KALEIDOSCOPEApril 18, 2011 Vol 42 No 13The Student-Run Newspaper of Kishwaukee College, Malta, IL 60150

KC Forensics team takes the nation by stormBy Jessi HaishEditor-in-Chief

On the heels of its Pi Kappa Delta National win, the Kishwaukee College Fo-rensics team is participating in the National Forensics Association National Tour-nament. Hosted at Illinois State University from April 14-18, this is the team’s first time at the nation’s largest national Forensics tourna-ment. So far this semester, between the four team mem-bers, more than 50 awards have been brought back to Kish, before national results have come in. “Most people do dif-ferent events,” said member Jimmy Zucker. “They include informative, prose, and po-etry.” Zucker himself has placed in informative speak-ing, after dinner speaking, impromptu and persuasion this season. “A lot of luck is in-volved,” Zucker said. “Differ-ent judges expect different things.” “We only have four people; most schools have

a team of 15,” Zucker said. Although small in numbers, the team has spent much of this season not only competing against community colleges, but many four-year universi-ties as well, and Illinois is considered one of the most competitive regions for na-tional Forensics. “It’s a great opportu-nity to be competing at this level,” Zucker said. “We be-lieve we might as well pre-pare now since we plan on continuing when we all go to a university.” “We are just as pow-erful as any other team out there,” member Antonio Richmond said. This is Richmond’s last season on Kish’s team. He started speech his senior year of high school after get-ting hurt from football. His first year at Kish he decided to try the team at the colle-giate level. “My first tournament I had one event and got first place in my first college tournament and I said to myself, ‘this is what I wanna do.’” Richmond said. “The moment when I made that decision, I got completely

hooked.” At the Pi Kappa Del-ta National Tournament in Portland, Oregon in March, Richmond received Na-tional Champion for prose interpretation. Zucker, Anna Storey and Amanda Cox all received a Superior award in at least one of their re-spective categories, which is awarded to the top 10 in the nation. Getting to that point takes a lot of work. “You and a coach work on a rough draft of your speech, and keep sending it back and forth until it’s ready for the final,” Zucker said. “We memorize our speeches and perform for them.” The Forensics coaches are husband and wife Eric and Jaime Long. “Coaching alongside my husband is the only way I know how to do Foren-sics,” Jaime Long said. “We met doing speech in high school, competed together in college, and it seems that we both use our strengths to help see all sides of an event.” The Longs recently had a child, and Chase Bod-

ziak from the College of Du-Page will be coming to Kish this fall to be the new coach as well as be a speech in-structor. “I’ll certainly keep helping the new coach in the fall,” Jaime Long said. “I’ve done Forensics since I was a kid and will always keep helping students become skilled speakers.” “Forensics is just a great opportunity and the coaches do a great job,”

Zucker said. The team will be fin-ishing the season April 18 when the National Tourna-ment concludes at Illinois State University. “The best part about doing Forensics is the at-mosphere and loving what you do,” Richmond said. “It’s amazing how you can be noticed on a statewide and national level just from speaking and performing.”

The team, pictured at the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament in Portland, Oregon. Pictured from L to R: Antonio Richmond, Jimmy Zucker, Anna Storey

and Amanda Cox. Photo courtesy of Jimmy Zucker.

By Valentina AndrianopoulosStaff Writer

On March 28, the Board of Trustees approved the selec-tion of subcontractors to begin site infrastructure work. There are different sections being worked on throughout the col-lege. “Two years ago, Kish-waukee College identified a need for additional space - both buidling space and parking ca-pacity,” explained Robert Gal-ick, Vice President of Finance and Administration. “We were very pleased that the referen-dum passed by a wide margin last November.” The cafeteria is being worked on in order to upgrade the quality of the food and ca-tering and make it more ap-pealing to the students here at Kish. Amarack’s company has been selected to help revamp the cafeteria starting on July 1, 2011. The construction of the

baseball field has been suc-cessfully completed on time. The old field will be used for this season and will then be dis-mantled and replaced with the new ring road. The new field will be opened in the spring of 2012. The Early Childhood Care Center will have new playground equipment as well as construction on the center so that it will easily accommo-date the ring road. The North entrances are being worked on over the sum-mer as well. A new campus en-trance from Malta Road will be built north of the KEC building. After this is completed, the old entrance will be converted into a construction-only entrance. As for the South en-trance, it will be closed after graduation. There will be no entrance into this parking lot throughout the summer, and the entrance will be expanded into three lanes to better con-trol traffic. The parking lot itself will also be expanded. Both

of the entry gates along Malta Road will be dismantled. With all of the expan-sion taking place, some of the campus trees must be uprooted in order to make room for the construction. Trees with an or-ange ribbon will be preserved, trees with a pink ribbon will be transplanted, and trees with a green ribbon will be lost. It is important to the college that they maintain their wildlife, so the green-ribbon trees will be replanted once construction is completed. Galick warns, “I’d like to ask students to be very care-ful as they navigate through our parking lots and roadways. There will be a lot of construc-tion activity and we don’t want anybody to get hurt.” The ultimate goal is to ensure that the student’s stay here are Kishwaukee College is both enjoyable and fulfilling.

Campus Expansion shapes up

The Kaleidoscope recently had the oppor-tunity to participate in the ICCJA Spring

Journalism Conference. This conference brings together many local community col-leges in Illinois. The conference included such schools as College of Dupage, Mo-

raine Valley Community College, Lakeland Community College and Kaskaskia Col-lege. There were many informative ses-

sions to participate in, including interview-ing tips, feature writing, and beginning a

website. The journalism award ceremony took place at the end of the conference on day 2. The Kaleidoscope won two

awards, including third place in web de-sign. Copy editor Marissa Skonie received second place for her Arts & Entertainment

article “Rabbit Hole Receives Rave Re-views,” as seen in the November 8 issue

of the Kaleidoscope.

