ENROLLMENT - Enrollment at Oklahoma’s colleges and universities increased 4.6 percent last year, according to the Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education. The enrollment increase was the highest in 10 years.

BASEBALL - Bartlesville, Okla., will host the August, 2003, American Legion World Series. The annual tournament, held in Omaha in previous years, attracts some 20,000 fans to the four-day event.

REGENTS - The Kansas Senate confirmed the appointments of four people to the Board of Regents last month. Newly appointed were Lew Ferguson, a retired Associated Press correspondent from Topeka, and Deryl W. Wynn, a Kansas City attorney. Reappointed to the nine-member board were Clay C. Blair III of Mission, and Bill R. Docking of Arkansas City. The board oversees state universities, community colleges and vocational colleges.

BROADWAY - "Les Miserables," musical version of Victor Hugo’s novel, played for the 6,138th time in New York last month, making it the second-longest running show in Broadway history. "A Chorus Line," which has a 6,137-performance run, had been second. "Cats," which closed in 2000 after 7,485 shows, holds the Broadway record.

WINTER - Punxsutawney Phil, the weather-predicting groundhog from Pennsylvania, last week saw his shadow and "predicted" six more weeks of winter weather. Some 25,000 to 40,000 people participated in the Groundhog Day event.

HELP - Please return the black chair pad to Tracy Williams in the ACE Center.

The Beta Omega Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa hosted its Spring Induction Ceremony Tuesday night.

Twenty-three new members were inducted in the ceremony Tuesday night in front of college officials, and friends and family. The ceremony honors new people who have met the criteria for becoming a member.

This Spring the inductees were Samantha Howard, Trish JuAire, Holly Thomsen, Horace Agossou-Aguenou, Mary Wylie, Elise Fink, Jeannine Fink, Cho Rong Park, Amy Haley, Becky Schwatken, Robert Rentschler, Ryan Daniel, Timothy Trisdale, Misty Gray, Ryan McDiarmid, Jennifer O’Neill, Jacqueline Cueni, Theresa Lyon, Dwight LaMar, Cheryl Faulkner, Daniel Williams, Chenoa Bowersox, and Brooke Mills.

The ceremony featured presentations by the officers who are President: Emily Hamlin; VP

The ceremony featured presentations by the officers who are President: Emily Hamlin; VP Service: Doug Comstock; VP Fellowship: Catherine Ellis; VP Leadership: Jake Grzenda; VP Scholarship: Jennifer O’Neill; Sec./Treas.:  Amber Collins; Co-VP Public Relations:  Steve Disbrow and Co-VP Public Relations:  Trish JuAire.

The advisors of Beta Omega, Karen Roush and Brenda Thomason, also spoke during the ceremony.

Phi Theta Kappa was established in 1918 by the presidents of the Missouri junior colleges for women. The Beta Omega Chapter at ICC was established in 1933, shortly after the organization was enlarged to include all junior colleges, making it the first chapter in Kansas.

In 1986, the international headquarters was automated, making expansion of member services easier. Since that time, Phi Theta Kappa has posted record numbers of chapters being chartered each year and more than 200,000 members have been inducted in the international organization.

The goal of Phi Theta Kappa is to provide opportunity for development of leadership and service, to provide an intellectual climate to exchange ideas and ideals, to provide lively fellowship for scholarship, and to provide for stimulation of interest in continuing excellence and education. By mid-1999, more than 430 four year universities offered transfer scholarships in excess of $29 million each year, designated exclusively for Phi Theta Kappa members.

Several Kansas universities offer transfer scholarships in some form for PTK members. The University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Emporia State University and Washburn are only a few. The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque is another. UNM offers five $1500 scholarships to Phi Theta Kappa members each year.

Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Tulsa are a few of the Oklahoma universities that have Phi Theta Kappa scholarships available. U of Tulsa has one of the better PTK transfer offers in the area. The college awards an unlimited number of renewable $4000 scholarships, if the students qualify.

