March 2023 Issue

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

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March 2023

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Annapolis artist Comacell Brown Jr. visits campus.

AACC celebrates Women’s History Month.

The Entrepreneurial Studies Institute marks 20 years on campus.

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Charges filed in player death Grads take Web Exclusive

Zack Buster Editor-in-Chief

This story contains mentions of death.

Police charged a 21-yearold Churchton resident on Feb. 2 with homicide and manslaughter in the death of a Riverhawks lacrosse player in a boating accident last summer.

In addition to three felony charges, former Virginia Wesleyan University lacrosse player Shayne Ken-

neth Smith also was charged with seven misdemeanors related to operating a vessel while impaired by drugs and alcohol.

Smith faces up to 26 years in prison.

AACC lacrosse player Nick Barton died in June after the 17-foot boat he was riding in struck a support structure near the Parish Creek Marina on the West River, throwing Barton, 21, into the water.

Second-year communi-

The Subway in Careers reopened in late January. It closed at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

Photo by Megan Cunningham

cations student Payton Williams, who played lacrosse with Barton last year, told Campus Current he feels indifferent about Smith’s arrest, saying while “justice was done,” people should remember how Barton lived and see him as an example.

“I just hope that everybody involved in the situation—everybody who knows Nick—just continues to live through Nick and live like Nick because Nick was just a great kid,” Williams said. “He

had made everybody smile and, you know, I just hope that everyone will want to be like him.”

After the early June accident, former AACC defensive athlete Dylan Anderson described his teammate as a leader.

“He was a Riverhawk [and] he was holding people to that same standard,” Anderson told Campus Current last summer, noting Barton’s

Sam Gauntt Managing Editor

Thirty-four months after it closed, the Subway in Careers reopened on Jan. 30.

The sandwich restaurant on the bottom floor of Careers will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday for the rest of the semester.

“I think it’s great,” Event Services Manager Peter Kaiser said. “The hours should be stable, depending on what the traffic is.”

Subway will join the Hawk’s Nest and Chick-fil-A as one of AACC’s three main food options. Chick-fil-A, on the bottom floor of the Health and Life Sciences building, is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Students who use artificial intelligence tools to write their papers or answer exam questions are guilty of plagiarism, AACC faculty members said in January.

According to Wayne Kobylinski, academic chair of the English Department, faculty flagged at least two

students who may have used AI text generators for assignments on the first day of school.

“Yes, it took one day this semester before I heard of an instance,” Kobylinski said.

The professors were tipped off when they saw discussion posts by two different students that were “virtually identical,” Kobylinski said.

AI text generators, such

as ChatGPT or Copy.ai, can answer prompts given to them—even writing essays or completing assignments.

“The use of AI text generators, like ChatGPT, without attribution is no different than any other kind of plagiarism,” Kobylinski said.

“Presenting somebody else’s words and ideas as your own

Some professors discourage students from using AI generators for schoolwork, while others say they may find a use for the technology in the classroom.

Pixabay photo

In a new Campus Current feature, several notable AACC alumni talk to the student newspaper about their college years and their lives now.

Read the full story

by Managing Editor Sam Gauntt online at www. thecampuscurrent.com.

“Web Exclusive” will appear monthly.

Subway reopens 34 months after closing

Profs treat AI use as plagiarism in classes Sam Gauntt Managing Editor

Continued on page 3

look back

Continued on page 3

Monday through Thursday.

The Hawk’s Nest, in the Student Union building, is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Some students said they plan to eat at Subway.

“I’m pretty excited about it because we have more options to eat,” first-year fiContinued on page 3

2 | Campus Current | 2023 | March

Editorial

Meet the Staff Editor-in-Chief Zack Buster Managing Editor Sam Gauntt Associate Editor Tomi Brunton Graphic Designer Mary Turner Photo Editor Megan Cunningham Sports Editor Dan Elson Assistant Sports Editor Aidan Gunn Diversity Editor Ava Herring Events Editor Lexi Grieder Newsroom Manager Katie Dubics Social Media Manager Micah Smith Web Master Kaylah Rashid Reporters Andrea Bridgett Ada Lindahl Cole Popov Payton Thompson Vance Wild Photographers Graig Bracey Zoe Brunton Phil Grimm Avery Gunn Mason Hood Lexi Mercedes Faculty Adviser Sharon O’Malley Photographers on Page 1, top Lexi Mercedes Lexi Mercedes Lexi Grieder Read full versions of most stories at TheCampusCurrent.com

Twitter @campus_current Facebook Facebook.com/ CampusCurrentPaper Instagram @campuscurrentaacc

Contact

CampusCurrent @gmail.com 101 College Parkway Arnold, MD 21012

Students: Why waste AACC? Editorial Board

Most full-time AACC students pay around $4,000 every year to attend this school.

Yet many of them try to find every way to get out of learning anything.

From relying on artificial intelligence to write their papers to paying their classmates to take notes and do their homework, it seems like, for some, the goal of college is to get that diploma with the least amount of effort and learning possible.

So students: Why spend $4,000 each year to not learn?

Is it to get that piece of paper and land that internship? What happens when you get to that internship and you need to use the required knowledge you supposedly learned in college?

A piece of paper with your name on it means nothing if you didn’t do what that diploma symbolizes you did.

That certificate is supposed to certify something.

Shortcuts have consequences. You can get kicked out of AACC for plagiarism, which could also prevent you from going to other colleges if they look you up and find records of cheating.

Even if you get away with plagiarism in college and no one finds out after you graduate, you will still be in trouble when you go into the workforce without the proper knowledge and training.

When your boss asks you to type up a report, and it is full of errors and bad grammar, the supervisor will think, “Wow, did this employee even take English 101?”

Each time you plagiarize an essay or cheat on a test, you contribute to a future for yourself where you’re underprepared for your career.

Depending on your major and career choice, the repercussions of this could become a lot more serious than a poorly written office report. An engineer who didn’t learn the right formula, for instance, could design a building that will collapse.

