dent Victoria Church said. “And I'm all for trying new things. So if they want to bring on [more food choic es], I say go for it.”
May graduation to be in person once again
Campus Life
During carmencement, graduating students drove around Ring Road while faculty and parents cheered them on from the sidewalks.
weeks after saying gradua tion would take the form of a “carmencement” as it has for the past two years.
However, the college on March 9 ended its require ment for those who come to campus to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine or a neg ative weekly COVID-19 test.
ty is no longer considered a high or substantial risk for COVID-19,” Lindsay said in an email to the campus community. “We continue to strongly encourage vaccina tions and boosters as an add ed safeguard for individuals and our community.”
Photo courtesy of Farmer's Fridge
The kiosks join the cam pus’s three restaurants: Chick-fil-A, Hawk’s Nest Grill
“I couldn’t look a student in the eye and say, 'You know, we’re doing all this restrict
Dan Elson Editor-in-Chief
AACC will continue to re quire students and employ ees to wear masks inside of campus buildings until May 19.
Riverhawks golf team gets new experiencedcoach,player.
Photo by Brandon Hamilton
For the first time since 2019, AACC will hold an in-person graduation ceremony next month.
Students sacrifice other spending to help pay for gas. News Sports
Page 6
AACC will hold its gradu ation face-to-face on May 26 for the first time since 2019.
Zack Buster Associate Editor Jenna Lagoey Reporter
Continued on page 3
TheCampusCurrent.com CampusCurrentPaper@Campus_Current CampusCurrentAACC April 2022 The award-winning newspaper of Anne Arundel Community College Page Page4 10 Some drivers go wrong way on oneway Ring Road.
The announcement came a few days after the Centers for Disease Control and Pre vention overrrode its previ ous recommendation that ev eryone wear a mask indoors.
Continued on page 3
Business professor Stephanie Goldenberg and Anto nia Seren-Rosso a fourth-year small business administration student, wear masks in the Hatchery before a class.
Refrigerated vending dispenses fresh food
Farmer's Fridge will debut two refrigerated vending machines on the Arnold campus this month.
Continued on page 3
President Dawn Lindsay made the announcement at the college’s Board of Trust ees meeting on March 8, two
The CDC announced in March that people in lowrisk areas, like Anne Arundel County, do not need to wear masks.
“Anne Arundel Coun
Zack Buster Associate Editor
AACC to mandatediscontinueonMay19
The college will lift its mask mandate for campuses on May"There19. is something to the pomp and circumstance
ing of opportunity and we’re not masking as a mandate, but we can’t do a face-to-face graduation ceremony for you,'” Lindsay said.
Photo by Zack Buster
Farmer’s Fridge, a com pany that installs refriger ated vending machines, will add two fresh-food kiosks on the Arnold campus in April.The vending machine-
College officials have said in the past they would base their decisions about mask ing and vaccination require ments on CDC guidelines. CDC's latest recommendation is that “people should stay up to date with their vaccines
style dispensers will contain fresh salads, wrap sandwich es and healthy snacks on the second floor of the Health and Life Sciences and Ca reers buildings, according to Event Services Manager Pe ter Kaiser.“Ithink it's a great idea,” first-year sonography stu
Students: Start some clubs
I now have these oppor tunities again, and unfortu nately, I’m so out of practice that I am unable to approach potential new relationships in the same way I used to. My social health has degrad ed throughout the pandemic.
It seems like we’re let ting this shared, horrible grief get in the way of mak ing friends. Instead of letting it pull us apart—or keep us apart—let’s use it to bring us together.Weshared the experi ence, even though we did it wearing masks and staying far away from each other. Now, let’s share it together.
classmates with open arms after two years?
meeting that you would want to join.
eryone who hears it.
But even moreso, every thing feels tinged with the ongoing horrors of the pan demic. It’s hard to find com mon ground without grief.
Jayden Flood says his first year of college isn't going as expected.
Students need to do more than just attend classes to have a true college experi ence.If you want to get that ex perience, create it yourself. Make some memories.
I think this is sort of ab normal for first-year col lege students. Normally, we would be coming to college after being in a classroom with other high school stu dents.
More of us are on cam pus this semester. Most of us are vaccinated. Come on, let’s start socializing again.
2 years of COVID-19 takes toll on HS grad
mon—so you might like to hang out with them. Go for it.
Even though this has been a cruel, shared experi
You don’t have to wait until things are “back to normal” completely. Maybe
ence among us all, it’s hard to connect.Forone thing, simple so cial events are hard to come by these days.
Photo by Dan Elson
WhetherMinistries.it be a gaming club, science club, or even a leadership-oriented club like Campus Current or the Student Government Associ ation, get out there and find a place to get connected with other students.
Don’t wait for someone else to start a club or form a group because chances are, someone else is waiting for you to do it. Take the initia tive.If you take the initiative, before long, there will be a club for Thereyou.might even be some clubs that are already
Editorial Board
I’m a first-year student at AACC, and this semester has been a lot for me already.
