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ETHAmarillo College’s Innovation Outpost (IO), is opening its doors in downtown Amarillo this month to offer in-person courses in cybersecurity fundamentals, data analytics and other courses through their “Upskill Amarillo” program.
Self-paced online courses are being offered as well for those who can’t commit to the 30-hours per week requirement of the in-person courses. Enrollment is free for one year.
AC officials describe the IO as a non-profit community of people and organizations focused on growth and innovation. During the 2018-19 school year, the groundwork for what would become the IO was laid when AC applied for and received a U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration Grant, according to Joe Wyatt, communications coordinator for AC.
Then, funds for remodeling part of AC’s former downtown campus into the IO were
allocated as part of the $89 million-dollar bond that voters approved in May of 2019.
In January 2021, AC officials decided to move $2,059,000 from the money in reserves to the IO to provide funding over a five-year span.
Most recently, in August of 2022, the Amarillo Economic Development Cooperation donated $3 million to the IO to continue building the collaborative lab spaces in the 30,000 square foot building that once housed the Amarillo Senior Citizens Association. The other side of the former downtown campus facility is leased to Sharpened Iron Studios and is not connected with the IO.
AC officials say the goal of the IO is to serve as a state-of-the art career accelerator and collaboration facility for industry and business. “We build and execute programs like ‘Upskill Amarillo’ to help a broad spectrum of people build the skills they need to elevate their employment opportunities throughout the Panhandle,” Todd McLees, IO managing partner, said. “We work
closely with regional employers to understand the roles they prioritize, and we try to gear our skills-based programs to align with those priorities.” These classes are specifically designed to help people develop skills that coincide with technical advances in the workplace, he said.
AC’s partnership with the IO is beneficial because it gives students, residents and businesses “opportunities to gain skills through emerging educational formats to ascend to and remain at the cutting edge of new technologies required in the workplaces of today and tomorrow,” said Wyatt.
The construction inside the building is ongoing. Currently in the works are a robotics lab, data analytics lab and a robotic food hall. The robotic food hall, the first of its kind in the country, will open in summer 2023 and will be open to the public.
“It will be a great example of how work is evolving to include humans and machines working alongside one another to produce incredible experiences for
IO community members and our visitors,” McLees said.
Additionally, the IO activates and nurtures the community by making technological and workforce innovation accessible to regional stakeholders; hosts events with experts and constantly searches for mutually beneficial connections, Wyatt said.
Anyone is welcome to enroll at the IO, but the focus started with people who are unemployed, severely unemployed or from traditionally underserved communities.
“We believe everyone should consider upskilling,” McLees said. “The economy of today and tomorrow requires an engine that allows people to consistently build new skills. IO is the engine for everyone interested in propelling their career forward by learning new skills, regardless of their past or current situation.”
The first set of sprints, IO’s version of eight-week classes, will start on Oct. 17. Enrollment is free for one year of IO classes. Visit upskillamarillo.io for more information or to enroll.
The Amarillo College Foundation officially launched its Badger Bold comprehensive fundraising campaign Oct. 5
“It’s ambitious, it’s multilayered and it will be vastly transformative,” said Russell Lowery-Hart, president of Amarillo College. “Through Badger Bold, we will empower students and faculty to unleash their unlimited potential, generate the workforce of the future and attract the jobs of the future and maximize the economic viability of our city and our region.”
The goal of the campaign is to raise $45 million over the next three years. During the ‘quiet period’ of the campaign before its official announcement, the Foundation raised $31.5 million dollars which is 70% of the total amount according to Lowery-Hart.
The campaign is set for $45 million in order to address a shortage, according to Joe-Bill Sherrod, vice president of institutional advancement. The 2019 bond election approved $89 million for the college, but,
according to Sherrod, there was still a need of $30 million that was left unmet.
“We got a $15 million gift from MacKenzie Scott, and it was very unfair for us to not raise our goal. We’re actually going to fund about $20 million of the construction costs, the bond will do the rest,” he said.
One of the other major goals of the campaign is to transform AC into an institution that meets the needs of a changing economy, according to Lowery-Hart.
“The initiatives for this campaign are three-fold,” Lowery Hart said. “To improve the
student experience with things like STEM scholars that focus on bringing students that wouldn’t normally see themselves in STEM fields to be leaders. To develop an Earn and Learn campaign that allows our students to earn a living while they earn credit and to bring athletics back to the college and the community.”
