The Eagle - Issue 1, Spring 2018

T he E agle ntcceagleonline.com

Volume 35 Issue 5

Wednesday February 7, 2018

NORTHEAST TEXAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

ADMINISTRATION

BIGGERS’ ARTWORK

The Story Continues

Clinton becomes NTCC president Kenzie Messer Editor-in-Chief

Staff Photo| Mandy Smith

This photo was taken at a Black History Month Art Exhibit in February 2008. D’ambria Harkey, Ayanna and her mother, Rosita Palmer view the Dr. John Biggers lithographs in Maya Angelou’s book, Our Grandmothers.

Library features John Biggers’ artwork “She muttered lifting her head a nod toward freedom, I shall not, I shall not be moved.”

- Maya Angelou “I learned a long time ago that self-dignity and racial pride could be consciously approached through art.”

- Dr. John Biggers

staff photo| mandy smith

NTCC students now have the opportunity to study in the Learning Commons with the works of famous artist Dr. John Biggers nearby.

School District and was originally painted for the Carver High School dedication in the 1950s, Northeast also has eight other Biggers’ art pieces donated by the artist himself. The works include a copy of the Mayo Angelou book Our Grandmothers, which was illustrated by Biggers.

“The Charlie and Helen Hampton

Library is honored to have the pleasure of housing and displaying several pieces of artwork by the famous artist Dr. John Biggers,” Director of Library Services Ron Bowden said.

“The library recently opened the John Biggers Room, which contains the original mural, and we will soon See Learning on pg. 3

SCHOLARSHIP

NTCC students among semi-finalists Special to the Eagle The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation recently named five students at Northeast Texas Community College as semi-finalists for their highly competitive and elite Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Alicia Cantrell, Brenda Godoy, Rachel Jordan, Adriana Rodriquez and Cassidy Watkins were included in the list.

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.

Clinton

night, and I was very moved by the decision.”

Clinton’s father, Dr. Robert Clinton, also served as a college president at Western Texas College.

Clinton said he credits his knowledge and experience in the field of education to his dad.

“I grew up in many ways in the community college environment,” he said. “I think I credit whatever abilities I have in the educational and administrative area to my dad. He was a great role model for me, so that was very special.”

Clinton began his teaching career with a See President on pg. 2

ADMINISTRATION

By Chelsey Elrod Staff Writer His art hangs in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and at Northeast Texas Community College.

Dr. John Biggers was an AfricanAmerican muralist who came to the height of his work shortly after the Harlem Renaissance. Biggers’ art is known for being critical of racial and economic injustice.

One of the artist’s most profound works of art is “The History of Negro Education in Morris County,” a 22-ft. mural that now hangs in the NTCC Learning Commons.

Along with the mural, which is on loan from the Paul Pewitt Independent

Back in 1985, Dr. Ron Clinton never imagined that he would one day become president of the new community college where he was about to interview for a position, that day he was simply fighting the winter weather on his way to Northeast Texas.

More than three decades later, Clinton finds himself moving into the president’s seat. After he was initially hired as a faculty member, Clinton considered only staying for a short time, but 33 years later, Northeast Texas Community College has become his home.

Clinton, who served as interim president last fall following the resignation of Dr. Brad Johnson, was officially named NTCC president at the December board meeting..

“That was a very emotional night,” Clinton said, “I was so grateful and humbled by the confidence that the board had placed in me. It was a wonderful

This is the first time NTCC has had this many students named as semi-finalists.

According to Dr. Melissa Fulgham, lead advisor for the Alpha Mu Chi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa and Honors Professor, it is a testament to the high quality of applicants NTCC fielded this year.

All five have taken advantage of the many opportunities NTCC has to offer, as well as the strong mentorship from faculty available at the community college level.

As a community college, NTCC provides ways for students to become actively engaged at the local, regional, and national levels early in their college.

See Scholarship on pg. 2

President names Rose interim VP for instruction

By Kenzie Messer Editor in Chief Northeast President Dr. Ron Clinton recently appointed Associate Vice President of Workforce Development Dr. Kevin Rose to take on the duties of interim vice president for instruction while the search for the permanent position goes forward.

The application process for the VP for instructor became available nationwide in January for qualified applicants. Candidates will have access to the application until Feb. 23.

“I consider it an honor to be able to serve in this position,” Rose said. “We’re really excited about Dr. Clinton’s leadership. For him to make this interim appointment

has been exceptionally appreciated, and it’s an honor to serve the faculty and students in this role.”

Rose will not only have the responsibilities held by the Vice President for Instruction, but he will also continue his duties as Associate Vice President of Workforce Development.

“My main focus is to follow the leadership of Dr. Clinton,” Rose said. “From this position’s role, my primary goal is to support the faculty, students and the teaching and learning process. It’s a very comprehensive role, while at the same time, very exciting about the number of individuals we get to serve and work with.”

Rose said he would See Vice President on pg. 2

WHAT’S INSIDE

courtesy photo

Standing from left, Cassidy Watkins, Rachel Jordan, Adriana Rodriguez. Seated is Alicia Cantrell and Brenda Godoy.

ENGINEERING PG. 5

UPCOMING EVENTS

Doubles Pool Tournament.......................................................................... February 9 Art Exhibit Reception.............................................................................. February 13 Valentines Day......................................................................................... February 14 Dr. Clinton Piano Concert........................................................................ February 18 Deadline to apply for Spring Graduation....................................................... March 2

BASEBALL PG. 7

Page 2

The Eagle

President Continued from Pg. 1 job at a University in South Korea where he taught for two years. While there, he and his wife had a son and soon decided that it was time to come back to the states.

“The idea of coming here [NTCC], starting a new college, and starting a new music program was pretty exciting to me,” Clinton said.

“We loved the place. It’s been a great place to raise a family.

It’s been a great college to work for, so we never looked back.”

After serving as a faculty member for a number of years, Clinton became interim Vice President for Instruction and Student Services.

After the vice president position was filled, Clinton returned to teaching full time. But, eventually he was lured back to a role in administration.

“Dr. Johnson asked me if I would consider acting as the permanent vice president for student instruction,” Clinton said. “After some thought, I was very excited working with him, so I accepted the position.”

Clinton said it was a difficult choice to leave his position as a faculty member to become a part of the administration. He said the demanding responsibilities kept him away from the classroom.

“I love teaching,” Clinton said. “It was difficult, the transition and the decision itself because I knew I was walking away from the teaching part of it, but I’m glad I did. It’s been a very rewarding time for me. It’s been a bit of a sacrifice, but a lot of rewards too.”

Clinton said he believes being a faculty member for so many years has benefited him through his career in

administration. He said it is important for someone in that role to have a real working knowledge of the faculty, the teaching and what they go through.

“I think it’s important to have that kind of sensibility,” Clinton said. “Essentially, that’s what we’re here for.

We are all connected to it, but they’re [faculty] the ones on the front line. It’s been very useful to me, certainly in the vice president role.”

Clinton said that he shared a number of things with the Board of Trustees as to what he sees for NTCC’s future in the next five to ten years.

“It’s time to say, ’what is the next step for the college,’” Clinton said. “To me, that’s a collective decision. It’s not just my vision. It’s really the faculty’s vision, and the staff’s decision and the community’s vision in terms of where we want to be.”

