T he E agle ntcceagleonline.com
Volume 35 Issue 7
Thursday April 5, 2018
NORTHEAST TEXAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
TUITION
Northeast board raises tuition by 3 percent By Kenzie Messer Editor-in-Chief
about, NTCC President Dr. Ron Clinton said the college has adopted a philosophy that The Northeast Texas Com- it is better to increase tuition munity College Board of gradually rather than having Trustees made the move to big spikes. raise tuition an average of “There have been quite 3 percent for the 2018-2019 a few colleges in our area school year at the February that have made some larger board meeting. increases in tuition,” Clinton While the increase said. in tuition does have the He added the board potential to affect NTCC members always considers student’s bank accounts the economy and enrollment some, the 3 percent increase numbers when making the means there will only be a decision to raise tuition rates. $10 increase for in-district, “If you look at the cost $15 dollar increase for out- of living, 2 to 3 percent is a of-district, and $21 increase fairly conservative amount,” for non-resident students per Clinton said. “We’ve had hour. other issues. The ones that Although the tuition all colleges face. We’ve had increase is something some declines in enrollment, students are not too pleased and that is a trend that
is happening around the country.” Clinton said community college enrollment across the board is closely connected to the economy. He added that whatever is going on in the economy has a large impact on enrollment numbers. “Jobs are plentiful, people are working and not going back to school and getting their training,” Clinton said. “On the other side, when the economy is not doing so well, the enrollment rate starts to go up.” Clinton added when U.S. Steel laid off their workers, NTCC’s enrollment went up because we were providing See Tuition on pg. 2
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| kenzie messer
Adviser Jimmy Smith helps student Gracee Darmon register for classes for the summer semester. The rise in tuition will not take place until the fall semester of 2018.
INDIAN POTTERY
AGRICULTURE
Kiwi farming begins this fall By Chelsea Elrod Staff Writer
Relics from the past
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| daniel yanez
Art teacher Debbie Strong helps student Alina Castanon from her Art Appreciation class with some projects that they are doing. The Caddo Indian pottery is on display in the computer lab in the Learning Commons.
Pottery display fulfills donor’s vision By McKay Patrick Staff Writer As Northeast students make their way around the Charlie and Helen Hampton Library, they are surrounded by a wealth of knowledge that goes beyond the pages that line the bookshelves. Behind specially-designed glass panels, sits unique and historical treasures of the Caddo Indian Nation. These pieces are part of a vast collection of rare Caddo artifacts donated to NTCC by Margaret Hinton and Guaranty Bond Bank in 2011. Hinton, who passed away later that year, acquired the large collection of Caddo pottery and other artifacts in the 1970s from an individual who was attempting to sell the relics off in individual pieces. NTCC Executive Vice
President for Advancement Dr. Jonathan McCullough said it was Hinton’s vision to share the collection and its history with people throughout the local community. “She knew that we, through our Communities in Schools (CIS) program, bring out thousands of kids to the college on a yearly basis for tours and so she hoped that we could incorporate the tour of the Caddo into visitations for the local school kids,” McCullough said. With more than 400 pieces of pottery and other artifacts, McCullough said the collection is worth well over $500,000. “What makes it unique,” he said, “is that it’s one of the biggest, intact Caddo pottery collections in the United States.” The Caddo were farmers who made their home in the East Texas area. One major Caddo tribe was the Kadohadacho. This tribe lived in large
villages along the Red River near the present-day Oklahoma and Arkansas borders. The other was the Tejas or Hasinais Caddo who lived in the Northeast Texas region. Mrs. Hinton’s son, Ross Hinton, said preserving the history and sharing the story of the Caddo Indian tribe was especially important to his mother. “In school, we learn history from all over the world. Sometimes we don’t know the history that is literally right under our feet,” Hinton said. “I am very proud of my mother and delighted for the community that her efforts have helped so many people to have a better understanding of the people that inhabited our area and how they lived.
A little piece of New Zealand is making its way to Northeast Texas this fall. NTCC will be collaborating with Stephen F. Austin (SFA) for the second phase of a grant to grow golden kiwi fruit. The primary researcher based out of SFA was awarded a grant through the United States Department of Agriculture. The Northeast Ag department will be building a site on the southernmost part of the property that will become the home of the golden kiwi. “Stephen F. Austin and Texas A&M-College Station have been working for the past three years with a company farm from New Zealand to determine a place in Texas where they can start producing them,” Renee McCracken, director of Agriculture said. “They’re [kiwis] grown primarily in Asia and that’s the number one consumer of the kiwis and they can’t get enough of them.” McCracken said that most Asian countries have little land and large populations, which means that they are unable to produce enough kiwi fruit. New Zealand is the number
one exporter of kiwi and is looking to the states for a solution to the problem. “Stephen F. Austin (SFA) and Texas A&M both have looked for the past three years in doing a trial work there. It’s all part of a Texas Agriculture grant that funded their research,” McCracken said. “They were able to get them to grow in both locations but not produce like they should because they simply do not have enough cold temps to be able to produce like they need to.” McCracken was contacted by one of her former professors, Dr. David Creech, who is the primary researcher at SFA working on the project and is the principal investigator for the grant. “He knew me and he was looking for a location to really test and see what we could do to develop the system for growing kiwis in the United States,” McCracken said. “We’re not necessarily doing a research project, we are doing more of a demonstration project, a real world project, which is more what our farm is about.” Creech said that the SFA gardens are also open and the opportunity presented itself. See Kiwi on pg. 2
WHAT’S INSIDE
CULINARY ARTS PG. 4
See Caddo Pottery on pg. 4
UPCOMING EVENTS
Graduation Fair.................................................................................................April 9 Transfer Scholarship due................................................................................April 14 Murder Mystery Dinner..................................................................................April 14 Suicide Awareness Walk.................................................................................April 21 Spanish Club Soccer Tournament...................................................................April 21 Earth Day........................................................................................................April 22
TIPA AWARDS PG. 5
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The Eagle
Northeast Texas Community College
April 5, 2018
NEWS
Honors students bring home scholarships Special to The Eagle
staff photo| mandy smith
From left back row, NTCC Director of Agriculture Rene McCracken, Sid Greer, New Zealand kiwi farmers Alexander and Ross Stevenson and NTCC Board Member Jerry Webster. Front row, Board Member Sid Greer, Dr. David Creech, SFA Gardens emeritus professor and Board Member Dr. Dan McCauley gather last fall for a visit about the kiwi farm project.
