October 2019 Issue

The award-winning newspaper of Anne Arundel Community College TheCampusCurrent.com

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October 2019

News

Entertainment

Clubs

Proposed cannabis certification program on hold for now

AACC Opera debuts "Sunset Boulevard" in October

Drone Club uses new mind-controlled drones

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Page 15

Page 17

Construction kills parking Amber Nathan Editor-in-Chief

AACC students said in September the parking situation was bad on campus.

In an informal poll, 22 of 25 students said the parking lots were overcrowded and sometimes full by 9:30 a.m.

Some said they have been late for class because they spent so much time looking for places to park.

“My boyfriend, he parks

in the overflow parking … and it’s such a long walk to campus,” Arianna Ramirez, a third-year psychology student, said.

The construction of the new Health and Life Sciences Building has temporarily closed 206 parking spaces in Lot D on East Campus.

Restored parking will come in August 2021.

In the meantime, Vice President for Learning Resources Management Melissa Beardmore said, “Bear

A specialist who spoke at AACC says poverty affects students' grades and experience. Pictured: A student worker selects items from the campus food pantry.

Photo by Matt Smith

Students say parking places on campus are hard to find in the mornings and complain the situation is making them late for class.

Photo by Matt Smith with us.”

Beardmore said the large building under construction on East Campus “is going to be phenomenal. But

you have to break a few eggs to make a cake.”

But students said their classes are too far away from overflow parking lots and

that they have to get to school extra-early if they don’t want to be late for class.

Christian Richey Associate Editor

A specialist in the impact of poverty on families told faculty in August that an increasing number of AACC students are homeless or have no access to healthy food.

Dr. Pamela Brown, the executive director of the Anne Arundel County Partnership for Children, Youth and Families, named the

three biggest needs of county residents as transportation, affordable housing and affordable, quality healthcare.

In an interview with Campus Current, Brown said students who live in poverty can find schoolwork to be a greater challenge than their middle-class peers. “[Poverty affects students] in all the ways you can imagine,” Brown said.

“[They have] less time for studying, more anxiety, more stress [and] competing priorities. … Not only does it affect grades, it impacts whether they finish a semester, whether they stay at the college [and] whether they give up and [drop out].”

Brown cited data from MIT showing that a single parent with one child in

dation needed a new location.

Carlene Cassidy, chair of AACC’s Entrepreneurial Studies Institute, will take

Entrenpreneurial Studies Institute Chair Carlene Cassidy will become CEO of the Ratcliffe Foundation.

Photo by Christina Browning

Specialist discusses AACC, county poverty

Ratcliffe Foundation moves headquarters Amber Nathan Editor-in-Chief

The Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation, which donated more than $1 million to AACC over 10

years, moved to Annapolis in June.

Carole Ratcliffe passed away in November, and because her house in Florida was the official headquarters, the 16-year-old foun-

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2 | Campus Current | 2019 | October

Editorial

Meet the Staff

Enjoy season, stay balanced Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief Amber Nathan Associate Editor Christian Richey Daily Editor David Stemmle Multimedia Editor Christina Browning Graphics Editor Mackenzie Airey Web Designer Tom Ostrye Clubs Editor James Robinson Sports Editor Brayden Nazarian Entertainment Editor David Stemmle Technology Editor Lauryn Simms Reporters Emily Lamb Kyler Lawrence Kacie Orgera Connor Shaw Emma Stubbs Kamryn Tisdel Photographers Graig Bracey Chance Iheoma Daniel Salomon Matt Smith Faculty Adviser Sharon O’Malley

Photographers on Page 1, top Christina Browning David Stemmle

Twitter @campus_current Facebook Facebook.com/ CampusCurrentPaper Instagram campuscurrentaacc

Contact 410-777-2296 CampusCurrent @gmail.com

101 College Parkway Arnold, MD 21012

Fall is here, and it is both a beginning and the end.

It is the beginning of a new semester at AACC, and the end of summer. Classes are going full swing. The parking lots are full and the campus is brimming with students. The days of icecold lemonade, bathing suits and shorts are gone. Pumpkin spice season is upon us.

Soon the leaves will burst into flame and crumple into ash. Halloween festivities are just around the corner, as are midterms.

A lot of people like fall.

It’s a season of beauty and change. But fall can also be a time of high stress for students. Homework loads get heavier as the semester progresses, leaving some of us to feel like we have no time to enjoy the fun fall activities.

We want students to know they can still enjoy fall despite deadlines and

the pressure to make good grades while working and trying to have a social life.

Fall may be busy, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make the most of every second.

As cliche as it sounds, sometimes the little moments count. Take those little moments and make them the best they can be.

Maybe you have to go to a boring class that you absolutely hate. But to get to class, you have to walk over the footbridge to West Campus, where the trees are the most stunning shade of yellow. Stand for a moment and lean on the railing. Pause, take a deep breath and look at those leaves for five minutes before you go running off again. That five minutes can help you walk into that boring class with a smile.

And as you enjoy all the small, fleeting, lovely moments that life throws your way, try to stay organized.

Keep a planner and set small

Letter from the Editor

As the fall semester progresses, students should be sure to balance work and fun.

Photo by Christina Browning goals. Don’t let yourself get burned out. Take everything one step at a time, using your time wisely and reminding yourself every day of the little things.

Riverhawks, go forward

Read more, enhance imaginative thinking Amber Nathan Editor-in-Chief

I’ve noticed that my friends and classmates don’t read much these days, and that’s a shame. Back in the dayas my parents like to saymore people carried books with them. Now we carry our cell phones instead.

I’m not bashing technology. But it does take up too much of our time.

I love to read, and reading has had a huge impact on my life. I want to encourage you to read more, too.

Growing up, my mom held off on buying me my own electronics. I didn’t have my first cell phone until I turned 16. Because I never had a cell phone to play on, I turned to reading instead.

My mom read to me a lot when I was little, and the library was practically a second home. The librarians knew us because we went there so much. One of those librarians still works at my favorite library and

seeing him always makes me think of the days when I relied on my mom’s worn, decades-old library card to satisfy my cravings for words.

Those were good days.

It reminds me of a time when I couldn’t read myself, but still got to experience the most wonderful, over -the-top, fantastical stories because of a mom who loved me and taught me the value of literature.

From a young age I fell head over heels for authors like Kate DiCamillo, who wrote “Because of Winn-Dixie,” Michael Buckley, who wrote “The Sisters Grimm,” and Lemony Snicket, creator of “A Series of Unfortunate Events.”

Soon I grew impatient with my mom’s habit of nodding off during a cliffhanger when she was ready for bed.

