February 2020

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Maryland judge speaks at MLK Memorial Breakfast.

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AACC Athletics opens online gear store with Riverhawks merch.

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Coaches may talk to media Christian Richey Editor-in-Chief

AACC’s Athletics Director said in January his department’s practice of asking coaches and journalists to arrange media interviews through the department's communications coordinator was never intended to violate anyone’s First Amendment rights.

“In no way would I ever intend or direct anybody in my staff to violate a law or impede the success of a stu-

dent,” Duane Herr told Campus Current.

Herr’s comments are in response to a December Campus Current article that quoted a media lawyer and two student editors saying they believed Athletics was in breach of the law.

The editors sought the legal opinion after multiple coaches told student reporters they were not allowed to talk to the media without the permission of the assistant athletic director who handles communications

Coaches may speak to Campus Current, according to Athletics Director Duane Herr. Pictured: Men’s Basketball coach Joe Snowden (left), forward Michael Sullivan, guard Matthew Kern and assistant coach Joe Gray.

Photo by Jacob Hudson for the department.

Herr responded that coaches and players are free to speak to the media without permission. He

said the coaches who told Campus Current reporters otherwise misunderstood the department’s guidelines.

Since Herr learned about

Annapolis, will lead the Campus Current staff and the production of the monthly print newspaper and its daily digital edition. He will also assign and edit stories.

“I am really honored to be given the opportunity to do this and I am kind of

Second-year journalism student Christian Richey takes over as editor-in-chief.

Photo by Mackenzie Airey

New Campus Current editor steps into role Jacob Hudson Associate Editor

Campus Current’s former associate editor became the editor-in-chief of AACC’s student newspaper in January.

Second-year journalism student Christian Richey, who joined Campus Current

last summer, replaced outgoing editor Amber Nathan.

“I think Christian is going to be amazing and I am very proud of him,” Nathan, a third-year communications student, said. “He was a very good associate editor and I am happy he is the one that took over for me.”

Richey, who lives in

Continued on page 3

Continued on page 3

Ring Road opens up, construction goes on Jacob Hudson Associate Editor

Ring Road opens as construction continues on the Health and Life Sciences Building.

Photo by Jacob Hudson

the article, he said, Athletics has “sent three communications out to our coaches that

AACC reopened Ring Road in January.

Ring Road had previously been closed since December 2018 because of the construction on the Health and

Life Sciences Building.

Jim Taylor, director of facilities planning and construction, said the road is permanently open—with a few changes. Construction on the Health and Life Sciences Building will finish in summer 2021.

“We extended traffic [on Ring Road] going two ways a further distance,” Taylor said. “Before, you would have only been able to go one way and been routed through C lot. All Continued on page 3

2 | Campus Current | 2020 | February

Editorial

Meet the Staff

Choose paths, majors wisely Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief Christian Richey Associate Editor Jacob Hudson Graphics Editor Mackenzie Airey Contributors Amber Nathan Brayden Nazarian Daniel Nickerson Roxanne Ready Daniel Salomon Faculty Adviser Sharon O’Malley

Photographers on Page 1, top Maryland Judiciary Ashley Sokolowski Jacob Hudson

Twitter @campus_current Facebook Facebook.com/ CampusCurrentPaper Instagram campuscurrentaacc

Contact 410-777-2296 CampusCurrent @gmail.com

Advertise With Us! Advertising Manager 410-777-2803 CampusCurrentAdverts @gmail.com

101 College Parkway Arnold, MD 21012

Many students arrive at AACC with their minds made up about what they would like to do for the rest of their lives. But it’s a good idea to look around once you get here, try something new and pursue interests outside of your major.

You just might change your mind. College seems like a good place to figure out your future, even if you thought your plans were set before you ever set foot on campus.

Aside from courses in traditional academic subjects, AACC offers classes in cooking, coding, ceramics, dance, poetry, theater, mechatronics, sculpting, painting and many other fields. This gives students the opportunity to try any number of topics they may have an interest in.

We encourage students to try out one or more of

Staff Column

these classes. You might just find a new passion.

Students declare, with their majors, what they’d like to do for the rest of their lives.

Some have had their minds set since childhood.

Some have received guidance from parents and counselors. Some decide in the time it takes to fill out a registration form.

That decision isn’t irrevocable. Students should keep an open mind. It’s possible the perfect career for you is in a field you never knew about until you learned something new in a classroom.

Sure, your parents might push you to pick a secure career path with little risk.

But this is your life, and any decision about your career should be yours.

You might not choose a path that is as secure or as lucrative as the one your parents would like you to

?

Students should remain open to different majors and challenge any fears they may have of changing career paths.

Graphic by Mackenzie Airey pursue. But if it’s rewarding and engaging for you, that seems important, too.

Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to major in a field that you’ll happily work in for the rest of your life. But that seems like a big decision for someone to make right after high school.

Students shouldn’t pressure themselves to hastily choose what they’d like to do with the rest of their lives.

Instead, take advantage of what community college has to offer—hundreds of choic-

es to try on, test out and take into consideration during your time here.

One great advantage of community college is that students have this time to explore the possibilities and engage in interesting curriculum at a lower price than we would pay at a four-year institution.

Whether it’s an interesting elective or an engaging requirement, you may find your future where you least expect it. If you do, change your plans.

Small donations add up big Mackenzie Airey Graphics Editor

Small donations can make a big impact when it comes to raising money for charities and disaster victims. Your dollar or handful of change may not seem like a lot, but when you add it to everyone else’s, it can make a difference in the world.

