Tuesday September 9, 2014Volume 28, Issue 2

In this edition...

Suicide Prevention and

HelpPage 3

Just A Thought

Page 5

Science Department

Page 6

Science Success

Page 7

“To those who much is given, much is expected,” and “You have to play the game to change the game,” are two quotes that Julie Beggs has lived by for the past twenty-fi ve years. The Director of Student Life at FRCC Westminster Campus, Beggs seems to have led by the example of those sayings not just in her new and exciting, yet very ambitious, title at

Front Range Community College, but also throughout her life.

Born and having grown up near East Chicago, Indiana, Beggs always saw herself as a Chicagoan – living so close to Chicago, she became very experienced with city life and was surrounded by many different people and an abundance of customs and traditions. In the schools she

attended her knowledge of different types of people really aided in her understanding and love for working with them. Beggs was brought up in a middle-class, faith-driven, Midwestern family where caring for one another and a hard-working mentality created a strong sense of community.

Beggs also grew up with a love for musical performance, specifi cally

through singing, and had always thought that would be her profession. Though Beggs originally went to college at Butler University to major in Vocal Performance, she discovered that the real reason she loved performing so much. “I loved how it made me have an opportunity to connect with people on a very real and special level,” Beggs said, and so she changed her major to Public and Corporate Communication – a degree that focuses on business and communication skills.

Beggs fi rst job following her Bachelor’s degree was the Assistant Director of Activities at Butler University, where her formative years greatly came in to play by “being able to help students fi gure out who they are through being of service to others and setting up opportunities for people to learn from experiences,” Beggs explained. She then left the university to join an organization called Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, where she received experience in visiting colleges across the country and the world to give speeches on how to be a servant leader: a leader who serves others fi rst. The organization’s major goal – to create the type of leaders who make sure to take care of the individuals that

Spotlight on Faculty, Student Life Director Julie BeggsWritten by Rachel Bruner

Photo provided by Julie Beggs

Continued on Page 2

The Front Page Page 2 September 9, 2014

Mind MattersWritten by Psychology Instructor, Tracy Carreon

Spotlight on Faculty, cont.Written by Rachel Bruner

work with them.After four years of traveling the

world with the Greenleaf organization, Beggs decided to go to graduate school to obtain her Master’s degree in Adult and Community Education at Ball State University. She and her husband then decided to move to Colorado so that he could pursue his own dreams of being a culinary chef.

Beggs began her career at Front Range Community College Westminster campus when she became an intern in the Continuing Education department, which eventually led to a full time job. She stayed in that

department for ten years before taking advantage of the opportunity to be the Director of Student Life – “I feel like I’m coming home to something that I know,” Beggs spoke about her taking of the position.

Having the background as a servant leader, Beggs hopes not only to increase involvement between students on campus, create opportunities for both fun and for personal growth, and to change the student perspective into one that thinks of school as a fun place to be, but also wishes to make Student Life come across as a resource as much as possible: “It’s not just a place where

you go to get your ID card, it’s a place where you can get involved with events on campus and learn about yourself… I’d love for the spectrum [of Student Life] to be for the very basic needs [of students] to things that are going to grow dreams and expectations that you have of yourself,” Beggs explained on her goals for Student Life.

Julie Beggs is a clear model to students that following through with who you are by making your lifelong ideals an influential part of your career can lead to what most of the students at Front Range Community College are here for: success. Beggs offered this

advice to students during their journey on campus: “The closer you get to finding what is truly your passion, the easier things will come… Figure out how to be a lifelong learner… Have the curiosity to continue to want to learn… Figuring out how you learn the best will serve you well throughout your whole life… Be open to the fact that change is constant… Find those things that you’re successful in and that make you happy…” and finally, that we don’t all end up at our dream job in life, but it’s still important to remember “to feed your passions” while you’re on your way there.

As you get settled in to the new fall semester, it’s a good time to ask yourself a few questions:

1. What are you most excited about at this point in your life?

2. When you reach the end of the semester, what do you want to look back and see that you’ve accomplished over the past three months?

3. What do you need to inspire your success – here and now?

4. What three qualities do you need to cultivate in yourself to ensure your success this semester?

5. What action step can you take in the next week to move forward toward fulfilling your intentions?

Take some time and sit with these questions; I encourage you to journal the answers, letting yourself imagine the ideal, envision the very best and plan what you can do now to start moving in the direction you desire.

I’m most curious what answers number four will generate: What qualities cultivate success?

