Former Arch miners return to school to ease sting of layoffs
by Christy M. Grubb
More than 150 workers were without a job in Harlan County as Arch of Kentucky's #37 Mine at Cloverlick shut down January 30. The layoff was unexpected, considering more than 300 positions were terminated last August when the mine's longwall was officially shut down due to the exhaustion of mining reserves.
Company officials would only speculate how much longer the mine would be kept open after that, and, during that time, the site was using a continuous mining operation. Those affected by the final layoff were 90 hourly workers at the Mine Site, 20 hourly workers at the preparation plant, and 40 salaried employees.
What is so surprising about the final layoff is that the workers affected were given no prior notification. Many of them were surprised and bewildered that the dreaded day of closure had finally come.
Company officials would only comment that they had decided keeping #37 Mine in operation would no longer be cost efficient. In compliance with the WARN Act, which requires that workers be notified 60 days before an impending layoff or to be paid, the workers were assured that they would receive 60 days worth of pay and were then sent home.
After the layoff, many miners were faced with uncertain decisions about their futures and those of their families. Some workers affected by the first layoff were fortunate enough to find another job with another local coal mining company.
For others, pursuing another job in the coal industry was not an option. Many chose to go to college to be retrained for other occupations under a recent grant program set up by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and several of these miners are now students at Southeast Community College's Cumberland campus.
Most of the miners have been in the same profession since high school, so college was quite a different change of pace for them. For many, the chance to further their academic careers was motivational.
Everett R. Boggs, first decided to go back to college "when I learned I could receive enough money to subsist on until I can get an associate degree."
According to Mark Dixon, a 19-year employee of the coal industry and now an SECC student, college was quite an undertaking.
"The first couple of weeks were a little intimidating, but then I learned that school was not only for recent graduates from high school, but it was for anyone who had the initiative to better themselves or their situations," he said.
The future of these former Arch employees is still uncertain, but many are glad to have the opportunity to further their educations.
Psi Beta honorary forming at SECC
by Melissa Cochran
Psi Beta is coming to Southeast Community College, thanks to student Brian Taylor and the Cumberland campus Student Council members who voted unanimously to approve the organization and who have facilitated its establishment at SECC.
Taylor stated, "It is the Student Council's hope that this organization will promote student activity on all three campuses."
Psi Beta is a National Honor Society in psychology that promotes the science of psychology, but you do not have to be a psychology major to join this organization.
The requirements for membership are a 3.2 GPA, a "B" average in psychology courses, completion of two quarters or one semester of a psychology-based course, and a total of 12 college credits accumulated. Members of Psi Beta may be eligible for scholarships and for award money that is available through this organization.
Anyone interested in Psi Beta can contact the faculty supervisor at your SECC campus: Richard Richmond in Cumberland, phone ext. 2101; Sandy Holbrook in Whitesburg, phone ext. 2122; and Astor Simpson in Bell County, phone ext. 2047. Students from all three campuses are encouraged to apply.
There will be a $30 induction fee due by the April 17, and the first organizational meeting will be held on April 17 at the Cumberland campus in room 221 of the Appalachian Center at 1:00 p.m. Officers will be elected, and there will be an induction ceremony tentatively scheduled for May 1.
Newspaper staff wins awards at KIPA
Staff Report
The Southeasterner staff won five awards in the 1997 Kentucky Intercollegiate Press Association competition.
The awards were presented during the organizations annual convention, held Feb. 27-28 at the Harley Hotel in Lexington.
The awards honor excellence in student journalism from Jan. 1997 through Dec. 1997; The Southeasterner competes in Division B, which consists of community colleges and 4-year schools with enrollments of less than 5,000 students.
The Spring ‘97 staff of The Southeasterner won first place for Special Section for the April 21 issue concerning the separation of community colleges from UK.
Melissa McCreary, spring editor, won an honorable mention in Investigative Reporting for her story on the college separation.
Tracy Hensley, spring sports editor, placed third in the Sports Column category for a piece in the NBA Top-50 poll.
The Fall ‘97 staff won honorable mention for overall layout, while Ginnella Middleton placed third in the Feature Photo category for an Oktoberfest picture.