The Eagle - Issue 1, Spring 2017

The Eagle Northeast Texas Community College

Volume 34, Issue 5

ntcceagleonline.com

Wednesday February 1, 2017

Parking lot updates cause safety, precaution concerns

By Daniel Yanez Editor-in-Chief

mandy smith

| staff photo

Morning traffic on FM 1735 has caused a safety concern for the college and NTCC drivers. Vehicle backup that occurs at the campus’ north entrance has urged the college to make some changes to the access point of the parking lot to aid traffic flow.

Just three weeks into the semester, and students are quickly finding out that showing up five minutes before eight won’t get them to class on time. Recently, there has been an increase in vehicle congestion during the busier morning rush and school hours.

Based on observations by the college, there is a five to ten minute window between 7:50 and 8 a.m. when congestion is the heaviest. To amend the traffic flow situation, the college has asked WRL Construction to design and build a right hand turn into the back area of the humanities parking lot.

While the college is working on fixing the physical aspects of the parking lot, Dr. Jonathan McCullough, vice president for Advancement, said there is one thing that the campus community can do. He said morning traffic and congestion can be minimized if students will plan ahead of time and arrive early for classes.

“The problem happens when students are showing up five minutes before eight. If your class starts at 8 you should be ready before

class starts,” said McCullough. “Faculty and staff are hearing the complaints from students that are showing up at 5 till 8 and getting caught in the traffic then making it to class ten minutes late.

During the holiday break changes were made to the north entrance parking lot in an effort to try to eliminate some of the traffic congestion in that area of the campus. Over the break construction crews created an intersection which brought drivers to a threeway stop allowing for both left and right turns. The modifications, however, have sparked other concerns and safety issues that the college is already at work correcting.

At the top of the list of concerns for the college is student and faculty safety. In the past, there has been a traffic control problem causing some vehicle incidents due to the point of access to the north entrance.

Northeast student, Guadalupe Torres said students looking to get to class on time will often take a less time-consuming route.

“It’s so congested in that entrance, there’s line all the way onto the road. People are

See Parking on pg. 2

New SUB kitchen and service line to open next week

By Daniel Yanez Editor-in-Chief Students returned to campus to a crowded area in one of the central locations on the Northeast campus. Renovations to the Student Union Building, which were delayed over the Christmas break are back on track and expected to be finished the first weekend of February. The plan is for the new SUB kitchen to be operational with new equipment and furniture in the dining area.

The kitchen extension in the SUB was scheduled to be completed by the first week of classes, however, several, components of the project delayed the schedule over the holiday break putting the operation on hold.

With all the kitchen equipment coming in through the holiday season, manufacturers that shut down for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, schedules got backed up, which slowed down progress in the SUB. Although the completion timeline fell behind, the Great Western Dining (GWD) team moved forward with the start of the semester and a new opening date in mind.

“Our new goal is the first weekend in February,” said GWD Food Service Director Nancy LaBatt. “It will involve a three day shutdown with every able body in here moving us over and then we would open up that Monday. It’s not guaranteed yet, as long as everything stays on track and no one drops the ball and no big storms come through to prevent it and all deliveries arrive, we’re looking at the first weekend in February.”

WRL Superintendent Kelly Norris said the backup in schedules caused the transition to be placed on hold while working on multiple areas of the SUB as well as other areas on campus.

“It’s extremely challenging. We all knew that the kitchen was going to be the most challenging part as well as the Learning Resource Center and library. We had to get the existing kitchen back into operation while we gave them the new dining room area,” said Norris. “It allowed us to slowly

daniel yanez

| staff photo

Rearrangements in the SUB due to renovations forced students and staff to use the snack bar area for all of their food purchases. The new kitchen and service line is expected to change over the first weekend in February. start working on the other side, which will be the remaining dining room area and the new bookstore location. It’s going to be challenging to do work in the library and keep it open and functioning. The bookstore doesn’t move until the kitchen moves, it’s a chain reaction.”

Although the original goal was not accomplished by the date in mind, inconveniences remain in place for both students and faculty. Norris said some advancement on the kitchen project was made during the break including setting up the current dining room area.

“I knew they were a little disappointed not to get into the new kitchen,” said Norris. “We’re doing all we can to get them in there. It was extremely busy getting the dining room back open so that people could at least be on that side. Kitchens are extremely challenging to begin with because of all the equipment that goes with it.”

LaBatt also said the GWD team experienced some obstacles with the delay, but she said her staff has coped with the temporary adjustments.

“We are in the snack bar so we are crammed in here,” said LaBatt. “We’ve had a lot of equipment issues, but our team has been great. We’re flexing a lot with what we have, some of our equipment is so old that with the shutdown we had to shut everything off and some of our equipment is not wanting to restart.”

Norris said the students, faculty and staff should be pleased with the new layout of the SUB once all of the renovations are completed.

“I think they’ll be happy once it’s all operational. It’s a minor inconvenience for something that’s going to be nice once it’s all completed. Most of the kids will like the new dining room layout,” said Norris.

Northeast student, Chad Kennedy, said he is pleased with the progress and excited for the outcome.

“I believe it’s going to be very nice to actually have a place where we can all go, hang out and do our homework,” said Kennedy. “We can all just relax and get away from the everyday hustle.”

Jack Kent Cooke scholarship selects Spring enrollment three NTCC students as semifinalists up by 11 percent

By Jodi Weber Director of Public Information

Northeast Texas Community College learned last week that three sophomore students have been named semifinalists for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.

Ryan-Rose Mendoza, Melody Mott and Bailey Hall, all of Mount Pleasant, are among those who will move into the final stages of the highly-competitive competition.

Their applications were among more than 2,800 submitted by students across the nation. Only 20 percent of applicants made it to semifinalist status. Jack Kent Cooke winners, who receive scholarships of $40,000 per year for up to three years, will be announced in April.

“Being a semifinalist is a huge honor that has helped students gain admission into Ivy League schools they were waitlisted or denied admission for. We are so proud of these two bright young women and we hope to continue NTCC’s record for producing Jack Kent Cooke scholars,” Dr. Melissa Fulgham, NTCC Phi Theta Kappa Advisor, said.

Mendoza plans to transfer to Columbia University, where she will major in Mass Communications. She is the current President of Alpha Mu Chi, NTCC’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. She is also an Honors Scholar in Honors Northeast, an officer in the Student Government Association (SGA) and Amigos Unidos and a staff writer for he Eagle student

See NTCC on pg. 2

By Kenzie Messer Staff Writer

courtesy photo

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s scholarship programs are designed to encourage and support outstanding students who work hard and have financial need.

Scholarships provide financial assistance and academic support to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students.

Enrollment at Northeast Texas Community College has increased by 11 percent for the spring 2017 semester.

The success of the growth at Northeast can be contributed to the exposure the students give and the convenient opportunities the college has to offer.

“We attribute the growth for this semester to the extra efforts that the Student Success coaches and the College Forward teams have made on campus with their intrusive advising and retaining students,” Director of Enrollment Management Kim Lawrence said. “We’ve also had a more defined

recruiting program, so we certainly know that we’ve gained some students from that, as well. From fall to spring, I’d like to think that it’s primary to our intended efforts from advising to College Forward and the success coaches.”

Many of the NTCC students are international students. While the majority of the international students are attending school here for athletic purposes, there are some who are here for other reasons and academic opportunity.

“We have specific programs that attract international students,” Lawrence said.

“We have others that may have family connections.

Then, there are those who

See Enrollment on pg. 2

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The Eagle

Northeast Texas Community College

February 1, 2017

News

Parking access a concern for many NTCC students gain national recognition

Cont. from pg. 1

always in a rush so they don’t even care,” said Torres.

“Students are always in a rush they’re just trying to get to class so they’re going to take the shortest way possible.”

