Forest Park student Byron Keaton rubbed shoulders with the likes of Nicki Minaj and Kendrick Lamar last month after winning a trip to the BET Awards. Most people would have been nervous, but it was no sweat for the 21-year-old theater major. “They are human, as well,” he said, speaking of celebrities. “I feel like these are my future co-stars.” Keaton also won a new red Ford Fusion in the contest, sponsored by Ford Motor Co. […]
Open hours in Forest Park’s indoor swimming pool have been reduced for the summer due to lack of funding. Students, faculty and staff used to have pool access one hour a day, four days a week, even if they weren’t enrolled in classes. Now they can only swim two days a week. “The cutback is due to budget concerns,” said Mark Applegate, aquatics coordinator and instructor. The change comes on the heels of another reduction in fitness opportunities at Forest Park. The college eliminated open hours in the weight room this summer. The swimming pool is in the Physical Education building on the east side of campus. “Our primary responsibility when we keep the pool open is heating the pool, changing the chemicals, making repairs and having a lifeguard on duty,” Applegate said. […]
The St. Louis Art Museum opened its new wing last month as part of a $162 million expansion. The East Building covers more than 200,000 square feet, housing nearly 300 works of postwar art in 21 galleries, a restaurant and cafe with seating for 160 people, a 300-car parking garage and three classrooms. […]
John Buckingham’s worst moment as a Forest Park police officer was when a student collapsed and died of a heart attack. “I was the last person to speak with him,” Buckingham said. “I did CPR, but nothing could be done. I feel bad about not being able to save him. He had a massive heart attack, and it was in the Lord’s hands.” […]
Protestors marched on the Delmar Loop in University City this spring, carrying signs that read, “I am a Man” and “On Strike: Poverty Wages hold St. Louis Down.” They were part of a St. Louis campaign known as STL Can’t Survive on $7.35, which is pushing to raise Missouri’s minimum wage from $7.35 to $15 an hour. “I work over 40 hours a week, and I have to decide what bills I want to pay,” said Kenta Jackson, 21, a manager at Church’s Chicken, who skipped work the morning of the rally. […]
The family of a Forest Park honor student shot and killed by police in April gave an update on his case at a meeting on campus recently. Toni Taylor, mother of the late Cary Ball Jr., said family members have participated in a protest in front of the Civil Courts Building and circulated petitions calling for the arrest of the two police officers involved in the shooting. […]
Corporations spend millions of dollars on multicultural training for employees. Candidates who have already received that training are more attractive to potential employers At least that’s the theory of Forest Park associate history professor Deborah Henry. This fall, the Forest Park and Meramec campuses of St. Louis Community College will offer a new humanities course called “Global Dimensions of Race, Gender and Religion.” […]
Budget cuts have closed the Forest Park weight room this summer, keeping students from using new workout equipment installed in 2011. “There has to be supervision to ensure no one injures themselves during workouts,” said Sue Martin, chair of education and human services. “Without the funds to pay for supervision, the weight room had to be closed.” Students, faculty, staff and alumni still can swim during open hours at the campus pool. […]
Forest Park is mourning the death of a student shot and killed by St. Louis police, who had started chasing him on foot near the Edward Jones Dome after he crashed his vehicle last month. Cary Ball Jr., 25, was a human services major trying to turn his life around after 5½ years in prison. He had a 3.86 grade-point average. He made the Dean’s List last fall. He had just returned from a school-sponsored trip to Jefferson City with Phi Theta Kappa honor society. […]
Forest Park officials held a safety forum last week in the wake of a scandal on the Meramec campus involving a bathroom assault. Campus police didn’t report the assault to the public, causing a controversy that prompted President George Wasson to resign. At the forum, Forest Park police chief Richard Banahan talked to a packed classroom of faculty, staff and students about the college’s Emergency Response Team. “We train all the time,” he said. “Every classroom has a panic alarm and phone. If it doesn’t, it will.” […]
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