So I began to read for myself.

I liked mysteries the best.

I spent a lot of time with Nancy Drew and her gang, checking out stacks of Carolyn Keen books at a time.

I began to expand my

horizons as I got older, learning to appreciate classics like “Sherlock Holmes” and “Ellery Queen.”

More recently, “The Accidental Alchemist” series by Gigi Pandian and “Challenger Deep” by Neal Shusterman are among the many books I have enjoyed reading.

But the books I read as a child never left me. My best memories from my childhood are of getting lost in the imaginary worlds that generous and talented authors created for me to enjoy.

Reading has made me a more creative and thoughtful person. That’s why I want to be an author. I want people to get lost in my stories the way I’ve gotten lost in others’ stories.

I’ve traveled to Narnia and stared into Aslan’s kind, green eyes with awe.

I’ve ridden in a hansom cab through the lashing, London rain, chasing after villains with Sherlock and Watson.

I’ve traveled back in time and forward in time, into unlimited universes and

into October with renewed energy. You made it through one month of the new school year and you will make it through the rest of the semester. Campus Current wishes you the best of luck.

Amber Nathan, Campus Current editor-in-chief, encourages everyone to read more to enhance creative thinking and imagination.

Photo by Christian Richey dimensions. I've ridden on a broomstick playing quidditch with Gryffindor's team and wandered the halls of Hogwarts for hours and hours.

And I've visited dragons' caves and haunted mansions, climbed mountains and forded creeks. I walked with John Coffey down the Green Mile and hid from Cujo and his slavering madness; I defeated Pennywise with the Losers' Club.

Never underestimate the power of words. They have the power to take you anywhere you'll let them. My advice: Let them.

Campus Current | 2019 | October | 3

News

Students call parking tough Continued from Page 1

“It’s kind of crazy,” second-year business administration student Lea Groussin said. “I have friends who literally get their parking spots [stolen] from them. They’re coming at 9:30, and … the parking lot is full.”

“It’s … an actual nightmare,” third-year American sign language student Morgana Hepburn said. “It’s making it so much harder to get to my classes.”

Hepburn added she is unsure whether the stress of parking is worth having the new Health and Life Sciences Building.

“It really will have to depend on how good this build-

ing is,” Hepburn said. “If it’s a really great building that’s totally A-plus … I guess it’s worth it. But if it’s the exact same building as every other building on campus, I’m not sure all the stress will really have been worth it.”

Chief of Police Sean Kapfhammer explained the traffic pattern is the best it could be given the situation, and that his department and Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. have taken measures, such as removing a stop sign from Lot C and having police direct traffic, to keep the parking lots clear.

Once the new building opens in August 2021, Joyce Dawson, assistant director of facilities planning and construction, said, there will be

AACC students say parking is hard to find on campus, especially earlier in the day when classes are just starting.

Photo by Matt Smith a kiss-and-ride area near the gym for those who are dropping off riders, plus 20 new ADA parking spaces.

“If there’s a little pain

Major funder of AACC moves into Annapolis Continued from Page 1

over as the foundation’s fulltime CEO in January. She said because some of the foundation’s trustees live in Baltimore and Annapolis “it made sense to move somewhere local.”

The organization donates about $4 million to 12 academic institutions, but made its first commitment to AACC in 2003, according to Cassidy.

“At the time, that was the

12.5%

single largest gift to Anne Arundel Community College,” she said.

The Ratcliffe Foundation supports a scholarship for aspiring entrepreneurs that pays for tuition and textbooks for 50 students each year, with a lifetime limit of $12,000 per person.

The foundation also supports an ESI business pitch competition every spring, giving students the chance to earn funding to start or grow their businesses.

Poverty Status of Anne Arundel County 2014 - 2017

Below Poverty Line

10% 8%

4% 2%

2014

2015

2016

2017

Non-Hispanic White

Black/African American

Hispanic (of any race)

Asian

Anne Arundel County Partnership for Children, Youth and Families

Poverty rates among Anne Arundel County Hispanics are rising but are declining among Asian Americans.

Graphic by Christina Browning

Students may complain to Public Safety, according to Kapfhammer, or make suggestions to improve parking and traffic to Beardmore.

The Ratcliffe Foundation, which helps support the Entrepreneurial Studies Institute at AACC, moved to Annapolis in June.

Photo by Christina Browning student who also won the Ratcliffe Scholarship, said.

“It’s amazing; their generosity is absolutely incredible.”

The deadline to submit

an application for the Ratcliffe Scholarship is Oct. 31.

To qualify, a student should have a GPA of 2.5 or higher and be a U.S. citizen.

said one student, whose identity Campus Current Anne Arundel County must agreed to conceal. “I don’t earn about $60,000 to get by. have the opportunities that “You have to make other people might have.” $60,000 ... just to be OK,” she The student, who does said. not own a computer, added: She said students who “I can’t do homework when have children often cannot I’m at home because most afford childcare, which she assignments have to be subcalled “massively expensive.” mitted through Canvas, so I Students who live in pov- have to work around other erty said it affects their abili- people’s schedules to get a ty to succeed in school. ride here because I can’t af“Poverty affects me in ev- ford a car or a Lyft. So someery way you could imagine: times I just have to fail quizsocially, financially, academ- zes [and miss homework ic[ally] [and] spiritual[ly],” assignments]. I simply can’t

keep up. ... And I have to do what I can when I can.”

Another student said poverty “affects me in the sense that it bothers me; it’s on my mind and sometimes it takes [until the] last minute for me to do my schoolwork."

One student praised the school’s efforts and teachers who try to help them, but said money is still an issue.

“You got to pay for the bus, you got to pay for books,” the student said. “You got to pay for ... stuff that I don’t have the money to pay for.”

Speaker: Poverty hits college students hard Continued from Page 1

6%

0

“The money that they granted me has tremendously helped me out a lot,” Noah Davis, a third-year entrepreneurship and marketing and advertising student, said about winning the Ratcliffe Scholarship, “because it does not only go toward my education, but also goes toward my personal financial needs.”

“There’s so much to say about the Ratcliffe Foundation,” Martha LeDoux, a sixth-year event planning and catering management

[for] students now, hopefully they understand the new building is coming in, with a full-service Chick-fil-A,” Beardmore said.

4 | Campus Current | 2019 | October

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

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Campus Current | 2019 | October | 5

News

AACC recruits older learners Tom Ostrye Web Designer

AACC officials have shifted their recruiting focus from high school seniors to older students.

