Forest Park’s automotive technology department is maintaining enrollment and expanding activities at a time when the college overall is losing students. The department recently hosted a job fair, participated in a regional contest and completed the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation certificate. […]
Many Forest Park students are thrilled with President Barack Obama’s proposal to make community college free. “It (would help) those along the way who have a strong desire to learn and educate themselves but don’t necessarily have the means to do so,” said Zenia Robinson, 45, a hospitality major. “This is motivation for everybody, regardless of their age, to educate themselves. No more should’ve, would’ve, could’ve.” […]
Donivan Foster is only 32 years old, but he recently landed one of the most important jobs on the Forest Park campus. He replaced Philishea Ingram as manager of Campus Life, coordinating the activities of clubs and organizations and overseeing many student events. […]
A gutsy thief stole a car from Parking Lot C in the middle of the afternoon on the Wednesday before classes started for spring semester. Thomas Kitchen, 58, told Forest Park police that he was approaching his beige 2001 Buick LeSabre on foot when he heard the engine start and saw a black male with a red skull cap drive it away. “Somebody took it off the lot five minutes ago,” he told Officer Terri Buford about 2 p.m. on Jan. 14. “It’s an old car, too.” […]
Forest Park faculty and staff are studying a book with a provocative title that could help them better understand and assist minority students. Six female employees — all white — showed up for the third meeting of the Center for Teaching and Learning Faculty and Staff Book Club. They’re discussing “Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race” by Debby Irving. […]
A Forest Park student is the youngest member of a commission formed by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to study the conditions that led to unrest after the Michael Brown shooting and to help make the region stronger and fairer. Rasheen Aldridge, 20, a general transfer student, has spent recent weeks giving interviews to TV reporters, meeting with community leaders and even traveling to the White House. […]
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department will not pursue charges in a case involving a rape allegation at Forest Park this semester. “There were no charges issued against the suspect,” said police spokesman Schron Jackson. “The case was presented to the (St. Louis) circuit attorney’s office, and warrants against the subject were refused.” On Oct. 27, an 18-year-old female student at Forest Park reported that she was raped by a 19-year-old student on Sept. 22 in a campus elevator, according to college officials. […]
St. Louis Community College officials spent weeks preparing for a potential reaction to the Michael Brown grand jury decision but ended up closing its campuses instead. Classes were called off Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 25 and 26, giving students, faculty and staff four days off for the Thanksgiving holiday. STLCC’s decision to close was made during a conference call with campus presidents, the chancellor, three vice chancellors, Director of Public Safety and Emergency Management Mark Potratz, Chief Legal Officer Mary Nelson and Director of Public Information Dan Kimack. […]
Florissant Valley physics professor Rihab Sawah recalls the Syria where she grew up as a happy and peaceful place. Family gatherings happened on a daily basis, she said in an interview. “People don’t need to call each other and make appointments,” she said. “They just show up at your door, and if you have somewhere else you are going to, you’ll cancel that.” On weekends — which are Fridays and Saturdays in Syria — people would roll out rugs under trees and have picnics, even in the middle of the city, where everyone driving by could see them. “They wouldn’t do that for just a few hours,” Sawah said. “They would do that until 3 or 4 in the morning and then get up and go to work.” […]
Rihab Sawah, a physics professor on the Florissant Valley campus who grew up in Syria, urges people not to trust everything they read in the media about the war-torn country. In May, 2011, two months after civil war broke out, Sawah returned to Syria to see the situation for herself. While there, she noticed discrepancies between news reports and facts on the ground, counting 24 errors in 10 days. […]
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