10 strategies to successfully survive the finals

Tracking down
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Established 1998, Volume 8, Number 6
Finals Week, Spring 2007
In Loving Memory
of the victims
of the tragedy
at Virginia Tech
“We will continue to invent the
future through our blood and
tears and through all our sadness … we will prevail …”
Photo by MICHAEL KELLY | Staff
BCTC students Katie Greenwell and Paul Maddox signed a
condolence banner during Spring Fling in honor of the victims
who died during the April 16 tragedy on Virginia Tech's campus.
Mental Health America provides guidelines for coping on page 19.
April 16,
2007
— Nikki Giovanni,
Virginia Tech professor,
poet, activist
10 strategies to successfully
survive the finals-week crunch
Techniques to keep you up so your grades won't go down
others, but if it will reduce the quality
of studying, don’t do it.
The library is obviously an ideal
place, but some prefer to read their
notes out loud. In this case, or others
similar to it, it would be better to find
somewhere that meets the preferred
studying needs. Whatever happens,
steer clear of your bed. Study guides
don’t make comfortable pillows. The
whole concept of studying is to retain
information. It’s good to be comfortable, but not too comfortable.
By HUNTER EMBRY
and JOE LOWERY
Courier Staff
Avoid Procrastination
Finals week is one of many in each
semester. This one week usually determines a large percentage of your final
grade. This isn’t the time to be lazy.
Don’t even think about whether or not
to start studying, just start.
Study Environment
Study in a place where there aren’t
distractions, a place where pretty much
the only thing to do is read, write or
study. It may be tempting to study with
Photo by HUNTER EMBRY
“Two heads are better then
one,” said Melissa Young,
study skills specialist.
Time Management
Get out a calendar and write down
all upcoming finals and their starting
times. Decide how much time is necessary to devote to each class, keeping
in mind the anticipated difficulty and
importance of each exam. Once it has
been decided, write down the study
time on the calendar as well. Also, be
sure to take sufficient breaks. There’s
only so much information the brain
can retain in one hour.
You Are What You Eat
Don’t take the exam on an empty
stomach. Hunger is a huge distraction.
Try to get breakfast before testing or
studying. Avoid eating junk food; the
brain won’t have enough energy to
function properly.
FINALS
continued on page 4
Page Finals Week, Spring 2007
KCTCS honors
work of student
journalists
Reporters
Managing Editors
Cass Dwyer
Nicole Huber
Page Designer
Cass Dwyer
Design Advisor
Lucie MacDonald
Faculty Advisor
Tammy Ramsey
Photographer
Patsi Sedivy
Marilou Blevins
Nicole Eggers
Aaron Emanuel
Hunter Embry
Greg Hicks
Dustin Jones
Michael Kelly
Seth C. Lamar
Carol Leath
Joe Lowery
Donielle Meadows
Callie Nelson
Ryan Robinson
Alli Roscoe
Ryan Smolenski
Will Steffe
Sarah Stewart
Brian C. Wyatt
Courier reporter Austin Hill
takes first place with editorial
By DONIELLE MEADOWS
Courier Staff
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System Student Newspaper Competition recently announced
the winners for 2006. Categories ranged
from best feature photo, news story, editorial cartoon to overall page layout.
A panel of judges selected the entries
that would receive first, second and
third place honors. Certificates were
awarded to student winners. Eleven
awards were given to Bluegrass Community and Technical College students.
Austin Hill received a first-place
Gold Medallion certificate in the Best
Editorial category for his article titled
“Addictions are too costly to keep ignoring.” The editorial stressed the importance of fighting drug and alcohol
addictions on campus.
“Very well written and thought provoking. I actually made a copy for personal use. This is one of the best col-
lege editorials I’ve ever read,” said
an anonymous judge commenting on
Hill’s article.
Ricky Simpson received a secondplace Silver Medallion for Best Critical Review.
Steve Alvarado also received a second-place Silver Medallion for Best
News Story.
Gregory Spurlock was awarded a
silver medallion for second place in
Best Editorial.
Third-place Bronze Medallion winners were Cass Dwyer for Best Feature Story and Ashley Ellison for Best
News Story
Honorable Mention winners were:
Nasim Sadr for Best News Story; Najah Allouch for Best News Story and
Best Editorial; Mike Stacy for Best
News Story; and Jason Bush for Best
Sports Column.
To be eligible, a KCTCS newspaper
must have been published at least four
times during the academic year. The
BCTC Courier publishes six issues
each academic year.
GRADUATION
The BCTC Courier office is located
on the Cooper Campus
in MB 240. Contact us with story ideas,
opinions or suggestions at 859-246-6361
or via e-mail at
tammy.ramsey@kctcs.edu
Sunday, May 6, 2007 at
7:30 p.m.
Rupp Arena - Lexington Center
Finals Week, Spring 2007
Get ready
to transfer
Center can ease students'
stress over transitioning
to four-year university
By DONIELLE MEADOWS
Courier Staff
The Bluegrass Community and
Technical College’s Transfer Center is
one of only a handful of programs like
it in the nation.
From transfer resources to computer labs to college representatives, the
Transfer Center has something for any
student interested in transferring from
BCTC.
A number of services are available
specifically for students who are ready
to leave BCTC for another college. In
the Center's individual computer lab
there are phones and fax machines
dedicated to scholarship searches.
Cathy Penfold, the Transfer Center
director, states that the untold story
about scholarships is that Kentucky
four-year schools have a lot of money
for transfer students.
“There is a strong interest in getting
our students [and] that’s important for
people to know,” said Penfold.
Eric Meiners, the Transfer Center research analyst, states that researching
is worth a lot of effort.
In helping students transfer to affiliate institutions, the Transfer Center
analyst also gathers data and conducts
and collects polls and surveys.
“We design surveys to learn more
about the student population,” said
Meiners.
Meiners states that they also conduct
special events to get the word out about
Transfer Center information.
“The Transfer Center is looking for
ways to improve their service,” Meiners.
The goal is simple, to increase the
transfer rate at BCTC.
Angel Clay, BCTC Transfer Center’s associate director, manages both
the Transfer Times newsletter, its
school web site, and organizes key
school events.
Clay has organized scholarship information days and programs such as:
Merit MSU Day, EKU Perspectives
Day, or Georgetown College Information Sessions.
“We are here to make transfer students transfer easier whether in state
or out of state,” said Clay.
The Transfer Center also has an affiliate college employee from EKU
stationed at BCTC.
Nicole McGrew, Transfer Center
articulation coordinator, is a representative from the Eastern Kentucky University’s office of Transfer and Admissions and an EKU recruiter.
“On special EKU Prospective Student Day events, if students sign up
for admission immediate following
the session, she’ll waive the application fee,” said Penfold.
Penfold stated that this idea is revolutionary. UK and KSU also have
plans to have a representative on hand
to mentor transfer students on site.
Both Transfer Center leaders give
BCTC students advice on transferring.
“Keep your options open. Always
research other schools,” said Clay.
“Dream big about the future; don’t
let obstacles that you think exist, stand
in your way,” said Penfold.
Page Enjoy free
SNACKS
in the
Oswald Building
lobby
during
FINALS WEEK
Cartridge World Lexington
373 Virginia Avenue, Suite 103
Lexington, KY 40504
859-271-0018
Page FINALS
continued from page 1
unable to concentrate.
It’s even more important to drink
water. With all the caffeine students
put into their bodies, they become
dehydrated, which also leads to lack
of concentration. Instead of cupcakes
and Red Bull, try to eat nutrient-dense
sources, such as grains, vegetables,
fruits, whole wheat bread or low fat
cereal.
When trying to figure out what to
study, the best thing to do is ask the
professor. If that doesn’t work, ask
classmates who have regularly at-
What to Study
Off Days
Often times, during finals week,
there is a day when nothing is scheduled. Resist the urge to party. It would
be most beneficial to get a head start on
studying, but even watching TV is better than having a night out and trying to
recover the next day.
tions come from reading, lectures or
both?
How to Study
Put together an outline of major
topics and gather all the information
you have attained on each. Study one
topic at a time. People try to study too
many topics with too little time and
end up in confusion.
Also, by this time students should
know what studying techniques work
best for them. Some people find they
do better by reading the material several times. Others prefer to have someone read the material to them. Many
people like to re-write their notes or
use flash cards. It’s all relative to the
student. Decide what works best and
use it.
Taking the Exam
Catch Some Zzzz’s
While eight hours is the ideal time
someone should spend sleeping each
night, it varies with each person. Four
hours is needed for your body to be
completely functional. Suffering from
sleep deprivation makes things much
harder to comprehend. Think about
how much harder it would be to answer
the questions that most students are required to answer on each test.
Avoid “all nighters.” There is a reason why sleep deprivation is used as
torture. Students often times substitute
caffeine for sleep and end up crashing
at some point. Until they do, people
find themselves much more jumpy and
Finals Week, Spring 2007
Photo by HUNTER EMBRY | Staff
“Many people who go to BCTC also
work, so it’s very important to manage
your time,” said Jectendra S, BCTC
student.
tended class or people who have taken
the same course and instructor. Simply
asking questions often times will help
dramatically and test scores will show.
Know the type of test and study accordingly. Know how the professor
tests, does he/she use the same exam as
other professors or do they make their
own test? In prior tests did the ques-
Read all of the directions carefully.
Teachers don’t just say this because
they like to hear themselves talk (although some do); they repeat this in
every class because somewhere along
the line they have seen someone’s
grade suffer because they didn’t read
the directions.
After reading the directions, skim
through the entire test to get an idea of
what will be required within the next
hour or so. Try to anticipate whether
or not it will be difficult to finish in
time. If so, answer the easiest questions first. It will leave more time to
focus on harder points of the exam. If
some questions are worth more than
others, start with those.
Photo provided by MIKE GABBARD
Mike Gabbard plans to get
together with two friends from
class to prepare for his chemistry final.
At first glance the test may be a bit
overwhelming. Lean back in the desk
and breathe. Don’t panic; take it one
question at a time. Throughout the
exam, change positions to help relax.
Once everything has been answered,
go back through and reread each question and its corresponding answer.