“I hope to see us further along in this process of being a college that people look at and say, ‘That’s a place where we put students first,’” he said.

The new president said he also hopes to make NTCC a more integral part of the community.

“People know we’re here,” Clinton said. “It’s amazing to me that as long as we’ve been here, there’s still so many people who don’t know what we do. I hope we can bring more social services to the college and the students. I hope within the next five to ten years, people look at us and we become a model for them.”

Clinton is one of only five original faculty members still working at the college. Three of those early colleagues, Professor of Biology Dr. Winston McCowan and Division Director for Mathematics, Physics and Engineering Dr.

Northeast Texas Community College

News

February 7, 2018

courtesy photo

Clinton and his first wife, Betty, perform a recital during his early days as music professor. Betty passed away in 2011.

Paula Wilhite, and Professor of Mathematics Dr. Doug Richey say he is someone who has always been excited for his future and the future of NTCC. “When the college first opened, Ron was very energetic, excited, and eager to play a major role in the organization and opening of a new college,” McCowan said. “He has become a wellrespected icon at this college and in the community. He is known for his talents and his willingness to make a difference in many student’s lives. When I first met Dr. Clinton, I saw him as a coworker, a friend and a man with a love for God.” Wilhite agreed, saying that Clinton’s ability to communicate well with others has resulted in the support that he receives from the faculty and staff.

“Dr. Clinton has always exhibited a diplomatic personality in combination with an ability to make fair and well-balanced decisions,”

Wilhite said. “Even though Dr. Clinton quickly gained enormous respect for his distinctive musical talents, his humble, quiet style of working with others to build the music program was even more highly regarded.

Dr. Clinton’s widespread support as the Executive Vice President for Instruction and now the president has been a result of his unique abilities to communicate with all members of the community.”

Richey said that Clinton and the other original faculty members were selected from over 1,000 applicants to build, design and deliver their respective disciplines and courses.

“We were all leaders,” Richey said. “Dr. Clinton gradually moved from instruction to supervision of instruction then to supervise administration and ultimately president of the college.

Dr. Clinton and I have been friends and colleagues at each stage of his advancement.”

Clinton recalled in the

early days at NTCC that all the faculty members came together to assemble the furniture so the students would have a place to sit and work on the first day of classes.

He said that was a great bonding moment for the faculty member, and for Clinton that bond has never been lost.

“One of the strengths of this college is the way people work together, and the way people know one another,” Clinton said. “It’s been a great place to work. We’ve been so fortunate and blessed that we get to know one another in a way that if you’re in a larger university things are more compartmentalized.”

Clinton said he sees his role of president as a new chapter in his life. While he admitted that he is not sure what it may hold, he is excited to find out.

“There’s a lot I would like to add to my career here at NTCC and the presidency,” he said. “That’s what I’m

looking forward to. I don’t know exactly what that journey is going to look like, but I’m really excited to be taking the first step in that direction.”

“It’s been a great place to work,” Clinton added.

“We’ve been so fortunate and blessed that we get to know one another in a way that if you’re in a larger university things are more compartmentalized. That’s one of the strengths of this college is the way people work together, and the way people know one another.”

Clinton sees his new role of President as a new chapter in his life. He said that he’s not sure what it may hold, but he’s excited to find out.

“There’s a lot I would like to add to my career here at NTCC and the presidency,” Clinton said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to.

Adding to that. I don’t know, exactly, what that journey is going to look like, but I’m really excited to be taking the first step in that direction.”

Vice president for instruction

Jack Kent Cooke semi-finalists

Continued from Pg. 1

Cont. from pg.1

working closely with administrative, faculty and staff members as he moves forward in the interim position.

“I’m very fortunate to have individuals that I get to work with, some of our division chairs and division directors, that have really stepped up and are really assisting in a number of ways,” Rose said.

“Having good people that I’ve worked with for many years now, I’m very thankful for them. It’s times like this that really brings that out. We really appreciate them.”

Rose said several of the responsibilities that he performs in his role as VP for Instruction are comparable to the duties of his current position as associate VP. “The good fortune that I’ve had through this is that many of the tasks that I’ve had are very similar to the ones we do in this office, only in a more global position,” Rose said. “I’ve had opportunities that I’ve worked side-by-side with Dr. Clinton. I feel like I have a good understanding of what this position entails on a day-to-day basis.”

Clinton said that as he was serving as interim president and executive vice president for instruction he received a lot of help from Rose and other administrative, faculty and staff members.

“Dr. Rose was very helpful,” Clinton said. “I had asked him to take over some of the responsibilities.

I knew, as far as once the decision was made by the board, that I needed to have an individual that could serve as interim during the search process. Dr. Rose is the Associate Vice President for Workforce Development,

courtesy photo

Rose speaks at the recent Engineering Roundtable event.

Rose is serving as interim vice president for instruction while the search is underway to fill the position. so he really is next in line from an administrative perspective.”

Clinton was named NTCC president position in December. Rose began his transition into his role as interim VP for instruction at the beginning of the spring semester.

“I have every confidence that he’s going to do a great job as interim,” Clinton said. “He really was the first person to consider for the interim role, in my mind. I think he’s handling it very well. He’s worked with all those areas pretty closely.”

Rose has been in an administrative role since

2006. He has seen the college progress since then and said he looks forward to seeing the college’s development in the future.

“I’m excited about the direction of Northeast Texas Community College,” Rose said. “In the interim position itself, it’s quite an honor to be appointed by an individual that I have the utmost respect for. It’s great to be able to work with a wonderful faculty. The reception has been greatly appreciated.

We have a bright future here at Northeast. Students are wonderful, faculty are wonderful and we will see the direction that we go.”

Opportunities only available to upperclassman at major universities can be available to freshman and sophomores at the smaller, more student-friendly setting of a community college.

“The quality of applicants NTCC fields, resulting in multiple semi-finalists and one or two winners nearly every year, reflects the strong support system at Northeast that allows students to flourish and develop their unique talents. High quality faculty coupled with unique opportunities create a rare setting,” Fulgham said. “I am incredibly delighted for these five individuals to be recognized for their hard work and talent; I am even more honored and delighted to work with the amazing students that come to NTCC.” Cantrell plans to pursue a law degree to help the disadvantaged, becoming the voice for those without a voice, and ultimately enter politics.

She currently serves as President for the Alpha Mu Chi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa at NTCC, president of the Honors Student Council, and president of the newly formed Speech and Debate Club at NTCC. Her research paper on Barbara Jordan and Anne Richards will be in the upcoming issue of Touchstone.

She is one of two undergraduate students in the state of Texas asked to speak before the professional members of the Texas State Historical Association at the annual meeting coming up in San Marcos in March 2018.

Named a 2017 Coca-Cola Leader of Promise, Cantrell has received the Wesson Award and the Walter B.

Cooper Scholarship as well as being a Presidential Honors Scholar at NTCC. Godoy plans to become a pediatrician, tending to the medical needs of children as well as volunteering in areas where medical experts are scarce.

She currently serves as President of the Bio-Chem Pre-Professional Society and Vice-President of Service for Phi Theta Kappa.

Godoy presented her work on leadership during the Texas Revolution at the East Texas Historical Association.

