News Writing: First, Rachel Madearis and Antoinette Bradley, “Struggle to diversify workforce continues at MCC.” Second, Rachel Madearis, MCC budget workshop considers tuition increase, cost cuts.” Third, Daniel Spaulding, ”Chancellor to retire.”

Sportswriting: Second, Josh O’Hora,  “XC runs with the sun.”  Regular Column: First, Callie V. Hanson, “Good times.” Sports Column: First, Josh O’Hora, ”Chiefs keep on rolling.” HM, Dani Post, ”MW women’s soccer is a bonding experience.”  Entertainment Review: Second, Louis Kemner, “‘Paranormal 2′ out-frightens its predecessors.”

News Photography: First,Louis Kemner, “‘Students protest puppy mills.”  Feature Photography: HM, Marcus Sunde, “Polar Bear Plunge raises funds for Special Olympics.”  Sports photography: Third, Marcus Sunde, “LV Lakers vs MW Monarchs.” Page One Design: Third, The Current, May 2010. Editorial Page: Third, The Current. Photo Page: HM,  The Current, “Cold.”

The diversity data released by MCC this fall parallels the accusations made last spring by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

The report, compiled as part of regulatory compliance and internal consideration, discloses the racial and gender makeup of the college’s employees.

According to the report, only 152 of 999 employees at Metropolitan Community College (MCC) are African-American. Eleven are American-Indian, 17 are Asian, and 32 employees are Hispanic. Racial minorities, as a whole, total 212, only 20 percent of MCC’s employee base.

The national composition for racial minorities is 34 percent. MCC’s composite is 27 percent. At Longview, 23 of 212 employees are minorities, about 10 percent.

A few key positions in the district are staffed by African Americans—a seat on the board of trustees, a president’s position at Penn Valley, and a president’s position at Blue River—but the major administrative positions at MCC are largely held by Caucasian employees. Out of 63 officers and administrators, only seven are minorities. Longview has no minority officers or administrators.
Faculty representation at MCC is also sparse. Out of 294 instructors, only 46 belong to racial minorities. At Longview, only eight out of 86 instructors are members of minorities, about 10 percent.

During spring 2010, the diversity data from a similar report provoked criticism from and spawned an equal employment opportunity complaint by the NAACP.

“For you it is okay for blacks to work in the system, but not lead the system,” said Clinton Adams, Jr. of the Kansas City Urban Summit, a group of city leaders whose mission is “to enhance the business community, economic growth and quality of life in the Urban Core.”

When then-Vice Chancellor Mark James was promoted to chancellor, the NAACP suspected that some African-American candidates for the position had been overlooked. An out-of-town African-American woman applied for the chancellor position and had superb qualifications and a doctorate degree, according to Adams, while a white male with only a master’s degree was hired for the position.

Adams also said that two experienced African-American males applied for positions in MCC’s Public Safety Department, but were not interviewed, and later received letters that the position was filled.

The NAACP requested the district’s diversity data, according to Julia Hill, local NAACP board member.

“After we saw the material, we had to file a complaint,” Hill said. “We found that the minorities were in the lower level jobs.”

The “MCC Diversity Summary” is compiled and presented every semester, and while the numbers do present concern, even after the heat of the initial complaint, district representatives are hopeful. Then-Chancellor Jackie Snyder said that she and the administration and board are committed to a diverse institution, a sentiment echoed by African-American board member Richard Tolbert.

Longview President Fred Grogan agreed. “MCC is committed to reflecting diversity in the student body, staff, faculty, and administrators,”Grogan said last spring. “The process has been slow to everyone else, but it has been progress.”

MCC has a Committee for Inclusion and Diversity, which trains new employees, looks at recruitment plans, and supports diversity organizations in the community. The district’s equal employment opportunity office participates in the hiring process.

Update, 12 Jan. 2010
Between the time this story was published in print and online, Penn Valley President Bernard Franklin resigned. He was replaced by Blue River President Joseph Seabrooks. The resignation reduces the number of African-American officers in the district by one.

Carol Gatlin contributed to this story.

Clubs and organizations are essential to college life and can enhance your leadership skills. While some students choose to join the club’s and organizations that have already established a name for themselves, some students choose to form a club that is geared towards spreading unity and fairness.

Cultures Incorporated is just such a club. Susan Long is the president. Rej’lyn Mack is vice president, and Cynthia Gonzalez is the club’s secretary. The club’s advisor is and Longview counselor Wendy Firven-Smith.