To avoid the risk of accidents and injuries from the previously designed intersection, the college has installed stop signs and speed bumps to make people aware of the new intersection and to slow down for traffic.

“The new intersection on campus is actually a far safer design than we had previously,” said McCullough. “Instead of having multiple lanes all coming in and converging in the same spot, now what happens is you’re going to have a key intersection with stop signs that makes it less accident prone.”

The college has also reached out to a representative from the Texas Department of Public Safety to create a right hand turning lane into

Cont. from pg. 1

mandy smith

| staff photo

College administrators are encouraging drivers coming from the south to use the main entrance’s left turning lane to enter the college during peak morning hours. the north entrance from FM 1735.

The objective is make a modification to the main road and install a right hand turn lane at the north entrance and give people easier access onto campus to find parking.

Another solution and safety precaution that students are encouraged to consider is using the main entrance on the south side of the college, which has a left turn lane.

Plant Services Director, Tom Ramler, said students

who have classes in the IT or BT building should park in the south parking lot.

Parking closer to their classes in that area of the campus would remove some of the traffic from the north entrance.

Math/Science lab moves to IT 112

By Kenzie Messer Staff Writer

As renovations make their way across campus, the Math lab, Math/Science 103, will be relocating to room 112 in the Industrial Technology Building for the spring 2017 semester. Tutors and computers will be available from 8-6 Monday through Thursday.

“In the Math/Science building, they are enlarging the labs,” Director of Developmental Education and Math Professor Marguerite Morris said. “I could put the Math tutors in the library, but I believe that there is too much crowdedness because the writing tutors have quite a following. IT 112 is where they will be located.”

Tutors and computers will be available to students Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 8-6 and Wednesday from 8-5.

“I’m a little disturbed that students won’t find them,” Morris said. It is kind of an out of the way place, but not so out of the way that the students will not be told that that’s where to go.”

In MS 103, computers lined the walls and two large tables went through the middle of the room. There will be a setup similar to that in IT 112. The math tutors will be available in IT 112 for the remainder of the semester.

“The center location of where we were before was probably a lot better,” Computer Lab Specialist Austin Baker said. “Due to construction restraints and available locations, this is the best that we could do. It might actually help a

Enrollment numbers climbing this spring iesha fluellen| staff photo

Students work on school assignments in the new location of the Math/Science lab in IT 112. little bit being closer to the dorms.”

The need for tutors won’t be high for the first few weeks of classes, but once the semester starts, there will be plenty of room for all of the students to come in and get help.

“The move isn’t horrible, but the lab will definitely be a ghost town,” second year student and math tutor Melody Mott said. “Students typically won’t need tutoring until a few weeks into the semester. The size of the room is great though. I doubt it would effect the way I tutor, or the results.”

Once all of the renovations are completely done, there will be a computer lab in the same building as the library. All of the tutors from all subjects will be put in this lab to make it more convenient for students who might need help with their homework.

“The big picture is that the space where the bookstore is will eventually become a computer lab,” Morris said.

“That’s where tutoring will take place as well as students that need to use the computers. This way, students who need help can get it all in one location.”

Confessions of a student worker Fighting the crowd

By Stephanie Garcia Staff Writer “Northeast, how can I help you?”

This is a phrase that, as a student worker at NTCC, I could recite in my sleep. Sometimes, it even comes out when I answer my personal cell phone. When you repeat it at least a thousand times a day, it sort of just sticks.

Being a student worker in the Financial Aid office has its pros and cons just like any other job. Some days (like at the beginning of the semester) the cons are a lot more prominent.

Everyone knows what I am talking about, the crowded office, unanswered phone calls and emails and waiting for hours just to ask a simple question.

Everyone has experienced these things at some point while attending college.

If you haven’t, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. Being able to see both sides has been something that has taught me quite a bit.

From the student perspective, the frustration can be crazy. I’ve heard it time and time again. When you fill out paperwork and then get asked for something else. Of course, you do it. Then wait… and you get the dreaded email that you need to turn in something else. It happens over and over and no matter what you turn in,

newspaper. She completed an internship for County Line Magazine over the summer.

In addition to being a Jack Kent Cooke semifinalist, Mendoza was also recently named a Coca-Cola Leader of Promise and received the Dr. Jerry Wesson Award locally.

“I was so excited to learn that I am a semifinalist for the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship. This is a life-changing program that could go a long way towards helping me achieve my goals,” Mendoza said. “It would be a huge step towards helping me not only make sure I go to a great university, but also open doors to more internship opportunities that could help me in my long term goals to become Editor in Chief at Town and Country Magazine.”

Mott plans to pursue her Ph.D. in applied mathematics after graduating from NTCC. She is a member of Honors Northeast and is the first scholar in the history of NTCC to win a State of Texas Smallwood Award. Her pioneering essay on Japanese-Texan relations also won a second-place Caldwell Award. Reviewers have awarded her essay a spot in the 2017 edition of Touchstone, published by the Texas State Historical Association. She was one of five members of Honors Northeast who presented at the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) in Seattle this fall. Mott is Vice President of Honors Northeast, Treasurer of Alpha Mu Chi, President of the NTCC Math Club and a member of Spanish Club.

“I wish to contribute a global perspective that initiates international change and produces self-sustaining solutions to modern issues such as sickness, poverty, or stagnation of innovation and innovators. Ultimately, I plan to work as a researcher at either a university or government facility,” Mott said.

Hall is a dual credit student from Chapel Hill ISD who will complete her associate’s degree from NTCC at the same time she graduates from NTCC. She is eligible for the Jack Kent Cooke prize as a high school senior because she is also classified as a sophomore at NTCC due to her enrollment as a dual credit student.

NTCC has had seven Jack Kent Cooke Scholars since 2010. Anjelica Fuentes, Jessica Velazquez, Kayleah Cumpian, Stephen Milburn, Matthew Jordan, Stephanie Calderon and Clara Ramirez all earned the scholarship in past years.

“Melody is a multi-talented scholar who continues to surprise us with her originality and audacity. Ryan has been a remarkable leader of both PTK and Honors. She is also a brilliant young writer. We are so pleased to learn how they are advancing in this national competition,” Dr. Andrew Yox, Director of Honors Northeast, said.

you’re still missing something.

You decide to try a different way to communicate when you call and leave a message, but it seems like you never get a call back. When you do, it is somewhere around seven or eight at night. No matter what you do, you can’t get a hold of anyone to help you.

What most people don’t realize is that there is always someone there to contact you to before the day is over.

A lot of the time, what students don’t realize is that as a worker, the frustration can be just as bad. Getting here in the morning and seeing a crowd waiting for you to open the door, checking the messages and hearing the awful sound of, “There are 38 new messages,” are things we experience on a daily basis at the beginning of each semester. There were times when we would get here at seven thirty in the morning and not leave until eight or nine that night.

Please understand, that we are people, too. We have lives outside of NTCC. We want to go home after a long day, but we don’t leave until every single phone call and email is returned.

Something we talk about in the office during the crazy times, is how a rush could have been easily avoided.

The trick is to get your schedule and financial aid done before the previous semester ends. If you get your FAFSA

done early and are required to turn in extra documentation, you can get it all in before classes start and not have to worry about being dropped or not being able to start.

We get it. Procrastination is human nature, but it’s not impossible to overcome. It literally takes 10 to 15 minutes to do a FAFSA. And if you need help, it’s easier to ask for help in the middle of the semester when we aren’t as busy.

The beginning of a new semester would be much less stressful and frustrating for both students and employees if the students would not wait to get their things in order. You would be able to avoid the waiting and wondering on whether your financial aid will be ready in time for classes to start.

