The Bulletin Board: Campus Cafe -- the Student Webzine of McCook Community College, McCook, NE

On Friday, Oct. 8, many of the world’s greatest minds gathered at McCook Community College to christen the new Organic Chemistry storage room. Those in attendance celebrated by dissecting a cake and feasting upon its innards.

“I’ve never felt more alive,” said one participant. “Join us, or else…”

Other activities included Pin the Tail on the Scientist, Bobbing for Apples in Hydrochloric Acid, and Science Bingo.

To finish the night, a cadaver was stuffed with candy, suspended from the ceiling and beaten as a horrible Piñata of science horror. Other than that, no human rights violations were noted.

There’s Nothing Like a 10 Hour Drive:

My Minnesota-adventure had just begun. I, along with Rachael Hart, Mahlon Lofton, Kayla Prochaska, and Robert Bear, was on my way to the Phi Theta Kappa International Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I passed the 10- hour drive by reading, listening to music, glaring at my fill-it-in book, and playing big-screen Tetris.

PTK students at the Spam Museum.

Towards the latter part of the trip, we stopped in Austin, Minnesota and took in the Spam Museum. The time we spent there was truly magical. We learned the history of Spam and how it is produced. We saw Spam shirts, pens, magnets, aprons, rugs, cups, and tattoos. All good things must come to an end, though, so we soon departed from this glorious museum, vowing to return. When we finally arrived at our hotel in Minneapolis, I was in awe. The 25 floor Hilton was beautiful, with its marble tile, mirror-paneled columns, and giant chandeliers.

Rachael’s, Kayla’s, and my room was on the 22^nd floor and we had a great view of downtown Minneapolis.

PTK students resting between events.

The convention had started, so we made our way through to skywalk to the convention center. Over the next two and a half days, we sat through five general sessions in a huge auditorium with over 3,000 other rowdy Phi Theta Kappans. Those sessions were certainly interesting. Many awards were presented, new international officers were elected, and speakers spoke. We had the honor of hearing breast cancer survivor Linda Ellerbe speak, along with TV legend Dick Clark. That was cool. The last session was definitely the best. We had a banquet before it and that was when I had some of the best cheesecake ever made. (It was delicious.) Aside from the cheesecake, that session was the one where the new international officers were named and inducted. People laughed, they cried, and, just like the Super Bowl halftime, there was a wardrobe malfunction.

I have to mention, though, that one of the best moments of the entire trips was when Mahlon, Kayla, and I visited the Mall of America. I love to shop and I had reached shopping nirvana. The bad news was that we were only given two and a half hours to spend at the mall. There are over 500 stores in that building, not to mention an amusement park, Legoland, a movie theater, and an underground aquarium. Needless to say, two and a half hours was not enough time. We did make the best of it however, basically jogging round the four levels of the mall and stopping in maybe half a dozen stores. Although we were short on time, we had a blast.

Our trip to Minneapolis ended all too soon. I had seen so much: the Spam Museum, downtown Minneapolis, the Mall of America, not to mention Bear posing with Mary Tyler Moore. There is so much more that we did on this trip and so much more to say about it. It’s not something that can be described on a page. There’s also a funny story about Rachael and a guy in an elevator, and Mahlon and a lady

Bear on statue.

who was a little too friendly, but that’s an entirely different aspect. I’m really excited about next year’s convention. Dallas is going to be awesome!

MCC Students Fight Back

Brilliant flames, thick choking smog, and whining sirens rise in the broken night. Looking at a clock luminating 12:35 am, twenty-three-year-old Justin Davis, a McCook City EMT and firefighter volunteer, tears off of the truck and locates chief to get his assignment.

Justin Davis and Jenny Young, two students attending MCC, are two of the twenty-four volunteers on the Fire and Rescue Squad. There are currently three women and twenty-one men on the squad. And when Jenny Young first got accepted onto the squad, she was the only female on the squad at the time.

Volunteers are not running calls all day so in their off time some run small business or continue their education as traditional or non-traditional students here at MCC. Jenny Young, 32, is attending both day and night classes to achieve her degree in paramedics and an Associate's Degree in Fire Science. Jenny's long-term goal is to become a flight medic.

MCC student Jenny Young checks vital signs.

MCC student Justin Davis on the job.

While EMS and firefighting are both stressful and demanding jobs, Jenny and Justin both agree that EMS is their favorite area. "My favorite used to be firefighting, but the older I get the harder it is. . . it is very demanding work," Young assured.

With the stress and physical demand on EMT's and firefighters, many volunteers are dedicated to their squad. Doing volunteer work for four years, Justin Davis recalls many stories of adrenaline rushes and hard situations. Jenny also recalls many stories with her six years of experience. But through all of the trials, dealing with families of the crisis is the worst. "Dealing with families of the crisis is the worst. Walking out and seeing the victims' mom and dad crying in the waiting room is the worst feeling," Jenny admitted.

Science Department Hosts Open House

There’s Nothing Like a 10 Hour Drive:

MCC Students Fight Back