September 2023 Issue

AACC adds religious spaces

Izzy Chase Co-Editor

The college adopted a policy in July for students who wish to reschedule assignment deadlines or miss class to observe religious holidays or practice their faith.

School officials expanded an existing religious accommodation policy to include a plan for designating prayer

rooms on all campuses.

Cole Popov, a second-year journalism student, said he looks forward to what officials are calling the “serenity spaces,” because, he said, “some people don’t really have a space to really practice.”

The updated policy offers students guidelines to follow when they face religious conflicts with their academic assignments. This

complies with a new Maryland law.

Nicole Williams, chair of the Human Services department, said faculty have raised concerns about students filing for accommodations.

“This is where we do feel like it does violate our academic freedoms,” Williams, the former president of The Faculty Organization, said. “We have the right to, of course, teach the curriculum,

Web Exclusive

you know, as we see fit, in a way that’s appropriate and ethical.” She added: “We’re not trying to force beliefs on students. That’s what academia is not about. Academia is about exposing students to the variety of philosophies, beliefs, religions, values, norms, cultures that exist. We expose you; that’s it.”

Ellianna Shields, a sec-

Continued on Page 3

Lifelong friends

In our monthly Campus Current “Web Exclusive,” Co-Editor Andrea Bridgett talks to students about the meaningful friendships they made on campus during their time at AACC. Read the full story at www.thecampuscurrent. com

Youngest-ever editor to lead student news

Payton

Thompson

Co-Editor

newspaper in August.

New Campus Current Editor-in-Chief Tomi Brunton is the youngest student ever to hold the position.

by Payton Thompson

A high school junior who takes courses at AACC became the youngest-ever editor-in-chief of the college’s independent student

Home-schoolers now pay 25% more tuition

Tomi Brunton Co-Editor

Home-schooled and private high school students taking classes at AACC started paying 25% more tuition than last year this summer.

Traditionally, all dual-enrolled high school students

received a 50% tuition discount. A 2021 law required Anne Arundel County Public Schools to use state funds to pay 75% of their students’ AACC tuition, while the college discounts the other 25%. This means public school students can now take college classes for free.

However, home-schooled and private school students pay their own AACC tuition, which the college discounted by 50% until this summer, when it cut the price break to 25%.

“The law is explicit about

Continued on Page 3

AACC will welcome students with a back-to-school block party on Monday, Aug. 28. The event will take place on the

Tomi Brunton, 16, a home-schooled student, served as associate editor last semester after joining Campus Current as a reporter in fall 2022.

“Campus Current has

become such an important part of my life,” Brunton said. “I think that as editor-in-chief, I will be able to give back to it in such a great way, and I think I’ll get

Continued on Page 3

Maryland legislation requires dual-enrolled homeschooled students like Avery Gunn, who started taking college classes last year, to pay 25% more tuition this fall than last spring.

Photo courtesy of Avery Gunn

Students can meet Student Government Association officers and staff from several student services offices. The organizations will have giveaways for students. All week, students can win prizes by posting photos of their pets wearing AACC gear. Post to studentengagment@aacc.edu or DM or tag @aacc_ose on Instagram.

Photo

Big news staff = more voices

from all corners of the college community.

Campus Current needs you to round out our staff.

We believe the larger and more diverse our staff, the better our coverage of the community.

We have seen that when we have a large staff, one including members from many different majors, age groups, races, genders and cultures, we get better stories that cover important aspects of our campus.

What are things around campus or in the classroom that concern you that we don’t know about? What are the stories we’re missing because we haven’t lived the experiences you have?

You can let us know what we don’t know. Come to our meetings, engage with us on social media or comment on our stories, stop by the newsroom in Humanities 117 or join our staff.

To represent everyone in the college community, we need representation

One of our editors is still in high school. The stories that someone of that age pitches are totally different from the topics suggested by our 30-year-old reporters.

We have a transgender editor, who looks at stories from a different perspective than a conservative Catholic newsroom manager. Both are valuable. A Jewish reporter brought us new insight and new angles about her experience on campus.

Even students from different majors and fields of interest bring new ideas and stories. A photographer who was also in the Super Science Club last year let us know about events we could cover, like “Star Parties” and a visit from a NASA assistant director.

As a newspaper, we strive to cover every side of every story, and we’ll do that better if you’re contributing your ideas, too.

Big ideas come from a big staff. Will you join ours?

Letter from the newsroom

Failing teaches you a lesson

Izzy Chase Co-Editor

I was a sophomore in high school and I had just finished a 5K race in the exact same amount of time as the year before.

I was devastated.

I was an anxious high school student, and nothing scared me more than failing.

So I overcompensated by throwing myself, fully and completely, into whatever I did, letting it consume me. I had a 4.0 GPA and stayed out of trouble. I was a good kid.

Nothing ever made me feel as absolutely beautiful as running did. I liked that I always surprised people when they watched me run, with my uneven legs and unsteady gait. Hearing my coach say I was good for the first time made me feel amazing. After that, I would do anything to keep being good.

I refused to rest. The summer before my sophomore year I ran so hard to guarantee my spot on varsity, I gave myself shin splints. I wore neon blue compression socks and carried a bottle of tylenol around with me not knowing my unrelenting

dedication was only making things worse.