Photo courtesy of Hannah Claggett
Before, I had little issue introducing myself to others or being able to make small talk, but now it feels like a daunting task to perform.
A lot of us first-year stu dents are feeling like we’re walking through an episode of “BlackTheseMirror.”uncertain feelings are valid to have, as this is one more odd event for us in a two-year string of odd events.I’m learning how to so cialize again in a setting that I haven’t been in for two years: in-person school. But in this social setting, every one is wearing a mask, and every time someone coughs, anxiety spreads through ev
Letter from an editor
Being locked down in order to avoid any danger to my at-risk family members has meant I have not had the opportunity to see, or sim ply talk to, anyone I don’t al ready know except in a digi tal space.There was no commu nication among students when I attended high school virtually. We didn’t do group projects or even work in the same room together. It was purely individual work.
If you’re spiritual and are looking for fellowship with like-minded people, get connected with some reli gious clubs on campus like Experience Apostolic Cam pus
If you don’t think there’s a club for you, get some friends together and make your own based on some thing you all have in com mon.It doesn’t even have to be an official club if you just want to try something out with a few friends at first.
After two years, I’m final ly able to expand my social group again. But the process is no longer a norm for me.
Adventure Society club members take a camping trip to Shenandoah National Park in fall 2021.
| Campus Current | 2022 | April Editorial 2 MeetStaffthe Twitter @campus_current Facebook CampusCurrentPaperFacebook.com/ Instagram @campuscurrentaacc Editor-in-Chief Dan Elson Associate Editor Zack Buster Graphic Designer Mary Kane Newsroom Manager Kaylah Rashid Photo Editor Frank Fitzgeralde Libom Photographers Graig Bracey Will Faulk Reporters Maggie Brown Jayden Flood Jenna D'AngeloLagoeyWilliamsSydneyKlabnikLillyRoserVanceWild Faculty Adviser Sharon O'Malley Photographers on Page 1, top Mary Kane Frank Fitzgeralde Libom Will Faulk Contact CampusCurrent410-777-2296@gmail.com Advertising CampusCurrentAdverts410-777-2803@gmail.com101CollegeParkwayArnold,MD21012
Not only is it my first-ev er semester as a college stu dent, it’s the first time in two years that my classes aren’t totally online.
If you’re a bit of an adrenaline junkie, you could explore some events with the Adventure Society.
it’s just you and a couple of friends who have a unique interest or skill in com
When was the last time you have had a simple con versation that wasn’t about a war or the pandemic or any of the other intense events our society has grinded through over the past two years?It’s alright to embrace the grief and the suffering that comes with living in this abnormal time. It’s alright to talk about it with our peers. Everyone, no matter the background, has lost some thing or someone within the past two years. We shouldn’t be ashamed to acknowledge this.A shared experience within a group or society is often an opportunity to bond with others—even strang ers. Why waste this opportu nity to greet our new and old
Jayden Flood Reporter
Our campus used to have almost 100 clubs, but now we have only about a dozen. That’s only 12% of what we had.Let’s get back to that. Let’s get plugged in with each other again. Let’s get to gether with our friends and make some clubs.
Continued from page 1
Graduates in the class of 2023 will pick up their diplomas in person at LIVE! Casino & Hotel on May 26.
Healthy food vending adds fresh selections
Some students reacted to the news with skepticism.
Photo by Ava Moore
The Subway in Careers is closed this semester. Kai ser said it’s possible Subway could return in the fall but, “It's going to be partially a decision on the Subway to say, ‘Yes, we'll be back.’”
Nick Pekel, a third-year chemistry transfer student, agreed.“Idon't really think that there is a way that we can adequately honor and show the respect for the students who made it this far without
“In classroom environ
tually walk this time.”
In 2020 and 2021, the college held a “carmence ment” instead of a formal graduation ceremony be cause of COVID-19 restric tions.The college will hold two ceremonies on May 26 at Live! Casino & Hotel. John Grabowski, dean of enroll ment services, said he ex pects 300 to 400 graduates to attend each ceremony.
Those restaurants could extend their hours next se mester if more students take face-to-face classes, the managers said.
First-year nursing stu dent Arianna Sessoms agreed.“I like trying new
Photo by Christina Browning
“People could be with
and get tested if they’re sick.”
First-year transfer studies students Arnold Beck and Kestrel Watson mask up on the Quad.
If Farmer’s Fridge is a success on the main cam pus, Kaiser said, AACC could
… of graduation and get ting a diploma and walking across the stage and having family there in a more for mal environment for some thing that is so special,” Lindsay added.
something in person," he said. The ceremonies will focus on the different aca demic schools, such as the School of Liberal Arts and the School of Health and Sciences. The schools will be paired up based on the number of participants.
& Deli and Subway.
how many classes the college decides to run on campus in the fall, a number the school has not determined yet.
Others, however, wel comed the college’s decision to lift the vaccine and mask requirements.“[The]vaccine require ment should … be optional,”
Still, the president said she enjoyed the past two car mencement ceremonies.
