The Scene Issue 4 Spring 2017

SCENE THE

Spring Issue 4

April 21, 2017

www.thescenefp.com

St. Louis Community College at Forest Park

Homework Help See page 3

Dress for success See page 4

Fitness center gives employees a lift The move is expected to help employees Education Building on campus. It’s open

By Shileha Churchill improve their health, strength and fitness to employees from 8 a.m. to 7:50 p.m.

The Scene staff and reduce stress.

Mondays through Thursdays.

Forest Park faculty and staff no longer In the fall of 2015, the college attempted Each employee is required to fill out a have to sign up for physical education to increase fitness center use by allowing registration form and liability waiver and classes to use the fitness center. go through an equipment That’s good news for orientation. After submitHazel Nettles, an enrollting all paperwork, he or ment services employee. she will receive a key “There will be more peocard that allows entry. ple using the fitness center “Our fitness center now because before you is very well equipped,” had to pay for it,” she said. instructor Jack Crider Nettles was among those said. “We have a variwho attended a “grand – Sue Martin, vice chair of physical education ety of equipment, and we opening” for faculty and can compete with most staff this month. Provost fitness centers.”

Larry Johnson cut a red students, faculty and staff to sign up for The college bought new strength and carribbon wearing his workout clothes instead physical education classes but exercise on dio equipment five years ago. In addition of a suit and later ran on a treadmill. their own schedule. to Nautilus machines, strength equipment “The fitness center opening is a trial “Everyone has always been interested includes a squat rack with barbell and plate for employees that the chancellor, Jeff in using the fitness center,” said Mark weights, stability balls and a Gravitron Pittman, wanted and so far the response Applegate, chair of physical education. machine for upper-body workouts. Cardio from the faculty has been positive,” said “Now it is just the right opportunity for equipment includes bikes, StairMaster Sue Martin, vice chair of physical educa- faculty to use it.” machines, treadmills and ellipticals. tion at Forest Park.

The fitness center is in the Physical Needles does 30 minutes on the treadmill

“The fitness center opening is a trial for employees that the chancellor, Jeff Pittman, wanted and so far the response from the faculty has been positive.”

and elliptical machine three times a week

See Fitness page 3

Photo by Serenity Ghidoni

Sue Martin, right, vice chair of physical education, shows Provost Larry Johnson how strength assessment works.

Russian student finds stability in United States

Photo by Ryan Gines

Members of The Scene staff last fall are, front row left to right, Garrieth Crockett, Chris Cunningham, Kalia White, Rylie Frohock and Rosalind Rhymes; and back row, Tim Bold, adviser Fred Ortlip, Darryl Reece, Isaiah Brooks and adviser Teri Maddox.

The Scene wins state awards

The Scene student newspaper won 25 awards at the Missouri College Media Association conference at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Mo., earlier this month.

That includes first place in the Sweepstakes category and third place in the Overall Newspaper category for Division 4.

“We had a particularly strong staff last year, and it showed,” said faculty adviser Teri Maddox.

Here are The Scene’s individual awards: News Writing – Rylie Frohock, first, and Chris Cunningham, second; Feature Writing – Chris Cunningham, first and third, and Shileha Churchill, second; Sports Writing – Timothy Bold, first and second; In-depth News – Rylie

Frohock, third and honorable mention; Investigative Reporting – Chris Cunningham, first; Regular Column – Samantha Higgins, first, and Rylie Frohock, second; Entertainment Review – Chris Cunningham, second, and Timothy Bold, third; News Photography – Isaiah Brooks, third; Feature Photography – Garrieth Crockett, first; Political/Editorial Cartoon – Jerome Clark, first; Page 1 Design – Darryl Reece, second; Photo Page – Vincent St. Vincent, DeJuan Baskin and Claudio Cobos, first, Darryl Reece, Kalia White and Isaiah Brooks, second, and Darryl Reece and Garrieth Crockett, third; Feature Page – Garrieth Crockett, Timothy Bold and Kalia White, second, and Darryl Reece, Chris Cunningham and DeJuan Baskin, third.