Kiwi farming comes to NTCC Cont. from pg. 1 SFA planted their first crops in 2011and now have the first successful produce in Texas of the green and gold kiwi. Creech said he thought of Northeast as the next step in the kiwi project due to the history of crops growing well here. “We were looking for a sweet spot in Texas, somewhere a little colder than Nacogdoches in the winter,” Creech said. “I also enjoy working with Rene, and she’s enthusiastic about the project. I’m excited about it and love the school.” Northeast was awarded this project after New Zealand farmers and Creech visited the campus last fall to see if the location and economics would work. McCracken said that the area has always been heavily agriculture and there are people looking for those types of jobs. That kind of combination made this an area in Texas to consider for this kind of project. “We would hope that this would be a viable project that we would expand into some very positive economic impact for the Northeast Texas area,” NTCC Interim Vice President for Instruction Dr. Kevin Rose said. “We are too early in the process to talk about and see where this would go industry wise, but it is
something that we feel like is a tremendous opportunity for us to explore and look at the way it would impact us in an economic way.” This summer the NTCC work scholarship students will have the chance to get in on the ground floor to help design and build a trellis system for the kiwi plants. “I think it’s an excellent opportunity not only for the institution and the AG department, but also some tremendous experiences for our students,” Rose said. “It’s an opportunity for them to see some real world applied research as well as get an opportunity from the ground level to do things that students really in very few, if any other AG departments, would be able to do.” McCracken said that she is excited about taking on such a project because it is feasible and could gain national recognition. She said they should break ground and begin planting in early September. After four years the AG department will own all of produce to sell to the community and all the revenue will go back to the college. “The end result is if this works we can change lives,” McCracken said. “That’s reason enough for me and reason enough for the college to get involved because of how it’s going to affect our students and how it’s going to impact our community.”
Tuition increase begins in fall Cont. from pg. 1 those displaced workers some opportunities for retraining in other areas. “There are those spikes that happen in enrollments,” he said. “Tuition and fee increases help to smooth out our overall operations. The board has taken that conservative approach to do a gradual increase in tuition and fees.” Clinton said that NTCC’s tax base has also gone down with the closing of the Monticello Luminant plant. “We’re confident that other things will come in to take its place,” Clinton said. “Of course, when we do our budget planning, we look at what’s happening around and try to plan our budgets accordingly. The thinking behind the last increase of tuition and fees has been a part of the board’s long term philosophy of not doing dramatic tuition and fee increases.” Clinton said that as time goes on, the amount of money designated by the government to higher education continues to go down. “We know that the trend of our state appropriations are going down,” Clinton said. “The bottom line is taking all these things into consideration, gradual increases in tuition and fees makes sense. The philosophy of keeping these incremental increases going is really, we feel like, the best way to go. We feel like our board feels that way too since they’ve taken that approach.” The closing of the Monticello Luminant plant and the decrease enrollment has forced the administration to revisit the budget. “Our tax base has gone down,” Clinton said. “Our enrollment has gone down. Given those factors, when we put our budget together for next year, that means we would have that much less money to operate, so the tuition and fee increase will allow us to recoup some of those dollars that we’ve lost through state appropriation, through tax base, and the lower enrollment we had.” Clinton said that the college attempts to keep tuition from sky rocketing suddenly like it does at universities because he understands the hardships that it can put on students. “We always remain cogenous of the fact that it has individual consequences for our students, and their pocket,” Clinton said. Clinton said that when the administration reviewed the Northeast Texas Consortium group of colleges they saw that the other schools were experiencing increased tuition
and decreased enrollment. “We look at the standpoint of ‘are we still providing a good value for our students’ compared to our university counterparts,” Clinton said. “When you look at all those things together, we are still highly competitive in terms of the tuition that we’ve charged to students, compared to other colleges in our regions. I think, in terms of reactions to our students, we understand the consequences.” Student Keli Rymer said she came to a community college to get a higher education at a more affordable price. With tuition rising, however, Rymer said she is not sure the savings will still be there. “I’m looking at almost the same tuition rate that I could go to a bigger university, so why spend my money here when I could just go ahead and pay maybe $2,000 more,” Rymer said. “A community college shouldn’t have close to the same price range as a four-year university.” On a positive note, the Department of Education has increased the amount of Pell for approximately 3 percent. This should help students who do receive federal aid. However, there are some students who don’t qualify for aid. “Those kinds of things will hopefully help smooth the tuition increase that the board approved,” Clinton said. The money that the government appoints to higher education has continued to decrease annually. “We’re not confident that our state appropriations will not increase,” Clinton said. “There’s no confidence anywhere in higher education that the trend line will start making its way back up. The prediction is that the trend line will continue to make its way back down.”Clinton said NTCC’s tuition is a little higher than some colleges in the area but are fairly equivalent. “Smaller community colleges tend to rely more on tuition and fees,” Clinton said. ”Compared to the eight community colleges in our region, we are somewhere in the top 2 to 3 most expensive. The range between one and eight is pretty small.” Despite the increase in tuition, Clinton said NTCC is still an affordable way to get an education close to home. “I don’t think it’s realistic for us to think that tuition will go back down,” Clinton said “When we looked at the last 10 to 20 years, the cost in higher education has sky rocketed. Compared to universities, we are a great value.”
At the March Meeting of the Texas Webb Society in San Marcos, Honors Northeast Scholars won two of the four freshmansophomore division awards for scholarship. Jazmin Garcia of Mount Pleasant placed third in the state, and won $150 for her essay on Texas First Lady, Mildred Moody. Rhylie Anderson’s essay placed fourth. She received $75 for her essay on the “Politics of Futility,” a look at African-American leaders during the era after the Civil War. Garcia’s and Anderson’s Caldwells marked the eighteenth and nineteenth occasions since 2008 that NTCC scholars have won an award for student scholarship at the state meeting. Only in 2012 was NTCC shut out of the award ceremony. The Walter Prescott Webb Society is the collegiate auxiliary of the Texas State Historical Society, and is based in Austin. The Caldwell Awards were established in 1974 in memory of Clifton Mott Caldwell, a prominent oilman, rancher, Baptist layman, and one-time Regent of the University of Texas from Abilene. All of the Honors Northeast scholars who attended the conference: Anderson, Garcia, Madison Blood, Alicia Cantrell, Matthew Chambers, Jordan Whelchel, and Warren Wu reported on leading works of scholarship in Texas history completed at NTCC in 2017. Presidential Scholar, Warren Wu, the 2017 Honors film producer, presented segments of Smoldering Wick: The Story of Mary Kay that earned NTCC the 2017 Chapter Award of the Webb Society for community colleges. It was the second time that NTCC has won this award. Alicia Cantrell’s presentation on the rise of the Intersectional Feminists-Ann Richards and Barbara Jordan--was yet another highlight of the San Marcos conference. Cantrell received full billing on the THSA
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Alicia Cantrell was one of the two invited undergraduate speakers.
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Jazmin Garcia placed third and Rhylie Anderson placed fourth in the state with their essays. program as one of the two invited undergraduate speakers to address the meeting. Cantrell’s address, honed in a Mount Pleasant presentation recently, noted how both Richards and Jordan capitalized on surprising discrepancies in their personal narratives. Unlike Hillary Clinton later, both Texas feminists bested powerful male antagonists. Honors Director, Dr. Andrew Yox, noted that “Garcia really capitalized on an amazing diary that NTCC librarian, Heather Shaw unearthed on Mildred Moody. And I was so pleased that Jazmin showed such amazing perseverance on her essay, during Christmas break. Rhylie Anderson, on the other hand, created a
new topic out of the thin air, and brought to light a very poignant story about AfricanAmerican perseverance. Alicia Cantrell’s address was one of the two best public presentations I have ever heard any undergraduate make. Both of my colleagues, Dr. Melissa Fulgham and James MacGregor, helped polish this extraordinary presentation. The exciting thing is, it matched the performances of many professional historians. Finally, we were thrilled that all of our honors students worked together so assiduously, with support from our friends and the college, to bring home the 2017 Webb Chapter Award, now in the Honors Student Office.”
