Texas A&M University-Commerce
Student Magazine -Spring 2019
the Special
Cecilia Garcia-Akers (Photo: John Parsons)
Daughter discusses father’s life, legacy as doing ‘his best’ for family ‘The Inspiring Life of Texan Hector P. Garcia,’ civil rights activist By Brianna Patt By John Parsons Cecilia Garcia-Akers, middle daughter of Dr. Hector P. Garcia and Wanda Fusillo Garcia, Ph.D. of Corpus Christi wrote “The Inspiring Life of Texan Hector P. Garcia.” Dr. Hector, as he was affectionately known, was a civil rights activist. She spoke about her father for the Latino American Mentorship Program Distinguished Guest Speaker series at Texas A&M University-Commerce. “My father was an immigrant,” Garcia-Akers said with pride. Dr. Garcia (1914-1996) immigrated to the United States with his family as a three-year old child. Hector’s father was his primary source of education as he grew up during segregation.
“We just did what we had to do.”
Hector P. Garcia
University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston used to accept one Mexican American per year. Garcia was the one in 1940. “He moved to Omaha, Nebraska for his residency as no hospital in Texas would accept him due to his ethnicity,” Garcia-Akers said. Garcia served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was initially placed in the Infantry because no one believed he was a doctor. “Where in Mexico did you go to Medical School,” Gen. George Patton asked Garcia. Patton walked away when Garcia
replied that he had studied at UTMB. Garcia received his U.S. citizenship in 1946. Garcia-Akers’ impressions of her father were that he was gone all the time due to his work, his patients and his advocacy. “He tried to do his best for his family,” she said. She joined her father at work while she was 16 and worked for him 10 years prior to completing her education. Her father convinced her that she would never make any money in journalism so she switched to biology with a minor in chemistry. She graduated from St. Mary’s University in 1974. Garcia-Akers went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy in 1977. “There were 85 percent female graduates at that time. I remember only three were Hispanics. The field was dominated by females until the last 10 years,” she said. Garcia-Akers moved to San Antonio to practice physical therapy. “My father and I would discuss patient care over the phone or discussions in person. I was honored to have his confidence in me to discuss medical issues, diagnosis, and outcomes in patient care,” Garcia-Akers said. She recalls her father’s kindness to people, that he was never judgmental and that he was a very kind person. Her mother was from Naples, Italy. She met Dr. Hector while he was stationed there with the U.S. Army. Garcia-Akers describes her mother as very gracious, a huge gardener, kind to everyone, and supportive of her husband. This support took a toll
Dr. Hector P. Garcia
on her, though. Her mother helped her through school. Mrs. Garcia called Garcia-Akers and her husband, Jim Akers, to her and complained, “Nobody knew about Papa.” The couple pledged to do what they could to make sure others knew Dr. Hector. Garcia-Akers founded the non-profit Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Foundation to provide scholarships opportunities and to continue Dr. Garcia’s legacy of ensuring equal rights and access to opportunity for all. Garcia-Akers wrote the book on her father and has spoken about him to a variety of audiences in order to preserve and educate others about the legacy of Dr. Hector and its relevance today. “We just did what we had to do,” is a quote from her father that she displayed onscreen before she talked about him.
