Volume 56~Issue 12
Western Wyoming Community College
May 2008
Three Retire From WWCC
Dr. Boggs Leaves After 20 Years
By Aaron Bruder
Mustang Express Staff Writer
College presidents come and go, but rarely stay as long as Dr. Tex
Boggs. The president of Western Wyoming Community College admits
that he had only expected to stay at Western for a few years at most, but
as it turns out, he enjoyed it too much to leave. Before coming to
Western, Boggs was also a dean in Kentucky and Alabama.
During the 20 years that Dr. Tex Boggs has served as the college president, Rock Springs has been through a boom, a decline, and another
boom. "There are challenges or opportunities with every boom or bust,
and colleges all over Wyoming have been doing very well recently. " He
gives the new dorm scheduled to open in fall 2008 at Western as one
example and notes that oil and gas industries have donated to the school
to allow the building of a new technology building.
Still, the area's economy was not Dr. Tex Boggs largest challenge. He
poses the difficulty of being in charge; but, at the same time "not micro-
managing." He has worked to support and help everyone at Western but
has also tried not to be overly controlling, allowing all at the school to
have some authority. He says "his entire time at Western" has been the
high point of his career.
Boggs ' plans for his future are many. He has a home in New Mexico,
but could find another school to work for and he also talks of doing volunteer work. He told this reporter that, "money is vital for doing some
things, but is in no way everything."
"Dr. Tex Boggs accomplishments are admirable, but the content of his
character is what is truly amazing," said Mustang Express editor Aaron
Bruder. "Even after the interview was over, Boggs asked me about what
I was majoring in, and what I intended to go on and do with my life. He
gave me some very good personal advice, along with advice anyone
could use.
"He said every day at Western has been a lesson to him, and that, "you
make your own success. Make the effort to do your best at everything.”
DR. TEX BOGGS
Joanna Tardoni Retires After 15 Years
of Teaching English at Western
By Tesfaye G. Deboch
Mustang Express Staff Writer
Joanna Tardoni, assistant professor of
English, greets students with a smile as they
join her for writing and editing consultation
in her office at Western Wyoming Community
College.
Joanna Tardoni, Western alumni and assistant professor of
English, plans to retire at the end of spring semester, 2008.
Today her colleagues and students are lining up at her office
door to hear her share more of her commentary on education
and how to motivate students to reach for the stars. She is
known and loved by students for successfully persuading them
to enjoy the wonder of knowledge and to set excellence and
quality as their standards.
Prof. Tardoni has taught English for over 25 years. She started her career as an English and drama teacher first at the high
school level and later at Colorado Mountain College where she
taught for 10 years. She earned her Masters degree from Utah
State University. She has taught classes at Western which
include English, Medieval Epics, Folklore and Gothic fiction.
Tardoni says she enjoys all her classes and encourages her stu-
dents to be better readers and writers. She claims, "every class
provides fascinating experience… I love it".
Once retired, Tardoni plans to travel with her husband, visit
historic sites, and enjoy her family . "I would like to spend time
with my grandchildren..they are all fun", she adds. Also she
plans to spend more time reading, her favorite hobby.
Tardoni, also a musician, owns a grand piano. " I used to
teach piano and I love playing classical music. I have played
most of Enya's songs and those from Lord of the Rings", she
says. She often goes to the movies just to listen to the background music.
Asked what she is going to miss from Western, she responds,
" I have known this college for very long. I am part of the
growth of this community. I like the student dynamics, and certainly I will miss the classes and students at Western."
Prof. Tardoni has a BA in English Composition from Mesa
State College, and MA from Utah State University.
Dalton Ends 30 Years of Teaching
By Danielle Thompson
Mustang Express Staff Writer
Glenn Dalton's office is in a long, cold, loud hallway, usually
frequented by students who take welding or automotive classes
at Western. These classes are required for many jobs in
Sweetwater County, especially those involving the oil field.
Glenn has been with Western for over 30 years, and has had a lot
of students admire him and his classes. After teaching at Western
for so long, he's learned that teaching a new class is difficult,
that students will keep coming back, and that it's hard for him to
pick a favorite class.
He teaches maintenance classes in the Industrial Maintenance
Program where students give nothing but positive feedback. His
classes benefit students working in different industries, and
many keep coming back for more classes, more knowledge.
Asked whether it is hard to leave Western, he nods. "It's hard.
It's difficult to leave. As it gets closer and closer, I find that I'm
going to miss the faculty, the students, the facilities here. I'm
going to miss not coming to work every day…. I've enjoyed
every class, every student that I've had in the program over all
these years. It's been a good run."
He plans on doing consulting work for different businesses in
the industry after retiring from Western.