Coming from the student in me, it is possible and it beats waiting in the office for what seems like forever. The worker side of me just wants you to know, that we do understand, but if you got it done sooner, you wouldn’t have to stress.

My fellow students, get your stuff done and be patient with us because we are people too.

Last but not least, when you leave us a message, make sure to include your phone number.

Thanks, Financial Aid Student Worker.

Cont. from pg. 1 just find us on the internet. It’s always exciting to see that they just found our campus, and they think it’s beautiful.”

Online classes make it convenient for students to attend Northeast from various places while tending to their families and jobs.

“There is a vast majority of students that are coming in for online classes and not face to face classes,” Director of Admissions and Recruiting Melissa Harrison said. “Students are realizing that they are needing their education, and by having the online options with the distance education and cost of community college being cheaper than university, it’s all going to contribute to the increase.”

The educational opportunities available to students through Northeast make the college accessible and continues to encourage enrollment from out of district sources.

“When you have increased enrollment, you have general exposure, so that’s always going to be beneficial to the college,” Harrison said. “If a student has a good experience, they’re going to then talk about it with somebody else, and that’s going to contribute to us being able to continue to grow.”

In order to maintain the success of increasing enrollment, different departments throughout the campus have come together to recruit high school students and students who are interested in continuing their education.

“We’ve made a plan,” Lawrence said. “We’re working the plan, and we like to think that the plan is working. Dr. Stewart has come in and helped a great deal by providing leadership to the department, and he’s allowed us to put a great deal of emphasis on recruiting. It’s exciting to reap the rewards of the recruiting efforts.”

Adult Education partners with PISD

Special to The Eagle The Northeast Texas Community College Adult Education Department has partnered with Pittsburg ISD to make English as a Second Language (ESL) education more accessible to area residents. Classes are held at Pittsburg Primary School and Pittsburg High School.

These free classes are open to the community and new students are still being accepted.

“This new program shows the power of community partnerships, at best! Pittsburg ISD is providing classroom space and recruitment for the ESL parent class, Pittsburg Head Start is providing parent

recruitment and NTCC Adult Education is providing ESL class coordination and the instructor,” Sue Barker, NTCC Director of Adult Education, said. “Currently, there are 19 parents enrolled for the spring semester.

PISD Superintendent, Judy Pollan, was in support of the program and has encouraged parent participation.”

NTCC Adult Education also offers free GED classes at the NTCC HansonSewell Center in Pittsburg.

Please call Ruth Fernando at 903-434-8252 for more information about ESL and GED classes.

Follow us on Facebook at Adult Education Program at Northeast Texas Community College.

February 1, 2017

The Eagle

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Northeast Texas Community College

News Honors brings Texas hero to life in historical film Special to The Eagle

Honors Northeast, the honors program at Northeast Texas Community College, will premiere an original historical film Friday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Whatley Center for the Performing Arts.

The production, Sam Houston and the Fate of the Texas Cherokee, is the fifth film Honors Northeast has completed in the last five years.

Free refreshments and a brief panel discussion featuring NTCC scholars William Fox, William Jones, Presley McClendon, RyanRose Mendoza, Cassidy Watkins, and Honors Director, Dr. Andrew Yox, will be featured after the film in the Whatley Foyer.

Admission is free and the public is welcome.

This year’s one-hour film traces the relationship of Texas’ founding father with the Cherokee, their estrangement, the tragic Battle of the Neches, and the transformation of Houston as well as the surviving Cherokee.

The film is an actionpacked story of romance, betrayal, and war that interprets the exodus of the

sizable Cherokee community in Northeast Texas in 1839,” Yox said.

Starring NTCC Scholar William Jones as Sam Houston, the student-made film treats the western trek of the traditionalist Cherokee tribe led by Chief Bowles (William Fox) to their twenty-year home, north of Nacogdoches.

The plot receives a hopeful twist when Sam Houston, an adopted son of the Cherokee and husband of a Cherokee princess, Diana Rogers (Adriana Rodriguez) moves to Nacogdoches, and becomes the Texan leader.

But can or will Houston prevent his fellow Texans, especially supporters of a new President, Mirabeau Lamar (played by Joshua Yox), from wiping the Cherokee off the face of Texas?

The film, following a suggestion of East Texas Journal publisher, Hudson Old, was created entirely by Honors Northeast. NTCC Scholar, Cassidy Watkins of Daingerfield is the film’s editor and producer.

“This year’s cinematic effort treats an Indian presence in our region that was remarkable for its brief intensity, and significance.

Local museums and schools

teach that Northeast Texas was the original home of the Caddo Indians, with their bee-hive styled homes and mysteriously textured pots.

And yet the Cherokee, who lasted only twenty years here, were about as influential,” Yox said.

Yox noted: “A two-hour drive south from Mount Pleasant brings one not to Caddo but to Cherokee County.

Nacogdoches has a statue of Cherokee Chief Bowles, but we lack a Caddoan parallel to personalize their story.

The first Clarksville-toNacogdoches road, was not some 271 or 59 expressway, but the Cherokee Trace.

We know of Caddoan trails, but it was the Cherokee who lined their more formal Northeast Texas highway with honeysuckle hedgerows, and rose bushes.”

Thanks to a Whatley Employee Enhancement Grant, the support of Jerald and Mary Lou Mowery, the Friends of Honors Northeast, and institutional support, members of Honors Northeast were able to research the story last summer in Austin.

It was filmed last August in Nacogdoches. The Honors Northeast team was led by Director, Presley McClendon,

courtesy photo

Honors Northeast students William Jones and Adriana Rodriguez portray Sam Houston and his Cherokee princess, Diana Rogers. wThe production is based on the story of the Houston’s connection to the Cherokee Indian tribe.

Unit Production Director, Ryan-Rose Mendoza, and cinematographers Rachel Jordan and Ariana Rodriguez.

They finished shooting all 65 scenes at historical sites, including the 180-yearold Tol Barrett house, the historical village--Millard’s Crossing, and several antique

area Bread-and-Breakfast homes. Kassandra Martinez worked at breakneck speed as Makeup Director; Emmalea Shaw and Alecia Spurlin worked as directors of costumes and props.

Other students who also appear with major roles in the film are Emmalea Shaw

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Restless Heart will bring their unique style of country music to the Whatley on Friday, Feb. 10.

Restless Heart to perform on the Whatley Center stage

By Jodi Weber Public Information Director The Whatley Center for the Performing Arts at Northeast Texas Community College will host the chart-topping country music group Restless Heart Friday, Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m.

The concert will feature hits from the ‘80s and ‘90s like “Wheels,” “Big Dreams in a Small Town,” “Fast Movin’ Train,” “I’ll Still Be Loving You,” “The Bluest Eyes in Texas” and “Why Does It Have to Be Wrong or Right.”

John Dittrich, Greg Jennings, Paul Gregg, Dave Innis and Larry Stewart – the men who make up Restless Heart - have enjoyed one of the most successful careers in Country Music history, placing over 25 singles on the charts – with six consecutive #1 hits, four of their albums have been certified Gold by the RIAA, and they have won a wide range of awards from many organizations – including the Academy of Country Music’s Top Vocal Group trophy.

“Restless Heart is one of those bands that so many people remember and love from a time when country music was at its best.

This is sure to be a concert where you will find yourself singing along,” Carolyn Franks, Director of the Whatley Center, said.

With more than 30 years together as a group, Restless Heart has come a long way from hearing their very first single on the radio.

“I was driving east on I-40 from West Nashville into town to an appointment,” Stewart recalls. “Back then, I was listening to what we were doing in my Jeep Cherokee every day. I had turned the radio on, and ‘Let

The Heartache Ride’ was right in the middle of the acapella intro.”

Stewart had been living with the song for a while, and hearing it through his car speakers wasn’t that big of a deal – until he looked at the stereo and saw the numbers 97.9.