Much of the time spent studying can
easily go to waste if a wrong letter is
written on a multiple choice or a question is skipped on a Scan-Tron.
After the Exam
Let it go. Even if the test didn’t go
that well, there is nothing that can be
done to change it. It may, however, affect the amount of success attained on
the upcoming tests. Focus on what is to
come. Who knows, it may get curved.
Got Questshuns?
Campus ministry group encourages dialogue about religion
By WILL STEFFE
Courier Staff
Many students at BCTC have been expressing
their interest in bringing a college ministry to our
campuses. After hearing what students are saying and talking to campus ministers at UK, Jeremy
Coffey decided to put a plan into action to create a
campus based ministry at BCTC.
Coffey has been in ministry for 10 years. He
leads small groups, worked with his youth group
at his home church, and performs with the Christian Rock Group, Isaac’s Blessing. He has a
bachelor’s degree in Christian Ministries and is
currently working on his master’s in Christian
Leadership.
This ministry is open to all students at the Cooper campus who are interested in meeting with
other students who share an interest in getting
to know more about religion. Coffey feels that a
strong core needs to be established before opening
this ministry to other BCTC campuses.
The campus ministry Coffey is starting is called
“Questshuns.” Coffey feels that college students
learn best when they question topics. The ministry
encourages healthy questions about God, religion,
Jesus, and the Bible. The main objective of this
ministry is to spread the Christian message and try
to answer student’s questions about religion.
“My hope for this ministry is to establish a group
of Christians that are interested in changing their
campus for the better in the name of Jesus Christ.
I am working to do this through establishing small
groups that help guide us through life by studying
the scriptures," said Coffey. "I believe that this is
the most powerful thing that we as Christians can
do. If we are studying the word of God and we
make that a part of our lives, then others will come
to know Christ by our actions and we will never
have to utter a single word.”
Meetings are held on Tuesday afternoons at
Coffee Island at 3:30 p.m. Coffey is also available anytime after 2:30 p.m. to meet with people
who might have questions. Meetings consist of
catching up, talking about Jesus’ impact in student’s lives, and a prayer time for anything students have on their hearts.
There are no plans for meetings in the summer.
Coffey is planning an event, for students who are
interested, to help with move-in weekend for the
fall semester. The plan is to help students move
into the Greg Page Apartments, which are being
allocated to BCTC students, and to get to know
our fellow students.
“This is a great way to build relationships with
people,” Coffey said.
Check out www.myspace.com/questshuns or
e-mail Coffey at quest.shuns@gmail.com to find
out more about the ministry and special religious
events that happen in Lexington.
Finals Week, Spring 2007
Page Second annual peace fair, May 19
BCTC’s Peace and Justice Coalition is busily organizing the Second Annual Peace and Global Citizenship Fair. The name of the event reflects the
dual local/global emphasis: creating an ecologically sustainable community and building global
understanding and knowledge.
The May 19th event will begin at noon at the
Cooper Campus, with a break in the action from
about 5 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.and an evening concert
beginning at 5:30. The event is free, however the
evening concert is a benefit for Howe Charities (see
http://www.howecharities.org), a Lexington nonprofit. A $5 donation is suggested for the evening
concert.
Enjoy the following music:
12-12:30 p.m.: Lexington Children’s Drum
Choir
(troupe of drummers and dancers)
-12:40-1:15 p.m.: UK/BCTC musicians: Rick,
Josh and Greg (progressive rock)
- 1:15-1:30 p.m.: Denise Brown (flute and
poetry)
- 1:30-2:30 p.m.: Dialectics (eclectic fusion)
- 2:40-3:40 p.m.: Water (Latin jazz and African
soul)
- 3:45-4:45 p.m.: Reel World String Band
(progressive folk)
Evening concert:
- 5:30-6:30 p.m.: Alma Gitana (Caribbean/Lat
in American/Arabic/Eastern Mediterranean
fusion)
- 6:30-7:30 p.m.: Mitch Barrett (folk swing)
- 7:30-8 p.m.: drumming for peace
The students are working on some fascinating
ideas for this year’s event. There will be a peace
bridge and a world globe. When opened up, the
globe will release an earth-friendly surprise that
supports the idea of local sustainability. Entries
for the Children for Peace art contest and Creating
a Culture of Peace essay contest will be posted for
attendees' viewing and reading pleasure.
Food, from local sources, will be provided by
Stella’s. Last year, there were no small meals for the
children, so this year the Peace and Justice Coalition will have a food booth serving Peace and Justice
sandwiches (a.k.a. peanut butter and jam), Quorns,
and maybe a surprise or two. The prices will be very
reasonable.
The Sustainable Cities Network is coordinating
workshops on sustainable living throughout the day.
The University of Kentucky, Berea College, BCTC,
Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Montessori
Middle School, the Unitarian Universalist youth,
Ravenwood, Shambhala Center, World Vision, and
many others will entertain, educate, and engage participants.
For more information, go to www.peace2day.
org or contact Rebecca Glasscock at rebecca.glasscock@kctcs.edu or 246-6319.
Audition dates set for 'Working'
Studio Players and Bluegrass Community and Technical College are holding auditions for Working, the Musical, April
30 & May 1, 7 p.m. at BCTC’s Leestown Road Campus, 164 Opportunity Dr. , Bldg. C. The director is seeking 12-14
women & men, all ages, culturally diverse. Please prepare a one-minute musical selection and bring sheet music. An
accompanist will be provided. Additionally, there will be cold readings from the script. For more audition information,
contact director Tim X. Davis at (859) 576-1744 or Ellen Hellard at (859) 351-1234.
Working, the Musical, is based on the best-selling book of interviews from American workers by Studs Terkel. Working
explores the American workday from the Monday morning blues to the second shift, using the original words of some
uncommon common men and women. Twenty-six workers, including a parking lot attendant, corporate executive, newsboy, schoolteacher, gas meter-reader, housewife, fireman, waitress, millworker, sailor, etc., sing and talk about their jobs.
They define not only the daily round, but their hopes and aspirations as well.
The book was adapted by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Pippin) and Nina Faso. Music was written by Schwartz,
and others including James Taylor, Craig Carnella and Mary Rodgers (Once Upon A Mattress). Originally produced in
1972, the play was revised and updated in 1999. Many of the songs appear on various performers’ albums through the
years.
Studio Players and the Bluegrass Community and Technical College theater program are joining forces to bring this
production to the area. Performance dates are July 12 – Aug. 5 at the Carriage House on Bell Court . For reservations,
call (859) 225-0370.
Page Finals Week, Spring 2007
Multimedia magic
Nicole Eggers builds an impressive resume
by interning with variety of news outlets
By RYAN W. ROBINSON
Courier Staff
Nicole Eggers, 20, is showing us the power of solid internships. In just a short time, Eggers has put together a strong resume for herself. The journalism major from Louisville currently interns for the radio station
104.5 the Cat after previously interning for WKYT-27.
Born and raised in the Derby city, Eggers moved to Lexington to begin her post-high school education. Eggers is in her second year at BCTC, and has been accepted into the college of communications for broadcast
journalism at the University Of Kentucky this fall. Photo submitted
In her spare time, Eggers competes in beauty pageants and currently holds the title of Miss Kentucky TourNicole Eggers
ism (2006). This June, She will compete for the title of Miss Tourism USA. Big or small, Eggers likes pageants
of all sizes and will be one of 25 entrants in the Miss Barbeque Pageant this May in Owensboro.
Eggers is determined to make her dream of becoming a news anchor come true. She’s already
working in the field as a morning news anchor at webpronews.com. Eggers hosts a segment on
104.5's The O-show called the “litter box” at 4:20 p.m. On this segment, Eggers discusses celebrity
and music news among other topics. Eggers is also featured on the gaming blog website Titanquest.net.
Eggers says that these internships come with many incentives. Experience, learning the industry
and meeting the people in the field are just a few of the perks that come with the terrority.
“I encourage everyone to look for internships now,” Eggers urges, “don’t wait.”
Derby Day — start to finish
By GREG HICKS
Courier Staff
Nearly 150,000 sets of eyes at
Churchill Downs are glued to the track
at around 6 p.m. on the first Saturday
in May. Millions of dollars have been
bet on this single race with each person holding their breath rooting for the
equine of their choice. Few will win,
many will lose, but all will live to bet
another race.
“And they’re off!” says Luke Kruytbosch, who has been the track announcer at Churchill Downs since 1999.
Every horse in the field races so that
at the end of the greatest two minutes
in sports they may wear the garland of
roses given to the winner and earn their
owner millions of dollars. But while the
run for the roses is the feature race it
is also one of the last races of the day.
In the infield, patron’s faces have been
sun-burnt for some time now.
On Derby Day the true fans rise with
the sun. Instead of sitting calmly, enjoying the morning air, and drinking
coffee to start the day, a true Kentuckian chooses a strong drink. Arriving
at Churchill Down’s infield when the
gates open would be a foolish move if
you plan to not be too pooped when it
is time to watch the Derby race. If the
time of arrival to the infield is too early, you will surly be lying face down
in the grass from exhaustion and too
many mint juleps by the Derby race.
So most choose to meet with a group
of friends for the pre-party, which includes catching up on old friends and
times as well as readying themselves
for long day ahead.
When the pre-party is concluded,
the trek to Churchill begins. On this
day public transportation flourishes.
City buses are jam-packed, with almost
all of them headed for the most prolific
racetrack in the world. If public transportation is not the route taken, then
one may resort to hitchhiking, which
may not be safe on any other day of the
year, but is a fail-proof plan on Derby
Day.
When reaching Churchill Downs it
is easy to figure out whom to follow to
get to where you want to go, the infield
or the grandstands. Follow the welldressed businessman looking over a
race program, plotting his wagers for
the day, to the grandstand. Follow the
mumbling, stumbling guy in the cutoff tee shirt to the sin-filled infield,
the true Kentucky Derby experience.
While getting into Churchill will cost
you $40, most do not care about the
pricey entry fee, because they all think
they will win it all back with one $2
across-the-board bet. But they are all,
whether they realize it or not, really
just contributing to Churchill Downs’
ever-growing wealth.