State community college journalists learn real-world skills during convention By Ian Lucas and Lauryn Harris Texas A&M UniversityCommerce journalism program and The East Texan hosted the 2018 Texas Community College Journalism Association (TCCJA) convention to help improve and expand students’ knowledge of mass media as well as spark students’ interest in attending a four-year university. East Texas native Jonathan Figueroa, a 25-year-old journalism student at Tyler Junior College, and Rafael Flores of Amarillo College, were among the more than 100 students attending. A graduate of Grand Saline High School, Figueroa didn’t make the decision to pursue a journalism degree until fall 2017. In fact, he didn’t have any exposure to journalism before college when he picked up a camera. “I prefer video,” he said. “I really got into editing video and photo.” He decided to study journalism in order to gain more experience doing something he loved. Neither of his parents, Armando and Rita, who emigrated from Mexico, have a background in the journalism field. “They support everything I do, but there was no influence from my parents when I got into journalism,” Figueroa said. Inspiration to come to the convention came from his professors, who he said really encouraged students to make the trip. He had never been to Commerce before this week but noted it was a helpful experience. He said he will attend the convention’s
“visual storytelling” session, which was high on his list and he was also looking forward to the video-editing contest. “I learned that its really unethical to be close to a dead body and take pictures of it, even though a lot of students did it, gives you a chance to make a mistake without doing it in the real world,” Flores said. Students also competed in copy editing, design, and a live news multimedia contest. Workshops were presented throughout the day that helped students gain experience in visual storytelling in video news stories, intro to sports media, interviewing appearance and more. Student journalists attended a mock crime scene the morning of the convention then participated in a “live news multimedia” contest to develop a story through photo and video. Figueroa and a team of classmates attended the event and had three hours to submit their entry. “It was hard to get shots at the crime scene, there was a lot of people running around,” he said. He noted that it was “stressful” to get their content together in such a short amount of time. “I wasn’t expecting the accident scene,” he said, adding that while it was overwhelming, he was pleased with the overall experience. After the workshops, students explored the campus and visited The East Texan, to learn more about the publication. To wrap-up the convention, an awards banquet was held for students to celebrate the day and receive awards.
Phase III offers variety of amenities, services By John Parsons Phase III’s 490 beds fill five floors, are 90 percent occupied, and houses primarily freshmen and transfer students under the leadership of staff, resident assistants, a multicultural peer adviser, and a faculty-inresidence participant. “The hall has 16 washers and dryers. There is at least one dayroom with a television on each floor. The first floor has a dayroom with a pool table, a foosball table, and two television sets,” Justin Hall, assistant community director said. RAs conduct programs on education, alcohol and drug abuse, sexual harassment, and mental health awareness. The next program will be building-wide on the topic of cleanliness which will help residents learn the value of staying clean, keeping their environment clean, and the need to keep the restrooms clean, according to RA Arrion Ellis, junior. “Being able to help guide freshmen to the right path they should take” is why Ellis enjoys being an RA. “Phase III is in the perfect location,” Ellis said. “Not too far from campus.” Lauryn Harris, junior, multicultural peer adviser, maintains two bulletin boards to communicate with residents. Her job is “talking to residents. Welcoming them, discussing different cultures, and diversity,” Harris said. The hall “feels like home,” Harris said. This is a sentiment echoed by C.J. Falks, junior. “Awesome and family vibe” is how Falks described living in Phase III.
Do the math: Scholarship $$ add up By Andrea Aranda The math department offers five types of financial support for graduate students, including graduate assistantship, math scholarship, university scholarship, rollover scholarship, and supplemental funding. Graduate assistantships are offered to qualified students who will take two graduate classes and work 20 hours a week. “The work can be tutoring, paper grading, supplemental instruction, or teaching,” Dr. Tingxiu Wang, head of the mathematics department, said. Graduate students with no experience are assigned to do paper grading and tutor students while those with experience, will work with a professor and help explain concepts to students. Once the student feels comfortable and ready, they may be given a class to teach. The math department offers math scholarship and students can
apply through MyLeo. Applicants need to apply every year beginning of January to March. The award is announced in April or in May and can be used for next academic year. Graduate school offers the rollover scholarship to undergraduate students who continue to graduate school immediately after graduating. “Application is not required as long as they go to graduate school directly and can get the scholarship,”
Wang said. Graduate students who receive the graduate assistantship are recommended for the supplemental funding, provided by the graduate school. There is no application required. “If they are qualified for the graduate assistantship, then we will also help them get the supplemental funding,” Wang said. Financial support is offered to seven students. As any regular scholarship, students must meet the requirement of 2.75 GPA and take the GIE (General Insurance Essentials). Students applying for any of the financial support, must be math majors and students who carry declare math as their minor will not be accepted. Financial support allows graduate students to support themselves rather than pay tuition. The amount a graduate student can get is about $12,000 per year plus tuition remission. Some students can get $14,000 with the financial support.
