The Puyallup Post | Volume 21 | Issue 6 | February 10, 2016

VOLUME 21 ISSUE 6

FEBRUARY 10, 2016

SERVING THE STUDENTS OF PIERCE COLLEGE PUYALLUP

Pierce students attend guided snowshoeing trip at Mt. Rainier

By Chase Charaba

O

n the white, iced-over trails of Mt. Rainier’s Paradise, students strapped into their red and black snowshoes Jan. 24 and began their two mile trek, guided by a National Park Service ranger.

Trekking through tightly packed snow, many of these snowshoers were beginners, prepared to experience winter.

The Office of Student Life took Pierce College Puyallup students on an all-expenses paid winter excursion to learn more about sustainability in U.S. national parks.

Sustainability Coordinator Morgan Pasquier organized the trip in an attempt to make educational events more exciting and appealing to students.

“I’ve been trying to figure out some ways to make my events a little more exciting and entertaining for stu-

dents rather than being strictly educational,” Pasquier said. “(I’m) trying to think outside the box. Stuff like the chocolate factory tour and the snowshoeing is kind of an attempt on my part to combine that educational factor that comes with my position with more fun stuff to make people more interested in attending events.”

The trip involved students leaving the college at 10 a.m. to head for Mount Rainier National Park. Students met in the OSL with their gear to sign waivers and take attendance for the trip.

As soon as 10 a.m. hit they filed into the college’s red and green vans, one driven by Director of Student Life Sean Cooke, and the other by Activities Board and Clubs Assistant Christi Grohs.

“I was little nervous driving up there because I’ve Continued on page 15

“Stuff like the chocolate factory tour and the snowshoeing is kind of an attempt on my part to combine that educational factor that comes with my position with more fun stuff to make people more interested in attending events.”

—Morgan Pasquier

Students traverse a snow field on their way back to Paradise on Mt. Rainier.

Pierce College students and staff gather around an interactive map in the Henry M. Jackson visitor center with their guide.

Students follow single-file down a snowy slope on their way to the Nisqually Glacier.

Pierce students and staff in front of the Nisqually Glacier.

Commentary • News • Campus Life • Entertainment • Sports

Hello. Issue 6 is our second edition, marking the halfway point of winter quarter. It feels like we just came back from winter break and now we’re almost into spring. The days seem brighter and longer, helping people to shake off the mid-winter slump. It’s almost like there’s a sense of new life and longevity in the air hinting at what’s to come.

Since this issue is relatively close to Valentine’s Day, we’ve included a special feature related to the holiday. Conversation hearts from Pierce students and an article about how relationships impact school performance can be found within the package as well. To accompany the feature, two reporters battle it out through the Fighting Words column to see if Valentine’s Day is really worth celebrating.

Continuing our trend, on the back page you’ll find a photo essay, compiled by Senior Reporter Amber Gilliland and myself. We’ve captured some interesting things on campus, from events to the college atmosphere.

Other cool articles include a feature on the astronomy program, a review of adult coloring books, a page uncovering the raise in student athlete scholarships and a news article about the potential ninth planet.

We’ve also added new features to our website. We have the submissions tab in full swing so now students can submit artwork, letters and other literary works to us. In addition, we have a blog section for the editor-in-chief and myself to have an area to experiment with a variety of writing styles. Look there for a bizarre encounter with a printer and a motivational speech. We have increased the amount of videos published online. Our production is averaging about one per week, so subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Puyallup Post, to stay updated.

Only two more issues and a few weeks to go until we’ve reached the end of winter quarter. Many more events are going to take place and we’ll continue to report on them. But if waiting until issue 7 is giving you anxiety, check out our website for a constant stream of articles from the online team and contributing writers, or you can look back on what we’ve written during fall quarter on Issuu.com. Until next time readers and thanks again for picking up your copy of The Puyallup Post.

Armani Jackson Managing Editor

The Puyallup Post is produced by students attending Pierce College Puyallup.