After being thrown through the turnstiles, an extensive search of seemingly every orifice of your body is conducted by law enforcement members
before entrance into the infield. When
set free, you must cross underneath the
racetrack through a tunnel to the infield. While in this underground tunnel
thousands of Derby-goers anticipate
the day ahead with hoots and hollers
that echo the enclosed burrow.
On arrival at the gigantic party surrounded by a racetrack, the smartest
thing to do would be to place your
Derby race bets before the blistering
sun and expensive drinks grab hold of
your psyche. After making your wagers, grab a mint julep, take a stroll
around, and observe and take part in
the true and utter sloppiness that is the
Kentucky Derby infield. But be careful
where you step because the early arrivals to the track lay on the ground like
decorative carpets.
Before you know it, the day has
flown by and the Derby is the next
race. Everything in-between arrival
and the greatest two minutes in sports
is a fantastic cluster that may be a little blurry, but will most defiantly be
remembered as a great day at the races
that the average Derby fanatic would
not trade for the world.
The journey home is very much
like the trek to Churchill. Riding the
bus includes hours of waiting, and
your legs are drained of their walking
power from the exhausting day. So
the impatient hitch a ride with people
whom they may never see again. Rest
is a necessity on arrival back where
the day began because the after-party
starts in a few hours.
The Kentucky Derby may be
known as the greatest race in the sport
made for kings, or queens in light of
the Queen of England attending this
year’s running of the roses, and many
celebrities come back year after year,
but, one thing is for sure: No royalty
or celebrity in attendance has a true
Derby understanding until they make
the great journey to the infield, the
greatest party surrounded by turf.
Finals Week, Spring 2007
Page Liven up your summer
with these local events
— Turn off the TV and make
the most of warm, sunny days —
By SARAH STEWART
Courier Staff
Summer is arriving and so is the expected boredom of not being able to
find anything to do in Lexington. The
shininess of summer rubs off after a
few weeks, leaving residents to mope
in front of their TV’s and refrain from
enjoying the short-lived warm weather.
In actuality Lexington is an eventful
city, filled with traditional and diverse
entertainment for everyone to enjoy.
Starting out the summer is the annual Mayfest held Mother’s Day weekend starting May 11, sponsored by the
Downtown Lexington Corporation.
Held in Gratz Park near Transylvania
University, Mayfest is a free outdoor
festival featuring art booths, children
and adult activities, and will showcase
a conventional Maypole dance. It’s
perfect for celebrating the holiday with
family.
Every Friday in June and July is the
family-friendly Picnic in the Park, located at Old Fort Harrod State Park on
South College Street in nearby Harrodsburg. Everyone can gather and enjoy
live music during a picnic lunch, and
kids can enjoy the park atmosphere.
Of course, the Bluegrass State has to
hold a Festival of the Bluegrass. This
music festival showcases bluegrass
musicians and singers on three stages,
and provides seating for concertgoers. It’s held during the first full week
in June at the Kentucky Horse Park
Campgrounds.
During June’s first and second weekends is “It’s a Grand Night for Singing!” a popular Broadway review,
hosted by the U.K. Opera Theatre at
the Singletary Center for the Arts. The
Opera Theatre also hosts Ballet Under
the Stars August 2-5 outside at Woodland Park.
With the closing of the Lexington
Shakespeare Festival, this year the Ac-
tors Guild of Lexington will be taking
over the task of keeping Shakespeare
alive and will be performing dramatic plays at Equus Run Vineyards
in Woodford County. Shakespeare at
Equus Run is set for June 21-23 and
28-30.
Lexington’s Fourth of July festivities extend for several days. It includes
food and game booths, as well as local
artists’ works, and is centered downtown. Kids will enjoy the Fourth of
July parade, and adults will love the
performance by members of the Lexington Philharmonic. The famous holiday fireworks display is well worth the
time, seen exploding in the sky from a
large area of the city.
Soon after on August 11, the annual
A Midsummer Night’s Run is to be
held at the same location, a 5K race
that adults and children in Lexington
can participate in. Also, throughout
the summer from June to August is a
series of free, public concerts called
Thursday Night Live, located in Cheapside Park on Main Street.
The well-praised Woodland Arts Fair
is also located in the heart of the city,
scheduled for August 18-19. It’s known
all over Kentucky for displaying some
of the most creative and professional
quality pieces of artwork of many varieties. It’s free to attend and also provides concession booths.
For those who aren’t avid fans of art,
the Lexington Legends baseball team
has already begun its seventh season.
Located at Applebee’s Park, the Legends will be playing against neighboring baseball teams with the support of
their Lexington fans.
Lexington has much to offer by way
of diverse activities and events to attend, and has something for everyone
during the warmer climates.
For a Calendar of Events in Lexington this summer, visit the Lexington,
KY Visitor’s website at: http://www.
visitlex.com.
Photos of A Midsummer Night's Run courtesy
of CENTRAL BAPTIST HOSPITAL
Photographer: BILL PATTERSON
Page 'Blessed
Assurance'
wows audience
By CALLIE NELSON
Courier Staff
I must say I was thoroughly impressed by the performance of Blessed Assurance, Bluegrass Community
and Technical College’s first theatrical production. The play was well-directed and the acting strong.
Blessed Assurance takes place in the 1950s, when segregation was still an issue. Olivia (portrayed by
Sharonda Piersall), a strong-willed African-American woman working at the White House Café, repeatedly
marches up to the courthouse in an attempt to register to vote. This causes quite a commotion at work and
among her friends.
Olivia’s boss, Harlan (portrayed by Eric Henninger) encourages her not to go to the courthouse. However,
his 17-year-old daughter, Sally (Kat Carney), supports Olivia’s right to vote, but looks out for her safety.
Lewis (Jeremy Brown), an African-American man who is hopelessly in love with Olivia, tries to protect her
as best he can and even risks his own life to save her. Slick (Zack Hightower), a sleazy alcoholic, flat-out
refuses to support the right of Blacks to vote.
Piersall delivered an excellent portrayal of Olivia (I would expect nothing less from a graduate of Paul
Lawrence Dunbar). Her lines were delivered beautifully and clearly, and she never once dropped character.
Sally was also excellently portrayed, as Carney brought to the stage the perfect amount of spunk, innocence,
and naivete of a 17-year-old.
Brown and Henninger were extremely impressive in their acting debuts. Henninger’s seriousness throughout the production was impressive, and Brown was very professional in his actions.
Slick’s portrayal by Hightower was impressive, as his drunken stupor and mood swings seemed very realistic. Hightower stumbled over a few lines, but quickly corrected himself and did not let it hinder his
performance.
Tim X. Davis proved his directing skills impeccably. The stage directions and blocking were amazing and
the interaction between the characters both interesting and realistic.
The tech crew must also receive some recognition, for the costumes were very realistic, the set design
beautiful, and the lighting and sound perfectly clear.
The second act of the play did seem to drag on a bit, but I believe the fault there lies in the script, and had
nothing to do with the actors.
As a native to the stage myself, I was wary of the quality of the performance. But Blessed Assurance
proved to be enjoyable. Both shows were sold-out, and the standing ovation at the end proved the audience
was very impressed.
Sharonda Piersall (Olivia)
holds Zack Hightower (Slick)
at gunpoint after his attack
on Eric Henninger (Harlan),
as Kat Carney (Sally) cowers
in fear.
Photo by CALLIE NELSON | Staff
Finals Week, Spring 2007
VIEWPOINT
Give us
a break!
By MARILOU BLEVINS
Courier Staff
Students are not the only ones busy on campus.
The towing companies are working like bees trying
to get as many cars as they can. Cars have been getting towed left and right.
It’s like a race of who can get the most.
It’s like they have a quota.
Every time I walk to the parking lot, there they sit,
waiting for their next prey. They mark their victims
car’s with bright red “Do Not Move,” signs, plastered
on the windshields. You can’t miss the florescent yellow contraption that they place on the wheels to keep
them from being driven.
It’s like being kicked while were down. It’s the
end of the semester and most students are drained and
ready to be done with school. We have no more fuel,
no more energy, and not to mention no more money
on our meal cards!
They should have sympathy on us. We are just
poor students trying to make it through the end of
the semester. We have enough to worry about with
finals, papers, and projects. The last thing we need is
to worry about how were going to get money to get
our cars back.
“I had to pay $120 just to get my car out of the
impound,” said Stephanie Gish, a freshman at BCTC.
“I was walking out to my car and there they were,
getting ready to put my car on the truck!”
Just the other day, I saw two parking attendants arguing with a student. After several minutes of arguing, the student handed them a check. It was a sign
that she had been defeated. They released her car
from their truck drove down the aisle to their next
victim, a blue Explorer. As I sat there, I wondered if
this student would come out in time to save his or her
car, no. The tow truck dragged the car away, like a
beast that had conquered its prey.
Most of the meters in the BCTC parking lot only
allow you to insert 45 minutes worth of money. Since
there are no classes that meet for only 45 minutes,
most students have to make numerous runs to put
money in their meters. A lot of students do not want
to disrupt class by leaving every 45 minutes.
It would make sense to extend the time limit on the
meters like other campuses. There are some meters
at UK and EKU that allow you to park for up to three
hours.
So think about sticking a quarter in a meter next
time you see that flashing red sign that indicates time
has run out. That quarter could save someone $120.
Think about karma. One day a thoughtful person may
save you from having to pay $120.
Finals Week, Spring 2007
Teeing off in Lexington:
By RYAN SMOLENSKI
Courier Staff
Infinite blue skies, the sun baking from above,
green Bermuda fairways cut so short you can almost
hear them screaming for water, and you still have 30
yards left to get up and down for par. This is a normal summer afternoon event for millions of people.
Golf around Lexington is easy to find. Everything
one will need to enjoy this wonderful relaxing game,
including some club pros that could teach you a thing
or two, can be found right here in town.
The magnificent courses offered in this area are
some of the best in Kentucky. Some are so nice you
might wonder if you are still on a public course or
if someone in the club house slipped up and let you
onto a private course. Whatever the case may be,
you are missing out on a once in a lifetime experience if you don’t make it out to play a round or two
this summer.
