Athlete dies in boat accident
Men’s soccer teams prep for new season.
Former student wears Japanese animeinspired outfits. 7
The school is testing format of class called Life Campus Life Sports
Page
Holden Smith Co-Editor
A second-year communi cations student became the editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper in August.
Zack Buster, who served as associate editor last year, said he wants to improve the online edition of Campus Current.“Iwant to bring Campus Current into 2022,” Buster said. “I want to equally em phasize the online and print editions of the paper and tie them together more. One of my plans for the future is to enhance the multimedia as pects of Campus Current.” Buster replaced Dan El son, who remains with the paper as sports editor. “I think with this new job he is really going to shine in this new role as a leader,” Elson said. “And everyone looks up to him.” As editor-in-chief, Bust er will write, assign and edit stories. He will also oversee the Campus Current news room and will supervise a staff of reporters, photogra phers and graphic designers. Staff members said Buster impressed them last semester when he took on some of those responsibili ties.Faculty adviser Sharon O’Malley, a journalism pro fessor,“Heagreed.isanatural,” O’Mal ley said. “He’s confident. [He is] … making sure everyone’s being paid attention to. He is efficient in the way that he
HawkFlex. Campus
a new
Most student clubs will begin the school year with out funding for events and trips, unlike in prior years when the Student Govern ment Association approved their budgets in the spring. Office of Student Engage ment officials have told club presidents and faculty advis ers that the budget process will be delayed until after the start of the fall semester so incoming club officers can make the decisions about what needs funding. “What we found was that people who were in clubs this year and would be grad uating are no longer partic ipating in clubs [but] were requesting budgets for the people who will be taking over for the next year,” Am berdawn Cheatham, director of student engagement, said. Funding for campus clubs comes from student activity fees, which all stu dents pay when they enroll in classes.Budget requests from club officers are due to the Student Government Asso ciation by Sept. 23, although the officers of new clubs that organize after that date may Continued on page 3 ing him grow and flourish over the last three years.” Herr added, “Our sincere condolences go to his fam ily, friends, teammates and coaches.” Barton, a midfielder, tal lied 18 points last season, Student Nick Barton died in early June in a boating accident.
Photo by Summer Cox
Jenna Lagoey Co-Editor
Many clubs to begin term without funding
Former Associate Editor Zack Buster is the new edi tor-in-chief of the student newspaper.
Photo courtesy of Frank Mitchell III
Photo by Mary Kane
New editor takes top job this fall semester
TheCampusCurrent.com @Campus_CurrentCampusCurrentPaper CampusCurrentAACC September 2022 The award-winning newspaper of Anne Arundel Community College Page Page6 11
The Active Minds Club is one of the student organiza tions that must submit a budget proposal each year.
A 21-year-old lacrosse athlete died in early June in a boatingThird-yearaccident.student Nick Barton, who played for the Riverhawks since 2020, died after he was thrown into the West River when the 17-foot boat he was in struck a chan nel marker near the Parish Creek Marina. The other five people on the boat Currentsurvived.and former AACC athletes played a me morial lacrosse game on campus in June to honor Barton’s memory. “Our hearts are broken over the passing of Nick Bar ton,” Athletic Director Duane Herr said in a statement. “Nick was a bright spot with in the Riverhawk athletics community who left a lasting impression on everyone he met. It was a privilege watch Dan Elson Co-Editor Continued on page 3
Continued on page 3
and women’s
The Student Government Association is the vital link between students and ad ministration, and just like ev ery leadership organization, it could be even stronger. Specifically, SGA leaders could be more transparent with the student body about policies that affect them and their clubs. They should make sure that students who are not in the SGA have a say when those policies are be ing changed.Iftheapproval for club budgets is delayed by sever al months, for example, or if it is determined that student organizations will get less funding than in prior semes ters, club presidents would like to know. They want to be part of the conversation that happens before the policy change is finalized. Now, not all decisions like that are made by the SGA. But the SGA should fight hard to make sure the student perspective is con sidered and advocated for and be a representative for the rest of the student body. We understand that the pandemic threw a wrench in the works for almost every club. But as we come back to campus in greater numbers and students get involved again, student organizations need to be the best possible. Students need to feel that they have a voice when it comes to policies that affect them. Creating a direct line of communication between stu dents and the administration is imperative to create rules and programs that have the student body in mind. One of the side effects of Covid-19 is that our clubs have been focusing on sim ply surviving. Some clubs shut down and are just be ginning to open back up. But as students return to normal and more people try to find community at AACC, we need to make student life lively and present. We need to thrive.Tothe new members of the SGA: We need you to get us back on track, back in the know and back together as a student body. We need you to speak for us. Loudly.And please let us know—loud and clear— about SGA meetings and events. Our community will be stronger if more students are involved. They can't be involved if they don't know what's going on.
Keep copies of what you love
Letter from an editor Jenna Lagoey Co-Editor Jenna Lagoey, a reporter for Campus Current, is an avid fan of music and alternative culture.
Photo by Jenna Lagoey
SGA: Speak up for students
Photo by Sam Gauntt
The SGA oversees club budgets, acts as the voice of students, and organizes and sponsors events.
A suggestion: Publicize your own events and other clubs’ events beyond posting on The Nest. Share them ear ly and share them often on social media, via email and text, and on messaging plat forms like Finally,Discord.anoffer from Campus Current: Any club— including SGA—can adver tise a club event or recruiting effort in the digital edition of the student newspaper—for free—this semester. We’re all in this together.