Grabowski called gradu ation “one of the most special days of our academic year … the culmination of students’ hard work and recognition of their attainment. … It’s a wonderful celebration.”
“I think it’s probably the one time in the lives of the students … that they want the tradition and they want to hear the pomp and cir cumstance and they want the cap and gown and they want to flip their tassel and they want to carry their di ploma,” Lindsay said.
their families in their car and, you know, their families, their grandparents, their dogs, their kids,” she said.
things,” Sessoms said.
“If you look at some of our traditional students, they didn’t even have a high school graduation because in June of 2020, everything was kind of closed,” Lindsay said.
ments people are very close to one another,” Ramos said. “Then they don't really have the ability to find out who's … vaccinated or unvaccinated.”
Continued from page 1
Some students said they share the it’dMartinonrestrictions.schoolterexperiencetintransferSecond-yearsentiment.businessstudentEvanMarsaidit’shischancetograduationafnothavingoneinhighbecauseofCOVID-19“I’vekindofmissedoutaregulargraduation,”said.“Yeah,soIthinkbeprettycoolifIcanac
Continued from page 1
In an informal Campus Current poll of 40 students, 29 said they want masks to be optional.Dustin Tripp, a gradu ating information technolo gy networking and security student, said he wants to get back to “I’mnormal.kindofready for it to stop,” Tripp said. “If everyone is vaccinated and … healthy, then we should probably get back to regular if we can.”
That could depend on
Grace Blanchfield, a firstyear nursing transfer stu dent,“Theagreed.classes are really crowded and it's going to make people uncomfort able,” Blanchfield said.
install additonal vending machines on West Campus and on the Arundel Mills and Glen Burnie campuses.
Photo by Dan Elson
“It depends on [if there are more] students,” Re bekah Busker, who manages the Chick-fil-A in the Health and Life Sciences building, said. “But we hope to be here every day of the normal workThisweek.”semester, the Chickfil-A is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the Hawk's Nest
Lindsay said students have told her they want an
“I’m very skeptical about getting rid of the vaccine mandate,” first-year engi neering student Sam Fred erick said. “It could result in a sharp increase of COVID cases.”Second-year architec ture student Marcelino Ra mos said the college should continue to require masks in campus buildings.
first-year pre-med student Johnathan Dang said. “I hon estly feel that we should have more freedom”
Lindsay said she would prefer a face-to-face gradua tion as well.
Grill & Deli operates from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays throughStudentsThursdays.saidthey look forward to buying fresh food from the new vending ma chines.“Ithink it's a pretty good idea,” first-year game devel opment student Ryan Wilson said. “It's something I defi nitely want to try for sure.”
Grads to walk across stage at LIVE! Hotel
A new option for food on campus joins Chick-fil-A and Hawk's Nest Grill & Deli this month. Subway in Careers did not reopen this semester.
Students say masks are now unnecessary
in-person graduation.
Campus Current | 2022 | April | News 3
not a frequent problem and is mostly unintentional for drivers who are not familiar with campus traffic patterns.
His advice to drivers: “When you are coming to campus, familiarize yourself with the traffic patterns and look for the traffic signs just
President Ben Nussba umber said the SGA still has positions to fill.
“People leave the SGA due to time management,” said Brown, who served for one semester. “They may be having a hard time … due to scheduling.”
“The only empty vice
Drivers ignore 1-way Ring Rd
Drivers going the wrong way “could really occur any where when [students] are turning off a parking lot,” AACC Police Chief Sean Kapf hammer said. “I see it myself by the cafeteria.”
Kapfhammer said this is
Second-year political science student Christina Ahn is SGA's new vice president of public relations.
“People are leaving SGA due to already having a lot on their plate and not hav ing enough time to devote to SGA,” Nussbaumer said.
Photo courtesy of Christina Ahn
AACC Police Chief Sean Kapfhammer says he advises drivers to familiarize them selves with traffic patterns and signs.
According to Kapfham mer, campus officers some times write traffic tickets when they catch someone driving the wrong way.
Maggie Brown Reporter
Kapfhammer said he sees a few people driving the
The Student Govern ment Association filled two of its three open vice presi dent positions in February.
Photo by Frank Fitzgeralde Libom
But most, he said, give warnings and educate the drivers.First-year psychology student Julia Gunn said she
Former Vice President of Outreach Maggie Brown is one of them.
| Campus Current | 2022 | April News 4
Ring Road is a one-way street except for a section between the Health and Life Sciences building and the Ca reers Center, where it turns into a two-way road.
wrong way every semester, so he can’t chalk the error up to confusion over recent construction on campus.
president position now is vice president of outreach and engagement,” Nussbau mer said. “We also have … seven open senator posi tions.”
Nussbaumer said the SGA, like most student clubs, has had difficulty recruiting members.“All around campus, we've seen that student or ganizations and clubs are having trouble getting stu dents engaged,” Nussbaumer said.
Zack Buster Associate Editor
“When I did it, it was ac tually an accident because I was late for a class and I didn’t see the signs, so I was just going," first-year com munications student Zack Buster said.