This publication is intended as a public forum.

Published materials are the sole responsibility of the editors, reporters and photographers, and are not intended to represent the college’s policies.

A person commits the offense of publication theft when he or she willfully or knowingly takes more than one copy of The Puyallup Post.

The newspaper is distributed on the Puyallup campus.

For information on advertising rates, or how to submit letters to the editor or story ideas, call (253) 840-8496, e-mail gamsden@pierce.ctc.edu or use the submission form on the The Puyallup Post website.

COMMENTSCORNER

The voice of the students of Pierce College Puyallup The Puyallup Post archive

Dear readers...

Often, students are faced with full lots when they arrive to the Puyallup campus and must park far from their destination.

Lack of parking poses problems for students Chase Charaba Online and Social Media Manager

Most students at Pierce College Puyallup drive to school, but it isn’t a fun task. Pulling onto College Way off of 39th Ave can be awful right before 10 a.m., Monday through Thursday. If the light turns red when coming from the east, students are forced to wait as cars pull in from the turn lane on the west side, going one by one as everyone else leans back against their seats in agony.

It’s not uncommon to drive through the campus parking lots searching for a spots near the buildings, only to find that there isn’t any. Those 15 cars didn’t just get better parking spots, they may have gotten the only parking spots.

Students wanting to find parking at peak hours have to resort to driving to the farthest corner of Parking Lot B, a desolate area surrounded by trees and thick bushes that make one feel uneasy.

On a rainy day, that’s a treacherous walk all the way to the College Center.

Some students even arrive to find that there are no more parking spaces available, aside from visitor parking in the E lot. These students end up parking along the curbs in the B lot, making it difficult for others to drive around them for the rest of the evening.

There’s insufficient parking on campus. The Puyallup campus is a commuter campus, meaning students have to

“Students wanting to find parking at peak hours have to resort to driving to the farthest corner of Parking Lot B, a desolate area surrounded by trees and thick bushes that make one feel uneasy.”

Commentary

commute to and from school because there are no dorms.

The campus is served by Pierce Transit buses, but that only works if students live along the bus routes, and most students don’t. Because the majority of students have to drive to and from campus every day, finding ways to expand parking should be a priority of this institution.

With the amount of money that flows in and out of the college, there should be a way to secure funding for a parking lot expansion project.

Sure, more buses and carpool incentives would reduce carbon emissions of commuters and in theory reduce the number of vehicles coming to campus each morning, but this approach isn’t logical for a place like Puyallup. It’s safe to assume that residents will stick with their cars, and the college needs to cater to this demand.

Armani Jackson

Chase Charaba

Suzanne Buchholz

Lizzie Duke

Katie Fenton

Amber Gilliland

Alex Heldrich

Andrea Mendoza

How to contact us: Editor-in-Chief: Grace Amsden..........................Lync ext: 8881 ............gamsden@pierce.ctc.edu Managing Editor: Armani Jackson ....................................8630............ ajackson@pierce.ctc.edu Online and Social Media Manager: Chase Charaba..........8632 ............ccharaba@pierce.ctc.edu Reporter: Suzanne Buchholz ............................................8722 ..........sbuchholz@pierce.ctc.edu Reporter: Lizzie Duke........................................................8620 .................eduke@pierce.ctc.edu Senior Reporter: Amber Gilliland.......................................8624 .............agilliland@pierce.ctc.edu Reporter: Alex Heldrich .....................................................8622.............aheldrich@pierce.ctc.edu Reporter: Hannah Pederson .............................................8628 ..........hpederson@pierce.ctc.edu Reporter: CJ Robinson .....................................................8631 ...........crobinson@pierce.ctc.edu Online Reporter: Katie Fenton ..........................................8654 ...............kfenton@pierce.ctc.edu Office Manager/Reporter: Andrea Mendoza......................8651 ..........amendoza@pierce.ctc.edu

The student newspaper office is in room 218 in the College Center.

