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ENTERTAINMENT: ‘e Hobbit’ is an exciting journey, pg. 4 BACKPAGE: Photos from a ‘Gala Evening,’ pg. 8 S S PECTATOR The March 8, 2014 Volume 61, Issue 1 Student SPOTLIGHT: Toria McGowan Western Nebraska Community College SPORTS: Women’s basketball team wins regional title, pg. 5 BY LENZIE COLE Spectator Reporter Roger Hovery serves as WNCC’s registrar and has been at the college for many years. Hovey’s main job at the college is taking care of the stu- dents’ records, which also includes making sure all the international stu- dents have the proper paperwork. Q: What do you do here at WNCC? RH: I am the registrar, which means I’m charge of all student records and making sure credits are accurate with students who transfer credits in from different colleges. We also have stu- dents who are transferring out; we tell them how they can do that. So I have to evaluate all the transcripts that come in and make sure all the credits that they have taken elsewhere are similar to our credits. e credits from classes that WNCC does not have can be transferred in an elective class credit; if a class is similar they can see if it will count for that credit. I also have to make sure the students have enough credits to graduate and meet all of the requirements. Getting students ready to graduate is a part of my job. I also keep track of adds and drops. ere are all kinds of stuff that come up that might need exceptions made for. I’m in charge of interna- tional students as far as making sure they stay legal, so I have to issue the i20 document if they want to come here. Once they get their documents and meet the requirements then I send the document to them and they can take that document to the embassy and get their student visa. (He makes sure that the international students follow the guidelines that they need to follow.) en there is all of the data consideration: data request, reports, all kinds of reports. Mary is officially the intuition research person, but we work together a lot on the data need See HOVEY, Page 3 One-on-One with Roger Hovey One-on-One with Roger Hovey Making WNCC run effectively Registrar helps make sure WNCC students stay on track for graduation BY BARBARA WOODWARD Spectator Reporter Kathy Ault, who graduated from WNCC in December, is not your typ- ical community college student. In fact, shes not your typicalanything. Ault is a 50-year-old mother of three who has taken as many as three classes a semester for several years while working full-time to achieve her life-long dream. She is also the full-time Assistant to the Vice Presi- dent of Human Resources for the col- lege. Ault said that while community college students dont have to grad- uate to transfer all their credits to a four-year college or university, Our college works very hard at getting completers[college students who graduate from their two-year pro- grams], and my goal was to be that completer.Like many WNCC graduates, Ault is already working on her bachelors degree. This semester she started on- line classes at Bellevue University, which is new on the WNCC campus, to get her four-year degree in Busi- ness Administration with a Human Resources emphasis. While marrying and having children right out of high school and being a stay-at-home mom impeded her love of education and her goal of earning a college degree for a while, they did not seem to impede her professional progress. One of the things that makes Ault atypical,not to mention a very spe- cial person, is that throughout her life Driven to Succeed Kathy Ault stays focused, works hard to achieve success in both her professional, personal life See AULT, Page 8 WNCC soſtball player Courtney Cloud reads to Lincoln Elementary pre-schooler Autumn Hernandez during Dr. Seuss Read Across America Day March 3. Reading to youngsters Toria McGowan is a sophomore at WNCC. McGowan, a Banner Coun- ty High School graduate, is pursuing a degree in web and graphic design. Aſter she graduates from WNCC, she plans to attend Trinity College in Ire- land. Q: What do you like to do in your free time? A: I like to play games on the com- puter and learn more about the com- puter. Q: What do you like about WNCC? A: I like that I can get the help that I need, plus going to the games. Q: Most addicting game you’ve ever played? A: Tom Clancy’s games. Q: Who is a historical person that you admire and why? A: Abraham Lincoln because he was president of the U.S. and did a great job. Q: Favorite class you have taken and why? A: Flash Administration because you can create movies and games with it. Q: Funniest moment at WNCC? A: When my friends and I get togeth- er and start saying random things. Q: Favorite book you have read and why? A: “e Magic Tree House” because there are two kids that go into this tree house that is magical and it takes them on adventures. Q: What is your favorite sport? A: Soccer because it is a sport that I can play. Q: One person you wish you could talk to? A: e main singer of U2 “Bono” be- cause I would tell him how great his music is. Q: What super power would you like to have? A: e super power I would want would be able to fly because I can get to places faster. Q: Last movie you have watched and what you thought about that movie? A: “RV,” I think it’s a movie that can be watched more than once and it will make you laugh every time. Q: What would you name a planet and why? A: “Escape, ” but it would be a secret planet that people could escape to. —By Lenzie Cole, Spectator Reporter BY AARON HENRY Spectator Reporter A high school graduate walks into a col- lege classroom for the first time. e first day ends, and the student goes home to do a lot of homework and reading. is situation can be overwhelming to some students, perhaps even sending some of them on a downward spiral to failing grades, excessive anxiety, or even depres- sion. Luckily for these students at WNCC, the Proactive Advising Program seeks to identi- fy problems before they become a problem. e program is run by four WNCC employ- ees: Amy Wisniewski, Robin Hayhurst, Su- san Dickinson, and Molly Bonuchi. ey recognized that some of their stu- dents were struggling, so they took the ini- tiative to develop a program to help these students. A proactive approach to helping students excel in school See PROACTIVE, Page 8 WNCC human resources assistant Kathy Ault jug- gles her job and studies as she pursues her bachelor’s degree. WNCC registrar Roger Hovey is the man behind helping students stay on track for graduation. — Photo by Aaron Henry — Photo by Lenzie Cole — Courtesy Photo
Transcript
Page 1: Spectator issue 1, March 8, 2014

ENTERTAINMENT: ‘Th e Hobbit’ is an exciting journey, pg. 4

BACKPAGE: Photos from a ‘Gala Evening,’ pg. 8

S SPECTATORTh

e

March 8, 2014 Volume 61, Issue 1

StudentSPOTLIGHT: Toria McGowan

Western Nebraska Community College

SPORTS: Women’s basketball team wins regional title, pg. 5

BY LENZIE COLESpectator Reporter

Roger Hovery serves as WNCC’s registrar and has been at the college for many years. Hovey’s main job at the college is taking care of the stu-dents’ records, which also includes making sure all the international stu-dents have the proper paperwork.