April 5, 2018
The Eagle
Northeast Texas Community College
Page 3
CAMPUS LIFE
The flags located at the NTCC entrance circle catch an afternoon breeze.
John Fitch, of Fitch Memorials, places a border at the new Veterans Memorial in front of the Charlie and Helen Hampton Library.
NTCC Student Iliana Gonzalez studies her homework in the Charlie and Helen Hampton Library. The NTCC Welding Department welcomes visitors to campus with their own unique way of saying “hello.’
Terry Landes and Nicholas Hall enjoy music and coffee in the Learning Commons.
Students enjoy a little bit of clear weather and the inflatable slide during the week of the annual Springfest celebration.
Above, Trees brought a touch of spring to the NTCC campus earlier last month. Right, Gloves and bats are the order of the day as the Eagle athletes move into the second round of conference play this month. The teams have the playoffs in sight as they work toward taking the titles in their chosen sport.
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The Eagle
Northeast Texas Community College
April 5, 2018
NEWS Caddo collection finds a home Cont. from pg. 1 She was very fortunate to get the opportunity to follow her passion for the collection, study, and display of Native American artifacts.” The rare collection is made up of elaborately decorated bowls, jars, and vessels in a variety of sizes, shapes and forms as well as arrowheads, tomahawks and axes. Most of the artifacts date from around 1200 A.D., however, some pieces date as far back as 700 to 800 A.D. and as recent as 1500. Some of the pieces are displayed in large wooden and glass shelves located in the computer lab of the Learning Commons while other pieces sit between the stacks of books in display cases designed specifically to highlight the historical relics. NTCC Learning Commons Director Ron Bowden said currently only about one-third of the pottery collection is being exhibited in the library and the Learning Commons. “It would be nice to be able to display more pieces in the future,” Bowden said. “There is currently a plan in place to make the full pottery available in digitized format via a touch-screen kiosk in the Learning Commons.”
Librarian Heather Shaw applied for a Whatley Enhancement grant to purchase the kiosk, which will feature an interactive map of the dig sites and information from the archeological study that was done on the pottery collection. Bowden said displaying the artifacts at the college not only benefits NTCC students, but also the community as a whole. “Students interested in local history have much to learn about the Caddo Indians and their way of life by studying these pieces,” Bowden said. As more and more people of all ages make their way onto the campus to view the rare pieces of pottery, Mrs. Hinton’s desire to share the legacy of the Caddo Indian Tribe will continue. “It was always her dream to have the Caddo collection reside in a place where large numbers of people would be able to view it and better appreciate the lives and lifestyles of those that came before us,” Ross Hinton said. “I feel personally thankful to the college for helping her fulfill her vision with the impressive presentation that has been created and for the educational opportunity that it provides.”
staff photo
| mandy smith
From left, Learning Commons Director Ron Bowden and Librarian Heather Shaw show a map of Indian artifact dig sites to Mrs. Hinton’s children, Ross Hinton and Margaret Hampton. The late Mrs. Hinton donated the Caddo collection in 2011.
Health science offers new programs for fall 2018 By Kenzie Messer Editor-in-Chief
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Urub Latif takes a pulse on classmate Yulianna Nino during a practice session for the medical assisting program.
Medical assisting program successfully reaccredited Special to The Eagle Northeast Texas Community College’s Medical Assisting program recently underwent a site visit for national reaccreditation. Site visitors from the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB) visited the NTCC campus to review the Medical Assisting program and tour the facilities. National accreditation is a collegial process based upon self and peer assessment to ensure academic quality and public accountability. The NTCC Medical Assisting program successfully passed their 2018 reaccreditation process with zero citations and zero recommendations and will receive their official, full reaccreditation status in August. “Being able to claim another stellar site visit not only validates that we are upholding standards of the MAERB, but we are also providing an excellent education and experience to our students and providing well-trained, healthcare professionals for our community,” said Dr. Tawny Nix, Medical Assisting program director. NTCC’s Medical Assisting program began in 2006 under Dean Betty Brock and Director Nelda Davis. Initial accreditation was granted in 2007. In 2015, the MAERB implemented new standards with emphasis on education in Electronic Health Records, patient education and nutrition. Medical Assisting continues to gain ground in the healthcare field, with
medical assistants (MAs) performing all aspects of administrative and clinical duties in a physician’s clinic including hydration IVs, injections, phlebotomy, EKGs, billing and coding, insurance verification and patient education. MAs are also well-versed in anatomy and physiology, human disease, and critical thinking processes, with impeccable time management and prioritization skills. NTCC’s Associate of Applied Science graduates are highly sought after by physicians in the Northeast Texas region because of the outstanding reputation of the MA program and NTCC. The NTCC Medical Assisting program has a 100 percent passage rate for the National Credentialing exam for the past three years and an 85 percent employment rate. Fifty percent of the graduating cohort is currently employed and the program is expecting see that number grow closer to graduation in May. “We have poured our heart into the reaccreditation process and site visit, and we are very proud to be a part of this program and NTCC,” Amanda Hutchings, Medical Assisting practicum coordinator, said. “We love our students, and we love what we do.” Hutchings said applications for the medical assisting program will be accepted until May 1. Hutchings also said information sessions about the proram will be held on April 10 at 6:30 p.m. and April 13 at 9 a.m. for those who are interested.
Beginning in the fall 2018 semester, the Health Science department at Northeast Texas Community College will offer two new degree programs. The classes for these programs have been previously offered, but they are now packaged in a way that students can graduate with a degree in these concentration areas. The healthcare management program is a blend between the business department and the healthcare programs at NTCC. “Essentially, it’s meant for those who don’t want to have patient care, but want to go be an administrator at a clinic,” Dean of Health Sciences Shannon Cox-Kelley said. “Most of our students who graduate from our program all eventually want to go into management. Management has more opportunity for money and a higher salary, so for that reason a lot of them end up going back and getting their management degree, anyways, so this will allow them to go into management sooner, and allows an opportunity for them to make more money.” Cox-Kelley said that the Healthcare Management program already has students enrolling in it. “There’s so much interest in the healthcare profession,” NTCC President Dr. Ron Clinton said. “When you look at the projections for the next 10 to 20 years, healthcare is just exploding and continuing to explode. It’s one of our fastest growing employment areas in our area.”
The Healthcare Studies program was built for students who were interested in other health care programs, such as the medical lab technician program or the nursing program, where they would have to take several prerequisites before they could apply. “We had been talking for a while about the problems we’ve had with students who couldn’t get into programs when they wanted to,” Cox-Kelley said. “We decided to do it this way to give students the pathway to work towards something they’ve actually wanted to do, and it saves money at the same time.” Cox-Kelley said the healthcare studies degree will allow students the opportunity to get jobs as a health care coach, wellness advisor or work in insurance or law. She said there are careers or jobs, even if they just decide to complete the degree. “We wanted something consistent that funneled them to our department, regardless of what program they were in,” Cox-Kelley said. The administration said they also hope to add an Occupational Therapy program in the spring 2019 semester. The new programs are expected to increase enrollment for the college. Cox-Kelley said they will open grant opportunities for the Health Science department. “That’s a benefit to everyone,” Clinton said. “I think, more importantly than that, it extends and expands the opportunities that we can provide for our students to go through programs that leads to a very exciting and lucrative career.”