Kearney Hill, Lakeside, Picadome, and Griffin
Gate Resort are just some of the public courses located here. With courses spread out all over town, driving five miles in any direction will put you close to a
course. But to find the perfect one for you get online
and search Thegolfcourses.net. This site gives you
all the information you will need to plan your next
golf outing. From phone numbers and directions, to
dress attire and golf course yardage, this website will
help to find the best course for your buck. Lexington
golf courses have been rated as some of the best in
the state, and have even received awards from golf
magazines. One of the best amenities to playing golf
here in town is that you can get a tee time just about
Page It's not just for
Grandpa anymore
anywhere if you call before 10 a.m.
This makes for a hassle-free afternoon full of leisure, and the perfect
beginning, middle, or end to the
equatorial heat of a summer’s day.
Obviously, playing golf requires
clubs and a few balls. Clubs start
at about $100-$150 and go up to
about $2,000, but a good starter
set will do just fine at about $200.
If you are skeptical about buying
clubs your first time out, call the
golf course ahead of time to see if
they offer rental clubs. If they do,
this is the way to start your golf career. It might be a good idea to find
out if you like the sport before you
spend upwards of $1,000 on good
Photo by RYAN SMOLENSKI | Staff
clubs. This can save you a ton of
money. When it comes to balls, the Lakeside Golf Course on Richmond Road is one of many
prices range from $15-$50 a dozen. courses golfers can enjoy in Lexington.
Any ball will work in the case of a
ton: “The open fairways and short courses make it
beginner, but as you progress as a player, changing
easy for a first timer. I did a lot better than I thought
to a ball that accents the way you play can tremenI would.” As a former player for the University of
dously improve your game.
Kentucky football team, he found it easy to just go
When asked why he likes to play golf in Lexingout there and have fun. “This is a game that you have
ton, Carter Kolb replied, "I like the variety of courses
fun no matter what, it’s nothing like football.” That’s
that Lexington offers. I live in Athens, KY and the
why golf is a sport anyone can play. You can walk
20 minutes it takes me to get to Lakeside golf course
the course, and get exercise, or you can ride a cart
is worth the drive.”
and take it easy. Whatever you decide, the fun is still
Carter also mentioned that his favorite course to
included in the green fee.
play is Picadome golf course. “I like it because of
If you find yourself with nothing to do one day this
the well-manicured greens and they take really good
summer, pick up the phone and make a tee time at
care of the whole course.” Both of these things help
one of Lexington’s beautiful public courses. This is a
to make Lexington a premier place to play golf.
wonderful opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and get
As a first time golfer, Rocco Maragas had these
some exercise as well.
words to say about playing his first round in Lexing-
Past editions of the Courier are available on the
BCTC website at www.bluegrass.kctcs.edu
Page 10
Finals Week, Spring 2007
Welcome Billy G.
Gillispie turns down extension
with A&M to join UK Wildcats
By RYAN W. ROBINSON
Courier Staff
Over the past 70 years, the University of Kentucky has won more games
than any other college basketball team.
In that same span of time, Kentucky
has won seven national titles (’48, ’49,
’51,’58,’78,’96,’98). Now, it has hired
its sixth coach in that same time, Billy
Clyde Gillispie.
When Tubby Smith abruptly resigned March 22 to take the Minnesota
job, Kentucky began scrambling to
find a new head man.
Immediately following Smith’s departure, many UK fans began clamoring for the services of former Kentucky
assistant and current Florida coach,
Billy Donovan. Shortly after winning
his second consecutive NCAA title,
Donovan declined to interview for the
job.
Thus, Gillispie came into play. Gillispie, the former Texas-El Paso and
Texas A&M coach, accepted a sevenyear contract worth $16.1 million, to
become UK’s sixth coach. The former
Texas high school coach had agreed in
principle to a long-term contract extension with A&M but never signed.
Gillispie’s name was one of the first
names considered (after Donovan), as
a potential candidate for the job. His
ability to rebuild and turn around two
faltering programs is why his name
was mentioned.
A single man, with no children, Gillispie, 47, pours his life into basketball. He commits everything to winning, something the passionate UK fan
base will appreciate. Big Blue Nation
has longed for someone to match the
charisma that Adolph Rupp and Rick
Pitino brought. Unlike Smith, whom
many fans saw as an introvert, Gillispie
has the personality to attend to the
needs of the UK fans.
Gillispie started his college
coaching career as an assistant to
Bill Self, now the Kansas coach,
at first Tulsa and then Illinois. Gillispie is credited with recruiting
many of the key players from Illinois national runner-up team in 2005,
including future NBA-lottery pick,
Deron Williams.
In his first year at UTEP, Gillispie
posted a 6-24 record, then quickly
turned the team around going 24-8
which was the nation’s biggest oneyear improvement. From there, he
moved to Texas A&M, where the Aggies were coming off a winless season
in the Big 12.
In his first season in College Station, Gillispie turned the Aggies into
conference contenders posting a 2110 record. This marked his second
consecutive season with the most im-
Photo source: ukathletics.com
proved team in the nation, becoming
the first coach to achieve this record.
At 100-58 over his first five years,
Gillisipie has proven that he can win,
and win quickly. Over his short career,
Gillispie has three NCAA tournament
appearances, including a Sweet 16
with Texas A&M.
Now, Gillispie moves to the biggest
stage in college basketball. Kentucky
basketball is home to the most passionate fans, an arena which holds 24,000,
and a brand new practice facility, yet
also features more pressure than any
other coaching job in America.
Mr. Smith goes to Minnesota
By MICHAEL KELLY
Courier Staff
Kentucky went out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Kansas 88-76, but little
did we know that the madness
was just beginning in Kentucky.
Four days after our second-round
exit, Tubby Smith had resigned
and taken the head coaching job
at Minnesota.
Overall, no matter what people
might tell you, Smith was a good
coach for the University of Kentucky. He had a record of 26383. He never missed the NCAA
Tournament in all of his time
here. Kentucky went to one Final Four which led to a national
championship in 1998. Kentucky went to four Elite 8s and
six Sweet 16s.
If you look at Smith’s record,
it was pretty impressive for most
places, but not in Kentucky.
When Smith first took this job,
Kentucky was on top of the college basketball world. Kentucky
had just been to two straight national championship games winning one against Syracuse in 1996
and losing to Arizona in 1997.
Kentucky ended up losing only
four games in 1998, but still people felt that Smith wasn’t good
enough to lead Kentucky to the
championship status. But he did
just that by leading the “Comeback Cats” all the way to the national championship.
At that point, people felt Smith
was the best coach in America
and that Kentucky would remain
a dominant force in college basketball. He would have some defining moments after that national
championship by beating Florida
in 2003 when Florida was the
no.1 team in America.
He led UK to an undefeated
season in 2003 when Kentucky
Photo source: ukathletics.com
went 16-0 in the SEC and won
the SEC Tournament on the way
to a perfect 19-0 record in the
SEC. Unfortunately, Kentucky
would fall short in their bid for a
national championship that year
by losing to Marquette in the Elite
8 when Keith Bogans wasn’t 100
percent.
After that season UK has only
had one Elite 8 appearance in the
last four years. This is what led to
Smith resigning this year and taking the head job at Minnesota. You
can say what you want, but Smith
was a good coach for Kentucky
and he will be missed. Thank you
Smith for all the good things you
did. Good luck in Minnesota.
Finals Week, Spring 2007
Page 11
— Weekend warriors haggle their way from yard to yard in search of the best find —
One’s trash is another’s treasure
up too much space. At the end of the day, whatever wasn’t sold has to be brought back into the
house or disposed of in some other way. The seller
is much more likely to sell things for less if they
are in bulk because if they don’t, there is a chance
that those items will not be sold.
After aspiring “yard salers” have learned the
techniques of bartering and have become familiar
with the etiquette, they are ready to start the hunt.
Plan ahead. Chances are a lot of sales will be
cancelled if it’s raining, so check the weather. The
best stuff goes early. It’s always better to go in the
morning and not in the afternoon.
This season is shaping up to be one for the record books. Those infected with the yard sale disease could be emerging in a nearby neighborhood
or even next door, searching for the next big deal.
So join in or sleep in. But don’t be caught rubbernecking.
By HUNTER EMBRY
Courier Staff
Every year as the weather warms, a herd of
hungry people, equipped with arsenals of spare
change, breaks from hibernation in search of the
next hot deal. Whether they’re young, old, naïve
or clever, it runs through their veins. It’s in their
blood.
As the local papers’ classified sections begin
to lengthen, neon signs gather around telephone
poles and junk accumulates in the middle of
driveways and yards across America. This can
only mean one thing: yard sales are back.
For a country driven by private enterprise, it’s
no shock that people use their property to sell their
second-hand household belongings. In some ways
yard sales have become an American tradition.
With every tradition, there are customs. While
yard sales are pretty much cheap consignment
shops set up outside, there are certain aspects of a
yard sale that are unique and worth knowing about
if you are looking to save some money.
In order for there to be a seller, there must be
buyers. Weekly buyers and shoppers are called
“Yard Salers” or thrill seekers; in it for the chase,
they pounce on every chance to make the big
find.
“It’s addicting. It started out with just getting up
early one morning for breakfast with a few buddies. On the way home we saw a bunch of signs on
the side of the road and decided to follow them to
the sale. I ended up finding some CDs and a shirt
for really cheap. I’ve been hooked ever since,”
said second-year student, Bennett Gatto.
An essential part of the yard sale experience is
to find the “good stuff.” The best chance someone
has to get these items is to take into account a yard
saler’s worst enemies: time and other shoppers.
Yard sales usually start around 8 a.m. and end at
2 p.m. That’s a six-hour window to shop as many
yards as possible. Like sales at retail stores, the
most-wanted items usually go early.
So start the hunt by checking the classified sections of local newspapers and signs along the road.
Then plan a route to drive that Saturday. Find out
spots of town where the most sales will be held
and target that area. This maximizes the amount
of sales a person could visit in a minimal amount
of time. Take into consideration neighborhood or
city-wide sales, which are jackpots for most shoppers.
Sociology professor Jeanne Humble has also
been bitten by the “yard sale bug.”