Q: What do you do here at WNCC?RH: I am the registrar, which means I’m charge of all student records and making sure credits are accurate with students who transfer credits in from diff erent colleges. We also have stu-dents who are transferring out; we tell them how they can do that. So I have to evaluate all the transcripts that come in and make sure all the credits that they have taken elsewhere are similar to our credits. Th e credits from classes that WNCC does not have can be transferred in an elective class credit; if a class is similar they

can see if it will count for that credit. I also have to make sure the students have enough credits to graduate and meet all of the requirements. Getting students ready to graduate is a part of my job. I also keep track of adds and drops. Th ere are all kinds of stuff that come up that might need exceptions made for. I’m in charge of interna-tional students as far as making sure they stay legal, so I have to issue the i20 document if they want to come here. Once they get their documents and meet the requirements then I send the document to them and they can take that document to the embassy and get their student visa. (He makes sure that the international students follow the guidelines that they need to follow.) Th en there is all of the data consideration: data request, reports, all kinds of reports. Mary is offi cially the intuition research person, but we work together a lot on the data need

See HOVEY, Page 3

One-on-One with Roger HoveyOne-on-One with Roger Hovey

Making WNCC run eff ectivelyRegistrar helps make sure WNCC students

stay on track for graduation

BY BARBARA WOODWARDSpectator Reporter

Kathy Ault, who graduated from WNCC in December, is not your typ-ical community college student. In fact, she’s not your “typical” anything. Ault is a 50-year-old mother of three who has taken as many as three classes a semester for several years while working full-time to achieve her life-long dream. She is also the full-time Assistant to the Vice Presi-dent of Human Resources for the col-lege. Ault said that while community college students don’t have to grad-uate to transfer all their credits to a four-year college or university, “Our college works very hard at getting ‘completers’ [college students who graduate from their two-year pro-

grams], and my goal was to be that completer.” Like many WNCC graduates, Ault is already working on her bachelor’s degree. This semester she started on-line classes at Bellevue University, which is new on the WNCC campus, to get her four-year degree in Busi-ness Administration with a Human Resources emphasis. While marrying and having children right out of high school and being a stay-at-home mom impeded her love of education and her goal of earning a college degree for a while, they did not seem to impede her professional progress. One of the things that makes Ault “atypical,” not to mention a very spe-cial person, is that throughout her life

Driven to SucceedKathy Ault stays focused, works hard to achieve

success in both her professional, personal life

See AULT, Page 8

WNCC soft ball player Courtney Cloud reads to Lincoln Elementary pre-schooler Autumn Hernandez during Dr. Seuss Read Across America Day March 3.

Reading to youngsters

Toria McGowan is a sophomore at WNCC. McGowan, a Banner Coun-ty High School graduate, is pursuing a degree in web and graphic design. Aft er she graduates from WNCC, she plans to attend Trinity College in Ire-land.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time? A: I like to play games on the com-puter and learn more about the com-puter.

Q: What do you like about WNCC?A: I like that I can get the help that I need, plus going to the games.

Q: Most addicting game you’ve ever played?A: Tom Clancy’s games.

Q: Who is a historical person that you admire and why?A: Abraham Lincoln because he was president of the U.S. and did a great job.

Q: Favorite class you have taken and why? A: Flash Administration because you can create movies and games with it.

Q: Funniest moment at WNCC?A: When my friends and I get togeth-er and start saying random things.

Q: Favorite book you have read and why?A: “Th e Magic Tree House” because there are two kids that go into this tree house that is magical and it takes them on adventures.

Q: What is your favorite sport?A: Soccer because it is a sport that I can play.

Q: One person you wish you could talk to?A: Th e main singer of U2 “Bono” be-cause I would tell him how great his music is.

Q: What super power would you like to have?A: Th e super power I would want would be able to fl y because I can get to places faster.

Q: Last movie you have watched and what you thought about that movie?A: “RV,” I think it’s a movie that can be watched more than once and it will make you laugh every time.

Q: What would you name a planet and why?A: “Escape, ” but it would be a secret planet that people could escape to.

—By Lenzie Cole, Spectator Reporter

BY AARON HENRYSpectator Reporter

A high school graduate walks into a col-lege classroom for the fi rst time. Th e fi rst day ends, and the student goes home to do a lot of homework and reading. Th is situation can be overwhelming to some students, perhaps even sending some of them on a downward spiral to failing grades, excessive anxiety, or even depres-sion. Luckily for these students at WNCC, the Proactive Advising Program seeks to identi-fy problems before they become a problem. Th e program is run by four WNCC employ-ees: Amy Wisniewski, Robin Hayhurst, Su-san Dickinson, and Molly Bonuchi. Th ey recognized that some of their stu-dents were struggling, so they took the ini-tiative to develop a program to help these students.

A proactive approach

to helpingstudents

excel in school

See PROACTIVE, Page 8

WNCC human resources assistant Kathy Ault jug-gles her job and studies as she pursues her bachelor’s degree.

WNCC registrar Roger Hovey is the man behind helping students stay on track for graduation.

— Photo by Aaron Henry

— Photo by Lenzie Cole

— Courtesy Photo

Page 2: Spectator issue 1, March 8, 2014

March 8, 2014 Page 2NNewsTOPTOPCAT

StudentsMale Top CatChris Brening

Scottsbluff

Major: Gener-al studies

Honors/Awards/Ac vi es: College intern for Mitchell Berean Church

Favorite Movie: “Count of Monte Cristo”

Favorite Class: Choir because I can sing.

Hardest Class: College Algebra

Best moment: I get to bap ze some of my friends.

Where would you travel and why: Israel because of Jesus’ infl uence.

What music do you like to listen to: Everything, depending on my mood.

If you could have anything for free what would it be: My salva on; it’s already free.

If you could be an animal, what would it be: Lion

Who is your role model: Jesus

Why Jesus: He lived a perfect life. A life of righteousness in the eyes of God, one that we are called to do.

Female Top CatSarah Peterson

Scottsbluff

Major: Engineering

Honors/Awards/Ac vi es: Math Award

Favorite Movie: “October Sky”

Favorite class: Calculus because it feels natural.

Hardest class: Physics with Calculus

Best Moment: First me I realized that being an engineer wasn’t a crazy dream but instead a possibility.

Where would you travel and why?: Portugal so I can go see the inverted tower.

What music do you like to listen to?: Country

If you could have anything for free what would it be: Helicopter

If you could be an animal what would it be: Horse

Who is your role model: My mom and Albert Einstein

Why Albert Einstein: He was incredibly smart yet always encouraged others to try, to dream big and to let their imagina on take them beyond their wildest dreams.

Committee raises awareness

for heart disease

BY LENZIE COLESpectator Reporter

Knowing what you want to do is easy, fi nding your calling can be a lot harder. For Kay Tucker, her calling is teaching. Teaching what, you might ask? Well, her calling is to teach math. She did not know that at the time until she became an engi-neer for three years. Aft er that she realized that she loved teaching and that was her calling. She taught at a lot of diff erent colleges. Some of them were in Texas, Arizona, and Michigan. When asked why she came to WNCC she had this to say, “I thought it was a great job and I liked the people I would be working for. It’s a nice little com-munity.” Th is is her fi rst year teaching at WNCC. She has always wanted to teach and when she was in school she loved it. At the beginning of her teaching career she was a coach and to do that she needed to be a full time teacher. Gradually, she became just a full time teacher because she loves to teach. She loves to teach because she loves see-ing the light bulb come on when students understand what is being taught. When it comes to math, some students don’t like it. So when a student has that “aha” moment, that is the part of learning that she loves the most. She also like the moments when students come up and say that they found math useful for another class or in some

way in their lives. She loves math because it’s black and white; it’s not suggestive. Tucker said, “I don’t like controversies; I don’t like arguing with students about grades or anything.” Tucker’s math classes are on the com-puter; the homework, test, and quizzes are all online. She does this because she loves to teach but this way the computer does the grading. Also on the computer, the students have help aids while they are doing their home-work. So if they need help, but they can’t get in to see the teacher, they can fi gure out what they are doing wrong with the help of the aids. Everyone has a story that sticks with

them. For Tucker it is when she was teach-ing a high school class. Th ey were not the best students; sometimes when they came back from class, some of them would not be there. She did not like that class she had to teach but aft er a while something changed. When they saw her at the mall they would yell across the mall at her, even simply to say hello. During pep rallies they would want her to come and sit with them. No one else would and they were her kids, so she would go up and sit with them. Her husband thought it was funny be-cause when she went up there they would say “get out of the way, get out of the way Mrs. T is coming through.”