If each person in a crowd of 100 donated $1 each, it would add up to $100. If each person in the crowd donated $5, it would add up to $500, and so on.

Spare dollars here and there add up to thousands or even millions for a worthy cause. Even if you think you can’t really help or don’t have a lot to donate, you can still make an impact.

At some stores, you can round your total up to the nearest dollar to donate the extra cents to a cause. This is just spare change and is often not even that noticeable to you.

But if customers are doing this all throughout the day and it is happening at multiple cash registers at once, it can add up to a lot at the end. It is almost like

when you take jars of loose coins to Coinstar; it doesn’t seem like a lot because it’s just change, but you can get a sizable amount of cash back.

At Firehouse Subs, for example, every cashier asks customers if they would like to round their order up to the next dollar as part of their Round Up and Fill Your Cup program. The fast-food restaurant has been able to donate more than $48 million to first responders as a result.

Some stores, including several local grocery stores, T.J.Maxx and Marshalls, sometimes have the option to donate to a charity or to medical research at the end of your transaction. They often give the choice of adding a donation of $1, $5 or $10 to the price of your purchase.

Donating $1 makes a difference when you can spare the extra dollar here or there.

It helps to raise more money for worthy causes.

Some companies, like the American Red Cross and Best Friends Animal Society, will match your donation dollar-for-dollar if you contribute at certain times of the year. This way, your donation is doubled and it makes an

Students should consider giving spare change to charity, as every little bit helps make a difference, says staff columnist Mackenzie Airey.

Photo by Daniel Salomon even greater impact.

If it doesn’t seem like your small donation is a big deal, consider how presidential candidate Bernie Sanders raises money for his campaign. He is the candidate who had the most small donors last year—77% of his donations were less than $200. His average donation size was $27.

Altogether, Sanders was able to raise $34.5 million in

the fourth quarter of 2019, according to his campaign.

He did this all without accepting big corporations’ money.

You don’t need to be a millionaire or a billionaire to make a difference.

As a college student you don’t always have the extra dollars here or there, but when you can donate, it really does make a difference, no matter how small.

Campus Current | 2020 | February | 3

News

Coaches may speak openly to newspaper Continued from page 1

they in no way are required to go through our office” for interviews, he said. “We’ve never said they cannot speak to any media outlet before getting permissions.”

In mid-January, however, four of six coaches contacted by Campus Current after the article appeared repeated their belief that they may not speak to reporters without permission.

One said he believed he could be fired for it.

But Herr said disciplinary action has “never been suggested, or stated or threatened. … I’ve actu-

ally emailed them … and let them know that in no way would they be disciplined for speaking with the media.”

Herr said he would continue to clarify those details with coaches.

“I think there’s just some really good conversations that have happened since that article came out to really communicate … what the practice is on our end to our coaches, what their rights are and why we’re doing what we’re doing so that they don’t feel that they’re not supposed to talk to anybody,” Herr said.

Amber Nathan, Campus Current’s former edi-

tor-in-chief and one of the student journalists who sought the legal opinion, said the student newspaper’s sports pages will benefit from an improved relationship with Athletics.

“I think it will bring us closer,” said Nathan, a thirdyear communications student. “Both sides will be happier.”

Herr agreed.

“Our office has the desire to work with Campus Current and work with the student reporters,” he said.

He added, “and we want to make sure that it’s a welcoming and open environment.”

Journalism student becomes new editor Continued from page 1

First-year communications student Jacob Hudson (left) interviews second-year journalism student and new Campus Current Editor-in-Chief Christian Richey.

Photo by Mackenzie Airey

excited,” Richey said. “I think it’s going to be a great time.”

Richey said he plans to increase the newspaper’s social media presence and include multimedia elements, like video interviews, on the digital edition.

Richey also said he hopes to increase readership of the newspaper across campus.

Ring Road fully open; commuters ‘excited’ Continued from page 1

fer studies student Quaid Chaney said. “You see all the commotion going on and it’s a big new building. I can’t wait to see what it looks like when it’s done.”

Young added, “Yes it is exciting. I am a nursing student and it is going to be a nursing building.”

Taylor offered some advice to long-time staff members and students.

“If you are a staff member, faculty member who’s been around here for a while it is different,” said Taylor.

“Slow down, pay attention; it’s a little different.”

AACC posted signs across the campus to help commuters adjust to the new route.

Richey’s colleagues said he is the best choice for the position.

“[Richey is] very motivated and he really has a passion for journalism.”

Student Amber Nathan

“He’s a fantastic writer, a good reporter with a very good sense of what’s news,”

said professor Sharon O’Malley, Campus Current’s faculty adviser.

Nathan agreed. “I think he’s … very bold,” she said.

“He’s very motivated and he really has a passion for journalism.”

Richey said he plans to study journalism at a fouryear university such as University of Maryland and to work at a large paper one day.

N W

Lot D

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CONST

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Ring Road CONST CONSTRUCTION GYM

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Road Ring

that’s changed now.”

The changes include the reopening of Ring Road off of College Parkway near the various sports practice fields. Drivers can make a left turn immediately toward Lot D and continue driving in that direction until they reach Lot C. That part of Ring Road is open for two-way traffic.

Lot C, which drivers were using as both a parking lot and a detour while part of Ring Road was closed for the past year, has returned to how it was before construction began.

Drivers can find maps on the AACC website to help

them navigate the new traffic route and construction areas around the campus.

A new parking lot will open north of the gym when the Health and Life Sciences Building is finished.