“It didn’t sink in because I had it in the tape deck for days, then I realized ‘That’s the radio.

It’s WSIX.’ I pulled over on the shoulder around White Bridge Road and sat there with my car idling. It was like yesterday.”

That was the first of many radio hits for the group. They went on to have multiple charttopping albums and singles, four Grammy nominations, seven CMA nominations and four ACM nominations. Even after 30-plus years, the group is still going strong with new projects and touring.

“We are still at the top of our game when it comes to singing and playing together. We’ve got some projects we’re working on, and we want to put the Restless Heart brand out to music fans again – to let them know we’re still here and making good music. We’re really looking forward, not trying to rest on our past laurels, we really want to do some new music. We have some fun things we’re considering to celebrate the moment, which we’re trying to put together, and reintroduce ourselves to the world, and take another stab at something.”

The NTCC performance of Restless Heart is sponsored by J.T. and Kaye Brison. Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for ages 17 and under and NTCC students. Seats can be purchased by calling the Whatley Center box office at 903-434-8181.

Visit www.ntcc.edu/whatley to learn more about this and other upcoming events at the Whatley Center.

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as Houston’s first wife, Eliza Allen; Alecia Spurlin as Houston’s mother, Elizabeth; Hayden Duncan as Edward Burleson, Alicia Cantrell, Kassandra Martinez, Melody Mott and Leivy Zuniga as Cherokee maidens, Hialeah, Adsila, Immookalea, and Hiawassee.

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The Eagle

Northeast Texas Community College

February 1, 2017

News New Wesley Fellowship Center opens its doors

By Ryan Rose Mendoza Staff Writer

After 10 years in the making, the Wesley Fellowship Student Center recently held the official opening of their new facility.

The organization, which has ministered to Northeast students on campus each Tuesday at lunchtime in SUB 101, purchased the land for the building site a decade ago.

The group officially began a fundraising campaign a few years ago to fund the construction of the student center.

With generous donations from area churches and local individuals, as well as a grant from the Permanent Endowment Fund of the Moody Memorial First United Methodist Church, groundbreaking for the project took place on Jan. 27, 2015, exactly two years from the day the building officially opened its doors last week.

Northeast Wesley Fellowship Director Aaron Dudley said the vision of the center is to be a place where students can join together and belong to a community.

“I want this to bring a sense of unity among students and faculty and also a sense of faith. We hope to help students transition from a youth group in their church to a youth group in college,” he said. “Our main goal is helping students who never belonged to a church or never got to be a part of a youth group.”

Northeast Biology

mandy smith

Northeast students Terry Landes and Sydney Johnson look through Johnson’s artwork while enjoying the new living area in the Wesley Fellowship Student Center.

Professor Winston McCowan, also a Methodist minister, said he hopes the center will become a fundamental part of the students’ lives on campus.

“Students can use it. They can come study, and we can even have classes here,” he said. “They will have counseling, and they will have a comfort zone. They can come and be right here on campus, but still get away from everything else.”

Dudley said the plans for the building are much more than just the once a week fellowship that the group has hosted over the past few years.

He said they hope to host Bible studies and other activities throughout the month. Two students approved by the Wesley

Methodist board will also be housed in the dorm area of the building, which will allow the facility to be open periodically for a variety of activities during evening hours as well.

Frankston United Methodist Pastor Mike Farley, who worked on the fundraising project and served during the Tuesday lunch ministry for several years, said the new building gives the Wesley Fellowship a chance to reach out to more than just the student population on campus. I’m just real excited that we have a permanent place, and we don’t have to borrow space anymore,” he said. “It gives us the opportunity to do other things as well besides just student ministry here. We can do some things that will bring

daniel yanez

| staff photo

Students gather to study in the new College Forward offices that were recently moved into the Humanities building.

NTCC shuffles office spaces

By Iesha Fluellen Staff Writer

As construction continues to be a major factor of campus life here at Northeast Texas Community College, it continues to affect the daily routine of students and faculty as more and more new changes take place. In result of these new changes, quite a few offices have changed location.

Director of Student Activities and Multicultural affairs Rico Willis has changed his office location from the Student Union Building (SUB) to the East Residential Building on campus.

“If there’s anybody who wants to reach me, it would probably be best by phone or email,” said Willis.

“That would be the best way if anyone needs me for assistance or guidance in any way.”

Since he is temporarily moved to the East Residential Hall, Willis said he also plans to create some new activities for the student residents.

“While I’m here in housing, we’re going to be coming up with a game plan of student activities for the dorm students,” he said. “I plan on meeting with the

| staff photo

RA’s and discussing some activities that they would like to see happen.”

The College Forward and Student Success offices have also moved from their previous location in the SUB next to Rico Willis’ office, to separate locations in the Humanities building.

College Forward offices have moved to the former faculty and staff workroom located at the end of the hall on the south side of the building.

Members of the College Forward team have been texting and emailing students informing them about the new location.

Erica Garza and Alex Ortega with Student Success have relocated to former faculty offices located just past the Humanities Secretary Delbra Anthony’s office. “We are still wanting to meet with students throughout the semester.”

Said Erica Garza.

“We’re just in room I and G in the humanities building.

We’ll be here until February or March, but will move to where Dr. Clinton and Dr. Stewart are currently in.”

The Natural Science professors known for teaching A&P I and II as well as other Natural Sciences have moved from

the Industrial Technology building (IT), to the University Health Sciences building (UHS). There, the instructors were given new offices, lecture halls and labs.

As for the Math and Science building (MS) on campus, it is soon to be under construction just as the Humanities building was recently.

Many professors have changed office locations, but only a few are still in the MS building. “The biology instructors have moved to the UHS building,” said JoAnn Rodriguez, math and science building secretary.

“Dr. Murphy is now in the IT building in McCowan’s old room.”

Among the instructors that have offices still remain in the MS building are, Dr. Paula Wilhite, Dr. Mark Bouwens, Dr. Will McWhorter, Professor Ward, Professor Doug Richey, and Professor Pemberton.

The MS computer lab, which has always been a convenient learning resource for students has been relocated to the IT building in room 112. Construction on the SUB continues to be underway and work on the MS building is soon to move forward within the upcoming weeks.

our community together like a singles ministry or something along those lines as well. The possibilities are just enormous.”

Pastor Dan Gillian, of Daingerfield’s First United Methodist Church, said the project has been something that the Wesley Fellowship Board of Directors and local churches have been working toward for several years.

“We would have liked it to have been done sooner, but God had other plans,” he said. “Today is a testament to God’s will and our lives.”

The Wesley Fellowship began holding their regular lunch meetings this week and students are already enjoying the new space. The group plans to begin offering full meals to students each Tuesday. Dudley said they

andrew mcclain

plan to begin hosting Taco Tuesday each week and encourage to come enjoy a free meal offered off campus. Wesley Fellowship is also hosting a six-week wildlife photography exhibit

by Angela McCain in the building. Dudley said they encourage everyone to come by and see the photos while they are on display.

Student Stacey Orr said the new building offers students an opportunity to get away from of the dayto-day pressure that comes

| staff photo

with college life. “This is an amazing place for students to come and get to socialize and spend time with one another and get to know The Lord,” Orr said. “It’s a very comfortable place and great people. Being on campus can be very busy and coming over here can get your focus off of the stress and the worries and what you have to do and what you have going on in your life. Coming over here is a breakaway. It’s a different environment than on campus.”

February 1, 2017

The Eagle

Page 5

Northeast Texas Community College

Lifestyle

The Elizabeth Hoggart Whatley Agriculture Complex was constructed in 2010 as a state of the art design created to highlight the sustainable ag program at the college.

courtesy photo

The battle on the ag field is won in the classroom

Rene’ McCracken Director of Agriculture NTCC

It always seems strange to me that we call our semester that starts in January here at NTCC the “spring” semester. Yet our weather has been in a constant state of flux between winter, fall and spring since December.

