SCENE THE
Spring Issue 4
APRIL 6, 2018
www.thescenefp.com
St. Louis Community College at Forest Park
Forest Park students weigh in on gun control By Joshua Phelps The Scene staff Many Forest Park students, faculty and staff want stricter gun control in light of the recent Florida school shooting, according a random survey conducted by The Scene on campus. Education major Lynette Farmer, 35, doesn’t think people with mental illness should be allowed to own firearms. “I’m not saying guns don’t protect people,” she said. “But you’re getting guns in the hands of the wrong people who don’t have the mind frame to know what to do with it. I’m just sick of kids getting killed.” Counselor Taylor Jones expressed a similar opinion. “I would want regulations on guns for the people who more than likely should not have guns,” she said. “You should not have them in the house, church, that sort of thing.” Computer science major Austin Vanfleet, 19, is less tolerant when it comes to gun ownership. “Only cops should have them and nobody else,” he said. Eve Fonseca, a professor who teaches English as a second language, agrees Farmer with Vanfleet. She doesn’t like the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the right to bear arms. “If I were queen, we would get rid of guns,” she said. “Whatever can be Vanfleet done, in terms of compromise with those on the other side … I think we have to compromise and get done whatever can get done.” Gun-control issues have dominated national news since Feb. 14, when 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Douglas students organized an international protest called March for Our Lives on March 24. One of them, Emma Gonzalez, also
founded the #NeverAgain movement. At a rally in Washington, D.C., she spoke and stayed silent for 6 minutes and 20 seconds, which was how long Cruz’s rampage lasted. “The shooter has ceased shooting and will soon abandon his rifle, blend in with the students as they escape and walk free for an hour before arrest,” Gonzalez said. “Fight for your lives before it’s someone else’s job.” Jones believes students have a right to protest gun violence, but she also supports the right of law-abiding citizens to own firearms. “Personally, I’m all for being protected,” she said. Colton Creason, 27, a computer science major at Forest Park, calls the gun-control movement “necessary.” “I think it’s good, especially when you compare us to other countries,” he said. Fitness instructor Shanequa Tolliver supported the March for Our Lives, saying it drew attention to gun violence and helped educate those who may not be aware of it. “People who did not have a voice Fonseca or did not want to speak on it … They’re becoming more open to the fact that it’s easy for people to purchase these types of weapons,” she said. Tolliver described watching a video on Facebook that showed a teenager Creason going into a gas station and not being able to buy lottery tickets, alcohol or cigarettes. But a pawn shop sold him a firearm. “Anyone can purchase a gun,” Tolliver said. “Nobody is regulating it.” Trong Luu, 29, an international student from Vietnam, also weighed in on the U.S. gun-control debate. In his country, civilians aren’t allowed to own firearms other than
See Guns page 3
Dating, disabilities See page 3
African Pride See page 4
Facebook privacy See page 8
Provost Johnson to leave Forest Park He will become head of Phoenix College By Joshua Bold and Timothy Bold The Scene staff Provost Larry Johnson is leaving Forest Park to become president of Phoenix College in Arizona. His last day is June 30. Phoenix is considered the flagship of the Maricopa County Community College district, which has 10 campuses. Phoenix enrolls about 20,000 students. “I will directly report to the chancellor,” Johnson said. “The provost position (at Forest Park) is an academic affairs position on
campus. My new position will allow me to drive the vision.” On Tuesday, Maricopa Chancellor Maria Marinick announced that Johnson had been selected as one of four new college presidents for the system after an “extensive, nationwide search.” “(The district) identified several key criteria for the presidential position,” she wrote, “including finding a leader who was a recognized innovator in higher education, dedicated to economic and workforce development in Arizona and committed to building a thriving community through student success.”
See Johnson page 2
Photo by Timothy Bold
Chancellor Jeff Pittman, third from left, joins STLCC board members, from left Libby Fitzgerald, Pam Ross, Doris Graham, Kevin Martin and Craig Larson at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Center for Nursing and Health Sciences on March 23.
College breaks ground on new health building By Timothy Bold The Scene staff The new St. Louis Community College Center for Nursing and Health Sciences got off to a wet start. Officials had to move the groundbreaking ceremony indoors because of rain on March 23. But that didn’t discourage Chancellor Jeff Pittman, who was all smiles. “I’m so excited this day finally happened,” he said. More than 50 administrators, faculty, students, staff, business leaders, alumni, politicians and STLCC board members
crowded into the lobby of the Forest Park physical education building for the ceremony. Officials wore hard hats and dug their shovels into a wooden box of dirt that was brought in for photo opportunities. “Above all else, we are here to serve our students and the St. Louis region,” said Larry Johnson, provost of the Forest Park campus, where the building will be erected. “The college is a pathway from secondary education to a four-year degree or a good-paying job. For our region’s employ-
See Building page 6