Am I glowing? Stop digging Tastes like…art Winning streak

Laramie County Community College 

Vol. 47 No. 1 February 11, 2013 Cheyenne, Wyoming 

Single copies free 

wingspan.lccc.wy.edu 

Am I glowing? 

Antique lights to be replaced 

Campus news—Page 5 

Stop digging 

Hynds location problematic 

Opinion—Page 10 

Tastes like…art 

Comfort zones left for gallery 

A&E—Page 19 

Winning streak 

Basketball nears tournament 

Sports—Page 29

2 

February 

Wingspan 

11 Last day to withdraw without recieving a “W.” 

11 

Résumé drop-in, 10 a.m., Career Center, Student Services 

Building, Room 119. 

11 

ESOL orientation, 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Career & Technical Building, 

Room 122. 

11–12 

ABE/GED orientation, 10 a.m.,–7 p.m., Career & Technical 


12 Spring club rush, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., student lounge. 

13 Deadline to turn in graduation application. 

13 

Blood Drive, Surgical technology student club, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., 

student lounge. 

14 

Résumé drop-in, 1–3 p.m., Career Center, Student Services 


14 

Nursing program info session, 5:30–6:30 p.m., Health Science 


16 

Men’s basketball vs. Northeastern Junior College, 4 p.m., 

LCCC gym. 

18 

ABE/GED orientation, 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Career & Technical 


20 

Trustees’ business meeting, 7 p.m., Petersen Board Room, 

Administration Building . 

21 

Career fair, technical professions, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., student 

lounge. 

23 Men’s basketball vs. Lamar CC, 4 p.m., LCCC gym. 

25 

ESOL orientation, 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Career & Technical Building, 

Room 122. 

25 

Career skills orientation, 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Career & Technical 


28 

Career fair, Business & Computer Technology, 1–3 p.m., 


March 

2 

Collegiate DECA chapter competition, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., 

Business Building. 

2–6 Men’s basketball at Region IX Tourney. 

4 

4–28 

6 

“Incidental Theatre: The Vignettes” reception, 7 p.m., Esther 

and John Clay Art Gallery, Fine Arts Building. 

“The Vignettes,” Esther and John Clay Art Gallery, Fine Arts 

Building. 

Trsustees’ Study Session, 7 p.m., Petersen Board Room, 

Administration Building. 

9 Lenten Concert, 1 p.m., St. Mary’s Cathedral, free. 

11 

12 

“Moral and ethical decision making,” Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, 

7 p.m., Union Pacific Centennial Room, Center for Conferences 

and Institutes. 

“Pulse of Africa” Wind Symphony concert, 7 p.m., Cheyenne 

Civic center, free. 

18–24 Spring Break. 

To post information in Eagle Eye through Wingspan Online or the print version of 

Wingspan, contact Alicia Hurley at 778-1304 or e-mail, wingspan@lccc.wy.edu. 

campus news 

February 11, 2013 


Obituary 

Longest serving teacher dies 

The most senior serving faculty 

member at Laramie County 

Community College, Anne Wolff, 

of Cheyenne, died Jan. 28. A 

memorial services will be held 

at 3 p.m. in the LCCC Center 

for Conference and Institutes, 

Room on March 28. 

She was born on March 9, 

1949, in Jacksonville, Fla., and 

had lived in Cheyenne since 

1973. 

Anne taught 12,000 students 

during more than 40 years. She 

received her bachelor’s degree 

from Murray State University 

in Kentucky and two master’s 

degrees from the University of 

Wyoming. Wolff was active in 4H 

and Girl Scouts, was the regional 

director for the Laramie County 

School District Science Fair, was 

a multiple winner of the LCCC 

Teacher of the Year award, and, 

most importantly, was a devoted 

mother whose passions were 

education, travelling and her 

family. 

“Anne Wolff’s mark on the LCCC campus as 

well as the local community has been immense 

for the past four decades,” Rosalind Schliske, 

friend and colleague, said. “When she joined 

LCCC, we had been at our location on College 

Drive for two years, and our enrollment was exploding. 

So Anne was part of that generation of 

LCCC faculty and staff who fearlessly initiated 

new classes and programs to increase student 

opportunities and worked tirelessly on committees 

to improve the college. Right before winter 

break, Anne and I shared a long conversation in 

which she said how excited she 

was to retire in May of this year. 

And then in true Anne Wolff 

fashion, she told me she would 

continue to teach part time, 

however. Even in retirement 

Anne didn’t want to break her 

connection to this institution 

and its students. Because of her 

nearly lifelong service, she never 

will.” 

Dr. Joe Schaffer, LCCC 

president, added: “Anne was 

our longest tenured faculty 

member, teaching microbiology 

and zoology here at LCCC 

since 1973. During the course 

of her tenure at LCCC she has 

helped transform the lives of 

hundreds, perhaps thousands, 

of our students. Judging by the 

stories I have already heard 

about Anne, it is clear she has 

also touched and changed many 

of our faculty and staff lives as 

Anne Wolff 

well. Her contributions to LCCC, 

Cheyenne and Wyoming will 

endure, even though we now must say goodbye 

to our friend.” 

“Anne was a great instructor, and she will be 

missed by all her students,” said Henry Derr, 

retired LCCC instructor. 

She is survived by two daughters, Sarah 

Wolff, of Tucson and Cheyenne, and Shana 

Wolff, of Cheyenne; her mother, Nelle Tyrell, 

of DeLand, Fla.; and a brother, McHenry 

Holbrook, of Daytona Beach, Fla. Wolff was preceded 

in death by her father, John Holbrook. 

Those who wish may contribute to the LCCC 

Foundation.



campus news 

ond issue would pass 

ith educated community 

Board discusses need to inform voters 

By Jennifer Stogsdill 

Co-editor 

A survey consultant said if 

Laramie County Community 

College asked for a bond election 

to finance construction 

on campus, the college would 

need to educate the public 

about the need and the cost. 

At the Feb. 6 LCCC Board 

of Trustees’ study session, the 

board discussed the results 

of a survey about a proposed 

bond election for the university/student 

center and flex-tech 

building. 

The survey to residents 

with landlines and cellphones 

was conducted by Keith 

Frederick of FrederickPolls 

from Arlington, Va., who called 

in to the board meeting to 

review the survey results with 

the trustees. 

Frederick said the 300 

people who were surveyed 

were most likely to vote in the 

actual election, and margin 

of error was 5.6 percent. The 

summary of findings from 

the survey found the mood 

was very supportive of a bond 

1607 Capitol Ave. 

307-634-2576 

measure, but problems existed 

with the legal language of the 

potential bond ballot. The 

survey showed more voted no 

(48 percent) than yes (42 percent) 

on a more legally termed 

ballot, but when asked about 

the concept of a $20 million 

bond for a flex-tech center and 

student services building, with 

these being detailed, and with 

the tax increase broken down 

monthly, more voted yes (63 

percent) than no (32 percent). 

Frederick said the atmosphere 

to hold a special bond 

election was positive because 

the survey showed the community 

viewed the economy 

and the taxing situation as 

good and LCCC was viewed 

favorably. He added though to 

have a successful election, the 

college would have to educate 

the community about the 

issue. 

The board discussed 

whether the college should 

wait for the general election 

in 2014, but Frederick and 

Todd Bishop from Kaiser and 

Co. said it was uncertain if 

the community and economy 

“Like” us on Facebook 

and be entered to win a 

would be this positive in two 

years. The board is considering 

a special, off-year election 

this fall. 

Trustee Don Erickson 

pointed out it would take a lot 

of work to fully educate the 

community about the election 

and what it means for the 

college and the community in 

the six months before a special 

election. 

Overall, Frederick said the 

response seemed positive regarding 

the bond, but his summary 

said if the election were 

held today, LCCC would lose 

the election mostly because of 

the wording. 

“This bond referendum 

should win but will likely 

fail unless the electorate can 

be educated on specifics of 

LCCC’s successful track record, 

the community value and 

return on investment and the 

honest impact of this temporary 

tax increase,” Frederick 

said. 

Following the meeting, the 

board went into an executive 

session to discuss personnel 

matters. 

For more LCCC Board of Trustees’ study session stories about the Hynds 

Capitol Core letter of intent amendment and the welding pilot program, visit 

http://wingspan.lccc.wy.edu/. 

$20 gift card to the 

Paramount Cafe. 

www.facebook.com/Cafeparamount 

By Derek Hoffman 

A&E Writer 

An opportunity for students 

looking to improve themselves 

and plan their lives will happen 

in February. Laramie County 

Community College will host two 

career fairs on Feb. 21 and 28. 

Targeting students who are about 

to graduate. 

Cheryl Collins, program assistant 

in Advising and Career 

Services said, “That is not the 

only focus for these career fairs.” 

Students who haven’t decided on a 

degree, or have decided on one can 

use this as an opportunity to see 

what the people who are hiring in 

these companies are looking for in 

their future employees. 

In addition it is easy for undergraduates 

to change their majors if 

they discover what they were looking 

into isn’t what they thought it 

would be, or perhaps they might 

not be the type of person who 

would be interested in that particular 

job. 

Some of the businesses represented 

at the Career Fairs will 

come ready to accept applications 

from those students who are nearly 

ready to graduate. So students 

should bring copies of their 

résumé, both professional and 

personal references, and maybe 

Wingspan 3 

Community called to rise 

against violence Feb. 14 

Char Lessenger 

Graphics Editor 

The global strike aimed at 

violence against women will 

come to Cheyenne. At 10 a.m. on 

Thursday, Feb. 14, beginning at 

the Depot Plaza, V-day Cheyenne 

will gather women and those who 

love them to start the dance to the 

Capitol and demand an end to 

violence against women. 

After spending some time 

listening to speakers rally for violence 

against women, the group 

will reconvene at Laramie County 

Community college for another 

demonstration. 

However, this event isn’t just 

for the people of Cheyenne. 

Women, men and children will 

be joining together on this day all 

over the world in an effort to stop 


V-Day Cheyenne coordinators 

want the world to see the 

collective strength of Cheyenne, 

according to Shelly Montgomery, 

a V-Day Cheyenne coordinator. 

The website explained One 

Billion Rising is a revolution, an 

invitation to dance, a call to men 

and women to refuse to participate 

in the status quo until rape 

and rape culture ends, but, most 

importantly, it is a refusal to accept 


For more information 

visit www.facebook.com/ 

OneBillionRisingCheyenne or 

call Shelly Montgomery at 307- 

630–9547. 

College to host pair of career fairs 

some copies of their unofficial 

transcripts. 

Also Collins said students 

should dress as if they were going 

for an interview, because they just 

might be. 

Students needing help with 

building their résumés can attend 

the Career Center résumé workshops 

on Tuesday, Feb. 8, from 

noon–2:15 p.m. Drop-in help is 

available at the Career Center on 

Feb. 11 from 10 a.m.–noon and 

Feb. 14 from 1 p.m.–3 p.m. 

The first fair will focus on technical 

professions, and the second 

fair will focus more on business 

and computer technology. 

Some of the companies attending 

the first fair will be Brown 

Company (Torrington), Correll 

Refrigeration Inc., Fat Boys Tire 

and Auto, Great Lakes Airlines, 

Laramie County Fire District No. 2, 

Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 192 

JATC, state of Wyoming, and Volt 

Workforce Solutions. More could 

still be added because the fairs are 

still open until Friday, Feb. 10. 

Some of the companies represented 

at the second job fair will 

be Allstate Insurance Co., Cellular 

Plus/Verizon Wireless, Christie 

Technology, College Pro Painters, 

Dillard’s, Great Lake Airlines and 

Home Depot. 

Correction: 

Wingspan would like to apologize for the following error in the 

December issue. Tammie Keney’s name was misspelled in the Bucket 

List feature story of the Apocalypse section.

4 

Wingspan 

By Kasey M. Orr and 

Jennifer Stogsdill 

Co-Editors 

The president of Laramie County Community College 

told the Board of Trustees that he will merge two academic 

divisions at the college. 

During the business meeting of the Board of Trustees 

Jan. 23 President Dr. Joe Schaffer advised the board that 

he had informed the College Council that, as part of the 

greater reorganization currently in progress, the Career 

and Technical Education (CTE) Division will be folded 

into the Division of Business, Agriculture and Computer 

Technology. This new division will be called the School 

of Business, Agriculture and Technical Studies. 

President Schaffer explained to the board that 

this overall reorganization would also provide a more 

uniform system of describing, defining and organizing 

faculty leadership positions. 

“We need to establish a more formalized mechanism 

for identifying and directing faculty leadership,” the 

president explained. “Across our academic areas we use 

different terminology, different definitions… it’s just 

good business to define what we mean by faculty leadership.” 

In other news, the board unanimously approved the 

following items: 

Digital message signage system bought 

The purchase of a factory-new digital message signage 

system for $47,090.70 from current fund monies to 

implement a digital signage system at LCCC. 

The board discussed the digital signage at its Jan. 4 

special business meeting. Chad Marley, chief technology 

officer, said for now eight digital signs will be put on 

campus in the Student Services Building, residence halls 

and Center for Conferences and Institutes. The digital 

signs will be used to share information with the campus. 

Lisa Murphy, interim associate vice president of institutional 

advancement, said the public relations office 

will coordinate the screens and put up information in 

case of an emergency. Marley said eventually the Albany 

County Campus could be included. Murphy said for now 

the college will start with eight and then added a few 

more each year as money becomes available because of 

the budget. She added the college would need to have 

about 20 total eventually. 

campus news 

Marley said the screens will be 42-inch TVs that will 

be mounted on the wall and will have a wireless communication 

device. Each is estimated to cost $2,700. 

Murphy said separate divisions on the campus can add 

their own information and become involved with this, 

but it depends on the division and who wants to do it. 

She added that Student Services wants to handle its own 

information. 

Murphy also said that in an emergency, PR and 

security can override all screens to broadcast emergency 

information to everybody. 

Judy Hay, vice president of student services, said bulletin 

boards can be messy and usually have old information, 

with the digital screens, information can be offered 

more quickly. Student Services will have three screens; 

one will be in the welcome area, and Hay said that one 

will probably be just a TV for entertainment while students 

wait. She said another one will go near student records 

to be used mainly as a distraction for other people 

in line to give the person being waited on privacy. 

At the suggestion of Trustee Ed Mosher, LCCC will get 

one interactive kiosk-type screen and seven of the noninteractive 

screens to see how the interactive screens 

work at the college. The addition of the kiosk added 

about $4,000 to the original proposal. 

At the Jan. 4 meeting there was also discussion about 

the two outside marquees at the entrances to campus. 

Murphy said they will eventually need to be addressed 

because replacement parts no longer are available. 

President Schaffer said the college will have to look 

further into finding a way to fix the external signage of 

the campus. 

Career & Technical addition planned 

The planning of a 2,000-square-foot addition to the 

northeast side of the Career and Technical Building and 

authorized the president to carry out all aspects of the 

project and to outline the curriculum for a pilot program 

that will run for two years to be brought to the Wyoming 

Community College Commission for approval. 

At the Jan. 4 meeting, Tim Macnamara, director of 

physical plant, and Stan Torvik, vice president of workforce 

and community development, discussed the proposal 

to turn two free-standing walls into a standalone 

2,000-square-foot building. The space would be used 

for expanding the wind energy program, the welding 

program and the process technology program. Torvik 

said five refineries are in the state that need experienced 



President tells of divisional merger, organization changes 

UW commuters sought 

By Dani Kakalecik 

Campus Editor 

The Laramie County Community College Student Government 

Association was visited at its meeting on Jan. 22 by a student, who voiced 

her concerns about public transportation. 

Carole Webb said she believed LCCC should provide a bus that runs 

from the LCCC campus to the University of Wyoming campus. The senators 

discussed ideas about how to obtain feedback from students on the 

issue and the possibility of a survey. 

Senator applications will be available for those interested in becoming 

a part of the organization next semester. Also, the senators will push to 

get those applications included in the acceptance package and possibly 

even the new student orientation package to get students interested and 

involved in SGA earlier. 

SGA is also organizing “Ask a Senator Day.” Students who participate 

in “Ask a Senator Day” may throw a pie at the face of a senator. SGA is also 

examining the possibility of relocating the bookstore and remodeling the 


workers, and experienced welders are always needed, so 

these programs are needed immediately. 

This space will house the re-established certificate 

and degree program in welding until the Flex-Tech 

Building is built. The college will need to go to the WCCC 

for approval, but if it is approved, construction could be 

completed by mid-August 2013, and the welding program 

could start by the fall 2013 semester. 

P-card program implemented 

The implementation of a purchasing card or “P-Card” 

program. This program works with a bank to streamline 

and reduce accounting paperwork with the procurement 

process for the college. The P-Card is used for purchasing 

through various venders who accept Visa cards. 

Then a single bill statement is sent from the bank to the 

college, while the bank itself (in this case UMB Bank) 

will make the payments to the individual vendors. 

President’s housing allowance hiked 

Amendment No. 2 to the president’s employment 

contract, which extends the period of his housing allowance 

for the president and his family, who are currently 

in a house owned by the college. This extension provides 

time for the Schaffer family to finish construction of 

their new home before moving out of the current one. 

Strategic Planning Committee formed 

A new committee named the Strategic Planning 

Committee was formed during the meeting. Headed 

by Chairwoman Carol Merrell, the committee will work 

with Schaffer and a number of other members from 

College Council to create an overall strategic plan that 

will align with that of the Wyoming Community College 

Commission. Trustees Ed Mosher and Bill Dubois asked 

to join the chairwoman to represent the trustees on this 

committee. Chairman Merrell added that when she has 

participated in this kind of committee, she found “the 

biggest joy” was “to really find out what is happening in 

this college at that level.” 