That said, the question still stands: “Why waste it?”

Why waste your tuition money? Why waste your opportunity to really learn something? Why waste your time going to college?

With all the money and time you or your parents spend on college, why not make it worth it?

It seems many students are trying to find every way to get out of learning while at college. The question is: “Why attend if you’re just going to waste it?”

Shown, students pretend to cheat in a posed photo of professor Sharon O’Malley’s journalism class.

Photo by Megan Cunningham

Letter from the newsroom

Stay close with your siblings Avery Gunn Photographer

Growing up, my brother and I did everything together.

He’s two years older and always made it his responsibility to protect me. I used to be really shy and hated speaking to anyone outside of my family. Until I was 5, I used to hide behind my brother and let him speak for me. We even had our own language.

As I got older, I gained more independence and started my own path in theater and performing arts.

He made sure to never miss a performance, and I paid him back by watching every one of his hockey games, no matter how long the drive or how cold the rink.

As homeschooled students for our whole lives, we had unique opportunities to explore our interests in a hands-on manner. Our education has been closely tied together and we could always look to each other whenever we struggled or got picked last for a project. There have

been late nights making slides together at 2 a.m. while eating grilled cheese when we both had projects due.

Since I entered high school a year ago, we’ve spent more time apart, and I’ve discovered sides of our relationship neither of us knew existed. We’ve gone from building couch forts and fighting over the last fruit snack to latenight gossip sessions and rides to a friend’s house with the music blaring.

Luckily, I was able to start going to AACC during Aidan’s last semester as a dual-enrollment high school senior, so we get to spend these last few months together before he goes away to a four-year university.

It began with Aidan protecting me, but now we protect each other. And I will always feel grateful to have him as my brother and friend, and for this very special semester, as my fellow AACC student.

But who am I kidding?

College or not, I’m always going to fight him over the last bag of fruit snacks.

Brother-and-sister team Aidan and Avery Gunn are both dual-enrolled at AACC and are homeschooled high school students. Both volunteer at Campus Current.

Photo by Sam Gauntt

Campus Current | 2023 | March | 3

News

Athlete: Fallen player made everyone smile Continued from page 1

“resilience.”

“Our hearts are broken over the passing of Nick Barton,” Athletic Director Duane Herr said in a statement last summer. “Nick was a bright spot within the Riverhawk athletics community who left a lasting impression on everyone he met. It was a privilege watching him grow and flourish over the last three years.”

Former head lacrosse coach Joe Stanilaus said in a June statement that Barton, a midfielder, inspired his fellow Riverhawks to play better on the field.

“I am so grateful our paths crossed,” Stanilaus said. “We will forever miss his presence, but will never forget the leader he was becoming.”

In his last season on the team, Barton tallied 18 points, scoring 15 goals and

getting three assists. In his three years on the team, he scored 39 goals and totaled nine assists across 29 career games.

Barton was a dean’s list student who made the athletic director’s honor roll twice.

Smith is set to appear in court on April 21.

Managing Editor Sam Gauntt and Photo Editor Megan Cunningham contributed to this article.

A 21-year-old has been charged in the death of AACC lacrosse player Nick Barton. Shown, Barton playing in a March 2022 game. To contact AACC Counseling Services, call 410-777-7111.

Photo courtesy of Frank Mitchell III

Fridge gone Subway rejoins Nest, Chick-fil-A at Arnold Vance Wild Reporter

The company that installed the Farmer’s Fridge fresh-food vending machine on the second floor in Careers has stopped restocking it and has plans to remove it.

The refrigerated food kiosk dispensed fresh sandwiches, salads and healthy snacks during the fall semester.

Event Services Manager Peter Kaiser said a

second Farmer’s Fridge kiosk in the Health and Life Sciences building is “going to stay there,” at least for now.

Kaiser said neither of the machines did as much business “as they hoped, and I’m not sure why.”

For the HLSB machine, Kaiser said, “I think we just need to traffic it better and get people to know where the vending areas are. I think if we had put it somewhere else it might have done better.”

Continued from page 1

nance student Stiven Llano said. “It’s pretty tiring, just, like, having two places. But with this, I guess, I’m going to start eating more here.”

Kaiser said Subway’s owners had to hire employees and repair equipment before they could reopen.

“Part of the process was that they were having trouble getting staffing, but the other process was because

Artificial intelligence tools raise concerns Continued from page 1

is considered academic dishonesty. So those are the policies, those are the guidelines, that’s the way it’s going to be treated. So tread lightly.”

Penalties for plagiarism could include a zero on the assignment, a trip to the assistant dean’s office or even a failing grade in the course.

English professor Suzanne Spoor said she initially worried about the potential use of AI tools in her class, but said most students will want to do their own work.

“Most of my students really want to find their own voices, learn, explore their own ideas,” Spoor said. “And so I don’t need to panic because they’re the same students, right? They’re still going to want to do all of those things.”

Photography professor

Christiana Caro, who worked at Google from 2016-18 on AI camera technology, said her impression of ChatGPT “is that it’s really good, which is interesting because it’s super problematic. … Because the pursuit of knowledge is meant to teach us how to do a thing, not how to get a thing to do a thing for us.”

Caro, who also teaches photography courses at Johns Hopkins University, added: “But at the same time, it’s like if the thing is so good, and it writes the paper, you could, like, ostensibly learn from that as well by looking at the way that the AI translates, kind of, an idea or a synthesis of ideas.”

First-year transfer studies student Gabriel Henstrand said the use of AI for assignments “flat out … is just academic dishonesty.”

“I’m sure there are ways

to go about, I guess, using the AI to help you, or help someone write a paper,” Henstrand said. “But at the end of the day … I think it should be the student’s own research that’s conducted in their own writing. It’s really the only way that, like, someone can actually turn in something that’s, you know, genuine.”

Second-year transfer studies student John Finn agreed.