The second initiative is faculty and staff enrichment. According to Lowery-Hart, the campaign plans to support new endowments and training programs for staff and faculty members.
“The third are capital
enhancements, things like the Innovation Outpost in our downtown campus,” he said. “The Russell Hall enrollment center that we will be able to show you in January, the fitness center… these three things, student experience, faculty and staff enrichment and capital enhancement are what will make Badger Bold not just transformative for AC, but transformative for Amarillo.”
Additionally, Lowery-Hart announced that the AC Foundation, as a part of the Badger Bold campaign, has established a research science endowment of $250,000 and that Dr. Asanga Ranasinghe, a professor of physical sciences, will be the first faculty member to use new faculty development resources to help advance student-faculty research opportunities at AC.
“Community Colleges are not widely known as research entities,” Lowery-Hart said. “We’re not known for our research prowess, but Amarillo College is fast changing that perspective.”
Sherrod announced that FirstBank Southwest has contributed to the campaign and that the foundation will officially recognize their donation at an event.
"As a woman, I feel like I should take advantage of my right to vote, otherwise some male politician will be voicing his opinion for me. People fought for me to have a say, my vote is important."
Luther Estridge Mass Media Major
“Voting is important to me because it gets me involved in the community. I wish they would come up with new ideas to make voting more appealing to my generation, because I feel like it matters."
Morgan Anthony Nursing Major"More people should think about the big picture when it comes to voting, what we are voting on today really affects my generation in the future, so it should be a priority to have a voice and a guiding light."
True crime content has seen a boom in popularity over the past decade. Podcasts like “My Favorite Murder” consistently top the charts and documentary series like “Tiger King” taking the number one spot on Netflix.
Sometimes, that popularity can cause real world changes. Last semester, "The Ranger" talked about “The State of Texas vs. Melissa Lucio,” a documentary covering the mishandling of the 53-year-old mother’s murder trial. The petition to stay her execution reached over 100,000 signatures and the stay was granted in April.
But producers and consumers of true crime entertainment often don’t think of the potential harm they can do to victims, their families and the population at large.
“The Thing About Pam,” a 2022 NBC series starring Renee Zellweger, used a fictionalized and comedic tone to tell the very real story of the murder of Betsy Faria. The series was produced against the wishes of Faria’s family. Faria’s daughter, Mariah, said she was haunted by the flippant portrayal of her mother’s murder and is constantly asked offensive questions about the
television show.
Netflix’s “Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Series” is currently sitting at the number one series spot. Disturbingly, many of the show’s viewers have taken to TikTok to express their thirst for more violence, and thirst for the actor portraying the cannibalistic serial killer, Evan Peters.
Many of Dahmer’s victims have living family members who are now subject to their loved one’s torture being sensationalized, even fetishized, for the sake of entertainment. Some claim these popular portrayals give voice to victims, while the survivors and their loved ones say they are exploitative and damaging.
Victims and those who remember them need to give their consent, and even be involved if they feel comfortable in doing so.
I consume true crime content. I like to see justice served. But I won’t be watching the Dahmer series, or anything else that forgets to respect the victims. Don’t forget that behind every podcast episode, documentary and true crime novel that the victim had a name, a face, a story and their loved ones could still be out there, dreading the day that their story becomes the next hot thing.
by FAITH CHAMBERLAIN | The Ranger
In 2015, Amarillo voters barely managed to squeeze out an approval of $32 million for a new downtown baseball field. The final outcome: 52% voted for, with 48% against. And if that isn’t close enough for you, the actual difference was a mere 820 votes out of 22,000 voters. Like most projects though, the proposed budget of $32 million quickly became $40 million, with some reports saying $45 million.
Half the residents that cared enough to turn out for the vote didn’t want this, and yet it was still given tens of millions of dollars in funding for a semipro minor league baseball team. Former Councilwoman Ellen Greene said, “More than 22,000 had their say, and I hope the council will listen and build a ballpark we need at a cost of about $32 million.”
Like many of the others on the ‘for’ side, she forgot just under half those voters did not want a new stadium.
