Web Site for the Official Student Newspaper of Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minnesota Editorial Enjoy NCC while you’re here By Richard Johnson Lions' Roar Editor in Chief NCC President Kathi Hiyane-Brown could be in her last semester of work here. It recently dawned on me, that if she indeed takes the position offered to her in Washington, I will have spent more time at NCC than she did. That fact ought not reflect poorly on either of us. For Hiyane-Brown, taking the job at Whatcom Community College is a savvy career move. She stands to see a significant salary increase and will be able to work closer to her family. For myself, a two-year degree in four years is not a speedy way to get an education, but it certainly has been thorough. Few corners of the course catalog have not been explored at this point. It would stand to reason that a lot of time has been wasted since the Fall ‘03 semester, but in retrospect I wouldn’t change a thing. The classic conception of the college experience is missing at a community college, yet there is a unique experience to be found at two-year schools. A lot of students are here for the sole purpose of getting out just as fast as they got in, but those who have taken a more leisurely, or just downright lengthy path, often find some enjoyable nuances within the college. Had I graduated “on time” I would probably have never seen the Kopp Student Center. The TV room was always one of my least favorite places in the school, but it was a great place to take in the Twins’ traumatic post-season exit. There’s nothing like being at the game and there’s no place like home, but sitting in that room with so many fellow students, cheering and jeering at every pitch, has proven to be a memorable moment in my NCC career. Nor would I have met “Cheeseburger Charlie,” down in the cafeteria. Strange as it is, his goofy one-liners can really make a mediocre day much better. Charlie is a good reminder to lighten up when too many mid-terms and essays cloud up the collegiate skies. Even things like the Pottery Club’s annual sale are worth taking in at least once. For the first time this year I checked it out and was amazed and impressed by the level of effort and the amount of work that students and faculty put in to make it such a success. The intramural basketball program and tournament is another aspect of the school that I would have never seen or experienced if I had finished my degree in two years. It doesn’t have the same media hype and publicity as March Madness, but the games are just as intense and spectacular. Though I am glad to have been exposed to the aforementioned things, there are also elements of the school which I feel fortunate to have had full access to for four years. The Japanese Garden, to the less appreciative, is probably not that exhilarating. However, having passed through it so many times over the years, I have come to enjoy it more and more every time I see it. From my first semester skipping classes while sitting in the tiny hut near the entrance, to just a matter of days ago meandering around and taste-testing the various trees and plants, the Japanese Garden is a true highlight of the college campus. Another nice thing the college has is free wireless internet access throughout much of the school. Almost every corner of the building, and even some spots outside, can be the host for many meaningless Myspace sessions or frittering one’s life away on Facebook. The health and wellness room at the school is a simply amazing facility. With beautiful wood flooring and a prime view into the courtyard, this room is unlike any other in the school and metro area. It was designed primarily for the Tai Chi classes offered by the school, but also hosts a yoga class for faculty members and several other selections from the course catalog. I have had the pleasure of taking many classes in this room and never tire of the atmosphere it provides. Despite the seemingly perpetual delay of my degree, I can’t imagine a better place to wait. NCC has a lot to enjoy if you take the time to really absorb it all. As Macarena Hernandez of the Dallas Morning News noted in a speech at the Associated Collegiate Press national convention, the best thing to do in life is “collect experiences.” Some students, of course, are here on a mission. While I applaud the ambition of those types, it always seemed like swimming downstream, or walking down an escalator. Take your time and enjoy the ride. Work, stress and the like are not going anywhere, so what’s the rush?