For current photos of the progress, check out www.kishkscope.com!

Kaleidoscope places at ICCJA conference

Sign up for JOU 111 for the fall semester to be a part of the award-winning student-run

newspaper! Hurry! Spots are limited.

Kaleidoscope staff and editorial policy

editorial/opinion2 Kaleidoscope april 18, 2011

Congress shall make no law respect-ing an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peacably as-semble and to petition the Gov-ernment for redress of grievances.--First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

StaffEditor-in-Chief.....Jessi HaishManaging Editor...Lexi BaisdenWeb Editor...Will IrelandCopy Editor...Marissa SkonieFeatures Editor...Audrey Latimer

Staff Writers.....Valentina Andrianop-oulos, Lindsey Clark, Levi Hensley, Grace Martin, Hannah McClure, Melissa Meyer, Jessica Pflipsen,

Adviser.....Melissa Blake

Editorial Policy

Letters to the editor may be dropped off at the Kaleidoscope office or put in the Kaleidoscope mailbox. The Kaleidoscope is published approximately eight times each semester by Kalei-doscope staff. If you wish to submit a letter to the editor, please do so, but unsigned let-ters will not be considered for submission. Anonymity can be

requested by the author and will be granted at the discretion of the editor. All letters may be ed-ited for length, clarity or libelous content. Opinions expressed on the editorial page are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the edito-rial board of the Kaleidoscope or Kishwaukee College as a whole. Stories marked (OMS) were pro-vided by the college’s Office of Marketing Communications.

The Kaleidoscope is a student operated newspaper serving the students of Kishwaukee Col-lege, Malta, Illinois. Opinions in the newspaper do not reflect the views of Kishwaukee Adminis-tration, students or faculty. The Kaleidoscope is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press.

The Haish Handbook: Great instructors do exist

By Jessi HaishEditor-In-Chief

Through my last twelve editorials you’ve seen a glimpse of Kishwaukee through my eyes. Although I’ve mentioned my issues with certain adjunct professors, I’ve also had a few that have completely changed my life. I think that the least I can to do thank them for their hard work and dedication as professors and friends is to honor them

in my column. Three great people come to mind when I start thinking about the instructors who truly helped me grow as a person. John Desjarlais, Nadine Franklin and Anthony Thomas are truly a cut above the rest. I may not have necessarily always earned the best grades, or have been a teacher’s pet, but these are people whose inspiration will continue to stick with me long after my time here at Kishwaukee. John Desjarlais: Drive. As little interest in the journalism program as there is at this school anymore, I strongly believe that John is a large driving force of this institution. His attention to detail and steady foot

in the journalism world is incredibly inspirational to a “budding” journalist such as myself. He never fails to make classes relevant and his Intro to Mass Communications course is a class I would recommend to anyone, if you’d like a glimpse inside the way the media works. Nadine Franklin: Passion. Let’s put it this way: I’m no theatre guru. I couldn’t act my way out of a bag and I couldn’t come close to understanding what it takes to put on a show in front of a large audience. But after meeting Nadine for the first time a year ago when I interviewed her about the theatre department, I was clearly

made aware of the passion she truly has for not only her art, but life, her students, and their successes. Her passion and love for what she does shines through in her classes, some days leaving me in awe, some days leaving me in tears or with a smile that can’t be erased. Anthony Thomas: Commitment. I have never met someone so committed to his job as Dr. Thomas. His enthusiasm and drive goes far beyond his philosophy forte. Whether he is starting out the day by finding out what’s new, seeing how the student-athletes are performing, or fielding a million questions after class, he is always present

and always active. He truly cares about student well-being as well as the state of the school. His enthusiasm during lectures can even include jumping up and down to get a point across. Who else would put in that much effort? Where would you be without some of the best teachers that you’ve had along the way? If your time is winding down at Kish, maybe it’s time for you to consider who has helped you as well. Take the time to show them how much you appreciate them and how much they’ve inspired you; and don’t be afraid to turn around and do the same for someone else.

By Marissa SkonieCopy Editor

As a student, when you sign up for classes, you generally take classes you would enjoy and that you think you will actually learn something from. Just like any other student, I did the same this semester. However, when I walked into one of my classes this semester and looked at the syllabus, I realized that this

class wasn’t going to go as I had planned. First off, forty-nine percent of my grade in the class was based on one group project. Yes, we were given apt time in the library to finish but what if my group had decided not to do their parts? We were each graded individually on the presentation but the worksheets included in the points for the project were graded by group. I

saw several groups with members not showing up to class at least once every week. I also was given tests in which I was only told to read the chapter and then watch a group’s presentation that was slightly related to the chapter we were reading. I felt as if this was unfair because the groups’ presentations weren’t always full of the information needed for the tests and just

reading doesn’t always aptly prepare one for a test. I can’t honestly say that I haven’t learned anything in this class but I feel that if my teacher had spent more time having class discussions and teaching more, rather than us sometimes having to rely on other students for important information, then I would be leaving this class a lot more satisfied that I had received what I paid for and with a lot more knowledge

on the subject. I would forewarn students to make sure they know what a class will entail before they sign up for it. If possible, try to find someone who has already taken the course and get their opinion on it. If you don’t think you can do it or you disagree with how the class is being taught, don’t spend your hard earned money on it.