Second-year political sci ence student Christina Ahn has taken the position of vice president of public relations and second-year psychology student Hamza Iqbal is the new vice president of cam pus activities.
like [in] any other neighbor hood,” Kapfhammer said. “The signs are posted pretty clearly so you should know which way you are going.”
The SGA has had trouble keepingSincemembers.thebeginning of
“I kind of feel bad [for the drivers] ... because if you look at their faces, they know that they aren’t supposed to go that way,” Gunn said.
the school year, multiple officers of the SGA have re signed. Nussbaumer said members leave because their workload is too much.
has witnessed drivers going the wrong way.
Some students drive the wrong way on Ring Road, which partially surrounds the Arnold campus.
Kapfhammer also sug gested that students get a map of the campus online by visiting the AACC website.
SGA fills 2 vacancies with new student VPs
Overall, online SYNC showed a success rate of 70.3%, while fully online courses had a 72.4% success rate.
Campus Current | 2022 | April | News 5
Most AACC courses last for eight, 13 or 15 weeks, which all reported success rates of less than 75%.
success in SYNC classes sur prised her, Millner said.
ter sessions—rated 89.2%.
Dan Elson Editor-in-Chief
Jeffries, who is com pleting a doctoral degree in community college leader ship, said a dental hygienist prevents oral disease, cleans and polishes patients' teeth, and prepares and organizes tools for the dentist.
Dan Elson Editor-in-Chief
Approximately 9,500 virtual seats filled in last fall’s online SYNC classes, while fully online courses filled 10,600 seats.
Students who take online SYNC courses are less likely to pass them than those who enroll in totally online classes. Campus Current photo
AACC will offer an associ ate of applied science degree in dental hygiene starting in fall 2023.
SYNC courses less effective
AACC also offers a non-credit dental assist ing and radiology program, which consists of a lab, lec ture and a workforce success skills course.
Photo by Frank Fitzgeralde Libom
available since May 2020 and allows students to have everything regarding their degrees in one place so they don’t have to visit multiple sites to find courses and class times, register for classes or pay Studentstuition. can access the portal through MyAACC.
Maggie Brown Reporter
meet as a class at least once per week on Zoom or Teams, often with required atten dance. Online-only students do not have those meetings.
Jeffries, who was the first African-American president of the Maryland Dental Hy gienists Association, said she looks forward to “the best experience for our students to graduate and get into pri vate practices that are local.”
Millner offered an expla nation: “If you have a longer time in a class, you have a greater opportunity for stuff to happen in your life.”
Registration moves to self-service platform
Students registering on line for fall classes will have to use the self-service Planning, Scheduling and Registration tool on MyAACC because the college has discontinued the old Web DirectorDeveloper.ofAcademic Ad vising Bonnie Lasher-Kim mel said the old system only allowed students to search
“During COVID, we thought that online SYNC would be more engaging with students than fully on line, where students could work without ever meeting with the faculty member,” Vice President for Learn ing Tanya Millner said. “We thought that if you set up certain specific times where the student had to meet with you, the students would be better engaged.”
So the data showing less
Online SYNC students
First-year transfer stud ies student Ben Surosky said the research does not sur prise“It’shim.not that the online SYNC are worse classes,” he said. “It’s just that the online non-SYNC are just easier."
In the first six months of the pandemic, approximate ly 8% of dental hygienists left their jobs, according to
In addition, college data showed that courses lasting between nine and 12 weeks had a far higher student suc cess rate—almost 97%— than those taking traditional 15-week classes—70.3%.
“I can tell you that the dental assistants that I know in the area are very excited for this program to open so that they can come and get their degree in dental hy giene,” Health and Sciences Dean Elizabeth Appel said.
crobiology, human biology, chemistry and algebra and six general education credits.
The college hired Tonya Jeffries, who has a master’s degree in healthcare admin istration, to run the 70-cred it, five-semester dental hy gienist program and serve as AACC’s director of dental education.“There has been an enor mous shift in the demand for dentistry and hygienists,” Jeffries said. “In fact, right now there is a shortage.”
building and receive dental treatment from a student, with a supervising dentist on staff, for approximately $20 without insurance.
Appel said she expects some students from the non-credit dental assistance program to enroll in the new hygienist courses.
“I think it just gives [the dental assistant students] that opportunity to be a hy gienist,” Kailey Howell, who graduated as a transfer stud ies student last year, said. “I definitely think that people will come here.”
the American Dental As sociation, which said that number dropped to 5% the following year. But the ADA study added that 2% of those hygienists said they had left the profession for good.
Photo by Scott Muir
Students who take on line SYNC courses are less likely to pass those classes than students who take fully online sections, according to AACC.
As part of the for-credit program, students must take 21 credits of English, mi
and register for courses. On the new system, students can see requirements for their degrees and certifi cates. It also makes it easier for students to build their schedules and register for courses, she said.
“What we are finding is, not only do students love the new system, but it is really easy to use,” Lasher-Kimmel said.The new system has been
Anyone who has trouble can meet with an academic adviser or watch the video tutorials on the site.