“I have found that in the older established
neighborhoods, like Ashland Park and Chevy
Chase, yard sale prices are very reasonable for
the quality of the items. In the more middleclass neighborhoods, the prices are higher. In the
newer upscale neighborhoods near Harrodsburg
Road, people redecorate a lot and even sell their
wedding gifts; many have high mortgages in these
newer neighborhoods and they want cash flow. I
have found so many real bargains at yard sales, including books, CDs, clothes, furniture, new gifts,
etc,” said Humble.
Whether browsing or looking for something spe-
Photo by MIKE PEASE | staff
Yard sale signs like the one above spring up
all over town as warmer weather sets in.
Tips for Hosting a Yard Sale
cific, shoppers should know yard sale etiquette.
Sellers never like the yard sale rubber-necker.
This is someone who cruises past the sale very
slowly, looking at all the goods from far away, but
never getting out of the car. The rubber-necker occasionally comes back after he/she “necks” all the
other sales. It is common courtesy to at least get
out of the car and get a better look.
It’s courteous to park the car on the side of the
road. No one wants tire tracks in their lawn, so it’s
best to stay off. Try to avoid parking in the driveway too; it will prevent getting blocked in by other
cars, as well as allow others to get a better look at
what’s for sale.
After parking and beginning to shop, many people forget that they’re on someone else’s property,
touching their things. For a smooth yard sale experience, it is important that things are kept in order
and put back where they were found.
“It might not seem like a big deal to look through
a stack of shirts and leave them unfolded and scattered across a table, but sometimes owners don’t
appreciate it. They may not say anything, but you
can feel the tension in the yard,” said Gatto.
Another part of the yard sale experience unique
to most other shopping, is when buyers try persuade the host to sell his/her belongings for cheaper. This happens often. It’s called haggling.
There are many different styles of haggling. One
of which is the “I don’t have enough money” technique. This usually works because many sellers are
eager to get rid of his/her clutter.
There is also the “I’ll give ya …” style, which
is a much more straight forward technique. This is
frequently used by the older, wiser “yard salers”.
For instance, if a seller says they want $5 for an
old chair then the buyer might say I’ll give ya $3.
There’s a 50/50 chance the seller will say yes.
The chances of getting an item cheaper greatly
increase if you purchase two or more items at the
same time. Say a shopper would like to buy a shirt
for $1, a pair of pants for $2 and a pair of shoes for
$4; that person might offer $5 for all three items.
Yard sales are usually held because someone has
a lot of junk that isn’t needed anymore or is taking
Get the Junk Together
Weeks before the sale, start accumulating
all of your junk.
Advertise
Put an ad in the local paper.
Put up signs where they will be seen by
everyone.
Get Change
Be sure to get plenty of $1, $5 and $10
bills as well as about $20 in quarters,
dimes and nickels.
Parking
Make sure the sale is held somewhere that
will park five or six vehicles.
Good Dates
Don’t host the sale on a holiday weekend
and try to plan around any storms that may
hit.
Expect Early Birds
The hardest of the hard core yard salers
will show up earlier than the starting time,
so be ready.
Trim the Lawn
There is nothing worse than a customer
contemplating whether to buy a crappy
old entertainment center (the one that has
been collecting dust for months), and decid
ing not to because they can’t stop
scratching their legs.
Price Everything
In order to save a lot of time, put prices on
everything. Price everything in amounts of
five cents or more because no one wants to
deal with pennies.
Keep Animals Away
While little Cujo may be a sweet little Ger
man Shephard, there’s a good chance a
customer will decide not to get out of the
car because of the pup.
Provide Bags
Make it easy for your customers to help you
clear away the goods.
Page 12
Finals Week, Spring 2007
Pain at the pump
By BRIAN C. WYATT
Courier Staff
As spring break came and went this year, student
consumers witnessed gas prices jump from $2.25 per
gallon to near post-Katrina levels of $2.89 per gallon.
The summer driving season is upon us, and as motorists take to the roads again concerns continue about
the volatile cost of oil, refinery shortages and international unrest in key oil-producing countries such as
Iraq, Venezuela and Nigeria.
In a nation that will spend more than $200 billion at
gas pumps this year, today’s prices are a deep concern
for many who are struggling to make ends meet; gas
now burns through as much as 10 percent or more of
personal and household income.
“I pay about $30 a week in gas; I used to spend only
$20,” said Ed Riley, a BCTC biology major. “It’s like
I have a whole new bill to pay!”
According to the U.S. government’s Energy Information Administration (EIA), Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day motorists may see
“different, possibly softer, markets.” For years, the
typical summer driving season was considered to oc-
cur between the Memorial Day and Labor Day holidays, with peak summer gasoline demand occurring
sometime after the Fourth-of-July holiday.
Although this consumer trend continues, demand
patterns have shifted somewhat to include more robust levels of gasoline demand earlier in the driving
season with a pre-summer peak in gasoline prices beginning in March and April.
“People have to pick up their kids from school.
They have to go to work. People have to travel,”
said Caressa Colburn, pre-Pharmacy major, “and the
government knows this. You have to buy gas!”
The latest price increases came on the heels of
spring break and have left some wondering if price
gouging is occurring. Following Hurricane Katrina
there were cases of gouging involving inflation of
prices of as much as 131 percent over real cost per
barrel with 85 cents being a typical markup for taxes,
refining, and distribution, according to University of
Wisconsin economist Don Nichols in 2005.
If you suspect your neighborhood filling station is
overcharging, you do have recourse by going to the
U.S. Department of Energy’s website and filling out
their “Gas Price Watch Reporting Form” at http://
gaswatch.energy.gov/.
BRIAN C. WYATT | Staff
Motorists have been keeping a close eye on
pricing signs like this one at the Speedway
station on Euclid Avenue.
'Displace Me' event inspires
empathy for children in Uganda
By NICOLE EGGERS
Courier Staff
Students around Lexington are making a difference.
The Invisible Children documentary
was shown at BCTC’s Cooper campus
in February. Many students came to
learn more about the children in Uganda, Africa, who are being forced to kill
and are enduring torture by the Lords
Resistance Army.
“The movie makes you realize what
you have; there is no way I could live
like the children in Uganda. Even
through all the struggle the children
still continue to smile. Its amazing,”
said Aaron Emanuel after watching the
documentary.
The 21-year-old war has for some
time been unheard of. But now that the
word is spreading and students, along
with many others, want to do something about it.
Several teams of people and colleges
around the world are trying to catch the
government’s attention to stop this war
in Africa. Lexington’s team, made up
of passionate people, is working hard at
Photo source: invisiblechildren.com
ending this war. An event called Global Night Commute in Triangle Park last
April 29 caught even more people’s
attention. Students and adults slept in
Triangle Park to represent what the
children in Uganda do every night. The
Global Night Commute was labeled
one of the biggest demonstrations in
the U.S. for Africa, changing culture,
policy, and lives.
But now a bigger event will be taking place for Lexington residents. Fifteen camps around the U.S will gather
thousands of people to make a visible
statement to the government and media that the citizens of the U.S demand
action in ending the war. The event is
called “Displace Me.” The point is to
be “displaced” in another state, as well
as sleep in a box for the night. This
symbolism of being in a place where
the comfort zone is completely gone
is a way people can show they care.
It’s not just residents who want to get
involved, but many college-age students from Lexington are displacing
themselves in Nashville overnight and
wearing shirts with red x’s on them,
to symbolize they are another person
in Uganda.
“The Displace Me event is a good
way for us (people not affected by conflict) to experience the harsh reality of
the African people in the Sudan,” said
Will Steffe, a BCTC student, commenting on the upcoming event.
So far, 679 students and adults have
committed to go to Nashville for “Displace Me.”
You can visit the website at www.
invisiblechildren.com, where you will
find this theme for the event.
The Lord’s Resistance
Army (LRA) has abducted
thousands of children, subjected them to torture or
sexual violence and forced
them to fight in a violent
guerilla army for 21 years—
making this the longest running war in Africa. In hopes
of providing protection from
this rebel militia, the Ugandan government forcibly
evicted its Northern citizens
from their homes — giving
them 48 hours to relocate
into camps. Today, more
than 1.5 million Northern
Ugandans remain far from
secure, suffering nearly
1,000 deaths per week due
to inhumane living conditions in the camps.
Finals Week, Spring 2007
Page 13
Is your car where you left it?
'Parking nazis' keep constant patrol, always ticketing and towing
By SETH LAMAR
Courier Staff
There is war going on, and it’s not
the one going on across the pond in
Iraq. It’s right here at home in our
back yard- literally.
The students at both BCTC and UK
have long been fighting a losing battle
against UK and their army of “parking
nazis” a nickname for the employees
of PTS (Parking and Transportation
Services) coined by some students at
both schools. The on-going oppression drains the pockets of the college
student, when just being enrolled at the
institution is in itself a strain on most
financially.
The mission statement of PTS is “To
promote safe and reasonable access to
Campus for all University Employees,
Students, and guests.” There is nothing reasonable about the way that PTS
conducts itself by emptying the pockets of all of the aforementioned.
Now the money already spent on tuition, books, and especially fuel could
be spent on worse. Our nation’s youth
could be out there dealin’ dimebags,
and buying heroin, but instead they are
going to college to make something
of themselves and in return they get
to pay upwards of $95 a semester on
top of tuition and books for parking
regardless of the location. So whether
you are an inch or a mile away from
One student’s car suddenly develops a “boot” fetish as it gets
immobilized by PTS.
campus, your wallet is getting jacked
all the same.
Whether you are actually a customer
who has bought a tag or not, sooner or
later you are going to be caught in a situation that PTS will nail you for. During the school year of 2005-2006, PTS
handed out 65,230 parking citations,
over 2,500 tows, and 612 vehicles got
a nice and shiny big yellow boot to immobilize them.
Many words for these statistics come
to mind, such as ridiculous, absurd,
outlandish, and outrageous. I could go
on and on, but my civility would soon
run its course.
One post on a facebook group discussion page says: Earlier this semester I had all my classes dropped
because I had paid 13 of 14 tickets, I
paid the other ticket and scheduled
my classes. Two days later I got another ticket while my truck was running and my blinkers were on while I
ran something into a house, I had to
pay it the next day to buy my parking
pass. Someone was parked in my spot
in our lot last night so I parked next to
them; they towed me out of the lot even
though I have no outstanding tickets
proclaiming that I am a persistent offender. They also informed me that it is
going to be an extra 50$ to retrieve my
car because they had to use a bigger
tow truck due to the size of my truck.