Editorial Board
On one of the worst mornings of my life, I woke up to find that one of my fa vorite bands had removed all of its music from Spotify. I was devastated. I searched everywhere: Bandcamp, Spotify, You Tube, and the band’s web site and Facebook page. I found nothing. It was as if the band had never existed. I’d thought all hope was lost until my friend found a copy of the band’s only released CD. Suddenly, we both had the music we loved back. We listened to it for days, savoring the album we had and mourning the two we lost—because the band never physically released them.I’m an avid fan of inde pendent music and small, lo cal bands. Most of these art ists don’t have their music attached to large distribu tion arms and therefore tend to be looser with how they post their work—meaning that at near random, music can be wiped from the inter net.
| Campus Current | 2022 | September Editorial 2 MeetStaffthe Twitter @campus_current Facebook CampusCurrentPaperFacebook.com/ Instagram @campuscurrentaacc Co-Editors Zack Buster Dan Elson Sam Gauntt Jenna HoldenLagoeySmith Contributors Vance Wild D’Angelo Williams Graphic Designers Mary Kane Kaylah Rashid Faculty Adviser Sharon O’Malley Photographers on Page 1, top Dan Elson Jenna Lagoey Frank Fitzgeralde Libom Contact CampusCurrent410-777-2296@gmail.com Advertising CampusCurrentAdverts410-777-1947@gmail.com101CollegeParkwayArnold,MD21012
Now, any time I fall in love with an album, I buy a copy of it. I’ll buy CDs, vi nyls, digital downloads and, on rare occasions, cassettes. What’s important is that I own the music. I don’t have the money to buy copies of everything I enjoy, but if I fall in love with a project or an artist, I’ll be sure to own something.Ilearned my lesson. If an other band I love took down its music now, I’d have a CD so I could still listen. If, in 10 years, any artists I enjoy choose to remove their mu sic and re-edit their albums, I’ll still have the originals. No one can change my music or take it away from me. When you stream mu sic, movies or shows, you’re renting them. The company that owns the rights to the product allows you access when you pay for it. I don’t want some cor porate bigwig deciding what art I can listen to or watch and what I can’t. At any point, Netflix may decide that your favorite movie doesn’t match with its brand image and pull it off its site. I can’t stand the idea of some third party deciding what content I can consume based on what they think is marketable.Ownyour music. Own your movies. Own copies of the things you love.
Third-year student Nick Barton played on March 20 in a game against Genesee Community College. He died in June. Photo courtesy of Frank Mitchell III COM student is next editor of newspaper
“I only joined in April but Zack has been super friendly and welcoming,” Gauntt said. “He went out with me to my first story and helped me withGaunttthat.” said he’s excited to work with Buster in the new newsroom in Human ities“I117.think that he has a great knowledge about jour nalism in general and how to run a successful news room,” Gauntt said. “I think he works very well with the faculty adviser and really helps to make a cohesive ex perience for everyone.”
Communications student Zack Buster accepted the position of editor-in-chief of the student newspaper.
Continued from page 1 scoring 15 goals and getting three assists. He scored 39 goals and totaled nine as sists in 29 career games with the Riverhawks.Lacrossehead coach Joe Stanilaus said in a statement that Barton made his team mates 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 be coming.”Barton’s teammate, for mer AACC defensive athlete Dylan Anderson, said he con sidered him a leader on the squad.“He was a Riverhawk [and] he was holding people to that same standard,” An derson said. Anderson said his favor ite memory of Barton is “he would never borrow some body else’s shorts. He always insisted on wearing these musty sweatpants he had in his car.”Anderson also said he will remember Barton’s “re silience.”Barton was a dean’s list student who made the athlet ic director’s honor roll twice. request funds at any time, Cheatham said. The SGA will hold budget hearings Sept. 26 through Oct. 6. In previous years, clubs have sent in budget propos als in April or May prior to the fall Severalsemester.faculty advisers said they disagree with the changes.“It’sa little bit of a prob lem,” said Janet Lea Had dock, the faculty adviser for AACC’s National Kitchen and Bath Association chapter. “I know with the ASID [Amer ican Society of Interior De signers] group, there is an event called B’More, and that happens in September. So, how do you plan for B’More if your budget closes in the end of June and the event is within a week or so of re turning to campus? It’s a lit tle challenging.”Haddock,an instruction al specialist for architecture and interior design, added: “We used to ask for the bud get in the spring and it would be there waiting for us in the fall. But now … [they] want us to submit our budget … when we first get back to campus. … We can't really plan too much until we know what money we have to work with.”Cheatham said most clubs may request up to $3,000 rather than an amount that presidents deem would fund their ac tivities for the year, as is tra ditional. Cheatham also said some clubs may receive less than $3,000 and the SGA will consider requests for more money and for early budget hearings on a case-by-case basis.“So the idea is to reduce waste,” Cheatham said, “and then also to ensure that we're being good stewards of the funds for the fees that we collect.”English professor Garrett Brown, a former adviser for the student literary magazine Amaranth, said he fears the $3,000 cap might restrict his club’s ability to do anything outside of publication.
Campus Current | 2022 | September | News 3
The Adventure Club is one of the many student orga nizations that are affected by new rule changes.
Photo courtesy of Hannah Claggett
Clubs’ budgets could be smaller this year
Continued from page 1 leads meetings. He’s also a really good negotiator. ... He’s just got these really mature qualities. And I think that those are great qualities for an editor.”Sam Gauntt, a high school dual-enrollment stu dent who also serves as the paper’s associate editor, praised Buster’s leadership and mentoring skills.
