November 7, 2011

Vol 43 No 5The Student-Run Newspaper of Kishwaukee College, Malta, IL 60150

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

newspaper! Hurry! Spots are limited.

Kishwaukee enrollment increasesBy Grace MartinCopy Editor

Campus expansion moves along By Mari WestStaff Writer

The Kishwaukee Campus Expansion work continues to move forward at a smooth and rapid pace. The duct work and piping of the Student Center is running ahead of schedule. According to Rob Galick, Vice President of Finance and Adminis-tration, the exterior pre-cast concrete walls with the Prodema installation is beginning in two weeks. The given name “Prodema” comes from the name of the wood panels that will surround most of the second floor exterior of the building. The roof is 60% complete and should be finished in the next few weeks. The Campus Operations Building also has the installation of the pre-cast walls at 60% completion, and the structural work should begin sometime next week. New trees, at least 150 of them, will be planted in the northeast quadrant here on campus.. Galick indicated that the grass seed has also been planted in most areas that are no longer active areas of construction, with the grass beginning to surface nicely. On the Geothermal side, there are now 110 wells dug to serve this site. The remaining 40 wells will be completed by early November. The selection of the office chairs for the staff has also begun. The selection will become the standard for all employees when the new chairs are purchased. These chairs will be on display in the faculty/staff lounge, where a form will be provided for each member. The Student Center Tours will be hosted for employees only once a week of the new Center. Employees will have to wear hardhats in order to go on the tours.

During the fall semester Kishwaukee College has seen record enrollment with 5,169 students on campus, says Dr. Choice in his President’s eNewsletter. Several programs have seen an increase in interested students like Engineering with an in-crease of 51.6%, Physics at 20.7%, and Accounting at 15.3%. Career Technologies classes that are made to target workforce needs in the local community are also ex-periencing an increase. Automotive Technology is at a 13.9% increase, Collision Re-pair Technology has a 15.7% increase, Automated Engineering Technology at 8.3% and Office Systems increased 14.5%. There could be several reasons for such an increase. Steve Ullrick, Vice Pres-ident of Student Services said, “I believe our enrollment is up due to the fact that we have continued to aggressively recruit new students by increasing our visits to high schools, by having more prospective students on campus for visits and making sure they have a great visit, responding quickly to requests/questions on our website, con-tinuing our marketing campaign to all age groups, providing excellent programs of study with outstanding teaching in a friendly caring environment, and excellent cus-tomer service to everyone who comes on our campus.” Construction on campus that will give Kishwaukee brand new facilities will also bring in new students, who want to make sure they get the highest quality education possible. “The passing of the referendum has also been a plus for us and the new construction/renova-tion has created a lot of excitement/positive attention throughout our district.”, says Steve Ullrick. Kishwaukee College isn’t the only college in the country to experience this record enrollment. According to an article by Richard Fry for the Pew Research Center says that this surge is nationwide. “Just under 11.5 million students, or 39.6% of all young adults ages 18 to 24, were enrolled in either a two- or four-year college in October 2008.” This rise in Community College enrollment is hardly surprising, since Community College enrollment is considered to be countercyclical, which means that enrollment rises as the economy worsens. This rise has come in the middle of a recession where unemployment has met it’s highest rate in 25 years. This unemployment has hit young adults especially hard. According to the Bereau of Labor Statistics, “a smaller share of 16-24 year-olds were employed in September 2009—46.15—than at any time since the government began collecting such data in 1948”. Since Community College is cheaper than attending a 4 year college or university, many 18-24 are choosing to go to a community college before finding a job.

Photo from www.aacc.com

Work on the wells

(Left) and Student

Services Center

(Right) is moving

along.

Photos taken by

Mari West.

KALEIDOSCOPE STAFF AND EDITORIAL POLICY

Editorial/Opinion2 KALEIDOSCOPE NOVEMBER 7, 2011

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridg-ing the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peacably assemble and to petition the Govern-ment for redress of grievances.--First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

StaffEditor-in-Chief.....Marissa SkonieCopy Editor...Grace MartinWeb Editor...Will IrelandAdviser.....Melissa Blake

Staff Writers.....Tim Bruske, Paige Myers, Jessica Pflipsen, Mari West

Logo design by Devon Lovings at TwoFiveDesigns.com

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.

