A Message From the Dean of Education, Jason Shawberry

I want to take a moment to applaud Aaron and the student staff on developing this campus newspaper. Communication across the student body, faculty, and staff is always a challenge. A forum like this can really bridge that communicative gap. Personally, I look forward

to seeing how this endeavor grows over time. I hope you’re as excited about it as I am.Likewise, we have developed a PowerPoint presentation that can run in any classroom that has a projector and kiosk computer. We’ll use the slide show to get

information out to all of our folks as soon as possible. For the school’s latest updates on campus news and events, be sure to take a look at the presentation anytime you see it scrolling in the classroom.

What is Professionalism?

By: Shirreatha Porter and Rachael Roscoe

What is professionalism? You can define it many ways, but do you really know what it means? Professionalism can be defined as “working for pay,” but if one wants to be professional, one must dress and appear appropriately. Professionalism can also be defined by the way you talk to an individual.
On Friday, May 28, 2010, we talked to Assistant Director of Career Services, Mr. Eric Smith. Mr. Smith graduated from the University of Findlay. He has a Marketing Degree and also over thirteen years in the health care field with Promedica Health and Buckeye Community Health Plan. Mr. Smith Enjoys his interaction with the students in helping them achieve success and better living skills.Eric Smith’s definition of professionalism first starts with appearance. Make sure you show up to an interview neat and clean. Showing up to an interview or job with baggy pants or daisy dukes is not what an employer would like to see from a potential employee. This could also mean wearing one’s hair in a neat style with a natural color. Second is no chewing gum. Chewing gum is disrespectful, and it might fall out of your mouth. Think before you speak; if you have to pause for a second or two, go ahead. Nobody would mind because you’re not saying the first thing that pops into your mind. Lastly, always use correct English. Teachers and employers do not want to hear street slang when you talk to them; save it for home. Presenting yourself with the right confidence and attitude will impress employers.
He states that employers want integrity and dependable, trustorthy and trainable workers; these aspects can also be a part of professionalism. So give employers something to look at and want to hire immediately. You don’t want them saying, “I don’t want to see this person again in my office.” Here at Southwestern, the staff, including Eric Smith, is working on that goal to show students that professionalism does matter. By working on this on a continuous basis, students will have sharp interview skills, good resume skills, and will learn how to research for employment on a daily basis. Eric Smith is always grateful for helping students with any help they may need, so you can have that future dream job. Mr. Smith has enjoyed his three months here at Southwestern. His door is always open, so if you need help with anything, don’t be afraid to stop by and see him in Room 170.

Children's Discovery Center Day Care

Article by : Carla Murray, LaShanna Haney, & Lanita McCullough

There is a new daycare in town and alot of people don't know about it!

It's its called Children's Discovery Center, and it is located on Chenney St. behind the old Southwyck mall. The facility is very warm and inviting. In each class there is an actual teacher and a teacher's aid. This facility supports a wide range of children from infants to age twelve.

The daycare is an ideal facility for the paretns who attend Southwestern College. It is very close to the school, which makes it easy to get to school on time. If there ever happens to be an emergency or accident, the parent can get there in record time, instead of having to go all over the city to a different day care. This is a state rated facility, and they have very dedicated staff members, who love and care for the children who attend.

At the end of each day, the parents get a chance to talk to the teachers about their child. The parents willr eceive a piece of paper called a tattler that tells the parent what their child's dispostition was for that day. They also inform parents what their child at and what time and for how long they took a nap.

The Children's Discovery Center is a wonderful place to take your children and trust that your child will be well cared for. The people who work there are very trustworth, which is why we would recommend it to parents. he staff loves their jobs and they love the kids too!

Meet Your Admisssions Department

Each day you see new people in the halls of your school, checking out the campus and learning about our programs. Each of these individuals is starting a new journey just as you did when you first walked in the door of the Southwestern College Toledo Campus. these people are taking the first step towards their dream and making a change in their life.

In the admissions department, we work with people to do just that. So ask yourself, do you have a friend, significant other, parent, neighbor, or sibling that could benefit from training for a career in the medical, business, or computer fields? Please contact an admissions representative today and help them make a change in their life!

Southwestern College admissions team:

Jessica Reed-Director of Admissions
Jamal Jones-Assistant Director of Admissions
Jennifer Fedototszkin-Adminissions Representative
Marriah Kornowa-Admissions Representative
Josh Hotaling-Admissions Representative
Dawn Belzung-Admissions Representative

Don't forget our wonderful support staff!