The president of the Student Government 

Association, Mike Wondrash, brought a student body 

concern to the attention of the board, citing that as the 

days become colder, the 30-foot bubble between campus 

doors and smokers has gradually reduced. President 

Schaffer stated simply and confidently, “We’ll take care 

of it.” 

Following the meeting, the trustees went into executive 

session to discuss several personnel matters.



By Kasey M. Orr 

Co-editor 

Driving down the packed column of 

parked cars in the lot north of Laramie 

County Community College, you search 

desperately for a spot with only minutes 

to get to class. Your heart leaps, and you 

can hardly believe your luck when you 

think you see an open space near the 

front of the row. 

Then your heart breaks just as quickly 

as you realize the parking space is taken 

by an ugly, gray concrete cylinder in a 

muddy hole. 

What is this? Why is it here? How is this 

possibly helpful? 

The answer is “streetlights.” The answer 

is “light and safety.” 

The answer is that earlier in 2012 

a company called Security Risk 

Management Consultants, Inc. conducted 

a security assessment of the campus 

and found the illumination of campus 

areas at night was severely below par. 

This same assessment led to the placement 

of security cameras throughout 

the college. Currently, 57 new, state- 

campus news 

of-the-art, LED (light-emitting diode) 

streetlamps will increase the overall 

illumination of public areas on campus 

at night, bringing them up to the national 

standard. These lamps are taller and 

more powerful than the old lights and are 

designed to shine more light toward the 

ground where it is needed, rather than 

the old sphere designs, which cast just 

as much light uselessly toward the sky as 

they did toward the parking lot and also 

caused more glare for those driving. 

Another reason for discarding the existing 

lights is many still hold the original 

mercury vapor bulbs, which the FDA 

claimed can be a public health concern 

because of the danger of ultraviolet 

radiation burns to the eyes and face if the 

outer part of the bulbs were ever damaged. 

Because these original fixtures were 

installed when the college was first 

built, that is yet another reason for their 

replacement. 

The LED lights save energy and shine 

brighter by sending light in one direction, 

in this case down on the walkways 

and parking lots. The U.S. Department of 

Energy said a residential-used LED-style 

light can last 25 times longer and use 75 

percent less energy than a standard incandescent 

light. The result is a brighter, 

more energy-efficient, cost-effective and 

safer environment walk after dark. 

Of the five areas that the Security Risk 

Management Consultants Inc. assessment 

outlined, the budget was approved, 

for the time being, for a contract designed 

to complete the minimum coverage 

of only four of those areas, said Tim 

MacNamara, Physical Plant Director. 

The Administration Building’s and 

Center for Conferences and Institutes’ 

parking lot as well as the one by Auto/ 

Diesel, along the Tom Bauman Loop 

Road, the north parking lot and the eastwest 

walkway from the Arp Building to 

Fine Arts Building are being provided 

with the new lighting under this plan. The 

final area remaining in need, according 

to the assessment, is the mall walkway 

between the LCCC buildings. 

MacNamara estimated approximately 

75 percent of the work is now complete, 

with all 57 lights expected to be in place 

by the end of the spring semester. 

Wingspan 5 

New lamps to let light shine on campus 

Kasey M. Orr 

Old lights less efficient: 

These older fixtures were 

installed when the college 

was built. Some still contain 

the original mercury vapor 

bulbs.

6 

Wingspan 

By Allie Hurley 

Feature Editor 

YoungBill EagleChild RunningFisher 

A Blackfeet Indian from north central Montana, 

YoungBill EagleChild RunningFisher has been in law 

enforcement for 18 years. He began his career in Atlanta, 

Ga., in Dekalb County, which is one of the toughest areas 

to work in the metro Atlanta area. 

Then he worked his way up to a federal agency command 

with Department of Homeland Security-Federal 

Emergency Management Agency. There, he commanded 

a 12-person emergency response team covering Region 

6, which is the entire southeastern United States. 

He also had a unique experience working with some 

of the biggest events and disasters in the nation’s history. 

“I first got involved in FEMA back in 2001 with the 

9/11 terrorist attacks all the way through Hurricanes 

Katrina and Rita and Ike to name a few,” RunningFisher 

said. 

He was an officer assigned to guard the state of 

Wyoming Disability Determination Service building 

and is a former chief of police with the Bureau of Indian 

Affairs at King Mountain. 

He comes from a long line of law enforcement officers 

as his great-great-grandfather was the first captain 

of the Indian police with the BIA, and it has passed on 

from father to son for the past 124 years. 

RunningFisher has degrees in business, criminal 

justice and emergency management. Since June 2011, 

Runningfisher has been a part-time campus safety officer 

at Laramie County Community College. 

Bob Atkinson 

spent 20 years in California as a 

deputy sheriff. He’s been an adjunct 

instructor at a police academy and 

spent 10 years at a high school for 

campus safety. Atkinson has also had 

20 years’ experience in the Marine 

Corps and received a Purple Heart. 

Because of California’s high 

costs, Atkinson moved to Wyoming. 

He spoke with Laramie County 

Community College’s security 

campus news 

director at the time and was hired on the spot, and he 

has served two years. Atkinson was also a full-time campus 

safety officer, serving as interim director. 

“If anyone has any questions, concerns and safety 

ideas, they should come and see me. I’d be happy to 

listen,” Adkinson said. He wants students to feel comfortable 

coming to school and have someone protecting 

them. He enjoys the students at LCCC including his son 

who “should major in ESPN.” So far Atkinson has had a 

good experience at LCCC. 

Jeff Graham 

has been a part-time safety officer for five years. 

He has a master’s of rehabilitation counseling from 

Utah State University. At the University of Wyoming, he 

received a bachelor of arts in social science and administration 

of justice. Graham is a certified rehabilitation 

counselor and served on the Governor’s Council on 

Developmental Disabilities. 



Super troopers: Campus cops have prime experience 

Bob Atkinson 

Aliie Hurley 

On patrol: 

Campus safety and security officers Jeff 

Graham, left, and YoungBull EagleChild 

RunningFisher patrol campus. 

Who ya gonna call? 

For Campus Security, call 630-0866 or 630-0645. 

There are three shifts with two officers working: 

midnight to 8 a.m.; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 4 p.m. to 

midnight. 

Graham is the deputy administrator for the Disability 

Determination Services, having worked for the state of 

Wyoming for 19 years. 

He served in the military for five years, two with the 

Wyoming Air National Guard as a security specialist and 

three on active duty with the Army as a military intelligence 

analyst. 

As a safety officer, Graham is responsible for the 

safety of students, faculty, staff and others who come to 

the campus for various purposes. He said he is responsible 

for ensuring that property is not damaged or stolen 

and ensuring that facilities are safe for public use. 

Graham said his objective is to be highly visible and 

accessible to all individuals on campus. He can be found 

patrolling the campus on foot or in a vehicle. 

While on the job, Graham said he enjoyed speaking 

with people and is curious about what brought them to 

LCCC. 

“I enjoy hearing successful outcomes from students 

who have worked and studied diligently to receive high 

marks in their courses, discussing what courses they 

enjoy and those courses that are challenging,” Graham 

said. “I also enjoy speaking with the faculty members.” 

Graham also said he has grieved the loss of students 

who have committed suicide. “These students had so 

much to offer but chose to end their lives prematurely,” 

he said. 

Not only is Graham a graduate from LCCC, but it’s 

where he and his wife met. Graham called LCCC special, 

and it’s where he plans to send his children. 

Graham has been married for 21 years and has four 

teenagers. He enjoys running and reading. 

He wants students to know he is friendly and approachable 

and is available to assist them, especially in 

a time of crisis. 

AIM HIGHER!



Dec. 1 

Suspicious incident 

A student in the Residence 

Hall parking lot reported that 

someone tampered with a 1994 

Acura and the air was let out of 

the tires. There was no suspect 

information. 

Dec. 3 

Informational report 


Hall reported he had been a 

victim of battery. Campus Safety 

and the Laramie County Sheriff’s 

Department were contacted; 

afterward the student who filed 

said he was confused, and it 

didn’t happen. 

Dec. 3 

Assault 

Supplemental to the 

Informational report, the 

student who claimed he was a 

victim of assault, changed his 

mind and named a suspect. 

The suspect was identified to 

Body Image and 

Disordered Eating 

101 

Feel pressured to be 

thin or “need” to have the 

perfect body? Obsess 

about weight or dieting? 

Please join a presentation 

on Body Image. Call 

778-4397 

to reserve a space! 

Tuesday, Feb. 26 

Noon–1 p.m., CCC 179 

Thursday, Feb. 28 

5–6 p.m., CCC 178 

Sponsored by Counseling 

and Campus Wellness 

the Laramie County Sheriff’s 

Department, who took a report 

and submitted it to the district 

attorney. The case is pending 

and is in the hands of the district 

attorney’s office. 

Dec. 6 

Theft 

In the Residence Hall, a 

student reported someone 

stole a wrist watch, valued at 

$300. The theft was reported to 


Department, who has received 

suspect information and has 

started a case. 

Dec. 7 

Theft 

In an office in Center for 

Conferences and Institutes, the 

reporting party said $130 cash 

was left in a file cabinet during 

three days, and on Dec. 10 the 

$130 was missing. There is no 

suspect information. 

Contact Eirin Grimes in Counseling and Campus Wellness 

CCC 129, 307-778-4397 

campus news 

February 24 – March 2, 2013 

NEDAwareness 

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week 

Movie Screening: 

Killing Us Softly 4 

“…Jean Kilbourne 

uncovers a steady 

stream of sexist and 

misogynistic images and 

messages...and a 

restrictive code of 

femininity that works 

to undermine girls and 

women in the real 

world….” 

Wednesday, Feb. 27 

11 a.m.–2 p.m. 

Student Lounge 

Sponsored by 

Campus Activities Board 

Dec. 11 

Theft 


Hall reported three pairs of blue 

denim jeans, two T-shirts and 

assorted socks, estimated at 

about $150 total, were stolen. 

The student had left the clothing 

in the Residence Hall washer for 

about 14–15 hours unattended. 

There was no suspect information. 

Dec. 14 

Minor in alcohol possession 

A resident adviser conducting 

checks for the winter break 

Residence Hall checkout walked 

into a room and found an 

abundance of alcohol bottles 

on a table in the room. Campus 

Safety was contacted, and then 


Department was contacted. The 

two minors in the room in possession 

of alcohol were issued 

a notice to appear in court for 

minors in possession of alcohol 

(from the Laramie County 

Sheriff’s Department). 

Dec. 19 

Found property 

A woman’s black handbag 

was found in a Fine Arts 

Building classroom. The owner 

was identified by information 

found in the bag, and Campus 

Smashing Scales 

Event: Weight 

does not define us! 

Students will be given the 

opportunity to take a 

sledgehammer to a 

bathroom scale in an 

interactive effort to 

reinforce the idea that 

weight does not define the 

person—what is important 

is overall health and 

individuality! 

Thursday, Feb. 28 

Noon–1:30 p.m. 

Outside the cafeteria 

Sponsored by 

Active Minds 

Safety contacted her. The next 

day the bag was returned. 

Dec. 29 

Theft 

In the PE department locker 

room, a student left $95 in cash 

in a wallet in an unlocked locker 

and left the room unattended 

between 3-4 p.m. When the 

student returned, the money 

was missing from wallet. There 

was no suspect information. 

The Laramie County Sheriff’s 

Department was contacted and 

took a report. 

Jan. 9 


In the Ludden Library, a 

woman’s brown wallet was 

found. The owner of the wallet 

was identified from information 

found in the wallet. The owner 

was contacted, and the wallet 

was returned. 

Jan. 9 


In Student Services, a small, 

multicolored clutch purse that 

contained $925 in cash was 

found. The owner was identified 

from information found in the 

purse. The owner was contacted, 

and the purse was returned. 

Love the Genes 

You’re In! 

Denim Jeans Drive 

Take out those old pair 

of jeans you have tucked 

away in the back of your 

closet (You know...the 

ones you keep hoping you 

will fit into someday.), and 

get rid of them. Donate 

them through March 1 for 

a chance to win a gift card. 

Jeans will be donated to a 

local charity. 

Feb. 25–March 1 

8 a.m.–5 p.m., CCC 129 

Sponsored by Counseling 

and Campus Wellness 

Wingspan 7 

Jan. 22 


A credit card was found in 

Parking Lot E. The owner was 

contacted through student 

records information, and the 

credit card was returned. 

Jan. 24 


A brown and purple purse 

was found in a Health Science 

classroom. The owner was identified 

from information found 

in the purse. The owner was 

contacted, and the purse was 

returned. 

Jan. 26 

Suspected drug possession 

In the Residence Hall, a 

resident adviser reported smelling 

marijuana in a dorm room. 

Campus Safety was contacted, 

and then the Laramie County 

Sheriff’s Department was 

contacted, and the dorm room 

was entered, and the residents 

were talked to. The residents 

were not under the influence 

at the time. The individuals in 

the dorm room stated they had 

been smoking earlier but not 

on school property. They also 

were not in possession of any 

marijuana. 

¾ See Security, Page 13 

“Real Beauty” 

Display 

Students will have the 

opportunity to participate 

in a large display 

of “Real Beauty” 

on LCCC’s campus. This 

visual demonstration will 

compare/contrast the 

difference between what 

media tells us is 

beautiful and what 

normal beauty looks like. 

Feb. 25–March 1 

Student Lounge 

Sponsored by 

Certified Peer Educators 

NationalEatingDisorders.org

8 

Wingspan 

Vice President 

Judy Hay Vice President 

started Sept. 10, 2012 

campus news 

Ext. 1217 

Michelle Kallhoff Executive Assistant Ext. 1302 

Campus Living & Learning 

Jenny Rigg Campus Living and Learning Dean Ext. 4326 

Zeke Sorenson Administrative Assistant Ext. 1119 

Danielle Saulsberry Student Involvement and 

Leadership Specialist 

Ext. 1630 

Counseling 

Eirin Grimes Counselor Ext. 1150 

Crystal Corbin Counselor 

Ext. 1261 

• will bring health and wellness activities 

to students 

• will work with local resources in the 

health care community 

Lynn Scott Counselor, part time Ext. 1295 

Residence Hall 

Jason Ostrowski Residential Living Director and Judicial Affairs Ext. 1798 

Karen Wentroble 

Athletics 

Administrative Assistant Ext. 2498 

Jason Ficca Athletic Director/Men’s Basketball Coach Ext. 1181 

Kim Castaneda Administrative Assistant Ext. 1373 

Gregg Boughton Athletic Trainer Ext. 1314 

David Browder Rodeo Head Coach Ext. 1260 

Vacant Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Ext. 1305 

Jim Gardner Women’s Soccer Head Coach Ext. 4393 

Vince Gibson Men’s Soccer Head Coach/Sports Information 

Specialist 

Ext. 1194 

DeWayne Salisbury Assistant Basketball Coach Ext. 1323 

Enrollment Services 

Admissions 

Holly Allison Director of Admissions Ext. 1117 

Lenora Munoz Assistant Ext. 1212 

Vacant Admissions Representative Ext. 1297 

Sarah Hannes E-Recruiting/Web Specialist Ext. 1178 

Josh Nishswonger Admissions Representative Ext. 4370 

Switchboard 



Winds of change blow through student services 

As part of the campuswide reorganization 

changes have been made in all areas 

of student services at Laramie County 

Community College. 

Three nonacademic support 

services—Disability Services, SAGE TRiO 

and the Testing Center—are moving to 

student services. Currently, searches are 

Here is a guide to who is who and how to reach them 

on their way for the new positions of director 

of athletics and campus recreation 

and student services business analyst. 

Further, student services is working 

on developing a new advising model on 

campus and will request funding for it, 

Judy Hay, vice president of student services, 

said. The future model will concen- 

trate on giving new students an adviser 

who will stay with them throughout their 

college careers. Professional advisers 

would be brought to campus, step-bystep, 

and added to the advising force in 

order to fulfill this vision. 

“This holistic advising model would be 

implemented in spring 2014,” Hay said. 

Helen Clark Switchboard Operator Ext. 0 

Judy Williams Switchboard Operator Ext. 0 

Advising & Career Services 

Chrissy Renfro Director of Advising & Career Services Ext. 1310 

Advising 

Dianne Luark Adviser Ext. 1693 

Ali McCown Adviser Ext. 4354 

Ginny Ruckman Adviser Ext. 1130 

DeWayne Saulsberry Adviser Ext. 1323 

Career Services 

Cheryl Collins Program Assistant Ext. 1132 

Transitional Services 

The changes in Campus Living and 

Learning will work to enhance wellness 

on campus for students, and enhance 

LCCC’s multicultural and international 

student experience. 

The goal with the campus-wide 

reorganization is to make the students’ 

experience a great one at LCCC, Hay said. 

Allen Price Transitional Services Manager Ext. 1288 

Financial Aid 

Rodney Dunn Interim Financial Aid Director Ext. 1218 

Heather Jones Assistant Financial Aid Director Ext. 1186 

Sarah Gossman Technician Ext. 4317 

Michelle Massey Technician Ext. 1276 

Vito Milatzo Technician Ext. 1299 

Marnie Ott Technician Ext. 4396 

Lacey Shandera Technician Ext. 1156 

Student Records 

Stacy Maestas Registrar Ext. 1240 

Bettina Wheeler Records Specialist Ext. 4334 

Mary Aragon Records Specialist Ext. 1388 

Jennifer Follett Records Specialist 

Ext. 1241 

• go-to person for some intradepartmental 

integration 

• moved from a part-time position 

to full-time 

Clara Bunning Records Specialist, part time Ext. 1695 

Matt Hooley Records Specialist, 

international student process 

Ext. 4348



By Kasey M. Orr 

Co-editor 

The seat in the office of the vice president of academic 

affairs has found a new owner as Laramie County 

Community College added Dr. Jose Fierro to its staff. 