The school has traditionally targeted high schools for recruitment, according to Dean of College Transition Deneen Dangerfield. This year’s effort will involve recruiting 25- to 39-year-olds.

“It is our intention to level that and attempt to reconnect with the adult students and see how we can move them to meet their educational and career goals,” Dangerfield said.

Recruiters reach into the community, targeting churches and community centers.

Dangerfield said non-traditional students typically enroll at AACC after entering the workforce and realizing the value of an education to prepare them for the careers they want. Some hope to improve on the careers they already have, she said, noting some older AACC students already have college degrees, while others do not.

Second-year museum studies and art history student Katherine Bobby, who has a Bachelor of Arts and an associate degree, said she is back at AACC to learn the skills she needs to get a good job.

“It is very tough to get a job without having experience or the proper skill set,” Bobby said. “Even though I had gotten the degree that

AACC is changing recruitment focus to older students like Ezra Wong, a 26-yearold, first-year forensic science student.

Photo by Graig Bracey was required, there were other classes or skill sets that we never learned while [earning] my degree.”

Bobby said she chose

African American and Hispanic Graduation Rates 350

Numbers graduated

300

African American Hispanic

250 200 150 100 50

19 20

18 20

17 20

16 20

20

15

0

Year

Numbers courtesy of Strategic Communications

The percentage of Hispanic and African-American students who graduated from AACC increased between 2018 and 2019.

Graphic by Tom Ostrye

Coffee with the t n e r r u C

AACC because “it is convenient; it is close … to where I live and I can commute every day without any issues.”

Non-traditional student

Carol Francesconi said she chose the college because of the school’s resources for students, such as peer tutoring.

Hispanic grad rates improve Tom Ostrye Web Designer

Gavin said the college has encouraged faculty to work with minority students Graduation rates among to create a feeling of commuHispanic students at AACC nity for them. increased by 35 percent over “Students of all backthe last year, according to grounds [who] feel more college data. connected to a professor, or a African-American stu- staff member or each other as dent graduaa result of that tion rates rose “Students of all kind of work are by 9 percent. more likely to backgrounds Vice Pressemes[who] feel more return ident for ter after semesLearning Mike connected to a ter as a result,” professor, or a Gavin said.

Gavin said the college staff member or Dale Plataims to elimi- each other ... are er, a first-year nate achievegraphic demore likely to ment gaps sign student, return semester among difsaid he welferent racial after semester.” comed AACC's Dr. Mike Gavin groups. Tradiefforts. tionally, His“I think it’s panic and African-American [great] how progressive the students have graduated at school is being,” Plater said. lower rates than white and Christopher Silva, a secAsian-American students. ond-year computer science “The same percent of student, noted his approval students from each demo- of the numbers, saying the graphic group should be graduation rate is “pretty graduating with each other,” cool. [It’s] the fruits of diverGavin said. sity succeeding.”

Tue. Oct 1, Noon-1 p.m. on the Quad Free coffee!

Free newspapers!

Meet the news staff!

6 | Campus Current | 2019 | October

News

Student workers get new clock-in system Brayden Nazarian Reporter

AACC introduced a time clock system for student workers this semester, shifting from a time recording system.

The new system requires students to log their hours by using an app to clock in at

the beginning of their shifts and clock out at the end. Under the old system, workers only recorded their hours twice a month.

Associate Vice President for Learning Resource Management Andrew Little said the transition will result in more accurate timekeeping and is easier for students

and the supervisors who approve their hours.

But some students said the system is more difficult to use than the old one, saying it's hard to remember to clock in.

Still, Erin Hite, a fourthyear radiology student, said, “[It’s] just something to get used to.”

The Hatchery, a resource for students looking to start their own businesses, celebrates its 10th anniversary. Pictured: third-year psychology and entrepreneurial student Elizabethe Overton (left) and second-year business student Daniel Levy.

Photo by Matt Smith

New ‘models’ affect classes Amber Nathan Editor-in-Chief

AACC has created a structure for high-enrollment courses to ensure consistency from section to section.

For 24 courses—including 600 sections—faculty use a common syllabus and follow an outline of basic requirements and learning outcomes.

Most model courses are high-enrollment, 100-level classes, like Computer Technology Applications 100, Communications 111, and English 101 and 102.

So far, 13 departments have created model courses.

Because the initiative focuses on high-enrollment classes with 500-plus students, this excludes some departments from participating.

Some high-enrolling courses have lower success rates, according to psychology professor Lori Perez, who helped create the model courses, which she said will increase instruction quality.

The courses are not standardized to “be the same for everyone to teach,” gender and sexuality studies professor Heather Rellihan said, "but rather a collection of ideas that are seen as being useful starting points for people who are teaching a class.

They include lots of options.”

Rellihan said the Model Course Initiative, which includes faculty members who create the courses “is about creating conversations about best practices in teaching. ... The model course is ... the result of

The new timeclock system has student employees clock in and out every day.

Photo By Christina Browning Third-year education and communications student Bri Barone said the new system keeps things orga-

nized for student workers and their supervisors.

The timeclock app works with iOS and Android phones.

Christina Browning Multimedia Editor

good people, collaborate and network,” she said.

Second-year business student Daniel Levy called the Hatchery “one of the most [underutilized] resources on campus.”

Hatchery members can use the space to meet clients, store supplies in lockers and use the charging station.

Third-year mechanical engineering student Abigail Traverson uses the space for homework and networking with other would-be business owners.

“The Hatchery is a great place to bounce ideas with each other,” Traverson said.

“They have amazing sources.”

ESI’s Hatchery marks 10th yr AACC’s Hatchery, a place where entrepreneurial students can start their businesses, celebrated its 10year anniversary in April.

The Entrepreneurial Studies Institute’s Hatchery houses computers, color and 3D printers, and a button and magnet maker that students can use as they turn their ideas into businesses.

Business professor Stephanie Goldenberg said all students—not just business majors—are welcome to use the Hatchery.

“Come in, meet really

Eighteen courses with 600 sections are following a 'model course' format to ensure consistency from class to class. Pictured: English professor Wayne Kobylinski with a class.

Photo by Matt Smith those conversations.”

Fourth-year transfer studies student Brandon Miller said the model course "certainly sounds, at least as an idea, very effective.”

“They’re caring about the students and trying to make it better for them," Alexis Torres, a second-year transfer studies student, said.

Still, some faculty mem-

bers have expressed concern about losing academic freedom because model courses have a stigma of being rigid structures that teachers must strictly adhere to.

“Faculty members are rightly concerned about that,” said English professor Wayne Kobylinski, who worked on the courses. “But in the way that they’re being

implemented now, I don’t see any problems.”