Called to TeachTucker enjoys teaching mathand seeing the

lightbulb coming on in students

BY AARON HENRYSpectator Reporter

Th e heart is one of the most, if not the most, precious organs in the human body.To stress to people the importance of tak-ing good care of one’s heart, February has become known as Heart Awareness Month. Even locally, people have been encour-aged to pay more attention to their heart. For example, on Feb. 7, WNCC students were encouraged to wear red as a way to raise awareness for the risk of heart disease in women. “Th e American Heart Association des-ignated one day a year for women’s heart disease,” WNCC Health Committee mem-ber Kathy Ault said. “Heart disease is the number one killer in women.” During the month, posters were dis-played throughout the campus, and some computer monitors displayed the message: Wear red on the seventh. “It’s to bring awareness,” Ault said. “It’s like for bullying, you wear purple, and as a wellness committee, we feel that it is our job to bring awareness.” She added, “We handed things out to employees and tried to put it everywhere.” How can one learn more about heart disease? Th e Center for Disease Control and Prevention has listed some facts about heart disease on its website at www.cdc.gov. For instance, heart disease is the leading cause of death among both men and wom-en. “About 600,000 people die of heart dis-ease every year. Th at is about one in four deaths,” the CDC’s page says. One way to prevent, or perhaps lesson the damage, of heart disease is to know the warning signs of heart disease. Th ese in-clude experiencing chest pain; upper body pain in the arms, back, neck, jaw, or upper stomach; shortness of breath; nausea; light-headedness; and cold sweats.

Above: Regional West nurse Deb Trapp prepares to take blood from WNCC stu-dent Adena Hagen during the blood drive on Feb. 26. Th e blood drive produced 38 pints of blood for the local blood bank.Left : WNCC president Todd Holcomb relaxes while he gets blood drawn from his arm during the blood drive.(Below) WNCC student Jordan Neuwirth seems to be in good spirits as he prepares himself from being stuck with a needle by Regional West nurse Alicia Hale during the blood drive on Feb. 26.

Blood Drive

Kay Tucker inspects her online classes to see if her students have completed all of their assignments and makes sure all the “Helps” are on.

Copy byLenzie Cole

— Photo by Lenzie Cole

— Spectator Staff Photos

Page 3: Spectator issue 1, March 8, 2014

What you should know about the library

March 8, 2014 Page 3NNewsYourYourVoiceOne question,many answers

I would have to say that I want a Gamestop or a Burger King in the mall.

— Isaiah Gonzales

BY LENZIE COLESpectator Reporter

Get your student ID card; this card is what you need if you are going to check out something from the library. A year and a half ago the library brought over Academic Testing and Tutoring, many people remember the half wall they had in the library for that. Now they have full walls but they are glass so the people who are in charge are able to keep an eye on the people in there while answering phones. If you think you are going to need help with a class you can see if they have a tutor for that subject. If they do have a tutor then go ahead and start getting help now. It’s bet-ter if you start now so you know the person when you need help with the harder stuff . Do not put it off ; if you do it could hurt you in the end. Th e remodel for the testing and tutoring section is not the only thing that is diff erent in the library. When you are ready to check out or if you have a question for the people by the check-out desk you will see that it is diff er-ent from what it was. Th e new checkout desk is smaller and slimmer so it’s a lot more inviting in some ways and you can also see that there is a person there when you need to check out. Th ey have many diff erent services that they off er at the library. Th ey have books that you can check out; they also have DVDs that you can check out for a week. Th ey have many diff erent types of DVDs. Th ey also have Kindle and Nooks that can be checked out for two weeks. If your math class requires a graphing calculator you can check out a graphing calculator from the library for the semester on a fi rst come, fi rst serve basis. If a student needs a projector for a club, all you need to do is have your sponsor get in contact with the library. Th ey also have a small graphic novel collection that they have just started. Th ey also have audio books, so if you do not want to read you can listen instead.

Th ey also take suggestions for books. You can email them, text, or even go to their web site and give them your sugges-tion to consider. If you are looking for a book and the li-brary does not have it and none of the other libraries do either, the WNCC library has a interlibrary loan. Th ey will go across the nation to see if a library would be willing to lend the book to them. You can have it for about a month. So if you need a book for a class, plan ahead. “We just got a charging station in here; it charges up to 95 percent of all devices,” said Merrillene Wood, a librarian here at WNCC. “It’s by the front desk and it’s free to use if you need it.” Th ey have laptops that are checked out for students for two hours. If no one is wait-ing for one, they can be rechecked out; they are not for take-home use. If you need to print something off and you don’t have money in your account you will have to go to the business center and put money on your account. Th is is the only place you can put money on your account or you can use Paypal. Ehelp center: this where you go to get help with accessing the WNCC portal, the student email, or the black

board. Th ese three things are what the ehelp center is there for. If you need to use the eBooks but you are not going to be on campus you can go talk to them, text, or email them. Th ey will need your student ID number so they can make sure that you are a current student. When that is done they will give you the username and password to use the website for eBooks.

Kindles and Nookstwo-weeks checkouts

DVDs1 week checkout

Laptops2 hour check out only for in

library useCharging station for devices

Free Free tutoring

Sign up

What’s availableat the Library

of the college. I also do reports that are needed. Th ere are also committees that I serve on.

Q: How long have you worked here?RH: For 24 years now; from 1990 to 2000 I was the director of remission. From 2000 to now I have been the registrar.

Q: What brought you to WNCC?RH: Th e job opportunity; I was at Western Wyoming Commu-nity College. I was there for 9 years; worked with admission there. Well it’s more of a combi-nation of promoting the college and then intuitional research. It is a little bit of what I’m doing now but not quite the same; that particular job was phased out, so I was out of a job for a little while until I got this job.

Q: So what made you come into

the registrar fi eld?

A: I have a master in business but I didn’t end up in the busi-ness world, I ended up in edu-cation. Not by design, I guess, just kind of happened. It looked interesting so I gave it a try.

Q: You like a challenge in your job?A: Yes, there are all kinds of challenges to meet the needs. It’s more than an 8 to 9 job, you have extra hours to put in.

Q: What do you like about your job?A: It’s a variety; I get to work with people and data, like look-ing at trends and information to see how we can improve; it’s not all one thing. Once a month I go to Sidney and Alliance to visit with students. If they have appointments to talk about questions about their degrees; students are supposed to see me

before graduation to make sure they have everything in place. In fact we usually send out a letter when they have 30 credits, inviting them to come in and review everything.

Q: What challenges do you fi nd in this job that you have to work at?A: Just keeping up with every-thing; I’m always behind. It seems like I’m always behind. I try to keep aft er it. I went to a conference in Albuquerque. It was about student advising, and how we could improve in that area. Th e biggest challenge is keeping up with everything, because there’s always more re-quests for information that you might not have anticipated. You have to put in to meet deadlines.

