SCENE THE
Spring Issue 1
A day in the life see pages 4-5
February 24, 2017
www.thescenefp.com
New Columnist See page 7
Twitter President See page 8
St. Louis Community College at Forest Park
Black history celebration winding down
No union contract this semester
By Nana Ramsey The Scene staff
By Chris Cunningham The Scene staff
Students, faculty and staff have been celebrating Black History Month with a variety of events, including an art exhibit and film festival. Forest Park is considered the most diverse campus in the St. Louis Community College system, with a significant number of internaTaylor tional students and 44 percent (2,277 students) identified as AfricanAmerican. “It is a learning opportunity for all to learn about the contributions made Foster by blacks that are not often mentioned,” said Franklyn Taylor, vice president for student affairs. The first event was a kickoff party Jones on Feb. 2 in the cafeteria with entertainment by the Jabali Afrika Dancers and a buffet meal. That was followed by a screening of the film “Olympic Pride: American Zuo Prejudice” on Feb. 8, separate from the film festival. The Campus Life office and Student Government Association co-sponsored the festival, showing 14 films in the Highlander Lounge. It started with “The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” on Feb. 3. “With any cultural celebration, my goal is for students to have more exposure and gain more knowledge,” said Donivan Foster, 34, Campus Life manager and SGA sponsor, who chatted with students while serving popcorn.
Bargaining on an adjunct faculty contract is taking longer than expected. Union leaders had predicted that St. Louis Community College adjuncts would be voting on a contract proposal by the end of last year. But bargainers haven’t agreed on issues related to job security and haven’t started talking about Taylor pay. “We know this is the part that gets more complicated,” said Kathy Ratino, union bargaining committee member. “But this is the part that adjuncts care the most about. The easy stuff is over. The more complex stuff is what we are dealing with now.” Ratino, who teaches communications at Forest Park, said it is “hard to say” when a contract proposal will be ready for a vote. The next scheduled meeting for the union and college bargaining committees is May 24. “We are in the last couple of issues, but they are big ones,” Ratino said. STLCC adjuncts voted 188-15 in October of 2015 to unionize with Service Employees International Union Local 1. Since that time, the union and college bargaining committees have met 15 times. A contract would cover nearly 600 adjuncts on all STLCC campuses. Job-security issues range from adjuncts getting compensated for planning a class that later gets canceled to adjuncts being guaranteed the right to keep teaching the same class. “If you have been teaching a class for five years, if there is no problem with your performance, you shouldn’t see someone new teaching that class,” said Steven Taylor, a union bargaining committee member who teaches math on the Wildwood campus. B a rg a i n e r s h a v e n ’t talked about any financial issues, including adjunct pay, Taylor said.
See History page 6
Photo by Isaiah Brooks
Massooma Mikhwir, a Forest Park student from Iraq, fears that the immigration controversy will cause Americans to become even more suspicious of Muslims.
College supports students from banned countries
United States. Those already in the United States could stay put, but they couldn’t go home and re-enter or invite family and Forest Park has more international stufriends to visit. dents than any other St. Louis Community “No matter what, we will offer counselCollege campus, but only two are visa ing to any student that feels panicked or holders from the seven predominantly afraid of what could happen in the future,” Muslim countries affected by President Taylor said. “If any student ever feels this Donald Trump’s travel ban. way, I want to know. We just want to help They are from Iran and Yemen, accordthem move forward.” ing to Franklyn Taylor, vice Forest Park officials have president for student affairs. discussed the idea of creThere also are an unknown ating a campus round table number of students who related to the travel ban, are green-card holders or according to Layla Goushey, U.S. citizens from those associate English professor two countries or from Syria, see page 3 and global education coorIraq, Somalia, Libya or dinator at Forest Park. Sudan. “We’d like for them to “People are concerned,” said Keith have a place to come to not only discuss Hulsey, a professor who coordinates the their experiences, but to also get support,” English as a second language program and she said. “It would be a great way to undersponsors the International Club on camstand and to help others understand the pus. “However, because the ban was only complexities in their lives being brought up enforced a week, we haven’t had much with this ban.” conversation about it.” In the meantime, the International Club Hulsey was referring to a temporary is open to students from all over the restraining order imposed by a federal world. district judge in Washington about a week Hulsey hopes to see Forest Park conafter Trump’s executive order created the tinue as a campus that welcomes intertravel ban on Jan. 27. A federal appeals national students and celebrates cultural panel in California later upheld that court’s diversity. ruling. “It could be very bad if non-immigrant The administration is weighing its students fall victim to this new type of options. As of press time, the president was (negative) thought about immigrants,” he expected to impose another ban that may be said. “But what I’ve seen so far has been more acceptable to the courts. accepting and favorable, and that’s what The original ban prohibited people from we need to continue in our community.” the seven countries from entering the By Niki Best The Scene staff
International students speak out
See Union page 6