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Slain SPC Student Remembered as Fun, Caring
by Ray Buffington, editor-in-chief
Family and friends of Michele Lovato remember her as an outgoing, free
spirit with much potential in her future. Unfortunately, the chance to
reach that potential was stolen from her as she was stolen from her
friends and family.
South
Plains
College
experienced a tragic loss two weeks ago, Nov. 12, due to an act of
extreme domestic violence. Michele, 27, an SPC second-semester nursing
student from Lubbock, was kidnapped, beaten, and murdered by estranged
husband Steven Lovato, 29.
The event occurred around
3 a.m., when Steven appeared at Michele’s home and began to pound
on her door, demanding entrance. Michele refused and called the police.
However, Steven was able to break into her house and force her to leave
with him, threatening her with a knife from her own kitchen, before law
enforcement members arrived.
A
few hours later, Steven phoned a family member and confessed to killing
Michele. The family member immediately called the police and gave them
the directions to Steven’s whereabouts.
Once the police found Steven, he led them to the location, near the
intersection of 106th Street and Chicago Avenue, where he had
left the van he had kidnapped Michele in. Inside the van, police found
Michele’s body, badly beaten and stabbed repeatedly in the chest.
Students Should Think Before Enrolling in Internet Courses
by Amanda Hurt, staff writer
Being Careful with
Internet Courses
With the excitement of college life comes class times, long lectures and
homework, so many students believe taking Internet courses is the easy
way out. But that is not entirely the case.
South
Plains
College
has been offering Internet courses since the late 1990s and has seen
thousands of students use the web for classes. SPC offers between 85 and
100 online sections per full semester, which adds up to around
1,800-2,500 students each semester (completely online), according to
Stephanie Jones, associate dean of distance education and instructional
support.
SPC also offers supplement courses with online content. The number of
student seats (each student is one seat in each class) is close to 6,000
students also use WebCT for the fall 2005 semester. The retention rate
for online courses, with successful completion of a grade of A, B, or C,
is around 40 percent.
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