Adviser: Teresa Josten Graphics/Production: Steve Heeb

Grace Amsden

www.puy alluppost.com

Newspaper racks are located throughout the Puyallup campus.

Hannah Pederson

CJ Robinson

Some images and information printed in this newspaper may be from Internet sources and are used under the fair use doctrine, which allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders for such uses as commentary, criticism, news reporting and scholarship.

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T H E

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FIGHTIN’WORDS

Is Valentine’s Day worth celebrating?

SHOUTOUT Alex Heldrich

Hannah Pederson

long. If it were chocolate, it’d be 90 percent cocoa. But the more Valentine’s Day is analyzed, the clearer it gets.

Most modern holidays started out Think back to elementary school. Valentine’s Day innocent enough. Halloween was origmeant buying tiny cards with candy taped to them and inally a Pagan Celtic festival celebratall those notes with the classic “Do you like me? ing the end of the harvest season.

Check yes or no” scribbled on them.

Columbus Day celebrates the day Later on in high school, it meant listening to a Cristobal Colon began his systematic Hannah Pederson friend complain that her boyfriend forgot to get her slaughter of native people and Easter something and helping her write a break up text. has roots all over the place.

During a person's twenties, it means scrambling for Valentine’s Day is a holiday that began as a time to remember the Christian Saint Valentinus, who per- a date and taking them out to an uncomfortable and unaffordable dinner, giving formed marriages for Christian them a cheap gift everyone couples in Rome during a time “For the past century or knows will be in the trash three of intense persecution of that days later. faith in the Roman Empire. so, Valentineʼs Day has If a person is married, it’s Of course, no one knows if been the product of a either a chance to smooth over he actually did, or if he even one time they did that one existed at all, but everyone has heteronormative society that insensitive thing or the new romanticized it nonetheless.

The only correlation between fueled by corporate greed, insensitive thing that they’ll be about for the next 10 what the holiday used to be and warping the definition of reminded years. what it’s morphed into are the Romantic relationships have creepy cherubim. For the past love into something that become the be-all and end-all century or so, Valentine’s Day can only exist between a of human existence, bleeding has been the product of a heteronormative society fueled by man and a woman willing into how love is viewed all throughout people’s lives. It’s corporate greed, warping the to spend exorbitant hypersexualized love to the definition of love into something that can only exist amounts of money on red point where Buzzfeed can write tons of popular articles debatbetween a man and a woman and pink crap.” ing whether or not platonic willing to spend exorbitant love even exists. amounts of money on red and Love manifests itself in many ways. It’s questionpink crap.

This cold dead heart has been keeping that one on able as to why it has to be confined to what can be said the backburner for a while, but it was always just with a manufactured card and overpriced chocolate. excused as the result of being bitter and alone for so

Reporter

Katie Fenton

family members who observe Valentine’s Day because it’s all about love and appreciation in general. In elementary school, children make personalized cards for their Assorted candies, teddy bears, roses peers because they value their friendship. Family memand sappy cards line the store aisles. TV bers write heartfelt notes and buy gifts for each other. commercials advertise chocolate-covCoworkers might hold an office party, complete with balered strawberries and elegant bouquets. loons and cake. There’s no written rule stating Valentine’s Parents heckle their children to find sigKatie Fenton Day has to be romantic, which means people are free to nificant others. celebrate it with whoever they want.

Yes, it’s nearly Valentine’s Day. Or maybe that special someone is oneself. Some of the In a similar fashion to Christmas, many people believe the Hallmark holiday has succumbed to corporate greed busiest people are college students, who often lead and consumerism. They don’t see a point in celebrating incredibly stressful lives. It’s difficult balancing work, school, friends, family, relaValentine’s Day when it’s all tionships and personal time about expensive gifts and fancy “Valentineʼs Day is the with ease. Valentine’s Day is dates.

But people should make the perfect opportunity to spend a great excuse to relax and “Treat Yo Self.” Book a day most out of Valentine’s Day a fun-filled day with that at the spa, read a good book, because it’s a unique occasion to make a nice meal, buy someshow someone (including onespecial someone. Itʼs thing expensive or just take self) that they’re cared for.