By Lexi BaisdenManaging Editor My sister has epilep-sy. I’ll always remember the first time she ever had a seizure. Back then, she was eight. We were at my aunt’s house for my cousin’s birth-day party in the summer. My sister was acting strange. I remember glancing over to the counter and seeing her swaying on the bar stool. I

even remember watching her do a backbend – but that was nothing unusual. My sister was big time into gymnastics at the time, and did such things when-ever she could. I turned away. I knew that she would spring back up and

run off and do a cartwheel like she always did. But this time, she didn’t. All of a sudden, there was this loud thump-ing noise like someone was impatiently knocking on your front door. I turned and saw that she had fallen halfway off of her stool, and her foot was repeatedly slam-ming under the counter. It felt like electricity had just shot through me. Her weight shifted – she begun to fall.

It was only by some bless-ing that my uncle, who was standing right behind her, caught her at just the right time. At first, I thought that she was just fooling around. My sister has always been sort of a clown. But then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her entire body began to convulse. I forgot how to breathe. It was one of the scariest things I have ever seen in my life. Back then, I had never heard of epi-lepsy, let alone seizures. I was just a kid myself, and I’ll never forget how pan-icked my mother was. She kept screaming out for our family to call the police and when my sister’s lips turned blue, everyone seemed to have lost grips with reality.

I even remember that they didn’t send an ambulance right away because of all the shouting in the background; they thought that there was a fight. It wasn’t until after it was clarified that my sis-ter was having a seizure did they send the paramedics. Of course, you can imagine how furious everyone was. This was when she was a child. My sister re-cently had another seizure this past October – her first one in eleven years. We had heard from the doctor that it was possible for a person to grow out of epilepsy and after they weaned her off her medicine, we were con-vinced that it was only child-hood epilepsy. Apparently, this was not the case. My sister has had to take some

drastic changes in her life-style ever since the epilepsy returned. We are in the pro-cess of changing her medi-cine right now because this last one is giving her bad side effects. But throughout it all, she has held her head high. She has been so gra-cious; it amazes me how strong she is. Please do not mistake this; I am not writing this for pity. I am writing this as a shout out to my sister. She is one of the bravest, strongest individuals that I know. I think that we could all take a leaf from her book and learn how to take things in stride. Thank you, Brey, for showing me what a cou-rageous person looks like.

Know what your classes are before you choose them

Letter From Lexi: A sister’s bravery in the face of adversity

news Kaleidoscope 3april 18, 2011

Crunching the numbers: Students, colleges continue to see budget cuts

Student Aid Alliance voices opinion to Congress on possi-ble Pell Grant cuts.

By Grace MartinStaff Writer

On February 14, the Student Aid Alliance sent a letter to the House of Representatives detailing their position on the proposed cuts to Pell Grants that are a part of the 2011 Fiscal Budget. The letter was explicit in explaining to representatives that they should not reduce the Pell Grant award for several reasons. Many students depend of the Pell Grant award to finance their education. “Last year, with the assistance of Pell Grants, supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and other forms of state- and campus-based aid, more than 1 million American students earned their credentials and are now armed with the skills to compete and succeed in today’s economy”. The students who receive that financial assistance may not be able to complete their education, and are at risk of not being able to find a job. College degrees are in high demand in the workforce. A survey conducted by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce found that by 2018 there will be 22 million new jobs in the United States, and workers with a college degree will

be needed to fill those jobs. However, the United States will be unable to fill these positions, and will fall about 3 million short of people with adequate training and knowledge. The letter further stated that, “Without the trained workers to fill these jobs, America will risk falling behind countries like China and India, which have invested heavily in educating their workforces,” placing doubt that America could remain a world power without helping students pay for post secondary education. The new Student Aid Alliance web site provides easier access to contact representatives and let them know how the public, and specifically students feel about the proposed Pell Grant cuts. To contact your representatives, all you have to do is go to www.studentaidalliance.org and then click on contacting Congress. The debate in Congress over the budget continues on, with the funding for many government-sponsored programs on the line. Kishwaukee College continues to monitor the Pell Grant situation.

Community Colleges will be seeing less funding from the state in the coming year.

By Jessica PflipsenStaff Writer

Next year Illinois lawmakers will be cutting state funding to all community colleges. Usually the state pays for 33 percent of the cost and then tax payers make up the other 67 percent, but starting next year all of that will be cut from the state budget. The state budget has been tightening over the past few years and as a result many colleges have to increase the cost of tuition to cover what they do not get in state dollars, but that is not always enough. All schools in Illinois have been affected by limited state money recently and many of the budgets are getting smaller. The cuts were imposed as a solution to the state debt and cutting funding in some areas is to decrease the debt. $14 million has been taken from community college “student success’’ grants out of the $1.4 billion from all of Illinois budget cuts. Robert Galick, vice president of finance and administration, explained the effect on Kishwaukee College in an interview

How will the state funding cuts affect Kishwaukee College?For Fiscal Year 2012, which begins on 7-1-11, we are budgeting a 5% decrease, although we have not yet received any indication of funding from the State of Illinois.

Will many classes be cancelled?No classes will be cancelled next year due to budget cuts. We are committed to fulfilling our educational mission in spite of the State’s fiscal crisis.

How will this affect enrollment?We do not expect this to impact enrollment in any way. Does the budget cut affect grants, scholarships or student aid?The State’s funding of MAP Grants has dropped in recent years. Completing Financial Aid Applications (i.e. FAFSA) on time is more important than ever.