A&M-C hosts statewide journalism conference By Courtney Reed Janny Phannoraj was among Amarillo College students attending the Texas Community College Journalism Association (TCCJA) convention during the fall semester at Texas A&M University – Commerce. The TCCJA convention presented a number of contests and workshops taught by other students and faculty involved in the state’s community college journalism programs. Phannoraj said she enjoyed
the atmosphere of being around so many other colleges. “It’s pretty cool. I’ve never been to a big university like this so it’s cool [that it’s being held here],” she said. You could definitely feel everyone’s energy. Everyone was pushing to get to the front,” she added. TCCJA has been active since 1952. While A&M-Commerce hosted the convention, only 2-year (community) colleges participate. Workshops included visual storytelling, intro to sports media,
applying experiences to future work/ jobs and much more. Although Phannoraj hasn’t had much experience with photography, she was most excited about the photography workshop, “I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can. I want people to see picture and know that I was the one that too it,” she said. By the end of the convention, she hoped that she would be able to write better, and will have found ways to improve her photography.
Image of current $20 bill
In 2016, before he left office, then President Barack Obama and his Treasury Secretary Jack Lew floated the idea of replacing Jackson with Tubman, a plan that would have made her the first African-American to be represented on U.S. currency. David Knowles, editor Yahoo News Oct. 1, 2018
Image of proposed Tubman bill
Controversial Harriet Tubman $20 bill release delayed until 2030 By Bailea Elam and Olivia Warren
Harriet Tubman is not expected to be featured on the $20 bill until sometime around the year 2030. In 2016, the public raved over the possibility of the abolitionist making an appearance on United States currency. But the Donald Trump administration significantly delayed this possibility giving it “another six years” before distribution. “We haven’t made any decisions as to whether we’ll change the bill, or won’t change the bill,” Steven Mnuchin, treasure secretary, said during a January 2018 interview. This was the last time Mnuchin publicly spoke about altering the bill. The Tubman $20 bill has been the focus of national controversial because it would be the first time a black woman would appear on U.S. currency and the first time a woman would be on a paper note since Martha Washington appeared on the $1 silver certificate in 1886. Tubman was initially supposed to be on the $10 bill because it was the next in line for a security update. This did not happen due to the immense success of the musical about Alexander Hamilton. When it seemed to be Trump would not be further advocating for the redesign
of the $20 bill, some have taken it into their own hands to catalyze the process by counterfeiting and reprinting the bill. New bills with Harriet Tubman’s profile rather than Andrew Jackson’s have made their way into circulationdiscussion with the purpose of raising support for the official change. Artist Dano Wall has even began manufacturing ink stamps with the face of Tubman to be pressed and printed over Jackson’s. His personal mission is to circulate the stamped bills just enough to circulate conversation about Tubman and the modified proposal that was dropped. “This country, and its government, have a serious problem with representation,” Wall told The American Foundation. “Who we choose to honor as a society affects the moral attitudes that are baked into us as we grow up. The impact that seeing the face of Harriet Tubman staring back at you from a $20 bill should not be underestimated. This sort of representation can subtly but deeply affect someone’s conception of themselves and their place in society.” Since the initial announcement in 2016, Trump has repeatedly spoke against the alteration of the $20 bill, speaking in high regards often of the late president Andrew Jackson.
Your iPhone may be keeping a history of where you are and where you go By Lauryn Harris Is your phone keeping a detailed list of every location you frequently visited? Businessinsider.com recently reported that a feature in iPhones keeps a history of every location you ever been and how many times you’ve been there. The list is sorted by city and consist of addresses, dates, and times of specific places you’ve been. Apple stated on their website, support.apple. com, that the data taken is encrypted and stored on the device and will not be shared without owners’ consent. “It has its pros and cons. It could be helpful if you lost your phone or something but also dangerous because someone could be tracking your every move,” Texas A&M University-Commerce junior, Sarah Drummond said. Apple isn’t the only one that tracks your location history. Last year the Associated Press conducted an investigation that discovered that many Google services on Android as well as iPhone devices store your location data even if you used a prevention privacy setting from doing so. “I don’t feel safe because the fact that something so little is keeping track of my everyday move and there’s the possibility that someone can hack
that information,” freshman Victor Ekpo said. Google support page states that “You can turn off Location History at any time. With Location History off, the places you go are no longer stored,” but the Associated Press reported this isn’t true. It was found that even with location history on pause, some Google apps automatically store time-stamped location information without consent. Major companies like Google and Apple said they use location history as a way of reminding users where they’ve been or when and the feature also consist of information that can helpful for users. “Safety wouldn’t be a problem because the information is private unless you share it however it can be dangerous if the private data accidentally gets in the wrong hands,” senior Kayla Johnson said. The basic location feature can be turned off on an iPhone by simply going to “Privacy” in your Settings app. Then clicking on “Location Services” and scrolling to the bottom and clicking “System Services.” When you reach the “System Services” tab scroll to the bottom of the list and select a tab called “Significant Locations” which requires your Thumb Print or Face ID. In “Significant Locations” you’ll find a list of places your iPhone has recently and frequently visited. In this tab you
can turn off the feature but before you do - don’t forget to clear the history which is located at the bottom. Apple still has the capabilities to access a lot of your data but by turning of your “Significant Locations” can reduce them from collecting a detailed list of all your whereabouts. “It’s the technology we have today. It’s very unique but you have to learn to accept it,” senior Bryant Jackson said.