They are criminals and have no interest in actually creating better parking
for this university!
Very few posts on facebook were as
civil as the previous, and that just goes
to show that most students have an extreme distaste for PTS.
“I think it’s pretty sad that you
have these parking tags that are way
overpriced to students that probably
couldn’t afford them in the first place.
It’s also very annoying to see those
parking nazi’s out there writing tickets every chance they get,” said Zack
Gross.
During the winter, the parking situation is especially unbearable enough
to settle for a K-lot permit for the same
price as a C-6 tag. Why does this happen? PTS admits to overselling permits
and along with the K-lot being home to
most dorm parking, some cars hardly
Photos by SETH LAMAR | Staff
It is not an unusual sight to see one of the “parking nazi’s” patrolling for possible parking violations.
move at all during the semester.
There are some students who cannot afford the steep costs of obtaining a parking tag, but PTS claims they
still have options. One option is the
parking meters, which are only available for periods of 45 minutes or three
hours. The last time I checked, I have
never had a class that lasted for as short
of a time as 45 minutes, or for as long
as three hours.
Another option is going all the way
to the main offices of PTS and obtaining a temporary tag for the cost of
$2.50, but how many people have the
time and patience to go through all the
trouble for a tag that won’t be valid the
next day?
If the temporary tags and the parking meters aren’t your cup of tea, you
can always ride the bus, which is little
more convenient than walking.
It appears that PTS is stepping up
their game against the brazen BCTC
who defies the parking regulations
handed down. Now after two tickets, the violators will be immobilized
(by a boot) according to student Allie
Roscoe, who has experienced this first
hand. So beware when attempting to
tease the beast known as PTS.
Eastern Kentucky University charges just $36 for a parking tag that is
good for an entire year of school. I’m
certain that most wonder why we, as
students, pay such a premium for parking that most students at other schools
take for granted. The reason for this is
that in 2003, PTS switched from being
a state-funded department to being self
sufficient. This meaning that no money brought in by PTS is given back to
either school.
“One of the main reasons I transferred from BCTC to EKU instead of
UK is to get away from all the high
costs of parking tags, and parking issues,” said Kyle Moore.
It seems that everyone has story to
tell when it comes to experiences with
the girls and boys in the black socks
carrying their e-boards, and cruising
their pimped out Chevy S-10s. The
sheer sight of a parking attendant infuriates and disturbs most students about
as much as the Christian Laettener gut
stomp on a UK player.
One tale of injustice doesn’t even
involve a student, but rather a Papa
John’s pizza delivery boy who parked
his vehicle in front of the school to
do his job: deliver a pizza. While in
the school doing his job, a PTS official sees his vehicle parked in front of
the school with the four-way flashers
on and decides to investigate. Instead
of a warning in the form of a note or
ticket, the judge and jury tow the guy’s
car; his livelihood is dragged off by
a Bluegrass Towing truck. Now they
didn’t just leave him stranded, but also
kept him from doing his job if he was
a student, his finances are now even
more strained. Now he cannot make
the money to pay to get his car out of
PARKING
continued on page 19
Page 14
Finals Week, Spring 2007
Hot games to play
in the hot season
'Mass Effect' leads the pack of summer releases
By DUSTIN T. JONES
Courier Staff
Finals week is here, and with it the
end of another semester and the beginning of summer. There are plenty of
you out there with vacation ideas, and
places to go, but for those who may be
spending time at home, there is quite a
bit to keep you entertained.
This summer is looking to be a great
season for all the console gamers. The
Xbox360, and the Wii are both getting
some heavy hitters this summer.
The main attraction this summer is
probably going to be an Action-RPG
(Role playing Game) for the Xbox360
called Mass Effect, made by the Bioware team, the
same people
who brought
you titles like
Knights
of
The Old Republic 1 & 2,
and
Neverwinter Nights.
Mass Effect
takes
place
in an extraordinary future
some
200
years
from
now, centered
on the main
character,
Commander Shepard, whom you are
able to model in several different ways.
You can make Shepard male or female,
you get to pick from an assortment of
facial expressions, and you can even
select what sort of background your
personal Shepard has.
Based on what choices you make
in character creation, and during the
course of the game, computer-controlled characters in the universe will
react to your character in differing
ways. Some may look up to you with
respect, while others may mutter nasty
things behind your back; it’s all up to
you.
Combat in the game can take place
in real time with the ability to pause in
the middle of action, and direct your
teammates to attack certain enemies,
move somewhere, use a certain ability,
etc. Your teammates have their own
A.I.(Artificial Intelligence), and can
make decisions on their own, letting
you decide if you want to run and gun,
or be tactical.
The game isn’t centered on combat,
being a RPG; you will spend time interacting with the inhabitants of each
planet you visit. Conversation happens
in real time, and you can visibly see
facial and body expressions change
while you are talking to someone.
You can choose from a multitude
of options when initiating a conversa-
Photo source:
tion with someone: you can say polite
things, not-so-polite things, from outright threats and butt-strokes to the face
and so on. You can be the do-gooder
hero, or an anti-hero, just so long as
you get the job done.
“My top pick for a great summer
game coming out is definitely Mass
Effect. It looks like one of those games
where you spend countless hours immersed in the deep storyline. It’s supposed to last around 60 hours, too,”
Eric Manley, an employee at the EBgames in Fayette Mall of Lexington,
answered when asked what his top hot
summer game.
Be on the lookout for Mass Effect,
slated by EBgames to be released on
June 19.
For the Wii owners out there, the
ever-popular Super Smash Bros series
is getting its newest installment this
summer, Super Smash Bros: Brawl.
For those who don’t know, Super
Smash Bros is a quirky four-player
fighting game featuring Nintendo
characters from just about everywhere, ranging from Link and Zelda
from the Legend of Zelda series, and
even Mario and Luigi from the famous Mario Brothers games.
The roster of an already considerable amount of characters is going to
get bigger in this newest installment.
Although so far, none of the Super
Smash Bros series have included any non-Nintendo
characters, Brawl is going to
break the mold, introducing
Solid Snake, the main character of the Metal Gear Solid
series, as a playable character.
There is much speculation, but there might be a
chance Sonic the Hedgehog
will be a playable character
in Brawl among other thirdparty characters.
The main differences that
separate a Super Smash
IGN.com Bros game from any other
fighter are the simplicity of
the controls, and the aim of the game.
The game takes place on a 2D playing
field, with 3D characters. You fight to
damage your opponents to a certain
degree, eventually getting them weak
enough to be knocked out of the stage
with a “smash move.”
For those who are worried about
how this new brawler is going to control with the motion sensitivity of the
Wii, you can breathe a sigh of relief.
As of right now, there isn’t going to be
any gimmick of swinging the controller around, the developers are making
the control scheme to play like Super
Smash Bros: Melee, so don’t throw
Photo source: gamespot.com
away those old Gamecube controllers! You might be able to use them.
Chance Hall from EBgames said,
“I’m really anticipating that title when
it comes out. They’re adding those
new super smash moves that look really cool. Like you grab these Super
Smash Icons and characters will do
special moves, like Link cuts them
into the air, and does this sword combo that creates a tri-force with every
swing. The game looks really good.”
Look for Super Smash Bros: Brawl
in EBgames stores, June 1.
The store employees at EBgames
would like to remind everyone that
you can come in and reserve any video game title you want just by putting
five dollars on it, guaranteeing you a
copy when the game is released.
So if you’re intrigued by these two
games, and want to know more or are
convinced these are for you, go put
some pocket change down on them!
If you don’t pick up the game, you
don’t lose your money, and you can
always put it towards something else
in the store.
Keep an eye out for many more
video game titles in the upcoming
months. This summer is chock-full of
some impressive-looking titles.
Finals Week, Spring 2007
Page 15
Summer fun
The sun: friend
doesn't have to or foe?
break the bank
By ALLI ROSCOE
Courier Staff
Road trips, camping, fishing give students
options for cost-effective vacations
By AARON EMANUEL
Courier Staff
Sell your books, trash your folders,
and burn your backpack. Summer is
here!
For most students the past year has
been tough, and it’s likely they have
been daydreaming of what they’re going to do to make their summer memorable.
With long days and warm nights, the
possibilities for fun are endless.
Topping the list for summer excitement is the timeless road trip. Grab a
few friends, fill up on gas, and hit the
road.
Florida is a mere 12 hours away.
North Carolina’s coast is teaming with
beaches and considerably closer than
Florida, clocking in as a six hour drive
from Lexington. The beach is a great
way to spend the summer and Florida
isn’t the only state offering them.
Take as many friends as your car can
handle because the more people who
go, the less everyone will pay for gas.
The majority of your money will be
spent on food. Pack a cooler with sandwich meat, condiments, bread, snacks,
and drinks and spend the savings on
entertainment.
If traveling that far from home is a
problem, there is an exciting option.
Cincinnati is home to Paramount’s
Kings Island, a water/amusement park.
Inside the huge park lies Pipeline Paradise, a manmade constant wave that
allows a person to feel the joy of body
boarding while staying in the Midwest.
A season pass runs $84 for adults and
lasts the whole summer
It is a scientific fact that money spent
on a trip instead of an object makes you
feel more satisfied with your purchase,
and triggers the feel-good sensors in
your brain, according to Men’s Health
magazine.
Skipping the road tripping may save
you cash, but the memories one can gain
from the experiences are priceless.
For those whose wallets won’t allow leaving the bluegrass state, there
are still easy remedies for the “dog
days.”
Throwing a “wet 'n' wild, slip’ 'n'
slide" party can prove a worthwhile
venture. If weather permits, pick up
a Slip 'n' Slide or Crocodile Mile from
Target.
The whole party should only cost
about $50 and split up between 10
friends is only $5 a person.
Camping is also extremely cheap
and easy to do, lots of college students
venture out to Red River Gorge to get
away from civilization and get back to
nature.
“Courthouse rock has arguably the
best view for watching the stars and
camping,” BCTC student and Gorge
frequenter, Brandon Lethgo, stated
about his favorite camping spot in the
area.