In 2017, the persimmon seed prediction of heaps of snow has yet to come true and from our chickens to the insects to flowers and forage ~ nature is definitely struggling to determine what its normal course of action should be.

Climate Change dictates new farm rules Unfortunately, this new roller coaster of weather patterns is just another step in our experiencing Climate Change up close and personal.

While I do not believe that this means that we are on a dramatic march to a future of starvation and failed ecosystems, I do understand that we cannot continue to do the same things that we have always done and expect different results. Sometimes in

life where you have found proven methods of success – it can be extremely difficult to let go. New ways of farming are often tough to learn, accept or implement for those of us that have fought so hard just to survive in an agriculture industry that defies so many.

Sustainable Living

NTCC Ag Program does not just teach those new sustainable practices, we live them. While definitely not an easy task, the operation of our 250-acre farm allows us to demonstrate and research the trials that all area farmers are experiencing. At the same time, we exist to provide a living lab for our college students.

For the past five-plus years our Ag program and farm has been transitioning to a more sustainable farming operation.

Most of you driving past our campus on FM 1735 in Mount Pleasant since 2010 might have noticed the addition of the futuristic looking Whatley Agriculture Complex and solar array.

Perhaps you thought that this high-tech facility was the finest part of our program.

From the ground up Where the green grass grows

By Michael W. Rundle Guest Columnist So often when we think of agriculture, we think of feeding cows, plowing up the dirt or putting a seed in the ground.

While these are part of agriculture, they are but a small piece of the puzzle, the tip of the iceberg as some would say.

I grew up in dirt, was born and raised with an appreciation for getting my hands dirty. As each year goes by I find myself asking the question, “Do I want to die with my hands in the dirt?”

Have you ever mowed your neighbor’s yard or helped your grandmother can tomatoes? If the answer is yes, then you have in some way participated in agriculture.

Many if not all of us have at some point purchased produce at a farmer’s market or flowers for a loved one on Valentine’s Day? Agriculture is so much more, however, than just feeding cows or digging in the dirt. How much more?

Planning, production, distribution, marketing, photography, business management and recycling are but a few examples of the thousands of fields related to the agriculture industry.

Everything from the worms in the dirt, to the steak we order at our local restaurants, are all an integral parts of this vast industry. As an agriculture major, I have found a new appreciation for many aspects of my life.

When your 4-year-old daughter comes home from school and asks to see her bean plant that was planted not more than a week ago, it changes you; it begins to tug on your heart.

As pleasing and tranquil as dying with my hands in the dirt sounds, it’s not the only thing I want to be known for.

I aspire to leave behind a legacy, one that will shape the future of generations to come.

I would never expect every individual on the face of the planet to become an agriculture major, I do, however, believe there is room for improvement and education.

For every 4-year-old who knows where their food comes from, there are hundreds of kids who think the origin of a tomato is Brookshire’s!

My hope and my challenge to everyone is to get out and get your hands dirty, recycle something, raise something, plant something; most importantly learn something outside your comfort zone.

Know where your food comes from, and maybe even acquire the knowledge and skills to grow those flowers for a loved one on Valentine’s Day.

Ag Club Meeting Feb. 7 at 12:35 Ag 116 Want to join? Receive free food and a free shirt after becoming a member.

Membership dues are $10

In this case as in agriculture, sometimes you have to dig a little deeper to see what the true facts are.

The story that started with the near impossible task of constructing a solar powered, rainwater harvesting LEED certified green platinum facility was just the beginning. Thankfully, I have been blessed to be commissioned to “tell the rest of the story.”

Lessons from the farm

New techniques and even some very old ones have been tried, adopted or rejected on our farm to better meet the demand of our current climate and markets and increase overall sustainability.

Companion cropping, diversity mixes, cograzing, no-till gardening, compost tea and many more techniques are now common practices in the arsenal of weapons we are using to reach our goal of sustainability.

Unlike some businesses that find a unique sweet spot that they paten and profit from – we are first and foremost here to instruct and gladly share the good, the bad and even the ugly lessons from our farm.

How could you join-up with us?

The most direct path to join us is to enlist and register for classes at NTCC. We currently offer a variety of face-to-face college credit courses that will have you directly involved in our operations and provide degree-seeking student opportunities to do so. We also offer continuing education workshops like the Backyard Homestead Workshop that will be the third in a successful series of workshops for farmers to be taught in the past three years.

This course is a 3-week Fridays only course taught on Feb. 10, 17 and 24.

Participants can expect to learn sustainable practices with meat goats, backyard chicken flocks, gardens and pastures for small farming operations. Class time is 8 a.m. to noon each Friday and will be hands-on learning from lecture in the classroom to implementation in the greenhouse, gardens and fields.

Registration for the course is now open and is just $25 per Friday class or $60 if you take them all! If you need more information on each class, how to register and more call Rene’ McCracken at 903-434-8267 or by following us on Facebook at NTCC Ag Department.

Foundation receives $100,000 to establish AG scholarship

By Jodi Weber Public Information Director

The Northeast Texas Community College Foundation recently received a $100,000 gift to establish the Charlie and Abbie Brown Memorial Scholarship.

The endowment will provide scholarships for Mount Vernon High School graduates attending NTCC and majoring in agriculture.

“We are honored to be entrusted with this endowment. It will make a significant difference in the lives of NTCC students for many years to come,” Dr. Jonathan McCullough, NTCC Vice President for Advancement, said.

Abbie Brown, who passed away in 2005 at the age of 90, directed that her estate be used to create a scholarship fund to benefit students who graduated from Mount Vernon High School.

The scholarship was managed in Franklin county since then and was recently passed on to the NTCC Foundation for administration.

“This is an excellent example of how an individual can plan their estate in a way that continues to help people for generations to come,” McCullough said.

“Endowed scholarships use a fund’s investment earnings to pay for scholarships in perpetuity.”

Abbie Brown was active at First Baptist Church of Mount Vernon and many civic organizations.

She opened The Lady’s Shop in 1940 and operated the ladies’ clothing and accessories store until 1973, when it closed after it was

courtesy photo

The Charlie and Abbie Brown Memorial Scholarship will provide scholarships to Mount Vernon High School students majoring in agriculture. damaged from a fire in a neighboring building. Her husband, Charlie, was a longtime Agriculture Extension Agent in Franklin County. He began his career as a teacher and then joined the Texas A&M Extension Service as a County Adjustment Assistant in 1935. He retired in 1974 and passed away in 1987.

Charlie was passionate about agriculture, which makes it fitting that the fund bearing his name would help cultivate future ag workers. A 1974 article in the Mount Vernon Optic Herald announcing his retirement noted one of Charlie’s favorite sayings: “May well-informed stewards recognize the basic values of good land and inhabit it.”

This philosophy aligns well with the current vision of the NTCC Agriculture program, which focuses on sustainability and being good stewards of the land in this region.

“In many ways we are going back to our roots when it comes to agriculture. Many of the practices Mr. Brown would have encouraged back in 1937 when he began as an extension agent are still very relevant today,” Rene’ McCracken, NTCC director of agriculture, said.

To learn more about the Charlie and Abbie Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund, or to find out how you can use estate planning to establish an endowed scholarship, please contact McCullough at 903-434-8115.

Page 6

The Eagle

February 1, 2017

Northeast Texas Community College

Opinion

One President; Two Perspectives Trump’s new America Trump’s new regime

By Kenzie Messer Staff Writer The events that will come from the next four years are unknown.

I know a lot of people who are worried that Trump is going to destroy America, but personally, I don’t think he’s going to “destroy” it at all.