Marissa’s Musings: Where have all the honest people gone?

By Marissa SkonieEditor-in-Chief

Pit bulls are being bullied By Tim BruskeStaff Writer

I just don’t understand people. Where has our decency gone? What makes it acceptable to harm someone or their possessions? Wasn’t it back in kindergarten that we learned respect and honesty? Earlier last week I woke up a little late one day and rushed to get ready for work. As I ran out the door, pan-icking when I realized my windows were frosted over and I would have to scrape them, making me even more late, I opened my door to start the car and immediately realized that something was not right. Someone had broken into my car and rifled through my things. Thankfully the only things missing were a carton of cigarettes and my glasses. The moron tried to steal my radio but failed miserably and only broke the faceplate off. What really angers me about this crime is that it seemed so amateur; like some drunken college student had decided to do it for a stupid prank. They stole my glasses but tossed on the floor the full bottle of Vicodin that was right next to the glasses. If this was someone who had done it before, wouldn’t they take the item that could make them the most money? I guess I may seem a little naïve; after all I grew up in Malta where you could leave your front door unlocked

all the time because we trusted our neighbors. Even when I talked to the cops to file a report, I felt a little brushed off. The cop seemed to talk like it was my fault for leaving one of my doors unlocked (which I can agree was a stupid mistake) instead of focusing on how wrong it was for someone to steal. When did thievery become so commonplace and seemingly acceptable? I know there are those of you will read this and just pass it off because you hear something like this every day. But shouldn’t

that make you take a look around and see that something is truly wrong here? We need to get our morals straight and prove that we know the difference between right and wrong. Do I need to take you back to kindergarten and give you gold stars for being good honest people? Grow up and show the world that we still have decency, that we know how to act as moral beings. Why do you think the world has turned into such a dishonest place? Let me know your opinion by emailing me at kscope@kishwaukeecollege.edu.

One of the biggest tragedies I’ve ever encountered in my time on this planet is dog fighting. Pit bulls used for fighting are generally sweet, loving animals that just want to please their master. Then dog fighters take that sweet animal and beat them, starve them, exercise them to the point of exhaus-tion, all in the name of “training” them. Once they’ve been injured bad enough, they’re used as training aides for other fighting dogs. These dogs are the equivalent of assault and rape victims. And ignorant people villianize not just these poor dogs, but their entire breed. I think it’s important for people to have some facts about dog fighting. Pit bulls are suited to be fighting dogs, but they are far from the only breed used. You can train any dog to be a fighting dog if you wanted. In fact, according to the American Temperament Test Society, there are a large number of breeds found to be more aggressive than the American pit bull Terrier, including: Chihuahuas, beagles, collies, border collies, four of the six varieties of dachshund and toy poodles. Not convinced? In Palm Beach County, researchers conducted a six-year study of most severe dog bites by breed and only one year were pit bulls higher than number five in the top 10. In 1992, they were second behind cocker spaniels. Some of the breeds that routinely outscored pit bulls were Dalmatians, labs, golden retrievers and cocker spaniels. Another study, also done in Palm Beach in 1993, ranked bites by severity from one to four. Pit bulls were placed fifth. The “pet” type animal that had the highest recorded bite frequency was the domestic short-haired cat. That’s right, the more vi-cious of the two was the cat. The American pit bull terrier is an amazing dog. Pit bulls are strong, loyal and protective, making them excellent guard dogs to protect your house. They are sweet, compassionate and have comical personalities making them excellent companions. They are also good with children, social with other dogs and are very intelligent making them easy to train. It’s a travesty that such a good dog breed is treated this way in our country. This breed has amazing traits and at one time was one of the most popular dog breeds in America. The dog with the black spot over its eye on the little rascals was a pit bull. And when one of our best friends started being taken advantage of by cowards, we turned a blind eye to it. And now it’s come to the point that dog fighting rings mutilate their dogs, and there are people so ignorant that they would rather blame the breed, especially the specific dogs that are victimized by these monsters, than the people responsible. Put it in terms of human beings. Would you blame a rape victim for being raped? Would you say it had something to do with their genetics or breeding? If an immigrant from Pakistan beat up a friend of yours, do you label all Pakistanis as violent? In my opinion, if you do, you should be ashamed of yourself. It’s been said that the true measure of a person’s character is how they treat someone who they can’t benefit from in some way. So, re-measure yourself and take an honest look at the American pit bull terrier. You may be surprised with what you find out about them and yourself.