How will this affect teachers?Kishwaukee College must work within a budget. If any revenue source is reduced, we must still find ways to balance our budget. We do our best to minimize the impact this has on faculty and staff.

How does this cut compare to other state cuts the college has seen in the past?In Fiscal Year 2005, we budgeted $4.3 million in revenues from the State, which represented 28% of Kish’s total revenues. For next year, we are budgeting $3.4 million, which is only 16% of total revenues.

What is the most important thing students should know about the cuts?We do our best to keep costs to a minimum, but the unfortunate reality is students bear much of the

financial burden when State funding drops. This is true at every State funded college and university in Illinois.

Will students see a tuition increase? If so, how much of an increase?Next year, tuition will increase by $9 per credit hour.

Anything else you can add?College administration and the Board of Trustees do everything we can to keep our tuition as low as possible. Our tuition is very competitive with other community colleges and is significantly lower than any 4-year institution. Nonetheless, tuition increases are always considered a last resort. Before we even discuss increasing tuition, we identify ways that we can reduce our costs while still providing a quality education.

In Celebration of Asian-American Heritage Month

DID YOU

KNOW...??

1,064 students were denied financial aid through MAP at

Kishwaukee College this year?

March for MAP with Student Advocates for Success and let the legislators know community college

students need financial aid!

Date: April 20Time: 9 a.m. & 1 p.m.Room: Gymnasium

Kish Klose-up:

What’s happening on campus

People of all ages enjoyed making origami in the main atrium April 11 as part of Asian-American Heritage month.

Photo by Lexi Baisden

features april 18, 2011

Going Green in College was never so easy!

By Audrey LatimerFeatures Editor I think it kind of goes without saying that we live on a pretty amazing planet. We have oceans filled with coral reefs and millions of fish and other aquatic life. We have colossal mountain ranges reaching miles into the sky. There are thousands and thousands of different plant and animal species that, like us, call this place home. And yet it seems that every year Earth Day comes and goes without much thought from the general public. Seems kind of strange, doesn’t it? Humans have been polluting and slowly killing the Earth and its inhabitants for years now without even blinking an eye. The least we, yes WE, could be doing is appreciating and maybe even beautifying the planet for one day out of the year. And yet we drive our gas-guzzling cars everywhere,

throw trash out the car windows, and let the water run for ten minutes every morning and see absolutely nothing wrong with it. Our actions have consequences on the Earth whether we realize, or even care, that they do. Recent catastrophes like oil spills and scares like Global Warming are proof that humans are an insanely powerful and destructive force. They are also proof that the Earth just can’t survive in this age of unnecessary contamination, waste, and indifference about the environment. People tend to forget that if the Earth ceases to exist the way we know it, then so will we. There has been a recent movement that has everyone from toilet paper companies to shoe stores to automobiles to restaurant chains “Going Green.” Is it just a fad? Or is this a sincere effort in the right direction? “Going Green” doesnot mean that you have to move into a tree house, live off the earth, and only shower when it happens to rain. There are small things that

every single person can do that may help change the hopeless direction the environment is heading in. Try some of these ideas on Friday, April 22. Hey, if you can do it for one day you can do it for all the rest! -Invest in a recycling bin and place paper, plastic, glass, or aluminum products that would otherwise go straight to the trash inside it. Then, find out the location of your nearest recycling center and drop off its contents once a week. -Instead of carrying a different plastic bottle around every day invest in a reusable water bottle. There a heavy-duty plastic and stainless steel bottles that will help you cut down on the amounts of plastic used. Not to mention help save you some money. -Another easy way to save energy is to simply turn off the lights during the day and use natural light from the sun. At night, unplug any electronics that you plugged in during the day. It’s doubtful you’re going to be using your hair dryer at three in the morning. -Choose to walk or ride your

bike when you need to go a short distance. If you must use your car, consider carpooling with someone else that is going to the same place. Check out www.onlinecollegereview.com for 101 ways to Go Green in College. - Here at Kish there are opportunities for you to save the environment as well. The Equality Club is holding a fund raiser on April 20 by making old T-shirts into reusable bags. This is a fun and stylish way to help make a difference. They are looking for colorful shirts with retro pictures that you no longer wear. The box to drop off your old shirt is in the Student Activities Office (B100) will be there until April 19. Sales for the bags are in the atrium from 9am-2pm. Happy Earth Day!!

By Lexi Baisden Managing Editor

Debbie McCoy’s son, Jared, is eleven years old and living with cystic fibrosis. You may have seen her when you went to order something from the Kougar Cafe; she has been working with CMCO, inside of the Kishwaukee Cafeteria for five years. She had actually learned just last year that her son qualified for Make-A-Wish. She wasn’t positive but now she knows for sure that the case is terminal. “Cystic Fibrosis is a lung disease and it also affects the pancreas,” McCoy explains. “Their mucus in their lungs is ten times harder to break up than ours. So he has nebulizer treatments, pills and a vest therapy that he does twice a day; an hour in the morning and forty-five minutes at night.” Jared’s wish was to see the World of Harry Potter which is in Universal Studios, in the Island of Adventure. McCoy, her two sons,