Still, it surprised me when my times in races started to plateau and I stopped getting better. I felt so disappointed and angry with myself. I truly didn’t realize what I was doing wrong.

My hobby began to feel like a punishment once I stopped improving. I’d do anything to fix it except take a break. School was the second most-important thing to me after running, and when I didn’t do as well as I wanted in cross country, I pushed myself to do better in my classes to make up for it. It was a grueling cycle that was both physically and emotionally exhausting.

All at once I realized that I didn’t want to be good. I wanted to be perfect. But how could I be? I was a 16year-old girl.

This sudden realization made me step back and evaluate my relationship with running and everything else in my life.

After that, I stopped taking everything so seriously. I started appreciating that the mistakes I made improved my quality of life so much. I continued to do well as an

athlete and a student, but I no longer cared about being at the top of my class or whether I was going to compete in big championships. Instead, I found new hobbies and started having fun with them rather than making everything a challenge.

And finally, I was able to rest.

Knowing your own limitations and appreciating them is hard but worth it. I’m now in a place where I’m not just unafraid of failing, but I’m loving it and everything that it teaches me.

Second-year transfer studies student Izzy Chase says making mistakes is an important part of life.

Photo by Megan Cunningham

Having a diverse staff and getting to know people from different backgrounds adds helpful insight. Shown, the Campus Current staff takes a field trip to WTOP Radio in December.

Campus Current archive

AACC creates spaces on campus for prayer

Continued from Page 1

ond-year nursing student, said she has taken advantage of accommodations to honor her religious beliefs.

Shields said she got a religious accommodation after feeling uncomfortable answering questions on a quiz.

“So basically it was a homework assignment that was, you know, talking about transgender [people],” Shields said. “It sort of goes against my religious beliefs that I held my entire life.”

Kellie McCants-Price,

High school student to be editor-in-chief

Continued from Page 1

so much more from it.”

Former Editor-in-Chief

Sam Gauntt, then a high school senior, oversaw Campus Current’s May issue after third-year communications student Zack Buster resigned from the position to run for Student Government Association president. He won the election.

Gauntt now attends the University of Maryland’s journalism school.

Brunton’s plans for Campus Current include diversifying the newspaper’s staff and the range of stories it publishes.

“I want to look at the pa-

per when I’m done and see a huge, diverse number of different stories all written by a huge, diverse number of different reporters,” Brunton said.

Campus Current faculty adviser Sharon O’Malley said Brunton’s positive energy and hard work made selecting an editor easy.

“I think that they’re going to be good for the morale and the culture of the newsroom,” O’Malley, a journalism professor, said. “They’re a hard worker. They’re going to get it done but we’re also going to have a fun club this year.”

Campus Current’s new associate editor, Izzy Chase,

said Brunton’s young age could be an advantage for the newspaper.

“When you hear Tomi’s just, like, this home-schooled 16-year-old kid, maybe that doesn’t sound impressive, but when you really get to know them, they have such a strong work ethic,” Chase, a second-year transfer studies student, said. “They care about everyone so much.”

Brunton said the Campus Current experience has been “amazing.”

“Campus Current has given me so many amazing opportunities,” Brunton said, “like the incredible people I’ve met and incredible trips I’ve gone on.”

AACC’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, said the college will get input from students and faculty before enforcing the new policy.

“I think we’ll be able to not only listen to both sides, but also figure out sort of where we have middle ground,” McCants-Price said.

Students wanting an accommodation start by filling out a form from the Office of the Dean of Student Development and getting the professor’s approval.

Popov, who is Jewish, said he has never asked for a

religious accommodation but said he’s glad he could if he needed to.

Juwayriah Okedeyi, a second-year undecided student, said the prayer rooms will make it easier for her to complete her daily prayers as part of her Muslim faith.

Okedeyi said she typically prays in “random classrooms or even just, like, small spaces behind a desk or something. And it was always kind of embarrassing because you felt kind of that fear that someone could walk in on you.”

Last semester’s associate editor, Tomi Brunton, rises to the top of the staff of AACC’s student newspaper, Campus Current.

Md. law raises costs for home-schoolers

Continued from Page 1

waivers and discounts that we are permitted to give by statute, so we don’t have discretion there,” Melissa Beardmore, the vice president for learning resources management, said.

Abigail Pendry, a homeschooled second-year game development student, said she doesn’t mind the tuition increase.

“I understand where it’s coming from,” Pendry said.

Avery Gunn, a homeschooled student who start-

ed taking college classes last year, said the change could make attending AACC more challenging for home-schoolers.

“Home-schooling in general is more expensive than going to public schools, which are obviously free, and when you choose to homeschool, you end up paying a lot more for all of your education,” Gunn said. “It feels like home-schooled students are always faced with a little bit more expenses than anybody that went to the traditional school systems.”

Beardmore said the goal of the state law, called the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, was to offer more access to high school students who want to take college classes, not to increase tuition for home-schooled and private school students.

“I think for students who qualify, it provides greater access, obviously, to higher education,” Beardmore said. “That was the goal of the legislation. … We didn’t set the law; the Maryland General Assembly did, and we need to comply with it.”

Photo by Payton Thompson

Second-year journalism student Cole Popov, who is Jewish, says he looks forward to using AACC’s new serenity spaces on campus.

Photo courtesy of Cole Popov

Home-schooled high school student Abigail Pendry takes classes at AACC and now gets a 25% discount on tuition instead of the traditional 50%.