In late 2020, after a massive
turn out (during a pandemic), Amarillo voters said "no" to the city’s proposed $275 million Amarillo Civic Center transformation.
Unlike the ballpark, which was funded through a hotel tax, the Civic Center would be paid for through local taxes, increasing from a base of $0.44 to $0.57.
In this election, 42,596 people, or 61% of 69,383, vastly more than Hodgetown’s 52% of 22,000, did not want this, yet the city council went ahead with it anyway. While the Civic Center does need a bit of a face-lift, a quarter billion dollars is a bit of a stretch.
Mayor Ginger Nelson said she believes this renovation will generate greater revenues than it will cost taxpayers. One would hope. Though, where will this money be generated from? Well, maybe tourists, because a small city civic center is an obvious draw for tourism?
These are just two local
voter issues, but they represent a very real problem: The growing apathy of voters.
It’s not hard to see why voters grow apathetic when such blatant disregard is shown with such costly endeavors that won’t bring about any obvious benefits for constituents.
Voters feel alienated when their votes end up seeming like mere suggestions, while the mighty at the top scoff and do what they want regardless.
The growing indifference of voters must be reversed. No matter how small you think you and your vote are, never let that fester. Many elections in the United States have been swung by mere hundreds of votes. There are many ways someone can turn one vote into many: join meet ups of like-minded people and educate each other, then go out and educate others on issues, both local and national. Voting is a major freedom Americans enjoy, don’t let a few bad apples spoil true democracy.
I like to live by the motto, “When you’re green you're growing, and when you're ripe you rot.” The point for me anyways is to stay green. After working 20 plus years in my last career as a hairdresser and makeup artist for television and film, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and return to Amarillo College, as a nontraditional student.
I had always regretted not finishing college the first time, so now was my chance. I restarted my academic journey in 2020, and it has taught me that I thrive the best when pushed out of my comfort zone. I can't go back and change the fact I did not succeed at college the first time, but it’s never too late to succeed the second time around.
The biggest hurdle for me was just going back to school, filling out the paperwork, hitting click and submit. Now I’m graduating in a little over a year.
aaap OPINION
As a nontraditional student at AC, I’m driven to gain new perspectives and advance my career, and it’s all because I’m hyper-focused on my end goal. As a 19-year-old student at AC the first time around, I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I felt like I was wasting everyone's time. My drive needed direction, and I didn't know where to get the support I needed to achieve success on a traditional college route.
Today, the best tactic I use is to keep an open mind, and that allows me to gain new perspectives on a daily basis. I’ve gone from barely knowing how to turn on a computer to producing and sound editing a weekly radio show at AC.
Last spring, I won two statewide media awards. It can be easy to get side tracked as an older student and allow the insecurities to set in, but they say to "fake it 'til you make it."
My career path is the one
thing I’m the most excited about. I’m a mass media major and the sky's the limit. The media landscape may be changing, but that leaves many opportunities for those willing to adapt with the changes.
I have seen my uncle graduate from law school at 42, a friend graduate from pharmacy school at 53. Hell, Colonel Sanders didn't even start Kentucky Fried Chicken until he was 68. If you want a career, go for it, it’s really never too late to conquer a new career path.
For me, as a nontraditional student, there really is no other option but to stay green and become a media mogul.
My dad was a nontraditional student at AC in 1975, and I’m continuing the nontraditional tradition by graduating in the fall of 2023. It’s easy to get caught in a rut, whether it be personal or professional, and start to stagnate and ripen.
I suggest staying green and continuing to grow. You never know what might blossom.
Dr. Asanga Ranasinghe, Amarillo College associate professor of physical sciences, is working hand-in-hand with the Amarillo Police Department to help keep the city safe by keeping narcotics off the streets of Amarillo – all because of a casual conversation over a cup of coffee.
“I had talked to the APD officer, Matthew Adams, during a morning coffee meeting on how they test their illegal drugs,” Ranasinghe said. “I mentioned to him about the capabilities we have at AC’s STEM Research Center. Then immediately, he connected me with the APD narcotics division and Lt. Clay Rolan, Officer Thomas Hightower and Agent David Olaya from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Since then, I have been assisting them on a case-by-case basis to test the illegal street drugs.”