Okay. Maybe it’s just me, but did I miss the day that it became acceptable to talk like an illiterate blockhead? I can’t stress how often I get a text and I have to sit there thinking “What the hell is that supposed to say?” As far as I know, letters and symbols are not an active part of the English language. So tell me why I keep getting texts that say things like ‘lol I h8 tht abt ppl.’ REALLY? It would take you literally three seconds longer to put in the couple of extra letters to just make that an actual sentence? It’s not like you’re saving yourself any time, either. I mean, it just doesn’t make sense. If half the time the person you’re texting is texting you back to ask you what you were trying to say, one would think you’d…I don’t know. Get the hint? There comes a point in the conversation that I just get sick of trying to decipher your texts, so I stop texting back. And then, reminiscent of the title, I get ‘I TXT YOU. Y U NO TXT BACK?!’ Because, jackass, I’m sick of playing the decoder game. Another thing: I have teachers these days that have to tell us before giving us a paper assignment “No text talk!” Is our cause honestly so hopeless that our mentors have to remind us on a weekly basis to write like literate beings? And then there are the charming new audible speech habits. Go sit in a group of people ages 18-20 for an hour. I can absolutely guarantee you that you will hear the word “Finna” pass through at least one person’s lips. WHAT THE HELL IS FINNA? Sit there for another hour, and the phrases “OMG” “JK” and “LOL” will no doubt pass through those very same lips. What I want to know is, with the invention of QWERTY keyboards and the capacity to type longer messages, where is the need? It’s no longer a “necessity” (was it ever?) to abbreviate everything, so why do people still insist on using text talk? I would like to introduce you to the ultimate conversation killer: the letter K. Everyone has been in this situation; you’re in the middle of a conversa-tion and all of a sudden you get the response “K.” That’s it, just…K? How do I even respond to that?I’m not trying to harp on every aspect of texting; smiley faces are okay. The OCCASIONAL heart (<3) is tolerable. It’s just that it gets really, really old try-ing to figure out what the hell is being said to me all the damn time. And why should I have too? If you’re in a hurry, text a shorter message. But honestly it takes longer to piece together a text-talk text than it does to just type the whole word. If this means that I stop getting texts entirely, so be it. You decide that- you’re a grown ass man.

Y U NO TXT BACK By Paige MyersStaff Writer

NOVEMBER 7, 20114 KALEIDOSCOPE Features

Instructors at Kish-waukee College may sur-prise you if you get to know them. One such Instruc-tor is Mark Uscian. Uscian teaches the Cisco Network-ing program and other com-puter networking classes at Kish. He started teaching junior high and high school in Kirkland as soon as he graduated from college. He

taught for six years until he decided to go into business. Uscian found that the world was moving into an era of computers and the Internet. He began work-ing in the computer indus-try at a corporation in Oak Brook. After working in the computer industry for 18 years, he thought, “maybe I should get back into educa-

tion.” When a job opened up at Kish, Uscian jumped at the opportunity. When he arrived at Kish, there were only a few computer class-es offered. Uscian began working on broadening the offering of computer class-es. He brought the Cisco Networking program to Kish and developed the server and wireless networking classes. When asked what he loves most about teach-ing, his answer will be “the students”. “[I really enjoy] the students, only occasion-ally will I get a student that I don’t see eye to eye with and even then I like a chal-lenge when they have a dif-ferent perspective.” Due to the nature of the classes Us-cian teaches, he is able to teach the same students se-mester after semester and get to know them. Knowing his students helps Uscian to

understand when a student is having trouble and needs more explanation of a par-ticular subject or idea. Although he teaches technology classes, he isn’t as much of a geek as peo-ple might think. His work in education is interesting, but what is even more intriguing is how Uscian spends his spare time while not teach-ing. He enjoys all sorts of outdoor activities including hiking, biking, canoing and skiing. Being a teacher gives Uscian an opportu-nity to go on trips to remote locations. He has been to the Canadian Arctic, Alaska, and the Arctic Circle. Dur-ing his trips in the Canadian Arctic, he saw both caribou and bears. Uscian has also had the opportunity to meet the local people in remote Inuit villages. One thing that he has noticed is that the local Native American