Photo courtesy of Abigail Pendry

Floor 4 of Florestano to reopen in early fall

Tomi Brunton Co-Editor

The newly renovated top floor of the Florestano building will open in September.

The fourth floor of the building, located on West Campus, will contain video and audio studios.

“We’ll be able to better serve students,” Melissa Beardmore, the vice president for learning resources management, said. “We’re going to … have the space re-

flect innovations in how we can serve students.”

Florestano closed for renovations in summer 2021.

The lower three floors of the building won’t open for “a couple years,” according to Beardmore, and will contain student services and enrollment offices.

“It will be a one-stop shop, if you will,” Beardmore said.

Student Government Association President Zack Buster said the newly renovated fourth floor will offer

“a really good opportunity” to students.

Buster, a third-year communications student, added he is “really excited” about the new media studios.

“I have a really big passion for creating things,” Buster said. “I like to be able to have the tools to create those things, and ... the video studios will give you that.”

Mason Hood, a second-year media production student, said working in the renovated space will be a

good experience.

“It’d be good to have more space to experiment and more tools at our [disposal],” Hood said. “The more stuff that we have to

get more experienced with different technology and equipment and such, I think, would benefit myself and a lot of other students in the same field of expertise.”

Enrollment inches up among 2-yr. colleges

Enrollment at AACC grew about 4% between spring 2022 and last semester, lagging behind national community college trends.

Community college enrollment rose about 8% nationally from last year, returning to pre-pandemic levels, according to springto-spring data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

ably some [community colleges] that are going down and some are coming up and so forth. … It all comes down to the local school, the state, … and Anne Arundel Community College’s enrollment [did] grow last academic year.”

National community college enrollment fell 10% during the pandemic, while four-year enrollment fell about 1%.

of the pandemic brought more students to community colleges.

Students are “now approaching what they’re going to do, and part of that is, you know, to get post-secondary education,” Grabowski said.

Enrollment at AACC has risen over the past year, but not by quite as much as community colleges nationwide.

“There’s a lot of variation in the [data],” John Grabowski, the dean for enrollment services, said. “There’s prob-

Nursing student joins AACC Bd. of Trustees

Dan

A second-year nursing and emergency medical technician student became the new student voting member of AACC’s Board of Trustees in July.

Rachel Gwin, 21, replaced former student trustee Conor Curran, who transferred to the University of Baltimore this fall.

“It’s intimidating,” Gwin, who is from Chestertown, said. “Honestly, it’s not something I expected myself to do. But having learned more about the position, I’m very excited and very passionate

about it. There’s a lot of good people that I’m going to be working with.”

The student trustee has the same voting power as the board’s six other trustees, who are not students.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore appointed Gwin on July 1. Gwin will join the other trustees in considering and approving financial and policy issues of the college.

Three other Maryland community colleges allow their student trustees to vote.

Gwin attended Edgewood High School and transferred to AACC from the Community College of Baltimore County Essex in 2020.

Director of Student Engagement Amberdawn Cheatham, who chaired the committee that interviewed student trustee candidates, said Gwin has an “interest in really getting to know the policies that surround education and particularly impact our students.”

Gwin said her goal is to have a “student-focused” perspective.

“I want people to know that I’m approachable,” Gwin, a student ambassador, said. “If you see me on campus, you can come up to me and say, ‘Hi.’ You can tell me your ideas, your opinions [and] your thoughts.”

While community college enrollment continues to grow, four-year colleges remain 1% down, according to the Clearinghouse.

Grabowski said the end

Grabowski said one of the main factors for increased AACC enrollment in particular is the Maryland law that gives dual-enrolled public high school students free college tuition.

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which took effect in fall 2022, allows public high school students to take classes for free.

The Florestano building on West Campus will reopen the fourth floor, and then open the other three floors as renovations are completed. Campus Current archive

Elson Contributor

Nursing and emergency medical technician student Rachel Gwin, left, is a voting member of AACC’s Board of Trustees. Anne Arundel County Clerk of the Circuit Court Scott Poyer swore her in on July 17.

Photo courtesy of AACC Strategic Communications

Tomi Brunton Co-Editor

Photo by Megan Cunningham

Professors double as classroom students

Devan Grubb-Hayes Contributor

Professor Haley Draper not only teaches communications at AACC, she’s a student of cybersecurity—also at AACC.

Draper, who earned her associate degree in cybersecurity last year, said the classes taught her as much about teaching as they did about technology.

“I think getting to see how other professors have set up their online environments,” said Draper, who has taught at AACC for 10 years, “and how they structure assignments, and what they do as far as supporting materials and videos and things like that has really given me a great example of how I can better help my students.”

Every semester, dozens of professors double as students, learning about fields other than their own or indulging hobbies and inter-

ests. Like Draper, most say the experience has made them better teachers.

Professors pay student fees for their classes, but their tuition is free.

Andrea Zamora, director of the Center for Faculty and Staff Development, agreed that taking classes helps professors relate to their students.

“A few professors have reported taking classes in other disciplines with their students,” Zamora said. “They mention that it helps them see their students in a different way and develop new relationships with students.”

Plus, Zamora added, “By learning new content and teaching techniques, professors are better able to help students succeed.”

Draper noted professors treat their colleagues like students when they take classes.