Students have complained that parking was hard to find over the past year.

“Last semester I had to park further just because a couple parking spots were taken so it took me a little bit longer to walk to class,” first-year nursing student Jasmine Young said.

But others said they are “excited” for the new building.

“It’s kind of exciting in a way,” second-year trans-

Campus Current reporters regularly interview coaches and players for newspaper articles. Pictured: Men’s Basketball forward Keith Wyatt Jr. (left) and assistant coach Clinton Smith.

Photo by Brayden Nazarian

LUDL

LBRY HUM PCPA

PLNT

MATH CDC

Ring Road is fully open while construction goes on for the Health and Life Sciences Building.

Graphic by Mackenzie Airey

4 | Campus Current | 2020 | February

News

English 102 teachers choose special topics Jacob Hudson Associate Editor

Some English 102 courses will focus on themes such as social justice, Woodstock and apartheid this semester.

This is the first semester AACC will offer English 102, which replaced English 112.

English 101, which replaced English 111, debuted last semester.

More than 20 sections of English 102 will feature specific themes such as World War I, “creepy literature and ethics,” illegal drugs, biraciality and ecofeminism. But several instructors will teach sections without themes, so students may choose.

However, the online and printed spring course catalogs do not identify sections of English 102 that feature themes.

Students can get this information by contacting an academic adviser or the professor teaching the class.

“Students can take something they are interested in taking,” Dr. Candice Hill, a professor of English and course coordinator of academic research and writing, said. “It is easier to write about something that you like.”

Dr. Danny Hoey, assistant dean for English, reading and communications, agreed.

“Students tend to do better in classes that they can relate to,” he said.

“What’s rich about this course is the variety of topics, and it is interesting to see what faculty choose to write about,” professor Dave Meng, academic chair of the English Department, said.

Meng urged students to investigate themes that may interest them before registering for English 102.

Hill said each instructor has the option to identify a theme for English 102. The English Department approves the themes.

She said future editions

of the online course catalog will identify English 102 sections with themes.

Hoey said the themes will return during future semesters.

Students called the themes “interesting.”

“I think it’ll be interesting,” said second-year transfer studies student Judy Reier. “Instead of having the same basic English course you get something a little different.”

Fifth-year general studies student Paul Pope agreed.

“That could be really creative and challenging and I bet it keeps it really interesting for the professor,” Pope said. “It gives the professor flexibility to teach more topical stuff as well as older classical stuff.”

Some additional English 102 themes are: democracy; rebellion/politics/revenge; magic and witchcraft in classical Greece and Rome; decision-making; and leadership.

Learning community, sections use themes Three sections of English 102 will focus on themes related to fields of interest, or FOIs: • Section 020: Uncovering Academic Identity, FOI: Criminal Justice • Section 033: Reinventing Ourselves: Stories of Change and Transfer, FOI: Transfer Studies • Section 026: Health and Human Services In addition, Hill and Dr. Susan Kilgard, who teaches

Communications 111, Fundamentals of Oral Communication, have partnered to offer a learning community on the topic of “Last W(rites): Dealing with, not Dwelling in Death.”

Students taking the learning community must enroll in Section 078 of both ENG 102 and COM 111 and attend back-toback classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.

English professor Candice Hill is teaching a section of ENG 102 on how to deal with death as part of a learning community with a COM 111 class.

Photo by Christian Richey

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Campus Current | 2020 | February | 5

News

Judge speaks at MLK Memorial Breakfast Christian Richey Editor-In-Chief

The keynote speaker for the 39th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast said on Jan. 20 the civil rights leader’s actions and advocacy inspired her to “always do what is right.”

King’s famous quote, “The time is always right to do what is right,” was the theme of the breakfast at Live! Casino & Hotel, which AACC co-sponsored.

“Every day I’m faced with people who have problems and [are] looking for me to make the right decision,” the breakfast speaker, Associate Judge Elizabeth S. Morris, said in a Campus Current interview before the event.

“To make the right decision I have to follow the law. So as a jurist [King’s quote] definitely means a lot to me.”

In October 2018, Morris became the first African American woman to serve

as an associate judge of the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, 5th Judicial Circuit.

Morris’ speech detailed how King’s quote has influenced her life and career, starting from her childhood.

Morris said when she was a child in ballet class a teacher remarked about the darkness of her skin, making her feel ashamed.

“I remember feeling ashamed; I remember being silent,” Morris said. “It was a period of time where you wouldn’t be able to see me without having my ballet slippers on and eventually her attitude led me to leave dance.”

Morris said King’s words may make people consider how to handle racially insensitive situations.

Morris said when “people make either racially insensitive comments, or where there [is unconscious] bias or lack of diver-

sity, how do you address the situation, and at that time what is the right thing to do?”

Morris also said King’s sentiment influences her parenting.

“I have an 11-year-old girl who was about the same age as me when I had that incident occur to me in that ballet class,” Morris said.

“With her, she’s now facing situations where she’s becoming more aware of the differences in the world … so personally, as a mother, that theme really means a lot to me because of some of these frank conversations that I’ve been having with her.”

Morris said King's fight for civil rights paved the way for her success.

Morris said King had “given [her] the opportunity to become a judge, a lawyer [and] to go to college.”

When she heard she would be speaking at the breakfast, Morris said she

The Hon. Elizabeth S. Morris says she was happy to accept the role of keynote speaker at the 39th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast.

Photo courtesy of the Maryland Judiciary felt excited and nervous.