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Staff Retires
Carousel Review
Banned Books Opinion
International Night
News
Oyster Ridge Music Festival
ASG Elections
[email protected]
2
May 2008
Mustang Expr ess Review
‘Carousel’ Takes
the WWCC Stage
A Merry-Go-Round of Emotion
By Aaron Bruder
Mustang Express Writer
A memorable performance of Rodgers and
Hammerstein's "Carousel" was put on by the
WWCC theater department in April. As the
curtain opened, it was obvious how much work
had been put into this production. The set,
though primarily stationary, lent itself to many
different places. It was designed by Amy L.
Critchfield; and, with wonderful levels and
textures, it made the whole performance more
dynamic.
The opening of the play was proof of just
how much can be said without a word. A solid
10 minutes into the play, not a line was spoken;
but, plenty of story was conveyed. The actors
did a wonderful job of sinking into their characters. Characters Billy Bigelow (played by
Samuel West), Mrs. Mullin (played by Shelly
Bulkley), and Julie Jordan (played by Amber
McNew) kept the stage filled with their presence.
Every subsequent character added vivid
color and depth to the story. The dances, choreographed by Prof. Deirdre MacDonald, were
perfectly synchronized and entertaining. The
Rodgers and Hammerstein music energized the
performance, and every cast member
expressed their joy and excitement so well that
the audience could not help but be pulled in
and feel it with them.
What these performers managed to make out
of Hammerstein's script was nothing short of
amazing. The costumes, performers, music,
and scenery came together perfectly to make a
show that will be remembered.
CAROUSEL — From the left, Ashley Stractman, JJ Tirado, Kallee
Overy perform recently for Western Wyoming Community
College Theater.
MUSICAL AMUSEMENT — Angie Graham and Trevor Dean work together on
stage.
STARRY NIGHT — Samuel West was among the
cast members of Carousel.
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3
May 2008
Mustang Expr ess Opinion
Banned Books — Right Here In America
Don’t Let
Libraries be
Picked Apart
Without a Fight
By Aaron Bruder
Mustang Express Writer
During World War II, the Nazis emptied libraries of their
books and set the books ablaze. Why? Because the books contained things the Nazis did not want anyone to know about.
They were attempting to erase history by destroying evidence
of it. Now, more than 60 years later, such barbaric acts no
longer happen . . . right? They do, as much now as then.
Banning of books occurs right in America ,of all places..
It is true that literal book burning does not happen too often
anymore because it's not effective, but banning of books still
happens. When books were primarily hand written, or when
only a handful of copies existed in the world, setting piles of
books on fire was an efficient way to get rid of them. Since
books are now printed by the thousands, if not millions, people who dislike some literature have taken on a new approach,
book banning. According to the American Libraries
Association (ALA) between the years of 1990 and 2000 over
6,300 books were challenged. Being challenged means some
groups approached their libraries and demanded that certain
books be taken off their selves.
Why did they attempt to ban these books? And just who are
'they'? A lot of organizations or private interest groups can be
linked to book banning. Many of them are school board leaders and others are politicians who attempt to remove 'harmful'
reading in order to garner popularity among the voters . Other
groups include churches; the Christian Voters League has been
one of the most active attempting to eliminate books that disagree with their religious views. The Harry Potter series is one
of their best known casualties. Other groups, including some
feminist groups, want to ban some books that are considered to
belittle or insult women.
So what books do these groups find so dangerous that they
must be removed from the public's hands. To name just a few
of the most frequently challenged books: "How to Eat Fried
Worms" by Thomas Rockwell comes in at #96. "Wheres
Waldo" by Martin Hanford sits at #88. "The Deadzone",
"Carrie", and "Cujo" all by Stephen King hold spots #83, #77,
and #55."James and the Giant Peach" by Ronald Dahl grabs
spot #56. "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley has spot #51.
"To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee comes in at #41.
"Goosebumps" the entire series by R.L. Stine climbs all the
way up to #16. "The Giver" by Lois Lowry hangs just above
R.L. at #14. "Harry Potter" the series by J.K. Rowling manages
an impressive spot at #7. "The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn" By Mark Twain lands at #5. "I Know Why the Caged
Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou is next to the top at #3. "Scary
Stories" , the series by Alvin Schwartz, sits at top as the #1
most frequently challenged books.
Many of you are probably thinking this is can't be true
because of our First Amendment rights. Sadly it is. The best
way to fight it is find a banned book, and read it. They can take
it off the selves, but they can't keep you from reading it if you
want to. Let all those people who think they know what's best
for you know that it is your right to make that decision yourself. Don't let our libraries be picked apart without a fight.
Read a banned book, and tell everyone you know about it.
Between 1990 and 2000 The American
Libraries Association complied this list of the
top 100 most frequently challenged books.