and her fiancé were able to enjoy themselves in Florida for six days. “It was great, one of the greatest trips that I have ever been on, and the first vacation actually,” McCoy said with a smile. “There was a lot do and not a lot of downtime, but no complaints – the kids had a lot of fun and that’s all that mattered.” Make-A-Wish mapped out their days for them. On Monday the family went to Universal Studios, Tuesday was Disney World, Wednesday was Island of Adventure and Thursday was Sea World. On the day they went to the Island of Adventure they got to visit the magical land of Harry Potter, and Jared was in for an extraordinary surprise. “We got to go to the wand shop (Ollivander’s) and they played him as Harry Potter and he got a wand. So it was pretty cool because they made him feel really special,” McCoy said. Just like in the first book and film, “the wand chooses the wizard.” The wand keeper will pick someone from the crowd and test a variety of wands until the right one is found. After they experience the attraction, they can buy souvenir wands. “It was very crowded when we went there ( to Harry Potter World). The simulator ride was awesome and we actually got him to ride that, but he didn’t want to ride the dragon (roller coaster). But there was so many people. I mean you’re talking about standing in line for the wand shop, you’re talking about just going

to get the chocolate frogs… But that’s what’s so nice about Make-A-Wish. You only have so many days, but they give you passes and they get you right to the front of the lines). Which actually for Harry Potter, we had a tour, so she took us around the castle and everything and she got us into the wand shop, and they had it already planned it out.” McCoy had also met other people who were there for their Make-A-Wish. One person that stood out in her mind was a three year old girl who need a heart transplant. “I kind of looked at this as ‘yeah, he has cystic fibrosis and it’s a terminally ill disease, but there are other kids out there who are probably worse off.’” When they went to Sea World, McCoy and her family walked through the tunnel with the sharks. Jared was able to feed the sharks too. McCoy said that “they have like a little tank off to the side that was barricaded off, and it was like five bucks to feed them.” They also were able to see the seal show and the otter show. “We did see Shamu but we didn’t stay out there for real long because we were right in the sun, and it was 90 degrees the day we went to Sea World,” McCoy explained. “We tried to get Jared to go on the Manta (roller coaster) but he freaked out. It’s so big there is so much to do there.” Make-A-Wish covered everything for McCoy and her family. They paid for the hotel, the airplane, the tickets for the parks, and they

gave 1600 dollars to spend for food, gas, and souvenirs. “It was a great experience,” she said. “The family that met us in Florida was a man and his son, and he was a Pediatric Pulmonary Specialist and he deals with cystic fibrosis, so if that wasn’t a sign – you know what I mean? That was their first time meeting a family and they helped us with everything. They met us at the airport, they got our bags with us, they showed us where the cars were… They had it all figured out by the time we got there. They got us on our way. It was great experience for anyone who gets to do it.” McCoy and her family will go back to the hospital on April 20th to find out how Jared is doing. Last time his pulmonary function test was low (a test to see how his lungs are functioning) and his weight was a little down. The last hospital stay was last year in October and McCoy says that alone is a good start. McCoy also wants to make clear that despite Jared’s disease, he is just like every other child. “He does everything that a normal kid does. He just can’t be around smoke and you gotta watch salt because when they sweat they lose a lot more salt. Then you have to replenishes the salt in their food or drinks. Gatorade is like really good for him in the summertime. Other than that Jared has a pretty normal lifestyle.”

Make a Wish Foundation Helps Kish Staff Member’s Family

Signs of Spring around Campus

Debbie McCoy

How are you helping

the Earth this year? Give us your ideas on

Facebook at www.facebook.com/

kishkscope

features4 Kaleidoscope april 18, 2011

featuresapril 18, 2011

I am the Lorax…By Dr. ThomasKC Instructor

Have you noticed all the trees coming down around campus lately? In many ways, it’s a sad sight—but there’s a reason for it. Surprisingly, many of my students are unaware of the reason—and it has to do in part with last November’s referendum. When voters in Kishwaukee’s district approved—by an almost 2-to-1 margin—a plan to raise $52.6 million for the College, a series of

promising changes was set into motion. For one thing, a new Student Services building will be constructed just east of the current cafeteria and lounge, and new classroom space will be created in the places vacated by the Bookstore, the cafeteria, and other offices currently in the AB wing. Additionally, a new “ring road” will be constructed that circles the campus. This should provide better traffic flow throughout the campus, and once the parking lots are repaved, redrawn, and revamped, getting around this place should become much easier—and more scenic.

Unfortunately, this means that a number of trees have to come down. Over 340 trees will be cut down in order to make room for the developments that, in my opinion, are quite promising for our College. But I cannot deny that I am sad to see the trees go. Believe it or not, my wife and I come back to Kishwaukee many afternoons and evenings to walk. We don’t have a decent park in our area, and quite frankly, I really like what the Horticulture program does with the flowers and gardens on our campus. You and I know that Kish cannot compare with many liberal arts colleges and

universities in terms of the range of our programs or the specializations that we offer, but I have seen dozens of college campuses in my day, and I have to say that when our flower gardens are in full bloom, we can compete with anybody. So today, I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues. And I ask all of you—whether or not you will be here two years from now when all of this is finished—to expect the College to plant enough trees to replace those taken down for all of this “progress.” We’ve been promised that this will occur, but I’m going to make sure

that this is a promise kept. And I don’t want to see any twigs and seedlings—I’d like to see the College invest in mature trees so that we can quickly return this campus to its position as a relative oasis amidst a wasteland of bland corn and soybeans. Join me in this effort to keep Kishwaukee a place of which we can be proud. For as Dr. Seuss wrote, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

Tech KornerWill IrelandWeb Editor

The iPad 2 was announced March 11. I had the opportunity to get a hold of this new “post PC device.” The new iPad

has a few substantial improvements over the original iPad. One of which are the cameras. The iPad 2 has two cameras built in. One is on the front, and one is on the back. The front-facing camera is mainly for making “FaceTime” calls. Facetime is an app that allows anyone with an iOS device or Mac with a camera (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad 2 and Mac) to video chat with each other.