“I’ve attended past Martin Luther King Memorial Breakfasts and I know that the keynote speakers are al-

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6 | Campus Current | 2020 | February

Campus Life

Ratcliffe Foundation names ESI prof. CEO Christian Richey Editor-in-Chief

Fun and Games

The chair of the Entrepreneurial Studies Institute retired in January after approximately 20 years at AACC and became the CEO of the Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation.

The foundation, which donates millions of dollars to colleges, hired business management entrepreneurship professor Carlene Cassidy following the death of its co-founders, Philip, who died in 2009, and Carole, who passed in 2018.

The foundation’s first donation was to AACC in 2003.

“I knew [the Ratcliffes] professionally, but I also came to be friends with them,” Cassidy said. “This is probably the only opportunity that I ever would leave AACC to pursue.”

Cassidy said she came to AACC as an adjunct, teach-

ing BPA-111: Business and Its Environment, and then joined the full-time faculty in 2002.

“One day I just woke up and thought about what was the best part of my week and it was my class,” Cassidy said.

“So after spending the better part of 20 years in corporate America doing a lot of different things … I knew that there was something different for me to do.”

In 2003 Cassidy started the Entrepreneurial Studies Institute, which created classes for student entrepreneurs, and the Hatchery, an incubator for small businesses.

“I was asked to start the Entrepreneurial Studies Institute, which I initially declined because I didn’t know how to say or spell entrepreneur,” Cassidy said. “What inspired me [to accept] was just meeting with students who either had a business and wanted to grow it or

they wanted to start a business.”

Professor Stephanie Goldenberg, who became interim chair of the Entrepreneurial Studies Institute on Jan. 16, said Cassidy inspires those she works with and looks to help students succeed.

“When she walks into a room people flock to her; they want to talk to her,” Goldenberg said. “She has energy and enthusiasm and she just really wants to see the best in everyone. …

Whatever she does it’s to make you better, to inspire you to be better.”

Cassidy said she will miss watching her students grow.

“You get a front-row seat to growth and transformation and that’s just amazing,” Cassidy said. “I’ll miss that.”

Cassidy co-authored three textbooks during her tenure at AACC, including “Supervision,” “Manage-

Did you know?

Former entrepreneurship professor and chair of the Entrepreneurial Studies Institute Carlene Cassidy retires to become CEO of the Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation.

Photo by Christian Richey ment” and “Administrative Management.”

AACC business professors still assign “Administrative Management” in their classes.

Cassidy said she believes in lifelong learning.

“You’re never too old to learn something new, and you’re never too old to dream,” Cassidy said.

Second-year early childhood development student

Michael Bottega said he appreciates Cassidy’s work.

“She’s done so much for this scholarship program,” Bottega said.

Seventh-year business management student Dalton Leonard said Cassidy has greatly motivated him.

“Professor Cassidy is one of the most authentic people I know, and for me personally she is the fire beneath my feet,” Leonard said.

Sudoku

You might be eligible for a grant to cover your tuition.

To apply, students need to do two things: submit a FAFSA or MSFAA application, listing AACC on it, by March 1, and watch for and reply to follow-up communication from the Maryland Higher Education Commission, or MHEC. For more info, just Google “AACC Promise Scholarship” and click on the AACC.edu result.

Reporting by Roxanne Ready Photo by Christian Richey

?

Looking for answers?

Check TheCampusCurrent.com on Feb. 29.

?

Campus Current | 2020 | February | 7

Campus Life

Drones give students soaring opportunity Amber Nathan Contributor

In Annapolis in 1997, a baby came into the world who would one day want to fly.

Born prematurely, Nathaniel Disney weighed 1 pound, 1 ounce. He spent four years in a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy from the ages of 9 to 13.

However, he said he has always dreamed of flying.

Disney, a third-year transfer studies student, said he often traveled in airplanes as a child.

“As a kid I always wanted to fly,” Disney said. “I loved flying. … I loved going fast.

So that always was an ambition of mine, a dream to be a fighter pilot for the military.”

But in middle school, Disney learned he couldn’t fly for the military because he had muscle complications in his leg from cerebral palsy.

Still, he did not give up.

“My passion still burned for flying,” Disney said.

So he turned to drones— small, unmanned aircraft often used to take photos and video footage.

Some drone pilots use special, high-tech goggles to see through a camera attached to the drone while it’s flying. This type of drone piloting—also known as first-person view flying— is like being in a Star Wars movie, according to Disney.

“It’s like you’re flying like a podracer in Star Wars,” Disney said. “You’re like a bird. … It’s like a rollercoaster that you can control and it … gets your heart racing.

It’s like skydiving without a parachute.”

Professors and students at AACC use drones in classes.

Time-based media professor Zoe Friedman required her students to use drone footage of the campus as part of a video project.

“I’ve been thinking about

how to integrate [drones] into the classroom and have students feel like they can easily access this,” Friedman said.

Colin Wolfe, a non-degree seeking student, said he enjoyed learning about drones as part of Friedman’s class.

But he said he didn’t like that he couldn’t fly the drones himself.

“My least favorite part was that in order to fly [the drones] ourselves, we have to get certified,” Wolfe said.

AACC offers two one-credit classes this semester that will prepare students to take the Federal Aviation Administration test to become certified drone pilots.

From there, students can take flight school classes to learn how to fly drones.

Architecture and landscaping professors Robert Lowe and Brandi Shepard, program coordinator for

Former Campus Current Editor-in-Chief Amber Nathan watches Tim Tumelty, who is in charge of AACC’s drone program, fly a drone on campus.