Continued from page 1
Photo by Mary Kane
Lacrosse midfielder dies in boating crash
Former SGA President Ben Nussbaumer, who grad uated in May, agreed that limiting club budgets could limit the number of events on campus.“Sincethere's less bud get … I think [clubs will have] just less events that involve bringing in, like, outside peo ple,” Nussbaumer said. Brown called on OSE offi cials to collaborate with club advisers on any new rules. “Right now, it seems very much like they set the rules, and from the top down, and there’s all this friction be cause the rules don't really work for a lot of the different clubs,” Brown said. “There really needs to be thought about what it is that the clubs do, and how we can facilitate their fund ing and make things easier for them,” Brown said. Cheatham said the $3,000 cap reflects the spending of a typical student club. She noted that clubs may raise money on their own to pay for events or expenses that exceed the amount the SGA approves for them.
A new student handbook also outlines other changes in the rules for campus clubs. For example, clubs may use their SGA-approved funds for no more than two off-campus events or trips per semester. If members want to take additional trips, they may raise money to cov er the price or pay for them on theirAlso,own.clubs may use their funds to pay for only 75% of off-campus trips, and clubs must fundraise the other 25% or ask members to pay out of their pockets. The Office of Student Engagement has created a Canvas page that contains modules for virtual training for club officers and faculty advisers, who will not have access to their funding un til after they complete the course.
As interim associate vice president for learning and academic affairs, Smith will oversee the accreditation process at the college and support students and faculty. Smith said she would make no changes at the col lege while in her new role. “I'm going to continue the work that Dr. Marshall had left off with at the end of her tenure,” Smith said.
Long-term professors retire after decades
Current that in his years of teaching, he focused on de veloping his students’ char acter and analytical thinking. “I thought that the sto ry of my life could be inspi rational or motivational to some, especially the disad vantaged ones,” Kapoor said. Lindsay said Kapoor “gave 110% to our college while [he was] here, and we benefited from [his] work and [his] commitment.”
Students on campus no longer need masks while in buildings. Photo by Sam Gauntt
Photo by Dan Elson Holden Smith Co-Editor Dan Elson Co-Editor Dan Elson Co-Editor
| Campus Current | 2022 | September News 4
College gets interim associate vice pres.
Photo courtesy of AACC Strategic Communications Psychology professor Tina Smith is the interim asso ciate vice president for learning and academic affairs.
Wearing protective face masks and getting a Covid-19 vaccine will be optional in the fall semester, according to school officials. Both masks and vaccines were required for at least part of last semester, with the mask mandate expiring on the last day of school. “Unless we hear differ ent from the county and the state we are still going to be … leaving it up to the adults to make good decisions,” Vice President for Learning Tanya Millner told Campus
optional for students
Current.“Ithink most of us are trying to hope for the best,” Millner said. “That we make great adult decisions, and we care for ourselves, and we care for our communities, whatever that looks like.” Employees and students with Covid-19 symptoms, and anyone who has received a positive Covid-19 test result or has been exposed to some one with the virus must sub mit a Covid-19 report form to the college within 24 hours.
In a statement, Vice Pres ident for Learning Tanya Mill ner said Smith “is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism, teaching excel lence and student success.”
After 38 years of teach ing, one of AACC’s first black professors retired on July 1. President Dawn Lindsay said history professor Lester Brooks was a leader in diver sity.“He certainly helped me understand the campus community,” Lindsay said. “His students loved him. He was a pleasure to have as a colleague. He was a very gentle soul, very smart, very strategic and very commit ted. He showed that commit ment through his education and his classroom, and the experiences that he gave our students.”Asecond long-term pro fessor retired on July 1 after 51 years at JagmohanAACC.Kapoor, who taught math, told Campus AACC named an interim associate vice president for learning and academic af fairs on July 1. Tina Smith, the former academic chair of the psy chology department, will temporarily replace Alycia Marshall, who held the po sition for 22 years. Marshall left AACC to become the vice president of academic and student success at the Com munity College of Philadel phia.“I'm here to support the college,” Smith, a U.S. Air Force veteran, said. “I am a strong advocate for … what the college stands for. … I’m up for the challenge so that the college can have the sup port toward their goals.” Smith began her jour ney at the college in 2013 as an adjunct faculty member. Smith also served as a liaison for social sciences, philos ophy and interdisciplinary studiesSmithstudents.holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Walden University and a cer tificate in diversity and inclu sion from Cornell University.
Masks, Covid-19
vax
Long-time professor Lester Brooks teaches a history class in 2006. He retired on July 1.
Second-year architec ture student Matthew Bar ravini said expanding the hours is a good idea. “You have more days to come in and be able to use the services that they pro vide, which is really nice,” BarraviniFourth-yearsaid. English and entrepreneurship student Kasia Olszewski agreed. “It feels like they’re ap preciating the students that come to the college, and they’re trying to pro vide more resources for us to excel,” Olszewski said.
of services that are done in person and services that are offered virtually,” Feli cia Patterson, vice president for learner support services, said. “We have more faceto-face offerings in terms of courses. We also are making sure that we have student services hours in person aligned with those courses.”
AACC budget up from last year by $4.4 mil
Sam Gauntt Co-Editor
Photo by Sam Gauntt
The Anne Arundel Coun ty Council in June approved a $124.6 million operat ing budget for AACC for the 2023 school year, $4.4 mil lion more than last year. The college contributed 28% to this year’s budget through tuition and student fees. AACC’s Board of Trust ees approved a $2-per-credit tuition increase for fall. The remaining funds come from the state and county.Vice President for Learn ing Resources Management Melissa Beardmore said the additional funding will al low the college to “maintain service levels to students de spite declining Beardmoreenrollments.”saidthefund ing also will allow for better student planning services, the hiring of more academic advisers, an expansion of the Nursing Department and the introduction of a dental hy gieneConorprogram.Curran, the student member of AACC’s Board of Trustees, said the state views funding the college as an in vestment in a “workforce en gine” for the county. In addition to the operat ing budget, AACC has a $14 million capital budget for fiscal year 2023, which cov ers construction and renova tions on campus.