Fierro will move to LCCC from Jacksonville, Fla., 

where he has lived and worked for the past nine years as 

an academic dean and director for the center of eLearning 

at Florida State College. 

During that time Fierro has worked with traditional, 

online and hybrid curriculum building as well as has 

taught biology, anatomy and physiology, public health 

and more. 

He said he is eager to apply his knowledge to improve 

distance learning opportunities at LCCC. Now that the 

divisions of career and technical education and business, 

agriculture and computer technology will be 

joined as the new school of business, agriculture and 

technical studies. 

President Dr. Joe Schaffer has said changes and 

reorganizations will take place. With the redefinition and 

amalgamation of two whole divisions comes the task 

of designing curriculum for both credit and noncredit 

programs respectively. This will be among the projects 

to tackle when Fierro joins the staff on Feb. 18. The new 

VP said he looked forward to joining LCCC, citing an 

campus news 

College takes advantage 

of e-learning with new VP 

I’M THE 

REASON 

TO DONATE 

YOUR 

PLASMA. 

eagerness to get to know the faculty, staff and student 

community and to find ways to fulfill his duties most effectively. 

He said he is very willing and open to listening 

to everyone about the needs and expectations of those 

involved and affected by the academic programs at the 

college. 

Fierro said he also looked forward to the recreational 

opportunities of the Cheyenne community and Rocky 

Mountain environment as a whole. 

“I’m looking into buying a mountain bike…very 

interested in trying that,” Fierro said. 

He enjoys endurance sports and is active in swimming, 

biking and trains heavily in running. Fierro also 

competes in triathlons. 

Though born in Madison, Wis., Fierro was raised in 

Bogota, the Columbian capital. He earned a doctorate in 

higher education leadership from Arizona’s Northcentral 

University and earned a master of science in management 

and administration of educational programs from 

Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 

Planning to ease into his new role, Fierro said he believed 

showing up to a completely new college in a new 

community with too many predetermined plans is not 

constructive. Rather, he said he felt the job was first to 

learn as much as he could from actually being a part of 

the system, seeing where it works and doesn’t work, and 

I’M CELINA. I HAVE PRIMARY 

IMMUNODEFICIENCY, SO 

MY LIFE DEPENDS ON YOUR 

PLASMA DONATION. 

$250 

YOUR 1ST MONTH! 

$100 

Wingspan 9 

Shawn Havel 

Dr. Jose Fierro: 

During the search for a new VP, each 

candidate gave presentations to various 

groups on campus in early December. 

then bringing his personal knowledge and experience to 

bear in a cooperative effort. Fierro said he preferred “getting 

to know their ideas, bringing my ideas and making 

them our ideas.” 

DISCOVER 

CELINA’S 

STORY 

2009 BLUEGRASS CIRCLE 

CHEYENNE, WY 82009 

307.634.5390 

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT 

AT BIOLIFEPLASMA.COM 

NEW DONORS OR PREVIOUS DONORS WHO 

HAVEN’T DONATED IN SIX MONTHS OR 

MORE, PRESENT THIS COUPON AND RECEIVE 

$100 IN JUST TWO DONATIONS. 

Must present this coupon prior to the initial donation to receive a 

total of $50 on your first and a total of $50 on your second 

successful donation. Initial donation must be completed by 

3.31.13 and second donation within 30 days. Coupon redeemable 

only upon completing successful donations. May not be combined 

with any other offer. Only at participating locations.

10 

Wingspan 

Co-Editors 

Kasey M. Orr 

Jennifer Stogsdill 

Online Editor 

Susann Robbins 

Cassie Kelley 

Assistant Online Editor 


Graphics Editor 

Aaron Boyd 

Multimedia Editor 

Mandy Neely 

Entertainment Editor 

Dani Kakalecik 

Campus Editor 

Dan Herring 

Photo Editor 

Matt Humphrey 

Sports Editor 

Allie Hurley 

Features Editor 

Jose Manuel Jaimes 

Entertainment Writer 

Derek Hoffman 

Entertainment Writer 

Dimitri Sofias 

Online Sports Editor 

Advisers 

Rosalind Schliske 

J. L. O’Brien 

National 

Pacemaker 

Finalist 

Wingspan 

Phone: (307) 778-1304 

Fax: (307) 778-1177 

wingspan@lccc.wy.edu 

©2013 

Wingspan (ISSN 1093-2844) is 

a monthly newspaper for Laramie 

County Community College 

and the community, written 

and edited by journalism 

students with contributions 

from other students, college 

faculty and staff members 

and community residents. 

The opinions expressed are 

those of the authors and do 

not necessarily reflect the 

opinions of the staff, students 

or faculty of the college. 

Wingspan is a member of the 

Associated Collegiate Press. 

It is printed by Cheyenne 

Newspapers, Inc. 

Contributions Policy 

Wingspan welcomes 

letters provided libelous, 

profane or otherwise unprincipled. 

Letters should 

be typed, double-spaced, 

signed by the author and 

include a phone number for 

verification. A digital copy is 

preferred. 

Wingspan reserves the 

right to edit all letters submitted 

because of the available 

space or the reasons 

stated above. Contributions 

made before Feb. 25 may be 

submitted to: 

Wingspan 

Laramie County Community 

College 

1400 East College Drive 

Cheyenne, Wyo. 82007 

Have you heard the saying, “There are no 

short cuts to any place worth going”? 

Wingspan believes that saying applies to the 

college’s involvement in the Hynds Capitol Core 

Project to build student housing downtown and 

the student survey conducted in late fall 2012 to 

justify further examination. 

The Laramie County Community College 

Board of Trustees decided at its Oct. 17 business 

meeting to undertake a survey to gauge student 

interest in downtown living. Furthermore, the 

board agreed to sign a letter of intent between 

the college and Wyoming Community Media, 

doing business as the Hynds Capitol Core 

Project (HCC), giving LCCC time to conduct a 

feasibility study. 

The HCC plan includes renovating the 

historic Hynds building on 16th Street and 

the “hole,” created by a fire that destroyed the 

adjacent building, in order to provide business 

spaces and apartments. 

The plan calls for 65 units, which would 

range from studio to two-bedroom apartments. 

The rent would run from $530 to $708 a month, 

according to the Hynds Capitol Core Project 

feasibility study. 

Wingspan believes the survey was fraught 

with problems. 

This survey was rushed at the end of the fall 

semester because of the letter of intent in order 

to compile results for the Jan. 4 board retreat. 

The survey was posted on EaglesEye with a 

flashing announcement, and students were 

stopped in the student lounge to take the survey. 

If a student answered he were uninterested 

in off-campus housing—the first question—he 

was unable to continue with the survey. 

Unfortunately, the survey lacked merit 

considering the timeframe to conduct and 

compile it, the sample used and the questions 

asked. Further, given the number of responses 

(379 students of approximately 6,000 annually), 

it has been called a mere snapshot of the entire 

LCCC student body. 

Wingspan believes the trustees are being 

rushed into making decisions about the Hynds 

building based on an unscientific survey in 

which the questions were vague and incomplete. 

Additionally, students were uninformed 

of an alternative housing option already in the 

works that might have radically changed the 

way in which they answered the survey. 

Wingspan takes issue with the simplified way 

the survey question of living downtown was 

asked. The question should have been geared 

specifically toward the Hynds Capitol Core 

Project on 16th Street, not generalized to downtown. 

The difference between busy 16th Street 

and 22nd Street by the Capitol complex is more 

opinion 

than six blocks. It is light years away from bars 

and trash in the street to a lovely residential area. 

In retrospect, the answers might have been 

different if students had known what part of 

downtown was in question. 

Additionally, the survey was worded so 

broadly that students might have thought a 

new dorm was proposed instead of a renovated 

apartment building. 

Not all questions were posed in a productive, 

clear way, which leaves too many questions 

unanswered. 

The Hynds building is situated in an area of 

Cheyenne that comes with certain risk factors, 

bars and transients being two of them. 

“According to a report from the police department, 

from February to July 2012, 47 percent 

of public intoxication citations were issued 

to transient people downtown, compared to 

35 percent in 2011,” an article from the Feb. 

3 Wyoming Tribune Eagle stated. The article 

also said “drunken behavior in proximity to 

downtown businesses, like people leaving beer 

bottles on the ground or urinating in public 

streets” is a problem. 

According to the state of Wyoming Sex 

Offender Registry, on Feb. 5, 90 sex offenders 

were registered within one mile of the Hynds 

building. 

Is this really where the college wants students 

to live? 

Parking is another important issue. There’s 

no guarantee that the multi-tiered parking 

structure at 16th Street and Carey Avenue would 

even be available to students. Also, it isn’t the 

safest place at all hours. It is doubtful the college 

would be able to provide adequate security 

for students in the Hynds building. 

Common amenities are another missing part 

of the equation. College students cannot afford 

to eat daily at the pricey restaurants downtown, 

and no grocery stores are in sight except for 

the oriental market, which is still eight blocks 

away…one way…in good weather. 

Further, the economics for students just 

don’t make sense. Currently, the lowest cost 

a student living on campus incurs is $3,328 a 

semester, which includes housing, high-speed 

Internet access, expanded basic cable TV, 

telephone access, electricity, heat, water and 

trash service as well as an “all you can eat” meal 

plan. For the same four months, for housing 

alone a student is projected to pay $2,120 at the 

downtown location. A student could not afford 

a fraction of the services offered through the 

residence hall for the $1,108 difference. 



If you find yourself in a hole, 

stop digging 

Editorial 

We are certain students who answered this 

survey imagined the downtown area in question 

to be more cosmopolitan than it is. This 

is downtown Cheyenne. It isn’t New York City. 

It isn’t even Fort Collins. There is not a cultural 

melting pot. We just cannot see how living 

downtown will enrich students’ lives. 

The real question is why not wait or take 

a look at another, better option like the 

Sweetgrass project? 

Do you remember the Heinz catsup saying, 

“Good things come to those who wait”? 

Wingspan believes that to be situated 

directly across from the college, the Sweetgrass 

project would bring the community out to the 

college, a criticism we all know has been leveled 

at LCCC since it was built in the early 1970s. 

With access to retail and grocery stores, restaurants, 

a church and a park, residential areas, 

which would include student housing, would 

avoid the dangers associated with downtown 

Cheyenne. The proximity to the college gives 

students access to services LCCC provides. 

Parking and transportation would be less of an 

issue. 

Even in the survey students mentioned the 

Sweetgrass project because of its proximity to 

the campus and the services it provides. 

One student commented: “Do not sink 

money into the hole—you are being bamboozled! 

Off-campus housing may be a good idea 

but not this project…the development across 

College Drive would be much better.” 

Indeed the Lummis Sweetgrass development 

serves LCCC with a win-win situation without 

the headaches the Hynds project already bring. 

Overall, it makes more sense for the college 

because LCCC wouldn’t have financial commitments. 

Have you heard the saying, “Fools rush in, 

where wise men never go”? 

Wingspan believes the Hynds building has 

been stagnant for decades—long before the 

fire—and no one else is rushing in to purchase 

and renovate it. We simply do not understand 

from where the sense of urgency has originated. 

The college is moving forward with focus 

groups of students to collect more data on 

student interest and concerns about living 

downtown. Administrators need to ensure that 

more care is taken in preparation for these 

focus groups than was evident in the original 

survey. 

A thousand clichés could communicate the 

need to move cautiously. LCCC needs to obtain 

better data and to watch how these two projects 

progress. 

Have you heard the old saying, “If you find 

yourself in a hole, stop digging.”



All my 

life I grew up 

with my mom 

saying I could 

be anything I 

wanted to be, 

so as I became 

older, I never 

really con- 

sidered having a “real job.” I wanted to 

travel; I wanted to play music; I wanted 

to act; I wanted to have the flexibility to 

do anything I wanted. 

As I got closer to graduating high 

school and attending college, I wasn’t 

quite sure the direction I was heading. 

I knew I would go to college because 

I had scholarships to Laramie County 

Community College, but I really didn’t 

know what to study. 

I knew I couldn’t do anything in the 

medical field. I knew I didn’t want to do 

anything with agriculture, and I knew I 

wasn’t cut out for teaching. 

So the question was “what would I do 

with my life?” I knew I loved music and 

other sorts of art, especially photography. 

I wasn’t overly excited to go through 

another few years of college and still be 

in Cheyenne. 

After some thinking, I decided to go 

into journalism, so I went into the mass 

media program to work toward that. My 

thought process was this: Get a journalism 

degree and then freelance write and 

photograph music while playing in a 

band and traveling. That way I would 

have the flexibility to be artistic and musical 

as much as I wanted. I thought this 

was a great life plan. 

My mom totally supported me in following 

my dreams, but what surprised 

me was all the people who said, “Oh, you 

will never get a job that way,” and “You 

will end up starving,” etc. 

opinion 

OK, yes, I know it’s hard to get a job as 

a musician, and freelancing takes a lot of 

work, but so does becoming a doctor or 

lawyer. Granted those jobs have a pretty 

guaranteed future and are well-paying, 

but a lot of schooling, effort and work go 

into those jobs. Probably about as much 

work as it would be to become a successful 

musician. It just seems those jobs are 

considered “real jobs” whereas a lot of 

people seem to view artistic careers, like 

being a musician or photographer as, I 

don’t know, “fake jobs.” 

Now I see where parents want their 

children to be successful and have a 

future, and, yes, jobs in the medical field 

are very stable, but if you are going into 

a career just because everyone around 

you is saying you will never make it doing 

something that you love and are inspired 

to do, I think those are the wrong 

reasons. 

If you work hard at what you want, 

you can achieve anything. Yes, becoming 

a musician takes lots of time and work. 

Wingspan 11 

Freedom fuels freelancing dreams 

co-editor 

online editor 

Jennifer 

Stogsdill 

Susann 

Robbins 

editor’s 

commentary 

editor’s 

commentary 

I survived the fall semester 

and earned pretty good 

grades. After tying things up 

at the Wingspan office, I drove 

off. Right? Right! 

Well, and then someone 

had to rain on my parade. 

On Dec. 21 I received a letter from Laramie County 

Community College; here I was thinking this is no big 

deal, probably just the confirmation for spring signup 

and what the next school year will cost. Boy, was I 

wrong. 

The letter said: 

“Dear Susann, 

As of end of fall semester 2012, please be advised that 

your attempted LCCC credits and, if applicable, transfer 

credits, have exceeded the maximum number of credits 

allowed for federal financial aid eligibility for your 

degree program. Therefore, in accordance with federal 

regulations, you are no longer eligible for any federal 

financial aid for future semesters at LCCC. This includes 

all federal grants, loans, and work-study. 

“If you believe there are mitigating circumstances 

which prevented you from meeting the requirements, 

you may file an appeal. You may contact the Financial 

Aid Office for an appeal form or you may obtain the 

form from our website by clicking on ‘Forms’ and then 

printing the Satisfactory Progress Appeal form.…” 

Wait a minute; are they saying I am not making 

satisfactory progress with my degree? Uhm, so actually 

finishing a two-year college degree in two years is 

unsatisfactory academic progress? I am sorry, but I 

don’t get it. 

As it turned out, the credits that put me over the 

limit were from my degree from Germany (45 credits, 

which count as electives) and some extra credits 

from the summer. Well, OK, I guess, but to me this still 

didn’t make sense. 

So I called to find out what the heck this was about 

and why in the world I received this letter in late 

December, after communicating with the registrar and 

the financial aid offices most of the fall semester. 

The nice woman on the phone told me I was over my 

allowed credit limit. Well, duh, I captured that so far, and 

I need to file an appeal, Duh, again. Oh, and the sooner 

I could get that in the better because in two hours the 

office would be closed for winter break and wouldn’t 

reopen until Jan. 2. Really? Isn’t that just a nice way to 

ruin someone’s Christmas break? 

I rushed to campus and got all the forms, oh, and 

I needed my adviser to sign some paperwork before 

turning it in. (Faculty had been gone for days.) As it 

happened my adviser, Roz, was on campus, and she 

even helped me write the letter of appeal because quite 

frankly all the words that came to my mind probably 

would have gotten me kicked out of college. 

My response read somewhere along the line of: 

“I have not missed one single semester and am actually 

on track to finish my degree in two years. My GPA is 

respectable. While it may look as if I have a lot of credits, 

four out the 45 elective credits (from my German 

degree) only apply to my degree, and most of the other 

credits apply to my second major in multimedia and my 

certificate in Web page design. Further I am involved 

with campus life because I am the online editor of 

Wingspan.” 

I handed everything in just in time, and then the 

waiting game started. Because I am not good at waiting 

and this entire experience had left a rather sour taste 

You must practice; you must get out 

there; you must write, create and record 

music; you must tour. But becoming a 

doctor also takes a lot of work and time, 

schooling, practicing and degrees. 

Maybe I am wrong for wanting to 

follow my crazy dreams, and maybe I will 

end up unsuccessful and in a cardboard 

box and will have to find a different 

career path, but at least I will try to make 

it. The way I see it, many successful 

musicians and freelance photojournalists 

exist, so why can I not be one of them? I 

guess I won’t know until I try. 

I do know I would much rather work 

hard at what I really love and be poor 

than work just as hard at what I despise 

and be really rich. I believe whatever you 

work hard at, you can achieve. I think it’s 

dumb when parents force their children 

to do what they don’t want to do. 

Following your dreams and being happy 

are much more important than doing 

what would make other people happy. 

