The Courier | Volume 56 Issue 12 by Courier Student Newspaper

Chaparral Football Named NJCAA Division III Champions

VOLUME

ISSUE NO.

56 12

IN THIS ISSUE

SPORTS

Chaparral Football Wins NJCAA Division III Championship The Chaparral football team wins first national championship; final score 29-34

OPINION

FEATURES

The Controversy on “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” A discussion on whether schools should read this book, despite its offensive content

The Benefits of Swimming - FMC Natatorium A visit to FMC Natatorium and the importance of health and wellness in people’s daily routine

Can Boredom Be Beneficial? Psychology Club, Psi Beta, conducted a study called the Boredom Project

THE TEAM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF·············································· Brenton Russo MANAGING EDITOR········································· Aurora Troncoso CREATIVE DIRECTOR······································ Danny Olivares STAFF WRITER···················································· Haley Battle STAFF WRITER···················································· Bee Bishop STAFF WRITER···················································· Eva Koureta STAFF WRITER···················································· Joseph Krebaum STAFF WRITER···················································· Devin Oommen STAFF WRITER···················································· Cody Wagner GRAPHICS EDITOR··········································· Zainab Imam PHOTO EDITOR·················································· Alexia Lukose SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR·································· John Chirayil ADVISER································································· Jim Fuller

COFFEE BREAK

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Crossword Puzzle and Sudoku Happy Holidays, everyone!

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editor@cod.edu • (630) 942-2679 • codcourier.org We publish both print and digital versions of The Courier weekly during spring and fall semesters, with the digital version published Tuesday and the print version on Wednesday. Exceptions include the first and last Wednesday of each semester, as well as the week of spring break. The Courier does not knowingly accept advertising that discriminates based on race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status. Further, we will not include any advertising that violates local, state or federal laws.

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SPORTS CHAPARRAL FOOTBALL WINS NJCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP Devin Oommen, Staff Writer

Photo by Devin Oommen

The Chaparral football team won the NJCAA Division III championship Saturday in a game that was decided in the final seconds. The team, down by one point with less than 40 seconds left in the game, scored on a touchdown pass from quarterback Brooks Blount to receiver Matthew Brown to win the game. Until the very last play the game remained competitive, with every lead change a national championship became just out of reach for each team. Nassau Community College, down 28-7 in the third quarter, scored three touchdowns, successfully completed two PAT attempts, and scored on their final field goal attempt to put them ahead 29-28 with 40 seconds left on the clock. “I was just telling my teammates, “We got time. We gotta stay composed. Don’t get ahead of ourselves. Just do what we do,” Brown said. That confidence materialized with Brown catching a 33-yard pass from Blount and running for a touchdown with 21 seconds left in the game, earning him the game’s MVP award. “I caught it, I turned around, first thing I did was check for flags, made sure there was no

flags,” Brown said after the game. “It felt great. It felt surreal. I never thought I’d be in that position.” The inaugural NJCAA Division III championship game featured a matchup between the College of DuPage Chaparrals and the Nassau Community College Lions. The game was hosted at COD’s Bjarne Ullsvik Stadium on Dec. 4. Defensive lineman Tom Trieb said the team came into the game with something to prove. The Chaparrals played the Lions on Oct. 16 in New York, losing that game with a final score of 15-17. The game was one of only two losses for the Chaparrals this season. “Them coming here, we wanted to show them that we should have won that game, we should have never lost,” Trieb said. “We proved today we’re the best team in the nation.” Near the end of the first quarter, Trieb lined up on offense to bring the ball one yard into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. Trieb has been leading the defense this season with a total of 14 sacks. He is 2nd in the nation for total sacks in NJCAA DIII football.

“Honestly, it was closer than we would have hoped for, but our offense pulled through when we needed them. The defense got the stops when we needed it. Great game, and I wouldn’t do it with any other team than the one we have,” said Trieb. After a 76-yard touchdown run in the second quarter by running back Darrell Smith the Chaparrals were ahead 14-0 at halftime. They went up by 21 points after halftime with a touchdown pass from Blount to Jack Dorsey. But after being held scoreless in the first half Nassau scored their first touchdown in the third quarter. Immediately following Nassau’s first touchdown, Chaparral receiver Lazerick Eatman returned Nassau’s kickoff for a 94-yard touchdown run. Nassau went on to eventually take a 29-28 lead until the final Chaparral touchdown gave the Chaparrals the win with a final score of 2934. In the first official NJCAA Division III national championship game the Chaparral football team ends the season with a 9-2 record and the team’s first national championship.