Trump is actually a businessman rather than a politician, which is exactly what America needs.

So, if he treats the country like a big business, he will definitely make it “great again.”

Everyone just needs to be patient and stop criticizing him so much, so he can do his job how it is supposed to be done.

More than half of the job of the President of the United States involves managing the economy.

I truly believe that over the next four years, Trump is going to bring jobs back to America.

According to donaldjtrump. com, he plans on creating 25 million jobs.

People who aren’t able to find a job won’t have that problem anymore because businesses will actually be hiring workers again.

Hopefully that means that the two million Latinos who entered poverty over the last eight years will now be able to find a job and help their families get out of the poverty state.

By creating these new

jobs, Trump is going to help the economy overall.

Nationaldebtclock.org states that the national debt is quickly approaching a $20-trillion debt!

Once Trump takes the reins of the economy, however, the hope is that our national debt will begin to finally decrease.

Of course, he’s not going to get rid of that kind of debt completely within the next four years. It’s too high, but he might be able to lower it by an extensive amount.

Along with helping the economy by lowering the national debt and creating jobs, Trump also has plans to stop terrorist attacks by rebuilding the military.

He says that he plans to accelerate the defeat of Isis.

He’s not going to let someone come in and disrespect this country, and if they do, he’s going to do something about them.

Isis has been attacking America and the people who live here, and Trump is about to put a stop to that.

As for all the congressmen

and women who boycotted his inauguration, I think that was disrespectful and unprofessional.

I understand that these politicians stand against much of what the new president stands for, however, there are ways that they could show their opposition besides boycotting the inauguration.

What they did was not that much different than all the protesters, which I’m still not sure whatå exactly they were protesting about.

And many of them were not protesting, they were actually rioting.

Protestors don’t break windows, start fires, or destroy their city in any way.

Protesters actually demonstrate, not riot, to have something done that they want done, so it seems like these protesters are trying to get Trump out of office.

I highly doubt that Trump will leave the office because some Americans are rioting because he’s the president.

The next four years will be beneficial for the United States. Trump is going to rebuild the military, so he can defeat Isis and protect America.

He’s also going to create millions of jobs to help the economy and lower the national debt. Trump is about to better the country in every way he can, even with all those people rioting, I mean protesting, his presidency.

The country is about to change for the better.

By Chyna Shardai Staff Writer When Donald Trump said that he was running for president in 2016, many Americans thought it was just a big joke and some still do.

From the moment he began running for president, things that he has said have made many scratch their heads.

Some of his statements and his behavior have made many wonder if this will be the next face for the president of the United States.

The 45th president of the United States is now Donald J. Trump.

Among many Americans who are still fighting to get him out of office, this did not sit well with them based of his actions and his lack of any political experience.

During his run for office, he has said some things that no one running for office should ever say.

Seventy congressmen did not come to his inauguration due to his actions and poor word choices.

There are many reasons that people do not want Trump in office. He does not care about anybody and will sue them if they get in his way. He is a person who goes on Twitter and says what he must say instead of handling the situation like a mature adult.

He is homophobic, racist, xenophobic, sexist and disrespectful.

During his run for office he has made fun of several women’s appearances and that in itself is completely unacceptable.

He body shamed Alicia Machado saying that she needed to “lose weight.”

He has also said that no one should vote for Carly Fiorina because of the way that she looks.

No one should be body shaming women and it should certainly not have come from someone who was running for president.

Trump refers to African Americans and Latinos as “uneducated and no jobs.”

This statement is false, African Americans and Latinos are educated, either book or street wise.

That education is not good enough for Trump, but we are educated, even if some of us make bad decisions just like everyone else.

Our skin being a little darker does not mean we are worth less than others.

He has also called us “the African Americans,” which is really degrading.

This statement made many African Americans go against him after he stated it.

Being called “the” is not just degrading, it also makes us feel like we are nothing.

It did not make things

better in Trump’s corner when he said that Rep. John Lewis is “all talk, talk, talk – no action or results.” Lewis has done a lot for the African American community.

When Trump began saying “Make America Great Again,” some of us wondered when America was ever great.

Back when Christopher Columbus came over and said that he found “untouched land” while really the land was taken from Native Americans.

Many people have different opinions on when America was genuinely great.

These next four years will not be easy. We have a man in the presidency who is selfish and doesn’t care about people unless it is beneficial to him.

A man who only thinks about the well-being of the rich.

With him as president, my fear is that the rich will stay rich and the poor will become poorer.

These next four years will hold many surprises, either good or bad.

These are just some reasons that Trump should not be president of the United States, but for some odd reason he is.

At this point, we voted and the outcome was for Trump to be president.

No matter how much people protest, nothing will change the outcome.

Regardless, he is our new president, and we will just have to see what the next four years will hold.

Hindsight is a heckuva thing

In the October 18, 2012 issue of The Eagle, Andrew McClain, Eagle Production Manager at the time, wrote a satire piece predicting what a Trump presidency would look like. We thought it might be interesting to take a look back at his predictions and see how close he got to the real President Trump.

Andrew is back on staff, so stay tuned, he might just offer a prediction or two of another famous celebrity who may decide to challenge “The Donald” in four years.

By Andrew McClain Staff Writer Unless you live under a rock, you know that the topic on everyone’s lips right now is the upcoming presidential election.

It seems no matter where you turn, everyone’s sharing their opinions on this candidate’s stance on gay marriage or that candidate’s stance on abortion, never mind the fact that the election isn’t until next month.

And although yours truly insists on living under a rock as far as politics are concerned, I’m not too socially unaware to have heard that one of the earlier potential candidates was New York billionaire and The Apprentice host Donald Trump.

Now, although Trump never even made it so far as having his name on the ballot for the presidential primaries--to my great dismay--I still like to imagine what our great country would be like under his leadership.

Being the rich, fat cat that he is, you’d expect Trump to run as a Republican… or would it be a Democrat?

Anyway, the point is he wouldn’t run as either.

Donald Trump is the kind of man whose sheer…Trumpness could not be contained by any of the pre-existing political parties; that’s why he’d create his own political party—The Donald party.

For his running mate, he wouldn’t just select a person

at random; he’d want to find someone he could trust to back up all his decisions and follow all his executive orders.

What better way to find someone like that than airing a new TV series--The Vice Presidential Apprentice?

Now if elected, I imagine the first thing The Donald would do in office would be to gather up all the current congressmen, senators and Supreme Court justices who disagree with him into the boardroom and tell them all, “You’re fired.”

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “He can’t really fire all those people!” And of course, I agree 100 percent; the government would be severely downsized then and unable to fulfill its official duties.

Of course, Trump would have thought ahead and already have a plan to replace most of them with some of the 12 million unemployed Americans, provided they agreed to work for him.

Those who are given the privilege to hear those special words “You’re Hired” would

find themselves under the scrutiny of his three older children, Donald, Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump, better know to Apprentice fans as Mr. Trump’s “eyes and ears.”

One thing about Trump is he understands that this country needs change, and as a rich entrepreneur, change is something he has in great supply.

Money puns aside, a few alterations that Trump would bring with him into office would include replacing more well-known publications like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal with works from his personal collection, such as Time to get Tough and Think Like a Champion.

Another big change to come with the Trump presidency would be to completely disown China and eliminate that portion of foreign labor.

Of course, we do owe a $10 trillion debt to China, and Trump wouldn’t just leave that loose end untied.

The last association the U.S. would have with China would be a fat check with Trump’s signature on it, practically pulling the plug on the U.S. National Debt Clock (www.usdebtclock. org).

So even though he’s not going to be running—even though the presidential primaries came and went without the man even batting an eye—come this election season, I’m casting my vote for Donald Trump.