the Special THE SPECIAL is an online magazine produced by journalism students at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Content and production are the responsibilities of the students. THE SPECIAL is produced during the fall and spring terms. CONTACT: The Special, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Box 4104, Commerce, Texas 75429. STAFF: Bailea Elam, Olivia Warren, Lauryn Harris, John Parsons, Cydnee Drake, Ian Luca, Andrea Aranda, Courtney Reed COVER PHOTO: Corpus Christi Bay by John Parsons. FACULTY ADVISER: Fred Stewart
Precautions vs. colds and flu taken on campus By Cydnee Drake With the cold and flu season here, university food services, maintenance and others campus areas have initiated various activities to help the spread of germs. Students may encounter some cold and flu symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, runny nose, itchy throat, body aches and less energy. Historically, some families have created their own remedies to prevent from getting sick, and many of these family remedies are still accepted. Food services and the maintenance department at A&M-Commerce utilize regular methods to help prevent cold and flu on campus. “We use disinfected cleaning items to clean area surfaces,” Laura Davidson, custodial director, said. “We also clean the door knobs nightly and other surfaces will be cleaned and disinfected. We use hospital disinfected spray. The bathrooms are cleaned once a day, the offices are dusted weekly and the classrooms are wiped nightly. Our department values our clients and students’ well being and we are committed to cleaning in order to prevent cold and flu.” Steps are also taken in the food services areas of campus. “We don’t like it when people use the same plate to get more food,” Charles Lear, general manager of food services, said. “We prefer for them to use different plates. The mini-sanitizers are located by the dishwasher, when students enter and exit the café. “We don’t allow outside cups or water bottles, in order to prevent germs,” Lear said. “We have the top of the line dishwasher with an extreme heater and sanitizer to clean the plates. If any of our employees are sick, we send them home to prevent spreading illness. Something that is very important to us are hygiene measures and washing your hands, and wearing gloves. There will be a sign very soon to notify others on preventing the spread of cold and flu.” “Some symptoms of the cold and flu include having a fever and muscle aches and pains,” Brian Jones, pharmacist at CVS said. “Ways to prevent the cold from yourself and others is to wash your hands, stay away from people and take some medicine and Vitamin C,” Jones said. “Some medicines to use to get rid of a cold or flu are to take Nyquil/ Dayquil. The flu shot also helps prevent it and will help with the symptoms. Early in September or October would be the best time to get the flu shot. You should get the flu shot every year, the risks of getting the flu shot would be a pinch to the arm and sickness for a few days. The flu shot has nothing to do with a cold.” “The risks of flu shots would be that if you are allergic to eggs you can’t have the shot; mild flu-like symptoms are common and mild soreness where the shot is given,” Maxine Mendoza-Welch, director of health services, said. “The risks if you don’t get the flu shot is that they can get really sick to where they could miss a week of school/work. Older people and people with underlying medical problems may even get pneumonia and could die. Flu shots are not guarantee 100% but can reduce the severity of your illness if you should get ill.”
dreamtime.com
Preventative steps students can take to combat colds and flu * Wash your hands often * Use sanitizer * Don’t touch your face (especially eyes and nose) without washing your hands * Get a flu shot once a year * Stay home if your are running a fever of 100.3 or higher * Stay at least six feet away from other people if you are ill * Recommended over-the-counter medications: Dayquil, Nyquil, Theraflu, Mucinex Maxine Mendoza-Welch director of health services