She is also a biology lab assistant and the biology/ chemistry supplemental instructor.

The former Mount Pleasant High School salutatorian, Godoy was named the Dr. Mary Hood Texas Star Scholar for the state of Texas as well as being a Presidential Honors Scholar at NTCC. Jordan plans to pursue a degree in psychology, with a special emphasis on helping those impacted by sexual abuse. Vice-President of Membership for the Phi Theta Kappa chapter.

She also currently serves as the Student Representative on the Great Plain Honors Council (GPHC), a consortium of colleges and universities with Honors Programs from Nebraska to Texas. Jordan’s work on the unique aspects of Texas artists in the early and mid-twentieth century, entitled Against the Grain, won a Caldwell Award for undergraduate research. Her essay will appear in the upcoming issue of Touchstone.

Named a 2017 CocaCola Leader of Promise, Jordan also won a Texas Star Scholarship and is a Presidential Honors Scholar at NTCC. Rodriquez is

pursuing a degree in the field of biomedical sciences.

Rodriquez was a finalist for “Student of the Year” with the National Collegiate Honors Council.

Rodriquez has presented her work on Texas factions, and the 1850 Compromise at meetings of the Webb Historical Society, the Great Plains Honors Council and the National Collegiate Honors Council. She is a Presidential Honors Scholar at NTCC. Watkins seeks a career of service to others and is one of the founders of Faith Farms, a source for beautiful flowers.

She currently serves as the Chapter Vice-President for the Alpha Mu Chi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. Watkins has presented research at the Great Plains Honors Council and the National Collegiate Honors Council.

Named a 2017 Coca-Cola Leader of Promise, Watkins also received the Chitsey Award and is a Presidential Honors Scholar at NTCC. “Last summer in Fort Worth, it was exhilarating to see the five who are now our semi-finalists working together on a film, and beating a tough deadline with 61 scenes. They are a highly dependable, amiable group,” Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director, said. “Thus, we are thankful too for the way our college donors and administrators are helping to promote learning communities of the highest order.”

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

February 7, 2018

The Eagle

Northeast Texas Community College

News

Page 3

staff photo|mandy smith

Several pieces of Dr. Biggers’ artwork can be seen hanging in the Learning Commons. The area is scheduled to be named the Dr. John Biggers Gallery.

Learning Commons displays art in new gallery Cont. from pg. 1 naming a separate area the John Biggers Gallery which displays eight additional pieces of artwork.

“We have already drawn much interest from students, faculty and community members, and we hope to attract visitors outside the community who hold an appreciation in art.”

The college’s first association with Biggers’ art came about through a connection that formed between the artist and NTCC’s former head of the art department, Dr. Ollie Theisen.

Theisen, who passed away last year, shared the story of finding the Biggers’ lost art in her book on his murals titled Walls That Speak. While teaching a class in 1985 on one of the Paul Pewitt school campuses, Theisen discovered the mural hidden away in an audio visual room closet.

Excited about her finding, Theisen contacted Biggers by phone and later met him at a dedication of one of his murals in Paris, Texas.

An interest in the lost mural was rekindled, and Biggers returned to Omaha/Naples in the late 1980s to restore and rededicate the mural.

This visit to the area led Theisen to create an art

exhibit on the Northeast campus in 1993 dedicated to his work, and eventually to the artist’s gift of some of his artwork to the college.

Former NTCC Creative and Performing Arts Division Director Dr. Kim Wommack, who was an adjunct at the time of the exhibit, had the opportunity to meet Biggers at a reception in his honor at the home of James and Elizabeth Whatley. Wommack went on to showcase Biggers’ work in two separate Black History Month exhibits when she was art director at NTCC. “I am so excited that the collection of artwork by Dr. John Biggers has a new home in the NTCC library and the artwork is receiving the attention it deserves,” Wommack said. “My goal was for the entire community to realize what an important collection was available for viewing at NTCC. Now, the collection is more accessible, and I hope our community enjoys Biggers’ collection for many years to come.”

While much has been said and written about the 22-foot mural, little is known about the remaining art gifted by Biggers himself.

For the past few years, the pieces have been displayed in the administration building and a few offices across the Northeast campus.

Wommack did quite a bit of

staff photo|mandy smith

Mayo Angelou and Dr. John Biggers’ signatures are on the last page of the Angelou’s book Our Grandmothers. research on the pieces while preparing to show them and shared her findings during the Black History Month exhibits.

Vice President for Advancement Dr. Jonathon McCullough said that the campus is currently looking to add more pieces to its collection and plans to create a self-guided tour of the artist’s work.

McCullough said one special part of the current collection is the Mayo Angelou book donated by Biggers. Only 400 copies of the special edition of Our Grandmothers were printed, and Northeast received the 186th copy.

The book, which was signed by both Angelou and

Biggers, can be found in a showcase located outside of the John Biggers room in the Learning Commons.

“Mayo Angelou was here speaking in 2010, and she actually gave us some history behind some of those pieces of artwork while she was on campus,” McCullough said.

“According to her, one piece of art, “The Upper Room,” was her favorite.”

Creative and Performing Arts Division Director Debbie Strong said the Biggers’ artwork offers a special opportunity for members of the art faculty and their students.”

“Having the Biggers’ art here on the NTCC campus allows the art instructors the opportunity to invite

courtesy photo

A youngster views some of Biggers’ art during the 2008 Black History Month art exhibit. students to observe and think critically about art,” she said.

“It is an honor and a privilege to have these historical and meaningful pieces just steps away from the art lab.

Whether discussing design elements or color theory, each piece of the Biggers exhibit reinforces valuable lessons in art and life.”

Northeast President Dr. Ron Clinton said the

Biggers’ work offers a unique assortment of art for the community to enjoy.

“It’s a great collection,” Clinton said. “We’re very fortunate to have it and we hope to get some additional pieces in the future. We have one of the best collections of Dr. Biggers in the world, especially for a community college”

‘Bookland’ exhibit in Whatley features unique artwork

By Jodi Pack Public Information Director

courtesy photo

Artist and author, Kathy L. Murphy, stands with the pieces of her art being featured in her art exhibit, “Bookland.” Murphy is best know for founding the Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys book clubs. The clubs are heralded as the largest meeting and discussion clubs in the world. She began the Pulpwood Queens club in 2000 in her hair salon. Her artwork features unusual hand-built raku ceramic pieces and alcohol and India ink paintings. A reception for the artist will be held on Feb. 13 at 12:30 in the foyer of the Whatley Center for the Performing Arts on the main NTCC campus.

occurred from a lifetime of reading books.

Murphy works primarily in alcohol and India ink paintings and hand-built raku ceramics.

Murphy founded The

Tiara-Wearing, BookSharing Guide to Life.

Following the exhibit, The Northeast Texas one of the pieces on display Community College Art in the Whatley Center will Department will host its be placed in the permanent first exhibit of 2018 Feb. 5 collection of the University of through Feb. 28 in the Texas at Tyler, where foyer of the Whatley Murphy Received her Center for the Performing Bachelor’s degree.

“A chimerical landscape is Arts.