Q: Does this job make you keep up with the current technology?A: Data Tell was the name of the system, the student informa-

tion system; they merged with a bigger company so they have a diff erent name for it now but we just call it Data Tell. It keeps track of everything from stu-dent information to employee information. Th ey make chang-es there so we have to keep up with current updates.

Q: Do you like the people you work with?A: Oh yes, we get along.

Q: Are you guys like one big family?A: Kind of, yes, not that we al-ways agree on everything. Th ey are fun to be around; we are not a huge institution. We only have 2,000 to 2,500 students full-time, part-time, so we’re not a giant staff , so we know each other. It works out well.

Continued from Page 1

HOVEY: Th e one that makes sure students are on track for graduation, enrolled properly

With the recent purchase of the local mall, what stores would you like to see move into the empty spaces?

We could use a Foot Locker. I think it would get a lot of business. Other sports ou its here don’t off er a lot.

— Nick Brady

I would say probably a Buff alo Exchange.

— Liz Scribner

There’s a hat store called Lidz that would be good in there.

— AdamHarris

I would like to see a J.C. Penney’s in there again.

— JessiSams

It would be nice to have an Olive Garden.

— DaveNash

Considering what they have now, I would like to see a hobby shop of some sort for kids. I think it’d be interes ng for them. Kids are just

in there now and walk around. With diff erent things like that then they could have stuff to do. There are also certain clubs that deal with that sort of thing. There are like model train sets like I used to see during my me in the railroad. I personally

love to build models and I think that kids need to get away from electronics. I always told my boys (I have fi ve kids) that they need to learn how to fi x things. They always fi gured they would get jobs that they could just pay for things when they got broken, to have them fi xed. I’m a trick of all trades really and I’ve done it all.

— Paul Hernandez

Interviews conducted byAaron Henry

Th e Library is sporting a new desk and a newly constructed sealed off area for tutoring and testing.

Th is view of the library shows the spaciousness of the book and stud ying tables. Th e library also has DVDs for checkout.— Photos by Lenzie Cole

Th e City of Scottsbluff will begin taking applications beginning March 21st for all seasonal positions including Lifeguards, Recreation Aides, Laborers, Ball fi eld Maintenance, and Cemetery Maintenance.  Applications will be available at City Hall.  Call 632-0059 to inquire about Lifeguard/Recreation Aide positions, and 632-0058 to inquire about Laborer and Maintenance positions.________________If you have a classifi ed announcement, please email it to [email protected] and it will be run here for free.

Spectator Classifi eds

Page 4: Spectator issue 1, March 8, 2014

March 8, 2014 Page 4EEntertainment

MichelleKersey

AmyWeber

WhitneyParker

GageCunningham

Spring

Oregon

War and Peace

Caulifl ower

Summer

Oregon

Hunger Games

Seafood

Summer

Nebraska

None

Fish

Summer

California

Lock and Key

Chinese Food

FavoriteSeason?

What state would you like to live in?

FavoriteBook?

LeastFavorite Food?

WhatDo YouTh ink?

by Lenzie Cole

Have you ever felt like someone you just met or someone you have known for just a really short time (like a boss or a teacher) – or per-haps even someone you’ve known for a really long time – really dis-likes you? And for the life of you, you don’t get it!

Or just the opposite. Have you ever just met someone or have known someone for a really short time – or even a really long time – and they seem to just adore you? And for the life of you,

you just don’t get it! Or fi nally, have you ever walked into a classroom or started a new job and immediately had your own neg-ative (or positive) reaction to some-one – for what seemed like absolute-ly no apparent reason at all? Of course you have. We all have. You’ve undoubtedly heard that you have just a few seconds to make a good fi rst impression. And if you’ve unwittingly made a bad fi rst impres-sion, it takes a very long time to change that fi rst impression – to a good one. Th e same goes for the opposite. What you may not have ever heard about is the very common and all too prevalent “Halo Eff ect.” It’s sometimes also referred to as the “Halo and Horns Eff ect.” In academic terms, the Halo Eff ect “is a cognitive bias in which one’s judgments of a person can be infl uenced by one’s overall impres-sion of him or her.” Translation: if we like someone, they can do very little wrong. And if we dislike someone, they can do exactly the same things but everything they do is wrong! Th e Halo/Horns Eff ect can be found everywhere where people are interacting. Let’s take this to the classroom and place of work. Let me give you an example from a manager’s point of view. One employee is constantly getting in the middle of your assignments, allegedly “to help out,” and causes problems for you. When you go to the boss, she supports the co-work-er, saying she is “just trying to be helpful.” You now know it’s fruitless to try to get the person to stay out of your work. You’re fi ghting against a “Halo Eff ect.” Also, think of an example of a teacher’s and students’ bias in a classroom situation. Every time this certain student raises his hand to talk, everyone around him groans because “everything” he says just seems so off -point or ridiculous. People actually won’t even listen to what he has to say. Yet, when anoth-er student says essentially the same thing, that student is given respect. Unfortunately, apparently a lot of it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with anything someone did. It is based on our unconscious reactions to a person’s looks or mannerisms. Good grief. As if we don’t have enough pressure in our lives. Of course, as is common in all research, there is research that says it’s all bunk. But if this concept rings true for you, we apparently attribute people’s friendliness, sense of humor, level of intelligence, hyperactivity, general level of happiness, trustworthiness, competence, sexual promiscuity, and a whole host of other attributes to their physical appearance and the way they move and comport themselves. So, the next time you wonder why someone consistently acts so favorably toward you, or so nasty, ask yourself if he or she has created a Halo or Horns Eff ect for you before you take it personally. And more importantly, when you are judging everything one indi-vidual does harshly, or lovingly, ask yourself if you are being fair. Check yourself to see if you are attributing more kind things to one person than the other because of how you have labeled them in your mind, and pos-sibly try to reevaluate the behaviors more objectively.

What did I do?

BarbaraWoodward

Columnist

With the release of “Final Fantasy: Lightning Returns,” also known as “Final Fantasy 13-3,” Square Enix makes another direct sequel to “Final Fantasy 13.” Th is is quite rare in the Final Fantasy games as they typically take place in the same universe but are centuries apart. Th is direct sequel is the completion of the 13 storyline and is quite diff erent from its direct prequels. Th e main character is Lightning Far-ron, who was one of the six main characters in the fi rst game and is a major side charac-ter in the second. Lightning herself has undergone some changes through the games. In the fi rst one, she was a normal human who lived in the fl oating world of Cocoon but was cursed by a god-like being known as a fal-Cie. Aft er this, she was made into a l’Cie, along with Snow Villiers, who is Lightning’s sister’s fi -ance, Sazh Katzroy, and Hope Esthiem. Th rough the course of the fi rst game, this group is joined by Vanille and Fang, who are inhabitants of the world below Cocoon, known as Pulse. Th e fal-Cie that cursed Lightning, Snow, Sazh and Hope, also cursed Fang and Vanille. As l-Cie, the group is given something known as a Focus, which is a task that the fal-Cie wants them to undertake. Th e group is not given the entire story of how to do their Focus, but they are faced with the threat of being turned into monsters, known as Cieth, if they do not undertake their challenge or try to change their fate. Th ey embark on this quest against fate and come out on top. Th en something happens. Lightning mysteriously disappears and ends up as the pawn of one of the divine fi g-ures in the story, Etro. She serves as Etro’s only knight and is charged with protecting the ethereal realm of Valhalla, which opens up the second game. Valhalla falls under attack by a man

