Fighting for the future in Olympia

CC students, from left, Pavielle Montes, Carl Ferguson and Jovonna Vaughn chant in support of higher education on the steps of the Temple of Justice building on Nov. 28 in Olympia, WA. 70 total students from SCC attended the rally which began on the steps of the state Capitol and later moved inside with protesters from various colleges and the Occupy movement crowding the upper deck of the Senate chamber, shouting at lawmakers in the House gallery and filling the main lobby to near full capacity. [...]

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SBA weighs cutting services or raising fees

Student funding for the Parent Child Center, sports scholarships and tennis team are currently on the table for elimination, along with five percent across-the-board cuts to all student funded services.

The Student Services and Activities (SS&A) fee, what the students charge themselves to pay for things like those mentioned as well as clubs and organizations (including the Ebbtide), sports coaches, and campus arts and music activities, is currently set at $7.65 per credit (per quarter, up to 10 credits). With the budget cuts occurring at the state level, though, the college is expecting to see a 15 percent drop in full time enrollment, which would in turn decrease the revenue from the SS&A fee.

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Five car prowl on campus

Five different student's cars, parked by the SCC track near the entrance to Boeing Creek Park, got broken into between 10:30 and 11: 30 a.m. on Nov. 28.

Anastasia Norins-Endres, one of the victims, said she was gone for less than an hour for class, and came back to find her car's window smashed and her laptop gone.

"I was coming back from Yoga, and I was only gone for one class," she said. "I decided to leave my laptop in my car but the thing is it was covered up. I saw the car next to mine and the same thing had happened.

"At first I was like, why the fuck would somebody do that? And then … I didn't even look in my backseat and I already knew (my laptop) was gone."

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News Briefs

All campus meeting

President Lambert and others discussed the state of the college's budget and its Virtual College and International Education initiatives at the most recent all-campus meeting on Nov. 29.

Its been a struggle figuring out how to manage the expected 13 percent budget cut that comes on the back of several other previous cuts, they said. However, they are cautiously optimistic that Governor Gregoire's proposed sales tax increase of one half cent will be enough to keep their strategic initiatives moving forward to where they can start showing returns on investment. [...]

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Incompetence:
Did we vote for that?

Congress is in a stalemate and is there anything that can be done about that?

In August, congress passed a landmark bill that was meant to set the government down a path toward deficit reduction. Part of that bill was the formation of the congressional super committee.

The idea was to bring together 12 members of congress, six from the house and six from the senate with an equal distribution of Republicans and Democrats to address our current debt issue.

The hope of congress was for bipartisan decisions that would help reduce government spending. The only problem is that our congress has been far from bipartisan in recent history.

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Vote green to save lives

What if there was something that could ease the symptoms or even cure Alzheimer's, I.B.S., A.D.H.D., Tourette's, O.C.D., multiple sclerosis, Glaucoma, migraines, seizures, cancer, and even P.M.S.? What if on top of that this miracle substance was all natural, inexpensive, and the major side effects were laughter and hunger? Sounds too good to be true, right? Marijuana, of course, is what I'm speaking of.

In a state that is home to Hemp-Fest (the world's largest gathering of all things weed) and was one of the first to legalize medical marijuana, I don't need to argue the benefits of this substance since clearly the majority of you know. But why now are the Feds going back on their word to stay out of Washington dispensaries' business as long as they follow state law?

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Sears shuttle driver driven by jazz

As you enter the shuttle van from the Sears back parking lot, the sound of Jazz on KPLU hits your ears as you find an empty seat and wait to leave for SCC. If this sounds familiar than you've ridden with Junior.

For four hours every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday he drives back and forth between Sears and campus. "Good Morning!" he says as students find their spots on board the shuttle van. "Watch your step!" he says to others exiting the van. Always accommodating and happy to make conversation along the way Junior says he's been in front of people his whole life. "It's a customer service thing, I live to talk to different people with different experiences" says Junior when asked how he likes his job.

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Signs of a great teacher and strong advocate

As you enter the shuttle van from the Sears back parking lot, the sound of Jazz on KPLU hits your ears as you find an empty seat and wait to leave for SCC. If this sounds familiar than you've ridden with Junior.

For four hours every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday he drives back and forth between Sears and campus. "Good Morning!" he says as students find their spots on board the shuttle van. "Watch your step!" he says to others exiting the van. Always accommodating and happy to make conversation along the way Junior says he's been in front of people his whole life. "It's a customer service thing, I live to talk to different people with different experiences" says Junior when asked how he likes his job.
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Food brings community and action to campus

What do Human Anatomy, Political Science, English and Drama classes all have in common? They're just a few of the classes implementing a common theme on campus: Food.

Last January, 30 faculty and staff members attended a meeting where two professors from Seattle Central Community College gave a presentation on an approach they have been implementing on their campus referred to as "One Theme, One Campus."

This model uses a theme that can be applied across all disciplines to support student learning and spread awareness of social responsibility. Neil Vasishth, an English instructor and IDS coordinator/Service Learning Coordinator invited the Seattle Central Community College professors in hope that some faculty and staff members would take interest in bringing this model to SCC. He was successful as a team of 10 faulty and staff members were willing to form a planning committee and over 30 are on a distribution list to keep update on what's going on.

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New game: dazzling

If you enjoy RPGs already, ask to get this for Christmas! If you don't, this is a good introductory video game so feel free to try it out only if you have wiggle room on the budget [...]

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