The degree to which teachers must adhere to a model course depends on the department.

“In the English department, our model courses are really meant as … springboards and frameworks to get people started,” professor Margaret Boas said.

Campus Current | 2019 | October | 7

News

Cannabis cert no-go for now Christian Richey Associate Editor

AACC officials have decided not to move forward with a proposed Medical Marijuana Specialist certificate, at least for now.

Vice President for Learning Mike Gavin halted the certificate, claiming it could jeopardize federal financial aid for AACC students.

Because the government has classified marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug—saying it has a high potential for abuse but no accepted medical use—a certificate built around it could be considered “aiding and abetting,” Gavin said.

Still, the University of Maryland, Baltimore launched a master’s degree in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics.

The government granted that program an exception, although the original proposal put up to $500 million

at risk, Gavin said.

“The exception had to do with a kind of course work that is in that program that is not present in our program,” Gavin said.

Professor Shad Ewart, who proposed the stalled AACC certificate, noted his plan was to offer five classes to train students for entry-level positions in the medical cannabis industry, while UMB’s program focuses on higher-level positions.

Ewart said graduates of UMB’s program would apply for jobs as master horticulturalists at grow facilities.

Ewart’s former students supported the proposed AACC certificate.

“I really support what the professor’s been trying to work so hard on,” former student Eryck Stamper, founder of Veterans Initiative 22, said. “These [credentials] could actually be critical to [students’] job enhancement and job promotion.”

Professor Shad Ewart teaches a class on the business of medical marijuana.

Photo by Christian Richey Former student Kai Hoffman noted the range of opportunities for those going into the medical marijuana field.

“You don’t have to be growing the pot to [make money],” he said. “You could be in security, IT, ... inventory tracking. You could be in

clothing design. There’s tons of [opportunities].”

Jacob Dear, a first-year intelligence analytics student taking Ewart’s class this semester, said he is in favor of the AACC certificate.

“There are all different kinds of classes for other fields,” Dear said. “As the law

evolves, obviously new fields are going to open up and old ones are going to close and this is just the next step.”

Gavin said the certificate will not move forward until the federal government legalizes medical marijuana, which is already legal in Maryland.

8 | Campus Current | 2019 | October

Features

Students 21+ advise peers Mackenzie Airey Graphics Editor

Before first-year interdisciplinary sculpture student Kory Johnson turned 21, he sometimes only had access to the stage when performing with his Baltimore-based band, Sun Club.

For him, turning 21 was “free, liberating.”

And, he said, others seem to respect him as an adult more.

Twenty-first birthdays are a milestone in American society, as they come with new legal rights.

With their newfound freedoms, students choose to celebrate their 21st birthdays in a variety of ways.

“The biggest problem is a lot of people overdo their 21st,” second-year psychology student Tevin Paige, who is in his 20s, said. “Because they figure, ‘Oh, whatever, I’m 21 now and for some reason that just gives me a

license to do whatever.’”

America's legal drinking age has been 21 since 1984, when Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. Twenty-one-year-olds also may gamble at Maryland casinos. At 18, only the lottery, bingo and races are legal to play.

Starting this month, the legal age to buy e-cigarettes and tobacco products in Maryland will be 21.

Not every 21-year-old celebrates the big birthday with alcohol, however. Others said they plan to travel instead.

“I’m not really a drinker, so, like, I don’t even fantasize [about excessive drinking],” third-year nursing student Alayshia Florida said.

“But I am going to Las Vegas for my 21st birthday. My cousin, he’s also turning 21 too, so me and him and my older cousins [are going].”

Another perk of turning

First-year nursing students Allie Riecke (left) and Kara Kishis blow out birthday candles on the Quad.

Photo by Daniel Salomon 21: Licensed drivers with three years of experience are allowed to supervise learning drivers.

Drivers with Maryland provisional licenses issued before they turned 21 must renew them within 60 days after their birthdays.

Provisional licenses for those younger than 21 are vertical and display an “under 21” restriction on them.

Full driver’s licenses for 21-year-olds are horizontal

and do not show the “under 21” restriction.

Although it is not state law, many bars and restaurants do not serve alcohol to those with a vertical driver’s license.

“It’s up to restaurants to determine whether they will accept [vertical driver’s licenses] or not," said Ashley Sokolowski, a bartender at Libations in Millersville who graduated from AACC in May. "Most places in [Anne Arun-

del] county do not.”

This doesn’t just affect newly turned 21-year-olds, either. “I’ve actually turned away people who, according to their birthdate on their license, were 25,” Sokolowski said.

“I do recommend if someone’s turning 21 that they fill out the paperwork to get [a renewed license] sent in for their birthday. ... It would make my job easier,” Sokolowski added.

ENTR EPR ENE UR I A L ST U DI ES I N ST I T U T E OCTOBE R E VE N TS A N D D E A D L I N ES

Big Idea Competition DEADLINE Thursday, October 24th Noon Online Come up with an original idea, create a two-minute pitch video, and submit it online for a chance to win cash prizes up to $1,000.

Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to submit a Big Idea for AACC. AACC Big Ideas must have a faculty or staff member on the team.

Visit www.aacc.edu/esi to learn more and to submit your idea.

Accounting for Creatives Guest Speaker Hannah Cole

Wednesday, October 30th 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

CALT 107 Guest Speaker Hannah Cole will debunk the "starving artist" stereotype. A long-time working artist and tax expert, Ms. Cole specializes in working with creative businesses and artists.

Get tips on how to run your creative enterprise as a business and make money doing it! www.aacc.edu/esi

Entrepreneurs Scholarship DEADLINE Thursday, October 31st Noon Online The $12,000 Entrepreneurs Scholarship provides funding for tuition, fees, books and supplies for credit and pre-approved non-credit courses, practical experience, mentors and other resources to support entrepreneurial student success.

Visit www.aacc.edu/esi to learn more.

Campus Current | 2019 | October | 9

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Preview participating employers and jobs at http://bit.ly/2LYbcwQ. Scroll down to “Job Seekers” and click “Search Employers.”

For information visit www.aacc.edu/resources, select Careers and Employment then select Employment Services.

You also can reach us at 410-777-2770 or 410-777-2512.

Thank you to the following organizations for their support!

