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. […]
The steady decline in enrollment at St. Louis Community College was a key topic at a recent Campus Chat, facilitated by Forest Park Interim President Rod Nunn. Early in the meeting, faculty members expressed concern that lower enrollments – down by 8,000 to about 21,000 students districtwide since 2011 – could have a detrimental effect. […]
St. Louisans don’t know what to expect after the Michael Brown grand jury decision is handed down, and Forest Park officials are no exception. But the St. Louis Community College district is preparing for possible reaction on its campuses. “I know the (grand jury decision) is going to elicit a lot of emotion throughout the region,” said Forest Park Interim President Roderick Nunn. “We can only hope the Forest Park community responds with respect, civility and calm.” […]
The armed-intruder drill that locked down the Forest Park campus on Oct. 22 was over in 20 minutes and was deemed a success by college officials. Students, faculty and staff were instructed to stay in their rooms, lock the doors, turn off the lights and get out of sight. Those caught outside were “rounded up” and told to stay put. […]
Forest Park police and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department are investigating an alleged rape on campus Sept. 22. An 18-year-old female student filed a complaint on Oct. 27, accusing another student of raping her in an elevator, according to Dan Kimack, public information and marketing director for St. Louis Community College. “Within an hour of the hearing the complaint, campus police had the accused in for questioning,” he said. […]
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