The exhibit is free The show, “Bookland,” created not of what has been and open to the public will feature ceramics and through seen before, but one that can Monday alcohol ink panels by Thursday from 9 a.m. artist and author, Kathy be seen in the viewer’s mind to 4 p.m. and Friday L. Murphy. from 9 a.m. to noon. using their imagination” A reception with Please call 903~Kathy L. Murphy the artist will be held 434-8181 before Tuesday, February 13 at visiting to ensure that 12:30 p.m. in the Whatley the gallery is open for Center foyer.

Pulpwood Queens and viewing.

Murphy’s artwork is Timber Guys Book Clubs, To learn more about created hoping the viewer the largest “meeting and upcoming events in the will be transformed and discussion” book clubs in the Whatley Center, or to transported to other worlds world that began when she purchase tickets, visit www. sparked by their own in 2000 when she opened its whatleycenter.com. experiences and imagination. headquarters Beauty and the Art Reception Art Reception Her art stems from a Book, the only hair salon/ Tuesday Feb. Feb. 13 13 Tuesday childhood spent outside bookstore in the country.

12;30 p.m.

12:30 p.m. enveloped in nature and in Murphy is the author Whatley FoyerFoyer Whatley the imaginations of those that of The Pulpwood Queen’s

Page 4

The Eagle

Northeast Texas Community College

February 7, 2018

News

Honors Northeast to debut film on Texas CEO Mary Kay Special to The Eagle Honors Northeast and the local Webb Society will hold a premiere of the new original historical film Smoldering Wick: the Story of Mary Kay on Friday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Whatley Center for the Performing Arts at Northeast Texas Community College.

This year’s film, the sixth for Honors Northeast, traces the life story of the great Texas cosmetics CEO, a journey that was at once inspirational, influential and controversial. It stars Cassidy Watkins as Mary Kay. Free refreshments and a brief panel discussion with NTCC Presidential Scholars (including Matthew Chambers, Rachel Jordan, Jordan Whelchel, Producer Warren Wu, Cassidy Watkins, Film Scholar, Yami Zuniga, and Honors Director, Dr. Andrew Yox) will be featured after the film in the Whatley Foyer. Admission is free and the public is welcome.

The one-hour film, produced by Presidential Scholar Warren Wu of Daingerfield, follows the life of a woman who found herself caught in a maze of educational, corporate and medical obstructions after World War II. Divorced and with three children, Mary Kay nearly collapsed after a spectacularly wrong diagnosis. She regained her stamina, measured time by the 1,440 minutes in each courtesy photo day and refused to accept the strictures of the Honors student Cassidy Watkins plays the lead businesses she worked for. role of the famous Texas businesswomen in the Imbued with a Southern Baptist faith, she Northeast Honors film Smoldering Wick: The began her own business, and openly propagated the principle that a corporation should Story of Mary Kay.

put God first, family second and her career third. What began as a Dallas business soon became a regional response to the feminist movement and corporate culture of the twentieth century. Mary Kay was a prolific writer and speaker in addition to a CEO. The “Mary Kay Way” advocated the right of women to put family emergencies over business commitments, the liberal use of cosmetics, a new corporate approach that advocated recognition and personal ties over narrower economic incentives.

The scholars of Honors Northeast also cover the more controversial aspects of Mary Kay’s legacy. Some saw her spiritualization of business as a semi-idolatrous confusion of faith with work. On the left, Feminists decried her “pink pyramid scheme” and her enslavement to fashions.

Fifty years after the “Freedom Trash Can” had served as a receptacle for cosmetics, Mary Kay was helping to make the United States and Texas a world center of the cosmetics industry.

“Many people know of Mary Kay. They imagine beaming sales ‘consultants’ driving pink Cadillacs, and selling “timewise” facial cremes that may be used more now to preserve youth rather than enhance it,” notes Honors Director Dr. Andrew Yox. “But Mary Kay also represents one of the most remarkable re-definitions of American capitalism and culture in the late-twentieth century.

I believe those who attend the film will not only witness a unique dramatization of her life, but come away with a new appreciation

of how Southern and Texan regional culture has filtered modern trends.”

Thanks to a Whatley 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 Dallas and Denton, filming it in Fort Worth.

The Honors Northeast team, led by director Brenda Godoy, unit production director, Matthew Chambers, and cinematographers Rachel Jordan and Ariana Rodriguez, finished shooting all 61 scenes at historical sites including the Azalea Plantation House, Miss Molly’s Hotel, the Rosen House and the Texas White House. The film also features other sites from Mount Pleasant and NTCC. The cast of the film includes: Alicia Cantrell as Dorothy Zapp, Matthew Jordan as Ben Rogers (father & son), Jordan Whelchel as Richard Rogers, Karsen Nelson as Marylyn Rogers, Sebastian Martinez as George Hallenbach, and Mel Ash, Rhylie Anderson as Dr. Ghoulston and Customer, Yaritza Romero as Professor Davis & Singer, Madison Blood as Hattie, Brenda Godoy as Tillie, Adriana Rodriguez as Queen of Sales & Betty Friedan, Rachel Jordan as Mary Kay Director & Phyllis Schlafly, Leivy Zuniga as Ova Spoonamore and Beatrice Bowler and Dr. Andrew Yox as World Gifts Executive & Reverend Smith.

A five-minute trailer of the upcoming film, composed by Warren Wu, is available online at www.ntcc.edu/honors.

Students win Eckman Awards PTK names NTCC professor as Honors Institute adviser

Special to The Eagle

Two previously homeschooled scholars, Hannah Joy Dickson, and Matthew Frank Chambers, are recent winners of the Richard, and Joan Eckman Awards for Excellence in Honors.

These awards are presented biannually to each of the scholars of the two honors seminars at NTCC who maintain the highest seminar grade-point averages.

Each received a $100 check courtesy of an anonymous donor and friend of Northeast Texas Community College.

Both Dickson, and Chambers have made other contributions to the college and community. The two students were active contributors to the Mary Kay film that will be premiered at the Whatley Center for the Performing Arts, Feb. 16. Both have been active in Alpha Mu Chi, the local chapter of Phi Theta Kappa.

Dickson and Chambers took classes last year at NTCC and raised the bar in those experiences as well, being recognized by the Faculty Senate for awards at the end of the year.

Both have written excellent seminar research papers, and are finalists in the Boe

Special to The Eagle

courtesy photo

From left, NTCC students Hannah Dickson and Matthew Chambers recently won Joan Eckman Awards for Excellence in Honors.

Nominee selection process pursued by the Honors Committee at NTCC. Dickson is an active volunteer in church, Mount Vernon’s Hope Home, and VBS activities.

Chambers has served as the president of the NTCC Tabletop Club, has presented the NTCC honors film trailer in Austin, and has been active in the Film Club.

Their awards commemorate another high achiever.

Richard Eckman was a longtime employee of Dresser Industries, a signature Texas oilfield corporation. Among his many patents was a peck-

ing drill that was used in the development of the stealth Nighthawk fighter.

Honors Director, Dr. Andrew Yox, said that “what is particularly notable about our most recent Eckman winners, is the way they paced themselves, maintaining a strong priority on their studies, and eventually overtaking other scholars who also performed exceptional work.”

Hannah is the daughter of Tabitha, and Robert Dickson of Pittsburg. Matthew is the son of Stacy, and Frank Chambers of Mount Pleasant.