To see if the college you plan on transferring to has scholarships available, you can check with either of the advisors at ICC or go to the Phi Theta Kappa website at www.ptk.org and look up the college of your choice under the scholarship directory. The directory has an up-to-date listing of scholarship opportunities offered at more than 530 four-year and senior-level institutions in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. These scholarship opportunities amount to approximately $32 million dollars.

There are some requirements to be a member of Beta Omega/Phi Theta Kappa. A student must have completed 12 credit hours at ICC with a grade point average of at least 3.5. Members must also be of good character. The amount of time a member gives is determined by the member. You will get back what you put into it.

Left to Right: Andrea Siemens, Dasha Plaschehevska, Stacia Majewski, and Maya Tuylieva.	Steve Disbrow, Ryan Daniel and Jake Grzenda
Co-sponsor Brenda Thomason with Beta Omega Chapter officers. Emily Hamlin, chapter president, is on the left.	Mother and daughter, Jeannine Fink and Elise Fink.
Jennifer O’Neill and Ryan Daniel.	Samantha Howard.
Robert Rentschler, Becky Schwatken, Amy Haley, Cho Rong Park, Jeannine Fink, and Elise Fink.
Cosponsor Karen Roush.	Horace Agossou-Aguenou.
Chenoa Bowersox, Jacqueline Cueni, Jennifer O’Neill, and Ryan Daniel.

Why do we celebrate this romantic holiday, and who was St. Valentine?

According to www.about.com and www.historychannel.com, the original St. Valentine was a Christian priest named Father Valentine.

During the second century being a Christian was against the law. It is said that during this time Roman Emperor Claudius the Second decided that single men made better soldiers than married men. Claudius II, therefore, issued a ban on marriage. He decreed that no marriages should be celebrated and that all engagements must be broken immediately.

Father Valentine defied the edict and secretly performed marriages in and around the city of Rome. After being found out, the good father was imprisoned.

From here the details become hazy. While in prison, the priest is said to have fallen in love. The girl may or may not have been the jailor’s daughter. He would write her letters and sign them "From your Valentine."

From here the details become hazy. While in prison, the priest is said to have fallen in love. The girl may or may not have been the jailor’s daughter. He would write her letters and sign them "From your Valentine." That, of course, is where that phrase comes from. Both internet sources list two possible endings for Father Valentine. One legend says he languished in prison before dying. The second says he was beheaded. Regardless of which ending you choose, it isn’t the kind of ending most of us imagine for a valentine.

The Valentine holiday’s association with romance is said to come from the secret marriages performed by Father Valentine. Celebrating the day along with the United States are Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

Father Valentine was buried in the church of St. Praxedes in Italy on Feb. 14, 270A.D.

As for the other bloody history, the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre occurred in Chicago in 1929.

www.prairieghosts.com  has information about that incident. Rival mobsters Al Capone and Bugs Moran were running the city. One had one side, one had the other. In an attempt to shut down the competition, Capone ordered a hit on Moran. Seven men were executed, but Moran was not one of them.

In a brick warehouse, seven of Moran’s men were waiting for a shipment of hijacked whiskey. One of the men had his dog with him. Moran was late to the meeting. When he arrived, he saw a police car pull up outside the warehouse. Fearing a shakedown, Moran hung back. Five people exited the police car and entered the warehouse. Three were in uniform and two were in civilian clothing. Within minutes, machine gun fire broke the silence of the morning. The five men emerged from the building, got back in the car and drove away.

When neighbors investigated the sound of a barking dog, they found the seven men had been lined up against the back wall and sprayed with machine guns. Moran immediately targeted Capone but the authorities were baffled. Capone was at his vacation home on Star Island near Miami Beach at the time of the murders. The massacre proved to be the beginning of the end for Capone. Even a sympathetic public lost their taste for him, feeling that he had gone too far.

The warehouse has been demolished, but the bullet-marked rear wall was salvaged and sold to a Canadian businessman. Some say he sold the bricks, others say the bricks are still in Canada, complete with numbers and directions on how to reassemble the wall. Legend says that the bricks "are infested with the powerful negative energy of the massacre and bring bad luck to anyone who owns them." Still another legend says that the "evil bricks" are bricks that were stolen by construction workers and curiosity seekers at the time the building was destroyed.