“I think it is just cheating to some extent,” Finn said.

“If it’s not writing the actual paper, you can get ideas and things from it, and that’s kind of fine. But you do have to do your own work after that.”

Spoor said she ran assignments through ChatGPT to see what the program could generate.

“I said, ‘Compare these two poems,’ and I tried to pick

we shut down from COVID, so all of the machines over there were idle,” Kaiser said.

Subway co-owner Sherri Anderson told Campus Current she had to find staff for her five other stores before the campus location could reopen.

“And I’m still desperately looking for employees to keep this one open,” she said.

Kaiser added the owners would “be happy to hire stu-

dents” as employees.

“It’s good to see, like, different things here,” first-year undecided student Patrick O’Malley said. “Like free-market competition for the cafeteria. I’d prefer it if it wasn’t a Subway to be honest. I’m not a big fan. But I mean, it’s nice that it’s there, rather than [it] be nothing.”

First-year transfer studies student Austin Clow said he would like to see a cafe or deli on campus.

Professors report that students have already started using AI text generators for class assignments.

Pixabay image obscure poets that almost nobody writes about,” Spoor said. “And they did a good job with topic sentences. … But … none of the quotes were from the actual poems, for example, but it just acted like it did. … I think it’s really scary for

misinformation.”

Henstrand said he does not “see it getting to a point where it’s, like, more students are using AI than not.”

And Spoor said professors could potentially use AI as a teaching aid.

4 | Campus Current | 2023 | March

News

Famous artist paints with college students Zack Buster Editor-in-Chief

Thirteen students and faculty gathered on the third floor of the Cade Center for the Arts to paint with a famous street artist in February as part of the college’s celebration of Black History Month.

Comacell Brown Jr., also known as Cell Spitfire, worked with students to paint pictures of tribal masks and various food products, household objects and technology created by

Black individuals from history.

Those canvases will be on display in Room 324 of the Cade building.

Spanish professor Linda Paez, who coordinated the Black History Month event, said it was a good “learning experience” for students to get a better understanding of Black culture and accomplishments.

Brown, who has won various awards for his work, has painted many high-profile murals across the country.

Second-year pre-med

AACC to build entrance sign Zack Buster Editor-in-Chief

AACC will get a new sign at the College Parkway entrance to East Campus in late May. Students contributed to the sign’s design.

Allison Baumbusch, creative director in the Office of Strategic Communications, said she suggested a replacement for the “aging” brown brick design back in 2017.

The update, she said, will keep the college’s branding and aesthetics “consistent.”

“I’ve always had an eye towards design and things that are aging and not looking on brand with other things around the college,” Baumbusch said, adding the new sign will “draw attention” and add a “main entrance” feel.

The new sign will replace the one the college tore down in early February.

student Riley Keeran said the event was “a good way to learn more about Black history … to experience Black History Month, to learn more about it.”

Art Association President Ella Woodbury described the event as “very cool,” saying it was a great opportunity to talk and learn from a “high-profile” artist like Brown.

Brown also described the event as “cool.”

“I think it’s pretty cool to inform the people about who created everyday

Renovations of the fourth floor of the Florestano building on AACC’s Arnold campus began in early February and will continue through the end of the spring semester.

The revamp, slated to be finished by July, will add three new Hyflex classrooms that are equipped with cameras and microphones to allow students to attend class in-person or online, a computer lab, faculty collaboration space, the college’s IDEA Lab, and new student media spaces for creating audio and video content.

Faculty will move into the fourth floor of the building, which closed in summer

2021, by September.

“Right now we’re in the demolition phase, and … we are currently only renovating the fourth floor,” Lex Thompson, the project manager for facilities, planning, design and construction, said. “So construction is slated to be complete in July. And then I will furnish the building, with the rest of the summer, and then move everybody in September, hopefully.”

The first three floors of Florestano also will be renovated, with the process set to begin next year.

“So we are looking at starting design … in early 2024, and that usually takes about a year,” Thompson said. “And then construction would also take about a year. So we’re looking at

items that we somehow overlooked,” Brown said. “I felt like [for] Black History Month, it was only right to highlight those people who created monumental creations.”

Brown said the college’s theme for Black History

Month, “Unmasking Black Excellence,” inspired him to create an activity that involved painting pictures of masks.

Keeran encouraged every AACC student to attend “culturally enriching events.”

The college plans to have a new sign on College Parkway by the end of May. Shown, a digital rendering of the new sign.

Photo courtesy of Lex Thompson Whiting-Turner, the contractor that built the Health and Life Sciences building, is constructing the new sign.

Some students said they prefer the newer design.

Renovations begin on Florestano 4th floor Sam Gauntt Managing Editor

Comacell Brown Jr., an Annapolis artist, paints a tribal mask during an AACC Black History Month event.

Photo by Lexi Mercedes

mid- to late 2026.”

All student services, including advising, the testing center, registration and financial aid, eventually will move into the first, second and third floors of Florestano, Thompson said.

Thompson said once all services move into Florestano, the current Student Services building on the main campus could become a designated space for students and clubs, and the testing center could become more office space.

Most services will be available at self-serve kiosks, but college employees will still assist anyone who needs help.

“I’m definitely in support of the student services [moving into] the Floresta-

First-year undecided student Emily Price said she forgot the old sign “even existed” because it was “not very noticeable,” adding the new one “pops out more.”

Second-year pre-medical student Deaija Parker said the new sign will “bring more life to the campus,” adding it “gives the campus a much more welcoming touch.”

The renovations of the Florestano building on West Campus will feature spaces for student services, media production and faculty meeting rooms.

Photo by Phil Grimm no location,” Thompson said. “I think the parking situation is better for guests. … I think as far as new students, getting in and out with an accessible building, you know, right off the parking lot, I think it’s a big improvement, or will be a big improvement. I know that the staff is really excited about what’s going on on

the fourth floor. And hopefully this will help students.”

