News

Hang in there... the quarter's almost over

SCC student Michael Linden and dog, "Sir," take a snooze between classes behind the Campus Theather. Linden has reason to be tired: he works the graveyard shift, takes morning classes and is a part of the college's performance of "Fiddler on the Roof," which begins tonight. Hang in there, kids: the end of the quarter's less than three weeks away.

More for Moore

$25,000 raise approved for SCC President

Chase D. Anderson
Editor-in-Chief

College President Holly Moore was recently awarded a raise of $25,000, bringing her annual salary to $160,000. The decision was made in a special session of the Board of Trustees on May 7.

According to a press release, the Board decided it was “in the best interest of the College… to make a strong effort to retain Holly Moore as our President.” The release stated that Moore had been “actively recruited” and “the importance of retaining her became more apparent” as she was a finalist for the President position at the Community College of Southern Nevada.

To retain her, the Board authorized a three-year, $160,000 per year contract, which Moore accepted.

However, the Board’s concerns may have been premature. According to a May 11 article in the Las Vegas Sun, “the search committee nixed candidate Holly Moore… after only half of the 14 (committee members) voted to invite her back.”

At a May 6 meeting, the day before the SCC contract was approved, Moore was behind in the running for the Nevada position. Of the four candidates, one received the approval of all 14 committee members; Moore received the least of the four with eight votes of approval. The numbers were reported in a May 7 article of the Sun.

The SCC Board cited the time and financial burdens of finding a new President, as well as Moore’s familiarity with the College, as reason to keep her on board.

"Sheroes" gives women a voice through words

Chase D. Anderson
Editor-in-Chief

The fifth annual Women’s Words of Fire, held May 4th, was a chance for women to share words from their personal “sheroes.”

Tizzy Asher (right) of the Women’s Center read a humorous story from a friend; Paulette Graham (below) shared highlights, lowlights, and inspiration from Oprah Winfrey.

Other campus leaders read from Helen Keller, Audre Lorde, Maya Angelou, and others.

The event was sponsored by the Women’s Center and Women, Etc., a student organization.

2004-'05 SBA election results
are now in

Chase Anderson
Editor-in-Chief

The votes of the May 4 and 5 Student Body Association elections have been tallied and the results are in.
In the only contested position, Sean Keller will serve as President for the 2004-2005 academic year. Keller, a longtime member of Student Government, has served as an SBA Senator in the two previous years, and is currently Vice President. Keller beat newcomer Jake Thomson by just 19 votes, receiving 102 to Thomson’s 83, according to Student Government.
The seat of Treasurer was also up for grabs, as no candidate ran officially on the ballot. With 20 write-in votes, Carla Magee, who has served as Treasurer this year, was the frontrunner for the position. However, according to Student Government, she declined the seat and it was passed to Hugh Turnbaugh, who received 15 write-in votes.
Senate seat No.7, which serves on the Senate Budget and Finance committee, was also on the ballot without anyone running officially. Voters chose Theressia Hazelmyer for the seat with 20 votes.
Voters accepted all of the proposed amendments to the SBA Constitution. The Constitution will now state that:
Executive Board members will be required to provide campus tours to prospective students In order to get paid, Student Senate members will be required to participate in at least one college governance or campus-wide committee, and must meet attendance requirements for Senate meetings and committee meetings The Vice President will serve as chair of the Senate (to replace the Treasurer as chair).
No one may serve in Student Government more than three consecutive years, where a year is defined as a majority of days in an academic year, excluding summer quarter (to further define former clause).
All other members ran unopposed: The Legislative Director will be Megan Ballock.
The Senate Budget and Finance committee will consist of Norm Rogers, Chance Kennedy, and Hazelmyer.
The Senate Constitution and Bylaws committee will be Chris Mitchell, Nick Aldrich, and Monica Shuman.
The Senate Publicity committee will be Jay Silver, Gregory Williford, and Kristi Lin Asplund.
A total of 223 students voted in the election.