Camping is fun, but one must be
careful. The Gorge has been the demise of a few college students through
the years.
During the summer the temperature
isn’t all that heats up. Fishing takes off
all around the state. Bass, Catfish, and
Bluegill are all on the agenda and easily accessible to even the most novice
angler.
Kentucky is home to hundreds of
ponds and lakes, many of which are
within an hour of Lexington. Anglers
need a fishing license, which can be
bought at WalMart for $15 and lasts
all year. Remember: catch a fish, eat
for free.
Kentucky is a hot-spot for outdoor
activities, many of which can be had
for little or no money.
The season for fun is here. Don’t
waste the summer lying around and
dreaming of things to do. Go out and
adventure. If your budget allows and
friends agree, take a trip. With MapQuest and credit cards, traveling is
easier than ever. The world awaits,
make the most of the three months off
... fall comes fast.
Every spring, thousands of adults
gear up to rush to the shores of the
ocean to bask in the sun’s rays or flood
the doors of the tanning salons to soak
up the florescent lighting in an effort
to find that dark bronze glow that will
make them look great for bathing-suit
season.
There are risks to tanning; and the
gorgeous bronze tan has a price, but
what is it? Aside from the health costs
that are associated with sun tanning,
there are actual monetary costs to having that look as well. Ten percent of
Americans spend on the average of
$300 per year on indoor tanning alone.
This totals the U.S. market for tanning
to be over $9 billion per year, and that
figure does not include the $3 billion
in tanning products.
Savanna Ratliff, a former BCTC
student, says, “I never realized how
much tanning was actually costing me
because I always got caught up in the
package sales that they pitch to you
when you first go. However, when I
added it up I was spending like $500
a year to go.”
The fast-tan market thrives off of
our society’s hunger for beauty, and
its lack of knowledge on what the true
permanent health effects are. We look
at our suntans and think that because
we have not burned that there was no
real damage caused. When in reality, a
suntan is the result of injury to the top
layer of skin.
Dr. Brian Greenlee of the University of Kentucky states that: “Much
of the damage caused by sun or UV
exposure, such as photo aging, is irreversible but completely preventable.
Burning and tanning are immediate
indications of damage; while wrinkling, spotting, discoloration, and loss
of elasticity are longer-term evidence
of exposure. Beyond cosmetic consequences, an increase risk of melanoma, a potentially deadly cancer, is
associated with UV exposure.” Either
a suntan or sunburn brings about the
same harmful, irreversible, and possibly deadly result, damage to the skin.
Aside from this information, with repeated exposure to the sun over a period of years one can quickly begin to
photo source: www.cancerresearch.org
see premature aging.
No one wants to appear older than
they are, but they do want that tan to
make them look great. What do we
do? What is affordable? It is the new
trend called self tanning. We look to
the celebrities to get our fashion ideas
and trends, why not follow suit and do
what they do for tanning? On the red
carpet we see all the stars sporting that
golden glow, but not the look of age.
Their secret … Spray tan. It is affordable and available.
Lexington has more than 15 salons
that offer spray tanning. Numerous
locations, from grocery stores to drug
stores, offer the different products for
self tanning. It is easy to do, safe and
does not add to the aging process. One
can either buy the products from the
store to self-apply at home, or make
a trip to the salon where everything is
supplied, even a trained assistant who
will do the spraying.
With all of the hype in staying and
looking young, there are just as many
products as there are theories. Why
not do the most affordable option that
there is, stay out of the sun? There are
numerous alternatives that allow you
the same look that in the long run allow
you to have a safer, healthier, longer
life. Be smart and use sun protection,
and use alternative resources to gain
that golden glow. Check the Mayoclinic.com for additional information
on the harmful effects of the sun.
Page 16
Finals Week, Spring 2007
Captain America dead at 90
Superhero gunned down on courthouse steps
By BRIAN C. WYATT
Courier Staff
In issue #25 of Captain America, which begins
the epilogue to Marvel Comics 2006-2007 Civil
War story arc, Steve Rogers, known largely as
Captain America, was shot by a sniper as he was
escorted from a courthouse where he had been
arraigned for disobeying the U.S. government’s
Superhero Registration Act, a fictional effort by
the government to keep track of superpowered
individuals. Rogers died after receiving three
more rounds from a pistol fired into his stomach
at point blank range.
Dr. Faustus and Cap’s longtime nemesis The
Red Skull called for his death which in turn has
upset the fragile new world created from the
ashes of Marvel’s Civil War. It was in Civil War
#7 that Cap surrendered to law enforcement for
having refused to register.
Marvel is also releasing the miniseries Fallen
Son that will examine the reaction in the superhero community to Cap’s demise such as Wol-
verine, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and the Avengers.
Most recently Captain America had been leading the fight for civil liberties alongside DareDevil, Luke Cage, and Wolverine against the
pro-registration forces lead by Iron Man, SpiderMan and Ms. Marvel, a civil war had erupted
which divided the Marvel universe and forced
the paradigm to be changed forever.
“Captain America #26 is where the aftermath
of his death must be faced, beginning with the
autopsy of his body,” stated Joe Quesada, publisher of Marvel Comics, in his press release,
“So, yes, Captain America, Steve Rogers, is
dead.”
Born on the Fourth of July, 1917, Steve began as a tall but scrawny fine arts student who
becomes distraught by the rise of Hitler’s Third
Reich and tries to enlist in the U.S. Army only
to be rejected due to his poor health. However,
Rogers is selected as a test subject in Operation
Rebirth, a secret government super soldier project, and he is given a serum endowing him with
superior human strength, skill and reflexes.
Appearing in comics since March 1941 when
Marvel was known as Timely Comics, Cap has
died and come back before. Drawing parallels with DC Comics’ Death of Superman in the
1990s, Russ Battaglia, owner of A+ Comics, remarked, “It’s just temporary. He’ll be back.”
“I’m betting we’ll see Steve Rogers again probably around the time that the Captain America
movie is released sometime in 2008,” said Kevin
Forbes, owner of The Comic Interlude, “SpiderMan’s wearing black again [in the comics] to
coincide with the release of his new movie, so I
wouldn’t be surprised if we see Cap come back
in time for his.”
Fans are still hopeful that the star-spangled
avenger is somehow still alive despite the stark
finality of Quesada’s statement. After all, Cap
has worn other faces, as Nomad in the 1970s
and USAgent in the 1980s, and although others
have tried to wear the winged cowl and wield the
vibranium shield before, only one can really be
him.
“Face it,” Forbes said, “Steve Rogers IS Captain America.”
Photo source: MARVEL COMICS
Finals Week, Spring 2007
Page 17
'Marvel'-ous double feature
fills summer with superheroes
Spidey and the Fantastic Four return!
By BRIAN C. WYATT
Courier Staff
Spider-Man 3, Columbia Pictures,
PG-13
On May 4 the latest installment in the SpiderMan movies, Spider-Man 3, continues with all
the original cast returning to reprise their roles:
Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man), Kirsten Dunst
transforms Peter as well, bringing out the dark,
vengeful side of his personality that he is struggling to control. Under the influence of the suit,
Peter becomes overconfident and starts to neglect the people who care about him most, forcing him to choose between the seductive power
of the new suit and the compassionate hero he
used to be.
Peter must overcome his personal demons as
two of the most-feared villains yet, Sandman
and Venom, gather unparalleled power and a
thirst for retribution threatening Peter and everyone he loves.
Since his first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15, published August 1962, Spider-Man
(a.k.a. Peter Benjamin Parker) has become one
of the most popular, endearing and profitable
superhero franchises in history. Created by
Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Spidey immediately
broke ground by being one of the first teenaged
superheroes instead of just a sidekick. In the
comics, the shy adolescent Peter Parker grows
to become a troubled college student to being a
married teacher and lately has become a member of the Mighty Avengers.
Photo source: 20th Century Fox
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver
Surfer is due out June 15.
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby The Fantastic Four were Marvel’s first comic book superhero team. The Four are core friends and family
members who were all exposed to cosmic rays
during an outer space mission.
The Four have always been portrayed as
somewhat dysfunctional and have broken conventions with other comic book archetypes since
their beginning in the 1960s: squabbling with
each other, holding animosities both deep and
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver
Surfer, 20TH Century Fox, not yet
rated
Photo source: MARVEL COMICS
Spider-Man 3 is scheduled for release on
May 4.
(Mary Jane Watson), James Franco (Harry Osbourne) and Rosemary Harris (Aunt May).
Director Sam Raimi and screenwriter Alvin
Sargent have made a film in which Peter Parker
has finally managed to strike a balance between
his devotion to M.J. and his duties as a superhero. But there is a storm brewing on the horizon.
When Spider-Man’s suit suddenly changes,
turning jet-black and enhancing his powers, it
Movie-goers on June 15 will see the return of
Marvel Comics' first family of superheroes as
they face their new challenge in Fantastic Four:
Rise of the Silver Surfer, directed by Tim Story and written by Mark Frost. Reed Richards
– Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffud), Sue Richards
– Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba), Ben Grimm
– The Thing (Michael Chiklis) and Johnny
Storm – The Human Torch (Chris Evans) unravel the mystery of the herald of the planetdevouring Galactus and the curse he has placed
on the Surfer (Doug Jones) who comes to Earth
to prepare it for its destruction.
While racing around the globe in an attempt
to stop the havoc wreaked by the Surfer, the
Fantastic Four face a rematch with their archnemesis Dr. Doom (Julian McMahon) as well!
The Fantastic Four debuted in Marvel Comics’ The Fantastic Four #1 (November 1961).
Photo source: 20th Century Fox
The Fantastic Four were Marvel Comics'
first superhero team, debuting in 1961.
petty, forsaking anonymity or secret identities,
and acting out their lives as celebrities.
Known to fans as the “The World’s Greatest
Comic Magazine!,” The Fantastic Four formed
the foundation of Marvel’s rise as a small division of a privately held magazine company to
becoming a major entertainment conglomerate.
And by the way, The Thing is covered in orange scaly plates, not rocks. Excelsior, true believers!
