The Eagle Northeast Texas Community College
Volume 34, Issue 4
ntcceagleonline.com
Thursday, December 3, 2016
students brave cold NTCC nursing program falls night to promote Homeless awareness just short of state passing rate By Brandon Pettey Opinion Editor
staff photo
| mandy smith
Members of the mens and womens soccer team gathered with other members of the community on the night of the event to experience sleeping in a carboard box. The event was aimed at raising homelessness awareness in the community. By Kenzie Messer Staff Writer On a recent, cold November night, cardboard boxes spread across the Northeast Texas Community College campus plaza. Inside the boxes, students lay snuggled up to their single pillow and blanket. Shivering. As hunger began to ache through their bodies, they wondered how much longer until they could go home and crawl into their own beds. Then, they suddenly realized that the one, uncomfortable night they had just experienced is actually a way of life for many homeless people. A few weeks ago the Northeast Texas Community College Student Success Services partnered with the Social Work program to host One Night in a Cardboard Box to raise awareness about the homeless population in the Northeast Texas area. More than 100 students experienced what it was like to sleep on the cold, hard, concrete ground, covered by a single cardboard box, and one small cup of potato soup for a meal. The realistic experience was designed to give students an understanding of what it feels like to be homeless. “We were happy with the turnout,” Pasleigh Nelson, an intern with both the social work program and Student Success Services, said. “We had a lot of people come and complain about how hungry they were. They wanted to get snacks, which we didn’t allow, so that was one of the realizations that they had. How hard it is to go hungry, and how it makes you
staff photo
| mandy smith
NTCC student, Kevin Fulce, prepares to spend a “homeless” night in his sleeping bag and carboard box.
“It was a little tougher than I thought it would be, my elevenyear-old son experienced it with me. It was hard to sleep outside
See Homeless on pg. 2
Facilites to reopen in spring semester By Daniel Yanez Editor-in-Chief While students, faculty and staff get some much-needed time off for the holidays and enjoy a break from classes, exams and paperwork, a lot of construction will still be taking place on the Northeast campus. Over the upcoming break, construction crews are scheduled to finish ongoing projects in different areas in preparation for the return of students in the spring semester. WRL Superintendent Kelly Norris said it would be all hands on deck to take advantage of the decrease in student traffic. “It’ll be a very busy Christmas while y’all are gone,” Norris said. “We’ve joked about putting up a Christmas tree. This is where we’re spending Christmas.” The building crews will be working to complete a number of projects that are currently under construction. Sections of the campus that will involve extensive work during the break include the lab in the UHS building, the student services center, the new kitchen and serving area in the student union building (SUB) and the IT and BT buildings. The crews will also be working on finishing up the sidewalks so that access opens up to the entire
staff photo
| daniel yanez
Construction crews work on the different elements and areas that will make up the new kitchen. Plans include the SUB space to be completed by the spring semester. campus. “We’re going to try to do an awful lot of the work that will be done in IT and BT over the Christmas holiday,” said Northeast President Dr. Brad Johnson. “They should be finishing up the student services center sometime in February.” The center is one of the major remodeling jobs under construction in the current phase of the $19.9 million bond project. The center, which is key when it comes to student registration,
will house admissions, the registrar and student advisers and financial aid. The temporary student services center has been stationed in the newly renovated humanities multipurpose room, but is limited in space. Once completed, the student services department will transition back to the former administration building. Johnson said students are encouraged to sign up for spring classes as soon as possible to avoid long lines
and congestion at the start of the year. “An important thing for them [students] to realize is that spring registration is going to take place without student services having their permanent facility,” said Johnson. “It would be smart for students to register early before the holidays and before things get too busy. We’re going to have a hard time coping with lines; there’s just no room over there.” See Construction on pg. 2
The Northeast Texas Community College nursing program is currently facing some challenges. Faculty members and students alike have been adjusting to a new, more rigorous curriculum and the program has seen an increase of English Second Language (ESL) students over the past few semesters. These obstacles have played a key role in the program falling short of the state’s mandatory pass rate. In order for the program to stay in good standing, a minimum of 80 percent of students taking the exam is required to pass. The last two classes to take the exam fell just short of the requirement, with 78.38 percent of students passing. Due to the failure, the nursing program will be placed on conditional status beginning in the Spring 2017 semester. This change in status is the result of a lower student passing rate on the National Council (of State Boards of Nursing) Licensure Examination (NCLEX). NTCC Dean of Health Sciences Shannon Cox-Kelley said that the department has already taken steps toward bringing the pass rate up to the required standard. Due to the length of the program, however, it takes longer to see the impact of the changes on test scores. “I would like mostly to emphasize that the nursing program is a two-year program. And as such, when interventions are made, results are not seen for two years when students graduate and take board exams,” Cox-Kelley said. She added that the department acted as soon as they saw a decline in test scores. “The first time we saw a decline in board rates was in Summer 2014,” she said. “We evaluated, made changes and saw tremendous improvement with that class when they took boards this summer in 2016 at 78 percent. We are confident in this next class.” Northeast President Dr. Brad Johnson said that there is still time to improve test scores. He said he is aware of the severity of the situation. If the pass rate does not change, however, it could hinder future students from being admitted into the program. “In practical terms what it means is that we have another year to get our first time test taking pass rate above 80 percent,” Johnson said. “If we don’t, we will be unable to admit future classes. It’s an important marker to meet” Northeast Director of Nursing Tonya Taylor said that there were mitigating factors that led to the lower pass rate. The nursing program also accepts international students, many for See Nursing on pg. 2
Administration gets student feedback on campus carry law By Brandon Pettey Opinion Editor A controversial state law passed by Texas legislators last year will make it legal for students with the proper license to carry a concealed handgun on the Northeast campus beginning Aug. 1, 2017. The college administration recently held forums on two separate days inviting students to come and express their thoughts on the new law. They also asked students to provide feedback that would help the college develop a policy to adhere to the campus carry law. Students who were eager to express their opinion packed the forum on both days. Northeast President Dr. Brad Johnson led the first day of discussion. He began by reading SB 11, which permits students, 21 years of age or older with a proper license, to carry concealed handguns on college campuses. The law permitted concealed license holders to begin carrying on university campuses on Aug. 1 of this year. After explaining the law, Johnson opened the floor for questions and comments. He made it clear that the change is a result of state law, and that legally the administration is not allowed to require a student to show proof of having a license to carry a firearm. “The college does not
have the authority to ask,” Johnson said. “It’s up to the gun owner to follow the law. There can be some pretty strict consequences if they don’t.” Johnson said, however, that the college does have some liberty to regulate areas where guns would not be permitted on campus. During the meeting, Johnson and the students discussed creating policy to ensure the safety of those who live on campus. The University of Texas policy, for example, contains rules that require studenthousing residents to use a gun safe and forbids the carrying of guns at sporting events. While the law stipulates that colleges can create policy regulating how firearms can be stored, it prevents any policy that would prohibit a license holder from carrying on campus. Johnson admitted that adjusting to the campus carry law will take some work and that it is difficult to make everyone happy. “I am committed to second amendment rights,” he said. “But I’m also aware that introducing weapons into a campus environment is a complicated issue.” Johnson also acknowledged that there is no perfect solution. “You’re going to have a problem any way you go. See Campus Carry on pg. 2