Administrative support Automotive mechanics Casino positions (various) CDL drivers Construction management Criminal justice Cybersecurity Dental Assisting Early childhood development EMTs Electricians Engineering Financial management Food service (various) Health care (various) Hospitality management Human services (various) Human resources

HVAC maintenance and repair Law enforcement Network technology and security Medical billing and collections Nursing and patient care Paramedics Pharmacy technicians Production management Project managers Purchasing specialists Radiologic technology Rehabilitation services Residential counseling Retail management Sales and marketing (various) Telecommunications Web development

PLUS MORE! NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION: AACC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action, Title IX, ADA Title 504 compliant institution. Call Disability

Support Services, 410-777-2306 or Maryland Relay 711, 72 hours in advance to request most accommodations. Requests for sign language interpreters, alternative format books or assistive technology require 30 days’ notice. For information on AACC’s compliance and complaints concerning sexual assault, sexual misconduct, discrimination or harassment, contact the federal compliance officer and Title IX coordinator at 410-777-1239, complianceofficer@aacc.edu or Maryland Relay 711. 8/19

10 | Campus Current | 2019 | October

Campus Life

Social media affects image Christina Browning Multimedia Editor

Fun and Games

Growing up, I didn’t have to worry about the repercussions of someone snapping an image of me and posting it online.

Employers couldn’t judge me based on what skimpy outfit I decided to wear to a party, or of me drinking underage.

I didn’t have to worry if I was going to be fired over some rude joke I made. Work and our personal lives were separate.

Not anymore.

Times have changed.

Cameras are everywhere and people are posting photos of us without our approval. And as a mom of two, I worry about the effects social media can have on my children's future.

So it’s important that you think about how social media represents you and if what you post now will hurt

your chances of getting the high-paying job later that you’re working so hard for in school.

First-year early childhood education student Elisa Tuck said she tries to stay mindful of what she shares online.

Tuck said she knows that what she shares online can hurt her future.

How you represent yourself online could make or break your future. Your social media essentially brands you.

Fourth-year creative writing student Lydia Ray said her family taught her early to watch what she posts. But third-year psychology student Marrissa Parker said she never thought about how social media can hurt her future.

“Sometimes when I see a post, I ask myself, ‘Why did you post that? What do you get out of it?’” Parker said.

According to a 2018 Ca-

Students should "scrub" their social media posts if any of them contain comments or photos that may affect their future job prospects.

Photo by Christina Browning reerBuilder survey, 70 percent of employers use social media to check out job applicants.

So stay proactive and really evaluate how your social media brands you.

Here are some tips for cleaning up your social media.

1. Google yourself. See what pops up. You could be suprised by what you may find about yourself.

2. Make all of your ac-

Did you know?

counts private. Unless you operate a business, being public doesn’t make sense.

3. “Be aware of what you share in public, especially if you have a public Instagram, and [of] what information can get out,” Ray said. If you must be public, keep all images, posts and tweets positive so they represent you in an appropriate way.

4. Delete anything that sends red flags to employers, like photos of you using

drugs or alcohol. Delete any offensive language and all mentions of criminal activity. Get rid of photos that are sexually explicit—of anyone, not just you.

Potential employers will Google you just to see what pops up. Make sure they see the best you have to offer.

Christina Browning is a nontraditional student studying web design. She is Campus Current's multimedia editor.

Sudoku

AACC has a new way to change your account password If you use AACC’s password management tool, you can update your contact information. The next time you change your password, you have the option to receive a one-time security code by phone or e-mail. You no longer need to remember your challenge questions.

Reporting by Amber Nathan Photo by Mackenzie Airey

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Campus Current | 2019 | October | 11

Campus Life

Art student publishes coloring book online Emily Lamb Reporter

tion," O'Neil said.

One of her inspirations is Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford, whose detailed drawings introduced her to the adult coloring book world.

O'Neil said she chose a "bubbles" theme, in part, because circles are easy to color.

example, she doesn't own a scanner, so she had to "clean up the images using PhotoA third-year AACC fine shop," she said. arts major has self-published She worked on that with an 86-page coloring book. another art student, Ashton Katie O’Neil, who is on Poole. the autism spectrum, said Daniel O’Neil, Katie’s fashe drew and published her ther, said it took a while to coloring book—intended for find a publishing company, adult readers rather than acquire a barcode, and get children—to help cope international copyright with her seasonal deagreements.

“I’ve been doing art pression after she disHe said O'Neil's since I was 10 and I’ve covered that coloring always been interested in mother was "instruhas a calming effect on mental, not only in illustration.” her. giving her encourageKatie O'Neil The book, titled ment, but helping her "Tropical Bubbles," feathrough the challenges tures pages of abstract drawHer favorite medium of publishing. ings based on bubbles and is colored pencils, and her O'Neil dedicated the other spheres. favorite color, she said, book to her mother.

Her advice to aspiring O’Neil spent a year com- is "fawn"—a light brown posing and revising the shade. coloring book artists: “Do drawings. With her parents' The artist said she car- your research first.” help, she found a publishing ries her coloring book with She also said it's importcompany to format it for sale her wherever she goes. ant for artists to understand on Amazon.

The most diffcult part of that the process is time-con“I’ve been doing art since the publishing process, O'Neil suming and to identify credI was 10 and I’ve always said, was working without ible websites with informabeen interested in illustra- the proper equipment. For tion about publishing.

Art student Katie O'Neil has published an 86-page coloring book called "Tropical Bubbles" on Amazon.

Photo by Christina Browning

Fun and Games

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12 | Campus Current | 2019 | October

Department Of New Student Transition Services September / October 2019 • Volume I • Issue 1

Dear New Students: I want to welcome each of you to AACC! Right now you may be feeling a bit nervous or unsure of what your future may hold. Just remember you are not alone! You have begun one of the most exciting times of your life, and everyone in the New Student Transition Services Department (NSTS) has a vested interest in your overall success. The NSTS staff delivers all of the New Student Orientations, helps to connect new students to resources on campus, and facilitates programs to support your academic, social, and cultural transition as a new student. They will point you in the direction of the many resources offered here and available to you throughout your first year at AACC. We look forward to working with you and helping you transition successfully. Have a great year!

Sincerely, Deneen R. Dangerfield Dean of College Transitions

What is the office of Student Engagement? The Office of Student Engagement has a variety of responsibilities that include, but are not limited to: advising student organizations, providing a college food pantry for students, staff, and faculty, and distributing free passes to the MD Science Center, National Aquarium, and more!

Located in SUN 225, we encourage you to stop by and take advantage of the many opportunities to get involved at AACC. For more information, please visit: nest.aacc.edu/.

(L to R) Meet Jake, Ben, Josh and Nate, orientation leaders who helped with all of the New Student Orientations held over the summer. They say that it is a fun job because you get to meet new students and help them learn more about AACC. The advice they give to new students is don't be afraid to ask your professor if you have a question.