Some students from that program said they agree.
Classes lasting between one and seven weeks—usu ally in the summer and win
A new dental hygiene program starts in fall 2023 in the Health and Life Sciences building, shown.
She noted the program will benefit the community. Jeffries said community res idents will be able to come to the Health and Life Sciences
New dental program to start in fall 2023
For fall, students must use the Student Planning, Scheduling and Registration System on MyAACC.
Photo by Zack Buster
“I can’t just go out to grab something or go to the store just for fun to go shopping, whatever,” first-year market ing student Marcel Trotman said.
Photo by Frank Fitzgeralde Libom
President Joe Biden an nounced on March 8 that the U.S. has suspended its pur chases of energy products like natural gas, oil and coal from Russia, which has made gas here less available and therefore, more expensive.
U.S. authorities have warned that Russia could launch a cyberattack against the U.S. and other countries that are supporting Ukraine.
Jayden Flood Reporter Vance Wild Reporter
AACC students said they are paying up to $50 to fill their gas tanks.
For example, she recom mended that students and faculty fill prescriptions and organize important papers in case the internet is tem porarily unavailable.
storm or hurricane.
Students feel pain at pump
| Campus Current | 2022 | April Campus Life 6
Gas prices rose to a record high of $4.17 on March 8, ac cording to AAA, and have con tinued to rise. Over the next few weeks, the average price of a gallon of gas in Annapolis hovered around $4.30.
The average price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. set an all-time record on March 8 at $4.17 per gallon and is expected to continue to rise through the summer.
Did you know?
In a informal poll of 33 students on the Arnold cam pus, drivers said the high price of gas has caused them to stop buying fast food, lim it social activities and drive less.“I have to cherish travel,” said Barbara Tikka, a nurs ing student who drives up to 20 minutes to get to campus.
“So I don’t have as much time for schoolwork,” she said, “So actually, I’ve never turned in an assignment late and now I have three.”
An AACC public safety official is warning students and faculty to keep their gas tanks full and plenty of cash on hand while Russia is at war with Ukraine.
Students said they have begun carpooling and work ing more hours to keep up with rising First-yearcosts. elementary education student Cassie Bar ber said she has to work more hours to help pay for gas.
Some students said they’re unable to leave the house as often.
Zack Buster Associate Editor
In an email to faculty and staff, Emergency Manager
“We’ve already seen gas prices begin to rise and, if Russia retaliates against us with a cyberattack … things could get ugly,” Crow told Campus Current. “I didn’t want people just living in a bubble because [the conflict is] 7,000 miles away.”
Campus Current has a new newsroom. Visit the student newspaper staff in HUM 117.
“All it would take is for them to retaliate against our banking system [or] … criti cal infrastructure, like water systems, electric systems,” CrowShesaid.added: “Keep your cars filled up. It may be a pain to go … every few days and top it off. But if something happens, then you’re going to be glad that you have a good tankful of gas.”
Arlene Crow said her mes sage was “not meant to panic you but to empower you to face a potentially ugly situa tion with a level of calm and self-confidence.”
Barber isn’t the only student having problems at school because of rising gas prices.“So today I had a ... mid term, and my car ran out of gas,” first-year biology stu dent Izzy Smith said, adding, "I missed my midterm.”
With the Ukraine war affecting the price of oil, many students at AACC have spent more than $50 on a tankful of gas.
tankKeepOfficial:gasfull
Gas prices have jumped since Russia invaded Ukraine and some coun tries, including the United States, have stopped im porting Russian oil.
GamesandFun
Crow said her advice for preparing for a cyberattack is similar to what she would tell students during a weath er emergency, like a snow
Buster, who is associ ate editor of Campus Cur rent, continued, “We‘re just a group of people who found each other on campus and became friends.”
"Super Smash Brothers" is a fighting game that fea tures famous Nintendo char acters battling each other.
and eventually others started coming in on their own.
College makes Juneteenth official holiday
First-year pre-med stu dent Johnathan Dang said he started the group because he did not want to be alone on campus. He invited his friends from high school who also attend AACC to join him,
Campus Current | 2022 | April | Campus Life 7
Students Shumuel Ofosu-Koranteng and Jamee Williams have lunch on campus.
A group of AACC stu dents comes together twice a week on campus to play video games and hang out.
About 14 students meet every Monday and Wednes day between 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. to play the video game "Super Smash Brothers" and others in Room 240 of Ca reers.“We don’t always just play 'Smash,'” first-year transfer studies student Alesha Low er said. “Sometimes people bring in their game cubes,
First-year pre-med student Johnathan Dang dresses up as a character from the game Mortal Kombat. Photo by Maggie Brown
Friends gather, play video games together
“I really like it,” first-year communications student Zack Buster said. “I can come when I can and don’t have to worry about them judging me if I can’t.”
Lower said the group usually plays the game on a Nintendo Switch game con sole or older PlayStation console connected to the televisions in the student lounge where they meet.