Motivation? Determination? Perseverance? Intelligence? Luck? Each of these, and many others, may appear on your list, and each, most certainly plays a role in your success.

But there is another quality – a constellation of traits that together identify one of the leading edge indicators for success: Emotional Intelligence.

When you hear that term, what comes to mind? What does it mean to

you? Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is,

simply put, the ability to use both emotions and logic to make optimal decisions. Our EQ plays a part in how we handle conflict, approach relationships, think about ourselves, manage stress and show up to our life.

Research has been done, thousands of articles written, supporting the idea that when it comes to how well we do in school and at work and how ultimately successful and satisfied we are in life and with our relationships, EQ is a key player. And yet one often ignored.

This semester in Active Minds we’ll be exploring Emotional Intelligence and ways to strengthen the emotional competencies that define it. I hope you’ll join us. In each edition of The Front Page I’ll discuss some of these competencies and suggest practices for working on them.

Here’s a place to start: Without even knowing much about Emotional Intelligence, what do you think it would look like? What traits do you think would define EQ? Just think about it. And we’ll talk again next time.

Tracy Carreon Psychology InstructorActive Minds Adviser

Active Minds meets weekly on Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. In C1059 and Thursdays 10-11 a.m., in C1507. For more information contact Rae Gandy,

Active Minds WC club president, at sgandy2@student.cccs.edu.

Interested in journalism and newspaper writing? Attend our free workshops taught by FRCC Journalism Instructor Nick Morris and sponsored by The Front Page Newspaper. Workshops are open to all FRCC students. Workshops are from 2:00-3:00pm in room C0204.

Workshops Dates:September 12September 26

October 10October 24

November 14November 21

The Front Page Page 3September 9, 2014

The Effects of Suicide and How We Can Prevent ItWritten By Rachel Bruner

Hollywood and what seems like much of the world was changed forever this summer on Monday, August 11th, when actor Robin Williams took his own life. The sixty-three year old intellectual, comedic genius warmed the hearts of millions, including many students attending Front Range Community College. FRCC student Michelle Tucker, an aspiring actor, expressed that when she heard of his passing, it brought tears to her eyes, that she could tell he was “...an amazing person at heart,” and that she felt greatly impacted by his role as Genie in Aladdin. FRCC student Cris Blakeney, hadn’t watched very many of Williams’ movies, but of the few he saw, he described him as “brilliant,” and brought up a very important but troubling point of the matter – how could such a funny, seemingly happy actor hide behind his smiling face such dark, burdening feelings of sadness and loneliness?

To better understand suicide and its victims, depression first has to be defined. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH),

depression occurs when a person has consistent feelings of sadness and anxiety that, when left untreated, get in the way of daily life; it’s significant to place the distinction that depression is “much more than just being ‘a little down’ or ‘feeling blue.’”

In America, depression is reported by 1 in 10 adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In American colleges, the mental disease significantly affects thirty percent of students, a 2011 national study done by the American College Health Association–National College Health Assessment finds. The NIMH website explains that some of the reasons students develop the illness may be because they are “feeling alone or isolated, experiencing conflict in relationships, facing new and sometimes difficult school work,” and/or “worrying about finances.” Left untreated, depression may lead to a much more serious, concernable condition: suicidal thoughts and tendencies. FRCC student Michelle Tucker, wrote about her personal battle

with depression: “Yes, suicide has affected me. I’m still dealing with the depression and PTSD [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder] from the events that unfortunately took me in that direction. It is not at all easy to deal with, and everyone’s experience to it is very different.”

While it’s not always easy to assess how a loved one, friend or even oneself may be feeling, the typical signs of a person experiencing depression is a lack of interest in activities or hobbies they enjoy, getting too much, too little or an inability to sleep, eating less or overeating, having difficulty with concentration and memory, and sometimes physical discomfort such as “aches, pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not go away,” the NIMH website states.

If you, or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of depression, it is important to know that you are not alone, and getting the help you need is attainable. FRCC student Cris

Blakeney, explains that while he has never dealt with depression and suicide himself, a family member of his for the last few years has and is seeking treatment; “For anyone who feels like they are depressed and want to end it, I encourage them to seek help. It does work as I have witnessed it with my family member. Nobody should ever have to feel like they are not important because that is not true,” FRCC student Cris Blakeney wrote.

Front Range Community College’s resource for those needing a helpful ear is Mental Health Counselor Amber Cross Thomas. She can be reached for appointment by calling (303) 404-5163 or emailing Amber.CrossThomas@frontrange.edu. For those in troubled times who would like advice or to vent to someone and remain anonymous, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a 24 hour, 7 days a week free phone call service, and its experienced counselors may be reached at 1-800-273-TALK.