Some students said having the services in one place will be an improvement.

“Having everything in one place will make it easier for people,” physician assistant student Makenzie Mays, who is taking one class at AACC, said. “I think it would be beneficial for everyone.”

Campus Current | 2023 | March | 5

News

AACC gets digital IDs for spring 2023 term Sam Gauntt Managing Editor

Students, faculty and staff started using digital IDs at the Truxal library and the fitness center this semester.

The college will no longer issue physical IDs except for some students, faculty or staff who are required to have one, such as public safety officers or students taking clinicals, according to Information Center Manager Heather McFarland. However, services on campus,

like the library and fitness center, and off-campus businesses that offer student discounts, will still accept physical ID cards from those who already have one.

McFarland said those who are required to have a physical card can email idcard@aacc.edu to get one.

“I think it’s more convenient and more flexible,” Executive Director of Strategic Communications Dan Baum said of the digital ID. “Students don’t have to come to campus, go get their photo

taken [and] have the ID. They can do it all themselves. ... It creates a little more flexibility, too, going forward.”

To get a digital ID, students, faculty and staff can download the app TouchNet 360u on Apple or Android devices, log in through their AACC account and upload their photo.

Baum said students can use their preferred name for a digital ID. Erin Setters, an Information Center agent, said some users were having problems

AACC will celebrate Women’s History Month with about a dozen interactive virtual and in-person events this March.

The celebration will feature a month-long Wikipedia edit-a-thon, which will teach students how to publish accurate information about women’s history on the online encyclopedia, as well as Soapbox Sisters, which invites students to perform speeches and poems by women through history.

English professor Shelley DeBlasis said Women’s History Month “acknowledges women’s achievements, accomplishments and contributions to American society and culture.”

Students to perform in ‘Soapbox Sisters’ Tomi Brunton Associate Editor

Students will perform inspiring speeches and poems by historical and contemporary women in an event on March 28.

The Communications Department hosts the event, titled Soapbox Sisters, every year for Women’s History Month.

“Soapbox Sisters is happening so that we can high-

light the voices of women from around the world who have done something to inspire people, to impact [and] empower people,” April Copes, a communications professor and the co-coordinator of the event, said.

Copes has coordinated the event for more than a decade, but this semester is the first time it will take place in person since the start of the pandemic.

Avery Burke, a sec-

with the app at first.

“Some is user error, and then some has been technical issues, but thankfully [they] have been resolved,” Setters said. “I would recommend if someone is experiencing a technical issue like that to ... please email us.”

Some students said they never used a physical ID. However, first-year transfer studies student Josh Garza said he would use an online ID because “if it’s digital, [it’s] just kind of … easier, and most of the stuff is online anyways.”

In 1987 Congress designated March as Women’s History Month. The campus celebrates it annually.

DeBlasis, co-chair of this year’s Women’s History Month observation, said it’s important to celebrate it because it aligns with AACC’s value of embracing diversity and inclusion.

Sophie Reverdy, a distance learning librarian and DeBlasis’s co-chair, said any campus program, department or student group can organize Women’s History Month events.

“I love seeing the range of things from different disciplinary perspectives,” Reverdy said. “I just love to see what my college colleagues come up with and how they acknowledge women’s contributions.”

“Even student groups can propose and run their own event,” DeBlasis said.

“Sophie and I will help them realize what they want to do, and we do publicity and coordination for it. … Proposing an event is a great way to learn about women’s history.

Sometimes we have classes put together Women’s History Month events, so it’s open to anyone on campus.”

She said these events help students and faculty learn new things about women’s contributions to U.S. society and the events are a way to connect with other members of the community.

Reverdy said she hopes by showing women’s achievements from diverse perspectives, the events can highlight the experiences that have shaped women today.

College hosts events for women’s history Ava Herring Diversity Editor

The college will host a number of online and in-person events during Women’s History Month in March.

Adobe Stock image

Students can get their digital AACC IDs by downloading the TouchNet 360u app and logging in through their MyAACC accounts.

Photo by Sam Gauntt

ond-year plant sciences student who will perform at the event, said it’s good to “give life to the words.”

“I think it’s important to bring light to, like, the women of our society now and historically who have contributed to literature,” Burke said.

Second-year communications student Kalvin Herold agreed.

“I had always wanted to support women’s movements,” Herold said. “I had

The Communications Department will host Soapbox Sisters on March 28. Shown, communications professors Haley Draper, left, and April Copes, the event’s coordinators.

Photo by Lexi Mercedes loved poetry and it seemed that there [were] more ways that people were expressing themselves through writing than I had figured.”

Burke plans to read “I Have Had Not One Word From Her” by ancient Greek

poet Sappho at the event.

“Sappho is like the original lesbian … so it’s also personal to me. And … she’s famous, like, her literature is everywhere,” Burke said.

“It’s really good. It has a lot of feeling in it.”

6 | Campus Current | 2023 | March

News

Pitch contest ’23 kicks off

ESI marks 20 years at AACC Zack Buster Editor-in-Chief AACC’s Entrepreneurial Studies Institute will celebrate 20 years on campus this spring as it hosts its 19th annual Business Pitch Competition.

Former ESI Academic Chair Carlene Cassidy said she started the institute and the Shark Tank-style contest two decades ago to teach student entrepreneurs how to “bootstrap” their businesses with “practical” lessons for refining their ideas. Students compete for thousands of dollars in cash prizes to help them get on their feet.

“There are some core, fundamental things that every business owner should have under their belt,” Cassidy, CEO of the Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation, said. “It’s really [about] seeing students grow through the process. The competition is the culmination of that.”

Tomi Brunton Associate Editor Cole Popov Reporter

Student entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas every year in a Shark Tank-style competition to win cash prizes. Shown, mentor Steve Berry, left, poses with contestant Ron Parker at a kickoff event.