Student records ‘Scrooge’ steals winter break 

in my mouth, I started calling the financial aid office as 

soon as it reopened. Oh, yes, I called almost every single 

day. 

The responses were not very satisfying, considering 

they went from: “It is with the appeal board,” to “The 

appeal board has not looked at it yet,” to “The appeal 

board is looking at it now” and, my personal most 

disliked answer, “You will get an answer in a couple of 

days.” What in the world kind of answer is “in a couple 

of days”? Even my 4-year old daughter knows this isn’t a 

satisfactory answer for someone waiting to see what the 

next step is. I kindly reminded one financial aid worker 

that early registration payment was due the first day 

of classes, and nonpayment could result in my being 

dropped from my classes. What was the response? Well, 

then you need to contact accounting to make sure they 

know what is going on! Excuse me? All this was out of 

my power, and you want me to contact accounting? 

How about you contact them and tell them what the 

holdup is? 

It got to the point where I felt like financial aid was 

screening my number because there was always a busy 

sign or no one responded. But, hey, I am who I am, and I 

have sunk my teeth into this, so I kept calling and, once 

the semester started, going by every single day. Until, 

oh, joy, my appeal was approved, and I had to sign the 

satisfactory progress agreement. 

The waiting for my tuition to be paid and receiving 

money for books weren’t joyful either, but at least I 

finally got there. 

Here, I would like to say, I am not holding anyone 

working in the Financial Aid Office responsible for any 

of this, but you also have to see it from the students’ perspective. 

Having to wait to see if you actually can afford 

to go to college, while the answers constantly changed 

from the people who should know, doesn’t exactly instill 

confidence in the office that is supposed to help us in 

our college experience.

12 

Wingspan 

By Susann Robbins 

Online Editor 

The seven community colleges, 

the Wyoming Community 

College Commission and 

the Wyoming Association of 

Community College Trustees 

(WACCT) are monitoring 11 bills 

in this year’s 40-day session of 

the Wyoming Legislature, which 

started in January. 

Dr. Joe Schaffer, Laramie 

County Community College 

president, highlighted seven 

bills at the Jan. 23 board business 

meeting. 

HB 105: Citizens and Students 

Self-Defense Act 

“Basically, if in the state of 

Wyoming you have a concealedcarry-weapons 

permit, this bill 

will allow you to actually carry a 

gun on college campus and into 

schools without having to notify 

the corresponding authorities,” 

Schaffer said. 

In general, the seven community 

college presidents support 

every citizen’s right to bear 

arms; however, this bill raises 

concerns across all colleges 

about how to keep students safe 

from a new series of unknown 

variables. Schaffer said he encouraged 

community members 

with concerns about the bill to 

reach out to their senators and 

representatives. 

Trustees Don Erickson and 

Ed Mosher agreed with the 

president’s concern, and Mosher 

said more information about 

what the bill entails is needed 

before it will be approved by the 

Legislature. 

Trustee Dr. Kevin Kilty, on 

the other hand, disagreed with 

president’s concerns. “There 


Online Editor 

are many things that could be 

happening on campus which 

you don’t know about, and I 

honestly do not believe this 

bill injects new fear rather than 

adding to the fear,” Kilty said. 

“Considering recent events, like 

the Casper College attack, you 

never really know what is going 

on, and you don’t need a gun to 

hurt others.” 

HB 163: Adjunct 

Professor Incentives 

“Essentially, this bill creates 

a loan program for high school 

teachers interested in taking 

part in concurrent enrollment,” 

Schaffer said. HB 163 would 

be funded by a budget appropriation 

of $100,000 and would 

be readily available for public 

school teachers who want to 

further their education. “I think 

this is a good thing, and it will 

strengthen the concurrent 

enrollment force within the 

Wyoming public school and college 

system,” Schaffer added. 

HB 165: Remedial 

Classes Tuition Fees 

“This bill means that any 

Wyoming high school graduate 

that comes to the university or 

any of the community colleges 

and needs a remedial course” 

must be provided “tuition and 

student fee free,” Schaffer said. 

If passed, this bill would cut $1.4 

million of the WCCC budget for 

the colleges. Further, Schaffer 

added it would force everyone 

involved with college education 

to rethink remedial education 

because it doesn’t work. 

“Maybe this bill should be 

supported just for the simple 

reason of forcing change in 

remedial education in the state 

At this year’s 62nd Wyoming Legislature the most 

important item for the seven community colleges is 

the budget for which the governor has proposed an 8 

percent cut for fiscal year 2014 across the board for all 

institutions within the state. 

“The Wyoming Community College Commission 

(WCCC) as an institution will have to take in an 8 percent 

budget cut, and the seven community colleges will 

see a 6 percent budget cut,” Dr. Jim Rose, executive director 

of WCCC, said. Further, this spells out a cut of $1.3 

news 

of Wyoming,” Schaffer said. 

At LCCC a lot of programs 

generate money beyond the 

cost it takes to run the program, 

and the leftover funds are used 

to subsidize programs that cost 

more than the revenues they 

generate, trustee Kilty pointed 

out. “We would focus better to 

get remedial students to operate 

on a college level,” Kilty said. 

“As a result we would do more 

good to the Southeast Wyoming 

workforce to have a larger, welleducated 

workforce available.” 

HB 166 and HB 177: Hathaway 

Student Scholarship Program 

and Hathaway Success 

Curriculum 

HB 166, if passed, would 

increase the amount available 

for Hathaway scholarships 

recipients, Schaffer said. “I am 

really excited about the extension 

of the Hathaway Success 

Curriculum,” Schaffer said. 

Including foreign language, fine 

million to the budget of Laramie County Community 

College, Dr. Joe Schaffer, LCCC president, added. 

Other budget items that have been brought before 

the governor are as follows: Enrollment Growth Funding 

(a one-time funding), $854,747 has been denied by the 

governor and rejected as an amendment by the Joint 

Appropriations Committee (JAC); WPTV Maintenance 

Allowance (Wyoming Public Television), $117,670 

approved by the governor, and Capital Construction 

Authorization (for six projects), $37,611,568 approved by 

the governor. 

The enrollment growth funding would have been 

applied to Eastern Wyoming College, Northwest College, 

and performing arts, and careervocational 

education into the 

curriculum would open up new 

programs for students in their 

college careers. 

SF 77: Community 

College Construction 

“This is rather benign bill 

as it shifts the management of 

community college construction 

projects from the WCCC to 

the Construction Management 

Division of the Department 

of Administration and 

Information,” Schaffer said. The 

real challenge will come when 

trying to start construction 

projects because it adds another 

step of bureaucracy, he said. 

SF 121: Career and Technical 

Training Grants 

This bill has been brought to 

the Legislature for the third time. 

“This bill will create a grant program 

for adults to get a degree in 

a program that the department 



Eleven bills on radar of colleges 

Bill tracking sheet (as Feb. 6, 2013) 

Bill Where is it? 

HB 105 Passed House; sent to Senate Education Committee 

HB 163 Passed House; sent to Senate Education Committee 

HB 165 Failed introduction to House Committee of the Whole 

HB 166 and HB 177 166 passed House; sent to Senate Education 

Committee 

177 passed House; placed on Senate general file 

SF 77 Passed Senate; sent to House Appropriations 

Committee 

SF 121 Failed third Senate reading 

HB 52 Passed House; placed on Senate general file 

HB 54 Passed House; Senate passed to Committee of the 

Whole 

HB 173 Failed introduction to House Committee of the Whole 

SF 128 Failed introduction to Senate Committee of the Whole 

of workforce services identifies 

as fast-growing and high-paying 

in Wyoming,” Schaffer said. 

The WCCC, WACCT and the 

seven college presidents broadly 

support this bill. Payments from 

the $500,000 grant would go 

directly to the training providers, 

and grantees would be required 

to work in Wyoming in the trade 

for which they received training 

for an agreed upon amount of 

time. 

Other bills being monitored: 

HB52, Workplace 

Safety Incentives 

The state workers’ compensation 

division will have to offer 

an up to 10 percent discount 

off rates for employers that participate 

in the state’s workplace 

safety contract program. WACCT 

supports the bill. 

HB54: High School 

Equivalency Certificate 

This bill deals with the 

privatization of the General 

Education Degree by creating a 

different method by which the 

WCCC administers the tests. 

WACCT supports this bill. 

HB 173: Community College 

Police Officer Retirement 

This bill would allow community 

college officers to 

participate in the law enforcement 

plan under the Wyoming 

Retirement Act. 

SF 128: Bidder Qualification – 

Community Colleges 

Community colleges will be 

added to the list of state agencies 

and commissions who can 

determine the qualifications and 

responsibilities of bidders on 

contracts for construction. 

Budget cuts across colleges; LCCC positions safe 

Western Wyoming Community College and LCCC. 

“Nobody can really predict where the budget will 

go. All we can do is keep the impact minimal to our 

students,” Schaffer said. Savings will have to be found 

internally for the priorities of the college. Further, the 

college will look at course offerings and their enrollment. 

Currently, too many choices are offered, and 

some of these can easily be reduced without affecting 

the learning environment of the students, the president 

said. “There won’t be any reduction in positions, and we 

will be looking at getting more students through federal 

aid into the LCCC workforce,” he said.



¾ From Security, Page 7 

Jan. 25 


A credit card was turned 

in to Campus Safety, who was 

unable to contact the owner, so 

the issuing credit union advised 

to destroy credit card because it 

was already reported lost. 

Jan. 25 


A multicolored clutch purse 

was turned in to Campus Safety. 

The owner was identified from 

information found inside the 

purse. Campus Safety attempted 

to contact the owner, but the 

phone number found in the 

purse was unused. The owner 

was never contacted. 

Jan. 28 


A custodian reported finding 

a brown wallet in a Fine Arts 

Building classroom. The owner 

was identified from information 

found in the wallet. The owner 

was contacted, and the wallet 

was returned. 

Jan. 30 

Vehicle accident 

In Parking Lot B, there was an 

anonymous report that a blue 

Nissan backed into a tan Nissan, 

causing damage to the rear 

bumper of the tan Nissan. The 

owners were contacted, and they 

exchanged names, addressed 

and insurance information. 

news Wingspan 13 

Governor addresses 

legislative concerns 

By Jennifer Stogsdill 

Co-editor 

Wyoming’s governor 

expressed the importance of 

keeping young people in the 

state at a news conference Jan. 

28. 

“We are a stable state, 

and we should act like one,” 

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead 

said. He said Wyoming has a 

good opportunity to diversify 

its economy especially with 

technology. Mead also said 

lawmakers need to work to 

keep young people working in 

Wyoming. 

Budget cuts, education, 

gay marriage and Medicare 

were some of the other topics 

brought up during a news 

conference with Mead at the 

Wyoming Press Association 

convention. 

Mead began by outlining 

the main topics and updates 

of the Legislature, after which 

he took questions from a room 

of newspaper representatives 

from around the state. 

Mead discussed mostly the 

budget for this session and 

where cuts were made and 

why. Mead said Wyoming has 

a tradition of being fiscally 

conservative. He said he didn’t 

want just to make cuts right 

off the top; he wanted to take 

a closer look at the 6.5 percent 

average cut. Mead also said 

cuts shouldn’t be looked at 

separately from revenue and 

the budget should be built on 

what is anticipated. He said 

the budget should be based on 

what the state has. He added 

the government can spend 

the money it has, but the state 

needs basic infrastructure. 

Mead said there is always 

a need for water, roads 

and power, and Wyoming 

must have a plan for adding 

transportation construction. 

He also said lawmakers are 

working on making cuts at 

the Wyoming Department of 

Transportation, but officials 

cannot continually cut the 

same item over and over. 

“If we have an issue, we 

should take care of it,” Mead 

said. 

Mead also said the cuts in 

the budget he decided were 

the best for the state because 

if the cuts do not happen now, 

then future cuts will be much 

worse. 

Mead also talked about 

the state’s savings. Mead said 

he would like to build up the 

“rainy day” fund to about $3 

billion. 

Mead said if the state 

invests now, there will be a 

possibility of 100 percent 

reimbursement. But as time 

goes on and it waits, there will 

be less reimbursement for the 

state. Mead said he asked the 

Legislature to look closer at the 

budget for a year and to allow 

flexibility. 

Mead also discussed the 

fuel taxes as one of the ways 

the state may address needs 

for transportation construction. 

He said, “No one likes 

taxes,” but the state needs to 

take a look at who pays the 

bills. He said the residents of 

Wyoming are not paying for 

services, and they need to 

recognize who is paying. 

Mead also discussed the 

issue of education in the 

Legislature. He said Wyoming 

seems to be spending as much 

on education as any other 

state, but there seems to be 

no change, and he said he 

thought it was because the 

right topics were not being 

discussed. Mead said he, the 

superintendent of schools 

and the Legislature all need 

to be on the same page and 

look more closely at what 

they are doing and what else 

needs to be done to get on the 

right path. Mead also touched 

on the issue of Medicare in 

Wyoming. He said the state 

will start with a federal exchange 

program to see how 

that works for the state and 

then see if Wyoming wants to 

go into an insurance exchange 

program permanently. 

Mead also said gay marriage 

in Wyoming could 

become a possibility in the 

future. 

Auto • Home • Life • Business 

Call Steve Moehr 

Insurance Agency 

Cell 262-6222 • Bus 632-7843 • 1712 Capitol Ave.

14 

Wingspan 

By Mathew McKay 

Contributing Writer 

One of the first programs 

offered at Laramie County 

Community College dating to 

the 1970s could be reinstated as 

early as next fall in addition to 

other changes within the area of 

technical fields. 

After dropping the welding 

program just more than 10 

years ago, LCCC officials are 

hard at work targeting this fall 

as the opening semester for the 

welding program. Doug Cook, 

dean of the Career and Technical 

Education Center said that during 

the last three to four years 

the demand has increased for 

students training in this technical 

field and even more demand 

for special area trainees overall. 

LCCC President Dr. Joe 

Schaffer said: “The technology 

has changed so much that now 

to enter into the field of welding 

it isn’t one of those things where 

I can recruit people off the 

street. They are now looking for 

people who come out of specific 

programs that teach it.” 

After starting the process 

just more than a year ago by 

looking at other programs in the 

state and assembling groups 

of people with knowledge of 

the field for an advisory board, 

LCCC officials moved the basic 

idea of adding the program 

through several boards including 

the Academic Standards 

Committee and the deans’ 

Learning Leadership Team, also 

known as the LLT. 

Cook explained the program 

is a long way from being finished; 

however, after the LCCC 

trustees recently took the first 

step in accepting the program 

of study as a curriculum on Jan. 

21, they accepted the proposal 

to expand the facilities. The 

board will further review the 

curriculum after the scheduled 

February study session. 

Meanwhile, the program 

being currently modeled 

after the Northern Wyoming 

Community College district’s 

welding program seems to be 

on its way. NWCC is one of six 

community colleges in Wyoming 

with a welding program. 

GREAT BANKING, FREE SERVICES 

“With all of the Free Services from ANB, I get a lot more bank, and 

great savings for the things I really need.” 

• FREE Checking with a FREE EasyCheck Debit Card 1 

• FREE IDSafeShield Identity Theft Protection Service 2 

• FREE Online Banking with FREE Bill Pay 3 

• FREE e-Statements 

• FREE Mobile Banking 

• FREE Direct Deposit 

Let Let ANB ANB help help build build your your fi fi nancial nancial future future throughout throughout your your college college years. years. 

A Colorado state-chartered bank formerly known as American National Bank 

1912 Capitol Ave • 6020 Yellowstone Rd • 3355 East Pershing Blvd, In Albertsons 

307-634-2121 • ANBBank.com • Member FDIC 

1 No monthly or annual fee. 2 Recovery and education for primaryaccount holder, not a deposit, 

not guaranteed by the bank, not insured by a government agency, not FDIC insured. 

3 Free bill pay on personal accounts. 

campus news 

In addition 

to the process 

of setting a 

curriculum, 

LCCC has hired 

an architect to 

design of space 

after agreeing a 

2,000-squarefeet 

addition is needed to the 

Career and Technical Center 

Building. The addition will cost 

about $329,000. 

At this point if and when the 

welding program gets under 

way, the first welding class will 

likely be limited to 12–15 students 

based on the space and instructors 

available in the startup 

of the program. It is predicted 

to grow quickly though as new 

space becomes available at the 

Flex Tech Building, also being 

proposed for construction. 

The second change 

currently being explored 

is the installment of a 

process technology program 

focused on the jobs 

and industries associated 

primarily with oil refineries 

and other types of 

industries that use some type of 

technology to refine materials. 

Cook said the program is in 

its beginning stages of planning 

and has been strongly pushed by 

a state interest in improving the 

safety records at current refineries 

with addition to stabilizing 

and providing a highly skilled 

work force. 

The board is considering 

a brand-new Flex Technology 

Building of about 54,000 square 

feet to create space for the 

industrial technology expansion 

and welding. Now, it is expected 



2,000 square feet to be added to tech 

More than $300,000 will go 

to making more room 

in the Technical Center. 

to be built by late 2016 or early 

2017. 

The final step to developing 

this program will be to hire 

professors specialized in certain 

areas and to hire part-time 

workers to help teach specialized 

fields. President Schaffer 

said the overall budget for the 

enlargement will likely come 

from the one mill levy, which 

consists of accumulated taxes 

collected from Laramie County 

and the Work Force Division. In 

addition, the project will be built 

into next year’s budget. 

If for some reason the idea 

of adding either program isn’t 

realized, Schaffer said the board 

of trustees and the campus staff 

have plenty of other items on 

the agenda that they will first 

have to sort through to figure 

out which direction to head.



campus news 

WCCC increases tuition for fall 


Online Editor 

Tuition at all seven Wyoming 

community colleges will go from 

$75 to $79 a credit hour in fall 2013. 