June 6 graduation nearing

U.S. Senator Patty Murray to give commencement speech

Chase D Anderson
Editor-in-Chief

SCC’s 40th annual graduation is coming soon, and the College has selected its commencement speaker. Patty Murray, current U.S. Senator from Washington State, has agreed to be the commencement speaker at the June 6 ceremony. Murray worked for SCC from 1984 to 1987, and has been instrumental in the College’s Parent Education Program for a number of years. She served on the College’s Board of Trustees from 1985 to 1989, and was elected to the Washington State Senate in 1988. In 1992, she became a U.S. Senator. SBA President Alex Oh was selected as the student speaker for this year’s event. Besides being active in the Student Government, Oh is president of the College’s honor society, Phi Theta Kappa, as well as at his high school. Oh was also nominated to this year’s All-Washington Academic Team, and, at 16, was the youngest member.

The ceremony will be held Sunday, June 6 at 2 p.m. in the SCC Gym; graduates should arrive at the main doors at 1:30 and are asked to leave bags and other personal items with guests. Rehearsal for the ceremony will be Friday, June 4, at 1:30 p.m.

Caps and gowns may be purchased in the Bookstore until June 4 for $22.85 per set. Each graduate receives four guest tickets to the ceremony upon purchase of their cap and gown. Guests are admitted by ticket only. For hearing-impaired students and guests, an interpreter will be available.

The week following commencement, copies of the ceremony will be available on video and DVD for $15 each. Orders may be placed at the Library/Media Center beginning Monday, June 7.

Winner of alma mater songwriting competition announced

Jessica McDaniel
Ebbtide Copy Editor

In a peaceful forest grove beyond the city’s dust
Lies Shoreline our fair school and remember her we must
For within these hallowed halls we met a challenge most profound
To become more than we are, to be led to higher ground.

-SCC alma mater, first stanza, by Charotte Vanderwolf

Charlotte Vanderwolf never intended to take more than one summer course at SCC. She had been touring coffee houses as a folk singer until her car died last year. She signed up for a guitar class so that she would be able to earn money by teaching guitar lessons. After a few conversations with music instructor Barry Ehrlich, she was signed up for an intensive eight-week summer piano course. Now she is in her fourth quarter at SCC, and is writing the school an alma mater.

In January, instructor Robert Bigley told her about a competition to write an alma mater song for the school. “The idea for the alma mater competition came about as part of SCC’s 40th anniversary celebrations,” said Bigley in an email. “There is no guarantee that this song will become the “Official” alma mater. As far as I know there is not an official policy for establishing such things.”

Even though Vanderwolf said she had never written anything but folk songs, and didn’t really have an idea what a school song should sound like, she thought she’d like to win a song-writing contest, and got to work. With a melody in mind (written for a project in that three-week piano class) she researched the lyrics of other alma maters, and started putting together her own.

Though it began as an attempt to win a contest, Vanderwolf said, “I realized as I was writing it that I was just trying to write corny lyrics to win, but that I really did mean every word of it.” She had no intention of coming back to school as an adult; she feels lucky to be surrounded by friendly people, great teachers, and a beautiful campus.

There were other outstanding submissions but Vanderwolf’s received the most votes from the selection committee, made up of music faculty and English Professor Ed Harkness, said Robert Bigley in an email.

When Vanderwolf found out that she had won, she said she was “thrilled.” The lyrics, she admitted, were the hardest part to write. Now she is working on a choral arrangement of the song, which will be sung by the Shoreline Singers at graduation on June 6. Since she’s primarily a guitar player, it’s her first time writing anything like a choral arrangement. Choral instructor Bigley and music theory instructor Jeff Junkinsmith are advising her on the project.

There might not be any more alma maters in Vanderwolf’s future, but she does have ambitions. Now that she’s learning how to write choral arrangements she’d like to write and submit a song to the Seattle Peace Choir. In the meantime she’ll be writing folk songs and taking music classes at SCC.