Ranasinghe said AC’s STEM Research Center has all the equipment needed to test and confirm the presence of illegal drugs from speci-
mens. So, the APD will have the advantage to move forward quickly on illegal drug-related cases without waiting months.
“Usually in the traditional route, when the illegal drugs were found, they were sent to DPS labs in Dallas or Houston to test,” Ranasinghe said. “But these labs are overwhelmed with so many specimens arriving on a daily basis and it could take up to six months to get the results back for APD.”
This assistance has already proven itself to be beneficial for APD. “Asanga was very responsive any time that we reached out to him and asked him to come by the lab to test suspected fentanyl pills on more than one occasion. This immediate testing ability provided us with the needed confirmation to assist in how we continued with the investigations and it certainly provided us with the level of safety that is needed when testing and handling fentanyl,” Clay Rolan, lieutenant of the APD covert and tactical operations unit, said.
While this testing is helpful to APD, it is also helpful for many students in STEM at
Amarillo College. “One of the main goals is to train AC students in science disciplines on various analytical instrumentation in chemistry and use over-the-counter drugs such as Tylenol and ibuprofen type medication as a model to get them familiarized with the instruments,” Ranasinghe said.
“Also, I have been demonstrating to the students in the AC STEM club the process of real-time testing of illegal drugs and how to analyze and confirm their presence. This way, they get the hands-on experience of the specific safety measures and protocols and cutting-edge technology toward using for their future careers as well as educational goals,” Ranasinghe said.
Students said they are excited about this project because it will help keep Amarillo safe.
“I feel he is doing a great service to APD by testing narcotics for them,” Jordan Bennett, STEM club president, said. “I believe Dr. Ranasinghe working in conjunction with APD provides a facet of safety by mitigating the spread of these harmful substances.”
By Beau Okechukwu Student Reporter
Amarillo College students are learning a new procedure, designed to make all of AC’s student services more efficient, called the Badger Check-In procedure.
The Badger Check-In procedure began in July of this year. It allows a student to schedule an appointment with their adviser from anywhere.
“It just makes it easier for students to receive the services they need,” Ernesto Olmos, senior director of advising, said. “Before, students wanting to visit with their adviser had to call the center to be placed into a call back queue. Now, students can do that on their own through Badger Check-In,” he said.
Olmos said AC’s check-in process also has made it possible for students to access essential information for themselves that they may have forgotten. This information can be accessed in “Step 2” of the Enrollment Checklist.
With the check-in system, students can see or keep track of their spot in line once they arrive and fill out a digital form that requires some information. The new system is only about three months old, but it is believed to be an improvement already.
“I believe it is more organized,” Pamela Valdez, an academic adviser, said. Initially, Valdez said she was split on the new check-in system. She knew it would positively affect the students, but it took some time for her and her fellow advisers to get used to it. Valdez has adjusted. “I enjoy the organization of appointments and it is more informative to help us prep for the advising session.”
Students say they can see the benefit and convenience of the Badger Check-In procedure as well. “Everything flows smoothly when I need to meet with my adviser or anything else I may have to do when I’m at the Student Service Center,” Jonathan Albarran, a business administration major, said. “I’m sure it was a lot more of a hassle to get things done that involved student services before the check-in system was installed,” Albarran said.
Most college students have a packed schedule between school, organizations and jobs and Albarran said he realizes the help that Badger Check-In has provided. “We all get into time crunches as college students, we are naturally busy people and Badger CheckIn has made it efficient to access the college’s student services,” he said.
By RYLEE CHERNE Student Reporter
In an attempt to promote literacy on campus, some members of the national English honor society, Sigma Kappa Delta (SKD), have decided to start a new book club this year. Members of the club have selected “The Stranger” by Albert Camus as their first book to read.
The idea of starting a book club came from the current president of SKD, Rylee Moore, a mass media major. According to Moore, this year is both her first year as president of SKD as well as the first year they have had a book club. “I came up with the idea to start a book club to be around like-minded students that love reading as much as I do,” Moore said.
While the book club extension of SKD is still waiting on official college approval, many students are already looking forward to getting the reading started. “I feel like it’s a good book to start with,” D. Hill, a mass media major, said. “Although the book is not very long, it seems like it could be very interesting. I think those who decide to join our book club and read it with us won’t be disappointed,”
The aim of both SKD and the book club is to promote literacy among students by getting more people into reading, writing and discussing what they have read together. “I love storytelling of all kinds,” said Andrew Terry, a mass media major. “I’ve always read a lot and I always really enjoyed talking about the deeper themes and moti-
vations behind stories, so this gives me a really cool opportunity to be able to do that.”