Photo courtersy of Tim Tumelty construction management, use drones in their classes to examine AACC buildings for sustainable features such as vegetated roofs. The plants grown on “green roofs” absorb rainwater before it can become runoff.

The AACC drone lab in

Careers 184 launched in summer 2018.

Instructional specialist Tim Tumelty is in charge of the drone program at AACC. Professors can make appointments with Tumelty to have him fly drones for their classes.

Fun and Games

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Looking for answers?

Check TheCampusCurrent.com on Feb. 29.

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8 | Campus Current | 2020 | February

Campus Life

Adjuncts offer outside views Christian Richey Editor-in-Chief

Jerry Ascione sat with his band in the White House, playing Tchaikovsky and native folk songs for an audience of Russian diplomats.

Afterward, the diplomats overflowed with compliments, and though they spoke no English and Ascione spoke no Russian, he said he felt their sentiments.

Ascione spent 30 years with the U.S. Navy Concert Band and as a solo pianist who regularly performed at the White House and the vice president’s quarters during official events for foreign diplomats and presidents, including Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. He retired before Barack Obama took office.

“They’re very nice people,” Ascione said.

Today, Ascione teaches piano part-time at AACC.

He’s among approximately 1,000 adjuncts who bring years of experience in their fields into AACC classrooms, according to Vice President for Learning Mike Gavin.

“An adjunct is somebody who teaches a course or multiple courses, but not at the full-time … load,” Gavin said, “ensuring that our students learn just as well no matter who’s teaching the course.”

Unlike full-time professors, many adjuncts hold non-academic jobs outside of the college, Gavin said.

Adjunct business instructor Lou Carloni works full-time as a business consultant, but said he has a passion for teaching. In addition to working at AACC, he is a Boy Scout and Girl Scout troop leader.

“I’ve spent the bulk of my life working with [high school and college students],” said Carloni, who has taught here since 1994. “I never wanted to give up having a real touch

Adjunct business instructor Lou Carloni brings his consulting experience into AACC classrooms.

Photo by Christian Richey with the kids through college or high school.”

“He’s one of my favorite professors,” second-year business finance student April Walker, who took Carloni’s Business and Its Environment class last semester, said. “I’ve had other professors that are full-time. He puts in just the same amount of time. … He’s actually been better than most of my fulltime professors.”

Gavin said adjuncts are hired through academic departments, while full-

time faculty candidates go through interviews with other faculty, their dean, Gavin and the college’s president.

Alex Brady joined AACC full-time as an audio-visual specialist in 2005 before becoming an adjunct lecturer in 2011.

“I toyed around with the idea of maybe wanting to be a high school teacher, but I thought it would be interesting to try teaching college first,” said Brady, who teaches world architecture courses.

Second-year architecture

student Tyler Murphy called Brady “one of the greatest professors. … He is just very passionate about it and it spreads to his students.”

Some adjunct faculty, like Margaret Rorison, teach at multiple institutions.

“As an adjunct, you need to do a lot of different jobs … to pay the bills,” she said.

Gavin said approximately 50% of full-time faculty members are former adjuncts. He said he would like for full-time professors to teach 60% of classes.

More information can be found at https://aaccathletics.com/landing/SWOOPteam

Campus Current | 2020 | February | 9

Campus Life

Topping Out Whiting-Turner places the final piece of steel in the frame of the new Health and Life Sciences Building on campus.

Photos by Mackenzie Airey Christian Richey

Coffee with the t n e r r Cu

Thursday Jan. 23, Noon-1 p.m. on the Quad Free coffee!

Free newspapers!

Meet the news staff!

10 | Campus Current | 2020 | February

TheCampusCurrent.com

Most Viewed of 2019

Grads walk at Live! event ctr.

Sarah Noble Contributor

AACC will hold its 57th commencement on May 23, 2019, at Live! Casino & Hotel near Arundel Mills.

Some AACC professors and students said they don’t approve. “[The casino is] not an educational facility,” English professor Suzanne Spoor said. “If our mission is about learning … does going to a casino undermine that mission?”

She added: “A college graduation at a casino detracts from the seriousness of the degree students receive and hurts the credi-

bility of the college as a degree-granting institution.”

Lydia Outland, a second-year transfer studies student, said having graduation “at a casino is sleazy.

What does that mean for people who have issues with gambling and alcohol to be in a casino? It doesn’t feel right to me.”

Anne Arundel County in November 2017 approved a tax break for a new hotel and event center that Live! opened last spring. As part of the deal, Live! must allow Anne Arundel County high schools and the community college to hold commencement ceremonies there.

Dan Baum, AACC’s ex-

AACC holds graduations at Live! Casino & Hotel near Arundel Mills.

Photo by Christina Browning ecutive director of strategic communications, said the college is “getting the opportunity early because the venue has been completed sooner than [Live!] anticipated.”

Students react to Sat. shooting at AMIL mall Alex Fregger Daniel Nickerson Contributors

A shooting occurred at the Arundel Mills Mall, just minutes away from one of AACC’s campuses, at around 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 16, 2019.

Ayod Shuford, a second-year AACC photography student, said his girlfriend, who works at Zumiez, heard a loud bang come from the direction of Modell’s Sporting Goods. After that everyone was confused, but the store manager pulled down the store’s gate and told every-

one to get in the back, he said.

“She also told me that the police knew about someone with a gun at the mall prior to the shooting but didn’t respond to it because it ‘wasn’t a threat,’” said Shuford.