No matter what became of the bricks, Chicagoans report sounds of machine gun fire and screams when passing the site at night.

ICC’s Lady Pirate Softball team is in the middle of a fund-raising drive. Proceeds from the fund-raiser will be used to purchase new uniforms.

Items available for your contribution include twill visors and t-shirts for $15. Shorts are $20. Sweat shirts or pants are a $25 donation. For a $30 donation, you get a t-shirt and shorts. A set of sweats is a $45 donation. Donors who give $85 receive one of each item.

Contact head coach Angela Lambert or any of the softball team players for more information.

You can catch the 2002 softball team in home field action at Emerson Field on March 12. The roster and a complete schedule will appear in a later edition of The Buccaneer.

September 11, 2001, was a tragic day not only for Americans, but also the entire world.

Sadly, in America’s desire for payback against the persons responsible for this great travesty and its drive to rid the world of terrorism, it has sparked a fire for attention by terrorist groups around the world.

In years past hearing a news broadcast with a story about terrorism was a rarity, but now it is an everyday event.

Everyday, more information about the war on terrorism is being sent half way around the world to millions of American viewers.

Also, almost on what has become a daily basis we learn about attempted terrorist attacks that have taken place while we were busy trying to get back to our lives.

In December Richard Reid was caught by a stewardess trying to ignite the fuse to a bomb in the heel of his shoe on an airplane. Plus, there have been numerous suicide bombing attempts made in the past couple of months.

Now Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Reporter, is being held captive by a group of psychopaths in Pakistan in exchange for money and terrorists that the American government is holding prisoner in Cuba.

As of Wednesday there had been no contact with Pearl’s abductors to find out his situation. Our government does not believe that Pearl is dead despite receiving many e-mails from random sources saying that Pearl is deceased.

With much of the world in despair, many look to our governmental leaders to provide us with a safe world for our loved ones and our future.

However, the one that can heal our wounded nation is unfortunately not the one we look to for help.

In Second Chronicles Chapter seven, verse 14 it states, "If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

The foundation of this country is our founding fathers faith in God. That faith is what brought them here. The faith that they had is reflected in nearly every custom developed in the launching of our country.

In the Pledge of Allegiance it states that America is, "One nation, under God." You can’t hold a piece of American money without reading the words, "In God we trust."

There is a plethora of other places in this country in which we see references to faith in God everyday, but still the answer to our peace seems to be out of our sight.

The bottom line is that the world needs help, and that fact has never been more evident in my time.

However, President George W. Bush and the rest of the government are no more capable of solving the situation any more than the people attending this school or living in this community. They are human, just like you and I, but God is God.

Names have been submitted for the new ICC logo. They are: Intelligence, The Karate I, Independence Independent, Intellectual, I-Guy, Innovator, Innovation, The Graduate, I Achieve, I Graduate, Indy Grad, Icey, Iggy, Intell "I" (Intelligent I), The Blue I, Iman I, Iman, Iman Pirate, Iman Iccy, I’m an "I", I’m an Indy gal/guy, I’m an Indy grad, I’m an Iman, Iman’s sister Ima, Ima Grad, Ima Student, I’m a Pirate, Ima Italiano, "I" Opener, The I of Excellence, little indy, Idea, ICCy, Blue-I, Indy-go!, i-grad, Goal-I, i-vision, i-made-it, CeeCee, Corsair, The Professor, Indigo, and Indygo.

Select your favorite three from the list and send them to President Judith Hansen’s office in the Administration Building.

Along with unexpected snow-days, winter storms can mean treacherous roads and dangerous travel for Kansas drivers. With the snow and ice accidents are more common.

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Sebelius says, "When winter weather hits, play it safe and stay off the road. If you have to go out, pay attention to the driving conditions and allow extra travel time so you can arrive safely at your destination."