The rear-facing camera can record HD video at 720p resolution. Unfortunately, neither of the cameras is very good. The rear-camera takes still photos at a mere 0.92 megapixels. To put that into perspective, most of today’s digital cameras are about 9-12 megapixels. Another new feature is the thinness. The new iPad measures 0.34 inches thin compared with 0.52 inches on the first iPad. The back of the iPad 2 is much

more rounded, this, along with the thinner profile, makes it much easier to hold and grip. A useful improvement is the weight of the new iPad. It weighs in at 1.33 pounds. This doesn’t seem like a huge difference from the original iPad at 1.5 pounds, but it really makes a difference. I found that I am able to hold and use the iPad 2 for a longer period of time than with the original iPad. A question you might be

asking is “should I get one?” I think it depends on what you want. If you have never owned an iPad, you should visit an Apple Store and experience it first hand. On the other hand, if you already have an iPad 1, it probably isn’t worth the high upgrade price. For more info about the iPad, go to www.apple.com/ipad.

Be sure to send your tech questions to kscope@kishwaukeecollege.edu.

Scott checks in from IrelandCrazy times in Ireland. And Scotland. By Scott ConroIreland Correspondent

As I have mentioned before in this column, it is relatively cheap to travel to other countries when you’re already in Europe. My plane ticket in February from Paris to Barcelona was less than my bus ticket Carlow to Dubin. Thank the Lord for Ryanair flights. Cheap flights mean weekends away from

Ireland. My friend Shelby and I flew to Glasgow at the end of March to check out Scotland. We arrived in Glasgow where we soon began roaming the city in Burger King crowns we took from the Enoch shopping center. We went to Edinburgh the next day (free, I might add, after meeting a guy at the hostel we were staying at and he and his mom gave us a ride to their hometown), wandering through the World of Illusions, checking out Scotch Whiskey (preserved for decades and sold at a price not suitable for college

students), and climbed to the top of Arthur’s Seat, a volcano now inactive for 3,000 years. Edinburgh is the city to visit in Scotland. There are parts of the city renowned for being haunted; Canton Hill hosts Edinburgh’s Disgrace (and incomplete replica of the Pantheon); multiple museums to tour free of charge; and there are various day tours that start in the city. My favorite part was the man playing bagpipes (near the tourist center, of course. The three-day trip we planned went as according

to plan. Well, until the last day. Shelby and I slept in Glasgow Airport until our flight, which we later found out was at Glasgow-Prestwick. Damn it travel fatigue. Bad timing. We laughed it off, booking a flight for two days later (then laughed some more at the now real prospect of being “homeless” for two days.) We spent 34 hours in the airport—the wrong airport—loitering and sleeping, buying drinks from the restaurant, and receiving weird looks from employees who began to recognize us.

Thankfully we got a booth to sleep in for our third and finally night in an airport (yes, the correct airport). I got home and had the best shower of my life. Go to http://blog.kishkscope.com/ for the [almost] full story about the adventure in Scotland! Also look for my story about golfing (kind of) in Ireland and how bikes may fail you.

Shelby and Scott at the top of Arthur’s Seat, an inactive volcano in Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh Castle, ScotlandPrinces Street from the top of Can-ton Hill in Edinburgh, Scotland

features Kaleidoscope 5april 18, 2011

arts & entertainment6 Kaleidoscope april 18, 2011

NIU holds first annual Environmental Film Festival

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NIU’s Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability and Energy is holding its first environmental film festival. The event will be held at the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb on Tuesday, April 19 and Wednesday, April 20. The theme of the festival is “Is Change a Dirty Word?” and four environmental films will be shown. On Tuesday: “Burning the Future: Coal in America,” a four-time award winning documentary on

the effects of coal mining in West Virginia showing at 6:30 and “The Green House. Design it! Build it! Live it!” a documentary about the construction of the first carbon-neutral house on the East Coast showing at 8:45. On Wednesday: “Living Downstream,” a documentary based on the acclaimed book by ecologist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D. showing at 6:30, “Dirt! The Movie,” a three-time award winner about the importance of soil at 8:15 and a panel discussion themed “Moving

Forward” at 9:45 about how to make a positive difference on local environments. Admission to all four films and the discussion panel is free and open to the public. Anyone who attends three of the four films will also be entered in a prize drawing. For more information on the film festival, contact the ESE at (815) 753-6563 or ENVS@niu.edu, or the Egyptian Theatre at (815) 758-1215.

By Melissa MeyerStaff Writer

Show some support for your local bands!By Valentina AndrianopoulosStaff Writer

Despite what many students may think, there are plenty of opportunities to experience new and entertaining artists all around the area. There are many new faces appearing in the city of DeKalb, Rochelle, Rockford, and surrounding towns. Here are some bands that you may be interested in that are expanding right here in our local region: Machine Gun Moses: Located

in DeKalb, Il, their genre is Rock, Jam, Blues, Funk, Reggae. The members consist of Geoff Nelson - guitar and vocals, Daniel Lynn - bass, and Tyler Spratt - drums. “We play music that everyone can get down and dance to. Our shows feature rhythmic guitar, strong vocals, funky bass, and upbeat drums.” Machine Gun Moses was primarily spawned as the brainchild of singer and songwriter Geoff Nelson, who until the formation of this band had been part of several others since he graduated High School in 2000. It wasn’t until the three members of Machine Gun Moses met up did Geoff not only find a platform for many of his already written songs, but also a group with whom he could write new material. While Geoff writes the lyrics and guitar parts, Daniel and Tyler write their own accompaniment. It