The club’s mission statement declares: “A student-based organizations focuses on the cultural, social, and academic needs of students. Open to all students regardless of race, creed, color, religious affiliation or sexual orientation. Cultures Incorporated is a new up and coming club that provides a forum for open discussions to build better understanding of cultural experiences. Our hope is to encourage our members and students to challenge the norm.”

Long said that it’s necessary to have a club of this significance.

“Collectively we felt that a club that included diversity needed to exist on campus. This idea sparked after a leadership event sponsored by Campus Life and Leadership, featuring a presentation about diversity. So after that presentation, we said, why not.”

Even though an organization for African Americans doesn’t exist on campus, the members wanted to organize a club that doesn’t exclude anyone from joining. Mack said that the club is an excellent addition on campus because other people from other cultures can express their concerns about the discrimination they had experienced in the past. Even though African Americans have dealt with a lot of discrimination and mistreatment, too, it’s better to go global to share the experiences. Mack, who is a graduate of Park University, said that attending Park helped her better understand what other cultures go through on a day-to-day basis.

“Discrimination is not based in one culture, but in all cultures,” she said.

Long’s time at MCC-Longview is coming to an end, so she wanted to create a foundation for the club that the next students who join can carry on, “so that it’s relevant to the student population,” said Long.

Longview’s dinner theater, Backstage at Bobette’s, staged “A Flea in her Ear” in October (Antoinette Bradley/The Current).

View photos.

Antoinette Bradley/The Current

by Antoinette Bradley

Afro-Caribbean Salsa Night on September 29 was part of MCC-Longview’s Discover the World: International
Arts Series. The Miguel “El Mambo” Orchestra performed and offered salsa dance lessons
in between sets.

View photos.

The Third Annual Literary Festival was held at MCC-Longview in the Mel Aytes Education Center in November. The festival was full of workshops, roundtable discussions, open mic and of course, networking. It provides a foundation for people to start the process of showcasing their creative side through writing and illustrating.

Longview English instructor Susan Satterfield coördinated the event. The idea originated after attending a similar festival on the plaza a couple of years ago, she said, and after the Plaza wasn’t hosting the event any longer, Satterfield saw a need for a literary festival on campus.

The Literary Festival is good not only for the students, but is significant for teachers to see what students are interested in. 

Writers appearing at the Festival included Ann Ingalls, the author of “The Little Piano Girl.” Ingalls said that the festival is excellent because people attending can learn the value of critique groups, the publishing process, how to write a query letter, which is a letter introducing your work, and the importance of writing one. Besides writing novels, Ingalls also writes for the Kansas City Star and writes poetry for children.

Barbara Stuber, whose début novel is “Crossing The Tracks,” got involved in the Literary Festival because Satterfield saw her photo in the Kansas City Star. She also devotes her time at the Nelson Atkins Museum giving tours and writes for the Cricket Magazine, which is a children’s magazine. When Stuber writes she doesn’t write for any particular age group, she said.  “If the story is really good, it should resonate to all people,” said Stuber.

Laura Manivong is another author who made her first appearance at the Literary Festival. She is the author of “Escaping The Tiger,” which is about her husband’s family escaping from Laos. Manivong  says her inspiration for writing is the “stuff that I feel needs sharing, thoughts in my head and in my heart.” She also said that she has gotten great feedback on her novel, and the readers say “I appreciate America so much more after reading the book. Manivong also works at Fox 4 in the Creative Service Department as Senior-Writer.

The Literary Festival is growing every year and been getting great support from the campus and the community. With the diverse group of writers that attend and the activities, anticipation for next year’s event is higher than ever before.

Satterfield attributed the success of the festival to major support from MCC-Longview President Fred Grogan. She also collaborated with creative writing instructor Terri Lowry, Director of Teaching and Learning Support Linda Nelson, Humanities Division Chair Diana Grahn, English instructor Jan Rog, and Jill Ladas and Mike Ekey of the marketing team.

If you travel alone to the gas station, are in parking lots by yourself, or otherwise travel alone, you probably think it’s no big deal. According to Cosmopolitan magazine, those are the top danger zones for women and are the main targets for attackers.

You would think the gas station would be a safe place since it’s steady traffic throughout the day, but no. The gas station is the number one danger zone.

Parking lots are just as dangerous.  When you’re approaching your car in a parking lot to get home, you’re not thinking that an attacker might be lurking near by.