She continues, "Sometimes, no matter how careful we are, accidents do happen. If you are one of the thousands who get into a ‘fender bender’ this winter season, don’t agree to forget about the accident."

Even minor auto accidents are frightening and stressful for everyone involved, and in the midst of the confusion, it can be difficult to stay focused. Sebelius encourages drivers to keep an auto accident checklist in their glove compartment to help them do what needs to be done at the scene, and to expedite their insurance claim.

1. Stop your car in as safe a place as possible. Turn off the ignition. Check for any injuries to yourself or those in your vehicle. (Remember, you can administer first aid if needed, but do not try to move an injured person.)

2. Call the emergency personnel immediately (911 or campus public safety officials) and tell them your whereabouts and whether anyone is injured.

3. Take responsible steps to protect your damaged property from further loss. Obtain the name, address, phone number and driver’s license number of the driver(s) of the other vehicle(s). If the driver and owner are different, obtain the owner’s name and address, tag or registration number and the name of their insurance company.

4. Note the time, date, location, and road conditions, also the make and year of the vehicle(s) involved in the accident, apparent damages and injuries, and your version of what happened. (If you happen to have a camera in your car, pictures would be most helpful.)

5. Secure the names and phone numbers of any witnesses. Also write down the names and badge numbers of police and other emergency personnel at the scene. Ask the officer how to obtain a copy of the police report for your insurance claim.

6. Don’t take any money on the scene. You may forfeit your right to file a claim against another driver.

7. Notify your insurance agent or company as soon as possible.

Heidi Delich and Rebeka Hale are providing fitness opportunities to fit any schedule.

In February, Independence Community College will be offering Aerobics in the mornings and evenings. The noncredit courses begin the week of Feb. 18.

Heidi Delich will instruct an Aerobics II class for the morning fitness enthusiasts. The class will meet from 8 to 9 a.m. in the Independence Civic Center each Monday, Wednesday and Thursday through March 21.

Rebeka Hale will be leading an Aerobics course from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Civic Center for people wanting an after work or early evening workout.

Cost of the sessions is $25. The courses are noncredit. For more information about this important course or to enroll call 331-4100, ext. 4204. Outside of Independence call 1-800-842-6063, ext. 4202.

Some of you on campus last Spring might remember filling out a survey regarding your experience on the ICC campus.

Here’s what students had to say about ICC in that survey:

Students indicated that their advisor is approachable, knowledgeable about their program requirements, and are concerned about the success of an individual. Students said the faculty is knowledgeable in their fields, available after class and during office hours possessing excellent quality of instruction.

Class scheduling allows the students to schedule classes at convenient times and register for classes they need with few conflicts. The Staff at ICC is caring and helpful. Educational facilities are important in that the library and computer labs are adequate, accessible, kept up-to-date.

Annually, ICC conducts a Noel-Levitz satisfaction inventory survey.

Students rate each item in the inventory by the importance of the specific expectation as well as how satisfied they are with how well that expectation is being met.

The difference in the importance rating and satisfaction rating produces a performance gap. Large performance gaps indicate areas where students perceive their expectations are not being adequately met.

Joy Pierson, Microcomputer and Office Technology Instructor , is ICC’s assessment coordinator. The Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory is one of her responsibilities. She attended training last November in Topeka to use the company’s criteria to determine the strengths of ICC.

There are several challenges indicated by the reports, with only two or three recommended to be dealt with each year. The Institutional Effectiveness committee has selected the top two challenges: students are not notified early in the term if they are doing poorly and the school does not do whatever it can to help the student reach his/her educational goal.

Possible strategies are being discussed and chosen strategies will be implemented during the spring 2002 and fall 2002 semesters, Mrs. Pierson said.

The Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory is beneficial as the school is here for the students. The results are interpreted providing information from the students concerning the strengths and challenges of ICC. Mrs. Pierson said, "If the students are not happy and satisfied, they are not reaching their potential." The inventory enables ICC to keep doing the things they do well and implement strategies to turn challenges into strengths.