was clear from the first time that all three members played together that a special bond had already formed and that there was a great opportunity for them share their music. Exotic Zebra Rider: Located in DeKalb Il, their genre is rock and alternative. The members consist of Patrick Sheridan-guitar and vocals, Mike Tunis-bass and vocals, and Mikey Stub-Drums and backup vocals. Sheridan explains, “For me, my inspiration is to be able to show things and say things where just words simply fail.” Exotic Zebra Rider was formed only six months ago. It was a random assortment of members that started it off into something more. The band had always wanted to play music together and so decided to give it a try. Their songs are many that were they wrote in some former bands that never got played or just never got used. They are currently recording their first CD called “Heartbreak, Deception, and Comic Books.” The release date is still unknown.

Some other local bands include: Isle of Vinyl, Another Hero Dies, A Journey to Fall, and many more. For more information log onto their facebook pages! There are plenty of local bands with potential that need your support!

campus life 7 Kaleidoscopeapril 18, 2011

By Lindsey ClarkStaff Writer

The polls are open and a new year is looming ahead. The Student Government Association held their annual election for voting officers into the organization April 13 and 14, in preparation for the 2011-2012 school year. Current trustee Wawo Lambogo is now running for his third year in office, setting his sights on being elected secretary in the office, which involves recording what occurs and writing out the minutes in each weekly meeting. “The purpose of studentgovernment is to provide programs and education to students,” said SGA adviser Allison Von Ende. In addition, the organization focuses on attending to the concerns and needs of the students by making sure there are programs and services provided for students of Kishwaukee College, supporting clubs, organizations and other offices in reaching their goals each year.Positions in the student government include the non-voting members, senators, secretary, treasurer, vice president and president. As the trustee, Lambogo acts as the mediator between the students and the organization, “It is important to me to be a part of this so I can inform students about the events going on,” Lambogo went on, including events such as the infamous Pizza Day, held in the cafeteria. The SGA also participated in the All-Club Bake Sale held the week of April 4, in order for all the clubs of Kishwaukee College to benefit from the proceeds. Old favorites like puppy chow and scotcharoos were all up for grabs within the sale during

the week. The SGA is the endorsed student representative group here at Kishwaukee. Meetings are Mondays at 2:30 in conference room B101 and are open to all who are interested in learning more about acting as the liaisons between the faculty and the students, where members discuss the types of events that could happen on campus and the volunteer and community events they

want to be involved in. “I’ve always wanted to be involved, so this is my chance to give back to both the school and its students,” said Lambogo.“The program is very student-driven and varies each year. If you see something you’d like to change in the school, you can go to the student government and we can try to help you,” said Von Ende.Anyone interested in joining the SGA can get in touch with the SGA office at 815.825. 2986, extension 2140. “We see ourselves as the voice of the student body,” said Von Ende, “and the more we have, the better.”

New year for student government

Wawo Lambogo running his third year in office

By Levi HensleyStaff Writer

The CAD (computer-aided design) program at kish-waukee is among the best in the nation. Mark Sch-wendau, the instructor for the CAD program, designed and maintains the top rated CAD program website in the

world. He was the first facul-ty member here to have their own web page. Schwendau said ,”the long answer short is the program website I made some 13 years ago is the oldest and has the best content.”

“If you don’t have something important to say or offer the world, you can have the pret-

tiest designed website in the world and nobody is going to care. They come for informa-tion”, says Schwendau. That much is true. He teaches his web students the “number one” principle of web design: Content is King.

CAD is used for many fields including Architecture, Engi-neering, etc. There is a high

demand for CAD designers and many get jobs before they even graduate. CAD at Kishwaukee uses the inter-net to view and make CAD designs. “We were the first college in the Midwest to make use of Autodesk’s DWF files (drawing web for-mat which shows 2D mod-els and the first to make use of open source VRML files

(virtual reality modeling lan-guage which uses 3D mod-els) for viewing CAD draw-ings real time on the web.” This technology can be very helpful to the CAD commu-nity. Someday, it will be the building block for all blue-prints and designs.

By Melissa MeyerStaff Writer

Kevin Wilkins is your average freshman at Kishwaukee, but outside the classrooms, he’s an amateur storm chaser. He is a meteorology major from Peoria pursuing a Master’s Degree and someday hopes to chase storms professionally. In the meantime, his knowledge and love of weather allow him to make his own weather predictions. From there, he follows a storm and reports activity to emergency authorities, who report the information to the National Weather service who then put out emergency weather bulletins, which potentially saves lives. I sat down with Wilkins for an interview.

How long have you been chasing storms?

“I’ve been chasing storms for about five years now, since 2005 or 2006, taking a weather radio and a map of Illinois driving. I’m upgrading to getting Doppler Radar on my phone. I usually see a tornado at least once or twice a year.”

How far do you travel?

“As far as you can. A few friends who are also meteorology majors are planning on going to Missouri, Indiana, Iowa and Kansas over the summer. I’ve been over

Illinois, Iowa and Indiana.”

What equipment do you use?

“An anemometer, temperature and dew point readings and I’ll record data on paper and hopefully this summer a website to publish

everything on. I’m calling it Project Meso, which comes from meso-cyclone, which is a rotating wall cloud that usually spawns a tornado.”

How accurate do you usually get?

“Usually within a 5-10 mile radius.”

Have you had any close calls?