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Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya
Angelou
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark
Twain
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
Forever by Judy Blume
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln
Collier and Christopher Collier
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Giver by Lois Lowry
It's Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton
Peck
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Sex by Madonna
Earth's Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
The Witches by Roald Dahl
The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
The Goats by Brock Cole
Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
Blubber by Judy Blume
Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
Final Exit by Derek Humphry
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
What's Happening to my Body? Book for Girls:
A Growing-Up Guide for Parents &
Daughters by Lynda Madaras
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
Deenie by Judy Blume
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin
Schwartz
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
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Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure
(Anne Rice)
Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna
Cole
Cujo by Stephen King
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
Ordinary People by Judith Guest
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
What's Happening to my Body? Book for Boys:
A Growing-Up Guide for Parents &
Sons by Lynda Madaras
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy
Blume
Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
Fade by Robert Cormier
Guess What? by Mem Fox
The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Native Son by Richard Wright
Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed
Women's Fantasies by Nancy Friday
Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
Jack by A.M. Homes
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
Carrie by Stephen King
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
Family Secrets by Norma Klein
Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
The Dead Zone by Stephen King
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
Private Parts by Howard Stern
Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
Sex Education by Jenny Davis
The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis
Roberts
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier
and Christopher Co
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4
Mustang Activities
Students Celebrate
International Night
By Moushumi Roy
Mustang Express Writer
International night at WWCC drew crowds of students, staff and community members, April 3. The performance and dinner started at 6:30
p.m., and guests dined in the atrium of WWCC, enjoying "home cooking"
by a large number of international students. Then students danced on stage
as yellow and pink lights filtered the Atrium with the evening sunset.
Students from Japan participated in a comedy show; Ethiopian, Jamaican,
and Ivory Coast students donned vibrantly colored costumes to dance to
music from their countries. Some sang. The high point of the evening was
the International Night fashion show. Students, garbed in traditional
clothes, walked a ramp to represent their countries and smiled to hear
cheers from the audience.
During the dinner, there were cheers, high spirits and jovial comments
from tuxedo-clad announcers as students from Srilanka, Ethiopia, Africa,
Japan, China, Vietnam, Korea and Mexico boasted their own gourmet
cooking and guests called out their thanks. Organizers of this year's annual fest said they'd hoped to make guests happy.
May 2008
[email protected]
5
May 2008
Mustang Activities
INTERNATIONAL CELEBRATION — On the left page, top Saaba
Melketsadik, Meron Tekleargay, Hawi Bekele, Egla Negussie and Hilina
Mekonnen, model. Below left, Sharmaine Mudlige is introduced by
Tesfaye Deboch. On the right page, Aya Yokosuka performs. Hau Nguyen
plays at the piano. On the bottom left, traditional clothing are shown by
Saabe Melketsadik, Hawi Bekele, Seid Seid, Meron Tekleargay and Egla
Negussie. Students shown standing above include Yordanos Tesfaye,
Hilina Mekonnen, Ermias Zergaw, Biruck Tesentu, Shermaine Mudalige,
Seid Seid, kneeling, Dawit Amare ad Thomas Bekele.
[email protected]
6
May 2008
Mustang Expr ess News
Tips to Manage
Finances
Students Balance
Personal Stress with
the Cost of a Degree
By Derek Pitts
Mustang Express Staff Writer
College can be one of the most stressful times of a person's life. Worries about
finances are on a student's mind throughout his or her college career, and these worries
can make a student question whether they can afford to better themselves by seeking a
degree. A website devoted to finances may be able to help students with questions on
how to manage their finances before and during their time at school. www.360financialliteracy.org offers advice on how to pay for college, how to budget your money
while you are in college, and tips on applying for financial aid. The website says college is a time of new freedom for many students, but it can also be trouble for those
who are managing their own finances. The financial literacy website stresses that students need to understand basic money management skills to start building a foundation
for a lifetime of financial success.
Other links on the site include important issues such as insurance for students.
Financial experts suggest to parents that they review their homeowners insurance as
well as auto and health insurance policies before their student heads off to school to
make sure the student is covered. The site also gives tips for purchasing renters insurance if the student lives off campus, but stresses that the parents check their other insurance policies to make sure they are not duplicating coverage.
While the website offers financial information to students, there are other links on
the page that offer money management tips from childhood to retirement. Links for
married couples and homeowners as well as retirees and what to do in life crisis can
also be found on the site. While 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy offers general information on topics such as these, it advises that it does not recommend specific actions
and suggests seeking tailored from a CPA or personal financial adviser.
Kansas Takes
NCAA Tournament
By Derek Pitts
Mustang Express Staff Writer
In a historic NCAA tournament in
which all four number-one seeds
reached the Final Four for the first time
ever, the Kansas Jayhawks won their
first national title in 20 years. That title
came at the expense of the Memphis
Tigers who also made it to the championship game, and had a late second half
collapse of epic proportions.