College expands days for in-person services
The college is renovat ing the Florestano and Dra gun buildings after their programs moved to the new Health and Life Sciences building a year ago.
AACC fall enrollment is up at least 2.3% from last year, with more students re turning to in-person classes.
Graphic by Mary Kane
Funding for AACC comes from tuition, county funds and a state allocation.
almost like free money,” Wild said. “You don't pay back … grants. And it does pay for a big chunk of the stuff you get. So instead of like, spend ing … almost 2,000 [dollars on tuition], it pays for that plus [books].”
Photo by Sam Gauntt
pre-med student Deborah Raji said she prefers the one-on-one interactions that in-person classes“Theallow.…online synchro nized one is actually good, too, because you're able to be on Zoom and talk to [the] teacher,” Raji said. “But if you're doing the online [only] … it's hard to, like, actually interact when you have some questions to ask.” With students returning to campus, there has been increased interest in work studyThepositions.number of work study positions available for the fall has increased, according to Lacey Lopez, a financial aid specialist and work study coordinator. “As far as AACC [work study] employers within the college, we have had an increase from the last cou ple of years for more people [and] departments to partic ipate in the program,” Lopez said. “And since, I would say last year, where we were still in the pandemic mode where it was less than pre vious years, already … in terest has doubled. So yeah, it's definitely increasing and superFirst-yearexciting.” psychology student Vance Wild encour aged students to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. “For [the] most part, it's AACC students can register for classes in the Stu dent Services Center. More students are choosing face-to-face classes this semester than last term.
More students select face-to-face classes
Patterson said the school could expand the hours for student services at the Glen Burnie and Arundel Mills campuses, where most are open Tuesday and Wednes day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
According to Tanya Mill ner, provost and vice presi dent for learning, the number of students who registered for face-to-face classes has doubled compared with the previous fall semester. “Last fall ... we may have been at about 20% of our of ferings … face to face,” Mill ner said in early August. “And then the rest were hybrid, online and online SYNC. This time we're at … 50-50. And we're seeing registration so far follow that same pattern.” John Grabowski, dean of enrollment services, advised students to enroll early to get the classes and format they“Youwant.are able to then structure your life, because you'll know what times you'll have to be available for class, transportation ... maybe you have a job to show up to,” Grabowski said. “The sooner you enroll … the more you’re able to manage your Second-yearlife.”
Student services like the information desk will be in person on the Arnold campus Monday through Thursday this semester.
Sam Gauntt Co-Editor In-person student ser vices will be available from Monday to Thursday on the Arnold campus this fall, up from three days a week last semester.Student services include academic advising, tutoring, the cashier’s office, admis sions, the library and the bookstore. The college will continue to offer those ser vices online as well. “We try to make sure that we have a good balance
Zack Buster Co-Editor
Campus Current | 2022 | September | News 5
| Campus Current | 2022 | September Campus Life 6
Photo by Frank Fitzgeralde Libom
Photo by Zack Buster
“What I like about it is the students are always able to kind of stay on track,” said Loraine Frey, an academic coordinator in the physical therapy assistant program. “And it also gives the students the opportunity to make a choice. So I’m not requiring them, you must be in front of me. We require them to have to be in attendance. But it gives the students a nice choice.”Certain classes, such as lab sciences, may also have mandatory in-class days as well as days when students can choose how they attend. “You could have a hy brid class where everybody has to come on Tuesdays,” Eisenbeiser said. “Think of a science class where you're going to be doing some kind of experiment and stuff like that. So maybe that's the class you have to come in and experiment with. So you have to be there. Everybody's got to be face to face.” Frey said HawkFlex pro fessors can mix and match the technology to suit the lesson.“We can send them off in breakout rooms,” Frey said. “I can have a [Zoom] breakout room where the students in the classroom actually can be part of that breakout room. So they're still interactive.” Students who have taken HawkFlex classes praised the flexibility the format allows. Raquel Kromer, a sec ond-year physical therapy as sistant student, said the for mat gives students flexibility with how they attend. “You can decide whether to attend, by the convenience of being at home or, you know, maybe you can just go to class when you feel like you want to go,” Kromer said. Angela Bartoe, another second-year PTA student, said that flexbility is useful when students are ill. “With all the Covid cases and things going on, if you're not feeling well, they always say at work, ‘Don't come to work,’” Bartoe said. “Nobody wantsEisenbeiserthat.” said the for mat may not suit every class. “I think that there are some classes that are clearly better taught in certain mo dalities than others,” Eisen beiser said. “Just like I think some students are better in certain modalities than oth ers and some faculty are, too.” Ewart agreed. “If you have a class where, OK, we have a manda tory meeting ... [at] this time, or we need to be in the law li brary at this time on this day, you shouldn't do it.” Faculty will be able to choose whether they wish to teach a HawkFlex class start ing next semester.
AACC will continue to test a new class type this fall that allows students to choose each day if they want to attend class in person or virtually.The new class type is called HawkFlex, and the col lege plans to roll it out in 11 classrooms in the spring se mester. Those classrooms are upgraded with cameras and microphones on the ceiling that allow virtual students to see and hear the whole class room, but some students will be there in person.
High-tech microphones and strategically placed cameras let students at home see and hear everything in an on-campus classroom.