“This is another 5 percent 

increase, but the Wyoming 

Community College Commission 

(WCCC) stands true to its goal 

of no dramatic increase,” Dr. Jim 

Rose, executive director of the 

WCCC, said. However, Laramie 

County Community College’s president, 

Dr. Joe Schaffer, said, “Seeing 

another tuition increase was rather 

a disappointment.” 

While there was opposition to 

increasing the tuition once again, 

the decision to keep the tuition 

cap, “the flat spot at 12 credits,” 

was unanimous. 

Discussion about the tuition 

increase and where to set it also 

brought the commissioners to 

re-evaluate the matrix system 

Wyoming is in, the Western 

453 Vandehei 

(307)632-5000 (307)638-1100 

Order Online SilverMineSubs.com 

FREE 

Delivery 

On orders of $10 or more 

Not valid with other coupons or offers. $10.00 minimum 

does not include delivery fees or taxes. Expires 6/30/13. 

Interstate Commission for Higher 

Education (WICHE). 

“This coalition is built up out of 

15 different states. Some of these 

states had to drastically increase 

their tuition because this is their 

only income for the respective 

state,” Rose said. Further, the 

WCCC will look into other matrix 

systems in order to evaluate tuition 

and the increases that may come 

with it. “It is time for the WCCC 

to take a closer look if the WICHE 

still is a fit for the evaluation of our 

tuition,” Rose said. 

Other concerns were voiced 

during discussions in December; 

Wyoming is the only state in the 

nation that doesn’t provide needbased 

aid; the Hathaway scholarships 

are merit-based and unavailable 

for nontraditional students. 

“We have to increase the 

incentives for students to attend 

college,” Rose said. “The reason for 

keeping the tuition cap in place 

800 S. Greeley Hwy. 

2 LARGE 

SubS foR 

$ 12.99 

Make ’em Large Combo Meals for $5 more 

Not valid with other coupons or offers. 

Mother Lode extra. Expires 6/30/13. 

is simple: Penalizing students for 

speeding up the process is against 

all reason.” Therefore to enhance 

students’ opportunity to receive a 

degree in a good amount of time, 

the cap stayed intact. 

Another issue of concern was 

student fees are all over the map 

for the seven Wyoming community 

colleges. Rose stressed the WCCC 

has no influence over the student 

fees each college charges. “This is 

something the colleges have to take 

a further look at,” Rose said. 

Schaffer said, “LCCC has already 

started to take a look at the student 

fees and evaluate them.” Currently, 

LCCC is working on re-evaluating 

the student fees, where do they go, 

how they are applied and whether 

they are needed. 

“From there, with input from 

the LCCC community, we will be 

working on a new student fee matrix 

and policy,” Schaffer said. 

2 MEdiuM 

SubS foR 

$ 9.99 

Make ’em Medium Combo Meals for $5 more 


Mother Lode extra. Expires 6/30/13. 

Wingspan 15 

Students dropped for nonpayment 



Laramie County Community College students who 

have not made any payments for their schooling received 

an email on Jan. 22 warning them that they have a week to 

make payments or make a payment plan. 

Students who received the emails were on a master 

list. Carol Hoglund, vice president of administration and 

finance; Sabrina Lane, accounting compliance supervisor, 

and Pam DeMartin, assistant to the director of accounting 

services, were part of a team who reviewed the master 

list and removed any students who receive financial aid or 

other payment plans. Next, the list was reviewed by student 

records staff and students who were left on were dropped. 

Dropping students for nonpayment hasn’t occurred 

since 2009. The process returned when the accounting office 

at LCCC had the option to make a new master list at the 

beginning of fall semester 2012. Hoglund said dropping a 

student will take him off the class roster and make room for 

students who are on a waiting list. Lane added it’s common 

to see students who don’t make any payments not come to 

class. It’s hard to determine if this will have any effect on 

enrollment; however, LCCC officials would like to make sure 

each seat is filled and any student who desires to learn has 

the opportunity. 

$1 OFF 

Any Medium or Large Combo 


Expires 6/30/13.



16 Wingspan 

Wingspan 17 



Laramie County Community College 

is surrounded by open land…a lot of open 

land. 

This property belongs to the Lummis 

Livestock Co. whose family was among those 

who donated the land upon which LCCC was 

built in the early 1970s and may continue to be 

part of the college’s future. 

For LCCC is being kept in mind during the 

Lummis Livestock Co.’s proposal to build a new 

community development across the street from 

LCCC. 

“I graduated from LCCC and had a wonderful 

experience,” Del Lummis said. “I hold the 

college near and dear to my heart.” 

The Lummis Livestock Co. has named its 

2,000-acre development Sweetgrass and will 

include commercial buildings, recreational 

access, single and multi-family houses 

and apartments, and a resort lodge. 

Putting community in community college 

Lummis said he hoped this development will 

complement the city, county and LCCC. 

LCCC would be a part of the Sweetgrass 

project if students used its housing. An offcampus 

housing facility would be provided for 

students and would be built across the street 

from LCCC’s main entrance. 

However, the housing would not be provided 

through the college. The company’s research 

has determined an apartment building setting 

to be the best kind of facility to serve students 

best. 

At its very beginning stages, the Sweetgrass 

project has passed the Laramie County 

Planning Commission, and it’s currently awaiting 

a February meeting with the Board of Public 

Utilities to get water and sewer permits. 

Lummis said he had hoped construction 

would start this calendar year, but it looked as if 

it may start in 2014 at the earliest. 

The Lummis Livestock Co. understands 

Cheyenne’s population is steadily increasing because 

of major employers including Wyoming’s 



Even a small community like Cheyenne offers different styles 

of living arrangements, so students from Laramie County 

Community College recently surveyed were asked whether 

the Hynds Building in downtown Cheyenne was a favorable. 

On March 6, the LCCC Board of Trustees at a 

study session will decide whether to pursue 

the downtown housing. 

The Hynds Building became an 

option when the Hynds Capitol 

Core Project group proposed 

student housing 

to LCCC officials 

last fall. The 

group 

Air Force Base and Wal-Mart Distribution 

center. 

The Sweetgrass community would include 

many areas for gathers and celebrations such 

as mini-parks, shelters and courtyards. A village 

center with retail stores and restaurants would 

be the focal point of Sweetgrass, so the community 

would have nearby services and goods. An 

18-hole public golf course, horse trails and lakes 

and ponds would be part of the recreational 

activities. 

A 25-acre neighborhood park will be another 

recreational area for the community to 

be built along College Drive adjacent to Allison 

Draw. 

The goals and characteristics for the 

Sweetgrass project include embracing the 

ranch’s natural features and short grass prairie; 

a community committed to lifestyle and quality 

of life; to be a “place for everyone”; a variety of 

recreational activities; open spaces; an emphasis 

on sustainability and “environmental 

stewardship.” 

making the proposal was Alan O’Hashi, businessman; Glen Garrett, 

architect, and Jim Weaver, real estate agent. 

The trustees wanted to get students’ opinion about off-campus 

housing, especially living downtown. 

Throughout November and December, an online survey was posted 

for students to take. “The survey was available during Thanksgiving 

break until the last week of fall semester classes. During finals week, 

the survey was analyzed,” said Ann Murray, LCCC manager of institutional 

research. 

The survey was promoted by sending emails to all students enrolled 

at LCCC for the fall semester, and booths were set up in the student 

lounge as well in the residence halls. The survey was online because it 

would be easier to access and read the data. Murray added the survey 

was aimed more toward second- or more-year students who have 

already been on campus. 

Some 379 surveys were submitted. Of those taking the survey, 24.66 

percent lived on campus and 26.27 percent lived off campus in a house. 

In other demographics, 75.21 percent chose single as their relationship 

status; 74.26 percent of survey takers were full-time students; 

43.85 percent were 18- to 20-years-old, and 71.31 percent were female. 

The first question asked the student if he would be interested in 

off-campus apartments provided by LCCC. If the student answered 

“no,” he skipped to question No. 6. About 76.19 

percent said “yes” to the first question. 

The next questioned asked the student to 

LCCC’s President Dr. Joe Schaffer said the 

development was in progress since 2009. It 

was put on delay because of the economy but 

was brought back up in fall 2012. The development 

is supposed to be upscale and nice, which 

might improve south Cheyenne. This development 

might also bring LCCC from the perception 

it is on the edge of Cheyenne to being part 

of the city. Schaffer also said this development 

would bring an extension of utilities and retail 

stores to benefit students. 

This development could take 50 years and 

would be built in phases. The first phase would 

be made up of 200 acres. It would include a village 

center, a commercial area with coffeeshops 

and stores, and a multi-family and single- family 

component. 

Lummis said he hoped to make Sweetgrass 

compatible with LCCC. Throughout this process, 

the company will accept any comments. 

Anyone interested may contact Bruce Downing, 

consulting planner, at rbdowing@gmail.com or 

307-579-4066. 

College trustees study student survey 

College gauges students’ interest in off-campus living 

Design by Kasey M. Orr 

rank the four choices 

for off-campus living with his most 

favorable choice as No. 1 and his least 

choice as No. 4. One- to two-bedroom apartments 

were the first and second choices chosen by the majority of 

survey takers. 

About 84.70 percent chose an all-inclusive bill over having 

separate bills for utilities, phone, Internet, etc. 

Grocery shopping and health care were very important to 

students as well as being able to get to those places. 

Surveyed students would prefer to live closer to these businesses, 

which would help determine where off-campus housing should be 

located. 

When selecting apartment-style living, students thought having 

a gym and fitness center was very important. Study space, 24-hour 

maintenance and package acceptance were also very important. 

Students didn’t express much need of a meeting room; however, this 

room could help students with group projects. 

A shared laundry facility was somewhat important, but students 

would rather have washer and dryer hookups in each unit. Students 

also picked having a dishwasher and a furnished apartment as being 

very important. 

Easy parking, bus transportation or being within walking distance 

from the college were also very important to students, but not a playground. 

Some other features students would like to have pets—small or large— 

just anything other than a fish. Reliable Internet service was also important. 

Other factors that came with off-campus housing were cooking and 

eating. Students wouldn’t mind having a meal plan for meals on campus, 

a small convenience store or a coffee bar. However, most students would 

prefer having their own kitchens to cook their own food. 

A concern about off-campus living was an increase of criminal activity. 

The college already has rules students must follow, and if they don’t, college 

security officers enforce them. What would be the rules and regulations 

for off-campus housing and would any type of security be available? 

Murray said because the information from the survey has been 

collected and analyzed, the next research step is to invite students to 

participate in focus groups. These groups will discuss more information 

about what students need in order to live downtown and other questions 

students have.

18 

Wingspan 

By Cassie Kelley 


Last year, the 

Children’s Discovery 

Center under new 

management opened 

its doors to academic 

programs and 

students at Laramie 

County Community 

College. 

Carrie Westling, 

manager of the 

Children’s Discovery 

Center, said her vision 

was to have the CDC 

as a center for learning 

for not only the children 

but also LCCC 

students and faculty. 

This was a newer goal 

that Westling said 

she hoped to achieve 

by making everyone 

more aware of the 

CDC and the possibilities 

it has to offer. 

Several academic 

programs have already 

started to take 

advantage of the 

opportunities the 

CDC can provide. 

Nursing, dental hygiene, 

education and 

psychology programs 

have opportunities to 

observe and work with 

children. This provides 

a real-life, hands-on 

experience for students. 

It also provides 

a learning experience 

for the children. 

Brad Becker, a 

freshman in music 

education at LCCC, 

teaches children about 

music and musical 

instruments. Through 

the CDC program he 

is able to create lesson 

plans for the children. 

Becker said, “It’s a very 

challenging job, keeping 

them engaged, 

because with that age 

group it’s very hard 

to keep these kids 

engaged for more than 

five, 10 minutes.” 

Depending on the 

age group, he teaches 

anything from music 

therapy; singing and 

playing for the children, 

to teaching basic 

music theory; reading 

sheet music and identifying 

rhythm. 

He was inspired to 

go into music education 

by his high school 

band director Tim 

Mattis in Ohio. “For 

me, it is an honor and 

a privilege to be able 

to educate and inspire 

kids this early,” he 

said, noting it not only 

helps him in his future 

career but also the 

youngsters. 

Being thrown into 

the mix now helps direct 

what he is learning 

and how he will 

teach in the future. 

Being able to be a part 

of the CDC and working 

with the children 

just gives him more 

years of experience 

to become a better 

teacher in his career. 

The CDC also 

employs students as 

teachers and substitutes 

and is available 

for all students. 

Westling said of the 

facility in the Arp 

Building, “we are lucky 

to be housed inside 

the school.” This gives 

children opportunities 

that other facilities 

don’t. Children work 

with students learning 

about different aspects 

of life and have 

an opportunity to see 

where they will be in 

their future. 

The CDC has open 

enrollment throughout 

the year as long 

campus news 

Children’s Discovery Center 

as room is available. 

This gives students 

and employees a place 

for their children to go 

while they are in class 

or at work. Children 

from the ages of 6 

weeks to 5 years are 

accepted into the program, 

which is open to 

the entire community. 

This gives LCCC 

the chance to provide 

a service to the community 

while students 

receive credits and 

real-life experience 

vital in many fields 

after graduation. 

The CDC is 

licensed through the 

Wyoming Division of 

Family Services and 

is accredited with the 

National Association 

for the Education of 

Young Children and 

child and adult care 

food program. The 

CDC has adjunct 

teachers and mentors 

who work closely with 

the children. 

Westling said she 

invites anyone who is 

interested in discovering 

more about the 

CDC to visit her office, 

Room 155 in the Arp 

Building for a tour or 

email her at cwestlin@ 

lccc.wy.edu. 



Children provide learning experiences for students 

“It’s a very challenging job, 

keeping them engaged, 

because with that age it’s 

very hard to keep these 

kids engaged for more than 

five, 10 minutes.” 

Brad Becker 

Freshman, music education 

Cassie Kelley 

Inspiring little minds: 

Brad Becker expands the minds of the children at the CDC 

through music.

February 11, 2013 Page 19 


Everyone’s a critic 

Matt Rooney reviews Hollywood’s latest 

A&E—Page 20–21 

ae 

‘Tasting Boundaries’ smashes expectations 

By Aaron Boyd 

Multimedia Editor 

They say most people learn 

best hands-on. Could that apply to 

other facets of life? Experiencing 

art for example? Could being 

hands-on with a piece of artwork 

help inspire those who feel as if 

they don’t really understand it. 

That is just what the new art show 

at Laramie County Community 

College might show. 

“Tasting Boundaries” is coming 

to the Esther and John Clay 

Fine Arts Gallery in the Fine Arts 

Building and features the work 

of Lea Zoltowski Ertz. The show 

is described as a multimedia 

social experience. Participants 

are encouraged to get out of their 

comfort zones and interact with 

the artwork and one another. 

They will also be able to pick up 

and manipulate artwork as well as 

possibly win a piece for a souvenir. 

Ertz is described as a multimedia 

sculpture experience artist. 

Specializing in large sculpture 

artwork, Ertz has had her artwork 

featured all over the world from 

China to England. She has even 

taught art at Montana State 

University. Now living in Boulder, 

Colo., she works as a full-time 

studio artist. 

“It’s exciting work,” Matt West, 

LCCC art instructor and a part of 

the committee to bring artist to 

LCCC, said. “The show will give 

students the opportunity to see 

how an artist works.” 

Ertz’s artwork is on display 

through Feb. 22. A reception will 

be held on Jan. 31 at noon where 

attendees can meet the artist, see 

how some of the sculptures are 

made and even participate. 

Cassie Kelley 

Throw it on the ground! 

At the gallery attendees can pay a small fee either to take 

a small sculpture home or smash it on the ground. 

Aaron Boyd 

Wonders to behold: 

Attendees at the “Tasting Boundaries” art gallery view large sculptures created 

by Lea Zoltowiski Ertz. 

The Low Down: “Tasting Boundaries” interactive art gallery • Where: Esther and John Clay gallery • When: Gallery open through Feb. 22 • Admission: Free 

Have your voice heard 

Submit your movie ratings to Wingspan Online 

A&E—Page 21 

Can you hear drums? 

Wind Symphony to take you on safari 

A&E—Page 22

20 

Courtesy 

Wingspan 

a&e 



Rooney’s Reviews 

Director: Tommy Wirkola 

Starring: 

Jeremy Renner 

Gemma Arterton 

Peter Stormare 

Rooney’s 

Rating 

D + 

‘Hansel and Gretel’ takes 

candy from strangers 

By Matt Rooney 


Anyone who likes happiness would think a movie 

that involves candy houses, lots of leather, Hawkeye and 

buckets of blood would be a campy thrill ride, inducing 

plenty of bubble gum smiles. But soon after watching 

“Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” that thought would 

be as stupid as entering a van with a creepy bloke inside 

who offered candy…wait, that’s not right…or is it? 

Though the similarities between the old and new 

cautionary tales for children are astounding, this movie 

was a different take on the Grimm tale about two 

children lost in the woods who get captured by a witch 

in a house made of candy. In this version, they brutally 

murder the witch without hesitation and turn it into a 

profession. 

It was considered a “new take” on an “old classic,” but 

really anything would be. It could be a complex drama 

in which they become activists who boycott Snickers 

or even a fun teen comedy. I could not stop thinking of 

ways it can be “fresh.” 

Now the best part about writing this review was all 

the problems fall under the same roof and had the same 

effect: A movie with this kind of title has zero creativity 

or spark, and I could not stop thinking of ways it could. 