To be a member of SKD students have to have made at least a B in one english class, have above a 3.0 GPA and have completed one semester and 12 credit hours of classes.
The book club has no restrictions to join. If any prospective students wish to join the book club, all they have to do is attend one of their meetings.
Meetings are held from 11:55 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. every other Thursday in Ordway Hall Room 206.
“Many people seem interested,” Moore said. “But we’re hoping to spread the word about it to get more people aware of it.”
Rising from the pandemic, the Legal Society of Amarillo College (LSAC) is back to help students with legal studies and networking.
The COVID-19 shutdown in 2020 led many student activities and way of life on campus to change. Transitioning students to online-only classes and limiting the amount of a human presence on campus affected several clubs and activities. Part of the price of that change was that the Legal Society of Amarillo College (LSAC) had to suspend club activity due to a lack of members.
“The shutdown impacted the club’s ability to have meetings and events,” Robin Malone, coordinator of legal studies, said. “Also, during this time many of our current members graduated and there were no new members joining the organization. I believe many of our students were trying to cope with a global pandemic and the uncertainty that goes along with such a life changing event. Additional-
ly, many students tend to prefer face-to-face engagement, which was not possible during the shutdown,” she said.
Now that COVID restrictions are lifted, Malone says that the club is now able to come back and help out legal studies majors.
“We are now able to have in person meetings. Legal professionals are willing to participate in panel discussions and workshops in person now. In addition, there has been overwhelming interest in restarting the organization,” she said.
Malone said students should care about the return of the club because the law is rapidly changing and education is key. “The rule of law impacts every area of lives, including by not limited to social order, economics, education, employment and healthcare. LSAC is committed to responsibly educating and bringing awareness to the legal issues that affect our lives on a daily basis,” she said.
Some students said they were not aware of the club’s return but were curious. “I may not be a legal major here, but if a club that supports and
helps out legal majors is coming back, I’m all for it,” Matthew Hernandez, an English major, said.
“I’ve heard about the club but I haven’t really gotten a chance to go to it,” James Edwards, a legal studies major, said. “Since they help legal students with networking and are able to take us to workshops, I think it’s a very helpful club. Not only for legal majors but anyone since law is a very tricky subject that not many people know about.”
LSAC plans to be keystone in the legal studies community.
“Be an effective and efficient part of the Amarillo College legal studies department,” Malone said. “Work with all other parts of the legal studies program to include assisting with pro bono clinics and workshops, mentoring legal studies students and being a cohesive unit in general; enhance members’ participation in networking in the area legal community, professional responsibility, public service; and assist in improvement of the legal profession,” she said.
The club meets every other Thursday at 5:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Byrd Building.
By JACLYN SOLIS Student Reporter
AC Pride Club, a student-led organization centered on welcoming and celebrating all members and allies of the LGBTQIA+ community, is holding multiple themed events during the fall semester.
The first event AC Pride will be participating in is the pumpkin patch, Oct. 28 hosted by the Student Government Association. They are also handing out candy to the community during Trunk or Treat on Oct. 31 from 4-6 p.m. at AC.
On Nov. 28, the club will be hosting its biggest event of the semester, the Transgender Day of Remembrance event. This event is a candlelight vigil that focuses on the acknowledgment and remembrance of members of the trans community who have lost their lives for various reasons.
“It’s a really beautiful celebration because those people deserve it and our trans community. They deserve to heal from the trauma of having to see the people they love pass away for a variety of different reasons,” Micah Smith, club sponsor and Academic Success Center supervisor, said.
Smith said AC Pride focus-
es on the celebration of students for being their authentic selves, while also providing resources and education.
“We make sure that our community in this school is a place that is prepared for our students because they deserve to be taken care of. They deserve to be not just welcomed but celebrated in everything they do and who they are,” she said.
While this organization was founded in 2017, the AC Pride temporarily disbanded and restarted in the fall of 2021, following the pandemic, which caused all student organizations to be canceled for a period of time.