GamesandFun
Did you know?
Students who took ENG 111 before it was discontinued in 2019 have until spring 2023 to take ENG 112.
Students take an English class in the Humanities building.
HawkFlex classes let students mix formats
Sam Gauntt Co-Editor
“It is the opportunity for students to attend class face to face or to attend class syn chronously via Zoom,” busi ness professor Shad Ewart, who tried out HawkFlex last fall, said. “Students have that option every single day.” The pilot program for HawkFlex, which is based on the HyFlex model at other colleges, began a year ago. The college outfitted two rooms for HawkFlex for the first semester of the pilot. Colleen Eisenbeiser, dean of learning advancement and the virtual campus, said the faculty who have tried the program have “loved it.”
Former AACC student Annie Fowler dresses in Japa nese anime-inspired outfits.
Jenna Lagoey Co-Editor
Photo by Jenna Lagoey
Former AACC student explains fashion style
GamesandFun
Annie Fowler walked into the Campus Current newsroom in August dressed in a frilly pink dress with puffy blue sleeves and a matching blue wig adorned with a Hello Kitty charm and lots of bows and barrettes. A bright yellow bow sat atop Fowler’s head. The newsroom staff stared. That’s what everyone does when Fowler walks into a room, the former AACC stu dent“It’ssaid.interesting because people will stare at you and it'll be a little weird,” said Fowler, who transferred to University of Maryland, Bal timore County this semester. Fowler’s style is called “Lolita fashion” and derives from a Japanese subcul ture whose members wear clothing characterized by cute aesthetics, Victorian-in fluenced designs and bellshaped“That’spetticoats.aspoof of Alice in Wonderland,” said Fowler, who described the unique look as Fowler,“freeing.”21, wears the colorful wardrobe to school and sometimes dressed up for work at Home Depot. “It’s really about, you know, asserting that you're not going to be like every one else, and it’s OK,” Fowl er said. “It's liberating to … have the boundary of social norms be broken down by dressingFowlerdifferently.”explained the ori gin of the fashion. “This style came about as part of the women’s rev olution in the ’70s in Japan,” FowlerFowlersaid. explained that, despite the term’s origin in Vladimir Nabokov’s novel “Lolita,” the style is not in herently sexual. Nabokov’s novel is about the relation ship between a 12-year-old girl and a grown man.
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“Some people think that it’s a sex thing,” Fowler said. “And in my opinion, if you think this is sexual, that is a you problem. … They'll just look at a person dressed like Alice in Wonderland and think, like, ‘Oh, you're a whore.’ It’s very, very curi ous. But I think that is just kind of like the conservative idea of seeing something different. Associating dif ference with evilness, and you know, what's something that's evil in conservative ideas? There’s the devil and then there's sex.” Fowler’s interest in Lol ita fashion began with Japa nese animation and a fasci nation with an online music subculture called Nightcore. “Nightcore is sped up, you know, pop songs, and usually they have anime thumbnails,” Fowler said. “And it's not always like strictly from anime that ex ists; sometimes it's just art in an anime style. And I was obsessed with the drawings that had 8 million frills and huge head bows. And I would drawLivingthat.”at home and work ing at Home Depot during the pandemic allowed Fowler to save money to invest in a Lol ita-inspired wardrobe. “I find out that it's some thing that I'm capable of wearing and … I have mon ey,” Fowler said. “I'm living in the pandemic at my parents’ house working a job that I hate. So I buy myself a cute dress and I decide to wear it to school when I finally go back to Fowlerschool.”eventually began to wear more Lolita fashion outside.
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Campus Current | 2022 | September | Campus Life 7
School offers mental health appointments
| Campus Current | 2022 | September Campus Life 8
Liu said the faculty and staff's commitment is the reason AACC is surpassing the statewide average. From 2017 and 2021, an average of 71.6% of gradu ates each year received asso ciate degrees and 28.4% of students earned certificates. May graduate Brandon Timmins said he feels proud the college has a higher grad uation rate than others. “Coming from one of the best [community colleges] in the nation to move on to a four-year school … really makes me feel like I've got a solid base for myself,” Tim mins said.
Vance Wild Contributor
Approximately 444 students attended AACC's in-person graduation ceremony in May.
Dan Elson Co-Editor
AACC to renovate old buildings on campus
Approximately 1,867 Riv erhawks graduated in May, including 444 who accept ed their diplomas at Live! Casino & Hotel during the college's first in-person cer emony in two years. “My experience at AACC has been extremely positive,” 2022 graduate Katheryne Lo chart, a computer science and mathematics student, said. Shuang Liu, associate vice president for continu ous improvement and inno vation analytics, agreed.
Graduation rates are “an indicator for institutional effectiveness,” Liu said. “We strive for excellence and con tinue to address students’ needs. We've definitely seen some good news about our graduate numbers.” One way colleges mea sure success is by tracking how many students graduate within four years from their first semester on campus. At AACC, 27% of students in the 2017 cohort—those who en rolled for the first time in fall 2017—graduated in 2021, the latest year for which the college has figures. That compares with an average 26% graduation rate among all Maryland commu nity colleges for the fall 2017 cohort.Still, the graduation rate of AACC’s 2017 cohort rate was down 1% from 2016. Approximately 28% of those students graduated in 2020, according to the college. Since spring 2013, how ever, the number of gradu ates from their cohorts has increased by 12%. “There's definitely room for us to improve from the national perspective,” Liu said. “When we do studies, we look at what other insti tutions are [doing].”