Page 18
Finals Week, Spring 2007
A growing method
of self-expression
By CALLIE NELSON
Courier Staff
It’s almost summer, meaning that
students (and people in general) are
going to start showing a little more
skin soon. But what is both interesting
and excited is that showing more skin
is going to reveal many tattoos, piercings, and other body modifications that
are used as forms of expression.
Body piercings and tattoos are
becoming more and more popular
Amy Gash has double industrial
piercings, a 14-gauge orbital
piercing, 0-gauge lobe piercing,
and a blue-and-black nautical
star tattoo.
Whitney Thompson cleaned
Callie Nelson’s ear to prepare
for a piercing, done recently at
Electric Art.
Both needles with corks on the
ends were used to pierce Callie
Nelson’s ear.
among college-aged students. With
shows about tattoos such as “Inked”
and “Miami Ink” growing in popularity, it’s clear to see why. People use
body modifications as a form of personal expression.
Since I was 14 years old, I constantly
asked my mother to let me get a navel
piercing (you have to be 18 to get any
body modifications without parental
consent). My mother, being very conservative in lifestyle, repeatedly told
me that if I really wanted my navel
pierced, I could get it when I turned
18.
My response? Just a couple days after my 18th birthday, I went to a tattoo
and piercing studio and got my navel
pierced. I’m not going to lie, it did hurt
quite a bit, but it was well worth the
pain to me. I then got my nose pierced
the following May.
When I was 19 and a freshman at
Morehead State University, I got my
first tattoo of a lark flying in front of a
waterfall (because my first name means
“lark” and my middle name means
“waterfall”). The following April, I
got a tattoo of the Taurus symbol and
constellation as a birthday present to
myself.
Amy Gash, a 20-year-old Bluegrass
Community and Technical College
Student earning her Associate of the
Arts degree this spring, has many body
modifications. Her first was at age
18, when she got her tongue pierced.
When asked why she chose this as her
first piercing, Gash said “It was something that not everyone would see. At
first, I wanted piercings that I would
be able to hide from people such as my
grandparents.”
Gash has 13 body mods in all: 10
piercings and 3 tattoos. This may
seem like a lot to some, but Gash is
happy to have all of them.
“I like change. To me, getting a new
piercing is like changing my hair color
(which I also love doing). I think I
have a pretty high pain tolerance, so I
enjoy it. I like how it looks, and eventually when I get sick of it, I take it out
and do something different,” she says.
Many people get tattoos that have
meaning to them. I, personally, could
never get a tattoo that didn’t have
meaning or represent something sentimental to me. I’m planning on my
next tattoo involving the Mardi gras
masks, to represent my love for drama. I just consider my piercings to be
like permanent jewelry (I’m generally
too forgetful or lazy to put necklaces
or bracelets on all the time).
Amy Gash has a tattoo of an
hibiscus.
I currently have two body piercings
and two tattoos. I have my left nostril pierced and an industrial piercing
in my right ear (a barbell that goes
through the ear cartilage twice).
Many people have two concerns
when considering a body modification, the first being price. As far as
price is concerned, getting a tattoo
in Lexington generally costs at least
$50. However, when you think about
it, paying $50 for something you will
have for the rest of your life is not unreasonable at all. The price of piercings varies depending on the jewelry
Amy Gash got her tongue
pierced when she was 18.
and type of piercing.
The other concern many are faced
with is parental approval. My parents
so not understand why I keep getting
more body modifications (mostly because when they grew up, most of the
only people who had tattoos and piercings were “skuzzy bikers,” according
to my mother), but they have always
supported my need for personal expression.
“My family is pretty conservative,
so at first they didn’t agree with it of
course. But after a while, they realized
that I’m still the same person that I’ve
always been. My piercings and tattoos have not changed my personality
in any way. They still don’t love it by
any means, but I think they finally appreciate it because it’s something that I
enjoy,” Gash commented.
Body modifications take a lot of responsibility. Piercings need to be kept
clean during the healing period, and
tattoos need to be kept moisturized
with lotion. Your tattoo or piercing
artist will give you instructions on how
to properly care for your body modification.
So if you are looking for more ways
to express yourself, I would highly recommend body modifications. If you’re
not sure if you want something permanent, I would consider a piercing, since
you can always take them out. I, personally, am saving up for my next tattoo right now.
Photos by AMANDA ZACHARY
and AMY GASH
Finals Week, Spring 2007
PARKING
continued from page 13
impoundment – happy now PTS?
Now it is not uncommon to see cars
parked in front of the school waiting to
pick up people getting out of class, yet
they do not get towed. The delivery
guy had no options; he couldn’t park in
any of the lots - ticket. Couldn’t walk
- cold pizza and that’s bad for business,
my friends.
Another story is that of someone I
know quite well, and by quite well I
mean myself. When a student spends
$180 dollars on a parking tag, they
usually don’t expect to see a ticket on
their windshield. Such is this case; a
nonchalant parking ticket is enough to
make one’s blood boil more than forcibly watching a marathon of Blossom or
Designing Women. Somehow I managed to pull this off, by just having a
simple tinted sun-strip going across the
top of my windshield. I get to my truck
in the C6 lot after a long day of being
educated and I think my eyes are playing tricks on me, because there is no
For more
commentary
on the
parking
situation,
see
VIEWPOINT
on page 8
way there could be a parking ticket on
my windshield. Sure enough, it is.
When I called PTS about correcting a
wrong of this nature, it wasn’t without
its challenges. First, more than likely
you will reach someone right off the
bat that has about as much enthusiasm
about their job as the guy that has to
clean the bathrooms at Commonwealth
Stadium after the UK vs. U of L game.
Next I was re-routed to someone who
cares even less, and they will read
the reasons off a list that is more than
likely right in front of them of why you
still have to pay the ticket. This phone
conversation proved to be utterly useless, so I had to go down to their offices
to talk to someone in person.
When I arrived, I quickly realized
that I was in danger of getting another
ticket because there was no parking in
sight that applied to the tag that I was
using so I took a gamble by parking in
the Memorial Coliseum parking lot. It
was almost like an elaborate trap, you
go to pay or correct a ticket, and you
have another waiting on you. I lucked
out by not getting another ticket, but
when I plead my case the guy just
grabbed my tag from me and punched
two holes in the top of it and said,
“Hang it lower.”
I never realized that apparently the
people at PTS need X-ray vision because I have never had a hard time noticing that my truck had the correct tag
in it.
A survey conducted in March of
2005 of customer satisfaction revealed
that 62 percent of people who completed the survey were students. Eightyone percent of 4,400 people who completed the survey said that they drive to
campus. When the survey asked how
people were familiar with PTS, 79 percent said that they were familiar with
them through permit renewal and citation payment. One question on the survey asked how the customer’s overall
experiences with PTS have been, and
69 percent said that their experience
was negative.
It appears that this survey was composed of mostly UK students and faculty, but the results seem like they would
be similar to the responses of the students of BCTC. In my opinion, I think
that if this had been a survey of just
BCTC students that the results would
not be nearly as flattering to PTS.
At one point or another during my
experience at LCC/BCTC, there have
been pre-class and sometimes in-class
discussions, speeches, presentations,
and at least five facebook groups about
how ridiculous the system of PTS is.
The simple fact that students even have
to discuss this issue with each other is
detrimental to one's education; this
takes time away from studying, assignments and other things far more important.
PTS must think that the students are
made of money with the steep fees of
permits, citations, immobilizations,
and tows. That is the only logical reason that comes to mind, but the reality is quite the opposite. Students go
to school to make a better living than
they normally would have by not obtaining a higher education. As pathetic
as it sounds, the parking dilemma that
will be among the main things that students remember about college, where it
should just be a side note.
Page 19
Mental Health America
provides guidelines to help
students cope with tragedy
COLLEGIATE
PRESSWIRE
As details surrounding the Virginia Tech
shootings continue to
unfold, Mental Health
America recognizes that
this tragedy affects people across the country.
The organization has
developed the guidelines listed below to
help educators, students
and parents respond and
cope with this tragedy.
Individuals looking
for information and support can visit www.mentalhealthamerica.net
or call Mental Health
America at (800) 9696642.
Tips for Students
* Develop a personal
plan to ensure our
Photo courtesy BRIAN SCHOESTER
safety in a similar
BCTC reporter Will Steffe visited Virginia
situation.
* Use reliable sources Tech the Saturday after the shootings.
Steffe looked out over the drill field where
to keep up-to-date
memorials are set up.
on developments
and information.
* Limit television
respond to this tragedy and help stuviewing. It can be
dents cope. Provide culturally relevant
difficult to process images
resources (e.g., bring in ministers and
and messages in news reports.
others from the faith community).
* A range of emotions are normal
Likely, those around you are expefollowing tragic events - ranging
riencing similar feelings. If you feel
from depression, anxiousness,
overwhelmed by your emotions, seek
anger and ‘numbness.’
help from your school mental health
* If you feel depressed, anxious or
center, call your local Mental Health
angry, talk to friends, family,
America Affiliate or visit www.menministers or others around you.
talhealthamerica.net to find help in
your community.
Tips for Educators
Mental Health America can help
Communicate clearly the security
students, educators and parents find
measures in place and the resources
community resources and information.
available for people who need help.
For information, please call (800) 969Since individuals contemplating vio6642 or visit www.mentalhealthamerlent acts often communicate their
ica.net.
intentions to friends and classmates,
Mental Health America is a leading
help students develop a plan for what
nonprofit dedicated to helping all peoto do if they hear someone planning
ple live mentally healthier lives. With
a violent act. Advertise the support
more than 320 affiliates nationwide,
services available at the student menthe organization represents a growing
tal health center and religious centers.
movement of Americans who promote
Develop special training for key permental wellness for the health and
sonnel - resident assistants, student
well-being of the nation - every day
health center staff, campus police,
and in times of crisis.
sororities and fraternities - on how to
Page 20
Finals Week, Spring 2007
fotofraud
See if you can find 8 differences in the before and after photos below. (answers are at the bottom of the page)
original photo source: littleblackkitty.typepad.com; photo illustration by LUCIE MACDONALD | Staff
fotofraud answers: piece of the beachball changed color; flippers changed position; there's a crab missing; shell rotated;
part of the net is missing; shovel changed color; a crab moved; paddle ball is missing