Md. Governor Visits PGCC to Launch Work Force Initiative

By Adelaja Obajimi

Maryland Govenor Martin O’Malley visited the Center for Advanced Technology on March 2 to launch Skills2Compete Maryland, a statewide program to boost college success and strengthen Maryland’s long-term work force. O’Malley talked about how the program will enhance the lives of current students, who will be able to earn a better living for themselves and their families.

“In this economy, we must do everything we can to build the middle-skill and high-skill work force that is so critical to economic recovery and long-term economic success,” he said. “Economic recovery takes more than just attracting business and creating jobs, it also means equipping those businesses and filling those jobs with a world-class Maryland work force.”

At a packed press conference, O’Malley tapped Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown to lead the new work force initiative. Brown said Skills2Compete is “part of our overall effort to create jobs, protect jobs and to assist Marylanders.” Brown is a former member of the PGCC Board of Directors. The briefing was also attended by presidents of other local community colleges. PGCC President Dr. Charlene Dukes introduced her fellow presidents and referred to them as her colleagues.

The goal of the Skills2Compete Maryland program is to increase the skills of Maryland’s work force by 20 percent by the year 2012. According to the Maryland Association of Community Colleges, jobs suited for holders of associate's degrees make up half of the state’s labor market. The program will focus state agencies, community colleges, local Workforce Investment Boards, apprenticeship programs and other stakeholders on preparing more Marylanders for middle-skill jobs.

Students Cry Foul Over Lack of Gym Access

By Arthur Duckett, Jr.

There has always been a comparison between the various experiences, opportunities and amenities received in community colleges versus traditional universities, especially how similar they are in terms of quality. Unfortunately, the basketball court is one basic amenity that students of Prince George’s Community College can’t boast about. Although there is a basketball court in the Novak Field House, PGCC students can’t use it for recreation since the rims are almost always cranked upward to disallow use.

When asked why this policy was set in place, Eva E. Toler, PGCC’s Chair of Health and Human Performance, had this to say: “I’ve been at the college for 20 years and there’s been a standing policy that the gym has not been open for students just to walk in (due to) liability issues.” Students are only allowed to play basketball in the gymnasium during specified times set by the school’s intramural activities schedule, said Toler.

The allowed times provided, however, are few and far between. According to the schedule of events published in the February issue of The Owl newspaper, open gym access for basketball games is only scheduled for three hours between February 5th and April 14th.

Other local schools do not have such a restrictive policy. For example, the University of Maryland and the University of North Carolina were faced with the same “liability issues” and solved the problem by placing a disclaimer on their school's website. Both schools have set in place regular hours of operation for their basketball gyms in addition to their school’s intramural activity schedule.
Isai Hamid, a first-year forensic science major said, “I understand why the gym isn’t just open for students to use. The Novak building has classrooms where instructions are taking place.” She said that “if the gym were open, the noise from students playing basketball would disrupt students in their classes.” William Fitzgerald, a first-year computer graphics major said, “It isn’t fair that we aren’t allowed to use the Novak basketball court, especially since we the students pay for the facility.” Funding for the basketball gym comes from instructional and activity fees that are included in a student’s tuition.

When asked her opinion on this subject, Toler said, “We do the best we can to meet student needs with what we are given. Liability-wise, I am in no way in support of letting the rims down and letting students in, because we are seeing an increase in unacceptable behavior in this building.”

This Juke Joint Was Jumpin’!

Even a Juke Joint Saturday Night party must come to an end sooner or later.

By Adelaja Obajimi

After a spectacular 14-year run, Prince George's Community College’s celebrated its final Jook Joint fundraiser on a snowy night in mid-February. This year’s event combined New Orleans-style food and fantastic 1920s dress as hundreds of party-goers filled the night with joy and dancing to the music and performances of the Jewels, Hardway Connection, Memphis Gold and PGCC’s own Dynasty Dance Crew.

Since 1996, PGCC has hosted the yearly event to raise funds for the college and celebrate music like it was done back in the 1920s, said Dr. Yvette Galloway, Dean of College Life Services. Galloway cited a lack of funding as one of the reasons why the event would not return next year. Although it seemed a little sad to know that this would be the last Juke Joint ever, the evening still sparkled with style and excitement.