Vice President for Learn
Photo by Frank Fitzgeralde Libom
Melissa Boling, a person al counselor at AACC, said the campus makes mental health resources available to students on campus for free.Therapists are available for confidential meetings with students by appointment. “We had a big ’20 and 2021,” Boling, who has a master’s degree in clini cal psychology, said. “We’re definitely … still busy, but I would say they were the bus iest times for us.” Between 2020 and 2021, AACC therapists had 563 counseling sessions with students, Boling said. That was a 42% increase from the year“Studentsbefore. were just real ly struggling with doing the virtual learning,” Boling said. “So a lot of students need ed support around how to kind of be more structured, like while working from the home environment, because at that time, they really couldn't be on campus.” Students also were “dealing with the isolation, not being able to be around their family or friends,” Boling said. Students were dealing with “probably some kind of depression a little bit related to that, and anxiety and worry about … what was going to happen in the future and … the course of theEvenpandemic.”now,Boling said, many students are “feeling overwhelmed with all their classes. You know, if they're also working a job [while] in school … [and] ... have fam ilies, I think it's like trying to balance everything and just kind of feeling overly stressed. ... That's a big one.” The college offers coun seling services in person Monday through Wednes day in Student Union Room 206. Students also may meet with counselors virtu ally any weekday.
slightly
Those who suffer from mental health issues should seek help for their struggles, an AACC therapist said.
Diane Hallila, the coordinator for Personal and Career Counseling, is one of the counselors students can talk to about mental health.
D’Angelo Williams Contributor
Rate of grads rises
Photo by Frank Fitzgeralde Libom
The Dragun building renovations will include an addi tion that will house the Math Department.
Photo by Dan Elson
ing Resources Management Melissa Beardmore said the Dragun renovations “will allow for synergy and col laboration for STEM-related activities. So at the end, that project will provide new state-of-the-art laboratories for the physical sciences.”
The buildings emptied out in August 2021 when health and life sciences pro grams moved to the new Health and Life Sciences building.Thecollege has budgeted $46.1 million for the Dragun building compared to the $22.9 million for Florestano. Florestano renovations will start within two years and will finish by July 2026. “We'll have more stu dent events space” for an ex panded Health and Wellness Center, student life offices, the campus food pantry, the Student Government Associ ation and possibly the Mili tary and Veterans Resource Center, Beardmore said. The Dragun building renovations will begin in 2025 and last for approx imately two years, Beard more said. The project will add 28,000 square feet to the 40,000-square-foot building. The college will add “bet ter equipped, more modern” laboratories for the physical sciences programs to the Dragun building, which will finish by around July 2027, Beardmore said. The college hasn’t reno vated the Dragun building in 30 years, according to Beard more. It got a new roof this summer.
Over the next four years, the now-empty Florestano building on West Campus will become a hub for stu dent services and technolo gy. The Dragun building on the Quad, which hous es physical sciences, is half empty, and the college plans to put an addition on it and move the Math Department there by 2027.
AACC has started offer ing more classes and pro grams at the college’s Glen Burnie Town Center and Arundel Mills campuses. Students can complete four certificates—from start to finish—at the Glen Burnie campus and six at the Arun del Mills location without having to commute to Arnold.
In addition, students will be able to take more for-credit sections of gener al-education courses at both campuses to apply toward a transfer studies or health sci ences degree. Arundel Mills will offer more psychology courses, and both campuses have a broader selection of non-credit classes. “We’re being positive that we are meeting … some of the community’s needs in those areas in better ways than we did last year,” Vice President for Learning Tanya MillnerLastsaid.year, the college of fered 45 programs at the two campuses. This fall the col lege will offer a total of 260 courses at those locations. Millner described the growth of courses at the two campuses as “phenomenal.” Millner, who leads an effort by the college’s pres ident and vice presidents to expand the offerings at Arun del Mills and Glen Burnie Town Center, said the goal is to “focus … on removing bar riers to student success.” Millner, who oversees all of AACC’s academic pro grams, said it is unlikely that the college will ever offer all or even half of its courses on campuses other than Arnold. “We’re probably not equipped to have that many students,” Millner said.
Campus Current | 2022 | September | Campus Life 9
Photo by Kamryn Tisdel AACC is helping Anne Arundel County’s Gun Vi olence Intervention Task Force raise awareness about the issue.Thecollege’s representa tive on the task force, whose mission is to reduce gun-re lated injuries and deaths, is Sara Meinsler, a professor of human“Weservices.havestudents that live in these neighborhoods [who] are impacted by gun violence,” Meinsler, a for Zack Buster Co-Editor mer social worker, said. “So I guess that would probably be one of the big connections ... between my role serving [on the task force] and represent ing AACC ... how it’s impact ing our student body.” Isabella Young, the task force's program coordinator, said the college’s involve ment is a chance for the county to hear what students have to say about the issue. “We want to hear from our younger people,” Young said, to learn “their percep tions ... about gun violence.” Meinsler said the biggest thing AACC students can do to help prevent gun violence is to learn about how to keep the emotional well-being of others in mind. To do this, Meinsler urged students to “look for signs … be mindful of some body and know what to do if somebody is in a mental healthThecrisis.”county created the task force in 2020 after an other group, the Gun Vio lence Prevention Task Force, recommended that the coun ty executive declare gun vio lence as a public health crisis.
AACC plans to offer more classes at the campuses in Glen Burnie Town Center (shown) and Arundel Mills.