and Inuit people have better internet connectivity than he has in modern civiliza-tion. Uscian said, “They’ve all got cable TV, they’ve all got high speed Internet and wireless everything.” Uscian is also an avid listener of public ra-dio. He listens because he likes to have a well rounded perspective of things hap-pening in the world. “I try to stay current in the latest in politics, news and sci-ence. I look at it as a radio newspaper,” he said. Us-cian likes public radio be-cause “the true information bleeds through” instead of yelling and bias. Uscian was even featured in a radio spot that aired in the spring 2011 semester.

Facutly Spotlight: Mark UscianBy Will IrelandWeb Editor

Upcoming Campus EventsBy Hillary MartinezGuest Writer

With only seven more weeks left in the se-mester, you may be think-ing that there’s not much left to do except prepare for finals, but relax. Go day by day and find time to enjoy your Kishwau-kee College experience. November will be full of fun events to attend and participate in. Here are just some of the days to look forward to. From November 7 to December 2, the Art Gallery will be featuring the work of Eric Fuertes, and on November 16, there will be the artist reception entitled Dumbo Press Presents: Penny Arcade. Bring a plain t-shirt if you’d like and print a design by sitting on top of the press and rocking it back and forth. The press itself is more of a cross between a lovable pink elephant and a bird with stylish bicycle handles to hold onto. It’s some-

thing that you and your friends can go check out. To learn more about Eric Fuertes or to see a video of the Dumbo Press in action, visit: sites.google.com/site/ericfuertes05/. From November 9 through 12, the Kish-waukee College Theatre will be presenting their production of Gina Gion-friddo’s Becky Shaw, “a comedy of bad manners, love, sex and ethics that follow the ramifications of a set-up date gone bad,” directed by Nadine Franklin. The curtain time will be at 7:30 p.m. and tickets can be ordered through the Business Office or purchased at the door. It’s bound to be a thought-provoking and laugh-filled night for everyone there. The Student Government Associa-tion will be sponsoring a Homeless and Hunger Awareness week start-

ing November 14. Keep an eye out for the Giving Thanks Tree that they will have, where you can write down what you’re thankful for and put it up on the tree, whether it’s getting an A on that test you studied hard for or being able to see loved ones over the holiday break or having a place that you and your family can call home. On November 15, the SGA will be doing a Turkey Trot event. The Turkey Trot will be an array of obstacle courses to pass and whoever has the fastest time of completing the course can win a $50 Wal-Mart or gas card. In order to partake in the event and compete for the prize, you will need to bring a can of food to donate. On November 16, SGA will be hosting a Hunger Banquet. There will be free food served to the

students, so stop by for a bite to eat. Com-edy Hypnotist Chris Jones will be com-ing to campus November 29. Chicago-native Chris Jones is a very ener-getic perform-er and gives the audience an incredibly interactive show. The students get to become the stars and he guarantees it to be a hypnotic experience to never forget. Last but not least, Kishwaukee’s Massage Therapy clinic will be giving chair massages at no-charge on November 30. What better way to end the month? On Nov. 15 and 21, there will be a sign-up table where you can schedule yourself in for a free chair massage. With so much go-

ing on this month, don’t forget to register for spring semester. Regis-tration begins online this Wednesday, November 9 and in person Novem-ber 10 in the Admissions Office. Get a great start on your classes for the new year. There are lots of dates to remember so be sure to mark your calendars! See an event that sounds especially interesting? Then be sure to get out your cellphone and set a reminder be-cause you definitely won’t want to miss all of the fun