Campus Current | 2019 | October | 13

Campus Life

Class paints mural at Glen Burnie campus Kamryn Tisdel Reporter

Students in an AACC art class painted a 68-foot mural on the side of the Glen Burnie AACC campus building last spring.

The mural features six images of balloons designed by the students to reflect the history of Glen Burnie.

The largest balloon shows a ferris wheel to represent the annual county fair and another depicts a child ice skating at a local rink.

Annapolis painter Jeff Huntington consulted on the project. Huntington, who goes by Jahru, has painted murals on buildings around the world.

The students did some research before settling on their design.

“We made a point of talking to everyone [in Glen Burnie] and gathering their opinions on the designs we made, and what they felt

represented Glen Burnie the best,” art student Anna Broomfield said.

The project was time-consuming, art student Scout Bender said, because the class had to get approval for the designs from the Glen Burnie Improvement Association, an organization in charge of bettering Glen Burnie, and others.

“There were times during the design phase that it felt like the plan was going to fall through because it was reliant on [those approvals]," Bender said.

The mural was a part of an Anne Arundel County beautification project to make the area more inviting to nearby homeowners and students.

The campus building is part of Glen Burnie Town Center.

Art professor Matt Klos, whose class created the mural, said the students spent three and a half weeks

painting and the rest of the semester planning and researching.

He said the students wanted the mural to reflect the Glen Burnie community and its people, many of whom are lifelong residents.

“I think the mural really made people happy because we centered the mural on these people, their stories and their history specifically,” Klos said.

He added: “We wanted the mural to really connect with them. We wanted to be sure that we weren’t making art that these people didn’t care about and we wanted it to be something they would want to keep around, rather than paint over in a few years.”

Students said they would recommend the art class to others, including non-majors.

"Was it hard work?"

Broomfield asked. "Yes, but it was worth it."

A mural on the campus building at Glen Burnie Town Center is the work of AACC art students.

Photo by Kamryn Tisdel

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14 | Campus Current | 2019 | October

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Campus Current | 2019 | October | 15

AACC Opera presents musical ‘Sunset Blvd’ David Stemmle Daily Editor

Student actors will star alongside performers from the community in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “Sunset Boulevard” at the Kauffman Theater Oct. 4.

The musical, adapted from the Billy Wilder film of the same name, is set in 1940s Hollywood. It addresses the issues of aging silent film stars confronting a world in which they are no longer relevant.

The story revolves around a young screenwriter, Joe Gillis, and his relationship with a delusional silent film actress, Norma Desmond, who still sees herself as the star of Hollywood.

Elementary school teacher Trevor Greenfield and AACC alum Kristina Banks will star.

AACC music director Doug Byerly said his philosophy revolves around “[giving] the students the experience of working side-by-side [with] some of the best actors in the area.”

“I think the greatest challenge is the students that are on campus ... don't always feel that they can be themselves,” said Peter Crews, an AACC graduate who plays the roles of Sheldrake and Manfred. “So, when you have professional people coming in … [the students] realize that [they] can relax, and you can have fun.”

When Crews isn't re-

Grads pitch in with auditions Kyler Lawrence Reporter

Graduates from AACC’s performing arts program returned to campus this semester to help newcomers audition for the dance company.

The mentored students said the alumni dancers helped them gain confidence, believe in themselves and grow as dancers.

Dancers of all skill levels worked with the former students.

“It’s lifelong relationships that you create when

you’re on Dance Company,” dance and transfer studies student Chioma Akwara said. “It’s really just a family thing. And we’re all about going hard or going home.”

Alumni dancers come back to campus regularly to judge and help with auditions, interim Dance Company Director Rachel Thomas said. "The alumni are always kind of incorporated.”

Thomas, an AACC alum, said when new students learn from graduates, it motivates them not only for the audition, but for their future careers as dancers.

hearsing late at night with the student actors, he works as a high school science teacher.

“My day starts at 6 o’clock in the morning and it ends at 11 o’clock at night, so you balance it,” Crews said. “Which they talk about in the show. Sometimes we don’t do it for money. We just do it for the sake of having our work be seen or to experience just the love of giving a performance to people.”

Byerly said he saw “Sunset Boulevard” on Broadway years ago. “It stuck with me,” he said.

He said local theater groups rarely perform “Sunset Boulevard.” “It’s not the easiest music, just as “Phantom of the Opera” is not easy,” he said.

words,” said third-year theater student Chelsea Roden.

“It was a bit embarrassing AACC theater students but I powered through it in September advised as- and I finished my audition piring actors to audition for strong.” upcoming shows on campus.

Roden tried out for last The experienced actors season’s “Hairspray,” but said they were able to over- didn’t make the cut. Yet, that come mistakes they made hasn’t stopped her from conduring previous auditions. tinuing to audition.

“I remember one time ...

The performers said I was reciting a monologue those interested in theater that I had to memorize, should audition for shows, and I ... was forgetting the even if they are nervous.

Student actors and performers from the community rehearse for the upcoming “Sunset Boulevard.”

Photo by Christina Browning Still, Byerly said, “I have a strong guilty pleasure in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music. I love his music, and the story is compelling. The characters are amazing, there’s dance, there’s comedy, but in the end it’s just this

tragedy and it’s a dark show at times,” Byerly said.

“Sunset Boulevard” will play at the Kauffman Theater Oct. 4 to Oct. 13.

Tickets are $5 for students; $15 for faculty; and $25 for general admission.

AACC dance students say working with recent graduates to prep for auditions helps them succeed.

Photo by Kyler Lawrence Many of the dance students said the close-knit community of dancers at AACC is a draw for graduates to keep coming back to help.

Theater students say tryouts worth anxiety Emma Stubbs Reporter

Entertainment

“Directors can tell that you’re anxious,” said firstyear theater student Amanda Troncale, who acted in Arundel High School’s “West Side Story.”

“You have to acknowledge it, then let it go. They say it gets easier, but it doesn’t. Best case scenario, you get in the show. Worst case, it’s a great learning experience.”

Plus, said Doug Byerly, the music director for the

“It’s always great to get a new perspective, especially one [from a dancer who] has been where you are,” dance student Abbey Smith said. “I

love their advice about living as a dancer after college is over.”

The Dance Company will perform Dec. 6 to Dec. 8.

Student actors say audition-day jitters pay off when they land roles in plays like "Romeo and Juliet," which showed on campus last semester.

Photo by Chance Iheoma upcoming “Beauty and the Beast,” said, “There's a lot of opportunity for roles.”