“I was treated just like

anybody else, of course,” Draper said. “And that’s definitely a code between professors. We would never go into a class and expect to be treated any differently.”

Jessica Mattingly, academic chair of communications, said she takes classes to “continue ... my own personal enrichment. I’ve taken over 50 different classes here.”

Mattingly said she also takes classes to explore new hobbies, like paddleboarding and woodworking.

“I’m always looking for new outlets and activities,” Mattingly said. “So I think on the personal enrichment side ... I have been exposed to such a variety of things.”

Lance Bowen, dean of the School of Science, Technology and Education, said he benefits from taking courses because they affect his teaching.

“As educators, you know, we’re in the business of teaching and learning,” said

Bowen, who took an education class last semester. “And I think taking classes keeps you on your toes, specifically post-COVID. We’re in an era where education has really accelerated. We’ve done different things. We’re doing a lot of stuff that we weren’t able to do before. We have new resources at hand. And sitting in as a student gives you that perspective of what’s changed.”

Bowen added: “Being in the classroom is really important to maintain your relevancy.”

Sandy Jones, dean for the School of Continuing Education and Workforce Development, agreed.

“I think in general, additional education and training could always be a good thing,” Jones said. “I mean, it could make you a better teacher.”

Communications professor Haley Draper is one of many faculty members who take courses at AACC.

Photo by Megan Cunningham

Student influencers give social media tips

Cole Popov Contributor

AACC students who are promoting themselves on social media are attracting thousands of followers.

In fact, communications student Taylor Walls, who left AACC for the University of Tennessee, has more than 343,500 followers on TikTok, where she shares her adventures as a sports broadcasting intern.

The student influencers said anyone can use social media to create opportunities and careers if they do it successfully.

“If you want to start influencing on social media, my advice is to, one, be yourself; two, you’re going to get hate,” Walls said. “My saying is, ‘If you listen to what other people say, and you give in to what other people say, then you’re not living your life,’ because you’re listening to what other people are say-

Fun and Games

ing, doing what other people are saying, and you’re not being yourself and you’re not living your life.”

According to Forbes, influencers fall into three categories: Macro-influencers have a following in the range of 500,000 to 1 million; micro-influencers are in the range of 10,000 to 50,000 and nano-influencers have fewer than 10,000 followers.

Academic Chair of Communications Jessica Mattingly said influencers are defined as “individuals who create a personal brand based on either a personality or product, and reach a target audience of like-minded individuals who follow them for inspiration.”

First-year business student Paul Shenton promotes his music on social media and has more than 1,000 followers on Instagram.

“So I’m a musician, I’m a producer, singer, songwriter,” Shenton said. “So I make

a lot of my own songs, post that on music platforms, and yeah, just do regular posts and stuff.”

Shenton added: “I use Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok sometimes, and I’m on all major music streaming platforms, so Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud, all that stuff.” Walls creates content on Instagram and TikTok about her career and social life.

“So my social media influencing is a wide variety from a day in my life to sports broadcasting to chasing my career goals and dreams,” Walls said. “But also to establish a fan base where I can connect with people that are going through something like me, and I can also gain and give advice on things people are looking for.”

First-year communications student Lily Genovese uses her platform on Instagram and TikTok to promote her personal life and advocate for LGBTQ rights. She

Did you know?

logo

Taylor Walls was an AACC communications student who transferred to the University of Tennessee and has more than 12.3K followers on Instagram.

Photo courtesy of Taylor Walls has more than 1,000 followers on Instagram and more than 7,000 on TikTok.

“I think my biggest use of Instagram and stuff like this is just to advocate for like, you know, gay rights and stuff like that,” Genovese said. “That’s what I do mostly.”

Genovese offered advice to students who want to become influencers.

“Don’t be afraid of other people’s opinion,” Genovese said. “And that’s so hard, like that’s such a hard thing to abide by. But I think if you are

really just posting what you want to, post it if it’s not hateful or harmful to anyone.”

Shenton advised wouldbe influencers to stick to what they know.

“Just really figure out what you want to show people,” Shenton said. “I think it’s good to combine your school with, like, your passion, you know. … If you’re going to school for, like, music, then you really want to use that in order to make yourself better with all the stuff that you’re putting out.”

Photo by Tomi Brunton

Students kick off new clubs

Payton Thompson Co-Editor

An African Student Association and an improv club will start on campus this semester.

These clubs will join the college’s approximately 30 existing student organizations.

“I was able to join a lot of student-led organizations last year [but] I still kind of felt a little bit isolated,” second-year engineering student Rabiyatou Bah, who co-founded the African Student Association, said. “So just being around people I can relate to more often would, I guess, help my overall experience at AACC be a lot more personable.”

Bah, who also serves as executive vice president of the Student Government Association, said she hopes the African Student Association will create a community for Black and immigrant stu-

dents to share their cultures and plan events.

Co-founder Alfred Emmanuel agreed.

“The purpose of the club is to help out immigrants and African Americans and provide a safe space for them and help them just have fun,” Emmanuel, a second-year engineering student, said.

Antione Tomlin, the club’s faculty adviser, said when he heard about the new organization, he “had to be a part of it.”

“I remember [clubs] being a place for me to feel like I belonged,” Tomlin, the director of the Academic Literacies Lab, said. “To meet other people who looked like me, who had similar interests and to be able to bond with people from similar backgrounds and cultures.”