Photo by Devin Oommen

OPINION THE CONTROVERSIAL OVERVIEW ON “THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN” Johnny Chirayil, Social Media Editor

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a famous novel written by Sherman Alexie, a Spokane-Coeur d’Alene-Native American novelist. It is a New York Times bestseller and won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature in 2007. I first read this book back in my freshman year of high school, and I still love it to this day. The contents really stood out to me with both its comedic and emotional moments, and I felt like I really relate myself to how the protagonist feels in his inside-world. So, what is this book about? The book is a semi-autobiography based on events that took place throughout Alexie’s life. Since Alexie wanted to pursue being a young adult editor, he decided to use the book as a basis for his first young adult novel. The book stars a highschool freshman named Arnold Spirit, Jr. (otherwise known as Junior). Junior comes from a Native-Spokane background and attends a school with other students with a similar heritage. However, Junior always gets bullied because of his disabilities. He transfers to Reardan High, an all-white school. Junior happens to get along with the Reardan students and manages to make the varsity basketball team. Beyond school life, Junior also goes through some family struggles. His grandmother passes away from being hit by a drunk driver, and his sister passes away in a trailer fire. However, these struggles don’t stop Junior from pursuing a brighter future. I’m sure many students have read this book for a high school English project; even I have. It’s amazing to see the book’s lasting popularity and how it connects with other Native-American cultures. I believe what made this book popular is it contains a character who’s very relatable to those who feel alienated. He is determined to pursue a bright future because of all the struggles he has been through. The book also contains illustrations portraying Junior’s struggles in a comedic way. I recently joined a Zoom meeting to talk

about Alexie’s novel with other College of DuPage students, and we happen to share similar thoughts on the story. We discussed how Junior represents someone who feels motivated to pursue their dreams and doesn’t let their struggles hold them back. What I loved about this book is that Junior uses his struggles to help him see the world outside his Spokane tribe.

and decided to ban it. Because of the banning, a Wall Street Journalist, Meghan Cox Gurdon, wrote, “If books show us the world, teen fiction can be like a hall of fun-house mirrors, constantly reflecting back hideously distorted portrayals of what life is.” In Gurdon’s perspective, it seems she’s viewing the book too negatively without even realizing what it’s capable of. She seems to be unaware that the brutality portrayed in the book is the reality for some kids who have a life similar to Junior’s. Eventually, Alexie responds to Gurdon’s statement, in the Wall Street Journal, saying that his novel has inspired students from Seattle alternative high school. These students have been through similar events to those that Junior experiences in the book. Even Alexie himself has personal struggles with addiction and mental illness. I agree with what Alexie said about how his novel has inspired people, and I really enjoyed Junior’s story because it stood out to me with its emotions, comedy and illustrations. The Absolutely True Diary isn’t like any other novel I read back in high school. Normally, I don’t enjoy reading any novel for my English classes, but this book was different. The story was relatable, and I think the protagonist presents a good example of determination and motivation from past struggles. Honestly, I think it’s normal for youngadult books to contain explicit content because it’s like watching a PG-13-rated movie. Otherwise, how come movies don’t face the same criticism that Alexie’s novel did? If you would like to see the perspective of someone who feels alienated and has He would take the time to realize that he didn’t gone through a lot of tragic struggles and uses need to be like anyone else to be successful. Moreover, we’ve also discussed how someone those feelings as motivation for a successful would view the book as offensive, without even future, then I believe you’ll find The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian an enjoyable understanding the meaning behind it. adventure Of course, not everyone has the same perspective on the book. Many schools have found this book offensive (it contains sexual themes, foul language and racial stereotypes)

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FEATURES THE BENEFITS OF SWIMMING - FMC NATATORIUM Eva Koureta, Staff Writer

As full-time students, employees and members of our communities, we tend to not pay full attention to our bodies’ needs, health and wellness. In a world when time seems to pass faster than it should, individuals, especially youths, should take care of the body that is allowing them to dream and chase their goals. At the FMC Natatorium you have the opportunity to spend your limited free time at one of the most beneficial sports. You don’t have to be a competitive swimmer to exercise and take care of your health. The FMC facility offers professional and amateur swimmers a variety of options that helps them succeed in their sport.

Being part of a team or being involved in a sport is perhaps the easiest way to get exercise. According to “chuzefitness.com” swimming is one of the only sports that exercises every single muscle of your body. It keeps your heart rate up while it’s taking parts of the impact of stress off your body. Also, it builds endurance and muscle strength and helps you maintain a healthy weight. Most importantly, it dramatically reduces stress and anxiety, a matter that most individuals are facing nowadays. FMC Natatorium is a facility that offers all the above. The Natatorium provides memberships for a variety of age groups, skills, and preferences.

“FMC is a facility that is here for the swimmer who is just trying to learn how to swim from a young age all the way up to the competitor swimmer, as well as people who just want to stay in shape,” said MaryAnn Kaufman, owner and founder of FMC Natatorium.