By Niki Best The Scene staff U.S.-Russian relations have been strained since last fall, when U.S. intelligence officials announced that Vladimir Putin’s government had hacked Democratic Party emails in an effort to help Donald Trump win the presidential election.

That put Anna Majorova, a Russian accounting student at Forest Park, in an odd position. She disliked Putin but supported Trump over Hillary Clinton. She liked the way Trump encouraged cooperation between the two countries.

“When I saw the two candidates up for election, I did prefer Donald Trump because Clinton was in government for many years, and (Trump) has never been,” Anna said. “He’s a very specific person for the job, and he’s a businessman. He may just be able to help with jobs in America.”

Anna, 37, couldn’t vote in the election because she’s not a U.S. citizen. She definitely thinks the U.S. government is better than the Russian government.

“Russian government is very socialist and not at all what I wanted for my family,” she said with a heavy accent. “Putin is not liked, and I would not want to be there.

Many people left when he moved into presidency.”

Anna and her husband, Vadim, moved from Ukraine in 2014 to escape persecution and the Russian-Ukrainian war and to create a better life for their 10-year-old son, Mark.

Photo by Garrieth Crockett

Anna Majorova left Ukraine with her husband, Vadim, in 2014 to escape war and create a better life for their 10-year-old son.

“I would never want my son to have to go into the army due to any political oppression,” Anna said. “And that is exactly what would happen if we were to stay there. That is a horrible thing.”

Anna began attending Forest Park in 2015. She has studied English as a second language with Keith Hulsey, ESL coordinator and professor.

“We love having her,” he said. “We don’t

See Russian page 3

On the scene

Scene THE

Managing editor: Chris Cunningham Layout editor: Darryl Reece Administrative assistant: Kalia White Reporters/photographers: Garrieth Crockett, Shileha Churchill, Nana Ramsey, Niki Best, Timothy Bold, Isaiah Brooks, Serenity Ghidoni, Claudio Cobos, Antonio Lloyd, Jeffrey Richman, Daphne Drohobyczer, Kayla Arnold 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. 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 necessari-

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ly 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.

April 21, 2017

News

Need help with homework?

By Jeffrey Wallace Richman The Scene staff Forest Park has plenty of resources to help students succeed in college, and a big one is the Academic Support Center.

Services include a math tutoring lab, a reading lab and a writing center.

General transfer student Dajah White, 21, goes to the the writing center four to five days a week for tutoring and help editing papers.

“I gain dedication to do my work and the ability to prioritize my priorities,” she said.

The center is located in L-24. It’s managed by Cynthia Jenkins, who came on board in 2011.

“The Academic Support Center is important because your peers are here,” she said.

“You’ll find that a lot of your fellow classmates are coming and using the resources, so this is an opportunity to study in a group learning environment.”

Jenkins promises that students who take advantage of services on a “regular basis” Photo by Claudio Cobos (two to three times a week) will improve Tutor Natalie Valero, 31, right, helps general studies student Dajah White, their grades by one letter.

“Our goal is to help them be independent 21, at the Academic Support Center. thinkers, to teach them how to be critical for social science, math 140, and Spanish help. They also can call to find out when a thinkers,” she said. “We aren’t going to tell classes. tutor who specializes in a specific field of you the answer. We are going to help you “I feel like every student you help is a study or class is on duty. understand how to get to the answer.” success,” she said. “And even if you cannot Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays One of the tutors is Natalia Valero, t h r o u g h 31, a senior Thursdays, 8 majoring in “Our goal is to help them be independent thinkers, to teach them how to be a.m. to 2 p.m. psychology at and University of critical thinkers. We aren’t going to tell you the answer. We are going to help Fridays 9 a.m. to 1 Missouri – St. you understand how to get to the answer.” p.m. Saturdays Louis. during spring “I love tutor–Manager Cynthia Jenkins and fall semesing all these stuters; and 8:30 dents,” she said.