Shuford wasn’t the only AACC student at the mall when the shot was fired.

“I was at work,” said Jesseca Greene, a third-year game art and design student.

“I was at the host stand at Nando’s and I just kind of wasn’t paying attention, and I looked to my right and there was just people running in a giant horde, in a stampede. It

was weird. I was like, ‘What’s happening,’ and then somebody screamed, ‘They’re shooting.’”

The campus is in a building separate from the mall where the shooting occurred.

AACC Officer Donald Medtart, who was on duty at the Arnold campus during the shooting, said no AACC police officers were at the Arundel Mills campus at the time of the shooting because “on weekends, if there’s no classes for a certain time, then the buildings try to get locked down and the officer leaves.”

Science and Technology and Mathematics; and a third for Health Sciences, Business and Law, and Continuing Education and Workforce Development.

A shooting took place at Arundel Mills Mall near Entrance 3 on Feb. 16, 2019.

Photo by Daniel Nickerson

For more information about these stories, see TheCampusCurrent.com

New MD tobacco law restricts smoking age Noah Reem Philip Van Slooten Contributors

The statewide age to purchase tobacco changed from 18 to 21, following a vote from the Maryland Legislature on April 3, 2019.

Photo by Sarah Noble

Because of the 4,000seat event center’s limited size, AACC will split its graduation into three separate events for graduates: one for Liberal Arts; another for

The Maryland Legislature voted to increase the legal age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21 on April 3, 2019.

The Legislature voted in favor of the bill, which increased the legal age to purchase Juuls and other e-cigarette products. However, 18- to 21-year-olds with a military ID are exempt from the ban.

Brooke Raino, a regis-

tered nurse in the Health and Wellness Center, said a Juul is a small, USB-shaped device containing liquid nicotine.

The bill was a response to an increase in teens younger than 18 who became addicted to vaping.

In an informal campus poll, most students said the law should treat 18- to 21-year-olds as adults.

Second-year transfer studies student Joey Niles said he would be OK with the legal age increasing.

“I don’t know if I would

quit but I probably would wait until I turn 21 to purchase those products again,” Niles said.

A National Youth Tobacco Survey showed e-cigarette use increased by 10.2% in middle and high schools from 2011 to 2017.

A study in the journal Tobacco Control showed 63% of Juul users 15 to 24 years old did not know nicotine was in vaping pods, and 15to 17-year-olds are 16 times more likely to vape than 25to 34-year-olds.

Campus Current | 2020 | February | 11

TheCampusCurrent.com

Man earns AA degree from AACC in prison Alexandra Radovic Contributor

In June 1996, 17-yearold Chris Wilson walked outside of his home in Washington, D.C., where two men followed him down the block.

In an attempt to escape them, he approached a 7-Eleven gas station, where customers were shopping and filling up their tanks.

The men cornered him.

“I had a gun on me, but I didn’t want to use it,” Wilson, author of “The Master Plan: My Journey from Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose,” re-

called. “They came up to me and surrounded me. They said, ‘We’ve been watching you. We know where you live at. We know where your mom be at, and we’re going to take her out.’”

When one of the men tried to walk behind Wilson, he recalled, “I just pulled my gun out and started firing at him.” The other man darted one way, and Wilson ran another.

“And I found out I killed someone,” Wilson said.

For his crime, Wilson got life in a maximum security prison, Patuxent Institution in Jessup, in 1997.

Nursing takes 4th in ranking Ashley Sokolowski Contributor

RegisteredNursing. org ranked AACC’s nursing program fourth in the state in January 2019.

RegisteredNursing. org ranks programs by the passing rates of the National Council Licensure Examination or NCLEX-RN. The exam determines if a person is prepared for entry-level nursing practice.

“I think it’s awesome,” Beth Batturs, nursing program director, said. “It acknowledges all the hard work of the faculty and the

students here at Anne Arundel Community College.”

The exam has four sections: safe, effective care environment; health promotion and maintenance; physiological integrity and psychological integrity.

Scorers determine the overall score by averaging previous pass rates of the past five years. AACC got an overall score of 94.19, which is 1.48 points behind No. 1 Cecil College’s score of 95.67.

“I think what helps to make the program top notch is the vision of one of the early department chairs ... that

But after 10 and a half years, judges reduced his sentence to 24 years. He served 16 and a half total.

He moved to a halfway house in 2011 and was free the following year.

As Wilson waited to make parole, he earned his associate degree in general studies from AACC, with a concentration in sociology.

From 2001 until almost 2013, AACC sent professors to the prison to teach English, math, science, business and other courses.

Fifty-six prisoners graduated while the program was in progress.

AACC’s only first-team All-American athlete will not return to Men’s Lacrosse this spring.

Face-off player Nick Karnes, who earned All-American honors from the National Junior College Athletic Association last year, said he is unable to redeem his position this spring because he didn’t meet the academic requirements to play.

“I didn’t manage my time

wisely,” Karnes, who was a full-time business student, said. “I didn’t balance it good. … I focused more on lacrosse.”

But Karnes said he enjoyed his time at AACC. “I made great friends and liked all the coaches,” Karnes said.

Karnes, who lives in Warrenton, Virginia, said his best memory at the college was his first game against Onondaga Community College, when he faced off against a player who went on to play lacrosse at a

Chris Wilson, a former inmate at Patuxent Institution, got his AACC degree while serving time. He wrote a book, “The Master Plan: My Journey from Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose,” and plans to help the production company Anonymous Content make it into a film.