Byerly will hold “Beauty

and the Beast” auditions on Oct. 19 for the roles of Belle and the Beast, and full-company auditions on Nov. 16.

16 | Campus Current | 2019 | October

Clubs

Knitters talk social justice Christina Browning Multimedia Editor

AACC faculty members this semester started a knitting club for professors, students and staff who want to talk about social justice issues as they knit.

The Radical Knitting Club had its first meeting on Sept. 6 in the library.

The meeting began with Dr. Heather Rellihan reading a passage from “All About Love” by Bell Hooks, and leading a group discussion.

Rellihan, a professor of gender studies, said she likes the idea of “craftivism,” saying it allows people to make things while think-

ing through a social justice lens.

Rellihan created the group with distance learning librarian Sophie Reverdy.

The group meets every Friday from 12-1 p.m. on the second floor of the library and features a guest reader.

Members listen while knitting, crocheting, cross-stitching, beading or sketching.

“It feels personal to me as a librarian because of the mission of a library, which is to bring people together and inspire them,” Reverdy said.

English Department Chair Dave Meng, who attended the first meeting, said he likes mixing relaxation with intellect and

Members of a new knitting club discuss social justice issues while they craft.

Photo by Christina Browning meeting without an agenda.

Systems librarian Michelle Robertson said she joined because she likes discussing the weekly topic.

“You don’t have to know how to crochet or knit," Rob-

Adventure club hikes Patapsco Valley trail Kacie Orgera Reporter

AACC Adventure Society Club members bonded while hiking six miles at Patapsco Valley State Park during their first outing of the semester in September.

The hike was the first of dozens of trips the group has planned for the fall.

“We usually have three or four events every month, so over four months, 10 to 12 events a semester,” faculty adviser Jessica Mattingly

said. “I think [that] makes us unique. … We are constantly planning things and getting feedback from everyone in the group to decide what events we want to participate in.”

Club Secretary Joshua LaBille said the group will visit a Renaissance Festival and possibly take a camping trip.

During the club’s first meeting of the semester, members talked about partnering with other student groups and said they might host a Paint Night with the

Art Association.

Club members said the club outings offer them positive social interactions and make them feel more involved with the school.

“I feel more included at the school,” Victory Ho, the club’s vice president, said.

“Being a part of a club like the Adventure Society Club really gives you a sense that you’re not just in one big campus by yourself.

And there are friends that you can meet and hang out with.”

extreme,” Meng said. “It means getting to the root of the topic.”

Reverdy said the group does not have an official goal, other than to bring people together to inspire each other.

Members of the AACC Adventure Society Club take a break during an outing at Patapsco Valley State Park.

Photo by Kacie Orgera

Students to pitch big ideas for ESI contest James Robinson Club Editor

E-Club Vice President Daniel Levy (left) and thirdyear marketing and advertising student Noah Davis gear up for ESI's Big Idea competition.

Photo by James Robinson

ertson said. “You can just be interested. And you don’t have to feel you are a radical,” despite the group's name.

Meng said he likes the use of “radical” in the name.

“Radical doesn’t mean

The AACC Entrepreneurial Studies Institute will hold its Big Idea competition on Nov. 12 for students and faculty members who want to pitch their business ideas for cash prizes.

“Everybody has an idea,” ESI adviser Stephanie Goldenberg said. “You need to be talking about your idea.”

Goldenberg said contestants can compete with an “AACC idea” in a category for pitches that could benefit the college. Students who

compete in that category need a staff or faculty member on their team.

“Last year was the first inaugural year of the AACC category,” said Entrepreneurs Club Vice President Daniel Levy, a second-year business transfer studies student. “If you have an idea directly impacting AACC … you can win money for your idea.”

Second-year entrepreneurial and small business management student Megan Rudy participated in the Big Idea event last year with a car rental service idea.

Rudy said ideas from

teachers and other students helped her during the competition.

“Before [students] enter the competition they can talk to people in the Hatchery and then they can get feedback on how to critique their video or what to do to improve their business,” Rudy said.

The Hatchery is a room in Careers that students can use while they're starting up their businesses.

Students must submit ideas by Oct. 24. ESI will hold coaching workshops on Oct. 8 at 3:30 p.m. and Oct. 9 at 4 p.m. in Careers 346.

Campus Current | 2019 | October | 17

Clubs

Club harnesses new mind-controlled tech Christian Richey Associate Editor

took place in 2016 at the University of Florida.

AACC's Drone Club won Members of AACC’s the IEEE Brain to ComputDrone Club have pro- er Interface Competition in grammed drones that they March 2019. can operate using their Hyper-focused drone opbrainwaves. erators wear headsets that Former student Ciaran read their brainwaves and Dorland programmed the translate their thoughts into drones, while fourth-year commands for the drone to entrepreneurial student follow.

Nick Kiraly and third-year “We tell the drone when transfer studies student Na- it sees [a specific] pattern thaniel Disney assisted with to climb, or when it sees a research. different “I think “I think it has huge pattern, to it’s amazpotential for many d e s c e n d , ” ing,” Disney said Jim fields. We’ve only said. “I think B l a n c h a rd , scratched the it has huge who oversurface.” potential for sees AACC’s Student Nathaniel Disney many fields. $2 million We’ve only LASR Lab, scratched the surface.” which houses more than 30 Computer scientists drones. around the world have “[The software] … has been experimenting with to know what you want mind-controlled drones the drone to do based on for several years. The first that [brainwave] pattern," mind-controlled drone race Blanchard said.

"You think commands, and the drone reacts to those commands based on software that interprets your brainwaves and tells the drone what to do. Your brain puts out an electrical impulse so the electricity is making it to the scalp. The [five] sensors on this headset … know the position on your brain so if [there are pulses on the sensors] it knows what you’re trying to think.”

Blanchard added: “So when you get those pulses together you get a complex brainwave pattern, and then we read that pattern into a database.”

Disney said the technology eventually could result in more accurate prosthetics for amputees.

Kiraly said hands-free drones could some day allow disabled operators to control their wheelchairs and “express themselves in ways they wouldn’t normally be

Drone Club members say they believe hands-free drone technology may allow disabled operators to perform more tasks. Pictured: Jim Blanchard, LASR program director.

Photo by David Stemmle able to without having dexterity.”

The drone technology also could expand into more

practical uses, Blanchard said. For example, he said, “We could tell it to set a microwave to three minutes.”