“This one time in May 2008 [there was] a tornado in Springfield. A funnel cloud actually went over my car. That was pretty intense. The coolest thing was looking up into the vortex and actually seeing everything spinning up there.”

What is the coolest thing you’ve seen?

“Last summer, I saw funnel rotations and took data on a tornado on the ground in Peoria, my hometown. It was on the ground for an hour [or] hour and a half. It was a classic, text book super cell that was part of a long line of storms during

June 5th and 6th.”

Kevin’s storm updates are on Twitter at: stormchsr_kwilk.

“It’s fun and quite the adrenaline rush, but it’s not

something everybody should be doing.”

During a storm, seek shelter immediately and exercise caution. Storms can be dangerous. Kishwaukee College does not advocate dangerous activity.

CAD - Modeling the World

Chasing Storms with Kevin Wilkins

photos provided

KOUGAR KORNERapril 18, 20118 Kaleidoscope sports

By Grace Martin Staff Writer

“In personal development, as well as athletic development, the student athlete must take responsibility for their critical role in improvement. They must understand and respect the relationships and commitment that is necessary for team success.” This is the just the beginning of the student athlete code of conduct here at Kishwaukee College. For students who go above and beyond this code of conduct there is a Student Athlete award given once a month. In March, this award was given to Elora “Opy” Oprins. Oprins is a returning sophomore to Kishwaukee, who plays both Catcher and 3rd Base for the Kougars, as well as batting in the third spot. Last fall, Oprins had surgery on her right shoulder for a torn labrum, and was unable to play or practice at all during the fall season. This winter proved much more productive, as Oprins was able to start practicing slowly, and managed to throw her first ball on January 1st. “She has shown tremendous leadership in her work ethic, recovering from surgery, willingness to assist teammates with her natural abilities and also vocally supportive,” praises Head Coach Bill Becker. Oprins has been playing ball since she was 5 years old. “My dad was the one that really got me playing softball,” Oprins said, “I used to watch him play

and I wanted to be just like him”. For this year’s team, Oprins has high hopes. “My favorite thing about this team is that we all have a bunch of great personalities and we all love the game of softball. I truly believe that we have the talent that can really take us far this year. We just have to believe.” Oprins herself truly loves the game of softball, “Softball is truly my life and I do not know what I would do without it”. “I have enjoyed watching “Opy” grow as a player, student and person. She has worked through her surgery with optimism and determination. She is a great ambassador for our department, and I wish her the very best this season and her career,” said Athletic Director Karen Wiley. Not only is Elora Oprins a great softball player, but she is an excellent student as well, earning Dean’s List honors. Oprins works in the Learning Skills Center, and holds another off-campus job. Oprins will graduate this spring from Kishwaukee College with an Associates of Science. She plans to earn a degree in Physical Education, and continue to play softball. “I don’t know exactly where I am going yet but there are some schools in mind.” This uncertainty is bound to be putting some four year schools on edge, as she has been receiving considerable interest from several institutions according the press release.

Oprins receives Student Athlete Award

By Lexi BaisdenManaging Editor

E.C. Hill is an as-sistant women’s basketball coach at NIU. She is a NIU graduate who played pro-fessional basketball in Eu-rope where she was given the opportunity to play in five different countries: Greece, Iceland, Italy, Spain and France. “My favorite place to go to was Athens in Greece,” Hill said. “The people there were so nice. They have so many stories about the Greek gods and it was really intriguing to me. It’s a really beautiful place.” Hill’s journey began when she started playing basketball at NIU. She had no idea that she would ever get the opportunity to travel to Europe – her whole fo-cus at college was to get a degree. But at NIU she got

an agent and he sent a film out to the coaches in other countries. “I am very blessed to have been able to go to Ice-land, France, Spain Greece and Italy,” Hill continues, “Greece was the first place I was called to play at.” Hill was sent there with another American, one that she had never met. The benefit for the country get-ting two American players is that America is sending their best players. Europe is expecting very good games, so they sell tickets and get money for it. But Hill said that the whole time it was like be-ing under a microscope. “If I didn’t play well then I had to watch out. It’s a business. Sometimes you see another American come in and replace you (or an-other person) and you don’t even know it until they ar-rive.”

When asked how it was like to be an African American in Europe, Hill said that it seemed a lot more laid back. “In Europe you are stereotyped as an American. They don’t care what color you are; they just see you as someone from America. When you first arrive they have this idea in their heads that you are going to be rude and lazy – you have to show them that you’re not.” Each of the countries are very different. Hill said that in Iceland it was hard to get used to it being dark all the time (the country does not get sunlight until 1:00 AM), and to waste time she would work out or volunteer at elementary schools. In It-aly there was so much fash-ion; Hill was surprised to see that people would dress up just go to the grocery store! She also loved the food in It-

aly and said that she can never eat at Olive Garden again because “that is not real Ital-ian food.” How-ever, she said that her least favorite country was probably France. “ T h e people there were surprisingly rude,” she said. “They re-ally don’t like us Americans. I’m not saying that I have a problem with the country or anything like that. It just wasn’t my best experience.” Hill played for five years, year round, and was never in a country for more than one season. She would recommend anyone to go over now if they can. How-ever, Hill explained that it is much more difficult to play

in Europe now because ev-eryone wants to do it and so many people are being sent over. “Just do it. You have no book, no script. If you stay in your room then you will not appreciate the coun-try. You have to go willing to learn and then they’ll help you. But if you go like ‘I’m an American and I’m awesome’ then you’ll be alone.”

NIU basketball coach reflects on playing with the pros

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