Photo Courtesy of Lifeline Website

Photo from http://lostallhope.com/suicide-statistics

Important Dates - November 15 - Last day to withdraw from a 15 week course December 11 - Grades due

November 24-30 - Fall Break December 25-January 1 - Winter Break

Decemver 8 - Classes End November 12, 2015 - Spring Registration Begins

The Front Page Page 4 September 9, 2014

The Front Page Page 5September 9, 2014

Upcoming EventsWritten by Rachel Bruner

Approaching Student Life Events –

Friday, September 12th - Outdoor

Adventure Hike

Wednesday, September 17th -

Constitution Day

Wednesday, October 1st - Hispanic

History Program

Visit or contact FRCC Student Life

for more information on how to take

part.

Sunday, September 21st to

Saturday, September 27th - Banned

Books Week, visit the College Hill

Library to learn about banned books

and those that have been challenged

in the past, or to observe the freedom

of speech by picking up your favorite

disputed book.

Saturday, September 27th -

Cottonwood Farm located on 75th

Street and Arapahoe Road in Boulder.

The free-admission event offers

fun for everyone with its featured

pumpkin patch, straw bale maze,

corn maze, hay rides, a steam engine,

animals, seasonal produce, and more.

Go to www.cottonwoodfarms.com

for further details.

Sunday, September 28th - free

admission day at Denver Museum

of Nature and Science. Take a peek

at ancient Egyptian mummies and

artifacts, get a glance at prehistoric

dinosaur fossils, or go on a journey

through space with the Space

Odyssey exhibit. Visit www.dmns.

org for more information.

Saturday, October 11th - Festival of

Scarecrows is coming back to Olde

Town Arvada! Those interested in

entering the contest may bring their

best creation of a Scarecrow for a

chance to win; those attracted to the

fun of the occasion may come to vote

for their favorites. Other activities

include a pumpkin patch, a corn

maze, and, of course, getting to dress

up in Halloween attire. Visit www.

oldetownarvada.org for additional

information.

Just a thought… Written by Kathy Bellis

As I sit here writing this I have at least ten other things I still need to get done – laundry, dishes, feed the dogs, feed myself, school assignments, and I have about six incomplete text messages I still need to send. To be totally honest, I don’t want to do any of it. Having just had a baby over the summer, my attention and priorities have completely changed. I used to be a straight A student (except for the B I got in math). I used to be the first person done with assignments and the only person in the classroom excited about test day. Now I’m satisfied if I leave the house without spit up on my shirt and both my shoes matching! I’m certainly not an expert on managing the balancing act of being a mom, wife, student, and employee, but with practice and advice from fellow mom’s that are making it work, I am trudging my way through it all.

The best piece of advice I have received so far came from the copy editor of this paper and one of the best moms I know, Robin OConnell. I was having a hard day, feeling guilty for not getting anything done, and only wanting to focus on my perfectly gorgeous baby girl. Robin told me to stop feeling guilty, explaining to me that spending time with my daughter was the most important thing. She said that if my motherly instincts were telling me to focus only on my bundle of joy, then that is exactly what I needed to do. Having raised three amazing young ladies, Robin knows what she’s talking about. Once I let my feelings of guilt go, life became much easier to maneuver. Of course I wasn’t able to drop all of my other responsibilities, but once I dropped the guilt, I was able to be more productive. Getting more things done in a shorter period of time gave me more time with

my daughter and that time was much more relaxing without having the guilt attached.

So I’m giving all of the overworked students of FRCC the same advice. Let the guilt go and listen to your instincts. We don’t have to be perfect, the house doesn’t have to be spotless, our assignments do not have to be the first ones turned in, and we don’t have to get an A on everything. As long as we are doing our very best and not neglecting our priorities (whatever they may be), then we are doing exactly what we should be doing.

The other big thing I have learned is that we are not alone in this. I’m not the only student that has a baby, a job, and a life outside of school. Finding fellow students that are dealing with some of the same obstacles you are is a great way to get support and advice on how to handle all of it. Getting to know classmates, attending school related events, and joining or starting a club can gain you just the group of people you will need to survive this thing we call life.(Perhaps starting a club for parents would be a good idea?) I became great friends with Robin through working for The Front Page and I can’t begin to express how much she has helped, guided, and supported me through the years. I would encourage everyone to run out today and find their very own Robin!