who draws on a form of power known as Chaos, whose name is Caius Ballad. Caius messed up the timeline and threatens to kill the goddess Etro and unleash this Cha-os that she has been holding back from the world. Caius’ motives for doing this are so a young girl, Yeul, who can see the future but is cursed with death and being reborn, can live a normal life. In this game, Serah Farron, Lightning’s sister, is the main character as she tries to fi x the timeline that Caius messed up and ulti-mately tries to reach Lightning in Valhalla. She is joined by someone from the future, Noel, who is a man from a future who has lost most of his human life. At the end of the game Caius gets Serah to kill Etro, and Chaos spills into the world. Serah also dies from killing Etro.Filled with grief, Lightning goes into a self-imposed sleep, or better known as crys-tal stasis. In “Final Fantasy: Lightning Returns,” Lightning awakens from her slumber as the servant of a new deity, known as Bhunivel-ze in a world that has been aff ected by the Chaos. She is also the main character that the player controls. Hope is also present as Lightning’s gui-de, but he does not fi ght alongside her. Th e world and the people in it have not aged for 500 years. Th e world is about to end in 13 days, and Lightning is given the task of going into the world in order to save as many people as possible. To that end, the game has a time sys-tem involved. Each real time minute corre-sponds to an hour in game, and every sec-ond is a minute. Th e player starts with six days until the

end of the world and must gain more time by saving people. Ultimately, through doing story objec-tives and side quests, the player can gain 13 days. Some quests are available only on cer-tain days or at certain times, so time is of the essence. Many characters from the previous two games are brought back, but they are fi lled with trouble. For instance, Snow is troubled from the loss of Serah and has had to live with that for 500 years.Th e gameplay is one notable change from the previous two games. It is faster paced, more player controlled, and fully customiz-able.In the previous two games, combat was almost turn based, characters took on dif-ferent roles depending on what the player set them to do, and only the main character was fully controllable.In “Lightning Returns,” Lightning’s moves can be set to diff erent buttons, with each press corresponding to the move being performed; Lightning can also be moved around the battlefi eld.Th e game is also completely open world with four new locations to explore. Yusnaan and Luxerion are the two major cities, while there are also a desert area and a wild plains area. All of these areas have characters from previous games in them and all have to be visited during the course of the game in or-der to complete the story. Every person that Lightning saves is guaranteed a spot in the new world that is being created. Yet, again, Lightning fi nds herself in a race against fate and against time itself. I would highly recommend joining her in this race.

Aaron Henry is a entertainment writer for Th e Spectator.

‘Lightning Returns’ is an exciting adventureGaming Review

By Aaron Henry

‘Th e Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’Book ReviewBy Aaron Henry

An unexpectedjourney that’s a treat

for all readers With “Th e Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” being a box offi ce smash, even going so far as to become the fourth best grossing fi lm of all time, I felt it was a good time to review the book. I recently read the book, from which the fi lm was adapted from. Personally, I loved watching the mov-ie. It was a great movie, and in the end, it was not too far from what Tolkien originally wrote. Th ere are some glaring diff erences, though, between the two. Basically, “Th e Hobbit,” as written by Tolkien, seems to be a book made mostly for people who love sword fi ghts and adven-tures. However, the book also holds quite a bit of wit. Th e characters have a nice develop-ment under Tolkien’s hand. Bilbo Baggins, who is the hobbit that the title references, goes from a shy resident of Th e Shire to a leader of a company.

Gandalf, who is an orchestrator of quests and an accomplished wizard in the tale, takes more of a backseat during this tale as he has his own quest to undertake. Of course, there are also the 13 dwarves, including Th orin Oakenshield, each with character traits and personalities that are too numerous to list in one article. Suffi ce it to say that they play a big part in the book. Th e plot starts out with Gandalf and Bilbo having a conversation about a quest. As the book unfolds, so do the steps on this quest. Th e objective of this quest is to reclaim the lost gold of the dwarves. Th at will be done by traveling across the land of Middle Earth and eventually reaching Erebor, the kingdom that Th orin would have inherited if his people hadn’t been ousted from the mountain and forced to fl ee from the drag-on Smaug. Smaug took over their kingdom, gold and homeland. Th e book is centered on the dwarves reclaiming all of that from Smaug. Th ey do so much more than just fi ghting.

Sure, there is fi ghting, but there are also some riddles, some mysteries to fi g-ure out, and some witty banter, all of which lead to a nice setup for “Th e Lord of the Rings Trilogy.” It’s all included in about 300 pages. Personally, I feel like it’s a book that anyone could enjoy. It’s also a quick read, and it’s easily one of my favorite books.

thetheSpectatorSpectatorWestern NebraskaWestern Nebraska

Community CollegeCommunity College

Contact the newspaper at:Contact the newspaper at:Th e SpectatorTh e Spectator

WNCCWNCC1601 E. 27th street1601 E. 27th street

Scottsbluff , Nebraska 69361Scottsbluff , Nebraska 69361Phone: (308) 635-6058Phone: (308) 635-6058

Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

2014 Staff Members2014 Staff MembersLenzie Cole, ReporterLenzie Cole, Reporter

Aaron Henry, ReporterAaron Henry, ReporterJohn Tmmins, ReporterJohn Tmmins, Reporter

Barbara Woodward, ReporterBarbara Woodward, Reporter

Mark Rein, ProductionMark Rein, ProductionJeff Fielder, AdviserJeff Fielder, Adviser

Letter to the Editor PolicyLetter to the Editor PolicyTh e Spectator accepts letters to the Th e Spectator accepts letters to the editor as well as story ideas. If you editor as well as story ideas. If you

have a story idea, sent a note to have a story idea, sent a note to [email protected]@wncc.edu.

Letters are limited to 500 words Letters are limited to 500 words and must have a contact listed,and must have a contact listed,along with phone and email.along with phone and email.

Page 5: Spectator issue 1, March 8, 2014

March 8, 2014 Page 5

SSports

Gabriel DeLa Rosa came to WNCC to play baseball from Miami, Fla. Dela Rosa is a fi rst baseman and a pitcher. He is in his second year with the Cougars.

Hobbies and Interests: Spending time with my family, practicing the word of God on a daily basis, and working hard to get draft ed (by MLB) Favorite Movie: “Fast 5” Nickname: “Sticky,” because back in high school, I liked to stick to my own beliefs and be open-minded at the same time. Favorite sports moment: Winning all district honors and my high ere were two outs in the last inning, and I was at the plate, and I ended up bringing in the winning run.

MVCMVCMost Valuable Cougars

MaleGabriel DeLa Rosa

Lile Havili came to WNCC to play basketball from Salt Lake City, Utah. Havili is a starter on the women’s team and is averaging 10 points and six rebounds a game.

Hobbies and Interests? Singing and Dancing

What do you like best about WNCC?: Th e amazing students I’ve come to meet.

What is the best way to pass time on road trips?: Team bonding or sleeping

What community service projects have you participated in?: No events here yet, but I did help with food drives in Utah.

What has been the most exciting moment in your season so far?: Bus rides aft er a good win on the road.