Culinary Arts
staff photo
| mandy smith
staff photo
| mandy smith
Culinary arts students work in the kitchen following the program’s recent dinner held at the Culinary Arts School in Pittsburg.
Students also worked the front of the house serving customers during the threecourse dinner.
April 5, 2018
The Eagle
Page 5
Northeast Texas Community College
NEWS
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| mandy smith
Daniel Yanez and Kenzie Messer participate in the press conference.
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| chelsey elrod
Chelsey Elrod’s feature photo received a second place award as part of the live feature photo event.
Eagle staff bring home record number of awards
By Emma Wolf & Jessica Drumm Staff Writer, Entertainment Editor
said. “There’s no better feeling than that of seeing your work published. You’re able to look at it and think, ‘Wow, I did that!” Nubia Sanchez, layout editor, knows that feeling all too well. With a preference for design, Nubia placed first for news page design, as well as first and third for opinion page design. This was her second year to attend and compete at the TIPA conference. “It is exciting to know that your work is actually worth something,” Sanchez said. Staff member Chelsey Elrod placed second this year in a feature photo live event for her photo featuring a homeless man walking beside a couple strolling down the street. “TIPA was not just a victory or learning experience. It was an amazing memory the staff members will never forget,” Elrod said. Jessica Drumm was also recognized for her work this year. She took home first in critical review and headline writing and second for feature page layout. Yanez said another important part of the Eagle team is adviser Mandy Smith. “Having Mandy as an adviser is a privilege for us. She cares about each of her students and goes above and beyond working with each of us,” Yanez said. “She has been the backbone of this organization for many years and all her hard work and the staff’s talent really paid off this year.” Smith said she was especially pleased with the first place awards in overall excellence for both the newspaper and the magazine. “The judging is done by professional journalists from around the country,’ Smith said. “These students spend a lot of time telling the story of the Northeast campus, and it is so special that The Eagle was recognized by people who work in the press on a daily basis.”
NTCC Journalism made history this year at the annual Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) conference by bringing home 48 awards including a second place award in a live event. TIPA is the largest and oldest organization of its kind for journalism in the United States. “This is the most awards the Eagle staff has ever won,” Daniel Yanez, managing editor for The Eagle said. “It’s impressive how well our staff represented NTCC this year.” Both The Eagle Newspaper and the literary magazine, Lagniappe, placed first in Overall Excellence. “I was fighting back tears during the award ceremony,” said Kenzie Messer, editor-in-chief. “I was so proud of all that we had accomplished as a team.” After returning to NTCC this semester, Daniel Yanez attended his third year at TIPA and brought home numerous awards including first place in sports feature photo, photo illustration and Spanish feature among others. Yanez said the wins this year add to the award-winning tradition of past staff members. “I hope that in the future The Eagle and Lagniappe continue to grow in success and that students continue to add to the legacy of our department.” Kenzie Messer placed first in feature writing, in-depth reporting, and second in breaking news. She has competed in the live news writing event for the past two years at TIPA. She said one of her favorite parts of competing is the experience itself. “Getting the story and then turning around and writing it in a short period of time is such an adrenaline rush,” Messer
The Amigos Unidos Spanish Club is holding a soccer tournament on April 21 at the NTCC soccer field. Teams participating in the event must consist of seven players and pay an entry fee. Teams that sign up before April 14 will pay $75 per team and those that sign up after that date will pay $85. “We’re doing this as a fundraiser to have funds for our association,” Amigos Unidos President Stephania Juarez said. “We all came together and decided on a soccer tournament because that will be more interesting for people and they will participate.”
| debbie strong
The Eagle Staff from left to right: Daniel Yanez, Carlos Miranda, Mandy Smith, Kenzie Messer, Vanessa Navarrez, Chelsey Elrod, Nubia Sanchez, McKay Patrick, Emma Yeager, and Emma Wolf, not pictured; Jillian Brooks and Jessica Drumm.
Northeast Spanish Club plans soccer tournament
By Chelsey Elrod Staff Writer
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The group is trying to raise enough money to take a trip to Miami, Fla this summer. NTCC Spanish Professor and Club Adviser Jim Swann said that the students chose to hold a soccer tournament because the sport is a huge part of the Hispanic culture not only across the United States, but on the Northeast campus. “It is something that is designed to bring the general community to our campus. People who would not usually come out here otherwise,” Swann said. As of now, 13 teams have signed up to play. Lunch will be provided for all the soccer players. Admission is free to come out and watch the soccer tournament
NTCC Film Club presents Clint Eastwood
Thursdays March 29-April 19 6:30 p.m. in H129 Admission is FREE Refreshments are available for a small fee
Eagle First Place Awards • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Overall Excellence The Eagle & Lagniappe Magazine Design - Eagle Staff Newspaper Design - Eagle Staff Website - Eagle Staff Op/Ed Design - Nubia Sanchez News Page Design - Nubia Sanchez Ad Design - Andrew McClain Sports Feature Photo - Daniel Yanez Sports Action Photo- Na’Chyna Rogers Photo Illustration - Daniel Yanez Illustration - Daniel Yanez Feature Photo - Danial Yanez Environment Portrait-Katherine Huffines
• • • • • • • •
Sports Feature - Marquisius Boyd Spanish Feature - Daniel Yanez In Depth Reporting - Kenzie Messer Headline- Nubia Sanchez & Jessica Drumm Feature Writing - Kenzie Messer Critical Review - Jessica Drumm Sports Page Design - Iesha Fluellen Special Section - Daniel Yanez
Second Place - 12 awards Third Place - 9 awards Honorable Mentions - 4 awards
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The Eagle
Northeast Texas Community College
April 5, 2018
NEWS
Psi Beta holds annual suicide prevention 5K race By Jessica Drumm Entertainment Editor On Saturday, April 21, Psi Beta will be hosting their third annual suicide prevention march to help raise awareness for suicide prevention. This year’s march is targeted toward teenagers, and will focus on the prevention and awareness of suicide on high school and college campuses. Dr. Karyn Skaar, professor of psychology at Northeast Texas Community College, said that it is important to raise awareness for suicide because of the misconceptions surrounding it. “The number of suicides is increasing all the time” Skaar said. “Most people who contemplate suicide don’t really want to die. They just don’t see any other option at
that particular time.” Psi Beta’s “5K Color Walk, Run, or Crawl to Fight Suicide” has grown steadily over the past three years with the number of supporters attending the walk increasing each year. This year the conference is going to feature speakers from Hope 4 Hannah, an organization founded by parents who have dealt with children who committed suicide or are currently dealing with it. The conference usually features an open session where people can communicate about their personal experiences. Psi Beta President Kelly Brizuela said, “Everybody is welcome. We’re here for you.” One of the purposes behind this march is to raise awareness about how to help those who might be considering suicide.