There are some ways to prevent a parking lot attack from happening. First you could park near your work entrance and close to surveillance cameras. If you’re walking to the parking lot at night by yourself, ask security to walk with you. Lastly, make sure to already have your keys in your hands.

When your car breaks down the only thing that’s on your mind is seeking help.  Some tips for avoiding being another statistic is to not accept any help from a stranger, and to keep driving until you reach a gas station, but in case the breakdown is more serious call, 911 or an emergency service such as OnStar or AAA. While waiting for help, stay in the car with the windows rolled up and doors locked.

Finally, the last danger zone is the rest stops. Heading out for a road trip can be exhausting, but also risky and dangerous. Never sleep in your car or take a rest at a deserted place, and avoid driving at night and get all gas up during the day.

Remember: safety is more important than independence.

by Antoinette Bradley

MCC-Penn Valley student Casey Brezik appeared in court Sept. 15 on two counts of first-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action in the Sept. 14 stabbing of Penn Valley Dean of Instructional Services Albert Dimmitt. The judge entered not-guilty pleas for Brezik.

According to police, Brezik thought he was attacking Gov. Jay Nixon, who had been expected to deliver a press conference in Brezik’s class on Tuesday. Brezik was apprehended at the scene by Chancellor Mark James, who came to MCC after 30 years in law enforcement.

Brezik had been reported missing by his family. He had disappeared from his grandparents’ home after being released from prison after completing a drug sentence. His father described him to the Associated Press as “delusional.”

Brezik had attended Penn Valley for only three weeks before the attack, the Kansas City Star reported.

Dimmitt is expected to make a full recovery. In an email to the MCC community Thurdsay, Penn Valley President Bernard Taylor said that Dimmitt might return to work in as soon as a week and a half.

Gov. Nixon, who had not arrived on campus at the time of the attack, told reporters in Springfield on Wednesday that he had no comment.

Brezik’s next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 6.

Longview’s highly successful debate team, like any successful franchise, has changed hands. Speech and Debate Instructor Kris Stroup, who left Truman State University to take over Longview debate, has taken over for 10-year leader Bill Cue.

What does it mean to be part of a championship debate team?

“Debate is 90 percent looking like you know what you’re doing, and 10 percent make the judges think you do,” Stroup says. He looks like he knows what he’s doing, so it must be true…right?

The team will host a major tournament on the Longview campus October 29-30.

Casey Reid and Susan Long have made an Outstanding Contribution to the College. They received awards by that name on May 2.

Reid, an English instructor and sponsor of the student groups Phi Theta Kappa and Gay Straight Alliance (GSA),  received the employee award. Reid said that she was very excited to be recognized for her achievements. Her semester has been great ,with successful community service projects and the Affluenza Common Reading project, which she helped design. Longview’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter has won many awards recently and revamped itself. In addition, GSA has grown quickly in the past year.

“The thing I love the most is my English 102 classes,” said Reid.

The English 102 classes that Reid teaches are service-learning classes where the students have to go out and solve a problem in the community. In one of her classes, a group of three people organized a walk for Autism here at MCC-Longview and raised over $1,200. On the same day, another of Reid’s groups got the Kansas City Royals to wear wristbands during their game to support child abuse prevention, and they sold the their wristbands and made more than $1,000 for the cause. 

Many of Reid’s Saturdays are full with trying to attend student activities. She feels like she gets to help students contribute.

“It ends up being a real fun environment, usually,” said Reid.

Reid said that she would be stepping away from Phi Theta Kappa as an advisor next year because it takes most of her Saturdays, which are needed to grade assignments. Instead she will take an informal role in the club as a consultant to help the students with projects and help them lead activities.

“I’m a very passionate person, anything that I’m involve in I give it one-hundred and ten percent,” said Reid.

Long whose major is psychology, received the award for Outstanding Student Leader.

“I was surprise and honored to be even considered for an award,” said Long. She said she felt humble, happy and excited. Long thinks she won the award for her readiness to help people, her outgoing personality, and her supportive attitude towards MCC-Longview. Long considers herself to be focused to reach her goals with the help from counselors, teachers, and other resources that can contribute to her success as an individual.

“I do not see myself as better than others,” said Long. Instead Long said she tries to connect with other people as possible. She also said that she put honesty in the work she does in the Campus Life and Leadership Office and honest with the people she come in contact with.