The founders of the improv club, called Overcast Troupers, said they plan for students to have a good time

while learning and performing.

“We’re going to be doing a lot of just improvised scenes and stories with, like, improv games and things during club meetings,” second-year film studies student Jason Kalshoven, the club’s co-president, said. “And we’re also going to put

on shows and stuff.”

Co-President Éva Parry said an improv club could help students who struggle with public speaking.

“I knew a lot of people who joined [high school improv] and it helped them with public speaking or it helped them with anxiety or it helped them with just

things like that,” Parry, a second-year transfer studies student, said.

Kalshoven said AACC was “long overdue” for an improv club.

“It’ll give [AACC] a club based around humor and comedy,” Kalshoven said, “which I don’t really think we have.”

Jason Kalshoven, a second-year film studies student, left, practices an improv skit with Éva Parry, a second-year transfer studies student, for Overcast Troupers.

Photo by Megan Cunningham

Smoke-free campus means no marijuana

Andrea Bridgett Co-Editor

Although Maryland legalized the recreational use of marijuana on July 1, AACC does not allow it on campus.

AACC is a smoke-free campus, which means the college has banned tobacco products, including cigarettes and vapes, and any form of marijuana, even medical and gummies.

“It’s not cohesive with the learning environment and the student code of conduct,” AACC Police Lt. Joe Donato said.

The college allows vaping and cigarette smoking in

private cars on campus, but that does not include marijuana use, which could trigger a $50 civil citation and a student code of conduct violation, according to Police Chief Sean Kapfhammer.

Maryland legalized medical marijuana in 2014, but the college does not allow it on campus.

Donato said marijuana use could lead a student to disrupt a class or bother others, which could trigger a student conduct code violation.

The lieutenant said the police have gotten complaints about the overwhelming odor of marijuana on students.

Donato said police have not had to investigate incidents on campus recently, which he attributed to a smaller in-person student body since the pandemic.

“Pre-COVID, it wasn’t common, but there were anomalies,” Donato said. “It would pop up, mostly in vehicles here and there, which is dangerous.”

Second-year transfer studies student Megan Cunningham said she has witnessed students smoking weed on campus.

“I see it all the time,” Cunningham said.

Some students said they were unaware that cannabis

is not allowed on campus.

Henry Banks, who took summer classes at AACC, said he was unaware that students could face repercussions for bringing marijuana on campus.

Banks said the school should “persuade people” and “advertise not to use it.”

Cunningham said the school should “put up more

signs” to make sure students know that AACC is a smokefree campus.

The signs on campus say AACC is a smoke-free campus but do not mention marijuana use.

“Now that marijuana doesn’t have [the] stigma [of being illegal], maybe the signs need to be updated,” Donato said.

Former pro starts as dance director in fall

Tomi Brunton Co-Editor

A former professional ballet dancer will direct the AACC Dance Company starting this fall.

Adjunct dance professor Margaret Russell replaced Adjetey Klufio as the dance coordinator and director.

“I feel … honored to have a bigger role at the college,” said Russell, who said she hopes to grow the Dance Company. “I’m excited to work with the dancers a little more closely and to learn

AACC helps students find work at college

Payton Thompson Co-Editor

Students can find on-campus jobs and internships through a new platform called Riverhawk CareerConnect.

Through the platform, students can apply for fulltime, part-time and seasonal work.

“It allows more students to [work on campus] and reduces barriers, such as transportation cost or time where [the job] might already be on campus,” Cathy Doyle, the director of the Sarbanes

Center for Career and Civic Engagement, said.

Some of the paid jobs require applicants to qualify for work study.

Circulation assistant Parinaaz Patel, who works at the Truxal Library, said having a job on campus helps her balance work and school.

“It gives me the most flexibility with the school schedules as well as the close proximity to my classes,” second-year environmental science student Patel said. “So I am able to stay on campus the entire day, work and go to school.”

Student Government Association President Zack Buster said working on campus makes better students.

“You’re getting experience with people who understand where you’re at,” Buster, a third-year communications student, said. “The people who are your employers are also the people who are creating your classes. … teaching your classes and are generally involved in making you a better student.”

Patel added she enjoys the atmosphere on campus.

“You get to meet a lot of nice people,” Patel said. “And

all the ins and outs of the department.”

Russell worked as a professional ballet dancer for 10 years before coming to AACC to earn her associate degree. AACC hired her in 2019.

“[You] can’t match” professional experience when it comes to teaching dance, Russell said.

“You really start to understand what makes a healthy classroom and what works, what doesn’t work,” Russell said. “I think it’s important for teachers to continue to learn.”

Victoria Ofori, a thirdyear dance student, said Russell is “open-minded” and “honest.”

“I just love working with her,” Ofori said. “I just love organized people, and people who get straight to the point and have a plan set in stone. … Because in dance, you always have to be organized.”

Kiera Richardson, a second-year dance student, called Russell’s teaching style “strict but also encouraging” and said she is “an amazing person to learn from.”

the environment is always really fun and friendly. And they understand you’re a student first, which I really like. It’s nice.”

As of early August, Riverhawk CareerConnect listed 35 on-campus jobs and internships. The site also has off-campus postings.

AACC bans marijuana on campus, despite its legalization on July 1, according to Police Lt. Joe Donato.