“I don’t think people know what they should do if someone talks to them about it,” Skaar said. “But we can make people aware. The main thing I want is for people who might be considering suicide to know that people care. And I want people who maybe know somebody, or at some point maybe will know somebody, to know how to ask or how to respond.” Skaar said that is one of the main reasons it is so important to raise awareness. “Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem and just buying someone some time could allow them to see another option out,” she said. The proceeds for the march will benefit the Local Suicide Prevention Center, Hope4Hannah, and NTCC’s Psi Beta Transfer Scholarship. There will also be t-shirts
available to those who preregister for the event and paid their entry fee by April 5. Since this is a color walk, participants will be able to color their shirts. This year’s colors are going to be blue and purple. “I just want people to come,” Brizuela said. “That’s our goal. Suicide is a subject matter that people don’t talk about and really aren’t comfortable with. It affects all of us but nobody has really done anything about it. So that’s our goal. To raise awareness and hopefully do something about it.” The group encourages everyone to come out and support Psi Beta’s “5K Color Walk, Run, or Crawl to Fight Suicide” and help spread awareness for suicide prevention. Their message is that sometimes just one word, one person can make all the difference in the world.
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| iesha fluellen
Psi Beta’s third annual 5k Color Walk, Run, or Crawl to Fight Suicide will be held April 21. Proceeds benefit the Local Suicide Prevention Center, Hope4Hannah, and NTCC’s Psi Beta Transfer Scholarship.
Northeast receives the Alpha Mu Chi chapter breaks records in Houston Tree Campus USA Award Special to The Eagle
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Alpha Mu Chi chapter received record breaking awards at the Texas Regional Convention in Houston. From left to right: Chesney Davis, Gilbert Moore, Cassidy Watkins, Erick Gaytan Fernandez, Angel Hodges, Hannah Fouche, Veronica Womble, Jodi Burton, Rylie Anderson, Tyson Allen, Kelly Brizvela, Melissa Fulgham and Alicia Cantrell. Special to The Eagle Alpha Mu Chi, Northeast Texas Community College’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, recently attended the Texas Regional Convention in Houston and came away with a chapter-record 30 awards. In addition to maintaining their five-star status as a chapter, Alpha Mu Chi was named a Texas Top Chapter. Awards received by the chapter include: Texas Top Chapter, Honors in Action Award of Merit, College Project Award of Merit, Five Star Chapter, Honors in Action and College Project participation award, second place Yearbook, Texas Regional Hall of Honor for
Outstanding Officers (Tyson Allen and Alicia Cantrell), Texas Regional Hall of Honor for Outstanding Members (Erick Gaytan Fernandez), District III Hall of Honor (Alicia Cantrell, Cassidy Watkins, Tyson Allen, Chesney Davis, Angela Garza, Nubia Sanchez, Kelly Brizuela, Gilbert Moore, Rhylie Anderson, Hannah Fouche), Five Star Competitive Edge Members (Cassidy Watkins, Brenda Godoy), and Distinguished Chapter Officer Team (Gilbert Moore, Kelly Brizuela, Alicia Cantrell, Cassidy Watkins, Brenda Godoy, Angela Garza, Tyson Allen, Joy-Lin Carter, Angela Garza, Nubia Sanchez).
“I’m immensely proud of the chapter and all the hard work they put in, year after year. Every year they seem to find new firsts and raise the bar even higher,” Dr. Melissa Fulgham, Alpha Mu Chi Advisor, said. Founded in 1918, Phi Theta Kappa is a selective, international honor society that recognizes academic achievement of two-year college students and provides opportunities for them to grow as scholars and leaders. Representatives from Alpha Mu Chi will travel to Kansas City, Missouri in early April to represent NTCC at Phi Theta Kappa’s 100th Annual International Convention.
Northeast Texas Community College recently received the Tree Campus USA Award from the National Arbor Day Foundation. This program recognizes two and four-year colleges and universities that maintain and promote healthy trees on campus and that facilitate student learning with regards to the importance of trees to our environment. The recognition is given to colleges that develop a tree care plan, participate in annual student service learning tree projects and an annual arbor day observance. Led by Jim Ward, Professor of Biology, NTCC earned this award through the bond program plaza plan. This included the planting of more than 40 new trees and two service-learning projects conducted by students in NTCC Biology II courses. “We worked closely with our plant services department to determine areas of need on the campus. We are especially grateful to Tom Ramler, Director
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| mandy smith
Last Fall Biology professor Jim Ward had his students use leaves to identify the different types of trees during an Arbor Day Observance that was held on campus. of Plant Services, who has been instrumental in the project,” Ward said. “It has been very rewarding for my biology students to be part of something hands-on that will have a lasting impact on the NTCC campus long after they have graduated.” One project tackled the infestation of mistletoe in an oak tree in the plaza that was in critical condition.
The second project involved students identifying the species of trees on campus to create an identification chart. Additionally, a group of honors students worked together to develop a Campus Tree Care Plan for future use by campus administration. The culmination of these events in 2017 qualified NTCC for the Tree Campus USA award, Ward said.
April 5, 2018
The Eagle
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Northeast Texas Community College
OPINION
Strong Opinions
Hey Alexa, get lost! By Debbie Strong Guest Columnist I guess we’ll have to go online shopping, Pops!
I love technology, and I have been thinking about purchasing a device to make my house a
cartoon by daniel yanez
Technology creates its own new world order By Emma Yeager Staff Writer Faces hidden behind screens, adults ignoring other adults, and children not even comprehending how to create a delicious mud pie or imagining the leaves from the trees as teacups and plates, is proof that technology is slowly destroying human communication and the carefree childhood I grew up knowing. As a society, we preach about people needing to spend less time on their phones, while most of us are on our phones. The competition today is the number of followers we have or the number of likes our face will receive rather than a good, old fashion threelegged race or who can count the most blue cars on a road trip. While the advancement of technology is exciting, it could also be considered as one of the most terrifying advancements thus far in modern history. Social media and online shopping is transforming society as a whole. Yet, still the days tumble by without the majority of us barely even pausing to think and question the power of the internet. At one time, owning a television or a camera was rare, even for wealthy folks. Today, people walk around with a miniature TV and camera in their back pockets. Working in the restaurant business, I observe far too many children, from ages three to twelve, playing on the newest iPhone or tablet. Few of them pick up their crayons and color on the coloring sheets provided for them. Parents rarely bring children’s books, or Barbie dolls, or toy race cars anymore to entertain their children when they go out. Instead, they plant them in a chair and stick a screen in their child’s face to keep them quiet while the adults
talk or scroll their phones themselves. The number of children who are growing up more focused on taking the perfect selfie than they are drawing pictures of their favorite animal is unfathomable. It’s strange to think that only thirteen years ago, when I was four, kids danced around in the pouring rain and played with dollhouses and Hot Wheels. Kids used to build worlds with their Legos, but now they build worlds on Minecraft.
families. The value of a precious book is degraded to a book on a screen, which means less book stores. Many newspapers have stopped printing now that everyone receives their news on their phones. Magazines are rarely picked up in the doctor’s office, because now people can look on Pinterest for fashion inspiration and home decor ideas. In schools, students no longer use dictionaries and encyclopedias; they just “Google it.” Amazon is thriving while small, local shops are dying. I’m certainly not saying that the internet is a bad thing. Though, when misused, it can be. Social media and online shopping are marvelous inventions without a doubt. The ability to design one’s own business and profit from it online is a wonderful way to make your work known. And the privilege, especially for aspiring authors, to have their voices heard on social media is a thrilling gift in the 21st century. The thought, however, of what civilization will be like when I have my own children is somewhat bone-chilling. What society are we creating for the next generation? Why do we allow children to play on their phone constantly then complain about how everyone is addicted to their phones? Is social media a tool to highlight one’s abilities and encourage others in times of hardship or an escape from reality for the lonely, the bored, and for those who do not want to engage with the person beside them? Why do we promote small businesses then watch them crumble? Next time you want to purchase something, go and support stores in your town rather than ordering online. Next time you go out to eat, try something uncommon, try putting all devices away, looking the person in the eye, playing with the kids, and discussing important topics.