Everything from the story about witches stealing 

children for a cult gathering, the name of the event (the 

Blood Moon Gathering) to the costumes, dialog, plot 

points and cleavage were ripped from other horror/action 

films and an 11-year-old boy’s wet dream. 

Sitting there, my brain focused less on the screen and 

more on all the aspects that could’ve made the movie 

betters: less leather, less high-tech weaponry, more 

humor, scarier witches, less ancillary-but-still –stickaround 

characters, maybe more of a Western vibe. I 

could not stop thinking of ways it could’ve been better. 

This was all on top of the fact the two leads, Hansel 

(Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton), who 

were both game, were just too doltish to be likable. They 

were horrible at their job as I watched them get beat up 

even fighting one witch. Even any sort of deductive reasoning 

was whittled to blunt a statement. Jeff Goldblum 

in “Independence Day” even started somewhere. He 

couldn’t not stop thinking of ways to kill aliens. 

Like any bad movie review, this could go on forever. 

Just know there were no bubble gum smiles, too much 

leather, hardly any candy houses, and I really wished 

Hansel would just pick up a bow. It’s funny how cautionary 

tales for kids can easily become ones for adults. 

Check out our website 

for more Rooney’s Reviews 

www.wingspan.lccc.wy.edu/RooneyReviews.html 

The Hobbit This is 40 Django Unchained Les Misérables Silver Linings Playbook





As a 9-year-old living on a foreign military base after 9/11, 

the idea that Osama Bin Laden could be hiding anywhere 

sort of freaked me out. I used to stare at the bushes across 

the street and picture a bearded face poking out, noticing me 

and then returning into hiding. Of course, this was a childish 

reaction to something so serious, but after witnessing the 

frustrating, seemingly hopeless actions of the characters in 

Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty,” I realized those were 

the good old days. 

The movie began with CIA agent Dan (Jason Clarke) using 

unfortunately well-known methods of torture on a suspect in 

the most engaging and controversial openings of any movie 

this season. The struggle with the big issue at hand was set 

forth: Finding Osama Bin Laden would not be done easily. I 

can safely say throwing a washcloth at my face will now be 

the easiest way to get me to shriek. 

One or two more scenes of this nature continued to throw 

wood on the fire of this consciousness that may make a few 

viewers uncomfortable but, in context proved these tactics 

might be ineffective. They were no doubt controversial in 

many people’s eyes, but, much like “Zodiac,” the grace and 

suspense of research proved to more compelling. 

These sequences were more interesting not only by their 

aggression and deepening of the story but also the reactions 

and methods of lead character Maya (Jessica Chastain), who 

stood firm and uncomfortable in the background and later 

led the charge. Played to perfection, Maya was the workaholic 

on par with a cop sent in to infiltrate a mob unit. Living off 

junk food, she was a ghost, had very few friends, appeared 

a&e 

‘Mama’ raises wild hairs 



During my senior year of high 

school I saw a video about a child in 

late 1700s’ France known as “The Wolf 

Boy,” a wild child who had lived in 

the forest for years until he was found 

and given to a scientist. Said scientist 

proceeded to reintegrate the child into 

society by teaching him to speak, eat, 

wear people clothes, etc. He was successful, 

and the child went on to live a 

normal life. 

That was the easy way. Had I been 

the scientist and were looking after 

wild children like the ones in “Mama,” 

who brought with them serious, 

demonic baggage, I would’ve strapped 

a sack of cherries to their backs and 

wished them the merriest of farewells 

back into the woods. 

However, Jessica Chastain—who 

played Annabel—was given this task 

when her boyfriend found his nieces 

who lived environmentally institutionalized 

in their own in a log cabin…or 

have they? Very soon after they arrived 

at the home, weird occurrences begin 

that are attributed to the ghostly figure 

known to the children as “Mama.” 

‘Mama’ was 

consistently creepy, 

suspenseful and 

jolting. 

As far as modern horror goes, 

“Mama” was consistently creepy, 

suspenseful and jolting, thanks to the 

dark-colored palette and the overall 

appearance and presence of Mama 

herself. Anyone who had to go to therapy 

for “The Ring” will most likely go 

through rehab after seeing the demon 

contort and crawl. 

Despite how much it succeeded in 

scaring the audience, the movie’s plot 

was far too misguided to ignore. The 

focus on Mama’s backstory exposed far 

too much of the villain. “Jaws” wasn’t 

about the shark’s reasons for coming to 

Amity, and “Poltergeist” wasn’t about 

one out-of-luck ghost’s attempt to 

make it on TV. 

No matter the constant story problems, 

“Mama” knew how to creep out 

the audience by acknowledging that 

the space around us, what we cannot 

see, was what’s terrifying. Though 

much like “The Wolf Boy,” a simpler 

story of moving forward in life would’ve 

been more engaging, but “Mama” was 

good enough to quench the thirst of 

fear and gave us one more thing to be 

afraid of: coming across an unusual 

number of cherry cores in a secluded 

area. 

‘Zero Dark Thirty’ not so childish 

strong and confident on the outside and in front of colleagues 

but worn down and innocent underneath. She broke 

down at times as the acts of torture and hunting seemed 

aimless, but only in dark corners where no one could see her. 

Crybabies don’t catch terrorists. 

The film can easily seem tedious regarding all the interrogations 

and suspect theories, but that’s part of it. To think 

the act of finding this man and unraveling the pieces of the 

puzzle would be easy, for one just needs to look into the 

eyes of any one of the characters. It was amazing how many 

people can become insomniacs all doing the same thing. 

However, the last 20 minutes during the raid on Bin 

Laden’s hideout was what everyone was hoping to see. Much 

like “The Hurt Locker,” Bigelow proved she knew exactly how 

to create an action sequence both with characters and with 

guns. She traded in gun battles for intensity and suspense as 

it shifted between first-person night vision goggles and standard 

style. Mixed with attention to detail, the film showed 

actors demonstrating professionalism, exceeded only by 

actual Navy Seals, and immersing the audience into what it 

was actually like to be a part of it. Fans of well-made movies 

and “Call of Duty” will be thrilled. 

As with any movie of this sort, the facts always come into 

question. How much of what I just saw actually happened? 

According to Bigelow, Maya, as well as the events, are all 

true, with names and dialog fictionalized. Whether this is all 

true, what made the movie work was dramatic and intense 

handling of the film with all the frustration and a decade of 

dedication draining all it could from everyone involved. 

Just watch the end as Maya boards a plane after the raid, 

the long road behind her and an empty hanger in front. The 

pilot asked, “where to?” responded by silence and tears. 

Rooney wants your reviews; take the survey at: 

www.wingspan.lccc.wy.edu/RooneyReviews.html 

A 

Wingspan 21 

Rooney’s 

Rating 

Rooney’s 

Rating 

B - 

Courtesy 

Courtesy

22 

Wingspan 

a&e 



Stomp your feet to African beat 

Concentrating hard: 

Percussionists Roland Henderson and Jenny Michaud focus 

hard to perform for the “Pulse of Africa” concert. 

Ba-dum tiss: 

Percussionist hands move rapidly for the Africa-themed songs to be performed 

at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, at the Cheyenne Civic Center. 

A one, two, three, four: 

Gary Hall directs the LCCC Wind Symphony at one of the band’s 

evening rehearsals that includes students and community members. 

Photos by 

Derek 

Hoffman



want to be a writer? join today 

W i n g s p a n 

Free Checking 

+ Low Cost Loans 

+ Rewards Cards 

+ Member Investment 

Services (NEW!) 

= Something for Everyone! 

Membership 

open to 

everyone in 

Laramie 

County 

120 West Carlson Street 307.432.7400 

Apply online at www.fi rstedfcu.com 

Federally Insured by NCUA 

campus news 

By Jose Manuel 

Jaimes 

A&E Writer 

The Ludden Library 

at Laramie County 

Community College is 

sporting several new features 

and a new position. 

Karen Lange, library 

director, has been collaborating 

with librarian Maggie 

Swanger, who has spearheaded 

the development of 

a new feature scheduled to 

go online in mid-February. 

This new feature is supposed 

to help in video 

streaming and increase 

students’ online efficiency. 

Also, the feature will 

still allow for messaging 

between students and librarians, 

which should give 

feedback, a feature Lange 

is looking forward to. The 

feature will be available not 

only within the boundaries 

of LCCC but at all times to 

students off campus. 

The debut of the feature 

will be met with online tutorials 

for students who will 

need help in taking advantage 

of the new feature, and 

for online help, “Libguides” 

will be made available. 

Though the feature will have 

tutorials, it is designed to be 

easier to manage and make 

searching more narrow and 

resourceful. Also, the feature 

improves organization and 

provides a more fluent access 

to data. 

The new feature, funded 

by the Wyoming Legislature 

through the Wyoming 

Community College 

Commission, is available at 

community colleges all over 

Wyoming and is still being 

tested. 

In other news at the 

Ludden Library, librarian 

Meghan Kelly with support 

from LCCC faculty 

and a partnership with the 

Cheyenne Interfaith Council 

has applied for a Muslim 

Journeys Bookshelf grant 

that includes a collection 

of 25 books, four DVDs 

and other programming 

resources to build public 

awareness about Muslim 

beliefs and practices. 

Also announced at the 

Ludden Library is the filling 

of a new position with a 

newly appointed librarian, 

Teresa Authier, who started 

her employment at LCCC 

in 1994, then moved to 

full-time in 1996. Authier 

was put on this particular 

path when she applied 

for a scholarship for the 

Institute of Library Services 

while attending the 

University of North Texas. 

Authier had been working 

in interlibrary loan, and 

now she works in library 

instruction, which she said 

is “a big step up.” 

Now with four librarians, 

Authier said she believed 

that the library will improve 

Wingspan 23 

Library offers new, 

high-tech services 

Kasey M. Orr 

Managing the virtual stacks: 

The newest librarian for the college, Teresa 

Authier, is part of an effort to offer yet another 

method of contacting the library: texting. 

efficiency and outreach for 

students who seek it. 

Authier said Lange had 

been pushing for the new 

position for the last three 

to four years. Authier said 

she was “ready for a new 

challenge” and will be able 

to focus more attention on 

students. Authier also emphasized 

the support by the 

faculty for her to be hired in 

the new position. 

Authier and Lange are 

also moving forward on 

a new alternative form of 

communication between 

students and librarians, 

which is texting. This is 

thought to be a more convenient 

and comfortable way 

for students to seek help 

from librarians at all times. 

It is hoped the new texting 

program will be ready for 

students by this summer.

24 

Wingspan campus news 

By Jose Manuel Jaimes 

A&E Writer 

The Laramie County Community College’s 

director of advising and career services Chrissy 

Renfro’s passion for the Emerging Leaders 

Program and her desire to publish inspired her 

to write an article that was carried in Academic 

Advising Today. Renfro, who also serves on 

the National Academic Advising Association’s 

Publications Advisory Board, wrote a piece, 

“Emerging Leaders Program—Past, Present, and 

Future,” that spoke of the exceptional success of 

the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP). 

The article explained how the program set 

out to expand diversity of representation in 

the NACADA, an organization with more than 

11,000 members. The mentor-mentee program 

is in its fifth year and accepts 10 new program 

members every year. 

Accepting applications 

in the spring, 

the program is open 

to those who are 

interested in professional 

adviser services 

and pairs emerging 

leaders with mentors 

who have experience 

in NACADA and academic 

advising. 

Renfro, an active 

member of the 

program, said she felt 

By Ryan DeVries 


A caring group of Laramie County Community 

College students are working to erase the stigma surrounding 

mental health issues. 

A staggering statistic on the Active Minds’ website 

revealed that 44 percent of college students felt so 

depressed within the last year that it was difficult to 

function. Because college can be stressful, Active Minds 

aim to help students through difficult times. Jennifer 

Miller, president of LCCC in Active Minds, explained that 

there is no better time for an organization like Active 

Minds because of the recent shootings in Aurora, Colo., 

and Newtown, Conn., which are both being attributed to 

mental illness. 

Active Minds is focusing on changing the stigma 

of mental health not just around campus but also the 

around the community. Changing this negative connotation 

of mental illness will be the key to helping 

troubled individuals who are prone to violence, Miller 

said. 

Why would someone want to be part of Active 

Minds though? Any Active Minds member will tell you 

it supports a good cause. The organization runs all of its 

events to support others who may be having a hard time 

whether they are struggling from severe depression or 

simple test anxiety. 

With nearly 20 members currently participating and 

50 enrolled in Active Minds, the club is as big as it has 

ever been on campus. Through past events like last 

year’s Mud Run, a 5K run followed by a quarter mile of 

mud-filled obstacles, the club is starting to be recognized. 

Last year, renowned speakers made an appearance 

at the organization’s biggest event to talk about 

their battles with mental illness. Yet Miller explained that 

fun events are a good way to get the word out about the 

organization in the process of supporting a noble cause. 

The Active Minds’ cause started 10 years ago when 

Alison Malmon faced a tragic event. The University of 

Pennsylvania student lost her only brother, Brian, to 

suicide during her freshman year. The death came as a 

surprise because he appeared to be a happy individual 

throughout his life. Brian was diagnosed with schizoaffective 

disorder nearly a year before his 

death. Despite his diagnosis, he kept 

his symptoms concealed from every- 

the purpose of writing such an article was to 

“fulfill my part in the program.” Renfro also said 

she hoped to write more articles because what 

inspired her to write the article was her desire 

to publish. 

Renfro’s mentor suggested she try expanding 

her abilities with the NACADA’s outreach tools. 

Renfro’s 13 years of experience at LCCC influenced 

the article in the sense that she wanted to 

represent community college advisers. Also, she 

said she felt it was important to write the article 

“to show LCCC advisers are leaders.” 

Renfro’s involvement in the ELP advocates 

advising at community colleges. The article was 

met with positive feedback, and unlike Renfro’s 

admission of nervousness for her previous 

articles, she said the feeling of being nationally 

published “feels fun.” 



Group aims to change issue stigma 

Active Minds works to change how mental illness is viewed 

Advising director published nationally 

Article created out of passion for ELP program 

We Buy 

Textbooks 

Phoenix Books & Music 

Buy ~ Sell ~ Trade 

1612 Capitol Ave. 

Cheyenne 632-3476 

one in fear of the negative connotations associated with 

mental illness. 

Since the death of her brother, Malmon was looking 

to affiliate with an organization on campus in order to 

help others in need. No such organization existed, so 

she founded her own, which came to be known as Active 

Minds. 

Since its beginning, Active Minds has become a 

nationwide organization. With 391 chapters spanning 

around the country, Active Minds has become quite 

popular among students. 

Some students might wonder why Active Minds is so 

prevalent. “As a society we have a lot of mental health 

issues, and all it takes is one voice to make a difference,” 

Miller said. 

Students can join by contacting the group’s adviser 

Luanne Gearhart, psychology instructor, at lgearhar@ 

lccc.wy.edu or by phone at 432-1666. Students can also 

meet with the group every Tuesday from 10–11 a.m. in 

Arp building 168.



Kasey M. Orr 

And so to support our contention: 

LCCC’s Alyx Reed, left, and Skeeter Yasko quickly share notes as a member of the 

opposing team attempts to counter their arguments and win points. They will stand up 

next and strategically disprove everything said, playing defense and offense all at once. 

campus news Wingspan 25 

College hosts 

largest speech 

tournament 

By Mandy Neely 

Entertainment Editor 

The Laramie County Community College’s 

speech team competed on Feb. 1–3 in three-day 

tournaments on its home turf. The tournaments 

were co-hosted with Hastings College, and 18 

schools attended, making this the largest tournament 

event held at LCCC. 

The debate team consisting of Alyx Reed and 

Skeeter Yasko placed eighth of 20 teams, advancing 

to the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, they were 

beaten in the first round of the quarterfinals. 

However, of 40 individual speakers, the two 

placed 10th and 11th. 

One of the many topics Reed and Yasko saw 

in competition was “Should the United States 

increase its presence in Syria?” which Reed and 

Yasko were against. “It was our easiest topic. With 

the information we found, we just slaughtered the 

opposition,” Yasko said. 

Megan Kraushaar, another member of the 

speech team, placed fifth in the LCCC poetry 

portion and second in the Hastings College poetry 

portion of the tournament.

26 

Wingspan campus news 

Rodolfo’s Mexican Grill 

The Best Mexican Food 

OPEN 24 HOURS 

We take phone orders 

307-632-1231 

Drive-thru 

801 E. Lincolnway 

Cheyenne, WY 82001 



Lumosity.com proves useful in tricking training 

Your brain is important right? Well, duh. So that 

must mean that keeping the health of your brain 

in check is important. 

If someone told you a device exists that helps you become 

smarter just by playing games, would you believe 

her? I’m that girl telling you that Lumosity.com is the 

way to go when it comes to improving or maintaining 

the brain’s health. Because, let’s face it, even after three 

days of training, even I learned how to shark the system. 

Lumosity.com is a website with lots of features to 

improve your brain’s function. It does more than offer 

games to play. It also records your brain performance 

index (BPI), the measurement Lumosity.com uses to 

track your cognitive performance and improvement. 

All the features offered on the free 

side of Lumosity.com are 

the uncomplicated tools needed 

to improve brain health. 

However, there are pros and cons to this website. 

Lumosity.com categorizes the areas in which it can 

help improve your BPI. These categories are memory, 

attention, speed, flexibility and problem solving. When 

you start your brain training, Lumosity.com asks you 

which of those areas you would like to improve. You can 

pick one or all of them. 

After you have told Lumosity.com what areas of your 

brain you want to improve, it starts you off with games 

that address each category. The games change each day 

you train. 

For instance, Luminosity.com started me with three 

memory games that helped with speed and attention. 

On my second day of training it gave me two memory 

games that helped improve attention and flexibility as 

well as a problem solving game. 