A Northeast Texas Community College professor has been selected by Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) as a Faculty Scholar and will serve as an adviser at the 2018 Honors Institute.

This is the sixth year for Dr. Melissa Fulgham, NTCC’s lead adviser for the Alpha Mu Chi Chapter of PTK, professor of history and division director for Humanities & Social Sciences, to serve in this capacity.

Faculty Scholars serve as seminar leaders during Honors Institute, Phi Theta Kappa’s annual summer conference held on a university campus.

The event brings nearly 500 associate degree-seeking students and PTK chapter advisers together for a week each June. The 2018 Honors Institute will be held at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

For the first time, Honors Institute will focus on Phi Theta Kappa’s Leadership Development curriculum.

Faculty Scholars will be certified to lead the curriculum,

which has been hailed by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as one of eight exemplary leadership development programs in the country.

During the years she has served as a Faculty Scholar, Fulgham has participated in events at Denver University, Wake-Forest University, University of New Mexico and Loyola University.

Pre-Institute activities have ranged from sharing a meal in the homes of Amish families in Lancaster County, Pa., to visiting native American ruins in New Mexico.

“It’s been an incredible opportunity to travel and engage in unique experiences.

Being a Faculty Scholar is an opportunity open to any PTK adviser, although only a limited number can be selected each year,” Fulgham said. “I would love to see my co-advisers here at NTCC someday enjoy the experience of serving as Faculty Scholars as well. It’s a wonderful and unique opportunity Phi Theta Kappa offers for advisers, and now alumni as well.”

Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, headquartered in Jackson, Miss., is the largest

Fulgham

honor society in higher education with 1,280 chapters on college campuses in all 50 of the United States, Canada, Germany, Peru, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates and U.S. territorial possessions.

Nearly three million students have been inducted since its founding in 1918, with approximately 131,000 students inducted annually.

NTCC’s Alpha Mu Chi chapter is very active in the organization at both the regional and national levels.

In Celebration of

Black History Month please join us as

The NTCC Film Club shows

Hidden Figures Feb. 22, 2018 6:30 p.m. | H 129 Admission to the film is free Refreshments will be available for a small fee NTCC is an affirmative action, equal opportunity, ADA institution.

The Eagle

February 7, 2018

Northeast Texas Community College

Annual Roundtable event focuses on engineering

By Kenzie Messer Editor in Chief The NTCC Departments of Physics and Engineering recently hosted their fifth annual Engineering Roundtable & Luncheon. The event is designed to offer area high school and college students interested in the field of engineering the opportunity to meet with current engineers from various fields. Engineering faculty members from UT-Tyler, A&M UniversityCommerce and A&M UniversityTexarkana were on hand to visit with students about their colleges’ programs.

NTCC Board of Trustees Governor Bill Ratliff gave the opening remarks for the event and Leslie R. Brown, P.E., LEED AP, Baird, Hampton & Brown Senior Mechanical Engineer served as the keynote speaker.

The students participated in four roundtable sessions that offered them a

News

chance to interact with engineers from the Texas Department of Transportation, Public Works for the City of Longview, Priefert’s and private consulting.

Dr. Paula Wilhite, NTCC division chair for math, physics and engineering, awarded the Wilhite Scholarship to engineering students Chesney Davis and Daniel Hernandez.

Wilhite said the event offered students the chance to learn more about engineering from those who actually work in the field.

“The fifth annual Engineering Roundtable was a huge success with approximately 100 attendees including 65 students from the NTCC engineering program and area high schools,” Wilhite said. “The annual event, sponsored by Diamond C Trailers and Scot Industries, provided the opportunity for students to engage with professional engineers to gain a better understanding of the career pathway of engineering.”

staff photo

staff photo

NTCC Engineering Professor Kenneth Irizarry explains the 3D printer to students during one of the roundtable sessions.

By Jodi Pack Public Information Director

The Northeast Texas Community College Foundation is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Applications are available online at www. ntcc.edu/scholarships or can be picked up from Lori Hunter’s office in the Student Services Center (former Administration Building). The priority deadline for scholarships is March 19, 2018.

NTCC scholarships are competitive and vary in amounts. They are funded by

courtesyphoto

Travis LeDoyt will take to the Whatley stage in his young Elvis performance on Friday Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Phillips’ offices in Memphis for a New York Times article.

Since then he has traveled all over the world performing as Elvis in a variety of venues.

For more information about this upcoming show or to purchase tickets via phone, call the box office at 903434-8181.

The journalism and art departments along with Sigma Kappa Delta English Honor Society are looking for written and art submissions for the literary magazine

Poetry Fiction & Nonfiction Photography Digital art

• • • •

Drawings/Sketches Paintings Ceramics 3D/Sculptures

For more information contact the Lagniappe staff ntcceagleeditors@gmail.com

| kathryn huffines

NTCC Foundation accepting applications for scholarships Special to The Eagle

Interested in writing, photography or art?

• • • •

staff photo

Far right, Priefert Engineer Clint Collier shares some of his knowledge about engineering with college and high school students during a roundtable session.

‘World’s Best Young Elvis’ to perform at Whatley Center

show and the response was unbelievable. People started asking me to sing at various local functions, so I put together a band and started doing local events,” LeDoyt said in his Facebook bio.

As he continued to perform, he met various legends in the music business and was asked to pose as Elvis in Sam

| mandy smith

| kathryn huffines

Roger Farr, NTCC engineering adjunct faculty member, speaks with students during the Engineering Roundtable event held at the Whatley. Farr was one of the speakers during the annual event.

The Whatley Center at Northeast Texas Community College will host a concert

by Travis LeDoyt, who has been called “the world’s best tribute to young Elvis,” Friday, Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for students and are available for purchase online at www.whatleycenter.com.

The performance is sponsored by Texas Heritage National Bank.

LeDoyt gained his unofficial reputation as the best young Elvis because of his uncanny resemblance to The King – both in looks and in sound.

“I had the privilege of watching Mr. LeDoyt perform at a conference and I knew we had to invite him to the Whatley. It really is like going back in time to watch a young Elvis Presley sing all of your favorite songs,” Carolyn Franks, director of the Whatley Center, said.

LeDoyt first performed as Elvis for a school talent show.

As he continued to take on the role more often, response became overwhelming.

“I never really got into this thinking I looked or sounded like Elvis and, to be honest, a lot of this just seemed to come natural to me. I practiced up some moves and performed at the talent

Page 5

donations from companies, civic/non-profit organizations and individuals.

“We encourage students who plan to attend NTCC in the fall to apply for a Foundation Scholarship. These funds are specifically designated to help our students succeed by easing the financial burden of paying for college,” Dr. Jonathan McCullough, NTCC Vice President for Advancement, said.

To learn more about scholarships at NTCC or to apply, visit www.ntcc.edu/scholarships or contact Hunter at 903-434-8116 or lhunter@ ntcc.edu.

Page 6

The Eagle

Opinion

Real tales in retail

By Jillian Brooks Staff Writer

Working retail has taught me many things; how to come out of my shell, how to make sure that customers have a good experience, and learning simple small talk are a few things, but retail also has a very dark side to it that you may not know about because we hide behind smiles and friendly hellos.