Photo by Megan Cunningham

AACC’s Dance Company, which has a new director starting this fall, rehearses for a 2022 performance.

Photo by Sam Gauntt

Second-year environmental science student Parinaaz Patel, left, and second-year creative writing student Robert Rogers work at the desk of the Truxal Library.

Photo by Payton Thompson

Creative writers win national recognition

Tomi Brunton Co-Editor

Two AACC students won first-place awards in a national creative writing competition.

Zoe Hunter, a creative writing student who graduated in May, won first place in the fictional short story section of the League for Innovation’s annual student writing competition for her historical fiction piece “The Hour House.”

Jessie Ehrenreich, a creative writing student, won first place in the one-act play section of the same

competition with her piece “Sheila.”

“I didn’t think I was going to get [the award],” Hunter said. “It’s awesome.”

AACC is one of 16 institutions that participate in the annual competition. According to creative writing coordinator Garrett Brown, it’s rare for AACC students to win two categories.

“We have great students in our creative writing program here at AACC and they’re doing some amazing work,” Brown, an English professor, said in an email interview. “Part of my job as coordinator of creative writing

is to try to get our students recognition for that work.”

Hunter said AACC helped her grow as a writer.

“Without AACC I would never have been able to create ‘The Hour House,’” Hunter said. “It definitely helped polish my writing skills.”

The coordinators of the competition, John Stilla and Nora Esperanza, said in a statement the jurors “marveled” at the students’ writing ability.

“The maturity of the writing was a recurring comment in this year’s competition,” the statement said, “speaking to the depth and

Spring graduate Zoe Hunter, who studied creative writing here, is one of two AACC students who won a League of Innovation writing competition.

power that comes from writers reflecting on their own experiences as they search

for those spaces in our world in which they can bring their full, true selves.”

Prof revives canceled class post-pandemic

Izzy Chase Co-Editor

An English professor brought back a previously discontinued linguistics class for the fall semester.

English professor Rob Hurd is bringing back a linguistics class that the college discontinued during the pandemic.

Professor Rob Hurd will teach ENG 161 for the first time since the pandemic. Hurd said the class stopped during the pandemic because an online setting did not suit the course.

“It was a fairly popular course, I think,” Hurd said. “Many times it would be full.

Students want AACC info via school email

Andrea Bridgett Co-Editor

A spring survey revealed students want to receive college information through their school email, but prefer YouTube if communication is via social media.

AACC’s Strategic Communications Department and Interact Communications, a marketing agency, collaborated on a survey of more than 500 students about media preferences. The data disclosed information about students’ habits related to social media, television and newspapers, for example.

“We didn’t have a lot of expectations going in,” Alicia Renehan, a public relations manager from Strategic Communications, said.

“We’re really open to just hearing from the students and hearing what they’re interested in … and that helps us make better decisions.”

Renehan said AACC has conducted this survey since the 2020-2021 school year to discover how students like to get their information.

“We have to be speaking to students on students’ level,” said Student Government Association President Zack Buster, “using the channels that are most used. …

If you’re posting 10 times a day, but you’re posting on the wrong platform, you’re not reaching as big of an audience as you should and … could.”

According to the survey, students prefer to communicate on their college email about college events and announcements, and about campus, financial or academic information. But 77% said they would rather get texts for time-sensitive messages such as school cancellations or delays.

When information is delivered on social media, students said, they prefer Instagram for communication

… I … tried to run it once as an online course during the pandemic and no one signed up for it. I don’t think it’s a course that lends itself to online modality. … Towards the beginning of the course we really study, like, the different aspects of language, like the sounds of language, or the way that we create words, or the way that we put sentences together.”

According to Hurd, the course has been popular with English students and others. Hurd added that part

of adapting the course to a modern setting involves talking about artificial intelligence.

“There’s other applications too,” Hurd said. “Such as, like AI for people interested in computer science and how, you know, computers can model language. … This will be the first time I’ve taught it since a lot of the new AI applications have become available.”

The class meets the arts and humanities general education requirement.

Students say they prefer email to texts or social media when it comes to receiving college information.

about college programs and athletics, but YouTube is the favorite for school services information.

“I understand that people want stuff in their college inboxes instead [of private accounts] … because a lot of people like to keep their … academic life separate from

their personal life,” Buster said.

Micah Walker, a second-year film studies student, said he wants to see information on social media or via text message.

“They should know how to branch out to the people of the college,” Walker said.

Photo courtesy of Rob Hurd

Photo courtesy of Zoe Hunter

Photo by Megan Cunningham

Riverhawks advance to NJCAA Division II

Andrea Bridgett Co-Editor

All Division III sports teams at AACC advanced to Division II in July, making the college eligible to offer athletic scholarships.

AACC was one of the only community colleges in Maryland with Division III teams. The Riverhawks are part of the mostly-Division II NJCAA Region 20.

Because Region 20 includes Maryland, western Pennsylvania and the West Virginia panhandle, the Riverhawks had to travel extensively to get to Division III games.

“It’s going to be a tremendous benefit to our campus and our athletic programs,” Athletic Director Duane Herr said.

Riverhawks were already playing some Division I and Division II teams within Region 20 in previous seasons.

“I think it’ll put us on a level playing field for the most part with the other schools we’re competing against game in and game out,” Jim Griffiths, head coach of the women’s soccer and lacrosse teams, said.