Photo provided by Mark Uscian

Photo from www.my.hsj.org

Campus Life 3 KALEIDOSCOPENOVEMBER 7, 2011

Kougarettes dance team resurrected

Kishwaukee group loses itBy Mari WestStaff Writer

By Jessica PflipsenStaff Writer

For those of you who are students or staff members here at Kishwaukee College, you may not know that there is a “weight watchers group.” The former Weight Watchers group has now become the Kishwaukee College Group. “We are a small and mighty group of people who have the desire to maintain and or to lose weight. It’s the quality of achieving and maintaining a healthy goal,” stated Jodi Lord, faculty member and teacher. “The support is incredible. You are able to reach out to one another, whether through email, face-to-face contact, share recipes, exercise tips, even a new type of fitness drink, said Lord. She is the

reason that this group continues here at Kish. Formed by staff members and students, this group of women decided that in order to remain fit and healthy, it was important to continue and maintain this

lifestyle by eating healthy, and most i m p o r t a n t l y s u p p o r t i n g each other. The purpose of this group is to lose weight and by doing this in a healthy, r e s p o n s i b l e manner. According to Gina Ragusa, contributor to eHow, “you

can achieve healthy weight lost on a 1200-1500 calorie a day weight-loss plan provided you cut unhealthy fats and add more fiber and protein to your diet. Be sure to drink at least 64 ounces of water every day, which will flush fat and toxins from your body.”

A “Dining Out, Dos and Don’ts,” by Leslie Fink MS, RD suggests that you can “practice portion control. Ordering a salad as a starter and then splitting a main entrée with a friend, or create your own scaled-down meal from a couple of appetizers and/or side dishes.” Membership is simple to the Kish College group and open to all. A small fee of $50 is collected which is put in a “pot.” On an honor system, each member weighs in once a week in the Fitness Center here at Kish. Instead of writing down your beginning weight, you mark down whether or not you have gained, lost or maintained your original weight. On a clipboard next to the scale, you write the number down and at the end of each

week, it is announced via email who has lost the most weight in one week. “It may be one pound, it may not be any. It’s one way that works to be accountable to one another but most importantly to yourself,” said Lord. Kish’s College group welcomes all to join. “Each member can state that this has been a positive experience and are grateful that we have each other meeting, facing and attacking the challenges of weight loss,” said Lord. There is a story behind each face. I am one of the success stories, I have lost 62lbs. since last year. If you are interested in joining, have any questions, you may contact: Jodi Lord at extension 3080

It’s been a long time since the Kishwaukee Col-lege’s dance team the Kou-garettes have danced, but they are back now. Just this semester, the team has reformed with a 10 girl team. They practice every Monday, Friday and Sunday in preparation for their performances. Some of the dancers admitted to the difficulty of the Sunday meetings, but have found that the University Plaza is a good alternative to the emp-ty school. Stephanie Chavez, a dancer and sociology ma-jor, says the dancers want to help promote more school spirit, not just at games, but throughout the whole school. With the Kouga-rettes having to basically start from scratch, they have

been having bake sales on Mondays to help raise mon-ey to get the dancers their uniforms and to have funds for anything else that may come up. The Kougarettes did have a small reserve of funds from the previous team. Along with the Octo-ber bake sales, they also plan on having a small cal-endar with a group picture of the team available. Currently, they do not have full uniforms, but they hope to have them in the near future. They do have their pants and poms ordered. They are also cur-rently lacking enough money for their warm-ups, but they plan on ordering them soon. The team said they now have one routine learned, one being practiced and two more yet to be taught. The dance team

is very di-verse and involved in other school activities like; two of their members are in PTK, and Chavez is in the Student Government Association as a Senator. Some of the girls danced on their high school teams, and even Kou-grette Tia Williams, has been dancing since early childhood and even danced with the Rock-ford Ice Hogs dance team. With all the girls on the team having different musical

preferences and different backgrounds in dance, they all take turns in leading a routine so they all have a chance to dance in their fa-vorite styles and even learn

new styles that they might not have been able to dance before. Their first perfor-mance was November 1 at the half-time show for the basketball game. Now all of the following home games will have the Kou-garettes as the half time show entertainment.They were also a part of this year’s Annual Sycamore Pumpkin Parade. They want to host a children’s dance camp in the future, which would introduce the kids to dance. “We want to invite everyone to come and en-

joy the games and show.” Chavez said. She also wants to thank everyone who bought an item from their bake sale. These funds will help the team now and help the Kougarettes in the future.

Photo from flaicoloka/stock.

Photo taken by Jessica Pflipsen.

Scan this QR code with your smartphone or visit bit.ly/Beck-

yShawKC to view a video of Nadine Franklin and the cast

discussing Becky Shaw.