Student Senate is an organization for the students of ICC that arranges activities, lends with a voice in decisions that affect them and provides opportunities for student government. The original constitution of the club states that student senate promotes the cause for education of students. Mainly, the club generates activities for the students.

Student Senate has aided in almost every activity held on campus. Most noticeably dances, pep assemblies, bowling nights, movie nights, pie in the face, and have helped other student organizations with functions. They are currently planning blood mobile and possibly other activities.

Students are invited to share ideas, join the club and receive 1 credit hour for participation in the class held every Wednesday at Noon. This organization is made up of students for the benefit of the entire student population. Those students who are active in the club enjoy their experiences in meeting new people, accomplishing common goals, and encouraging others through actions. To join Student Senate speak with Sonja Conley or enroll in the course.

An ice storm hit most of Kansas and parts of Oklahoma and Missouri Jan. 29 and 30, downing trees, causing power outages, and sending thousands looking for shelter.

The barrage of snow, sleet and freezing rain coated everything in sight, including tree limbs that cracked and fell under the tremendous weight.

In the Kansas City area, some 300,000 homes lost electrical power as the falling trees and limbs downed power lines and knocked out transformers.

Southeast Kansas also was hit hard. Power outages dotted the entire area.

ICC conducted classes, but many students were missing as they were dealing with other problems. Several were displaced from their homes because of no heat, many had to help clean up the fallen trees and repair the damage to homes and autos.

While there was comparatively little damage at ICC, there were a number of downed tree limbs, and power was off for a few minutes during the deepest part of the storm

in the early morning of Jan. 30.

Cleanup at ICC began Monday, and ICC Director of Operations Mario Lopez said "there will be plenty of firewood for anyone who wants it."

College artists have the opportunity to compete for over $8,000 in prizes. In celebration of the fifteenth anniversary of the creation of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, the Hutchinson-Reno County Cultural Commission is having a "Visions of Health" art competition. The deadline for initial submissions is April 15, 2002.

The challenge for the artist is to interpret the vision of health and wholeness in the work(s) submitted. According to the contest flyer, the "message of health encompasses more than the physical well being or mere absence of disease in an individual or a society. A vision of true health should illustrate the core of our humanity, our total being."

The university/college division is open to any individual enrolled in a post secondary institution located in Kansas. A copy of a photo-student i.d. will be required with each entry.

Submitted works will be original paintings or drawings, not to exceed 50" in combined length and width. The competition will be conducted in two stages. In the first stage, artists will submit up to three 35mm slides, photos, or digital images of their prospective entries. A panel of judges will select 15 works of these submissions in each division to be included in the final collection. The competition juror, Charles K. Steiner, director of the Wichita Art Museum, will assign the final awards.

By entering the contest, the artist agrees to sell the submitted work to the UMHMF. The purchase price will be determined by the ranking of the judges, with the minimum purchase price being the honorable mention amount of $350, should the piece qualify. All purchased work will become part of the UMHMF permanent "Visions of Health" collection.

Slides and photographs of entries not selected will be returned to the artists if a self-addressed envelope is included with the original submission. Photos and slides of selected works become the property of UMHMF. The UMHMF reserves the right to reproduce, photograph, and exhibit all purchased artwork.

The contest administrator will contact artists of selected works to give a shipping schedule and the proper shipping method.

For more information, contact Mark Rassette; Hutchinson-Reno County Cultural Commission; PO Box 1567; Hutchinson KS 67504-1567. By phone, Mr. Rassette can be reached at 620-662-1280. His email address is hutrenoculco@earthlink.net.

New Awards to Recognize Achievement

New awards will be handed out this year at the annual Recognition Dinner held in May.

The first is the Spirit Award honoring distinguished individual community involvement. Contact Lori Gray in the Business Office to share your involvement in Independence. The information provided will be sent out with the nomination forms.

The second is the Cornerstone Award honoring distinguished committee/group leadership. All committees/groups functioning on campus for at least two years are eligible. Contact Lori Gray with information regarding the successes of your committees/groups.