Division III is a non-scholarship division, while Division II allows scholarship offers.

Herr said the ability to offer scholarships could help coaches “build our rosters.”

“It gives us a … lot more of a competitive balance that we can offer scholarships and kind of build our rosters the way that those Division I and II [schools] are,” Herr said, “versus not having scholarships, [when] we didn’t have that opportunity.”

Herr said the change to Division II could offer coaches the opportunity to recruit players.

“It’s exciting for the program,” Nick Cosentino, head

coach of the men’s soccer team, said. “It’ll give us a chance to … attract some more players.”

Scholarships can influence where a student athlete decides to play.

“I hope it gives another valid choice to some of our student athletes that might even choose the … Division II NCAA level,” Herr said. “They might want to come here for a year or two [instead].”

Daevon Lionel, a returning men’s soccer player, said the opportunity for scholarships does not affect him right now, “but I’m sure for the school in later years, it will definitely have an impact.”

Griffiths said being a Division II school also helps AACC athletes get recruited by four-year schools by removing the stigma of being a Division III school.

“Now, pretty much the majority of Maryland is [Di-

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vision II],” Griffiths said.

“So … when you’re competing with nearby junior colleges for athletes, they can’t use the [Division III] status against you.”

Lionel, a second-year biology and kinesiology student, said becoming a Division II program “definitely

should” improve his chances of playing soccer at a fouryear university.

“From a realistic standpoint … we couldn’t stay in [Division III],” Griffiths said. “[Division III] is dwindling across the board. So it’s kind of a no brainer, in my opinion.”

Shooting guard Jeremiah “Scoob” Stroman takes a shot last year in the final season the basketball team played as a Division III team.

Photo courtesy of Frank Mitchell III

Judge sets 18 mo. sentence

Sam Gauntt Contributor

A 21-year-old Churchton man will serve 18 months in jail for his role in the death of a former AACC lacrosse player last June.

Approximately a month before his scheduled trial date in July, Shayne Kenneth Smith pleaded guilty at a hearing in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County to negligent manslaughter by boat, a felony that carries a 10-year sentence.

Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Stacy McCormack suspended the majority of the sentence.

On June 4, 2022, Smith crashed a boat into a piling on the West River near Par-

ish Creek Marina. All passengers in the boat were thrown into the water.

Nick Barton, 21, who played lacrosse for the Riverhawks from 2020-22, died in the accident.

According to Smith’s defense attorney Mandeep Chhabra, Smith’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.02 more than the legal limit.

Smith was charged in February with seven misdemeanors and three felonies, which could have resulted in a 25-year prison sentence.

Smith pleaded not guilty to all charges in February, but later changed his plea to guilty on one felony, and the other charges were dropped.

Speaking to The Capital

Gazette after the sentencing hearing, Marie Barton, Nick Barton’s mother, said, “There is no winner in this situation.”

“Nick was a bright spot within the Riverhawk athletics community who left

AACC athletes to play at 4-year universities

Dan Elson Contributor

Seventeen AACC athletes who played for the college last season have committed to competing in their sports at four-year schools this academic year.

The list includes seven baseball players; three from the men’s basketball team and one from the women’s squad; one from men’s lacrosse; and five from the 2023 national championship women’s lacrosse team, including one player who will join a four-year soccer team.

“I’m super excited about it, and I think it’s going to be a really good experience,”

said guard Jack Taylor, who plans to play basketball at Atlantis University in Miami.

To get noticed by fouryear colleges, Riverhawks athletes talk to college coaches and recruiters after their games, and some send in highlight videos to their potential schools.

“And from there [the four-year coaches] kind of establish [the] next steps in terms of the campus visit and kind of proceed with the conversation about if a student athlete would be interested in coming to that institution to continue their career,” Athletic Director Duane Herr said.

Taylor, who averaged five points, 1.4 assists and two

rebounds during the regular season, sent highlights of his best moments of the season to Atlantis assistant basketball coach Francisco Hernandez, who recruited the Riverhawk.

“It’s a big change from Baltimore,” Taylor said. “So going down to Miami with no real family … is a little different.”

Guard Michael Duffy said his trainer knew the head basketball coach at Notre Dame University of Maryland. Duffy’s trainer connected the two with the head coach after the Riverhawks lost 106-77 in the playoffs this past season.

Duffy, who averaged 4.8 points, 0.5 assists and 3.1

a lasting impression on everyone he met,” Athletic Director Duane Herr said in a statement last summer.

In the year since the crash, Barton’s family, friends and community have honored his memory

through charity events, memorial games and the founding of the Nicholas Barton Memorial Foundation.

The AACC men’s lacrosse team retired No. 12, which belonged to Barton, in February.

rebounds in 20.3 minutes during the regular season, said his goal is to average 20 points per game for the Notre Dame Gators.

Riverhawks head basketball coach Joe Snowden said his team’s three committed graduates, Duffy, Taylor and Marquis James, bring leadership to their squads.

“They were captains last

year so they have an opportunity to continue [at their four-year schools],” Snowden noted. “They bring their quality of learning [and] they graduated [AACC] so they bring that along as well.” Herr said additional, uncommitted athletes may try out for their four-year university squads as walk ons.

Riverhawks baseball adds new pitch clock

The Riverhawks baseball team will compete in the 2024 season with two visible, 20-second pitch clocks. One pitch clock stands behind the backstop and the other is on the scoreboard.