Photo courtesy of Jai Lennard

A national organization ranks AACC’s nursing program fourth among Maryland colleges. Students practice nursing skills on dummies like these found in the Florestano Building.

Photo by Ashley Sokolowski we should have as much clinical time as possible,” Susan Fox, a professor and AACC’s

Lax star leaves team for academic reasons Ashley Sokolowski Contributor

Most Viewed of 2019

Division I university.

His teammates said they admired his dedication to the game.

“He was a great guy as well as teammate,” defenseman Zack Payne, who played with Karnes last season, said.

“He was a great help to the team and he will be missed.”

Charles Ellis, who also played with Karnes before transferring to Guilford College in North Carolina to play lacrosse, agreed.

Others agreed Karnes was a star on and off the field.

coordinator of nursing, said.

Shannon Murillo, a firstyear nursing student, said

so far, her overall experience in the program has been “pretty good.”

All-American lacrosse player Nick Karnes wins a face-off against Onondaga Community College last season.

Photo courtesy of Anthony Bellotte The Athletics Department created a position late last year for an academic adviser who will work exclusively with athletes.

“I think that’s awesome

and will help players tremendously with their school work,” Karnes said.

Payne left AACC to play lacrosse at Newberry College in South Carolina.

12 | Campus Current | 2020 | February

Campus Life

Food pantries might expand Christian Richey Editor-in-Chief

AACC’s new basic needs coordinator said in January she plans to expand AACC’s food pantries.

In addition, Caitlin Silver, who filled the newly created position in November, said she would like to offer financial literacy education to students receiving assistance through AACC’s HelpLink grant.

HelpLink offers up to $300 in emergency support to students facing financial difficulties.

“I want to expand our services to make sure that it’s a little bit more equitable across all three campuses,” Silver said. “Right now we don’t have a pantry at Arundel Mills. I’d like to see us build one there. I would like to see us expand our hours at Glen Burnie.”

The food pantries might, in the future, stock donated

clothes for students to wear to interviews, and personal hygiene items like soap and tampons.

“I would love to see us offer additional things besides food,” Silver said, “things that are difficult to get but we don’t always consider that they’re hard to get.”

“She’s a great asset in adding value to the number of services and the types of services we are able to offer students across all three campuses,” said Leon Thomas III, the director for the Office of Student Engagement, where Silver works.

He said Silver will spend time at all three of AACC’s campuses: Arundel Mills, Glen Burnie Town Center and Arnold.

Immanuel Patton, a second-year business management and entrepreneurship student who works with Silver in the pantry, said she’s been an asset to the team.

“She’s helpful, she’s

Caitlin Silver, the college’s new basic needs coordinator, says she plans to expand AACC’s food pantries to other campuses and add clothing and hygiene items.

Photo by Christian Richey mindful [and] she looks out for her teammates,” Patton said.

Fellow pantry worker Tiffany Gaudreault, a second-year medical lab technician student, said Silver is a kind and hardworking team member.

“She’s definitely filled a

need, but she’s also brought just a really great positive energy to the office,” Gaudreault said.

Silver said she hopes to see students use the resources available to them.

“I want students to know that there shouldn’t be any stigma attached to these

things,” Silver said. “So even though it can be hard to ask for help, that’s literally why I exist. So please feel free if you’re feeling like you need a little bit of assistance or you just want to come vent to me. Come in, talk to me and let’s see how I can support you.”

It’s not just a job,

it’s an opportunity.

“I wake up each morning inspired by the relationships I’ve built with the people I support every day. And there are thousands of people in our area that need daily help and support to thrive in our community. Which means that I’m doing truly meaningful work that’s impacting someone’s life in a positive way. ” — Tony P.

t r o p p u S ct ionals e r i D fess Pro Be Caring. Be Inspired. Be Impactful.

Apply today at: www.thearcccr.org/DSP Paid for by The Arc Central Chesapeake Region. An Equal Employment Opportunity.

Campus Current | 2020 | February |13

FIND YOUR FIT AT

HOOD COLLEGE

WE MAKE TRANSFERRING EASY FOR YOU: • Dedicated transfer admission counselors

• Transfer scholarships available

• Anne Arundel Community • More than 25 bachelor’s degrees College-specific scholarships to choose from available for full-time students

Transfer Tuesdays, 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month, 3-6 p.m.

Learn more at hood.edu/visit

14 | Campus Current | 2020 | February

CAMPUS CURRENT IS RECRUITING WE’RE LOOKING FOR Writers Editors Photographers Videographers

Web Designers Graphic Designers Podcasters Social Media Staff

Come and join our team!

Newsroom: HUM 206 *No prior experience required.

Campus Current | 2020 | February |15

Sports

Spring sports get underway Jacob Hudson Associate Editor

AACC spring sports started tryouts and practice in January.

Spring sports include Baseball, Softball, Men’s Lacrosse, Women’s Lacrosse and Golf.

Baseball Baseball finished last season with an 11-32 record.

“Our team chemistry is way better this year,” second-year pitcher Zach Rees said.

Lennie Lehner, a thirdyear first baseman and pitcher, agreed.

“This year I think we are more of a team,” he said.

Head coach Chris Jenkins said to expect many different lineups throughout the season.

“This year we have a lot of guys that pitch and play other positions,” Jenkins said.

Baseball’s first home

game is Feb. 21 against Salisbury University Club.

Softball Softball finished last season with a 13-23 record. The team returned first-team Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference pitcher Gracie Culley and outfielder Sylvia Frye from the 2019 season.

Softball’s first home game is March 7 against Mercer County Community College at 12 p.m.

