underdressed for the weather and fetched a blanket and col-

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Circulation: Zacchaeus Windham Reporters/photographers: Markell Tompkins 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.

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Views expressed are not necessarily those of St. Louis Community

from page 1 orful towel from the car to wrap herself in.

Registration emails invited specific people to make appointments for the mass vaccination, but as is often the case, they shared them with friends and family. Some were turned away at Forest Park, a spokesman said, while others left when they realized the error.

Assisting with the mass-vaccination site on campus were representatives of the St. Louis Community College nursing department, St. Louis University School of Nursing, St. Louis Fire Department, Americorps, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Cadets, Webster University School of Nursing, Team Rubicon and Missouri’s State Emergency Management Agency, Department of Health and Senior Services and Disaster Medical Assistance Team.

Parson has stated that nearly 3 million Missouri residents could receive at least one dose by the end of April at the state’s current rate of vaccine rollout. Weekly allocations for April could hit between 250,000 and 300,000 doses.

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April 2, 2021

Dean Brisker displays a diagram he made on his phone to let a friend know where to line up.

The Forest Park gymnasium was turned into a two-day vaccination hub.

VACCINATION DAY Photos by Fred Ortlip

People line up outside C Tower as they wait to get to the gymnasium in the distance.

Dian Davitt, a nursing faculty member at Webster University, administers a COVID-19 shot.

Left, a Missouri National Guardsman motions to the exit in the Forest Park gym. Above, St. Louis police officers direct traffic on Oakland Avenue.

April 2, 2021

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Page 3

Campus chatter Who is a

woman you look up to?

Tyrell Smith, 20, general studies “I look up to Whoopi Goldberg because growing up I always liked watching movies she was in and seeing her act.”

Christy Hummel, 36, recruitment coordinator “I look up to my mother.

She’s a retired nurse. She got her training here at STLCC, and she worked many years in the recovery department at Barnes. She helped patients get back to their normal lives. She always had a high degree of patience when dealing with people, including me and my sister growing up.

She always taught me to be a hard worker and to go after what I want.”

Joyce Martin, housekeeping employee “I look up to a good friend of mine named Patty Moore. It’s been a struggle for her since COVID-19 hit, but she manages. She has a catering business, and in the past she has gone out of her way to feed the homeless. She also works in the (Forest Park) bookstore, but she can’t be on campus right now because she has a son with special needs. It’s risky with the pandemic. She’s just awesome, her hustle and drive, pretty much everything about her.”

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By Markell Tompkins

Susan Paszkiewicz, 60, art “I look up to all women who are dealing with prejudice, injustice and domestic abuse in their own countries, just for being women. I hope that the world starts recognizing them and giving them strength. I also admire the people and organizations who help them.”

Harold Johnson, 35, nursing “I look up to my mother because she is a great mom and an educator for me. She has taught me a lot of values that I still use to this day, and I’ve passed them down to my niece and nephew. She also has taught me to be resourceful and get things by trading or bartering if I don’t have the money. She has taught me to think. She says if a person is stronger or faster, you can probably outthink them, so they can’t beat you.”

Mariah Palmer, 24, recruitment employee “I look up to my grandmother because she raised two kids on her own.

I think that’s a pretty good accomplishment, and that’s why I admire her.”

Jamie Sansoucie, 31, recruitment employee “I look up to my best friend, Molly, because she is the hardest worker I know, and she really cares about her family and her students.

She’s a teacher, and she really knows how to hustle.

She can teach in multiple areas, and she manages different properties. She is constantly working to better herself and her family and to provide for them. I feel like she has faced a lot of obstacles in life, personal and professional, and she always seems to rise above like a rock star.”

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Ben Johnson, 22, general studies “I look up to my mom because she’s a professor at SLU, and she has a Ph.D. She inspires me to really work hard at my studies and focus on my education. Also, she has always been there for me and pushed me along in life.”

Mike Lueke, 43, math professor “I look up to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Before she passed away last fall, she made a lot of important strides for women in the United States.”

Marlene Reese, 58, nursing “I look up to my mother because she was always a strong woman who taught me and my five siblings how to treat people, how to take care of ourselves and how to stay focused in life.”

Tanya Carr, 46, cybersecurity “I look up to Michelle Obama because she is so inspiring, motivated and intelligent. She’s empowering us as women to be our best and go after our goals and dreams.”

Layout by Katelyn Clancy

April 2, 2021