Each day, the training program or games are different.Luminosity.com 

also gives users information on 

which categories your training games address. It offers 

recommendations and scores from when the user previously 

played the game. 

graphics editor 


When the user has finished playing a game, the 

website gives a statistics page for that game, addressing 

reaction time, accuracy, total number correct and points 

earned followed by the overall score, the game BPI, the 

user’s top scores and how many Lumosity points the 

user has earned. 

Lumosity points are a measurement of how much 

and how well the user has trained. It also gives recommendations 

from other Lumosity trainers and saves the 

statistics for later reference. 

Lumosity also offers a brain profile. What the brain 

profile boils down to is a sum of the user’s activity. It 

includes overall BPI, the BPI a user has earned for each 

category, Lumosity points, the user’s best brain areas 

and a small graph of your training history improvement 

over time. It’s a very simple page of statistics. 

The downside of Lumosity.com is it’s not a totally free 

site. In order to unlock all its features, 

you would have to pay a monthly, 

yearly, semiannual or even a lifetime 

fee. Lumosity.com leads users to 

believe that unlocking these features 

is necessary, which really isn’t true. 

Users can get all the brain training and 

improvement needed without paying 

for the extra services. 

At first look, every game Lumosity 

offers is locked unless paid for. This 

fact was initially frustrating, but I 

found that all the games offered for free 

editor’s 

commentary 

during training were the same games the site had locked 

under the games tab. 

This epiphany, I guess you could say, was my “stickit-to-the-man” 

moment. I realized that users can play all 

those games that are locked through the training games 

it gives you each day for free. You just have to be patient. 

This actually turns out to be a good thing because instead 

of being overwhelmed with all the games, you can 

choose to play or not to play, or to pay or not to pay for, 

Lumosity chooses those games for you in your day-today 

training. Only patience is required to play each of 

the locked games it unlocks for you in your free training. 

The other slightly unpleasant downfall was 

Luminosity.com doesn’t have a mobile app for Android. 

The site has one for Apple products so outrageously 

expensive, I don’t even want to talk about it. Because 

Android’s market share is much higher than Apple’s, it 

should be a “no-brainer” to have an Android app, which 

should come free to subscribers to Luminosity.com 

whether they pay for Lumosity’s services. 

Overall, the pros outweigh the cons on the unrestricted 

side of Lumosity.com. Don’t buy into paying for these 

services because, the “extras” are unnecessary. This 

easily navigated site provides statistics to “maul” over, if 

you’re curious. 

All the features offered on the free side of Lumosity. 

com are the uncomplicated and rudimentary tools 

needed to improve brain health. I know this because 

after just three days of training with the free side of 

Lumosity.com, I figured out how to trick the system and 

get all I need for free. Thank you, Lumosity.com. 

Where Students Shop First! 

FREE EVERY FRIDAY! 

Classifieds 

wyotraders.com



Books, books, books! 

Delta Kappa Gamma wants your books! 

DKG, an international society of women in 

education, will collect books for its 30th annual 

Used Book Sale. For the past three years, 

proceeds have helped support educational programs 

in the Children’s Village at the Cheyenne 

Botanic Garden, provided scholarships for 

college students and professional development 

grants to current educators. 

The collecting will start Feb. 1 and end Feb. 

24. Collection boxes are situated at all Cheyenne 

grocery stores including Wal-Mart and Natural 

Grocers. DKG will also collect: books on tape, 

CDs, DVDs, videos, games, puzzles and textbooks. 

DKG will pick up large quantities of books 

within a 10-mile radius of Cheyenne for anyone 

unable to deliver them. For pickup, call 639- 

2940 or 632-0209. Leave a message if no one 

answers. 

The book sale will be held during the first 

weekend in March at the former Dinneen 

Buick-Pontiac Building on the corner of Pioneer 

Avenue and 18th Street. The sale will be from 8 

a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, and from 9 

a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 3. 

Any books not sold will be donated to community 

organizations. Anyone interested in 

leftover books should call 634-6066. 

Drop in, create résumé 

Any students interested in creating their own 

résumés are welcome to the Laramie County 

Community College’s Career Center “résumé 

drop-in.” Students who have already created 

their résumés are also invited for critiquing and 

helpful tips. 

The drop-in will be available from 9 a.m.–11 

p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 5. The Career Center is 

located inside Student Services Building, Room 

119. Sessions will continue at 1-3 p.m. on Feb. 

6; 10 a.m.–noon on Feb. 11 and end 1–3 p.m. on 

Feb. 14. 

All Saints Anglican 

Church 

1311 Ashford Dr. (o Terry Ranch Rd.) 

307-630-6513 

Not all of life’s problems 

can be solved on Google. 

10 a.m. Sunday Liturgy 

Traditional Christian Music and Worship 

Rev. Richard Andrews, Vicar 

campus news 

Donate blood; save life 

The Surgical Technology Student Club at 

Laramie County Community College is joining 

United Blood Services to sponsor a blood drive 

from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 13, in 

the student lounge. 

Students and employees can schedule an appointment 

at http://www.unitedbloodservices. 

org. Walk-ins are always welcome 

Join campus clubs 

Spring semester Club Rush will be held 

Tuesday, Feb. 12, in the student lounge at 11 

a.m.–1 p.m. Club Rush offers new and returning 

students at Laramie County Community 

College the chance to learn about and join 

campus clubs. Whether students are interested 

in agriculture, anime, Skills USA or theatre, a 

club for them. 

Journalists win awards 

Four journalists with connections to the 

mass media/multimedia department at 

Laramie County Community were honored at 

the Wyoming Press Association’s 114th annual 

winter convention Jan. 18–19 in Cheyenne. 

Cara Eastwood Baldwin, photography 

adjunct instructor, won nine awards in the 

Associates’ Group contest for her work as editor 

of WREN magazine, a publication of the 

Wyoming Rural Electric Association. The awards 

were as follows: first places, page layout and 

design; information campaign; second place, 

feature photography; third places, page layout 

and design; feature writing; feature photography; 

photo page/story; honorable mentions, 

overall publication photography; magazine 

article writing. 

Bree Anderson, former Wingspan staffer, 

won first place for a photo page/story for her 

work with the Wyoming Business Council. 

In the WPA Pacemaker contest, a former 

Wingspan sports editor, won for his work for 

both the Glenrock Independent, a small weekly, 

and the Douglas Budget, a large weekly. In the 

small weekly category, he took first places in 

sports news and sports feature and honorable 

mention for sports feature. In the large weekly 

category, Tucker won first places in sports news 

and sports feature and second place in sports 

photography. 

A former Wingspan co-editor, Kiah Wilkins 

Staley, took first place in information graphics 

for her work with the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. 

Visit Wingspan online 


Clubwise Block and Bridle 


Campus Editor 

Wingspan 27 

Judging teams preparing 

for spring season schedule 

When: The club meets on the first Thursday of every month. 

Who: 

Fees: 

Contact: 

Officers: 

Purposes: 


Campus Editor 

Two competitive teams in the agriculture area are preparing for spring 

season competition. 

The Laramie County Community College competitive horse judging 

team just finished its season in December, taking seventh place out of 19 

teams in Oklahoma City. This semester the members are taking time to 

rebuild their team to compete in their spring event in April. 

Wayne Miller, equine studies instructor, said all his students who 

participate on the team are doing very well and looking forward to their 

upcoming event this spring. 

Bryan Wilson, agriculture instructor, said the livestock judging team is 

also taking this early part of the spring semester to rebuild the competitive 

team. The team competed in Denver in January, but only one student 

participated in the competition. 

The team also competed in the Colorado State University’s mock livestock 

judging contest as well as Casper College’s mock contest and will 

compete in Nebraska for their next event in February. 

The team needs more involvement to be competitive in its events. 

Wilson said one member who stands out is Tanner Nauta, who is also the 

president of the Block and Bridle Club. 

Both coaches said they felt the judging teams give students a productive 

way to be actively involved and stay in school. Anyone can compete 

on these teams, so if you are an interested in judging horses or livestock, 

drop by the Ag Building. 

Anyone who is majoring in agriculture or has a general 

interest in agriculture regardless of his major. 

A $10 fee pays national Block and Bridle Club fees for four 

years. 

Ron Pulse, agriculture instructor and Block and Bridle advisor, 

may be contacted at rpulse@lccc.wy.edu or by phone 

307-778-1192 

Tanner Nauta, president; Ty Walter, vice president; Brandy 

Brown, treasurer; Chad Briggs, collegiate horseman’s 

representative; Cole Smith, public relations officer; Tycee 

Mohler, student adviser; Kylie Foster, livestock judging 

representative; Katelin Malm, livestock show team representative; 

Joslyn Steele, secretary; Shannon Smith, horse 

judging representative; Taylor Hodden, ranch horse team 

representative. 

Block and Bridle is a club that brings together students 

who have an interest in agriculture, like the Student 

Government Association for the ag department. 

Coming up, the club will host Wyoming FFA’s state convention, 

Wyoming Rodeo Association rodeo, the Laramie 

County Community College pig sale and its spring barbe- 

FYI: cue and awards. Pulse said he believes Block and Bridle 

Club is instrumental in reducing the dropout rates among 

agricultural students by giving them a common goal and 

constructive activities in which to participate. 

Contact Wingspan at 778-1304 or wingspan@lccc.wy.edu to feature your 

club.

28 

Wingspan 

Anthony and Barbara 

Andrikopoulos were nominated 

for the Wyoming 

Association of Community 

College Trustees 

2012–2013 Foundation 

Volunteer of the Year 

Award. They have donated 

money to Laramie County 

Community College for 

more than 16 years, and 

their goal is to support 

students who have difficulty 

in the college experience. 

A push of this goal 

has been that Anthony 

was told by his high school 

principal that he was 

not college material and 

would just be wasting 

his time. He proved his 

principal wrong though 

when he graduated from 

the University of Wyoming 

before having a career in 

the oil and gas industry. 

The couple has given 

an incredible amount to 

the college, from scholarships, 

to working on the 

LCCC Foundation Board. 

They also took the lead in 

the Matching the Spirit 

Campaign in 2004 that 

raised $31.5 million for 

colleges in the state of 

Wyoming. In addition to 

helping LCCC, they also 

donate to other programs 

in Cheyenne such as 

the Cheyenne Regional 

Medical Center, the Old 

West Museum and the 

Botanic Gardens. 

Melissa Gallant 

was nominated for the 

Wyoming Association 

of Community College 

Trustees 2012–2013 

Classified Employee of the 

Year Award. She is the program 

assistant in facilities 

and events at Laramie 

County Community 

College. She reserves 

rooms for events as well 

as appropriately sets up 

for the events, ensuring 

the event has everything it 

might need. 

She will set up an 

event as if it were her 

own, according to her 

nomination. She thinks 

of ideas that her customers 

might not think of 

and takes extra jobs into 

her own hands. She will 

also accept criticism to 

ensure the job was done 

at its best. Gallant is very 

friendly and understanding, 

which makes working 

with her more enjoyable, 

her nomination continued. 

Gallant has been a 

representative on LCCC’s 

staff council since 2008, 

serving as president from 

2009–2011. During those 

two years, Gallant had to 

represent the staff and 

present its point of view 

to the LCCC Board of 

Trustees during a leadership 

crisis. 

Besides creating 

campus events, Gallant 

has also served on the 

campus news 

Food Service Committee, 

Security Committee and 

College Council. She is 

also active with LCCC’s 

Career Fair. She also helps 

with the accommodations 

for the WACCT meeting 

and the Wyoming 


Commission meeting at 

LCCC. Gallant is one of 

two employees on the 

LCCC Foundation Board 

of Directors. 

Gallant is very active 

in the Cheyenne community 

by coaching and 

mentoring girls on her 

daughter’s softball league 

and boys from her son’s 

baseball and hockey 

teams. She has received a 

Partnership Recognition 

Award from the IRS and 

an award of excellence 

from the Wyoming State 

Archive Division. She’s 

received plaques for her 

continuing contributions 

to two annual high school 

speech meets and from 

the Wyoming Air National 

Guard. 

Greg Thomas was 

nominated for the 



Trustees 2012–2013 Board 

Member of the Year 

Award. Thomas served 

on the LCCC Board of 

Trustees from 2004–2012. 

Since then he has been 

very active on the board 

by serving as vice chair, 

treasurer and chair in 

2012. Being an original 

member of the trustees’ 

Facilities and Finance 

Committee for three years 

helped Thomas improve 

the board and helped 

it develop a more open 

environment. Thomas has 

served on several committees 

that have helped 

him develop and improve 

many LCCC plans and 

decisions. Thomas has 

also used his leadership 

skills in the Kiwanis 

Club, Laramie County 

Republican Party and 

Cheyenne District Boy 

Scouts of America in order 

to be more involved in the 

Cheyenne community. 

Thomas’ nomination 

said Thomas understands 

how important education 

is as well as how important 

its delivery method is 

for the success of students 

and the community. 

Thomas also knows how 

important it is for the 

community to have the 

opportunity to invest in 

the future. He keeps these 

ideas in mind when making 

decisions, his nomination 

noted. 

Dr. Ami Wangeline 





Faculty of the Year Award. 

She has taught biology 

at LCCC since 2008. 

Wangeline has been 

developing a scientific 

research project since she 

started working at LCCC. 

This will help students 

get research experience, 

which is hard to find in a 

community college. This 

project gives students the 

ability to show off their 

education that students 

from other colleges don’t 

have. She devotes a lot of 

time and effort to ensure 

her students are prepared 

to continue with biology 

at a four-year school. She 

strives to make a two-year 

experience as nurturing as 

a four-year experience. 

Wangeline was an 

active member of the 

LCCC Faculty Senate 

and other organizations 

that helped her develop 

models and programs to 

better educate students 

everywhere. She’s been 

a part of workshops put 

on by the Council on 

Undergraduate Research. 

She pushes her students 

to achieve their 

goals and has mentored 

several student scientist 

groups with Planting 

Science through the 

Botanical Society of 

America. She’s also a 

part of the National 

Association of Biology 

Teachers and received 

the Faculty Teaching 

Excellence Award in 2011 

from LCCC. 



Six WACCT nominees represent LCCC 

Graffi to 

Paint your own pottery 

317 W. Lincolnway • 433-9563 

11a.m.–7 p.m., Tuesday–Saturday 

noon–5 p.m., Sunday 

Visit our block for a fun-filled day! 

$3 off 

Any purchase of $15 

or more in both stores! 

Expires 3/4/13 • Offer valid with coupon. 

Not valid with any other offers. 

Or 

$5 off 

Any purchase of $25 

or more in both stores! 

Expires 3/4/13 • Offer valid with coupon. 

Not valid with any other offers. 

Ude Ifeanyichukwu 





Student of the Year Award. 

He is the outreach coordinator 

for Laramie County 

Community College’s 

Student Government 

Association, captain of 

the LCCC men’s basketball 

team, orientation 

leader and an LCCC 

campus employee. With 

a friendly smile on his 

face, Ifeanyichukwu is 

well-known and well-liked 

around the LCCC campus, 

his nomination noted. 

He is also the chairperson 

of the Food Service 

Committee in SGA. He 

has helped improve the 

climate of the dining 

hall as well as changed 

dining hall hours to 

serve students’ needs. 

Ifeanyichukwu has also 

had an input on improving 

the quality of food 

being served. 

Next year, He will 

attend Southern 

Mississippi University 

on a basketball scholarship. 

Ifeanyichukwu said 

he believed his college 

education and basketball 

skills will help him and 

his father, who still lives 

in Nigeria. His ultimate 

goal is to play professional 

basketball and give back 

to Nigeria. 

Iye candy for you & 

your home. 

319 W. Lincolnway 

638-1883 

10 a.m.–5 p.m. 

Tuesday–Saturday

sports 


9 Freshmen 

Page 29 

5 Sophomores 


14 Hometowns 

YoutHful 

Determination 

Eagles 

post 18–7 

record 

as regional 

tourney 

nears 

Working hard 

Hockey is only part of it 

By Matt Humphrey 

Sports Editor 

The Laramie County Community College 

men’s basketball team is having a good 

second semester, as the 18–7 (8–4 south 

subregion) Golden Eagles are heading 

into the home stretch of their season in good 

position for the regional tournament. 

The men’s basketball head coach, Jason 

Ficca, was extremely optimistic about this year’s 

team. “We’re one of the top two or three teams 

in the region,” Ficca said. 

The team was tested in January, playing six 

games, including five-straight, on the road. “It’s 

a tough way to start the second semester,” Ficca 

said. 

But strong play at home and a talented roster 

have put the team in place for the best possible 

seeding in the post-season. “There have been 

good contributions from multiple guys,” he 

said. 

The team boasts players who are ranked 

statistically in the National Junior College 

Athletic Association’s Division I as of Feb. 5. Big 

man Ude Ifeanyichukwu is second best in the 

division in blocked shots at 4.6 a game, which 

is also good enough to make him the top shot 

blocker in Region IX. Ifeanyichukwu is also 

eighth in the region in rebounds, bringing down 

7.7 a game. 

Sports—Page 30 

¾ See Basketball, Page 32 

Dan Herring 

Flyin’ high: 

Freshman Patrick 

Stephens tries 

to dunk the ball 

against North 

Platte Community 

College on Feb. 5. 

They’re back! 

Intramurals make a comeback 

Dan Herring 

Eye on the prize: 

Sophomore Julian Chiera drives past a defender in the 

team’s 73–64 victory over North Platte Community College. 

Sports—Page 31 

Movin’ on up 

Volleyball coach leaves for Division I job 

Sports—Page 32

30 

Wingspan 

Shootouts 

put I back 

in team sports 

Playoff overtime in sports can be one 

of the most thrilling, uplifting events, 

or it can be absolutely soul-crushing. 