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FEATURES CAN BOREDOM BE BENEFICIAL? Jona Padua, Staff Writer

Image Courtesy of Evan Gray

Psi Beta, also known as the Psychology club, cracked the code of how boredom can work in your favor. The club began the Boredom Project in March 2021 and finished in November 2021, exploring perceived levels of boredom in regards to task performance. The club’s Research Group focuses on phenomena and mechanisms related to a wide variety of complex problems in psychology. The group meets weekly during the academic year to plan and discuss completed research. When it comes to boredom, the feeling of being bored is the link to people feeling dull when finishing a task. However, when people feel bored with one task, they are more likely to engage in behavior they believe will reestablish their sense of meaningfulness. The club used this information to conduct their study. The 108 participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Participants select a personally meaningful goal they would like to improve on. They were then given an explanation of how the following task would help them improve that skill.

Participants are told to cope with boredom using some relaxation techniques (e.g., tapping fingers/feet, deep breathing) Participants are told to “please try to pay attention even if you get bored.” After completing the typing task they were assigned, participants reported their level of boredom. The club concluded that typing a boring task to a personally-chosen relevant goal reduces boredom and improves task performance. Therefore due to boredom, it actually increases engagement and performance in work as well as school settings because of the task forcing people to engage. The club’s findings have the same conclusion as another project by Yael K. Goldberg and others called “Boredom: An Emotional Experience Distinct from Apathy, Anhedonia, or Depression,” published in 2011. The project mentioned the benefits of boredom: One boring task can make another boring task meaningful. Boredom makes someone try something new when the current task feels meaningless.

Without boredom, someone can be trapped in unfulfilling situations and cause many emotional, cognitive, and social experiences. Boredom helps restore the perception that one’s activities are meaningful. The last Psychology Club Research Group meeting is on Dec. 10 (Friday), 12pm 12:50pm, to plan, conduct, analyze, and present psychology research next semester. Psychology Club welcomes everyone majoring in psychology, undecided majors, and students with other majors besides psychology. The club aims to encourage and promote a greater understanding of psychology. Psi Beta is the National Honor Society for community college’s best fit for students majoring in psychology. Students are eligible to join once they complete a college-level psychology class with a B or better (AP credit counts) and have 12 college credits with a cumulative GPA of 3.25. “The ‘Boredom Project’ is submitted to the Midwestern Psychological Association; next semester, members can do an analysis on the project,” said Psi Beta/Psychology Club President Evan Gray. “COD Psi Beta/ Psychology Research Group has prepared me to know how to research, write, and find credible information, which has become increasingly more imperative because of the amount of information available to anyone. I encourage everyone to join next semester!”

COFFEE BREAK Theme: Happy Holidays

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ACROSS 1. Pilgrim's destination 6. Make a scene 9. Rubik's puzzle 13. Hawaii environs 14. Toothy fish 15. Cone-shaped dwelling 16. White Swan in "Swan Lake" ballerina 17. ____-Wan Kenobi 18. *Decorate with wreaths and holly, e.g. 19. *Either dessert or source of heat (2 words) 21. *____ Day, or second day of Christmastide 23. Land parcel 24. Strauss of denim fame 25. Broadband access overseer, acr. 28. Clarified butter 30. Acute one and obtuse one 35. Southeastern Asian country 37. Jouster's breastplate 39. Shrewdness 40. Caspian basin river 41. *Pasadena's Tournament of ____ 43. Tel ____, Israel 44. Native American emblem 46. "Why not?" 47. Hitchhiker's quest 48. Omits when speaking 50. Hard to find 52. Bear's winter quarters 53. Hoodwink 55. Scepter's partner 57. *Number of days in Christmastide 60. *"Ugly" holiday party garb? 64. Prepare a letter 65. "Bingo!" 67. Hunger for 68. Pass-the-baton race 69. *Cranberry sauce sometimes comes from it 70. Same as tori 71. Raise the roof 72. German river 73. Stall sound

DOWN 1. Whiny and miserable 2. Shade of beige 3. Finish a ceiling, to a plasterer 4. Marlboro alternative 5. Not digital 6. Bug-eyed 7. Not Uber 8. Social group 9. Ghana monetary unit 10. Second word of many fairytales 11. Cause of Titanic's demise 12. Poetic "even" 15. Burdensome 20. Not this or that 22. Lab eggs 24. Time off 25. *Champagne holder 26. *Wassailing composition 27. Raccoon's South American cousin 29. Feeling of superiority, pl. 31. ____ gum, food additive 32. Furiously angry 33. Exclude or omit 34. *Number of candles in kinara, Kwanzaa 36. *Troika vehicle 38. "Will be," according to Doris 42. Asian goat antelope 45. Potpourri 49. Chevy Suburban, e.g. 51. Builds 54. *Popular holiday wish 56. Munchausen's title 57. *Bedecked arbor 58. Shakespeare, to his friends? 59. And others, for short 60. Minus 61. Tropical edible root 62. Anon's partner 63. Take a load off 64. Like some humor 66. *Traditional main holiday dish

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