AACC has made Juneteenth an official college holiday. Juneteenth is a celebration of the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Because June 19 falls on a Sunday this year, the college will close on Monday, June 20, in observation of the holiday.
Maggie Brown Reporter
[PlayStations] or Xboxes.”
“I came in with my part ner Lance,” Lower said. “I think we were the first peo ple to come in and sit down and ask, ‘Hey, can we play withDangyou?’”explained the pur pose of the group is to just hang out and said anyone can join at any time by simply showing up.
Photo by Dan Elson
GamesandFun Looking for answers? check out TheCampusCurrent.com
sure [or] Type 2 diabetes. You just want an active life style and just eating the proper nutrients to stay away from all the processed fattySchlettefoods.” said whole
less about whether they can get a pregnancy test,” Ducker said.Another little-known free service helps students with car Studentsemergencies.wholock them selves out of their cars or need a jumpstart for a car battery can call the Depart ment of Public Safety and Police for help.
Make snacks:healthychefs
grains “provide all the nutri ents you Schletteneed.”also said she likes flatbreads as a snack.
The food pantry, which operates by appoint ment this semester, offers shelf-stable foods such as ce real, canned goods, rice, gra nola bars and pasta. Visitors may take up to 30 pounds of
Health supplies, food free to all on campus
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
According to the Nation al Student Clearinghouse Re search Center, men made up 40.5% of the student body at community colleges nation wide, an all-time low.
Sydney Klabnik Reporter
| Campus Current | 2022 | April Campus Life 8
“So, they’re pretty quick and easy,” Stewart said. “And they’re really healthy. They have a bunch of grains in side. So [the flatbread piz zas] build energy.”
“I'm working full time currently and making mon ey,” Myer said. “It's not enough to [pay] to go to col lege and save up for a car. So I just couldn't go financially.”
Enrollment of men declines
semester, but he decided not to enroll in college.
“They’re quick, they’re easy and you can make them healthy,” Smith said. “I’ll put [on] just simple things ike lettuce. I’ll even out the spic es so there’s not too much of one thing or too much of an other. So, then all the carbs and everything ... even out.”
Male enrollment at AACC and at community colleges nationwide has been declining for several years.
“We're still seeing de creases in women's enroll ment,” Vice President for Learning Tanya Millner said. “But we've seen smaller numbers of male students.”
Former AACC history student Evan DeHaven said he dropped out in 2019 be cause he couldn't decide on a career path.
food per visit in their own shoppingLikewise,bags. the Student Health and Wellness Center will mail free health supplies to students, who can or der items like condoms, ear plugs, ChapStick and preg nancy tests using an online form.Students also have access to nurses in the Health and Wellness Center, which is open Mondays and Wednes days from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and on Tuesdays from
3,500—of those students are men.
AACC employs two mechanics to help drivers whose cars get flat tires or run out of gas on campus.
writing“I'mopportunities.agoodenough writ er,” Foote said. “As people see my talents, I work hard on making stories every day. I didn't have to come here and take a bunch of classes that I personally don't believe in doing.”Jake Myer, who gradu ated from Broadneck High School in 2021, would have been a first-year student last
Baking and pastry stu dents said it’s possible to eat healthy snacks on a budget and on the Second-yeargo. baking and pastry student Tamia Stew art, for example, said her fa vorite quick snack to make is flatbread pizza.
The number of male students who have enrolled at AACC over the past eight years has declined by 29.7%, part of a nationwide trend.
AACC students and em ployees have access to a slew of low- and no-cost services, including free groceries through a campus food pan try.
For Smith, it’s tacos.
Drivers who run out of gas or get a flat tire on cam pus can call the Department of Public Safety for help.
Shutterstock photo
The center, in Room 120 of the Student Union build ing, includes a self-care sta tion and a StressLess room with an oversized recliner for breaks.Francesca Ducker, a thirdyear transfer studies student, said the free health supplies can benefit students.
Over the same time, en rollment of female students at AACC has declined by 21.7%, according to the college.
“[Eatingagreed.healthy is im portant] so you don’t get health problems in the fu ture,” Schlette noted. “You don’t want high blood pres
Second-year baking and pastry student Marissa Schlette
According to Millner, col lege may not be as big a pri ority for some as finding a job and taking care of elderly lovedMillnerones. said male enroll ment also could be declining because more men want to pursue jobs after high school.
“Without a dramatic re-engagement in their edu cation, the potential loss to these students’ earnings and futures is significant,” Shap iro said. “[This] will greatly impact the nation as a whole in years to come.”
Donnell Foote was a firstyear creative writing student when he dropped out of AACC in 2020 because, he said, he wanted to pursue creative
Doug Shapiro, executive director of the National Stu dent Clearinghouse Research Center, said in a press re lease that many undergrad uate students sat out during COVID-19.
Photo by Dan Elson
“I think it’s important to give students access to ne cessities that can support them as a student, so that they can do better and worry
Stewart’s classmate Hele na Smith, also a second-year baking and pastry student, said it’s important to eat healthy.“Ifyou eat too many fats [they] are going to build up,” Smith said. “And if you don’t exercise, then the fats [are] just going to keep building up.”