What is the best way to relax aft er a game?: Shower, eat, sleep.

What do you do to prepare for a game?: Take a nap, and eat and listen to music.

— Copy by John Timmins

FemaleLile Havili

REGION IX CHAMPIONS

Cougar women capture regional championship, lift record to 30-4

SPECTATOR STAFF REPORT

ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. — Back-to-Back Region IX champions. Th at’s what the Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team accomplished aft er it recorded a 69-67 win over Western Wyoming Community College Wednesday night in the regional fi nal at Rock Springs, Wyo. Th is is the Cougars’ 11th regional title. It was also the Cougars’ 13th straight win and pushed the Cougars to 30-4 on the sea-son. More importantly, it sends WNCC to the national tournament March 17-22 in Salina, Kan. “It feels really great to have the title of Region IX champs for the second year in a row,” sophomore Ashley Stevens of Bridge-port said. “We really wanted to have a repeat and that is exactly what we did. We knew we had to play our hardest because Western Wyoming is a really good team. Th ey had a lot of sophomores on their team that knew how to handle pressure and they gave us a run at the end of the game.” The Cougars earned their second straight title with four wins at the region-al tournament. They opened tournament play against Gillette and rolled to a 78-50 win. Th e Cougars followed that with an 83-65 win over Northwest Wyoming and then took out Highway 26 rival Eastern Wyo-ming College in the semifi nals 82-66.

Th is will be the Cougars’ second straight national tournament appearance. Th e pairings will be released around March 12. Last year, the Cougars fell to ASA Col-lege in the fi rst round at nationals. Th is year is a diff erent story as the Cou-gars seem to be peaking. In all four regional tournament games, WNCC started strong while building big leads. In the fi nal against Western Wyoming, WNCC trailed just once in the contest and had as much as a 19-point lead in the sec-ond half before Western Wyoming mount-ed a comeback. Th e Cougars, however, hit some clutch free throws and stopped a last second shot for the win. Stevens said the Cougars kept fi ghting even though Western Wyoming was trying to make a comeback.

“It was very important that we started off the second half so well,” she said. “If we wouldn’t have, we probably wouldn’t have pulled it out at the end. Give them credit, though, they were shooting the three ball well [at the end].” WNCC dominated the fi rst half. Aft er both squads were tied at 5-5, WNCC went on a scoring tear behind a 3-pointer by Abi

Th e WNCC women’s basketball team shows off their hardware aft er winning the Region IX Tourna-ment on March 5. WNCC earned a 69-67 win over Western Wyoming Community College in the fi nal. Th e Cougars are now off to the national tournament, which begins March 17 in Salina, Kan.

SPECTATOR STAFF REPORT

Aft er six years guiding the Western Ne-braska Community College volleyball team, head coach Giovana Melo is headed to the Division I level. She was recently hired to be the California State-Bakersfi eld’s Director of Volleyball. Melo’s duties with the Roadrunner program include being the head volleyball coach in the fall and overseeing the sand volleyball program operations in the spring season. Melo is excited for the challenge. “It is defi nitely a great step for me,” Melo said. “I am looking forward to taking that step in my career. Of course I am upset to leave this team and this program, but I am ready to make that step forward.” Melo has been successful as a head coach in six years for the Cougars, as her teams went to the fi nal four fi ve of the six years she was coach, including winning a national championship in 2010. Melo has a career coaching record of 262-20. Melo knows a little bit about the pro-gram at Bakersfi eld since three former play-ers — Fernanda Goncalves, Deborah Arau-jo, and Danika Youngblood — were part of the program. Youngblood will be a senior, while the other two were seniors this past fall. “Th at is the biggest reason I went there

because I know where the program is at be-cause I was watching them [former Cougar players] the whole time they we re playing,” Melo said. “I was able to learn a little about the history and the talent. It was a good fi t for me.” WNCC president Todd Holcomb said

WNCC is sorry to see Melo go, but wishes her the best. “Giovana took our program to a new level, and we have been grateful for her lead-ership, passion for the sport, and dedication to our students,” Holcomb said.  “Coach G cultivated a legacy of winning, which our school and surrounding communities can be proud.”  

Melo said she carries plenty of memo-ries with her during her two years of playing at WNCC and six years of coaching. “I have a lot of memories here,” she said. “It was not easy telling the girls and it won’t be easy leaving this place because it has been by home since I came from Brazil. It will always be my home.” Melo said she hopes that the WNCC freshmen come back because they have the talent to win a national title next year. Plus, she will be there to watch them and recruit them. “I really hope they decide to stay for one more year and work hard to get to the national tournament,” she said. “I told the girls I want to come back and watch them win a national title next year. I want to come and recruit them. I want them to do well. We worked really hard this spring and they have a big chance to do well.” Melo will be formally introduced on Monday at Cal State-Bakersfi eld.

Melo headed to Division I CS-Bakersfi eldSee CHAMPS, Page 2

WNCC Women’sBasketball Regional

Championship History

11 regional titles1993, 1995, 1998,2001, 2003, 2004,2005, 2006, 2008,

2013, 2014

WNCC freshman Abi Lujan goes up for two points against Otero earlier this season at Cougar Palace.

— Sports Information

— Sports Information

— Courtesy Photo

WNCC volleyball coach Giovana Melo watches her team warm up at the national tournament in November. Melo is leaving to be the head coach at Cal State-Bakersfi eld.

Page 6: Spectator issue 1, March 8, 2014

March 8, 2014 Page 6SSports

Th e excitement and anticipa-tion for the WNCC men’s basket-ball game against Eastern Wyo-ming College was steadily building.

W h e n that game day fi nal-ly arrived, the contest was all that was on the minds of the Cou-gar faith-ful who p l a n n e d to head to Torrington,

Wyo., later that night to be part of the event. Th e air seemed to hold a pre-diction that this journey would be one to remember. As the night pro-gressed, the Cougar student sec-tion began to realize that they were paying witness to what was perhaps one of the most exciting basketball games in recent memory. In the gym, the student sec-tions for each school were located directly across from each another, making for an unrivaled involve-ment by both fan bases in the heck-ling of referees, teasing of players, and occasionally, the direct jeering of the opposing fan base. Eventually, portions of each stu-dent section lost interest in the game entirely and became more focused on landing witty jabs on the egos of the opposing student section. Every lead change resulted in loudly-voiced comical remarks, waving of arms, and stomping of feet. As the game drew nearer to its end, the chants and cheers became more personal and provoking to-ward the Eastern Wyoming student section, which was watching their team slowly lose ground. When the Cougar men fi nally sealed the victory, the hooting and hollering reached its climax. Th e Cougar student section poured on the exuberant cheers as the Eastern Wyoming student section looked around the gym dejectedly. As fans fi led out of the gym, some people probably anticipated that there would be an eruption be-tween the two sections, which only minutes earlier had been going at each other like angry dogs. But to the surprise of many on-lookers, the two fan bases met with calm heads. Rather than insults or punches being thrown, there was an exchange of “good game guys” or “nice cheers” accompanied by handshakes and high fi ves. As people walked to the park-ing lot, there seemed to be a univer-sal realization: the ability of both student sections to leave their dif-ferences in the bleachers when they left the gym was impressive. Th e truth is, that night was one to remember not only for the excitement of the game but also for the demonstration of sportsman-ship these rival college students displayed.