The Eagle Eagle Adviser Mandy Smith Editor-in-Chief Daniel Yanez

Staff Writers Iesha Fluellen, Kenzie Messer, Brianna Stacks, Kieran Martin, Andrew McClain, Ryan Mendoza, Nubia Sanchez, Dylan McConnell, Chyna Shardai Rogers and Stephanie Garcia The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the opinions of the faculty advisor or the administration of the college. Questions? Comments? E-mail our adviser Mandy Smith at msmith@ntcc.edu or visit our website at www.facebook.com/thentcceagle.

We want to hear from you!

Got an opinion?

Write a Letter to the Editor and email it to ntcceagleeditors@gmail.com

February 1, 2017

The Eagle

Northeast Texas Community College

Page 7

Entertainment

‘The Mick’ proves crude comedy can also be ‘high-class’ courtesy photo

Brianna Stacks Staff Writer

lunch. During the traditional table talk, Papa and Sugars (don’t laugh, what do you call your grandparents?) began raving about a new sitcom called The Mick that they had stumbled upon on a Tuesday evening on Fox. They talked about how hilarious the show was, and begged us to watch it with them.

They told us everything they could about the show they just could not get enough of.

Mickey, the main character

by

During every break from classes, I always take the time to read and watch my favorite television series.

During this holiday break, however, I found that I had barely found the time to do very much of either.

Next thing I knew, it was Martin Luther King Day and I hadn’t finished a book nor watched any of my normal shows. That day my fiancé’s grandparents came over for

Sheeran shines again

and inspiration for the show’s title, is a low ambitious, yet bold woman looking for the next payday.

She goes to visit her estranged sister and billionaire brother-in-law in the suburbs of Greenwich, Connecticut looking for a much-wanted handout.

After an FBI raid and an unnecessary escape from Mick, her sister and brotherin-law are arrested for fraud and later, flee the country to avoid the FBI, leaving Mickey with everything.

Now the guardian of her sister’s three spoiled and privileged children, Mickey couldn’t imagine anything worse.

With the 18-year-old disrespectful, hellcat Sabrina, the arrogant, political 13-year-old Chip and a cute 7-year-old nerd named Ben, Mick is faced with motherhood that she never wanted.

With the use of cigarettes, valuable time with the kids, and the luxuries of becoming an instant billionaire, Mick

discovers that she may be able to fill the responsible role.

With full bellies and the touch of DirectTv on Demand, we were all seated in the living room laughing hysterically at the new comedy.

Granted, this is an adult comedy and consists of language and innuendos with the subtle suggestive content.

But overall, it created laughs and enjoyment with my family.

Even if there were

moments of hidden glances between my future mother in law and me, speaking silently with one another about how surprised we were that the grandparents were enjoying this level of “inappropriate” comedy.

The new comedy series was and is refreshing after a long drought to this couch potato with no time to chill.

The Mick is an unexpected, hilarious find that I am enjoying immensely and that I now have on my recording list.

Netflix’s newest series is far from an ‘Unfortunate’ watch Nubia Sanchez Staff Writer by

by Iesha

Fluellen Staff Writer

Just when most of us started to think he had disappeared off the face of the Earth, Ed Sheeran surprised us with not one, but two newly released songs.

By releasing the tracks “Shape Of You” and “Castle On The Hill”, Sheeran was giving the world only a peek at what more there is to come on his upcoming album Divide.

This is to be his third studio album and is set to release March 3rd, 2017.

Both songs, “Shape Of You” and “Castle On The Hill” have gained praise from his fan base as well as new listeners to his music.

The two songs have a very different vibe about them and it makes fans wonder house diverse his album will be in tone. “Shape Of You” is the most popular of the two tracks, but only slightly.

The song has an upbeat xylophone rhythm and is accompanied by hypnotizing vocals and a catchy hook.

The lyrics are simple as they describe the singer’s fascination with someone special.

As for Sheeran’s other new release, “Castle On The Hill”, it’s by far my favorite of the two. Upon my first

courtesy photo

time listening to it, I felt as if I were transported into Sheeran’s youthful days as his lyrics discussed his upbringing and the people who were closest to him.

I’m anticipating the release of Divide. Ed Sheeran’s unique musical style and signature voice has garnered much attention these past few years.

His recent album X which was released in 2014, was one of the top selling albums that year. Sheeran’s hit songs “Sing”, “Don’t” and “Thinking Out Loud” were only a few of the melodious tracks featured on X. Fans of Ed Sheeran have waited quite some time for him to release new music and wondered what took him so long. 2014 to 2017 is a bit of a time gap for an artist to go without any new music.

It turns out that Sheeran actually had plans to release Divide in Fall of last year, but figured it was best to

postpone it due to the fact that he didn’t want it to be overshadowed by the U.S. Presidential Election.

According to Billboard. com, Sheeran changed the date of the release quite a bit. “The plan was to come in September and then the album was meant to come in November,” Sheeran began.

“But the week the album was coming out was the week of the presidential elections.”

If he released his album the next week, it would have to compete with Bruno Mars and if he released it the week after that, it would conflict with The Weeknd’s album.

Eventually, he decided to set Divide to release in 2017.

Despite the fact that we had to wait longer for Sheeran’s new music, I can honestly say that it was worth it. I really enjoy his new songs and am excited for the release of Divide.

After all, good things come to those who wait.

Top 11 Netflix Series 2017 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

ACROSS 4. Marvel’s bulletproof hero.

5. The story of Pablo Escobar and his Colombian cartel.

6. Marvel super heroine turned private I. 9.Across Sam Elliott and Ashton Kutcher star as fatherand-son ranch owners.

4. MARVEL's bulletproof hero.

10.

Used inofaPablo common phrase, ____ have 5. The story Escobar and his“____ Colombian Cartel happened.”

6. MARVEL super heroine turned Private I. 11.

Though Iron Man, this martial 9. Sam Elliott not and Ashton Kutcher starMarvel as father-and-son ranchdoes owners. artist have a “hand” in Tony Stark’s 10. Used in a common phrase, "_____ ____ have hero-naming scheme. happened."

11. Though not Iron Man, this super martial artist does have a HAND in Stark's hero-naming scheme.

11

DOWN 1. Basically, “Mr. Ed: the Later Years.”

Down 2. Marvel hero who’s blind as a bat. Though he’s 1. Basically "Mr. Ed: the later years." not Batman, he was played by Ben Affleck once.

2. MARVEL hero who's blind as a bat. Though he's not 3. A delicate stack of poker playing implements.

Batman, he was played by Ben Aflec once.

7. There’s nostalgia “everywhere you look, 3. A delicate stack of poker playing implements. everywhere you look.”

7. There's nostalgia everywhere you look, everywhere 8. Prison can be funny, apparently. What’s the you look. common for this series’ wordy 8.

Prison canabbreviation be funny, apparently. title?

Remember as a kid in elementary school reading A Series of Unfortunate Events books?

This January the first ever famous book series has come to life with the new Netflix show, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Season One is now available to binge watch on Netflix.

If you are like me who has been looking for something new to watch this year then Netflix is the place to go and this show is a must especially if you have read all 13 books in the series.

Do not let the name of “unfortunate” throw your interest off, this show is actually not as depressing as it sounds. Instead it is more interesting, funny, and full of mysteries.

Although the story of the show begins with an unfortunate event, you will want to know the rest of the story. What I love about the show is the props and the fashion used in the show.

The whole set and clothes worn are just how you would imagine it would look like if you read the books. All of the characters, villains, and places are really portrayed in the show like they are in the books.

If you have not read any of the books you will not be behind when watching. Since there is a narrator throughout the show you will be able to follow along with the story alright. The main characters are three children whose last name is Baudelaire and a villain named Count Olaf.