Dan Elson Editor-in-Chief
Dan Elson Editor-in-Chief
More than 9,000 stu dents enrolled at AACC this semester, according to the Office of Strategic Commu nications. Among them, 39.1%—slightly more than
Baking and pastry students say it's easier than you might think to throw together affordable, healthy snacks. Shutterstock photo
But the pandemic, which delayed everything from shipments of groceries to car repair, held up the approval the club needed to perform the copyrighted play.
Theater professor Sean Urbantke said the actors chose “Clue” as the club’s comeback“Murderperformance.mystery was brought up as a suggestion for something fun that people could get behind, and ‘Clue’ kind of came up naturally af ter … throwing the idea out
“excessively confident.”
“I’ve never experienced it before in my professional life,” Urbantke said. “It has never taken three months to
Campus Current | 2022 | April | Entertainment 9
Now that rehearsals are well underway, Binnix said the play will serve as a “good welcome back” to live theater.
there,” Urbantke said.
For the first time in al most three years, The The atre at AACC will put on an in-person production on campus.Thecast of student actors will perform the play “Clue: On Stage” on April 14, 16, 22, 23 and 24 in the Kauffman Theater.Second-year entrepre neurship student Lauryn Damron, the president of the student theater club, said she is looking forward to the group’s first in-person per formance since the pandemic closed the campus in March 2020.
The comedic murdermystery, adapted from the screenplay of the 1985 movie “Clue,” starring Tim Curry, is based on the popular board
get a license agreement for a play.”
Zack Buster Associate Editor
Photo courtesy of Maggie Urban
“This going to be so ex citing,” Damron said. “This is our first … in-person produc tion post pandemic.”
“We have really good chemistry amongst each other,” Binnix said. “I think our comedic timing is pretty natural.”
The cast and crew of "Clue: On Stage" pose for a photo in Kauffman Theater. The production will run for five nights, starting on April 14.
game of the same name. In the play, the six main characters—Miss Scarlet, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. Pea cock, Professor Plum, Mr. Green and Mrs. White—re ceive an invitation from an unknown source, blackmail ing them into attending a dinner party in a large man sion. Throughout the party, characters are killed off one by one in what Madeline Austin, the play’s director, calls a First-year“whodunit.”electrical engi neering student Erik Binnex, who plays Colonel Mustard in the play, said his char acter is “intimidating” but “oblivious” and falls short of the confidence the dinner guests place in him to solve the crime. About the rank of colonel, Binnix said, “It’s obvious somebody made a mistake.”Damron, who plays Mrs. White, said her character is an “older, dramatic woman,” whom Binnix described as
Theater club stages ‘Clue’
“I'm hoping that I can help the students really learn the benefits of golf,” said O'Donnell, who has golfed since he was 7 years
committed to golf.
Athletic Director Duane Herr said it’s common for schools to have two trainers.
old and played on his high school and college teams. “[I want to] help them improve their skills [and] at the same time really learn an appreci ation for the game.”
Aaliyah Odom is the new associate athletic trainer and strength and conditioning coach. She is the sec ond athletic trainer on campus.
great,” Hinkle said.
1st-year coach to run golf season this year
Photo by Will Faulk
Second-year transfer studies student Dylan Weiss, a golfer, said O’Donnell wants the team to perform well.
“I think he's a great fit for this team,” Weiss said.
Teammate Austin Smith, a first-year psychology stu dent, agreed.
“I think that just having [one] more on board [and] getting trained by her [is]
“So I kind of had to re assess my path in life, which kind of led me to go back to school part time, which is starting to ramp up now full time,” Henderson said.
Henderson, one of eight golfers on the team, said his college experience is “defi nitely different” and he is putting pressure on himself to perform."Iwant to go out there
The season started March 26, when the Riverhawks played in the Catholic Uni versity Cardinal Classic tour nament at Black Rock Golf Course in Hagerstown.
honestly,” Smith said. “It’s worked out for me, and hopefully for him this year.”
not only for myself, but rep resenting the school and my teammates,” Henderson said. “I want to try to prove to myself that I can play to a higherStill,standard."Henderson said he’s excited to play this season, which started March 26.
Dan Elson Editor-in-Chief
Photo by Will Faulk
A 37-year-old who en rolled at AACC two years ago will play for the Riverhawks golf team this season.
AACC hired a former Clarion University soccer player as its second athletic trainer in February.
these guys. I feel like I have a leader role in the team.”
First-year golf coach Dave O’Donnell came to AACC from a Pennsylvania high school, where he coached a women’s tennis team.
37 year old competes for Riverhawks team
37-year old student golfer David Henderson practices.
“He has a lot of experi ence,” coach Dave O’Donnell said. “[He] ... has the ability to learn from past mistakes. I think it's great to have him here.”Still, Henderson said he is “a little nervous … and still trying to prove myself to
He called playing for the team a “unique experience.”
Weiss agreed.