Organization members say they are eager to welcome new participants.
“Come find us,” said Smith. “We’re here for everybody. There are a lot of misconstrued ideas that we’re only for people in the LGBTQIA+ community, but that’s not the case. We’re here for allies, family members, friends and people who are generally cool and accepting, who can kick it. We want you all. There are no requirements you have to meet to be a part of this club. You can just show up and be supportive.”
The club is located on the Washington Street Campus in the Underground, in room 121 with meetings every other Tuesday from 12:30-1:30 p.m.
“See How They Run” is a 2022 murder mystery comedy directed by Tom George. This whodunnit, which is inspired by the works of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap,” takes place in the 1950s and follows a sleazy American movie director who wants to make a stage play into a film.
However, when the director is murdered, Inspector Stoppard, who is played by Sam Rockwell, and a rookie police constable, played by Saoirse Ronan, team up to investigate who killed him.
This movie is a greater comedy than it is a murder mystery. With the mystery aspect giving the film some suspense and drama, you can tell there is humor hiding in the dialogue.
Now, the film itself has nothing extraordinary on the table in terms of reinventing the genre, however, “See How They Run” proves to be a breath of fresh air due to its meta flair and dry humor. This is technically and intentionally a murder mystery within a murder mystery, so with that in mind, it doesn’t come as a surprise this movie shows
off the absurd clichés in the genre. There is a lot of style on the directing front and George does an excellent job of using unique transitions like split screens throughout the picture and everything is beautifully shown with lighthearted colors and vibes.
“See How They Run” shines the most when Ronan and Rockwell are on screen together. They absolutely make every scene substantially better, although you have to give credit to the rest of the cast, as they had their own special moments in the film.
As cliché as all the characters can be, the actors give an all-star performance. This is also accompanied by a dynamic score by Daniel Pemberton. A great murder mystery movie is nothing without a great soundtrack/score to go along with it.
There’s probably a lack of suspense or not enough clues throughout the film to be engaging as other whodunit movies. People approaching this film solely to find the killer, and not just tag along for the humor, may be disappointed by “See How They Run.” The film is neither as clever as the creators think it is, nor as stupid as it sometimes pretends to be.
Amarillo College’s 20222023 Theatre season kicked off Oct. 6 with “Blithe Spirit.”
“It’s basically a show about a guy who has a seance and he encounters his ex-wife and then chaos ensues throughout the whole show,” said Carissa Wilson, special events supervisor and the scene shop foreman. This play ran from Oct. 6-9 and was one of four productions that will be performed at AC Experimental Theatre this year.
The second show will be “On the Verge,” which is a modern play about four women explorers, and the impact women have had throughout history, Monty Downs, theatre instructor and technical director, said. “On the Verge” will be performed Dec. 8-11.
Both of these shows will
be entered into the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, said Downs.
“We will have respondents come in, see the shows and respond to the cast and crew then they will decide if they will consider the shows to go to the regional festival next semester,” Downs said.
The next show in the spring semester will be the classic Shakespearean comedy, “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” which will run from Feb. 23-26. The show is about a man named Falstaff who decides to fix his financial woe by seducing the wives of two wealthy merchants. The wives find he sent them identical letters and take revenge by playing tricks on Falstaff when he comes calling.
The theatre department will end the year with the musical, “Into the Woods” This production will run not only
April 28-29 but also May 4-7.
The buzz about the show has already begun. “I’ve always enjoyed the idea that the fairy tales we hear today are derived from a more twisted origin,” Alex Rhodes, a mass media major, said.
Tickets can be obtained by calling (806) 371-5359 or by going to www.actx.edu/theatre/theatreac-season where you can also find the times for the shows. Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $8 for senior citizens. Along with $8 Amarillo College students/ employees, and any other qualified student (i.e., AISD, WTAMU, etc.).
A special price of $6 is available for Amarillo College students currently enrolled in a theatre arts course (with the mnemonic ‘DRAM’) and $6 for groups of 10 or more (must be purchased 24-hours before scheduled showtime).
“Don’t Worry Darling," a feminist gothic thriller, presents an intriguing world and story only to put forth an unfinished narrative of mishmashed plots.
The movie takes place in 1950s suburbia, peaking into the lives of the residents of Victory, a quiet desert town edging on perfection.
