SCENE THE
May 4, 2018
Spring Issue 6
www.thescenefp.com
St. Louis Community College at Forest Park
Summer fun See page 3
Fancy feast See pages 4-5
Doubling up See page 6
College approves first adjunct contract By Joshua Phelps The Scene staff
Photo by Destini Clark
Marketing and communications specialist Brittney Aladegbami, right, shows general transfer student Kara Noland, 26, STLCC’s revamped website.
St. Louis Community College Board of Trustees voted to approve the first-ever adjunct union contract on April 26. A 3 percent pay raise will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2018. The contract will expire on June 30, 2020. Beyond pay, adjuncts will have more job security and access to a 403(b) tax-sheltered annuity. They also will see changes in the course-assignment process and handling of personnel files and student complaints. “Before, we had nothing,” said adjunct
art professor Brett Williams. “Now we have a contract.” Williams is a member of the bargaining committee of the Service Employees International Union, which represents adjuncts. Adjuncts voted 188-15 to unionize in October of 2015. The SEIU bargaining committee spent two years in negotiations with college representatives. Adjuncts voted 222-5 to approve the negotiated contract on Feb. 20-23. Williams sent an email to union members on April 27, notifying them that the STLCC Board of Trustees had approved it.
See Contract page 2
New college website adapts to mobile devices
Decade-old site called ‘definitely dated’ By Joshua Phelps The Scene staff
St. Louis Community College has launched a new website. Perhaps most importantly, it adapts to cellphones and other mobile devices. The old one displayed only the desktop version. “The current website is 10 years old,” said STLCC Marketing Manager Jennifer Reed before the launch. “It is definitely dated.” Brittney Aladegbami, Forest Park marketing and communications specialist, gave students, faculty and staff a preview of the new website on April 25 in the Student Center lobby. “The goal is for outside stakeholders, as well as the internal audience, to find what they’re looking for with fewer clicks,” she said. The new website went live on April 27. Officials said it has: • A “clean, modern” design • More photos of real students, faculty and staff • An enhanced search function • A section that helps current students
quickly find information they need on a daily basis • A section that helps faculty and staff access resources • An easier way for potential students to explore what programs the college has to offer • A quick-start option for navigation • Links for scheduling visits and applying for college admission “People really love the photos of the current students and staff,” Aladegbami said. General transfer student Kara Noland, 26, stopped by Aladegbami’s table to check out the new website. She liked how it was organized. General transfer student Tyler Wilson, 20, disliked the old website, calling it “plain” and “outdated.” “I think it’s a little lacking,” he said. “It could be more inviting.” Automotive technology major Jeremy Clark, 19, had a different view. He didn’t think the old website needed an update. “I got used to the one they already got,” he said before the launch. “I think the current website’s layout is easy to understand. (The college) should leave it alone.” Victor Paletta and Destini Clark contributed to this story.
Monopoly art
Photo by Destini Clark
Art major Kenya Mitchell created a Monopoly-inspired game, called “Kenopoly,” for a soft-sculpture project in her Design III class. It’s displayed between the elevator and staircase on the fourth floor of F Tower. See story on page 2. Images of the old homepage at STLCC.edu, left, and the new one.