18 | Campus Current | 2019 | October

A N N E A R U N D E L C O M M U N I T Y C O L L EG E

HEALTH SCIENCES

OPEN HOUSE THURSDAY, OCT. 10 6-8 P.M. | Florestano Building

Visit the School of Health Sciences and learn about their programs, showcasing:

Surgical Technology Radiologic Technology Registered Nursing Practical Nursing

Advanced Placement RN Human Services, Addiction

Counseling and Veterans Counseling

Public Health

Free Seated Massage Refreshments and AACC swag bags will be available.

For information or to RSVP, visit www.aacc.edu/visit-health-sciences or call 410-777-7310.

Notice of Nondiscrimination: AACC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action, Title IX, ADA Title 504 compliant institution. Call Disability Support Services, 410-777-2306 or Maryland Relay 711, 72 hours in advance to request most accommodations. Requests for sign language interpreters, alternative format books or assistive technology require 30 days’ notice. For information on AACC’s compliance and complaints concerning sexual assault, sexual misconduct, discrimination or harassment, contact the federal compliance officer and Title IX coordinator at 410-777-1239, complianceofficer@aacc.edu or Maryland Relay 711. 8/19

Campus Current | 2019 | October | 19

Sports

72% of poll in esports’ favor

Athletics may add esports Christian Richey Associate Editor AACC Athletics officials this semester are continuing to look into creating an official esports team after the National Junior College Athletic Association offered official governance for the sport.

“The demographic around the college is suitable toward having an esports program and we want to be able to offer something that more students can get involved in,” Athletics Director Duane Herr said. “I think it’s a tremendous opportunity for us."

Herr said his department has been researching esports for the past year as the staff considers adding it as an official sport.

Herr and other Athletics officials visited Northern Virginia Community College, home to an esports program and facility, in September.

Campus ESports Club founder Conway Johnson said he hopes for an official team to better organize players.

“We had a previous

Brayden Nazarian Sports Editor

Members of the campus ESports Club say they're hoping AACC will make esports an official Athletics Department program. Pictured, left to right: club members Brandon Gebhardt, Alex Kimble and Conway Johnson.

Photo by Christian Richey Smash Brothers group going ... and we were working on getting groups together for other teams," he said. "But the problem that we ran into was just a matter of getting players together and organized,” Johnson said.

Johnson noted the need for a regimented structure.

“As a club we’re not really able to offer that in the way we’d need ... to really get teams going in a big way,” he said.

Club members said the team would benefit them.

“That would be amazing; we have so many people who are interested in actu-

Men's XC is 2 players short Connor Shaw Reporter

Three runners have joined AACC Men’s CrossCountry this year, but the Riverhawks are still two athletes short to participate as a team in National Junior College Athletic Association meets.

Still, Coach Keith Bigelow said the three athletes will participate in the meets as individuals. And he said he will continue to recruit players for future teams with the hope that more runners will come out.

“I still think that there’s a complete program out there in the halls ... of Anne Arundel Community College," Bigelow said. "It’s just a matter of finding them."

He added, “There’s a whole handful of reasons why people don’t [join the team].”

Bigelow said both Men’s and Women’s Cross-Country disbanded about 10 years ago. The women's team restarted a few years ago, but the men's did not.

Interest in Men’s Cross-Country among students was high this year, Bigelow said, so AACC brought the sport back.

“I’m actually looking forward to going back to Salisbury and running that course again,” said Brendan Quinn, a first-year health fitness and exercise science student, “to see how much I’ve improved in October. I think that’s the one I’m looking most forward to.”

ally playing seriously,” club President Joie Frank, a second-year undecided student, said.

Club Treasurer Dallas Coleman, a fourth-year music student, said he “would love an actual Athletics team, like to have actual support for it. Then we’d get a lot of teams going.”

NJCAA Chief External Affairs and Development Officer Brian Luckett said college registration for the esports program opened in September, with a shortened inaugural season to start in the second week of October.

a first-year wildlife student, said the concept of esports as an Athletics Department Sports studies students team needs “a little more and professors said in Oc- backing from AACC” before tober they would like AACC it will get started.

Athletics to start an esports The esports industry team. generated approximately E s p o r t s — e l e c t r o n i c $865 million in 2018, acsports—involve established cording to Statista, a globteams that play video games al business data platform, competitively for fun, rank- which projected that numing or monetary rewards. ber will reach $1 billion this In an informal poll, 72 year. percent of the 40 students “There’s tournaments for who participated agreed [esports]; there’s a huge inthat Athletics should add es- dustry for [esports]; it’s conports to its existing roster of stantly growing,” Kiri Aist, a 12 teams. third-year biology student, “I think essaid.

“There’s a ports is a growCollege and ing trend,” said huge industry high school esadjunct instruc- for [esports]; ports programs tor Richard it’s constantly have sprung up Hardesty, who all over the Unitgrowing.” teaches history ed States, with Student Kiri Aist and American tournaments and studies. “Video leagues offering games have been a prevalent millions of dollars in prize part of our society.” money.

He added: “I don’t In July, for example, Epic think you can deny an es- Games awarded Kyle Giersports team as long as the in- dorf, a 16-year-old gamer terest is there and the funds from Pennsylvania, $3 milare there.” lion for winning the FortB r a n d o n G e b h a r d t , nite World Cup.

Timothy Caldwell, a first-year graphic arts student (left), and Brendan Quinn, a first-year health fitness and exercise science student, are two of three runners to join Men's Cross Country so far.

Photo courtesy of Leslei Garcia To qualify for the team, runners must be full-time students, meet a minimum GPA requirement from the NJCAA, and have a recent physical exam.

"Anybody can do well [academically] if they’re not

ADVERTISE WITH US

playing sports,” Quinn said.

"There’s really no excuse [for having bad grades], and there still isn’t an excuse even if you’re playing sports.”

Bigelow said he is spreading the word about the team.

“We participate in all the student fairs,” Bigelow said.

"One of us from the Athletic Department [who is] promoting all our programs is there at every one of the orientation sessions with the parents and the students."

Contact our Advertising Manager: 240-825-6284 CampusCurrentAdverts@gmail.com

20 | Campus Current | 2019 | October

Notice of Nondiscrimination: AACC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action, Title IX, ADA Title 504 compliant institution. Call Disability Support Services, 410-777-2306 or Maryland Relay 711, 72 hours in advance to request most accommodations. Requests for sign language interpreters, alternative format books or assistive technology require 30 days’ notice. For information on AACC’s compliance and complaints concerning sexual assault, sexual misconduct, discrimination or harassment, contact the federal compliance officer and Title IX coordinator at 410-777-1239, complianceofficer@aacc.edu or Maryland Relay 711.