To brighten up the already lovely mood of music and dance, the Jewels, a three-woman singing group, got the crowd on their feet dancing. Their voices were amazing. The Jewels claimed to have worked with the legendary James Brown and one of them even paid tribute to the Godfather of Soul by entertaining the audience with her rendition of his famous dance moves.

Also on hand to treat the guests to a wonderful night was PGCC’s own Dynasty Dance Crew, a new student choreography group led by Habeeba Serry. These girls looked dazzling in their flapper costumes and the guys looked just as good in their Fedoras and suspenders. Even better than the costumes was the performance they presented. For a just moment, time was suspended and the audience was transported back in the 1920s.

The highlight of the evening had to be the couple of party-goers who seemed to have a choreographed routine for every single song played. Thanks to them, there was not a single dull moment throughout the night. The party went on and everybody made the most of it - as if to say they were going to enjoy every last minute since this was the final Juke Joint.

Don’t Get on My List

By Stephen K. Cooper, Associate Editor

I normally don’t keep track of the people and things that bother me, but the editor-in-chief is fond of making daily announcements about the things that are really starting to piss him off. So, why can’t I? Usually, I’m a happy go lucky sort of guy, but today I’m picking up bad habits from the company I keep. In a perfect world, I would really rather let all my troubles roll off my back, but sometimes you just have to get a few things off your chest.

Number five on my list of irritants: The busted up Prince George’s Community College canopy that is barely attached to the Largo Student Center. Some people say impatience is the hallmark of the young, but I think a month after the snow storms are over is enough time to get a ladder and remove the debris from the campus.
Number four on my list of least favorite things: Is it too much to ask for a parking space somewhere in the same zip code as my classes in Marlboro Hall? Sure the campus has seen a jump in enrollment this year and last, but does everyone have to beat me to all the good spaces all the time?

Number three on my list of tantrums: Once the library closes up, there is no quiet place to study on campus. All the empty classrooms are usually locked up tight as a drum (especially on weekends) and the Largo Student Center is not really the right atmosphere for studying.

Number two on my list of ailments: Random people clogging the hallways doing random things. I stepped over the girl sleeping under her coat on the floor of Largo Student Center, dodged past the couple engaged in a lap dance, and then slid past the string of obscenities from the thug-wannabes on the stairway. What else would I pass on my way to the overcrowded parking lot?

Number one on my list of things I hate most of all: Missing all the things that colleges have to offer to make students excited about their school. I never see anyone wearing PGCC T-shirts or sweatshirts. The school mascot might be a pigeon for all I know — at least that’s the big bird statue in the main courtyard. Just once I’d like to see some students excited about being here and not simply trying to get grades and get out.

Puppet-Show Politics

By Adelaja Obajimi, Editor in Chief

During my first semester as a student of Prince George’s Community College, I was excited about a lot of things but also naïve about many others. One thing I was naïve about was how student government works. During a television production class, we shot a debate for student leaders Kien Bui, Erika Scott, and a few others. Two PGCC staffers served as moderators for the debate. There was only one problem: the campaigners had no one debating or contesting against them. It wasn’t that their opponents didn’t show up; the problem was they didn’t exist in the first place.

When the so-called debate started, the “moderators” asked the leaders various questions, which from where I stood, looked like the answers had been prepared. The whole process looked like some kind of staged, puppet-show Q&A program, and my classmates and I couldn’t relate to the questions. I couldn’t help asking myself if my class had somehow been meant to represent the greater population of students on campus. Quite frankly, I was beyond disappointed, I felt like I’d been robbed. Even worse, my intelligence had been insulted. I’ve seen high schools with better electoral processes.

I wondered if the current leaders were elected or handpicked. It seems like all a student needed to do was fill out some paperwork and skate into a new position. I never saw any posters or ads anywhere around the school that said anything about student government re-elections. I didn’t see anyone else campaign and even when the final elections took place, I had no idea where and when it occurred. Had I failed to pay attention? Did I miss the ads in the newspaper?