People, for some odd reason, seem to lose all sense of manners and the Golden Rule when walking into a department store. We all know that Black Friday can easily be the worst day of the year for many sales associates, but what if every day was like that? And what if people simply didn’t care?

When someone walks into a nice, clean, satisfying clothing store, it only looks that way because of the sales associates. And when someone completely destroys the entire area in search of a single shirt for their sister’s boyfriend’s cousin that they are talking to on speaker phone about a subject that should be best left private, it’s a sales associate that has to clean up after them. Let me tell you… it’s not fun.

We are not allowed to complain, and we are not allowed to ask them to please consider the people who have to pick up the area that they ran through like Godzilla. We are only there to greet, clean and trade money for clothes.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Yeah, I thought so, too.

When someone goes into the dressing room with a cart full of clothes and doesn’t come out for 20 minutes, sales associates all over the store groan in unison. We all know that when they leave, they will have picked at most one thing that they liked, leaving the rest littered all over the floor and bench. Sometimes there are a few wonderful, angelic customers that hang their clothes back on the hangers, and some of them are saviors and put them back where they got them from, but most of the time we are sent to clean the mess of someone who gives no consideration for the workers in the store.

All we can do is smile, offer to clean up their mess and do it semi-happily. As soon as they are out of sight, you better believe we start complaining amongst ourselves. It can be quite a tough job, believe it or not.

Someone walks in with three screaming children five minutes before we lock our doors for the night. All I can do is smile and offer my help in hopes they will see my suffering and take pity on my co-workers and me. But things never go as planned in retail. They stay 30 minutes over, all three of their children wrecking different parts of the store simultaneously like it was a planned maneuver to take all of us down.

It works.

Please, I beg you from the bottom of my suffering, sales associate heart, think of us before you open packages, destroy the dressing room, or allow your children to run freely. It will save us a lot of time and heartache.

Strong Opinions

Proud to be a veteran

By Debbie Strong Guest Columnist

Did you watch President Trump’s State of the Union speech (SOTU) last week? I did. How did it make you feel? It made me feel proud.

Why? I felt proud because I witnessed President Trump’s sincere desire to support our military, and it made me happy to see veterans and active duty service members in the Capitol building. CBS did a news poll and asked how the speech made you feel, and 65 percent of the responders said the SOTUS made them feel proud, too.

As the cameras turned to military personnel in the galley, I watched with pride as President Trump recognized them all and seamlessly wove their stories into his speech. This tradition of inviting military guests started with President Reagan back in the early eighties while I was in the Army. President Reagan invited Army Sgt. Stephen Trujillo who had participated in the U.S. involvement in Grenada.

President Reagan presented Sgt. Trujillo a Silver Star for his courageous actions when he saved the life of a fellow soldier in combat. Bravery and courage are American patriotic values that many military display while performing their duties of protecting our country from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

This tradition of inviting military personnel continued in the nineties with President Clinton inviting Jack Lucas, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient who fought at Iwo Jima. The next year President Clinton honored Cpl. Gregory Depestre who participated in U.S. involvement in Haiti. I was still in the Army at this time. After I retired in 1995, President Clinton continued to invite military personnel to the SOTU, like Army Sgt. Michael Tolbert who participated in U.S. involvement in Bosnia.

Sgt. Tolbert led his troops and stormed a radio tower to stop anti-NATO broadcasts

by Bosnian Serbs. An interesting fact about Tolbert is that his dad was in the military, like mine. Another fact about Tolbert is that he was born in Wuerzburg, Germany, where I lived as a young teen when my Air Force father was stationed near there in the sixties. These are small connections that I have with those who still serve our country.

February 7, 2018

Northeast Texas Community College

I am proud to see our military in the limelight. When I joined the Army in 1974, I believe that the United States was not as patriotic as it is today. Soldiers returning from the recently-ended, unpopular Vietnam War were taunted and called “baby-killers,” and the military was looked upon in an unfavorable light.

Nowadays, I feel that patriotism shines again in America, with the Commander in Chief’s endorsement of standing proudly for our flag.

President Trump used the presence of the military personnel to allow him an opportunity to talk about the United States’ victories against ISIS. Army Staff Sgt. Justin Peck was one of the military members attending President Trump’s SOTU. He participated in the operation to clear Raqqa of explosives, and he saved the life of a fellow soldier who was injured by an IED. These acts of patriotism are dear to me because they show devotion to duty and one’s fellow man. I was proud to see so many military uniforms in the gallery, and I highly endorse supporting our veterans and active-duty members in uniform. You can show support by flying an American flag at home and standing proudly for the national anthem.

One of the inspiring stories from President Trump was of a 12-year old named Preston Sharp who supports our military through leading an initiative to have American flags and carnations put on military members’ graves through a Flag and Flower Challenge (#FandFChallenge).

Preston might not have been wearing a military uniform, but he shows his support of the military by his actions.

Preston proudly stood in the House of Representatives gallery next to First Lady Melania Trump. The last time I looked at Preston’s GoFundMe for his campaign, he had received donations of $47,391 of his $1.0M goal. Pretty impressive.

Doesn’t this display of military support make you proud of your country? It makes me proud to be an American to see our young people being patriotic by supporting our military like this.

It makes me proud to witness how our military has been honored through presidential SOTU’s. President Trump has said many times that we have the greatest military in the world, and I am proud to have served for twenty years.

Debbie Strong US Army First Sergeant, Retired

We’d like to hear from you!

Got an opinion??

Write a letter to the editor and email it to ntcceagleeditors@gmail.com

EAGLE EYE

Do you have plans to watch the Winter Olympics? What is your favorite sport to watch?

“Yes I will be watching the winter Olympics. My favorites is figure skating.” - Yaritza Romero

“I might watch the Olympics.

Snowboarding is my favorite.”

- Jaxon Terrell

“Heck yeah! I love the Olympics. I really like the snowboarding and figure skating.” - Tyson Allen

Running out of ideas? by emma wolfe

Staff Writer

From music, fashion, and movies, it seems the creative world around us is running out of ideas. There seems to be an overwhelming wave of decade reboots, from the ‘70s to the early 2000s. It may be safe to make the assumption that creative directors are becoming unable to provide us with new art, and are being forced to skim by off the creations from previous years.

Firstly, if we take a closer listen to the radio, we’ll notice subtle notes from former hits making their way into the rhythm. It isn’t uncommon for certain songs to sound the same. Remixes and covers are a way for artists to celebrate each other’s work. There is, however, a difference between reworking a piece and completely ripping it off.

“These Girls” by Why Don’t We is basically twins with “What Lovers Do” by Maroon 5 featuring SZA. A song like “Blurred Lines”

by Robin Thicke, or “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga, is most definitely inspired by previous greatest hits. If it isn’t blatant plagiarizing, it’s pretty darn close. We’re also seeing artists venturing back into time to make new songs. “Finesse” by Bruno Mars, as well as many of his other recent works, are true examples of this. The “Finesse” music video is a representation of how the music industry, as well as the fashion industry, are rewinding the clock.

Seeing as more styles are being reworked and restyled, a walk down the runway may lead into a time machine. Corsets even made a comeback last year, being worn over dresses

and T-shirts. Two-piece sets from early 2000 came back, reviving the Juicy Couture trend.