Hitting League is a success Th ere’s a lot to like about this year’s WNCC baseball team, and one reason is the connection the team has with the local community. Besides regularly volunteering for various community service events throughout the Scottsbluff area, the team also sponsored a “Hitting Lea-gue” at the Field of Dreams complex. It’s easy to observe the sheer amount of fun that these kids have while also learning skills that will help them to excel as they progress through their baseball careers. Th e college players have to be creative and exciting while running drill sta-tions in order to keep the short at-tention span of the younger players focused on the drills and not on the jokes that are being passed by whis-per in the huddle. Once the younger players com-pleted their drill stations, they moved on to their favorite part of the Hitting League, the famed “Hitting Game.” Indeed, this Cougar-sponsored event is one that has forged a unique bond with the local community and is perhaps one of the reasons behind the program’s success not only on the fi eld but also in the process of build-ing mature and respectable young men.

After theheat of battle,

rivals show sportsmanship

3-on-3 intramural basketball has been hot and heavy the last few weeks. (far left ) Joe Moran dribbles against the defense of Fatima Balza. (above) Jessica Aratani brings the ball out during a tournament game. (left ) Julian Garcia dribbles to the basket during a tournament game.

Intramural Basketball Fun

BY JOHN TIMMINSSpectator Sports Reporter

Th e WNCC men’s basketball team is made up of players that come from many diff erent backgrounds. Take Joel Einfeldt, from Cedar City, Utah, for example. He brings to the team his experience of going on a mission trip to Ja-pan before coming to WNCC. Th is experi-ence has helped him fi nd the best in people, including members on his own team. “As a missionary in Japan, I felt blessed to be able to see the value in all people,” he said. “As a team, you need to acknowledge that each member of the team has some-thing valuable to off er. I learned that you should never treat someone like an object for your own benefi t. People are people, and

they have feelings and experiences we can all learn from.” Th is open and ac-cepting attitude is displayed not only by Einfeldt but also by many other play-ers on the team. “Some young guys on our team have so much experi-

ence with basketball that I’ve been grateful to be able to learn from [them],” Einfl edt said. Th e ability to learn as a group and show support to one another, he said, carries over to the players’ schoolwork and even their personal lives. “Off the court, we leave all of that

[competitiveness] and we’re a family,” Ein-feldt said. “Like a functional family should do, as a team, we eat together every day. We discuss things with each other on all levels, and we look out for one another. In games, that makes us successful because we get ex-cited for each other’s success.” Th e trust and sense of family that this team shares can be an example, Einfeldt be-lieves, for those who are struggling to fi nd success in any aspect of their life. “If you’re sincere in your dealings with other people and see them as what they really are –human beings – you gain their trust,” he said. “As a student athlete, trust is a valuable thing when it comes to teachers, fellow students, members of the communi-ty, coaches, and teammates. You need to be trusted.”

Strong team bond helps Cougar players achieve success on, off the court

Lujan and later a 3-pointer by Angela VIgil to put WNCC up 19-11. WNCC pushed its lead to 15 points, 29-24, on four free throws by Laurin Rivera and led 40-27 at halft ime. WNCC exploded out of the gate in the second half behind eight points from Ste-vens to take a 51-32 lead. Western Wyoming came back, hitting four straight 3-pointers and sliced the lead to two points, 68-67, with 37 seconds to play. Lile Havili then hit one of two free throws and then WNCC put on a big defensive eff ort to not force a good shot attempt to get the win. Stevens said they clamped down on the defense in the lst 13 seconds. “To talk about the defense at the end, Abi was guarding the girl with the ball and she kind of lost control of it,” Stevens said. “Th en we had good pressure and made them make bad passes. By that time they got a re-ally bad shot off and the buzzer went off .” Th e win was even more exciting tor the team because they had to battle the sixth man, a loud student section. “Th e fans were ridiculous,” she said. “Th ey were super loud. It was so loud that we couldn’t hear each other.” WNCC shot 44 percent from the game, 47 percent in the fi rst half. What kept the Mustangs in the game was free throw shoot-ing. In the fi rst half, WNCC was just 2 of 2, while Western Wyoming was 12 of 13. For the game, the Mustangs were 19 of 23 com-pared to 11 of 18 for WNCC. WNCC also out-rebounded the Mustangs 40-34 and held a 24-11 halft ime rebounding advantage. Abi Lujan led on the boards with seven followed by Stevens with six. Th e Cougars put three players in dou-ble fi gures. Stevens led the way with 16 points, followed by Rivera with 12, and Vig-il with 11. Stevens said the entire team played well in all four games of the tournament. “We played pretty well all four games,” she said. “We had a goal set and we worked hard to achieve that goal. As for the bal-anced scoring, it is always nice to know we have a whole team who can score. We have some key bench players that come in and contribute points along with the starters.” WNCC had three players make the all-tournament team in Stevens, Havili, and Shalisa Moffi t. Stevens and Havili were also named to the South all-region team.

CHAMPS:Cougar women win back-to-back titles

Th e WNCC soft ball team pose for a team photo before heading out to their games with Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo., on March 5 with honorary assis-tant coach Jack Massey (center). Th e team recorded two shutouts over the Plainswom-en, winning 9-0 and 17-0 to run their record to 13-7 on the season. WNCC will have home games on March 9-10 before going on a Spring Break trip to Texas. Th e Cougars’ next home game will then be March 26 when they host Williston State College.

Softball team with honorary assistant coach— Courtesy Photo

— Sports Information

SPECTATOR STAFF REPORT

Aft er running by Miles Community College on Sunday 87-57 in the fi rst round of the Region IX Tournament in Sterling, Colo., the Cougars couldn’t hold a halft ime lead in falling to No. 6 Northeastern Junior College in the quarterfi nals on Monday. WNCC led 32-29 at intermission, but let NJC go on a 19-0 run and scored just 20 second-half points in falling to the Plains-men 81-52. WNCC ends their season at 18-14, while NJC advances to the semifi nals to face Sheridan College. Th e quarterfi nal loss was unfortunate as WNCC played well in the fi rst half with Joel Einfeldt hitting a 3-pointer with three seconds left to give the Cougars a 32-29 halft ime lead. Th e big diff erence in the game was 3-point shooting because in the fi rst half, WNCC was 5 of 14 from behind the arc, while the Plainsmen were 0 of 11. Th e sec-ond half was a diff erent story as NJC lit up from long range, burying 8 of 10. NJC couldn’t miss, either, scoring the fi rst 19 points of the half to take a 48-32 lead. WNCC didn’t score its fi rst points un-til 11:54 to play as Diante Mitchell hit two

free throws. WNCC’s fi rst fi eld goal didn’t come until the 9:42 minute mark. Monday’s game was totally opposite from Sunday’s win when Crosbie scored 25 points in the win over Miles Community College. In fact, WNCC’s eff ort on Sunday was the fewest number of points allowed in the fi rst round. Now, NJC holds that mark aft er holding the Cougars to just 52 points. Against Miles, the Cougars’ off ense was lightning hot, netting 45 percent of their shots. Th e Cougars also connected on 7 of 16 3-pointers. What also helped the Cou-gars Sunday night was rebounding as they out-rebounded the Pioneers 55-34, led by Kane’s 15 boards. Crosbie led all scorers with 25 points, including fi ve 3-pointers. WNCC also re-ceived 14 points from Brandon Morley, 12 points from Preston Christensen, and 11 points from Derrick Bowers. Miles had just two players in double fi gures. Tyree King and Quinn Smith each had 10 points. WNCC loses three sophomores off of this year’s team in Kane, DouDou Gueye, and Einfeldt. Th e Cougars return plenty of fi repower with several players who started throughout the season.