For those who are “taken,” important to feel connected the day off to nap.

Nevertheless, it’s underValentine’s Day is the perfect in relationships, and standable that some people opportunity to spend a fun-filled don’t like Valentine’s Day. day with that special someone.

Valentineʼs Day can help It’s a little cheesy even for the It’s important to feel connected in relationships, and Valentine’s couples maintain their bond hopeless romantics; but Day can help couples maintain or instill new adventure in there’s no denying the fact that this holiday benefits the their bond or instill new adventheir lives. Whether itʼs economy. ture in their lives. Whether it’s According to statisbowling, baking or going to a bowling, baking or going to a ticbrain.com, the average restaurant, couples have the opportunity to enjoy each other’s restaurant, couples have the consumer spends about $116 company. opportunity to enjoy each on this love-filled day. This includes cards, flowers, Plus, couples can have fun otherʼs company.” chocolates and candies, dinwithout spending money on gifts ing, clothing, gift cards and and supporting corporate greed.

A nice dinner date at home or a homemade card go a long jewelry.

In 2009, 27,362 students were enrolled at Pierce Colway. It’s really the thought that counts.

Valentine’s Day is a great time to tell someone that lege. If each student spends $116 on Valentine’s Day, the they’re loved too. Sending a crush a heartfelt card or a college alone would produce $3.2 million. While it’s not box of chocolates isn’t about the money; it’s simply an necessarily ideal to give into the materialism, spending expression of interest. While the romantic holiday is money on Valentine’s Day can be rewarding.

So while Valentine’s Day might not sound that appealcommercialized, people buy gifts for others because it’s a nice gesture. This special day might even assist someone ing, it’s worth celebrating simply for the sake of having something fun to do with friends, family or a romantic in finding the courage to ask someone out.

It’s also worth mentioning that celebrating Feb. 14 interest. There’s no need for negativity when it’s all about isn’t limited to couples. There are certainly friends and sharing the love.

Is Valentine’s Day worth celebrating?

Tyler Huson: “I think if you choose to celebrate it you can, but it shouldn’t necessarily be a national holiday.”

Chelsea Kegans: “If you have someone (for Valentine’s Day), it’s nice.”

Abby Nelson: “I don’t think it

should be the only time we show people affection and everything, but I think the history of Valentine’s Day is pretty cool.”

Jayson Morberg: “It’s great if you have someone to be with and if you’re on your own then I guess the chocolate is cheaper.”

Online Reporter

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Hannah Wright: “If you take it lightly (it’s worth celebrating), but Valentine’s Day makes people feel lonely or sad and that’s bad.”

Blake Roland: “I think if you love someone enough then everyday should be treated like Valentine’s Day and if you want to have one holiday set up to go on a date then that’s cool, but you shouldn’t treat one day more special than others.”

Riley Galloway: “I think that it’s a made up holiday that businesses created to basically ‘up’ consumer interest. It’s nice, but if you love someone then you should celebrate them every other day of the year as well.”

Amber Gooden: “I think it’s commercialized like all holidays. It’s a good example of why marketing is successful.”

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NEWSFLASH

What’s going on at Pierce College Puyallup

CJ Robinson

Need help STAT?

STAT program aims to help solve minor technological problems at convenient locations

CJ Robinson Reporter

The Student Technology Assistance Team is available to help students who have basic technology questions.

STAT employees help students having trouble connecting to Wi-Fi, accessing Canvas or having minor technological problems with their personal devices. According to the Pierce College website, a STAT member is always present in the College Center in room 272. Additionally, STAT stations are set up in the cafeteria and library during the first three weeks of each quarter and midterm week.

“The STAT program is just like what we do in the computer lab, helping students with technology questions,” District Computer Labs Manager Kandee Nelson said. “The difference is we have expanded beyond the labs, at the point of need for students.”