There is one thing, though, that can be even 

worse…shootouts. 

I am very familiar with shootouts, and I 

sports editor 

am still not entirely sure I’m sold on the idea. 

They have been in soccer for years and have 

even decided World Cup matches. Hockey 

has followed suit and seen many Olympic 

and other international tournaments be 

decided, or nearly decided, via the shootout. 

For Laramie County Community College, 

however, the shootout brought about the end 

of what was an otherwise fantastic men’s soccer 

season. 

The Golden Eagles’ men’s soccer team was 

13–4–1, with an 11–1–1 record in Region IX. 

With high hopes for winning it all, the team 

saw an early exit when they lost to Western Wyoming Community 

Matt Humphrey 

sports editor’s 

commentary 

College in a shootout following a 1–1 tie. It was an undesirable end to 

a phenomenal season. In team sports, such as soccer and hockey, the 

shootout in some ways feels like a cheap gimmick, especially in the 

playoffs. 

Hockey and soccer are both team sports, in which all the players 

work together to move the puck or ball around the playing surface with 

the goal of getting past the defenders. But the shootout takes away that 

team aspect. It forces players into a situation to use a skill set not entirely 

necessary for regulation play. It takes away the team aspect from 

the game and puts it all on the individual. It rewards not necessarily the 

hardest working team, but the one with the best shootout ability. 

A scenario that does not exist but illustrates the point just as well is if 

in football, rather than having overtime, they would kick the ball to 

one person and only have one defensive player on the field. It would 

be only those two on the field. While that scenario sounds absolutely 

absurd, it is much the same idea as in hockey and soccer. 

This is not to say I am entirely against shootouts because I do see 

some reasoning behind them. In the National Hockey League, for 

example, they use shootouts only to decide regular season games, and 

then, only if nobody scores during the five-minute 4-on-4 overtime 

period they play. This is done to facilitate the quick turnaround that 

many of these teams must make, as often times, immediately following 

a game, they must head to the airport for home, or to another game. 

It also keeps the games at a reasonable length. It gives the fans some 

incredible highlight reel footage. In the playoffs, though, the NHL plays 

continuous sudden death overtime until one team scores. That is the 

way playoff contests should be decided. 

The reasoning behind shootouts in collegiate sports, and youth 

sports, especially to decide state or national championships, is not 

entirely related to the game itself but because of the management of 

the playing surface. Many tournaments, including the one that LCCC 

lost, have multiple games scheduled that all must be played. If they 

did adopt continuous overtime, it could be a disaster if a team headed 

into double or triple overtime and then had to play another one or two 

games after that. Games could end up not starting until almost 11 p.m. 

in some cases. 

For that reason alone, the shootout will probably always be a part of 

big tournaments, but it still does not make the case for it to be the only 

way. Team games should be won by the team, not the individual. 

sports 

By Matt Humphrey 

Sports Editor 

Playing junior 

hockey and working 

full time is tough, but 

Cheyenne Stampede 

forward Ryan Carroll 

is up to the task. 

The winger for the 

Cheyenne Stampede 

junior A hockey team 

spends his weekends 

battling on the ice in 

the Western States 

Hockey League, and 

his weekdays working 



as a part of the outdoor 

maintenance 

crew. 

The 20-year-old 

winger is playing in 

his second season for 

the Stampede and 

has also worked both 

years at LCCC. His father 

had connections 

with some members 

of the grounds crew, 

and the Colorado 

Springs’ native immediately 

took up 

the job. “I like it. My 

boss is unbelievable,” 

Carroll said, explaining 

LCCC has been 

extremely generous 

in allowing him to 

take the time off when 

needed. 

Carroll described 

junior hockey as 

a blast. “It’s pretty 

much your job to play 

hockey,” he said. “It’s a 

good learning experience.” 

He also said it 

has helped his development 

as a player. 

Junior hockey can be 

a stepping stone for 

players who want to 

take the next step following 

youth hockey, 

but before college. 

Many college teams 

look at players in the 

WSHL, and Carroll 

said he has been 

looked at by several 

teams interested in 

signing him for next 

season. He mentioned 

Colorado State 

University as a college 

where he would want 

to attend and play. 

Carroll said he 

chose to play for the 

upstart Stampede 

last year because of 

proximity to his home 

and family. He is also 

able to return home 

easily on some vacations 

because he is 

only a few hours away. 

Not all players on the 

team are afforded this 

luxury, as several of 

the players hail from 

European countries 

such as Sweden, 

Switzerland and the 

Czech Republic. 

Carroll was described 

by Stampede 

General Manager 

Mark Lantz as “one of 

the hardest workers 

on our team.” He also 

noted that Carroll 

was one ofthe most 

deserving player on 

the team. 



Wheeling down 

the ice: 

Ryan Carroll, left, 

looks to jump into 

the play during 

the Cheyenne 

Stampede’s 

home series 

against the 

Arizona 

Redhawks during 

the weekend of 

Nov. 16–18. 

Courtesy 

of Kevin Mallory/ 

Cheyennestampede. 

com 

Local junior hockey player 

exhibits strong work ethic 

Carroll has amassed 

an impressive stat 

sheet as well. In his 

two years with the 

Stampede, he has 

played in 74 games, 

scoring 28 goals and 

dishing out 38 assists 

for 66 points total. 

Last year, Carroll 

was not just an 

employee at LCCC, 

but also a student, 

taking “Pre- 

Calculus Algebra/ 

Trigonometry.” He 

said he would consider 

attending LCCC, 

but it doesn’t have a 

college hockey team. 

Carroll and the 

Stampede are in the 

final push of the season 

and are turning 

heads as they look to 

acquire home ice for 

the playoffs.



sports 

Riders ranked third in region 



The Laramie County 

Community College equestrian 

team placed one and two 

in Lincoln, Neb., for the last 

Western shows of the regular 

season Feb. 2–3. 

The University of Nebraska 

hosted two Western shows, 

and the LCCC team placed 

second overall in the first show 

and third overall in the second 

show. 

This put the Western team 

third in the region for the 

2012-13 season. 



Though the Laramie County Community 

College equestrian team is between shows, the 

competitors are anything but bored. 

With riding practice daily at noon and jumping 

practice at 3 p.m. on Fridays, the team is 

busy preparing for its upcoming shows. 

This is Kelsey LoSasso’s first year with the 

equestrian team as part of the Western division, 

but she has been riding horses for about 

11 years. She has ridden in two Western shows, 

placing sixth and second in Nebraska and first at 

the LCCC competition. She said she felt that so 

far the competitions have gone well and looked 

forwarding to upcoming Western events. 

Morgan Carmichael, who rides hunt seat for 

the equestrian team, marks her first year with 

LCCC, having previously been at the University 

of Wyoming. Recovering from an ankle injury, 

Carmichael said this riding season was still going 

better than previous years. 

She has previously earned fifth in fences 

and flatwork at the University of Colorado. She 

earned fourth in jumping and fifth in flatwork 

at UW. She said she enjoyed jumping more than 

flatwork and has been riding horses for several 

years. 

She looked forward to competing in future 

shows as she was close to pointing up into the 

open level division, which is the highest level 

of riding. Riders are placed into divisions based 

on their riding ability. They must earn points to 

move up in the divisions by placing in the top 

six. 

Being a part of the equestrian team is about 

more than just riding horses. A day in the life of 

Emily Hamilton, who rides intermediate hunt 

seat for the equestrian team, highlights what 

being a part of the team means. 

As a full-time student applying for the radiography 

programing, she must maintain a 2.5 GPA 

and log at least two hours of study hall a week. 

As part of the team, she also must log at 

least two hours of exercise and take a couple of 

Individually, Kayla Fisk 

placed first in reining and 

fourth in open horsemanship 

and was reserved high point 

rider in the first show. 

Also, Kelsey Jenkins placed 

fourth and second in novice 

horsemanship; Brittany 

DeMartin placed fourth and 

sixth in novice horsemanship; 

Amanda Heller placed first 

and fifth in intermediate II 

horsemanship; Jesse Johnson 

placed second and third in 

intermediate I horsemanship; 

Kelsey LoSasso placed first in 

intermediate I horsemanship; 

Lily Crawford placed second 

in intermediate I horsemanship, 

and Emily Smith placed 

first and second in beginner 

horsemanship. 

Six qualify for regionals 

At the end of the regular 

show season, six riders, Fisk, 

Jenkins, DeMartin, Johnson, 

Adrian Parman and Candice 

Lahners, qualified for the 

Western regional competition. 

These riders must place in 

the top two positions in their 

respective classed to enable 

them to ride in the Western 

semifinals in Syracuse, N.Y. 

Equestrian squad antes up 

physical education classes to keep her in shape. 

Riding horses, especially hunt seat and jumping, 

requires leg strength. 

The team practices riding for at least an hour 

five days a week. Each person on the team takes 

turns feeding and mucking out stalls at 7 a.m. 

and 4:30 p.m. everyday. 

Hamilton said, “Feed crew isn’t the funniest 

part of being on the equestrian team, but it is 

something that needs to be done, and if it wasn’t 

for the horses, we wouldn’t be able to practice.” 

Hamilton is also a part of the Block and Bridle 

Club. 

Amanda Heller, also a sophomore, majoring 

in equine training and management at LCCC, 

is in her second year riding for the equestrian 

team. She rides walk/trot/canter for English and 

intermediate II in Western. 

Heller takes Pilates classes at the college to 

stay in shape. She has been around horses her 

entire life, so cleaning stalls and feeding horses 

are just another day for her. 

“It takes a lot of practice to prepare for a 

show. You can’t just show up and win every 

class,” she said. 

In order to do well, team members practice as 

much as they can on as many different horses as 

they can. Heller said college work and the team 

can take up a lot of time, but schoolwork always 

comes first because if she doesn’t keep up her 

grades, then she cannot be on the team. 

Heller is also on the horse judging team and a 

part of the Block and Bridle Club. 

The equestrian team members do not ride 

on their own horses, and it is not required that 

they own a horse. Part of the competition is 

being able to ride any horse drawn. They do not 

have time to practice with the horse before they 

compete but hope for a good draw and ride the 

best they can. 

The team prepares for shows by riding as 

much as they can on as many different horses 

that they can. They work hard to keep in shape 

and keep good grades so that they can compete 

at shows and support the other riders on the 

team. 

By Dimitri 

Sofias 

Online Sports Editor 

For many years 



students had the 

option to participate 

in intramurals, but 

they were discontinued 

along with all 

the varsity sports in 

1992. 

Intramurals 

have recently made 

a “comeback” to 

the LCCC campus. 

Two years ago, 

students wanted 

more activities in 

the PE Building 

on campus. These 

students and the 

Student Government 

Association (SGA) 

took this issue 

to the new president 

of LCCC, and 

intramurals were 

“reborn.” The new 

intramural program 

is being spearheaded 

by Vince Gibson. 

Gibson was the 

intramural coordinator 

at the College 

of Southern Idaho, 

and he is also the 

men’s soccer coach 

at LCCC. 

Some might wonder 

what benefits 

intramurals add to 

the college experience. 

Why should 

the college spend 

time and resources 

on them? On such 

a small campus 

they are a way to be 

social, Gibson noted. 

Meeting new people 

and developing 

friendships are a fundamental 

part of the 

college experience. 

Interacting with 

peers and athletes 

can be beneficial to 

being a well-rounded 

college student, he 

said. 

A difference 

between intramurals 

and classes is students 

don’t receive 

grades. Gibson said 

he hoped that eventually 

the intramural 

program would 

bring coaching and 

refereeing classes 

to LCCC for anyone 

wanting to gain 

experience in those 

areas. 

Different intramural 

sports are 

offered depending 

on the time of year. 

This past fall semester 

basketball, both 

men’s and co-ed, 

were offered along 

with co-ed volleyball. 

The men’s basketball 

championship win- 

Wingspan 31 

After 20 years, 

they’re back 

ners was Too Short 

Too Skinny, and the 

co-ed winner was 

Gangnam Style. The 

volleyball champion 

was GEUnited. 

The beginning of 

this spring semester 

will have three different 

sports available 

for students: flag 

football, indoor 

soccer and later on a 

racquetball tournament. 

Students may 

form their own 

teams or be placed 

on a team who needs 

players. Additional 

information for 

intramurals can be 

found http://lccc. 

wy.edu/athletics/ 

intramurals. 

Additional 

questions can be 

answered by Gibson, 

intramural sports coordinator, 

in person 

at the PE Building, 

Room 129 or email 

at vgibson@lccc. 

wy.edu. 

Later in the semester 

a dodge ball 

league and ultimate 

Frisbee will be 

offered. 

Information 

about those will 

come in later updates 

on intramural 

activities. 

Cheyenne - Laramie County Health Department 

FAMILY PLANNING 

Confidential Reproductive Health Services 

for Men and Women 

General screening examination 

Testing and treatment 

for sexually transmitted diseases 

Contraception Pregnancy testing 

100 Central Avenue 634-4040 Insurance Accepted 

All services offered on a sliding fee scale according to income.

32 

Wingspan 

Buckner 

moves 

forward 

By Matt 

Humphrey 

Sports Editor 

Laramie County 

Community College is not 

just a stepping stone for 

students to head to bigger 

and better things, but also 

for athletic coaches. 

Darren Buckner is one 

such coach, who has 

moved on from LCCC 

to pursue an assistant 

volleyball coaching job 

at Eastern Washington 

University effective Jan. 

14. 

Athletic Director Jason 

Ficca commented on 

Buckner’s leaving that 

both Buckner and the 

previous head coach 

both came and made the 

volleyball program better. 

“Our last two coaches 

have done a great job. 

They left the program better 

than when they found 

it,” he said. Ficca also 

noted the success the volleyball 

team has had, and 

they are only a few years 

away from competing at a 

national level. 

Buckner coached at 

LCCC for two years, during 

which he amassed a 

35-27 record, giving the 

team consecutive winning 

seasons. While Buckner 

has certainly left a void 

in his departure, the 

process of finding a new 

coach has already begun. 

Ficca said it is a priority 

to keep the returning 

players at LCCC, and that 

the sophomores are still 

receiving the recruitment 

opportunities that 

they would have prior to 

Buckner’s departure. 

“We want coaches who 

are motivated,” he said. 

Ficca said the search will 

be intense, but he has 

confidence in the team 

finding a new coach, one 

who can take LCCC volleyball 

to the next level. 

Teammate Deshon Portley’s 

19.3 points a game makes him 

the 22nd-best scorer in Division 

I, fourth in Region IX and the 

Eagles’ leading scorer. 

The Golden Eagles’ seventh 

consecutive home victory came 

while delivering the first loss to 

current south subregion leader 

North Platte in six games. The 

Eagles put up 50 points in the 

second half to mount a massive 

comeback and take the game 

with a 73–64 victory. The victory 

solidified LCCC’s place in the 

league as a strong contender and 

a fierce home opponent. Portley, 

Julian Chiera, Ifeanyichukwu, 

and Germaine Decoste all posted 

double-digit points, at 18, 16, 13 

and 14 respectively. The game 

also boosted LCCC’s home record 

to 12–2. 

sports 

Over the top: 

Deshon Portley leaps over Eastern Wyoming College’s Jason McClellan to make the point. 

¾ From Basketball, Page 29 

The last time LCCC played the 

North Platte Community College 

Knights on Jan. 23 did not go the 

Eagles’ way though as they lost 

54–64 in a tough road matchup. 

The team won its sixth 

home game in a row on Feb. 

2 against Eastern Wyoming 

College by a score of 76–66. 

Chiera scored 24 points in 

the game, and Ifeanyichukwu 

pulled down a double-double 

with 12 points and 12 rebounds. 

Ifeanyichuckwu also blocked 

four shots in the contest. The 

Eagles had not lost at home 

since Dec. 4, when Trinidad 

State Junior College beat them in 

triple-overtime 114–115. 

The Golden Eagles won 

their second home game of the 

spring semester by a score of 

74–68 against Western Nebraska 

Community College (WNCC) 

on Jan. 31. The Golden Eagles 

showed a strong second-half 

performance, coming back from 

a three-point deficit at the half. 

They stormed off to score 48 

points for the victory. 

Prior to returning home, the 

Eagles battled through a twowin, 

three-loss road trip. 

In the final game of the 

road trip, the Eagles headed to 

McCook, Neb., where the team 

outscored McCook Community 

College 47–35 in the second half 

of its 82–70 win on Jan. 26. The 

teams engaged in a back-andforth 

battle in the first half before 

the Eagles ran off with the game 

in the second. 

The team was led by Portley and 

Emory Bennett, who had 25 and 

19 points respectively. 

LCCC showed the team had a 

strong resolve in its 82–72 victory 

over Lamar Community College 

on Jan. 19. Portley and Chiera 



Kasey M. Orr 

Basketball battle breaks winning streak 

put up 17 points each. Patrick 

Stephens also put up 15 points 

for the Eagles. The 10-point 

win stopped the 16–9 Lamar’s 

five-game winning streak. Lamar 

is in second place in the south 

subregion with eight wins and 

three losses. 

The Eagles have four remaining 

games before the Region IX 

tournament. The team will be on 

the road Feb. 12 against WNCC, 

at home against Northeastern 

Junior College on Feb. 16, visiting 

Otero Junior College on Feb. 

21, and closing at home against 

Lamar Community College. 

The Region IX Tournament 

will be played March 2–6. The location 

has not yet been decided. 

The tournament will be played 

on the home court of the team 

that has the best record in Region 

IX’s north subregion.

Am I glowing? Stop digging Tastes like…art Winning streak

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?