Once the clock starts, the

pitcher has 20 seconds to begin the windup or the stretch to avoid an automatic ball for the batter.

Batters have to enter the box and face the pitcher with at least five seconds left on the pitch clock to avoid an automatic strike.

Community colleges in the NJCAA are required to

have visible pitch clocks at all baseball fields for the upcoming season. Last spring, umpires held stopwatches.

Athletic Director Duane Herr said the purpose of the new clocks, which cost $6,150, is to speed up the game but noted that umpires could do that with their hand-held stopwatches.

Shayne Kenneth Smith will serve 18 months in jail for his involvement in the death of former AACC lacrosse player Nick Barton, shown, last summer. Photo courtesy of Frank Mitchell III

Marquis James played forward on AACC’s basketball team and will transfer to The Pennsylvania State University.

Photo by Dan Elson

AACC adds a new pitch clock to help speed up baseball games.

Photo by Megan Cunningham

Dan Elson Contributor

Riverhawks get ready for fall sports season

Andrea Bridgett Co-Editor

The Riverhawks fall sports teams have few returners for the 2023 season.

The men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball squads will start their seasons mostly with first-year players.

“They’re all really going to be kind of resetting and transitioning some new players into some key roles,” Athletic Director Duane Herr said “Volleyball has two returners,” Herr said. “[Women’s] soccer has three, I’ll say almost four because a lacrosse player is coming in to play soccer. Men’s soccer only has [three or four returners] as well.”

Jim Griffiths, the head coach for women’s soccer, said it’s “nothing new” having only a “handful” of returning players.

“Every year it’s almost starting from scratch,” Grif-

fiths said. “It’s just a matter of how quickly we can blend everybody together.”

Nick Cosentino, the head coach for men’s soccer, said some good players are coming in this season.

“I feel good because the returners we have are all starters,” Cosentino said.

Joselin Bautista, who is starting her second year as the assistant volleyball coach, said her expectations are “up there” this season.

Bautista said she is most excited to coach the women and watch them play this season.

“I think there’s a lot of talent,” Bautista said. “I used to play here [and] … one of my goals has always been to beat Butler.”

Daevon Lionel, a returning soccer player, said he is ready to play again after the summer break.

“My expectations for the season are … just to come out and try to win every

NJCAA honors lacrosse team

The National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association in July named the Riverhawks the All-Academic Team of the Year for women’s lacrosse.

The team, which won the national championship in the spring, had the highest 2022-2023 GPA among all community college women’s lacrosse squads.

The three-time national champions earned a collective GPA of 3.13 for the academic year, and six players won individual academic honors from the NJCAA.

“I think I’m just lucky to have a bunch of student athletes who take their academics very seriously,” head coach Jim Griffiths said.

The NJCAA recognized AACC’s women’s cross coun-

try, softball, baseball and golf squads as all-academic teams for earning a collective GPA of 3.0 or higher for the season.

The NJCAA awarded 23 other individual Riverhawks with academic honors.

Every year the NJCAA awards individual athletes either a first, second or third team nomination for their academic performance.

AACC had seven firstteam honorees with a 4.0 GPA, six second-team honorees with a 3.8 GPA or higher and 16 third-team honorees with a GPA of at least 3.6.

Bailey Healy, a women’s lacrosse and soccer player, said having such a supportive team really helped her succeed.

“I feel proud for all of us,” Healy, a second-year transfer studies student, said.

Athletic Director Duane

game that we can,” said Lionel, a second-year biology and kinesiology student.

Bailey Healy, a second-year transfer studies student and first-time soccer player, said she is curious “just to see how everyone does together.”

Cosentino, who is entering his 24th year as a Riverhawks coach, said he is looking forward to team bonding this semester.

Healy, who also plays lacrosse, said by the end of the lacrosse season last year, all of the players were “really close and that was probably the best part of it.”

Emily Poole, a first-year transfer studies student and volleyball player, said she is “excited and ready to go” for the fall season.

The women’s and men’s soccer teams kicked off their season on Aug. 22 against the Howard Community College Dragons and then faced the Harford Community Col-

lege Fighting Owls on Aug. 24. They will travel to play the Hagerstown Community College Hawks on Aug. 29.

The volleyball team will start the season at Community College of Allegheny County on Sept. 2.

Herr said it requires a lot of hard work and dedication to perform well both athletically and academically.

Griffiths agreed.

“I would like to think that the lessons they learn … on the field, at practice, during games, when we’re traveling … the expectations are high and at the end of the

day, their success academically only benefits them,”

Griffiths, who also coaches women’s soccer, said.

Herr said the common denominators of high-performing athletes and students are work ethic, time management and persistence.

“That group in particular

[women’s lacrosse] … I’ve gotten to know their work ethic and character and abilities,” Herr said. “It doesn’t surprise me because I know that they’re all very hard working.”

Griffiths said the team’s academic and athletic performance is “a testament to the quality of [players].”

Andrea Bridgett Co-Editor

The Riverhawks women’s soccer team practices and prepares to start the fall 2023 season.

Photo by Megan Cunningham

The spring 2023 women’s lacrosse team earned a collective 3.13 GPA last season and received the title of NJCAA All-Academic Team of the Year.

Photo courtesy of Frank Mitchell III