I might have more to say but there are bottles to be made, diapers to be changed, and essays to be written…

Good luck overworked FRCC students and remember that we are all in this together.

Interested in journalism and newspaper writing? Attend our free workshops taught by FRCC Journalism Instructor Nick Morris and sponsored by The Front Page Newspaper. Workshops are open to all FRCC students. Workshops are from 2:00-3:00pm in room C0204.

Workshops Dates:

September 12

September 26

October 10

October 24

November 14

November 21Kathy Bellis doing homework with her daughter at 1:00am

The Front Page Page 6 September 9, 2014

The Science of Tomorrow: Sitting down for a behind the scenes look at the science department and their newly minted department chair, Clara WenteWritten by Koa Avery

Science is a big word. It’s everywhere around us, within us, surrounding and interacting with us on a constant basis. Overseeing an entire department dedicated to the teaching of such a vast domain is first year Science Department Chair Clara Wente. “I started here as a part time instructor back in 2001. I became a full time

faculty member in 2005 for physics when my predecessor retired, and I just became chair. I started at the beginning of the summer, so I am a brand new chair to the department,” Wente mused when asked about her tenure here at FRCC. “I sort of fell into a part time job here, like many of our instructors do. They called me up the week before classes start and said, Hey I heard you could teach, you start Monday. The rest is history.”

Though thoroughly entrenched in the day to day of running a department that includes administering 13 faculty, seven disciplines, and more than 40 different classes, fulfilling the needs of the students is the department’s primary mission. “We have so many purposes that we

serve. We provide courses that serve other majors. For example, we have a nursing program here on campus so a lot of the biology courses will be taken by nursing students. We’re providing instruction for them so that they can transfer to the nursing program, or enter the nursing program, and be ready for their career. Or at least

starting the education for their career. We also provide the first two years of coursework for a lot of people that are going to transfer to four year schools. So if you want to become an engineer you’ll start off taking physics and chemistry here.”

Not only is the science department vital to a huge number of students pursuing the myriad of degrees, certificates, and transfer options available, but it has also become hugely popular and adaptive to the ever changing conditions of the world in which we live. “Certainly I think the biggest enrollment is in the biology courses, not just because of nursing, although nursing is a big portion of that, but because the health sciences are such a needed

career path these days,” Wente explained. Flexibility is key here as the department seeks to position itself to serve an already diverse student body and additionally the demands of the community. “One of the things that we see coming in is we’ve been asked by the community to do something on oil and gas. They would love to see an oil and gas safety certification, or maybe a background in physics or chemistry for people that are working for places like Haliburton.”

Expanding its reach even further, the science department also actively cooperates with community elementary schools to provide a glimpse at what awaits the eager young minds of tomorrow. The physics instructors, for example, hosts an annual catapult competition, pumpkins in the fall, and baseballs in the spring, the elementary school kids can participate in. After launching projectiles in the morning the future college bound students are invited to tour the biology, chemistry, geology,

and physics classrooms. “We get a lot of accolades from the elementary schools,” Wente said. “In most cases the faculty and instructors will setup demonstrations and experiments that the students can do for about 20 minutes. And the department as a whole was willing to step up and make this a real fun day for these kids.”

Not bad for a department half of whose faulty has a Ph.D. and employs a researcher for the Center for Severe Weather Research as well as former nuclear physicist.

And what lies ahead for Wente and such an already highly accomplished department? “We’re hoping to develop an environmental science course to offer in the spring. And we also have some wonderful matriculation agreements with four year schools. That’s where I see our role. To make sure that existing programs already have the instruction and the courses that they need and to be flexible as these new courses arrive.”

Photo by Clip Art

Photo by Clip Art

The Front Page Page 7September 9, 2014

Arvada: The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, via the Boettcher Foundation, has received a $35,000 grant to expand its digital-arts programming. Encompassing roughly 1,000 square feet, the Digital Arts Lab will will have a 3-D printer, approximately 10 computers, and iPads with Adobe Creative Cloud and other innovative digital technology.

New York: Have some old comics lying around the basement? Researching their potential value could prove lucrative as a recent eBay auction saw a rare, and nearly flawless, copy of Superman’s inaugural comic book go for what is believed to be a record setting $3.2 million.

Entertainment: Vampires and zombies have had their day across television and Hollywood for what seems like the past decade and one of the latest additions to the apocalyptic world of the undead, Life After Beth, is, according to one reviewer, “a charming, laugh-out-loud, take on zombies.” The movie opened to the public on August 15th.