The elections are coming up again and I’m willing to bet my next paycheck that this is news to you. I believe a lot more should be done to enhance student participation when it comes to school politics. Our school should be graduating students who are brave enough to reach for the sky and dream of becoming the next President Barack Obama or Justice Sonya Sotomayor. So riddle me this: how do we expect that to happen when the basic example of campus democracy is ignored and yet no one cries wolf. A robbery of our basic American rights went highly unnoticed and it most likely will happen again, a few weeks from now. The Caribbean Festival gets more promotion than the election of the Student Governance Board President who represents me in front of the PGCC Board of Trustees. And that’s just not right.

Hospitality Job Fair Offers Students a Myriad of Opportunities

By Elizabeth Borelli

In an economic climate that is often unkind to young job searchers, looking for the right job — or any job — can be incredibly stressful and disheartening. To make the process easier on PGCC students, the Hospitality and Tourism Institute and Career and Job Services teamed up on February 25 to hold a job fair specifically geared toward students interested in hospitality, seasonal, or culinary careers.

Companies represented included The Country Club at Woodmore, Wegman Food Markets, Peachez Café and Lounge, and even Six Flags. According to Step-Hi Hospitality Grant Director Vonzell Mattocks, many of the companies in attendance weren’t simply looking to employ students in desk jobs; some of them are hiring 400 to 500 positions including plumbers, servers, and cooks. The Ridgewell Catering Company, for example, is hiring for 400 positions as servers, cooks, planners, and coordinators.

“I find it inspiring that there are just so many opportunities, and it really is a learning experience just talking to all these people and seeing what’s available,” said PGCC student Lamarq Bailey. Statistically speaking, the hospitality industry is a good place to start. Annually, this industry pays more than $1.6 trillion in wages and creates 12.5 million new jobs, more than 1,000 of which could be applied for at the job fair. With such booming business, it’s no wonder the hospitality and culinary arts programs here at PGCC have taken a boost in enrollment.

Also in attendance were representatives for the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation, promoting the One-Stop Career Center. This resource provides computers, resume help, and job postings for college students. PGCC student Wayne Toombs said that he found their attendance extremely helpful, because “I need a desk job — that kind of lifestyle. I don’t want to work in foods, and most of the other companies here are offering food-related jobs.” Well, the One-Stop Career Center can help him find that job. All you need is your resume and a can-do attitude.

Walk Your Path

By Candra Teshome and Ivie Okungbowa

In the midst of Dell Rhoden’s life, he found himself on the verge of realizing his dream of becoming a millionaire by the age of 30. Suddenly, his life took a turn with a divorce which awakened him to the realization of a simple question, “Am I happy?”

Hands neatly folded, a perfectly placed purple and white polka-dot bowtie adorning his neck, the Prince George’s Community College Media Professor talked about his life. Although Rhoden was raised Catholic, which is a Christian denomination, he practices a combination of Catholicism and Islam or Catholic-Islam. He wore a hat in observance of lent to cap his tall stature, but he also attends a mosque. He also learns and accepts the tenets of Christianity. He believes purpose defines us and that adhering to religion takes on many forms. He was happy to share some of the wisdom that he has learned.

“‘Are you happy’ is not an outer question,” Rhoden said. As students, we focus on earning our degrees. Although this is a crucial step in life, sometimes there is more. For some, searching for one’s own purpose including exploring religion is a step toward walking on a path to happiness. Whether the journey begins with a religious class, or spending time at the library, or sitting at your computer for an extra 10 minutes in search of other spiritualities, realizing self-importance does matter.

“Everyone has to find his or her own path,” Rhoden stated. The idea of subscribing to a religion turns many away. Some view religion as an ideology that smothers life with rules and requirements. A powerful technique for cultivating purpose, religion serves those who seek guidance. Religion empowers us and brings us vitality.

“An individual journey should have teachers,” said Rhoden. Discovering your inner faith may require that you explore beyond mainstream ideas. “Practice in an open-minded fashion,” Rhoden expounds as he advises those seeking structure to research several religious texts. An individual and powerful journey of defining your purpose and discovering your faith is necessary. Otherwise, as professor Rhoden asked, “Why do we exist?”