Zack Buster Co-Editor
versity—but general-educa tion classes do. “I came into AACC to talk to my adviser, telling her about what my future plans were,” Feinblum said. “And she helped me. She brought me to the website that showed me transfer classes. And I only took classes that I knew would transfer. So … that was neat, and really helpful, because I don’t need to retake those when I get there.”Like Feinblum, many stu dents take general-education credits in order to transfer to four-yearApproximatelyuniversities.46% of students at the college plan to transfer to a four-year university, according to Mar cus Wright, director of trans fer, articulation and career alignment.Foran associate degree from AACC, students take between 28 and 36 gen-ed credits. To graduate from a four-year university, they need 40 to 48 gen-ed cred its. Wright said general-ed ucation courses are “founda tional courses that essential ly, kind of … make students more well rounded, but also build upon what they’re go ing to learn later on.” Many students start at community college instead of at a university because tuition for the gen-ed class es here—the same courses they would have to take at a four-year school—is consid erablyMariyahless. Alexander, a second-year nursing stu dent, said she takes classes at community college be cause they are cheaper.
Photo by Sam Gauntt
Class options expand at satellite campuses
“I will eventually go to a four-year [university],” Alex ander said. “But just for now, this is what’s best for my schedule, being able to work as well.”Feinblum said being able to transfer with her gen-ed credits makes the transition between community college and university easier.
College sends rep to county gun task force
Sam Gauntt Co-Editor
Students take gen-ed credits before 4-year
Whether students attend community college or a uni versity for their first couple of years of higher education, approximately one-third of the classes they take will be the same.Those classes, including 100-level English, math, hu manities and science cours es, are called “general-edu cation”Sulitaclasses.Feinblum, who graduated this summer, dis covered this when she talked to an academic adviser, who told her that not all classes transfer to a four-year uni
Almost half of all students at AACC plan to transfer to four-year schools. Many of them take their gen-ed courses at AACC.
Human services professor Sara Meinsler is AACC's representative to Anne Arundel County's Gun Vio lence Intervention Task Force. Photo courtesy of Sara Meinsler
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| Campus Current | 2022 | September10
A broadway dancer who worked as AACC’s dance co ordinator for a year depart ed at the end of the spring semester.Robert Kleinendorst, an alum of the Paul Tay lor Dance Company in New York, took a position at Tow son University as an assis tant professor. Adjetey Klu fio, a former member of the National Dance Company of Ghana, replaced Kleinen dorst in August. Klufio has worked as a part-time instructor at AACC since“There2014. was a lot that drew me to the school,” Klufio said. “How close the classes were, how intimate the lec turers were to the students, because when the classes are smaller, you know every one. … Everything was very intimate, and knowing your students and knowing their names, particularly, was the thing that you know, stood out for me.” Klufio will serve as the dance coordinator for one year as an adjunct instructor. Klufio’s career has in cluded stints as a lead male dancer, a soloist and an as sistant stage manager. “I have specialized in … African dance,” Klufio said. “When I relocated to the Unit ed States, I devoted my time to investigate and explore ballet and modern dances.” Klufio said he intends to use his diverse portfolio at AACC. “I'm going to bring ver satility for my students … not to only think about this as a ballet institution, or this as the modern dance insti tution, but this is a dance institution,” Klufio said. “And when we say dance institu tion, then we have to include every genre in it.” Dance classes will not suffer under Covid-19 re strictions, Klufio said. “Covid is not going to af fect any of my classes,” Klu fio said. “And even if it does, I have, you know, a vast ex perience in teaching online … and how to make classes. You know how to make stu dents feel like they're in class ... in the studio. So that's not going to affect anything but even if it does, I have plans for it.”
Former dance director Robert Kleinendorst teaches a class to students in November 2021. He left AACC for a positon at Towson University.
Jenna Lagoey Co-Editor
Photo by Dominic Salacki
Dance director leaves after spring semester
Photo by Dan Elson The Riverhawks wom en’s lacrosse coach will also run the women’s soccer team starting this season. Jim Griffiths coached the women’s soccer team from 2001 to 2016, and has coached women’s lacrosse since“There2004. may be a few bumps in the road because … I’m taking over a program I haven’t coached in six years,” Griffiths said. “The girls may be unfamiliar with me [and] I’m unfamiliar with them, so there may be a little learning curve. ... I think we’ll be fine.” Griffiths said his goal is to become familiar with his players and make it to the nationalAthletictournament.Director Duane Herr said he is happy to have Griffiths return to soccer. “We’re very fortunate ... to have him ... take over the program,” Herr said. “And we look forward to the contin ued success that he took with him when he stepped aside a few years ago.” Herr said one of Grif fiths’ strengths as a coach is his ability to develop players. “He can take a student athlete that has the athletic ability but may not have the sport-specific experience or expertise and [he] can really develop them quickly to be a solid student athlete on the field,” Herr Second-yearsaid. film student Ryann Brooks said Griffiths “is about business.”
Dan Elson Co-Editor Men’s soccer head coach Nick Cosentino will enter his 16th year of coaching the Riverhawks this fall. Last season the team fin ished 8-6. The Riverhawks lost 8-0 in the first round of the playoffs to Richland Col lege.“We came up with a good season last year [and] we went to nationals,” Cosenti no said. “And we have a sol id core returning. We have some talented guys coming in. I’m anticipating a solid groupCosentinoagain.” said he expects to have 22 to 25 players. The team scored 28 goals in 16 games last season and averaged 1.75 a game. Forward Charles Warari led the team with six goals. Goal keeper Zane Saab finished 5-4 with a 2.27 goal average and a .772 save percentage. Saab was named a Division III Second Team All-Ameri can.“I believe we’re going to be better than last year,” second-year health, fitness and exercise student Mason SwitzerSwitzersaid.plays striker and defender. Third-year health, fitness and exercise student Chris Koennel said the goal is to win nationals this season. “Let’s just win,” Koennel, who plays right-back, said.