“Kids used to build worlds with their Legos, but now they build worlds on Minecraft.” Fifteen or 20 years from now, what will those kids be like as adults? I can’t help but wonder what their communication skills will be like? How much more addicted will they be to their devices if they are already becoming addicted so early that they cannot even have a traditional childhood? Considering the business aspect of it, more stores are closing, because now everyone can buy online. The delight of going and physically touching a piece of clothing or flipping through the pages of a book is slipping away. Many people do not want to leave their houses and interact with strangers. Instead, they purchase their items and have them delivered to their front doors. Stores that once bustled with life and laughter are shutting down and soon more buildings will rest empty and abandoned to rot and fade into the past. Employees of these businesses are losing their jobs and must find another method of supporting themselves and their
“smart home.” Have you heard of Alexa? She’s a robotic voice assistant for your home. She can turn on your lights, adjust your room temperature and answer any trivia question you can think up. Someone asked me if I thought the government could be spying on us through Alexa-enabled devices, and I immediately answered no. Then I got to thinking about an IBM Selectric II typewriter I had when I was stationed in Germany as a young Army private first class. I was so proud of that typewriter; it was so amazing to me that I could interchange a golf ball-like typing element to choose a variety of fonts. Nowadays I can download an unlimited amount of fonts for free to use in my digital art and in MS Word documents. Years after I had moved on from that IBM Selectric II typewriter, I read a story about how the Russians had placed eavesdropping “bugs” inside the Selectric II typewriters in a U.S. embassy and consulate in Leningrad and Moscow. If they could do something like that back in the seventies, then it is highly possible someone could do the same today. If any of you attended Dr. Kevin Rose’s recent talk on artificial intelligence, then you learned about speech recognition,
airport gate management and driverless cars. He discussed affinity analysis, which means what I did a Google search on this morning is now showing up in an ad on my Facebook page this evening. I have an app on my phone called Shazam that can identify a song playing in a coffee shop and provide me with the lyrics and “album” cover art, too. An Amazon Echo device like the one I am researching to purchase for my home is cued by a “wake” word, like “Alexa.” This was an important bit of information in the trial of a 2015 murder case where an Amazon Echo had been streaming music during the evening of the mishap. No useful evidence was found on that device, but the suspected homeowner had a “smart” water heater in his house that recorded a large amount of water use the morning after the murder. Lawyers argued that the homeowner tried to clean up the murder scene with water. Last fall, Google had a Home Mini speaker that was always on due to a hardware flaw. It was actually spying on the owner and posting snippets of the recordings on the Google website. So, I may need to re-think my quick response to the question about the government spying on us through Alexaenabled devices. Following an informative exchange with my other half, an Alexa device will not become a part of our home at this time. After attending Dr. Rose’s seminar on artificial intelligence and thinking about my past experience, I say it is possible, but not probable. Not in my house anyway. Who wants to eavesdrop on me baby-talking to my dog?
Metal concerts are not what you might think By Jillian Brooks Staff Writer
Concerts can be one of the most exciting and happiest places on earth. Depending on the kind that you choose to attend, you could be smiling and laughing after getting splashed with someone else’s beer or making friends with someone that you punched in the face during a guitar solo. Either way, it’s one of my favorite ways to spend my money. Lots and lots of my money. People tend to… how do I put this nicely… “not enjoy” heavy metal. Metal has been my choice of music as long as I can remember. My dad would pick me up from school in second grade, and I would hop into his huge truck, hearing Motorhead already playing. Sure, as I got older I drifted to the dark side and enjoyed country music, but I slowly found my way back to the one true path of happiness; rock music. Rock and metal concerts are my happy places. Yes, the screaming, the drunk people, the dangerous mosh pits and the crazy loud guitars make me smile and fill me with joy. I live for the moment that the harsh vocalist
takes a few seconds between his screams and yells to tell us to “be careful” and “stay safe tonight.” Sure, the mosh and circle pits can be intense. Intense as in people running to the bathroom with bloody noses and black eyes but running back out onto the floor in time for the next song. Out of all the concerts I’ve ever been to, which is a lot, every single mosh pit has been for fun. No outright violence has ever occurred in front of me during a concert, specifically heavy metal or rock concerts. If a pit opens up, bigger men and women create a wall around it for those who prefer to simply stand and sing along. If someone trips or falls to the floor, at least three people immediately grab them and pull them up to make sure they are okay, and when that’s confirmed, they give them a push back into the pit. I’ve seen someone in a wheelchair getting lifted up and crowd surfed to the front of the stage, where the lead singer grabbed his hand and smiled at him. Heavy metal isn’t all blood and guts and sacrificing animals. Actually… it’s none of that. It’s about expressing feelings that others can relate to in a way that makes people jump, headbang and scream along. It’s about creating a family. You may only hang out with them after paying $25 to $600, but it’s worth it. Welcome to the family.
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, Emma Wolfe, Jillian Brooks, Emma Yeager and Katherine Huffines
Got an opinion?? Write a letter to the editor and email it to ntcceagleeditors@gmail.com
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
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The Eagle
Northeast Texas Community College
April 5, 2018
ENTERTAINMENT
Logic’s new album brings hip hop back By Carlos Miranda Staff Writer When we bring up the rapper Logic’s name, most people usually are talking about his biggest hit to date, “1-800-273-8255,” a song about suicide prevention. The story behind that song plays on emotions and gives the audience a broad perspective of life. Coming off a successful year in 2017, Logic earned himself two Grammy nominations and a number one selling album Everybody, making him one of the hottest MCs out right now. Instead of taking some time off and enjoying all the success and accomplishments, Logic gifted us with some new heat, Bobby Tarantino II, a mixtape that steers clear from real life messages. In this mixtape, you can see that Logic just wants to have fun and take a different route. This 13-song project starts out with a funny sketch depicting the difference between album Logic and mixtape Logic, leading into his first song, “Overnight.” The melody starts with a 1980s-video game-like beat that gives the song a unique sound. In this track, Logic explains to his listeners that all of his success did not happen overnight and that he worked hard for it. Some lyrics say, “Acting like they got it, they got it but they never quite seem to understand that this right here deeper than all that…” “Overnight” really sets the tone for this project making this mixtape a joy to one’s ears.