We can be expecting one-piece swimsuits this summer, which is from the 1950s.

Also, men are bringing back male crop tops, which was a huge trend, worn by Will Smith in the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Thanks to the wildly popular Netflix series Stranger Things, the retro fashion from the ‘80s is up and running with leg warmers, denim on denim, and striped everything. Time warps on screen aren’t limited to TV shows.

According to IMDb, there are 134 scheduled movie remakes to be released before 2022.

That’s going to be 33 or so movie remakes every year, including 2017. Movies like The Grudge, Dirty Dancing and Aladdin are among the list.

Some may claim that these movies deserve a well-made second chance, but the yearn for something new has already surfaced. Where are the new stories? It looks that if remakes aren’t being made, we’re seeing books come from paper to screen. In 2018, we’ll be finishing the Maze Runner series, while also seeing new arrivals like A Wrinkle in Time and The Alienist.

Going into 2018, think about your own unique creativity. Push it to shine this year.

The big leagues are running low on inspiration and motivation, so now is the perfect time to bring something fresh to the table. Whether there’s a new story to tell, a new outfit to design or a new song to write, the creative world is going to need your talent. It’s our time now to create what we want to see. We have an amazing opportunity to produce new and unseen content.

The Eagle Eagle Adviser Mandy Smith Editor-in-Chief Kenzie Messer Managing Editor Daniel Yanez

Entertainment Editor Jessica Drumm Staff Writers Chelsey Elrod, Vanessa Nevarez, Nubia Sanchez, McKay Patrick, Adam Kuza, Emma Wolfe, Jillian Brooks and Kathryn Huffines 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.ntcceagleonline.com

February 7, 2018

The Eagle

Northeast Texas Community College

Page 7

Sports Baseball battles, struggles with first spring play Special to The Eagle NTCC baseball opened up the 2018 spring season by splitting their double header at Weatherford College on Wednesday Jan 31.

The Eagles then lost their home opening series to No. 4 ranked Cowley College and go 1-2 on the weekend.

Cowley College seals fate for Northeast Texas Community College in opening home series In game 1 Friday, Corbin Bozosi started the game for Northeast. Bozosi lasted four innings, allowing five hits and four runs while striking out four.

Tyler Jeans threw three innings out of the bullpen giving up one run on four hits and striking out 5. Cowley scored a run in the second inning and another four runs in the fourth inning.

Offensively the Eagles only managed to get 4 hits. Jhosmel Rodriguez, Kyle Moos, Hunter Thomas, and Tanner Wiegand each had a hit.

Northeast would go on to lose 5-3 to the Cowley Tigers The Eagles won game 2 of the Friday doubleheader 11-5.

Kyle Moos lead the Eagle offense going 3-5 with a homerun and a double and 4 RBIs. The Eagles scored 2 in the first, 5 in the second, 3 in the third, and 1 in the seventh.

Chandler Dean had a solid start for the Eagles as he went six innings, allowing 3 earned runs on nine hits and striking out two.

Garrett Barnes pitched 2 innings out of the bullpen only allowing 1 hit. Max Martinez pitched the ninth inning striking out 2.

The Eagles lost the rubber match game on Saturday by a score of 17-0. Bad pitching early in the game and an anemic offense lead to the loss.

Northeast claims lead in eighth inning to defeat Weatherford College in game 2 Freshman lefthander, Chandler Mauldin got the start for the Eagles in game one. He allowed five hits and no runs over four innings, striking out four.

In the second inning, the Eagles got their offense started when Matt Scheurich singled on a 1-2 count, scoring Manny Garcia who also got on base with a single. Taylor Barber scored in the fourth inning from second base on an infield popup error by Weatherford.

staff photo|mandy smith

Eagles pitcher Corbin Bozosi goes four innings during the Eagles first game against Cowley College. The Eagles split in a double-header pulling off an 11-5 win on Friday. They went on to lose in a 17-0 heart-breaker against Cowley on Saturday.

The Eagles carried their 2-0 lead in to the fifth inning but couldn’t hold on as sophomore right hander Brody Curry gave up three solo homeruns in the inning.

Tyler Navarro pitched a perfect sixth inning giving up no hits and striking out one.

The Eagles offense couldn’t get anything going in the later innings and NTCC lost 3-2 to the Weatherford in game one.

The Eagles would claim the lead in the eighth inning in game 2 of the doubleheader to defeat the Coyotes 4-3.

The game was tied at three with the Eagles batting in the top of the eighth when Tanner Wiegand singled on a 3-2 count, scoring the go ahead run.

Weatherford College got on the board in the second inning scoring one run.

The Eagles answered back in the top of the third when Hunter Thomas doubled to left field and later scored on Jordan Martinez single to right field.

Weatherford scored a run in the fourth and fifth innings to lead 3-1. Manny Garcia led off the sixth inning with a walk

and later scored on Tanner Wigand’s ground out to second base.

With one out in the eighth inning Garcia doubled to left center and scored on Matt Scheurich’s single.

Scheurich would eventually score on Wigand’s game winner to the right side.

In all the Eagles tallied 10 hits with Jhosmel Rodriguez and Matt Scheurich going 2-5 each.

Head baseball coach Andy Morgan said the team is still “trying to figure things out.”

“Offensively we’re still trying to figure some things out, our hitters are just a little behind right now,” Morgan said. “We lost 5-3 but came back and won on that second game 11-5 against Cowley.”

The Eagles open up conference play on March 1. Morgan said by then the team should have a month’s worth of play following a tournament in the South Texas area.

“We don’t know how to win yet, it’s still kind of day to day,” Morgan said. “We still have three weeks until conference.

Search committee to review applications for new soccer coach Kenzie Messer Editor-in-Chief

staff photos|kenzie messer

Above: Despite the cold weather, the Eagle batters show what they’re made of in the first game against Temple.

Below: Pitching was also solid in the first game. The Eagles took the win 4-3.

Eagles Softball split with Temple College Special to the Eagle The Eagles softball team made a decent showing in their games against Temple college last weekend.

Despite the cold, windy weather, the ladies pulled off a 4-3 win in a tight game that could have gone either way.

Pitchers on both sides of the ball battled hard to bring home the win for their team, but it was the Eagles that were able to hold off a push

by Temple in the last few innings of the game.

The Eagles didn’t fair so well in their second game on the field, coming up short with an 11-5 loss. The team kept the game in their sights

only down by three runs in the bottom of the fifth.

But, the hitters couldn’t get their bats to heat up and Temple came on strong in the sixth and seventh innings scoring four more runs. The Eagles never came back from the deficit.

The Eagles will be away from home for the next few games, facing Weatherford on Wednesday and Mountain View in Dallas on Saturday.

Next week they will face Grayson.

The Eagles will gain the home field advantage again on Feb. 17 at 1 p.m. against Grayson College. And, again on Feb. 21 at 3 p.m. against Weatherford.

Northeast Texas Community College’s head soccer coach Steven Harrison recently stepped down from his position at Northeast.

Harrison has coached 15 years at the junior college level and coached NTCC players on the Eagle field for three seasons. Harrison is set to take the head soccer coach position at Crowder College in Neosho, Mo. Vice President of Student Services and Athletic Director Dr. Josh Stewart said a hiring committee has been set up to look at applications for the position.