Nelson came up with the idea when she saw rates declining in the use of computer labs and a large amount of students using personal devices on campus. In order to help these students, STAT stations are set up during peak times, such as the first three weeks of

the quarter as many students need help with their first experience with Canvas or connecting to campus Wi-Fi. This gives technological help to students without them being required to go into labs. Two of these on the Puyallup campus are in the library and the dining commons.

This program also provides a buffer between the IT department and students.

“They welcome STAT,” Nelson said.

“If we weren't here they (students) would be knocking down IT’s door the first three weeks of the quarter asking those simple questions.”

Joseph Sanchez, a STAT employee, said that the stations aren’t always used to their full potential.

“I’m supposed to help, but when 5 or even 6 (p.m.) hits, no one is there,” Sanchez said. “You’re sitting there doing nothing.”

A survey in fall 2015 showed that 92 percent of students approved of a service that supports mobile devices at Pierce and 40 percent knew that one existed on campus.

During that same time period, a total of 46 students at the Puyallup campus were helped during the five weeks it

Joseph Sanchez (right) helps student Peter Kamau connect to Wi-Fi.

was offered and 44 were solved by STAT directly. Nelson said this year was a “pilot year” for the program and that these statistics come from little advertising and minimal funding.

Funding for the program comes from the technology fee included with students’ tuition. Because the program is an expansion of existing resources for students, Nelson said she requested more funding this year, but was denied.

She hopes to gain more in 2016-17 to augment the program.

In order to advertise, the team now have vests with a logo created by Marketing and Communications, tablecloths

for the STAT stations and are planning to create a vertical banner. At Fort Steilacoom, the student government funded 400 touch-sensitive gloves to help spread awareness about the program, but funding was denied at the Puyallup campus.

Nelson said she hopes to one day be able to have roaming STAT members who can help students in even more locations.

Students with questions can visit a STAT station during the first three weeks of the quarter and midterm week or the computer lab in the CTR room 272.

CJ Robinson

Students able to Excel with Microsoft 365 CJ Robinson Reporter

Microsoft 365 was made available to Pierce College students in January. This program includes options including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.

Additionally, this includes one terabyte of data on OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud service.

In addition to downloads to Office 2013 on a personal device, other programs are offered such as Microsoft Newsfeed, Sites, Delve, Video and Sway.

A username and temporary password were sent out through student email, enabling students to login to the service.

Students may reset their Office 365 password using their student portal. Up to five downloads are available to personal devices, including computers or any device which supports the Apple Store and Google Play. It also supports OneDrive, the cloud service that functions similarly to Google Drive. A student is able to access their files on any device with an Internet connection.

Pierce has used Google products more than 10 years. Since a Google account is utilized by students, many of the services such as Google Drive, Docs and Gmail provided stem from that account. Chief Information Officer Mike Stoke said that this proved difficult for the college’s attempt to grant student’s F E B R U A R Y

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Student can now access Microsoft 365 software online with their student accounts.

using that type of software if that’s what they're going to find when they're working at companies.” Stoke said.

A year after Microsoft released this program and bouts of technological troubleshooting, the college was given permission to send out login information.

Student Madi Martin said that she wasn’t aware about the addition of the programs but thinks it’s beneficial to students.

“I think it’s an exciting opportunity

access to Microsoft 365. Most schools with Microsoft-based emails got the service instantly, but it took longer to coordinate the software problems that arise with using a Gmail account to log into a Microsoft service.

Stoke said the benefits of these programs are clear when considering that many of these programs are used in the professional field.

“When students leave Pierce College, we want them to be able to access, to be

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for students at Pierce who couldn’t afford it previously,” Martin said.

Martin plans to use Microsoft 365 regularly and said it’ll help during the rest of her time at Pierce.