Men’s Lacrosse Men’s Lacrosse midfielders Zach Burns and Brandon Belcher returned to the team this season, along with attacker Patrick McGinley, goalie Hugh Edwards and defenders Connor Bittner, Jacob Kotelchuck and Joe Threatt.

Men’s Lacrosse finished last year with a 7-6 record and made it to the Region 20 semifinals.

Men’s Lacrosse’s first home game is Feb. 22 against

Baseball center fielder Jaden Jones gets ready for the 2020 season. Baseball is one of five AACC spring sports.

Photo by Jacob Hudson Ocean City College at 1:30 p.m.

Women’s Lacrosse Women’s Lacrosse finished last season with a record of 11-4 and as national runner up in Region 20.

“The start of a new season is always exciting as you are looking at a new group,” said head coach Jim Griffiths,

Official athletic gear for sale on web store Jacob Hudson Associate Editor

AACC Athletics opened an online store in January to sell sports apparel with the blue, gold and white Riverhawks logo.

The store, part of athletic gear vendor SquadLocker, sells shirts, hoodies, pants, shorts, hats, backpacks and a blanket branded with the names of any of the college’s 12 sports teams.

“We have had fans and

more specifically student athletes and their parents interested in purchasing gear that resembles what the players wear and what the players get,” Hillary Fisher, assistant athletic director, communications, said.

The store is online only and features custom-made items. Fisher said SquadLocker makes each item when a consumer orders it.

The store sells Under Armour and Russell Athletic clothing in gray, black, gold,

A new athletic store is open online to sell gear and shirts similiar to those student athletes like Men’s Basketball forward Davon Jones wear for warm-ups.

Photo by Jacob Hudson

blue and white.

Prices range from $15.70 to $68.20.

Fans may mix and match colors and logos and can request any name or number for the back, sleeve or leg of some of the clothing for approximately $10 to $15.

SquadLocker ships each order directly to the consumer and passes part of the sales price to AACC, which applies it to the accounts that support each team, Fisher said.

Students said they’re interested in the online store.

“If it makes it easier for them to get it online, students may be encouraged to buy it more and show it off more,” Jamira Johnson, a third-year transfer studies student, said.

First-year computer science student Kyle Cho agreed.

“It shows support to the sports teams throughout the school,” Cho said. ”I think fans would be especially excited because they will be able to rep their favorite teams.”

Shoppers can access the store from the AACC Athletics website.

2019 Region 20 Coach of the Year.

Midfielders Bridgette Tayman and Natalie Sonntag returned to the team this season, along with attacker Jordan Snyder and defender Lacey Hinkle. All four earned MDJUCO first-team last year.

Women’s Lacrosse’s first game is March 7 against

West Virginia University Potomac State College at 4 p.m.

Golf Second-team All-American Luke Schwartz returned to the team.

Schwartz placed 11th at the NJCAA Division III Championship last season.

Golf finished last season as the Region 20 runner-up.

The Child Development Center at AACC EVENING CHILD CARE

(A free program for Pell Grant-eligible students) The Child Development Center at AACC in Arnold is providing evening child care for children ages 3 through 12 years.

This program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education – CCAMPIS (Child Care Access Means Parents In School) Grant.

Child care will be available from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

An application and preregistration are required. Registration for Fall 2019 begins July 1.

For information contact the center at 410-777-2450 or email LaVette Curtis, lvcurtis@aacc.edu.

We offer: Homework help Snacks Arts and crafts Indoor/outdoor play Toys and games Experienced staff

410-777-2450 | www.aacc.edu/cdc

16 | Campus Current | 2020 | February

Department Of New Student Transition Services February / March 2020 • Volume I • Issue 3

Hello and Happy New Year to our returning and new students!

My name is Amberdawn Cheatham and I am the new Director of New Student Transition Services! I am so glad to become a part of your support team on your journey towards academic and personal success. As a reminder, myself, and the New Student Transition Services squad is here to assist you with any of your needs that pertain to your success as a first time student. We do this through helping you establish connections to the many free and useful resources on campus. We want you to find your place here at AACC and the easiest way to do that is through intentional programs that help you build connections and keep you motivated throughout the semester! Speaking of motivation, it’s the New Year and hindsight is 2020 (see what I did there!), now is the perfect time to set goals and identify what resources will help you accomplish them! I hope we can be one resource for you! I look forward to meeting you at our Spring Opening Event! Watch your email for details!

Sincerely, Amberdawn Cheatham Director of New Student Transition Services

What is the Student Achievement and Success Program (SASP)? The Student Achievement and Success Program (SASP) is “a support and retention program at Anne Arundel Community College designed to increase the academic success, retention, graduation and transfer of students who traditionally may have more barriers and challenges to overcome in order to realize their goals” (AACC, 2017). There are many benefits of joining SASP such as an incentive scholarship of up to $1,000 an academic year, and the ability to borrow academic materials, such as textbooks, calculators and laptop computers.

For more information about SASP please call 410-777-2530 or email SASP@aacc.edu.

Meet Brea Karunwi, a Transfer Studies and Engineering major. Brea’s favorite thing about AACC so far has been working at SASP because “it is a friendly environment”. If Brea could give new River Hawk’s any advice it would be “Get involved! You will find so many interesting things you can excel at. Also, pick a great place to study on campus. My favorite place is the quiet study area on the third floor in the library. Check it out!”

Doing something awesome on campus? Let us know at snbrown8@aacc.edu and you may be featured as our next student of the month!