“It's been a great experi ence so far,” O’Donnell said. “And you know, I think it's only going to get better as the weather gets better.”
First-year physical ther apy student Eric Hall, an out fielder, said it benefits the college to have two athletic trainers.
fielder in lacrosse, said she is “thrilled” to have another athletic trainer at AACC.
“I've tried to give the team the night off when we've had some bad weath er and they keep saying, ‘No coach, we need to practice,’ so you know, I'm there for them,” O'Donnell said. “I think [the practice time] will pay off when we get into [the season].”
Before coaching the golf team, Dave O’Donnell, the development director for Baltimore Public Markets Corp., helped run a women’s tennis team in Pennsylvania. He said his goal for the team is to help the eight players “grow as golfers and people.”
Dan Elson Editor-in-Chief
He said the players are
Henderson spent about 15 years as a lighting special ist for concerts and entertain ment events until he lost his job during the pandemic.
A Baltimore develop ment director is AACC’s new head golf coach.
Photo by Graig Bracey
“He's got good intentions for everyone,” Weiss said. “He's always willing to ... help everyone with their prob lems if they have any.”
Second-year business administration student Da vid Henderson said he start ed playing golf five years ago.
“He has a lot of experi ence [and] a lot more life ex perience,” Smith said.
“[I] probably couldn’t ask for a better coach,
college before joining the Riverhawks, which she said “seemed like a good fit.”
O’Donnell said it’s an ad vantage to have Henderson on the team.
First-year psycholo gy student Austin Smith, a golfer, said it’s great having O’Donnell as the coach.
“We are one of the larg est in terms of athletic de partments and the number of programs that we offer,” Herr said. “We have 13 pro grams and over 150 student athletes that need support. So we're just meeting the needs of our student athletes and our Second-yearprograms.” nursing student Lacey Hinkle, a mid
erything runs smoothly and safely.”“It’ll be exciting to not only be able to help with the students’ injuries and just coverage on campus,” Odom said. “But also being able to help develop some strength and conditioning programs for the teams to hopefully help them to excel.”
| Campus Current | 2022 | April10 Sports
Dan Elson Editor-in-Chief
O’Donnell said he’s excit ed about the season.
Athletic Department hires another trainer
Aaliyah Odom, the new associate athletic trainer and strength and conditioning coach, said she is “big on pre vention, evaluation, treat ing injuries and just kind of maintaining the health of the athletes and keeping the communication open … with coaches, parents [and] athletes … to make sure ev
AACC’s other trainer is Amber Stanley, the coordi nator of sports medicine and student athlete welfare.
Odom worked as an ath letic trainer for two Eastern Shore high schools after
The Riverhawks' 10-member softball team will play 16 games in April.
Photo by Frank Fitzgeralde Libom
“It’s definitely a little stressful when it comes to the possibility of injury,” Storm, who plays third base, said. “But at the end of the day we just played. We played so good [on opening day], and you have many more times to bat” with fewer players on the team.Klingensmith said he is trying to recruit players through social media and by asking players to bring their friends on board.
mental toll knowing that we only have [10] right now,” Klingensmith said. Still, he said the players are not showing fatigue.
“So that 10th [player] is a big help,” Klingensmith said. “It certainly has loosened up the group a little bit.”
Dan Elson Editor-in-Chief Jayden Flood Reporter
The teams facing AACC have an average of 13 to 14 players on their rosters.
be able to adjust the date.”
Softball roster has 10 players
“I think it’s more of a
AACC’s softball team add ed a 10th player on March 11 after splitting a double-head er on its opening day last month with only nine women on the roster.
Campus Current | 2022 | April | 11 Sports
Softball head coach Guy Klingensmith expressed relief when the 10th play er joined the team. A team with fewer than nine players on game day will forfeit the match.
Klingensmith said a ros ter with just 10 players is slim.“It would make us feel a lot better if we had 11 or 12,” Klingensmith noted. “We’re stressed [and] everybody is stressed.”Second-year radiology student Skylar Storm agreed. Because the team has so few players, each student has to play the full game every time, she said.
Second-year health sci ence student Jaclyn Nevins said she is optimistic for a good season despite the shortage of players.
How to Register? Visit the following link to register for the event, https://conta.cc/3GDl5sA AACC's �100,000 Business Pitch Competition and Awards Ceremony Join Us! In Tuesday,orpersononlineApril 26 3:30 - 6:00 p.m. HLSB 100 or Zoom In AACC’s version of the ABC Network’s “Shark Tank,” credit and noncredit students who have successfully completed an AACC course in the last year compete for money to support their business ventures. Students submit comprehensive business plans and finalists pitch their idea to a panel of judges who evaluate and determine awards.
“We can’t play with eight,” Klingensmith said. “We would probably talk to the other [team] and say, ‘Hey, we got a girl with COVID-19. We got a girl injured.’ We [would]
“I think we’re a strong group,” said Nevins, a pitcher and a shortstop. “So I real ly don’t think it matters that way.”
| Campus Current | 2022 | April12