Photo by Lexi Grieder The foundation has donated almost $25 million nationwide to entrepreneurship-based scholarships and competitions like AACC’s Business Pitch.

In 19 years of those competitions at AACC, the foundation has funded almost

$400,000 worth of prizes to more than 100 student winners who have pitched their business ideas and plans to panels of judges.

“It’s transformative,” ESI Academic Chair Stephanie Goldenberg, who coached participants in the past, said.

Fun and Games

Did you know?

The Truxal Library is now open on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Photo by Sam Gauntt

Entrepreneurial students took their first steps in February toward competing for scholarships and cash prizes to help them start their own businesses.

Stephanie Goldenberg, the academic chair for entrepreneurial studies, told participants in two meetings, one online and one in person, how to prepare for the $100,000 Business Pitch in April. Aspiring business owners can win up to $25,000 from that competition.

“I’m just really excited that students are pushing themselves to compete, not just for the funds, but for learning and for growing and progressing on their business ideas,” Goldenberg, the project manager for the Business Pitch, said. “I think

this is a really good process for them to get the feedback and get expert advice so that they can make big strides in their business.”

Pitch contestants will work with business coaches and attend workshops on resume writing and sales pitches to prepare for the April event.

The competition is open to all AACC students.

Peter Papa, a second-year business administration student, said he is “feeling good” about his chances in the competition.

“But … all I want is for everyone to have a good time and for all of us to help our community,” Papa said.

Christopher Taylor, a volunteer mentor for Pitch participants, said the competition is “a lot of fun. This is a great community college and I find students that are doing this are all motivated, and that’s what’s so much fun about it.”

Campus Current | 2023 | March | 7

College offers free tax prep Tomi Brunton Associate Editor

News

Oksana Fisher, a business professor and the program’s coordinator, said the program is beneficial for both taxpayers and volunteers.

“It is a really great way to give back to the community, and also it is a good opportunity for our current students to practice their skills and get … real-life work experience,” Fisher said. “They are really the ones that meet the clients, sit down with them, complete the … paperwork and the return. ... So it’s a really great opportunity for our students as well.”

Yen Truong, a volunteer

Volunteers on campus will complete students’ tax returns for free until April 8.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, or VITA, will offer free tax preparation for students, faculty, staff and members of the community who made less than $60,000 in 2022.

“It’s a really good program that seems to help Volunteers like Kristina Stubbs, right, from the national Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, file tax returns for students, faculty and staff who earn less people,” Michael Amwoga, than $60,000. a third-year professional bookkeeping student and a Photo by Mason Hood volunteer in the program, said. “I know it’s not going to ness administration and fi- ciation’s vice president of fi- said. “[We’re] trying to, you be super easy, but we have a nancial accounting, said she nance, agreed. know, help them the best lot of people works with VITA to “help “I hope a lot of people in way we can, by preparing an there that I people.” the community and our stu- accurate return for them.” know are go- To register for tax prep, go to “VITA is a free pro- dents … get to benefit from Participants can book an ing to be able TheCampusCurrent.com and gram, so it’s [a] good rate it,” Amwoga said. “I look for- appointment online to drop to support us for low-income people,” ward to contributing.” off their 2022 financial insearch “VITA.” when we get Truong said. “[They] Fisher said participating formation in Careers Room stuck.” don’t have a lot of money in the program is “very re- 326 and wait while the tax The nationwide VITA in the program who gradu- to file that tax.” warding.” preparers work or pick up “It’s a really great way to their completed tax forms program has run at AACC for ated from AACC in 2021 with Amwoga, who is the approximately a decade. associate degrees in busi- Student Government Asso- help the community,” Fisher later.

Check out TheCampusCurrent.com

Fun and Games

Looking for answers?

8 | Campus Current | 2023 | March

Campus life

Opera AACC longest continuous program Tomi Brunton Associate Editor Andrea Bridgett Reporter

AACC’s 22-year-old opera company has been continuously running longer than the program at any other community college in the country.

Founded in 2001 by music professor and artistic director Doug Byerly, Opera AACC performs twice a year at the college and occasionally off campus.

“There are others that have longer musical theater programs and music, etc., but opera is kind of … an old art form,” Byerly said.

AACC was the third community college in the country to form an opera program.

“We’ve done rock musical, we’ve done opera, we’ve done operetta,” Byerly said.

“We expose AACC students to every type of genre on the stage.”

He added, “Our alumni and the folks that have sung with Opera AACC are currently singing throughout the world.”

Byerly said students “join the program for a love of singing, love of acting.

In the arts, we have the opportunity to ... be somebody other than ourselves, but still express our own hearts, our own desires, our own thoughts, our own fears, anxieties. Theater is a great way of working out your stuff.”

Fourth-year transfer studies student CJ Campbell agreed.

“What people don’t realize is that performing is just another passion,” said Campbell, who will play Mabel in Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance” on campus from May 19-21. “If it’s your passion … you do a great job because that’s what’s needed in opera, in performing—the passion for it.”

Byerly said the program

is “unique” for a community college.

“We have over 40 students that are registered credit students that are in the program,” Byerly said.

“And then a lot of students on the outside … come in and work tech, work production, costumes, makeup and a whole host of things.”

Byerly said Opera AACC’s “wide range of ability to collaborate” sets it apart from other programs.

“We also ... go into … elementary schools, community centers, etc., during the year, and we’ll do performances at various other locations,” Byerly said.

Campbell said she enjoys working with Opera AACC. “I think the one lesson I’ve learned is to keep going and keep trying,” Campbell said. “Because everything is a learning process. And that’s true … no matter what you do, and opera is just another learning process.”

Professor Doug Byerly, back, and performer Emily Sergo appear in a 2019 Opera AACC production of “Sweeney Todd.”

Photo courtesy of Ken Harriford Will Kuethe, an eighthyear continuing education student who is cast as Frederick, the lead role in “Pirates,” said Opera AACC is an opportunity to make “good connections.”