Just like the books are filled with mystery about the hidden secrets and stories that the family of the Baudelaire children hide, it keeps the show interesting.

I am a big fan of the villains in most shows and movies I watch, therefore if you do too then you would definitely love the enthusiasm and fun energy that the villain, Count Olaf played by Neil Patrick Harris, brings in the show. What I also love about this Netflix series is that the filmmakers stay most of the time true to the book

courtesy photo

series. Season one plays the first four books within the series which are The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, The Wide Window, and The Miserable Mill.

There are a few differences between the Netflix series with the books. One of the things I do not like about the show is how one of the main characters, Mr. Poe played by the actor K. Todd Freeman, is not how I expected him to be. In the books he is illustrated as a chubby, red hair, and wears glasses man.

The only thing that the show makers got right was that he coughs a lot but the rest of the props of him are what I say wrong. Another major difference is an added part to the story and lives of the Baudelaire children which I was not expecting but it is also what keeps the show staying interesting.

The first season of the Netflix series is similar to the Jim Carrey movie, A Series of Unfortunate Events which

was released back in 2004.

It is similar in the way that the first few books within the Netflix series are in both. But the show has more details of the major events that occur in the books while the movie skips some of the main events.

I would have expected a sequel of the movie but since one never came out I guess that could be the reason for a Netflix series instead.

This Netflix series shows more about what the books are about. It keeps you guessing and wanting to know what will happen next because of the mysteries hidden in the lives of the Baudelaire children.

There have been rumors of there being a season two which there is not a confirmed release date yet but if that is the case I cannot wait for it to be out. This Netflix series is perfect for anyone to watch.

So just stay tuned on Netflix for the maybe upcoming next season.

Page 8

The Eagle

February 1, 2017

Northeast Texas Community College

Sports

iesha fluellen | staff photo

Northeast Eagles first baseman Will Dawson reaches for an out in the team’s season opener against Weatherford College.

The team will travel to Weatherford this week to wrap up the series before returning home for a three-game stretch.

iesha fluellen | staff photo

Player Daniel Nikitovic steps in the batter’s box and waits for the pitch in a game against Weatherford College.

Eagles baseball splits season opener

By Iesha Fluellen Staff Writer

The Northeast Eagles baseball team took the field for the first time this season, opening with two home games against Weatherford College. The Eagles struggled and hit a wall in the first game that ended in a 9-5 loss. The team recovered in their second game, winning 9-6.

The Eagles have recently experienced staff changes having gained new Head Baseball Coach Shane Wedd and losing their former

Assistant Baseball Coach Bo Martino.

A familiar face from last semester, Assistant Baseball Coach Matt Durst has remained with the team as these new changes took place.

“It’s been some long days.” Durst said. “But Josh Stewart is helping me do what I need to do. It’s nice when you have an extra person, but we’re fine with it.”

Durst said despite losing Martino, he and Wedd have been able to divide responsibilities. “Coach Wedd and I have both been splitting the duties with the pitchers,” Durst said. “The pitchers are a really mature

group, and they understand what we want them to do and they’re running with it. We’ve set out a structure for them, and they’re able to handle their own business which is good.”

The assistant coach coached during their opening games of the season. Durst said he feels confident in the team and believes that they will be successful in their upcoming games. “We played well,” he said. “I thought we did a lot of things right. Sure there’s some things we could work on, but overall we took out a lot of good from it.”

Wedd said he has enjoyed preparing the

team for the season and feels as if they have handled his new direction in a respectful way. “They adjusted really well.” Wedd said.. “They’re hardworking and dedicated everyday. I’m happy to coach such a good group.”

The Eagles will take the road for the first time this season, facing Weatherford College once again on Feb. 2 in Weatherford, TX. The team will return home on Feb. 10 , when they will go up against Pratt Community College at Northeast Texas Community College. nd

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Northeast baseball program welcomes back familiar face

By Chyna Rogers and Teresa Flores Staff Writer, Senior Sports Correspondent

iesha fluellen | staff photo

A Northeast Lady Eagles softball player whacks the ball in a late afternoon practice. The team traveled to North Central Texas College for their first two games of spring play.

Lady Eagles travel for opening games

By Kenzie Messer Staff Writer The Lady Eagles softball team traveled to North Central Texas College on Saturday, January 28 for the first two games of the spring semester. In the first game, the Lady Eagles slid past North Central’s Lady Lions, winning 9-6, but couldn’t quite catch Butler Community College’s Lady Grizzlies, 17-3.

Despite the split games, Head Softball Coach Jessica Keith said she can see the team’s effort. “I can’t

complain about a lot,” Keith said. “I think they’re playing hard.”

The player’s work ethic and ability to get their plays down is apparent to their coach. “They’re buying into the process,” Keith said.

“They all get that and learn it, so I think it’s been really good.”

This season, the majority of the starters on the team are sophomores. The coach said the players have stepped up and are leading their peers to strive for success throughout their games. “There’s a lot more experience,” Keith

said. “I think that’s helping with the leadership and some drive on what they want to succeed and do.”

In a game where players are against the odds, Keith said the players are working through that. “We’re getting in the flow of things,” Keith said. “They’re realizing they’re going to have mistakes. That’s how they accept that.”

The Lady Eagles will travel to Weatherford on February 1. Conference play will start March 3 when the team faces Trinity Valley’s Lady Cardinals at Trinity Valley.

With the start of a new season, the Northeast Eagles baseball team welcomes a new, yet familiar, head coach.

Shane Wedd is back, but this time at the helm. Wedd, a Kansas native, is no stranger to the college’s baseball program, having served as assistant baseball coach from 2012 to 2014 under former Head Coach Josh Stewart’s leadership.

The new head coach came to love the game of baseball at a young age.

Wedd decided to follow in his family’s footsteps and coach, foregoing his plan to attend culinary school. Since then, the diamond has been his second home and allowed him to play catcher and first base for the University of Kansas Jayhawk baseball team.

Wedd initially came to Northeast as an assistant after coaching at Pratt Community College in Kansas with hopes of taking a position in Texas. Following his time at Northeast, he went on to coach at the highest collegiate level, spending more than two years with Sam Houston State’s Division I baseball program.

After the chance to come back to Northeast as head

coach opened, Wedd said it was an easy decision to make.

“When I got the opportunity to come back here as a head coach, I jumped at it because I loved this place,” he said.

“The opportunity to run my own program is something I’ve always wanted to do. It is different being assistant coach than it is being head coach. I get to make and input my own decisions.”

Having taken the field at both the junior collegiate and four-year level, Wedd said there is a special aspect in coaching at a small college such as Northeast. “This time, in students’ lives, you can have a really big impact, both on and off the field. It’s really a developmental stage in their life as they transition from high school to college and see them grow as men and players,” he said. “Even though you only have a year or two with them, you can really see them grow at a big time in their life. Being around it, they keep me feeling young, too.”

For Wedd, the transition has been easy. “I’ve been here before, and I know the lay of the land. There’s a lot of people still at the school that I had relationships with,” he said. “Coach Stewart, who is now in an administrative role, has been a big mentor to me.

It also helps that my assistant coach, Matt Durst, played for me when I was here, and

Wedd we’ve had a relationship for several years.”

The program has experienced two head coach changes in the last two years after former Head Coach Austin Knight accepted a position for a minor league team within the Seattle Mariners organization. But Wedd said the players have been able to gel well with each other and overcome the change. “The guys have jumped on board with what we’re trying to do. I love their attitude,” Wedd said.

“You can tell that they’ve built a pretty strong bond in the fall. They’ve been very coachable and are open to learning. They’ve been topnotch from day one.”

Despite all the changes occurring this season, one thing remains: the game.

“Baseball is baseball,” Wedd said. “Everyone does it a little differently, but it’s been the same rules for 150 years.”