Jerusalem: Israel and Hamas have agreed to an open-ended ceasefire after more than seven weeks of heavy fighting that killed more than 2,200 people. The truce may have halted the conflict, but long standing issues remain between the two groups such as Israel’s demand for the demilitarization of Gaza, and Hamas’s call for an end to the Israeli and Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Written by Koa Avery

How to Succeed In Science Class, An Instructor’s PerspectiveWritten by Koa Avery

Science classes can often be daunting. There are concepts to learn, math equations to perform, and

other activities to complete in order to coalesce the whole mess into a coherent perspective from which to understand how it all works. Every discipline has its own lexicon, but science classes can regularly feel as if they are an entirely different world. “Taking a science course is like taking two courses simultaneously. You’re taking the content of the course, and you’re taking a foreign language. The amount of vocabulary that’s introduced in a science course is about equivalent to the amount of foreign vocabulary you learn in a first year foreign language course.”

Clara Wente, recently promoted to Science Department Chair earlier this summer, knows a thing or two about the difficulties of succeeding in science classes, having obtained an M.S. from CU-Boulder and teaching that same material at FRCC since 2001. Wente recently shared her best strategies to use in order to succeed within the sciences.

“Some of it is having the prerequisites down. Things like chemistry and physics require math prerequisites. Be aware that if it has a prerequisite that you might have to review some material so that you’re actually prepared for that course. Once you’re in the class, a lot of [the strategies apply] for general college,” Wente would add. And though keeping on top of reading is a first step towards success in any class, it’s “not just reading like a novel, that’s what’s going to be different. Philosophy teaches you critical thinking in one

way, we teach you critical thinking in another way.”

But the sciences are more

direct. Physics, biology, geology and chemistry courses can all include experimentation on the very processes being discussed in class, or various activities that can be very hands on to illuminate the structure of the relationship between the concepts and/or the math. Wente would place particular emphasis on completing “...your homework. Again, another general one, but science builds very strongly from one week to the next. Students always ask, is the final going to be cumulative. Almost every science final is cumulative because science keeps building. It’s building a ladder from base knowledge to more and more specific knowledge. You’re building that foundation.”

Additionally important is to understand the process by which any particular course and instructor are seeking to convey the information. “Physics is very mathematical. From my perspective with teaching physics, I try to hit the concepts, then I give the examples. In chemistry, all the -ites mean something, all the -ates mean

something. What is the process for solving a chemical equation. In biology, what is the process for looping through a system of feedback. Pay attention to that because your instructor knows this very well. They’re trying to teach you how to understand that system. If you go invent your own way of solving that problem, or trying to memorize something, you’ll be wandering through the weeds,” Wente elaborated.

It is paramount to understand not only the material, whether it be conceptual or mathematical or a combination of the two, but also how the instructors are thinking through the material. Disciplines vary in their emphasis, as do instructors. Not just copying what is being discussed, but to create that mental model of learning for yourself. “Learning is an individual thing. As teachers we are there to facilitate your learning, to help figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are, and then what do you need to do so that you are learning. That’s one of the things common to [the instructors], we’re trying to teach you how to learn.”

Wente would further encourage the use of the faculty’s available hours outside of class to help promote the process of the individual aspects of learning and how that combines effectively with the instructor’s process of teaching. “Use your instructor, go to your instructor’s office hours if you have questions. Science can be confusing, and deep, and come at you from a lot of different directions, so use your instructors.”

Photo by Clip Art

Photo by Clip Art

Th e Front Page Page 8 September 9, 2014

Th e entire content of Th e Front Page is Copyrighted by the FRCC Board of Publications. No part of the publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Th e staff of Th e Front Page is encouraged to subscribe to the principles of the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. Inquiries may be referred to the Offi ce of Human Resources, 3645 W. 112th Avenue, Westminster CO 80031-2199, (303-466-8811); Th e Director of Affi rmative Action for the Colorado College System, 9101 E. Lowry Blvd., Denver CO 80230-6011; or to the Offi ce for Civil Rights, U.S. Dept. of Education, 1961 Stout St., Denver CO 80204

Th e entire content of Th e Front Page is Copyrighted by the

303-404-5534 | Frontpage@frontrange.edu

AdvisorsTino Gomez Julie Beggs

Managing EditorKathy Bellis

Copy EditorRobin OConnell

Assistant EditorKoa Avery

Staff ReporterRachel Bruner

Workshop AdvisorNick Morris

SudokuMedium, difficulty rating 0.54Created by Rachel Bruner