Dawn Cook-Admissions Coordinator
Tamithat Todd-Receptionist
Kharisma Ewing-Evening Receptionist

‘The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ’ by Phillip Pullman

This book is Pullman’s re-imagination of the story of Jesus’ birth. Rather than a single child, Mary gave birth to twins. There are still mysterious events that take place in this retelling, but not events that are as miraculous as those from the bible. And the reader is certainly not given any reason to believe that either brother is of divine parentage. Jesus seems to do unpredictable things, but has consistently good intentions; he attracts followers and inspires people with his faith. Christ tracks his brother and records his movements and actions for a mysterious third party. He frequently bends the truth in his records to make things seem more miraculous than they actually were.

I’m especially inclined to like anything written by Phillip Pullman, as I enjoyed the His Dark Materials trilogy so much. This was another interesting book, but it represents a departure from the material that Pullman’s readers are familiar with. It is written in shorter bible-like chapters. There are short stories/episodes that represent events of importance. I suspect that this book would be more fun for a person who is more familiar with the bible than I am. I recognize many bible stories that have been altered to fit Pullman’s version of the story, but I’m certainly no expert.

In defense of the brother Christ, he makes some bad decisions, but isn’t the scoundrel that the title lead me to expect. Really, he just seemed like a sad man.

'Don't Sleep There are Snakes' by Daniel Everett

Lately, I’ve been becoming increasingly interested in off-grid living; relying as little as possible on public and government programs and funds to support oneself. With this in mind, reading Don’t Sleep There are Snakes has been enjoyable and thought provoking. Author and linguist Daniel Everett has been regularly spending time with the Pirahã population of the Amazon since the 1970’s. This book, discusses not only the linguistic implications of what has been learned from Everett’s work, but also the lifestyle and values of the people being studied. Of course, the reader will see that the culture of the Pirahã is crucial to the linguistic conclusions that Everett has drawn, but even if it weren’t, it’s just so darn interesting.

Since I’m not an expert in linguistics (and one doesn’t have to be to enjoy this book), I’ll have to take Everett’s word for it when he writes that his conclusions are controversial and unusual. Instead I’m inclined to focus on the lifestyle and the anecdotes that illustrate their personalities. After reading this book, I’m impressed with the comfort and contentedness that the Amazonian people have in their lives. They have certainly achieved something that I can only hope to attain.

A favorite passage from the book:
They [the Pirahãs] have no craving for truth as a transcendental reality. Indeed, the concept has no place in their values. Truth to the Pirahãs is catching a fish, rowing a canoe, laughing with your children, loving your brother, dying of malaria. Does this make them more primitive? Many anthropologists have suggested so, which is why they are so concerned about finding out the Pirahãs’ notions about God, the world, and creation.

But there is an interesting alternative way to think about things. Perhaps it is the presence of these concerns that makes a culture more primitive, and their absence that renders a culture more sophisticated. If that is true, the Pirahãs are a very sophisticated people. Does this sound far-fetched? Let’s ask ourselves if it is more sophisticated to look at the universe with worry, concern, and a belief that we can understand it all, or to enjoy life as it comes, recognizing the likely futility of looking for truth or God?

In Conclusion, it is a wonderful book, one that I certainly recommend.

‘Moby Dick’ by Herman Melville

Obviously, Moby Dick is a great American novel. The obsessed captain Ahab has sworn vengeance on the infamous whale Moby Dick. As many already known from the first line of the book, Ishmael tells the story of the best known whaling voyage of all time (albeit a fictional voyage) from the viewpoint of a member of the ship’s crew.

So many people, including many English majors that I have known, haven’t been able to push themselves through Moby Dick, and understandably so. It is a dense and complex book that few feel compelled to read if they aren’t assigned to do so by a professor. I won’t deny that the book is difficult, or imply that I fully comprehend every obscure reference that Melville has made, but on the whole, I’m glad to be familiar with the book. In truth, I may have benefitted from the graphic descriptions of the processes of whaling more than the narrative, and my final opinion of the novel may be that the work is of greater importance as a historical reference than entertainment fiction. Of course, I grew up playing the ‘Save the Whales’ board game, so it’s hard to imagine how Melville would feel about my perspective.

Even though the reader grows attached to some of the characters on the ship, I think my final sympathy lies with Moby Dick. The sailors think of him as a ruthless beast, but he is really just famous for preventing people from murdering him. I don’t think I’d mind having a reputation for not letting people kill me either.