Another hitter on this album that makes this artist someone to fear is “Yuck,” a track that starts with an intense beat right after a killer hook and finally bars for days. Bars that seem to be meant for a certain artist, Joyner Lucas. With bars like this, I believe that Logic is finally responding to Joyner’s diss track toward him. In a recent interview with Hard Knock TV, Logic said, “It’s not a diss song. If it was a diss song, I’d say somebody’s name…” He assured his listeners that there is no bad blood with anyone and that he just wishes everyone success. While this project has some trap-like music, it also has the smoker’s anthem, “Indica Badu,” giving us a slow mellow beat that soothes the soul, with fast-paced lyrics that wrap around the beat like a nice wedding band around one’s finger. I’m not saying that you need to be married to like this song, but both of those things complement each other making the tune that much better. While I could write about all of the songs on this project, I’ll leave with the last track, “44 More.” A song that makes us hip hop enthusiasts believe that hip hop is not dead and that it’s just taking a break so that artists like Logic, J Cole and Kendrick Lamar can master the craft and make it great again like Tupac, Biggie, Bone Thugs and Harmony did in their time. “44 More” is just that - 44 more bars that gives the listener a fast-paced work of art and wraps up a mixtape that just keeps giving. Bobby Tarantino II is a must-listen album from start to finish. It’s a roller coaster ride worth waiting for.
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Logic’s newest offering Bobby Tarantino II features sick hooks and edgy lyrics that will have you getting down to the beat and grooving to the music in this trend-setting new album from one of today’s hottest MC’s.
Discover decades of beauty
YouTuber brings back stylish trends
By Emma Yeager Staff Writer
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In her YouTube channel, Loepsie takes viewers on a tour through time as she re-creates makeup and beauty trends from the past.
Lucy is a lifestyle and beauty YouTuber who encourages healthy eating, minimalism, and recreates classic makeup and hairstyle looks. Lucy, more commonly known as Loepsie, on her channel, is 25 years old and lives in Amsterdam with her pet rats. Her channel currently has 402,322 subscribers and filming videos is both her passion and her job. Occasionally she’ll do a Tea Time video, which is when she sits down to talk and answer questions about her life and interests while she sips a cup of hot tea. My personal favorite video are the ones she creates for her Beauty
Beacons and Beauty Beacons of Fiction series. In these videos, Loepsie replicates the makeup and hair of a famous person in history or a famous character in fictional history. If you happen to be a history geek like myself, you will probably thoroughly enjoy these videos. Prior to fixing the makeup and hairstyle, she will provide viewers with pictures of the person she is imitating and give a brief description of the person and why the person is important and influential in history. For Beauty Beacons, she does them from as far back as Anne Boleyn up to Cindy Crawford. For her Beauty Beacons of Fiction, she has done Elizabeth
Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, Rose from Titanic, Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables, and several others. Along with the Beauty Beacons series, Loepsie also has a makeup and hair history series. During her tutorials, she discusses what makes the hair and makeup from that particular period differentiate from previous eras and other countries. Both her hair history videos and makeup history videos date as far back as Ancient Egypt and stop at the 1990s. Watching her videos is both an education and an entertainment for teenagers and adults. Since prom is coming soon, scrolling through her channel to find hair
and makeup tutorials and ideas could be beneficial to young girls who are searching for that perfect look. She offers simple, elegant, and classy looks for any occasion whether it is going to the grocery store or dashing off to a ball like Cinderella. On a daily basis, I don’t consume a lot of YouTube, but I love to watch Loepsie’s videos. Not only are her videos helpful and wholesome but listening to her accent is soothing in itself. The camera quality is sharp, clear, bright, and aesthetically pleasing. I find her channel inspiring, motivating, and interesting. If you have not watched her videos, you definitely should.
‘Final Space’ blasts off By Jillian Brooks Staff Writer
Final Space, a new adult animated television series, is soaring in the ratings. Premiering in February, the show has stolen the hearts of many, many viewers. The creative mind behind this lovable series, Olan Rogers, started out on Youtube. He had a channel with his friends and spent his time making short, but hilarious skits. Rogers went on to create his own channel that showcases his art of storytelling that still continues today. His primary focus now is the new television show, Final Space. Gary Goodspeed is the main character who always finds a way to make his viewers laugh or say “same” when something happens. Gary is a prisoner
aboard a ship in space, serving out his five-year sentence. H.U.E is his voiceover companion, and he controls the ship and wakes Gary every morning. In one of the first scenes, H.U.E wakes up Gary and shows him that it is day 1,818, and Gary simply replies, “How ‘bout frickin’ no,” which makes everyone viewing relate to him even more. Olan’s humor is integrated into the show, making it goofy, relatable and lovable. All Gary wants is someone to play cards with and a bite out of a chocolate chip cookie. But, if he eats a cookie, more time is added onto his sentence, yet he still goes for it each time he thinks he can get even a touch. The reason behind his imprisonment is that he faked being a military
pilot and blew up dozens of ships. During that little spectacle, he met Quinn, a high-ranking member of the Infinity Guard. While he was out in space repairing a part of his ship, he met Mooncake, a tiny but mighty green alien life form that is being hunted by the Lord Commander. The Lord Commander also happens to be tiny but mighty, nearly killing everyone who dares to call him short or small. The Lord Commander has extremely powerful telepathic powers, and it shows when he breaks one of his worker’s necks after he failed to find Subject E-351, or Mooncake. Later in the episode, we find out that Mooncake is not a small, timid creature. Although it does prefer to hug faces and
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The intergalactic cartoon, Final Space, tells the story of astronaut Gary and his planetdestroying sidekick, Mooncake, as they attempt to unlock the mystery of the universe.
spout random gibberish such as “chooki-dee” or “chookity-bop”, it is actually a massive weapon made to destroy planets. Final Space takes the best parts of cartoons like Family Guy and
Rick and Morty, adding some kid-friendly banter and a dash of wacky characters. As a fan of Family Guy and an obsessive fangirl over Rick and Morty, this show truly has what it takes to get
to the top. If Gary, Rick, and Peter somehow met, they’d be the best of friends. But for now, we’ll have to settle for the duo of Mooncake and Gary, which is fine by me.
April 5, 2018
The Eagle
Northeast Texas Community College
LIFESTYLE 5 Summer Fashion Essentials S D N A ADB
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e d let th n a e c a f ff your summer with o r i a h rty our this Keep y your cheeks . Go for a spo en. d s we sun kis new headban ything in bet ze ri n h a stylis bby chic or a ay to accesso w . ha look, s ds are a cute rmer months o a t n a Headb t during the w -do hairstyle tay up tfi ds any ou any regular mer heat an up um Fancy hrough the s r long. t e survive ute all summ c g lookin
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g y playin s or b r a e y s p tops thi metry. Crop to r u o y p perfect Amp u th some asym e r a e s e wi s like th figure while p o around t r e d shoul azing off-the- g off your am es rise. r u t a n r i e w p for sho s the tem d out from the a l o o c n keeping fun way to sta ol look. o c a y l e s r s ’ le They n effort a h t i w crowd
PATCHES
Step into the ‘7 0s by adding c ute little patches onto y our jean shorts , denim jackets or canv as shoes. Patch es are a unique and ine xpensive way to show your personali ty by adding a vintage touch to any art icle of clothing . There are all differen t kinds of patch es to choose from.