WNCC men end season at regionals

Continued from Page 5

JohnEinfeldt

JohnTimminsColumnist

Page 7: Spectator issue 1, March 8, 2014

online.nebraska.edu/bachelorMore than 20 online bachelor degree completion programs, including: • Business • Computer Science • Criminal Justice • Education • General Studies • Social Sciences • And more

KEARNEY|LINCOLN|OMAHA|MEDICAL CENTER

Page 8: Spectator issue 1, March 8, 2014

“Proactive advising is us trying to work with students,” English instructor Amy Wisniewski said. “We are trying to help them learn how to be successful.” Th ey saw students struggling, not nec-essarily with classwork, but with what they refer to as soft skills, such as self responsi-bility, self motivation, self management, interdependence, self awareness, life-long learning, emotional intelligence, and belief in oneself. Th is is all stated on a piece of pa-per that an advisor gives students at the fi rst meeting. “Th is started because we felt strong-

ly about giving students these life skills,” Wisniewski said. “Th e lack of life skills is where we saw the failings with some of our students.” Th e program isn’t about tutoring. Rath-er, it’s for students who want to try to make better choices with their academic careers. “I think that our hallway of teachers here recognized that a lot of students have trouble making better choices,” English in-structor Robin Hayhurst said. “We thought about what we could do as instructors to help, and we found that a lot of students didn’t necessarily have trouble with aca-demic concerns.”

For each of the teachers involved, the pro-gram keeps them fairly busy. Th ey each help about 10 to 15 students a semester. “Th e fi rst eight weeks keeps me espe-cially busy, and it tapers off at the second half of the semester,” Wisniewski said. “I like it because I get to know my students better, and that makes it easier for me to try to help them.” Hayhurst said, “It could take anywhere from fi ve to fi ft een hours a week. Th is se-mester is a bit heavier. [But] I like the one on one and the connections that are made. You never know the kind of success that will be had.”

Th e instructors like the results that they’ve seen. “I believe as teachers that we plant a lot of seeds, and we don’t see all of them,” Hayhurst said. “If they realize that they have more power over their circumstances, that is awesome. But sometimes I will get some long-term people who will come back to see me.” She added, “I would recommend it to anybody who feels like they could be mak-ing better choices, or anybody who is strug-gling and can’t fi gure out why. It’s a way for them to fi gure out what could be holding them back.”

March 8, 2014 Page 8BBackpage

PROACTIVE: Approach to help students succeedContinued from Page 1

WNCC studentworking on earning

an elementaryeducation degree

BY AARON HENRYSpectator Reporter

Many college students could prob-ably say that they’ve been infl uenced at some point by one or more of their teach-ers. Vincente Hernandez is one of those

college students, and because of it, he wants to be a teacher who has a positive infl uence on students’ lives. Specifi cally, Hernandez, a WNCC student who is pursuing a degree in elementary education, wants to help make a diff erence between a kid having a good foundation and a poor one. His reason for doing so is simple. “I’ve had some bad teachers in my life-time,” he said. “Th ey ended up standing out more than the good ones for me.” Hernandez is originally from Lamar, Colo., He moved to the Scottsbluff /Gering area in 1994 with his mother. “We used to come here every sum-mer to work the beet fi elds,” he said. “My mom just kind of decided that she liked

it here, and we fought her tooth and nail over it.” Hernandez is attending school for the fi rst time since 1999. “I’m still trying to get adjusted to col-lege,” he said. “So far, the only hard part for me is getting the grades required.” Hernandez is enrolled in four classes: Math, English Comp I, Wellness, and Intro-duction to Professional Education. “Th e last one is the one I really need,” he said. Hernandez has a couple traits that’s helped him adjust to college life – and will no doubt be benefi cial to him as he works with students later on in his life. “I get along with others really well,” he

said. “I’m also really motivated.” Hernandez spends a lot of time with his family. He has a fi ve-month-old baby and two girls, ages 6 and 8. “I try to spend more time outside when it’s not cold,” Hernandez said. “I hang out with my girlfriend and do the family thing. I spend a lot of time with them. I also used to play PlayStation, but now I don’t really anymore.” Hernandez, of course, has other inter-ests, too. “I watch a lot of football during the football season,” he said. Right now, though, Hernandez’s main goal is to get an elementary education de-gree.

Hernandez eager to make a diff erence in students’ lives

people in management positions who have met her have recognized her potential and have given her opportunities to show what she could do – with or without a college de-gree. “I grew up in the small town of Kimball [population of nearly 2,000], and people kept calling me and asking me to come to work for them,” she said, laughing. Ault laughs easily and often, and says that people frequently make fun of the sound of her quirky laugh. Others, by the way, fi nd it absolutely charming. Early on, Ault got a job as a secretary at Kimball Junior High. She said she loved that job and remained in that position for four years until a new, large energy com-

pany out of Denver came to town to build a hazardous waste incinerator, a company that later became known as Clean Harbors. Needing health insurance for her family, Ault said she applied to work there and was immediately hired as the secretary for the construction division. When construction was fi nished and the company opened, she was made the Training Coordinator for all the complex federal OSHA, EPA, and DOT regulations, among other things, something she said she found highly interesting and challenging. And she achieved this without a college degree. A few years later, saying she wanted to work for a company where she would have a better opportunity to advance, Ault went to work for Regional West Hospital in Scotts-bluff as a Human Resources Assistant, com-

muting for more than two years from Kim-ball before moving her family to town. And what an opportunity she found at Re-gional West. She was sent to many annual national professional human resources con-ferences, and it was following one of these that she decided to study for the esteemed Professional Human Resources certifi cate. “It was like going to ‘Boot Camp,’” she said. After a week of eight-hour days study-ing all the federal, state, and local laws that impact companies via their human resourc-es departments, she passed the test. – again, without a college degree. “And I will never let it lapse because I never want to have to take that test again,” she said, laughing. After working at the hospital in human

resources for more than a dozen years, Ault joined WNCC’s Human Resources Depart-ment in 2010, a department which serves over 250 full-time faculty and full-time and part-time professional, administrative, and support employees at the college. “I particularly love the helping aspect of working for the community college,” Ault said. “And working with so many other people who love it as I do.” Married to Tim for the last 15 years, their love of helping people, education, and WNCC, in particular, runs in Kathy’s family. Tim referees college games,   their daughter Brooke has a cosmetology diplo-ma from here; their daughter Amanda is currently in the Early Childhood Develop-ment program here; and their son Craig is in the military and is studying HR.

AULT: Staying focused and working hard for successContinued from Page 1

A Gala EveningA Gala Evening

Th e WNCC vocal music department pre-sented “A Gala Evening” in February with a number of musical acts. Here is a sampling of the entertainment the students put on.

—Spectator photos


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