Kuethe, who was president of the student opera club for several years, said

the performances often include some local, professional opera singers.

Campbell said she would continue opera after she finishes school.

“I don’t think I could ever stop performing unless somebody cut my vocal cords,” Campbell said.

Campus Current | 2023 | March | 9

Campus life

Students say reading isn’t just for college Payton Thompson Reporter

Students like to read not only for academic purposes but also as a hobby, they told Campus Current.

“I enjoy [the] academic reading I do for school,” Emma Riordan, a first-year sociology student, said. “But when I’m reading on my own, I’m doing it more for my own enjoyment.”

According to health information site Heathline. com, people who read consistently have better brain de-

velopment. More specifically, reading expands vocabulary and comprehension, lowers stress levels and increases relaxation.

“Anytime you read anything you can learn something new,” Basic Needs Coordinator Caitlin Silver-Negron, who helps run a Diversity Series book club on campus, said. “As a kid, if I didn’t recognize a word while reading a book, my parents would encourage me to get a dictionary and look it up.”

English professor Can-

dice Hill said reading helps people develop empathy.

“There was this cool psychology study that talked about novel reading as being the best way to practice empathy because it’s your ability to put yourself into someone else’s shoes,” Hill, who runs the book club with Silver-Negron, said.

Creative writing professor Garrett Brown said people read nonfiction or fiction for different purposes.

“I think nonfiction is a lot more informative and fiction can be a lot more speculative

Students who dress up for class said wearing nice clothes improves their mood for the day and helps them feel more prepared to learn.

“I think when I look more presentable, I feel more presentable, which helps me to better focus in class instead of focusing on not looking up to par,” Maura Riordan, a first-year environmental science student, said.

A study in the Social Psychology and Personality Journal confirmed wearing formal attire improved participants’ scores on abstract reasoning tests.

Music lovers choose favorite album of ’22 Cole Popov Reporter

AACC students in January chose the rap album “The Forever Story” by JID as their favorite musical release of 2022.

In an informal Campus Current survey of 50 students on the Arnold campus, more chose rap albums as their favorites than any other genre. Pop and country albums came in second and third.

In the pop category, Taylor Swift’s album “Midnights”

was the most popular. Country singer Zach Bryan’s album “American Heartbreak” topped the list for country music.

“There’s a lot of good music in 2022, but I have to say “The Forever Story” by JID was probably my most played album that year,” first-year forensic science student Gian Ayala said.

Second-year computer science student Chitanta Mushambo also picked “The Forever Story” because of “the anticipation waiting for it. It was a long time coming,

and in a lot of ways fanciful,” Brown said. “But at the end of the day, I would say there’s probably no difference in benefits.”

Izzy Chase, a first-year creative writing student, said reading can be an escape from everyday life.

Silver-Negron said some students don’t enjoy reading because of how they are introduced to books.

“When they’re forced to read in school [they might not]enjoy the books that they read,” Silver-Negron said.

Riordan said dressing nicely helps her make the best first impression, especially with professors.

One first-year student, Maddie Radike, who was wearing a black pea coat and a new necklace a friend made for her, said she prefers to dress nicely for class because it helps her stay more awake.

“I think [dressing up] definitely makes me work a little bit better,” Radike, a gender and sexuality studies student, said. “I would say because usually when I’m just wearing, like, sweatpants and a T-shirt to class, I’m generally, like, a lot more tired.”

Students choose a wide variety of clothing styles and favorite items when it comes to dressing up for class.

“I like to wear a big jacket so that I can have, like, a lot of room to put all my stuff in, a turtleneck and [some] boots,” Lilly Quintanilla-Rojas, a second-year engineering student, said.

However, those who dress up said they do not mind it when others dress casually.

“If you want to wear PJs to class, you do what you want to do,” Shan Pearce, a fourth-year environmental science student, said. “I’m not here to, like, judge anyone.”

Wearing nice clothes can boost your mood Ada Lindahl Reporter

Some students say wearing nice clothes can help boost their confidence. Shown, first-year public health student Mac Johnston.

Photo by Graig Bracey

Students say they enjoy reading as a hobby. Shown, first-year dental hygienist student Mihwa Park Madi.

Photo by Sam Gauntt

and then the production that went into it and the storytelling.”

“I think this is, like, [JID’s] most consistent and most well put-together album,” Ayala said.

“Midnights” fans were just as enthusiastic about Swift’s album.

“I mean, the album is about all the midnights that Taylor’s had in her life that just … kept her up,” first-year nursing student Lila Cessor-Culver said.

First-year education student Olivia Costello said she

Students choose albums like “Midnights” by pop artist Taylor Swift and “American Heartbreak” by country singer Zach Bryan as the top releases of 2022.

Photo by Zoe Brunton likes not only the album but the artist.

“Taylor Swift is my favorite artist … because she really switched up what she normally does,” Costello said.

“And she gave us an inside look at her and of all the eras she’s ever done.”

Associate Editor Tomi Brunton contributed to this article.

10 | Campus Current | 2023 | March

Campus Life

Faculty say, ‘Yo prof’ too casual for class Payton Thompson Reporter AACC professors said in January students should talk to them casually but with respect, and should reach out when they need help.

“I think the most important thing, whether they talk to me in a formal or casual way, is that it’s with respect,” English professor Aubrey Baden said.

Baden said students should contact professors if they need help in class.

“The vast majority of

teachers are willing to help the students as long as they know that the students need the help,” Baden said. “If they feel too scared to approach me in person, then definitely send me an email.”

Other professors agreed email is the best way to contact them.

Communications professor Haley Draper said students can reach her by “either email or by phone, if that’s more, you know, suitable for them. I feel like this generation is much better with email than calling. I

don’t think I’ve gotten a student phone call in 10 years.”

Baden agreed.

“I think the best advice is that they take a leap of faith and either ask me before or after class or send me an email to let me know that they would like to talk to me,” Baden said.