BOLD STRIPES
Stripes are the cutest pattern trend for this summer. Whether it’s shorts, shirts, shoe s or bathing suits, strip es will wrap themselves around ou r bodies all througho ut the upcoming summer months. Stripes are a subtle way to add a pa ttern to any outfit and accentuate your beau tiful figure.
SLIDES
f a new style o h it w rt fo m o iest Slip into c s are the eas e d li S . n o s a e le. shoes this s y comfortab ta s d n a te u c way to look nd loafers, a ts a fl , ls a d an the Coming in s you need for s e o h s e th slides are . er adventure m m u s t c e rf pe
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The Eagle
Northeast Texas Community College
April 5, 2018
SPORTS
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| kenzie messer
Chase Talbot dives back and is called safe as the first basemen tries to get a tag on him during the game against the Bulldogs.
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| kenzie messer
Kyle Moos scores a run in game 3 against the Bulldogs last Saturday. The Eagles are sitting in second place in conference behind Navarro after the win.
Grand slam in game 3 gives Eagles a win By Chelsey Elrod Staff Writer
The Northeast Eagles baseball team went in with high hopes to get ahead of Navarro over the weekend, but after losing two out three games they remain in second place in conference play. Despite their two loses on Friday, the Eagles defeated Navarro 8-2 in game 3 of the weekend series thanks to a timely grand slam by Chase Talbot in a big seventh inning. The offensive firepower of the Eagles was led by Talbot and Jordan Martinez both sending runners across the plate with RBIs in the seventh inning. “It was huge, you know, one swing and you get four runs. It’s pretty big,” NTCC Head Baseball Coach Andrew Morgan said. “It was a good boost.” After two losses early in the series and staying in second place to Navarro, the win in the third game gave the Eagles more drive as they move into the second round of conference play. Morgan said that game showed that they have the ability to win big. “We just went back out
and took it,” Morgan said. “That just reinforces what we talk about and how we want to play, play fast and play hard.” Northeast tallied 11 hits during game 3. Morgan said after the two loses on Friday, the big win reminded the players “We just went back to doing what we do,” Morgan said. “Instead of hoping good things happen or waiting for them to happen, we went out and took it. And, that just reinforces what we talk about and how we want to play. Play fast and play hard.” The first two games were played away and the Eagles lost 7-1 and 9-1 respectively. Northeast fell behind early and could not come back during the first game. Navarro scored on a single by Cardozo and an error in the second inning. Chandler Mauldin led things off on the hill for Northeast. He went three hits and struck out three. Brody Curry, Jaxon Terrell and Max Martinez each contributed in relief for The Eagles. The Eagles are currently 8-4 in the conference with one game behind Navarro.
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Eagle players storm out of the dugout to congratulate Chase Talbot as he crosses homeplate after his grand slam in the seventh inning of the game against Navarro on Saturday. The Eagles took game 3 with an 8-2 win over the Bulldogs in the weekend series. The Eagles will face Bossier Parish in a three-game series starting today.
NTCC names Morgan as new athletic director By Kenzie Messer Editor-in-Chief
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| katt huffines
Eagle players look on from the bench as Shelby Baker makes a play at first base in one of the team’s games against Kilgore on Wednesday.
Eagles softball struggles in early conference play Special to The Eagle The Eagles came up short despite a homerun shot by catcher Korbyn Bassett in the fourth inning of game two of the Eagles doubleheader against Trinity Valley on Good Friday. The girls battled hard in both games against Kilgore, but again feel behind and were unable to charge back for a win. Coach Jessica Keith said the team continue to struggle with confidence in their play even though they had good showings against some
strong teams early in the season. “They are still just developing the fight and believing in themselves,” Keith said. She said with only two sophomores on the team, the group of freshmen are still working on finding the ability to be consistent on the field. As they prepare to move into the second round of conference play, Keith said she’s encouraging them to realize what they are capable of accomplishing as a team. “I’m trying to make them
| kenzie messer
understand, ‘You’ve seen the best. You’ve seen how you can compete with everyone,’” she said. “Now it’s just going out and playing.” Keith said the young team is still finding its way as they mature into taking on more leadership roles. “It’s the learning side of it,” Keith said. “We have a really hard time handling failure, and handling success, too. What I tell them a lot is, nothing is guaranteed I don’t care how good you are. It is still competing every single day and not getting comfortable.”
Northeast Texas Community College recently named Head Baseball Coach Andrew Morgan as the new athletic director (AD). Prior to the decision, Vice President for Student Services Dr. Josh Stewart, who was the former head baseball coach, served as AD for all of the NTCC athletic programs. Morgan said he was a little surprised when Dr. Stewart approached him about taking the AD position, but is ready to take on the role. “It’s fun, and I’m honored that he thinks I can handle it, and that he thought of me and offered it to me,” he said. “I’m excited about it.” With the recent resignations of the head coaches for both the men’s and women’s soccer teams, Morgan immediately went to work in his new role as AD. He said they are already moving to fill both of those coaching spots as quickly as possible. Stewart said they had been considering naming a new AD for some time, and Morgan proved himself ready for the task. “Andy brings a lot of good experience with him at different levels in higher education, at the two-year level and the four-year level.,” Stewart said. “He’s demonstrated an ability to lead in a great way in his first year here at Northeast. Although he has coached for some time, this is Morgan’s first time as an AD. He said the new position is challenging and has kept him busy with additional responsibilities to coaching the baseball team. “I just have to do a better job with time management,” Morgan said. “I have to make sure that I stay organized, and I’m trying to give enough attention to the other sports, but we’re also trying to win a championship ourselves.” “It’s been challenging, but it’s fun, I enjoy it,” Morgan added. “I like being involved, and having a plan and executing it.” Morgan said one of his main focuses will
be on the success of the student athletes. He said the plan is to make sure that they are successful academically, graduate and possibly move on to compete in their sports at 4-year schools. “Being able to say, five years from now, ‘here’s the plan we put in place, and here’s what we’ve done,’ I think that’s the biggest thing,” Morgan said. He said the goal is to work together to help create solid student athletes. “As an athletic department, we want to help develop good people, support them, hold them accountable, give them what they need, coach them and teach them,” Morgan said. “We’re going to help them continue to mature.” He said while the athletic program aims to work on helping the students achieve their academic goals, competing at the highest level is also important. “We want to win championships. That’s going to be the goal for everybody,” Morgan said. “Of course, there’s only one national champion. It’s not easy, and I understand that, but we want to win conference championships, regional championships and national championships wherever they are.” Morgan said another goal that he would like to accomplish is to establish a bond and deepen the connection between all of the NTCC athletic departments. “We are all going to work together and support each other,” Morgan said. “Everybody is going to have to chip in and help out. We’re just going to make it a big family.” Stewart said they felt that the timing was right to make the move to place Morgan into the AD position. “The athletic department needs an athletic director down in their area on a day-to-day basis,” Stewart said. “He was the right person for the job at the right time. I think it will really have an impact on our student athlete academic programming as well. Those things are very important, so we need some attention to those areas every day.”