“He’s on our side,” Brooks, a midfielder and for ward, said. "[Griffiths] may seem like a hard coach [but] he’s about work.”
Photo by Dan Elson Head lacrosse coach returns to prior sport Holden Smith Co-Editor
Head coach Jim Griffiths will run the women’s soccer team for the first time in six years.
2.16 goal average and a .762 save percentage. Second-year film studies student Ryann Brooks said the goal is to win nationals. “I’m ready to bring home the [championship],” Brooks, a midfielder and forward, said.
Women’s soccer head coach Jim Griffiths will coach women’s soccer for the first time in six years. He coached the team from 2001 to 2016 and has coached women’s la crosse since “Between2004.soccer and la crosse the goal is always the same and that’s to be at the national tournament at the end of the year,” Griffiths said. This year, the women’s soccer team will compete against Division III teams. Last year the Riverhawks weren’t in any division type league. The team finished 4-4-1 and scored 22 goals in nine games with an average of 2.44 a game. Midfielder and forward Tori Minnigh led the team with five goals and three as sists while goalkeeper Sarah Ward led the team with a The Riverhawks men’s and women’s soccer teams kicked off their seasons on Aug. 25. Shown, the men’s soccer team held tryouts on Aug. 8.
Campus Current | 2022 | September | 11 Sports
Hawks soccer starts games
Cross-country teams prepare for fall meets
AACC squads pursue recruits all year long
Photo by Dan Elson
On the women’s team this season, every runner will be new to the squad. Head coach Susan Noble said she expects “a young and enthusiastic team” this year. “Nearly all of them have run in high school, so it won’t be such a steep learn ing curve and they’re used to that daily practice,” No ble said. “But it can be over whelming to start college and be on a team.” Last season, the team placed first against Westmo reland County Community College in the Maryland Ju nior College Athletic Con ference Division III cham pionship race. Madison Palmer, who did not return to the team this semester, led AACC with an approximate 21-minute time in the 5-kilo meter race.
At AACC, coaches recruit players for their teams all yearWhenlong. recruiting, coach es visit Anne Arundel County high schools to look at play ers. Athletic Director Duane Herr said the biggest chal lenge to recruiting is the com petition from other colleges. “We’re in a very saturat ed area for colleges,” Herr said. “There’s a lot of suc cess in the surrounding area with a number of sports. So ... our student athletes have a very fortunate opportunity for them to select between a number of different schools.”
| Campus Current | 2022 | September Sports 12
Photo courtesy of Justin Abell
Dan Elson Co-Editor
volleyball head coach Tanecha Rice said this season “is going to be a clean slate” compared with the past few pandem ic-tinged campaigns. “This is actually a full season [compared with] last Dan Elson Co-Editor year,” Rice said. “We had a lot of Covid-19 issues with oth er teams.”Second-year elementary education student Angela Lu cero, a libero returning from last year, said winning this year will depend on “knowing each and everyone’s strength and [using] it as a motivation to bring each other up during the game. Sometimes last year we lacked helping each other.”
Second-year transfer studies student Justin Abell is one of two returning runners for the upcoming year.
Junior College Athletic Association rules prohibit colleges from offer ing scholarships to players on Division III sports teams, such as the Riverhawks men’s and women’s bas ketball teams. Still, athletes could be eligible for financial aid from the Stanilauscollege.noted recruit ment is necessary. “It’s something you have to do,” Stanilaus said. “If you don’t do it, then you’re going to start the next year with very small numbers and ob viously you don’t want to do that.” Women’s cross-coun try head coach Susan No ble said recruiting benefits teams. “In a two-year school, you’re constantly having to replace your team,” Noble said.
Dan Elson Co-Editor
Men’s lacrosse head coach Joe Stanilaus agreed. “A lot of [the] time a kid wants to go to a four-year [school and] doesn’t want to stop [at community college] immediately,” Stanilaus said. “That can be a challenge.” The college offers do nor-funded scholarships for baseball, softball, and men’s and women’s lacrosse. Herr said up to four players on each team can receive scholarships. The minimum grade-point average to qual ify for scholarships ranges from 1.75 to 3.0, depending on theNationaldonor.
Riverhawks volleyball ’22 season underway
The Riverhawks volley ball team’s season started on Aug.Second-year27.
First-year transfer studies student Sydni Smith, a defender, prepares for upcoming games.
The Riverhawks lacrosse team recruited third-year communications student Payton Williams in 2021 to play midfield.
Photo courtesy of Frank Mitchell III
Last year the team fin ished 6-9. The Riverhawks finished fourth in the divi sion. The team lost 3-0 to Butler County Community College in the National Ju nior College Athletic Associ ation's Region 20 champion shipThisgame.year, Rice said, she expects a fun season. “It’s going be really good as a coach to watch the young players develop.”
Men’s cross-country head coach Keith Bigelow will enter into his third season running the men’s cross-country team. The team will have sev en runners, including two returning from last semes ter: second-year transfer studies student Justin Abell and second-year engineer ing student Spencer Wood bury.Bigelow said having only two returning players is a challenge.“Wehave a good num ber of new runners com ing,” Bigelow, who works in facilities and maintenance, said. “So it’ll just be a matter of working with them from the beginning and training them to see where they are fitness-wise and all that and pace-wise. … Hopefully they fill in all the blanks around the returners.”InOctober, the River hawks placed first in the Na tional Junior College Athletic Association Region 20 Divi sion III championship race. Abell said his goal this year is to lower his run time in races. “Every race [last year], I improved my time by a lot,” Abell said. “But that’s just because I never ran before.”