Both students and professors have the expectation of mutual respect in the classroom, but it can depend on the professor, some said.

Adalynn Rittgers, a firstyear math student, said professors who share some

The best place to hang out on the Arnold campus is the Health and Life Sciences building, students told Campus Current.

“I like the Health and Life Sciences building because there’s a good food choice and it’s very open, and if I wanted to, I could meet people,” Jacqueline Cloud, a second-year early childhood education student, said.

Students also said they spend their time in the li-

AACC stalking panel shares safety advice Zack Buster Editor-in-Chief

This story contains mentions of stalking.

A stalking survivor who works at AACC advised students and faculty to “be observant of your surroundings, of yourself and others” during a February panel on stalking.

Melanie Monts De Oca, an AACC accessibility compliance officer, told a campus audience a stalker tried to follow her home after work one day, so she drove to a grocery store, where he followed her inside and she called the police.

During the incident,

which occurred in the ’90s when she worked in Florida, “I trusted my instincts when I noticed that I just felt something was off,” De Oca said, adding her situational awareness helped keep her safe that night.

“I was very lucky, because that’s not the case for other people,” said De Oca, whose father was a police officer.

De Oca spoke alongside stalking experts at a panel hosted by AACC Public Safety to give advice and promote awareness.

The panel featured AACC Police Chief Sean Kapfhammer and Anne Arundel

personal information during lectures seem more open to talking to students casually.

On the other hand, some professors said they have noticed students take casual talk too far.

“I’ve received some emails over the years that will just say ‘Yo prof,’” so-

ciology and political science professor John Lawton said.

“It’s just that sort of nonchalant demeanor [that] leaves a foul taste in your mouth.”

Glen Vranas, a first-year nutrition student, said people change their tone and demeanor based on the kind of setting they’re in.

brary, the cafeteria in the Student Union and on the Quad.

The students said their favorite locations have features that make it easy to hang out with friends, eat or study on campus. This includes electrical outlets on tables and comfortable seating.

Sarah Kerr, a third-year web design student, said the Hatchery in Room 326 of the Careers Center has free resources for entrepreneurial students, including coffee, printing, computers and whiteboards.

Students said they choose

their hangouts depending on what they plan to do with their time. For example, some go to the Health and Life Sciences building to eat at Chickfil-A and others spend time in the library when they want to study in a quiet place.

“I think it depends on the type of, like, studying and homework I want to get done,” Haley Herman, a firstyear education student, said.

“If I’m trying to hang out with people, I’m in the Health and Life Sciences building, but if I’m trying to grind and get stuff done I’m definitely in the library.”

Students debate best on-campus hangouts Payton Thompson Reporter

Students say the Health and Life Sciences building is their favorite hangout spot on campus.

Photo by Megan Cunningham

Faculty members say they expect students to talk to them respectfully. Shown, professor Jim Messenger teaches a math class.

Photo by Payton Thompson

County Police Detective Kayla Jennings, who specializes in domestic violence and stalking.

Kapfhammer and Jennings said two important things students can do if they think someone is stalking them are to be firm in telling the potential stalker the attention is unwanted, and to document all interactions and save any messages the person sends to them.

“They have to warn the potential stalker,” Kapfhammer said. “Some people don’t understand social cues.”

Jennings agreed, saying while “it’s tough to hurt someone’s feelings,” it’s nec-

Cops and survivors share advice during a stalking awareness panel on Jan. 26. Victims can file a report with AACC police by calling 410-777-1818.

Photo by Zack Buster cesary in these cases to be direct.

Jennings added documenting is “the biggest thing” to do so law enforcement can get involved and protect the victim.

“It’s really hard to find that fine line between unwanted attention and stalking,” Jennings said.

“Stalking is really, really, hard to prove. That’s why documentation is important.”

Kapfhammer said these stalking-related incidents are one of the most common things AACC’s Department of Public Safety and Police deals with. In October, campus police took three reports of alleged stalking.

Campus Current | 2023 | March | 11

Sports

’Hawks softball kicks off 38-game season Megan Cunningham Photo Editor

The Riverhawks softball team will open its 38-game regular season on March 8 with a double-header against the Howard Community College Dragons.

Softball head coach Guy Klingensmith noted the Region 20 competition will be tough this season.

“We’re just going to take it one step at a time, make it to the playoffs [and] make it to the Final Four,” Klingensmith, who is in his

seventh year of coaching at AACC, said. “Hopefully we can move on from there.”

The last time the Riverhawks won a national championship was in 2003.

Pitcher and shortstop Jaclyn Nevins, a third-year exercise science student, said the team has “a lot of potential, especially from last year, to build [on]. We had a pretty decent turnout last year. And I think we can do the same, if not a little bit better.”

Third-year earth science student Sierra Fowler, who

plays first base, agreed.

“We have a solid team and everything,” Fowler added. “And I feel like we’re just going to keep building and do better than we did last year.”

The Riverhawks will play only doubleheaders this season.

Last year the Riverhawks went 20-13 in the regular season with a roster of 10 players, and finished 2-2 in the postseason. The team lost to Chesapeake College in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 20 Division II

Just about two weeks before the Riverhawks men’s lacrosse team kicked off its season on Feb. 25, the Athletic Department promoted the team’s assistant coach to the top job.

Jeremy Ross, a former

Lacrosse teams start spring optimistically Dan Elson Sports Editor Micah Smith Reporter

The Riverhawks’ new men’s head lacrosse coach said in February he expects the team’s seven returners to show leadership to the first-year players for the 2023 season.

Jeremy Ross replaced Joe Stanilaus, who accepted the position of men’s head lacrosse coach at the University of the District of Columbia in February. The Riverhawks opened their season at home on Feb. 25 against Army Prep.

“The younger guys got to look up to the older guys [and] make sure that the older guys are doing the right thing … on the field and off the field,” Ross, who played for the Riverhawks from 2015-17, said.