It focuses on Alice and Jack, played by Florence Pugh and Harry Styles respectively, living their apple-pie dream life where Jack goes to work every day while Alice stays home to tend to the house.
Alice is blissfully complacent as a housewife and unaware of what's going on when her husband leaves for work.
For a story set in such a wellpolished 50s art deco world, something about the casting and writing immediately sets
REVIEWviewers on edge.
The first watch-through is an edge-of-your-seat experience, trying to figure out what could possibly be going on. But after any amount of time thinking through the plot, it seems to fall apart, riddled with holes like a slice of swiss cheese. There are so many different red herrings that go nowhere despite how significant they seem. Overall the plot makes no damn sense.
Additionally, the press tour only further tarnished the movie's release. The director, Olivia Wilde, started drama between herself and Pugh, leading to her skipping the Venice press tour.
Wilde also found herself in a relationship with Styles after hiring him to replace Shia LaBoeuf whom she claimed to fire.
Chris Pine also joined in the drama when the internet decided a video from the screening showed Styles spitting on him. Even though
the internet likes to blow things out of proportion, anyone could have seen the tension among the crew. This negative publicity leaves viewers with a bad taste before ever seeing the film and makes any problems seem even more prevalent.
Conveying the chaos I felt watching this movie would be impossible. With so many mixed genres and allusions to better movies, it's hard to follow what the intent behind this movie actually is.
It explores misogyny and feminist themes while also trying to be a horror story that turns Pugh into an action hero. It feels like a story frankensteined together from four different scripts.
Despite all of its shortcomings, "Don’t Worry Darling” is a film that I can't help but want to watch again. And again. It's different and messy and it could easily become a cult classic that people love to hate.
Since the beginning of recorded time humankind has looked to the stars in wonder and mystery. The ancient Greeks and Egyptians all charted the stars and created the constellations we still use today. The stargazers of early times eventually began to wonder how these constellations, and their placement affected a person’s personality. Today, it’s more than likely someone has asked you, “What’s your sign?” or “What day were you born?” to find out your astrological sign, otherwise known as a horoscope.
Atrology has been around a long time. Tho earliest recordings of horoscopes were with the Babylonians. Early beliefs of astrology spread over the Mediterranean, becoming popular in Egypt and Greece. No one is exactly sure how much the placement of the stars really impacts a person. From checking your horoscope app every day, to not even knowing your own sign, the spectrum is broad.
At Amarillo College, students and staff
members say they have found that it can be fun to look in to and entertain the idea of zodiacs in moderation, but they have varying degrees of trust in astrology and disagree about how much merit it might have.
“I know a good amount about horoscopes,” Gisselle Solis, a business administration major, said. “I’m a Leo and I think that zodiacs go with people’s personalities. I feel I fit the perspective of it.”
Solis says she also believes the stars impact her performance in the classroom. “I think it translates to my school work because I’ve read that Leos are procrastinators and I’m a big procrastinator. I also think Scorpios are really smart and ambitious,” she said.
Not every student is convinced or informed about horoscopes. “I know a little about horoscopes, and I think they matter in personality but I don’t think it matters for school,” Emma Boothbay, an architecture major, said. “Maybe some signs might be more prone to do better in school but if anyone applies themselves at school they can be successful,” she continued. “I’m a Taurus but I don’t think that it applies to my school work. ”
Not everyone is on the same page about how much faith they should put into astrology. “Some of my students are really into astrology,” Lesley Ingham, a speech instructor and the honors program chair, said. “They know their sun sign and moon sign and all the star placements.” Ingham said she isn’t
sure if the stars are leading her students to success. “It’s hard to say how much it affects my students, I don’t know their signs, I really don’t get into that subject with them.”
Ingham says she pays more attention to how astrology impacts people close to her. “In my personal life, the three most fun people in my family are me, my mom and my sister-in-law and we are all Sagittarius. My late grandmother was too and she was a hoot. We are known to be free spirited and generous,” Ingham said, adding that Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, president of AC is also a Sagittarius.
Regardless of whether you believe Libras and Scorpios do better in school and Cancers and Leos have more fun at parties, the end of the first eight week term is approaching. So if you are looking for guidance and hoping for a positive outcome, now may be the time to look to the textbooks instead of the stars.