Since spring is normally the recruiting season for the soccer team, Stewart said they hope to fill the position as soon as possible. He said, however, finding the right person will be a matter of time.

“Anytime you have a coach leave, there’s a transition period where the students have to get knowledge of it,” Stewart said. “We also don’t want to rush things and not get the right person, either.”

Stewart said a transition period is “usually a tough time” since a lot of things take place during a coaching change that can affect the student athletes.

“Any young person that’s involved in a group, at some point, they’re going to go through some change and adversity, that’s just part of it,” Stewart said. “We’re there for those students and helping them the best that we can. This is just one of those growing opportunities for those kids.”

He said the college is looking for the new head coach to have character, great organizational skills and to be personable and encourage discipline.

“We want our kids to have fun and we want someone to come in and be a part of our family, here at the college,” he said. “It’s a great college, and that’s what we’re looking for.”

Stewart said the coach position has been posted and will remain open until NTCC is comfortable with the number of applicants. Once the hiring committee makes a decision on those applications, the committee will conduct on-campus interviews.

In the meantime, women’s head soccer coach, Ian McGimsey, and Leah Stringer, assistant coach for both the men and women’s teams, are currently leading the players through workouts and conditioning. McGimsey said the committee will be going through applications in the coming days and narrowing down the best applicants for the men’s head coach position.

“We are just keeping them fit and ready to go,” McGimsey said. “We have three spring games for the guys and four for the girls, and we are just keeping them ready for that. We want to represent the school and make sure that we don’t lose games and play to the best of our ability. Hopefully within a month we will have a new coach and we will go from there.”

The Eagle

Page 8

Northeast Texas Community College

February 7, 2018

Entertainment ‘The Alienist’ is TV’s grisliest period piece yet

By Jillian Brooks Staff Writer “In the 19th century, persons suffering from mental illness were thought to be alienated from their own true natures.

Experts who studied them were therefore known as alienists.”

The Alienist is a brand new psychological thriller that is not for the faint of heart.

It follows the story of a doctor, an illustrator, and a secretary investigating the murders of several male prostitutes in New York City during the 1800s.

Much hype has surrounded this new television show for months, and the moment I saw the first commercial, I knew I had to see if it lived up to the excitement.

I’ve always been interested in the occult, dark subjects and the mentally ill, which is what The Alienist is all about.

The opening scene features a police officer walking through deep snow late at night.

He suddenly stops, seeing a disembodied hand sinking into the snow.

He looks around himself, then slowly up, seeing the disfigured body above him.

This scene is what made me know that this show was about to take me on a dark and wild ride.

Like I stated before, The Alienist is not for the faint of heart. It is bloody, graphic, and gnarly at best; but that’s

what draws people to it.

Much like The Walking Dead, it features plenty of blood and gore, as well as a sprinkle of maniacal killing.

The main character happens to be a skilled psychologist, or alienist, named Laszlo Kreizler.

He specializes in evaluating and treating children with mental illnesses, and he is very clear with his boundaries and what he can and can’t do.

“As an alienist, I treat mental and emotional disorders in my patients and I try to alleviate the condition. I do not presume to cure them.”

I really admired Dr. Kreizler’s character and how he approached his patients.

He treated them with love and security, letting them know that they aren’t insane like their parent’s believe them to be.

When Dr. Kreizler hears of a young man who has been murdered, he sends for New York Times illustrator, John Moore, to capture the body in a drawing for him.

The doctor is looked down upon in the community for his modern medicinal techniques and was not allowed near the body.

John is not a man of grisly images, and it shows as he nearly gags and must turn away from the body.

A turn of events introduces them to Sara Howard, or Ms. Howard, as she prefers.

Being a woman in the police force is already tough

courtesy photo

TNT’s latest drama focuses on a doctor using criminal psychology to pursue a twisted serial killer in 1890s New York. but doing so in the 1800s is even tougher.

She immediately lets the two men know where she stands and how they must respect and address her as a NYPD employee, not just a simple woman.

The cinematography that followed Sara around the department was exquisite. She struts past women scrubbing the floor, and each man she passed stared at her until she went out of sight.

This show is accurate in how it is hard to be a woman in a male-dominated job de-

partment, and I love that.

The pilot episode comes to a wrap with Dr. Kreizler thinking over the situation as a true alienist would.

His thoughts race, wondering which way is the best way to catch this demented killer, and I found myself wondering the same thing.

It felt as if I was there with the characters, seeing the murders, feeling the cold New York air, and desperately trying to save lives.

I have truly been sucked into this dark world, and I am completely okay with it.

courtesy photo

The Alienist is a dark, gritty detective story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Bring light to your world

By Emma Wolfe Staff Writer

Top Valentine’s Movie Picks

As one of my resolutions for 2018, I made it a goal to read more.

I originally assumed I was going to be reading fiction books (since those are the kind I love), but I was intrigued by a self-help book.

My favorite YouTuber (Kalyn Nicholson) did a video on some of her favorite books and mentioned: Light is the New Black: A Guide to Answering Your Soul’s Calling and Working Your Light

by Rebecca Campbell.

There were a lot of books Kalyn talked about but for some reason, this one stood out to me.

It had something to do with the pink cover and the fact that Kalyn described this book as being easy to read for people who feel like they don’t have time to read.

She also mentioned that this book has little questions and is interactive, which I was immediately interested in.

As soon as I started reading the book, it was like I couldn’t stop.

Campbell writes in a way that is easy to comprehend. I did find that the further I got in the book, the more repetitive it began to sound.

However, I think this was intended to really hammer in some encouragement.

For those of you wondering, Light is the New Black is a self-help book.

The purpose behind it is to basically learn how to turn your life around.

I thought it was exceptionally helpful because it feels almost like Campbell is speaking directly to me.

She begins the book by talking about her downfall in life. It was this part of the book that made me relate to her so much.

She explains how she had landed the job she always wanted, but something still didn’t feel right.

She said she worked so hard for the life she finally had, but something was still

Courtesy Photo

“Light is the New Black” offers helpful advice and encouragement about following your spirit. missing.

I related to this because my whole life I always felt the same way. I would always tell myself that once I accomplished this goal, life would be better.

And right after that goal was completed, I would make another. And then another. And then another.

Eventually, it got to the point where I was asking myself if I was ever going to be happy.

The author also talks a lot about following your spirit and doing things that light you up.

She makes it a point to make sure you´re doing little things throughout your day or week that truly make you happy.

Campbell helps you realize that you can do things to make yourself happy.

You can walk the prettier route, or play that old song you love on the ride home.

You can do a random act

of kindness, and bring love with you. You can say a nice thing about someone when you catch yourself thinking something judgmental.

There’s many principles the author brings to the table. You will have to be open-minded when reading this book.

I do not agree with every belief she has. For example, I do not really believe in reincarnation, tarot cards, or anything like that.

However, I do believe that you get from this world what you bring to it.

You can interpret this book to fit your own beliefs but the advice is solid.

Do the things that make you happy. Invest in being a better person.

Listen to that little voice.

Be the Lighthouse for the stranded.

All in all, I loved this book. I look forward to reading more inspiring books like this one.