The Riverhawks finished their 2022 regular season at 6-5. The team lost 13-5 on April 29 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 20 Semifinals.

Attacker Payton Williams said he’ll have a “breakout” season.

“I know I’ve been working really hard,” Williams, a third-year communications student, said. “And I know the younger guys have been looking up to me, being an older guy at community college.”

The Riverhawks scored a team 144 regular season goals last year, 35 of them by attacker Ben Wilson, who led in scoring. Midfielder Sam Kelley led the squad with 18 assists in the regular season.

Long pole Chris Higgins said he has “high hopes” for this season.

On the women’s lacrosse side, the team’s head coach

Double Elimination Round.

Outfielder Alyssa Smith led the team last season with 56 hits and a .509 batting average. Nevins carried the pitching staff with 172 strike outs. Overall, the Riverhawks had a team batting average

of .325 and an ERA of 4.36.

Smith “had a pretty good year last year,” Nevins said.

“Pretty awesome year. I think she can build off of that this year.”

Reporter Cole Popov contributed to this story.

AACC athlete, replaced head coach Joe Stanilaus, who accepted the top position with the University of the District of Columbia’s team.

Stanilaus finished his Riverhawks career at 42-30, including regular season and postseason games. During his tenure, Stanilaus led the team to nationals in 2014.

“It was always a dream of mine to be a head coach,” Ross, who graduated from Newberry College, said.

“This place got me to a new school, got me to the next level and now … I have the opportunity to ... help some of these kids out.”

Ross played for the Riverhawks from 2015-17.

Assistant coach gets top job this semester Dan Elson Sports Editor

Former AACC athlete Jeremy Ross, shown, replaces Joe Stanilaus as head coach of the Riverhawks men’s lacrosse team.

Photo courtesy of Jeremy Ross

Riverhawks softball starts on March 8. Shown, Chloe Ark, left, and Alyssa Smith, who are both outfielders, at practice.

Photo by Lexi Grieder

said one of the goals for this season is to have more balanced offensive and defensive sides of the field.

The Riverhawks will play their first game of the 2023 campaign on March 15 at Harford Community College.

Defender Erin Tully, a second-year radiology student, said she’s “just happy to be playing again [and] I think it’s going to be a good season. So I’m excited.”

Last season the Riverhawks lost 22-15 on May 14 to the Onondaga Community College Lazers in the NJCAA Semifinals. The team finished 6-2 in the regular season.

“Last year, we were an offense-heavy team, which relied a lot on our midfield,” head coach Jim Griffiths, who led the squad to six consecutive winning seasons, said.

“And hopefully, we’ll [be]

Men’s lacrosse started the new season in February and Women’s lacrosse starts on March 15. Shown, Brandon Grusholt, a defender, at practice.

Photo by Megan Cunningham more balanced this year than we [were] last year. We definitely need to improve defensively.”

Last season, midfielder Madison Hobbs led the Riverhawks in the regular season with 37 points, scoring 19 goals and assisting on 18.

Midfielder Elsa Skinner led the regular season in scoring with 26 goals. Goalkeeper Kaitlyn Evans started all reg-

ular season and postseason games and had a 12.04 goal average.

Attacker Bailey Makarovich, a second-year transfer studies student, said Griffiths “is really good at putting people together and working with people.”

Makarovich said she would like to beat the Harford Community College Fighting Owls.

12 | Campus Current | 2023 | March

Sports

Student-athletes use resources to succeed Dan Elson Sports Editor

Student-athletes who get hurt or struggle to keep up with classes can tap resources in the Athletic Department designed specifically for players.

Student Athlete Success Coordinator Stephanie Eckert manages student-athlete retention, creates academic goals for players and makes sure they are eligible to play sports. The Athletic Department has a study hall on the first floor of the Jenkins Gymnasium for the athletes.

These resources are “definitely” working, Eckert, who started working at the college in 2021, said. “I think the retention rate is definitely … improved since I’ve been here. I think that when people are held accountable rather than just being on their own, it really elevates them … to meet certain benchmarks that help

keep them on a schedule every week.”

Eckert manages the Riverhawks Rising Success Program, which helps the athletes achieve weekly school goals, get help from tutors and learn how to use Canvas.

Eckert also oversees the Student Athlete Advisory Council, which serves as a liaison between the players and Athletic Department administrators. One member of each Riverhawks team serves on the council, which encourages community service.

Pitcher Donny White said the study hall, which athletes must visit twice a week, prevents him from “procrastinating” on school work.

“It helps us be more involved, and having somebody push us to be better,” White, a first-year criminology student, noted.

Pitcher Nick Rees said

the study hall helps him concentrate more.

“It’s nice to come in here,” Rees, a first-year transfer studies student, said. “It’s a quiet environment [where we] get our work done and make sure we have good grades for the season [and] stay eligible.”

During home games, athletic trainer Amber Stanley, the coordinator of sports medicine and student athlete welfare, applies pregame and postgame treatment to any athlete struggling with an injury.

In the athletic rehab room, athletes use therapeutic ultrasound machines, heating pads and whirlpools for ice and hot baths. The Athletic Department also offers game-ready machines, which apply cold compression to the muscles.

Stanley said she educates the athletes on nutrition and daily meal ideas.

“Our athletes largely are

Student-athletes who get injured or want to get ahead in class have resources in the Athletic Department that are specifically for the players.

Photo by Dan Elson not eating enough and need to consume more calories,” Stanley noted. “So I try to give them ideas [on] how to do that in a convenient, nutritious [and] cost-effective way.”

Women’s head basketball coach Lionel Makell said the resources bring the team together.

“You got the academic part with Stephanie, you got the training part with Am-

ber,” Makell noted. “They’re an integral part of the program.”

The Athletic Department also creates highlight videos for athletes who want to get noticed by four-year universities, and lets players use the fitness center, fields and the basketball court during non-practice hours.

The Athletic Department also offers laundry services for athletes’ uniforms.