The Tigers led the game by nine points
with 2:12 left on the clock. After a steal
by the Jayhawks and quick jump shot,
Kansas was only down seven, and strategy came in to play for the Jayhawks.
Taking advantage of the Tiger's 339th
ranking from the free throw line of the
country's 341 teams, the Jayhawks
began to foul Memphis on every possession. The strategy paid off when the
Tigers missed four out of five freethrows in the last 1:15 in the second half.
Still they had a three point lead with
only 10 seconds left to play.
"Ten seconds to go and we're thinking
we're national champs, all of a sudden a
kid makes a shot, and we're not," Tigers
coach John Calipari said after the game.
That kid was Mario Chalmers who hit a
three pointer with 2.1 seconds to play
and sent the Jayhawks to overtime and
an eventual 75-68 win.
"It'll probably be the biggest shot ever
made in Kansas history," Jayhawks'
coach Bill Self said.
Chalmers ended the game with 18
points, and Darrell Arthur led the
Jayhawks in both scoring and rebounding with 20 and 10. Brandon Rush
added 12 points and Sherron Collins led
the way in assists with six and also
added 11 points.
Chris Douglas-Roberts led the Tigers
with 22 points and freshman sensation
Derrick Rose, who played all 45 minutes, finished with 18 including 14 in the
second half.
Western’s Mustang
Express Earns
National Honors
COLLEGE POINT, N.Y. --“Congratulations on a job well done!,”
were the words from the American
Scholastic Press Association, April 19,
as Western’s Mustang Express again
won a first place award for the newspaper. The newspaper won a first place
award in national competitions for the
2007-2008 school year, adding to a first
place award won in spring 2006 and a
second place award won in spring 2007.
“Your newspaper is a window into
your school, for everyone to view. By
attempting to follow professional guide-
lines, you have opened this window and
succeeded in showcasing the best your
students have to offer,” an ASPA judge
wrote in the letter of announcement.
Student newspaper staff members
read the award announcement, at a
Thursday staff meeting, and studied the
recommendations for future excellence
from the judge. They received the
announcement as they were producing
the final edition of the paper for the
school year, completed their work and
then planned to celebrate as the school
year ends.
Editorial Staff
Aaron Bruder - editor
Joanna Fritz –
contributing editor
Derek Pitts
Moushumi Roy
Donnah Smith – sports editor
Tesfaye DeBoch
Danielle Thompson
Dr. Linda Linn — Advisor
The Mustang Express is the student newspaper of Western
Wyoming Community College, published monthly, written by
students of the Publications Production Class, with contributions
from other students, college faculty and editorial staff.
The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Mustang Express staff.
[email protected]
7
May 2008
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8
May 2008
ASG Elects
2008-09
Leadership
By Tesfaye Deboch
Mustang Express Writer
Sharmaine Mudalige will be the new ASG
president for Western's student body government for the 2008-2009 school year. The April
16 election selected four officers and 11 senators from 20 contenders. Present ASG secretary, Mudalige, was elected president for next
school year. Megan Norton was elected vicepresident. Shantel Fuja was chosen as secretary and Marissa Cheney became the treasurer.
Jake Long and Rachel Ketchum received substantial votes for the post of president but were
defeated by Mudalige's top tally. The 11 new
senators will be: Telly Bamba, Natalie
Hansen, Jessica Janota, Kassie Julian, Hilina
Mekonnen, Saba Melketsadik, Egla Nigussie,
Hau Nguyen, Meron Teklearegay, Neecia
Watts and Ermias Zergaw . Nearly 200 students cast their votes and took part in the election. A second round ASG election where
seven more senators will be elected is planned
for September, when new freshman students
arrive.
The election was competitive as members
were promised leadership scholarships and
other benefits for participating in ASG. All
elected officers and senators are expected to
take a one-credit leadership class that is intended to increase leadership skills and teach the
basic rules of order for conducting ASG meetings. The course has been designed, and a syllabus is being prepared to be distributed to
ASG members and resident advisers.
Mudalige says she is very excited about
being the next president and is ready to take
ASG to the next level. She says ASG will do a
much better job with a larger number of students on the board, opposed to the 2007-2008
school year when ASG elections took place in
September and began the first session with few
members. Mudalige said the leadership class
will teach new skills to help students run their
meetings and observe the rules of order for
student government.
Ms. Mudalige is an international student
from Colombo, Sri Lanka, majoring in
Nursing. She is a resident assistant and vice
president of the international students association. She says she increase student participation through clubs and ASG members working
together. Sharmaine wants to strengthen the
collaboration among ASG members and subcommittees that host and co-chair student
activities. She also wants to increase ASG participation in the Rock Springs Community.
SHANTEL FUJA
SECRETARY
MEGAN NORTON
VICE PRESIDENT
SHARMAINE MUDALIGE
PRESIDENT
MARISSA CHENEY
TREASURER