Valero first served as an assistant student help them fully understand it, if they can a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays worker for Antonia Perez Franco’s Spanish get some kind of help and hope, they can and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays in the summer.

For more information, visit http://www. classes. Last fall, Valero started working overcome those challenges.”

Academic Support Center services are stlcc.edu/FP/Academic_Support_Center. at the Academic Support Center as a tutor free. Students need only walk in and ask for html or call 314-644-9267.

Russian

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from page 1

have as many students from Europe as we did 10 or 20 years ago, so it’s interesting to have her point of view on any topic we discuss.”

Hulsey has been impressed by Anna’s steady progress in the past two years and her willingness to participate in classes.

“She is a very diligent and hard-working student,” he said.

Anna was born in Russia when it was part of the U.S.S.R., the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Civil unrest prompted her family to move to Ukraine, one of the

Provided

Anna Majorova poses during a night out with her husband, Vadim, and son, Mark.

republics that became separate countries when the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991.

Anna had to overcome many obstacles, including learning a new language.

“The (Ukrainian) government had stated that, ‘From this day on, we will study and speak Ukrainian,’” she said. “So in school, we’d speak Ukraine, but around family and friends, we’d still speak our native language that we’d learned as children, which was Russian.”

Getting used to life in America hasn’t always been easy, either. But Anna is happier with the political situation.

“People here, even though it may not seem like it, are on their better behavior compared to my past government,” she said. “In my country, all they would do is fight. But not with words, with their hands. It almost felt like a boxing match some of the time.”

Anna has found that other aspects of American life aren’t that much different from Russia.

“For entertainment, it is basically all the same,” Anna said. “However, Russian and Ukraine government merges politics and entertainment much of the time. There are many political commercials and videos that idolize Vladimir Putin. It is almost considered a type of entertainment and is very common.

It’s seen as normal. Here, in America, you wouldn’t normally see that within politics.”

Anna’s son, Mark, likes going to a U.S. elementary school.

“It’s not as difficult here, and there isn’t as much homework as there was in Ukraine, which I love,” he said.

The Majorova family enjoys taking trips and finds traveling in the U.S. by car much easier than it was in Ukraine or Russia.

Anna’s husband, Vadim, also appreciates access to health care, products and services in the United States.

“This country is one of the most stable in the world,” he said. “In Ukraine, the

government is so corrupt. Of course, we understand that there are also many problems here, but in comparison with other countries, they aren’t even problems.”

The Majorovas have noticed that American women are treated much better than those in Russia, where most hold “secondary” positions. They’re not considered

Fitness

equal to men.

“Here in America, we love to visit with my husband’s family,” Anna said. “He has a lot of American family here that welcomed us when we moved into the country.

It was very comforting to know we have loved ones here for us whenever we need them. It’s fun spending time with them.”

from page 1

Photo by Serenity Ghidoni

Kristin Thomas, campus suprivisor for financial aid, works out on the leg press at the “grand opening” for faculty and staff, who can now use the fitness center for free. to stay healthy and keep her doctor happy.

“The fitness center makes me feel good, and it saves me money,” she said.

The fitness center’s busiest times are in the evening, but mornings also are strong,

April 21, 2017 The Scene www.thescenefp.com

according to Crider. Other physical education facilities, such as the gym and swimming pool, are open to employees. Times are limited at the pool because it requires the hiring of lifeguards.

Page 3

On the scene

Photo by Isaiah Brooks

Dress for success

Photo by Isaiah Brooks

Brooks Brothers teamed up with PEEPS (Personal Effectiveness and Ethics in Professional Settings) to stage a fashion show in the Bastian theater this month. Clockwise from left, a make-up artist gets secretary Keisha Robinson ready for modeling; faculty and staff re-enact a successful interview; and police officer James Kenner shows what not to wear to work.

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Photo by Isaiah Brooks

April 21, 2017