The program didn’t come without complications. Stoke said a few students were unaware of how to log in and the problems were mainly related to simple user errors, but for some students the complications lie in the way the program is supplied. Computer Information Systems student James Hall has to use Microsoft Visio for his CIS courses. This is separate from the free Microsoft account provided to the entire school, and can cause problems when a student wants to use Visio and open a Word document or PowerPoint at the same time.

“It involves going in and logging in with different accounts every time I want to open a different product,” Hall said.

There’s currently no solution to this problem.

The next phase is to transition into Outlook emails for students, Stoke said.

Students can log into Microsoft Office 365 at https://login.microsoft online.com If students have any questions or trouble getting access to their Office products, they can email or call the Pierce Help Desk at 253-964-6373 or helpdesk@pierce.ctc.edu.

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Canvas gets a facelift Alex Heldrich

Returning winter quarter students, staff faced with updates to Canvas Alex Heldrich Reporter

Returning students and staff have probably noticed the changes made to Canvas at the beginning of winter quarter. Canvas is the online program used by students and professors to communicate grades, deadlines, important files and calendar dates.

Students can also use Canvas to communicate with their professors and other students in their class through an inbox messaging system.

The updates to Canvas are all visual.

This includes a change in the color theme from orange to blue. There’s also tile effects, cleaner lines and new placement of the navigation bar, which has moved from the top of the webpage to the left.

Interim eLearning Director James Johnson said the new user interface makes Canvas more like iOS and Windows 10.

“The reason these changes were made was due to user requests to Canvas,” Johnson said. “According to Canvas, there was (a) desire to create a cleaner and more contemporary feel, which has made the user experience more simple and streamlined.”

The updates to Canvas didn’t take away any features but instead added new ones. The homepage now includes a megaphone on a course title if there are

Student Connor Staffen admiring the new Canvas layout on his laptop.

administrators at the same time in for the implementation.”

The new user interface was available back in early fall, but the eLearning directors didn’t want to switch it over in September, the middle of the quarter. Instead, they opted to wait until the holiday break at the end of the quarter to make the change, Johnson said.

“So far students have reacted positively about the changes to the user interface,” Johnson said. “The volume of Canvas support calls have been pretty low.”

Some students are thrilled with the new

any announcements for that course and a dialogue bubble used to indicate unread discussions within the course. While things may look slightly different, everything runs the same as before.

Changes are constantly being made to websites in order to fix any internal bugs or issues.

“Canvas schedules new changes roughly every three weeks,” Johnson said.

“Major changes like the new user interface are implemented on a slow roll which means Canvas takes their time to bring it out and they give the options to the

updates to Canvas.

“It’s a lot easier to navigate,” student Connor Staffen said. “I’ve heard some complaints that people aren’t finding the things that they used to, but I think that’s just a matter of getting used to the new layout. Honestly for me it’s a lot easier, the lines are cleaner, there isn’t clutter on every side and everything is better organized.”

While some students find the updates easier to navigate, others don’t like the new appearance.

“It’s too blue,” student Mikaela Payne said. “Every social media thing is blue: Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, even MySpace used to be blue. Orange was a better color. Blue is depressing.”

For students who check their grades and communicate via mobile device, there’s a mobile version of Canvas available to them for iOS and Android products. The Canvas app doesn’t have the old orange theme, but instead has flying superhero panda bears, something that may be favored by some students.

“The apps don’t offer the exact same experiences, but a similar interface as the new one,” Johnson said. “If there are any problems with the mobile applications, we would ask students to go to the ‘help’ icon at the bottom of the left hand menu to open up a case so that we can work with our Canvas counterparts to resolve the issue.”

Students who experience any issues with the changes to Canvas can contact the eLearning center at (253) 964-6244.

“We want to make sure our Pierce College students have the best experience possible in Canvas,” Johnson said.

Lizzie Duke

Textbook Revolution Reboot: Viva la revolución Lizzie Duke Reporter

Every Tuesday, red shirts can be seen on students around Pierce College Puyallup. These red shirts support the goal of attaining cheaper textbooks.

The purpose of Textbook Revolution is to switch to Open Educational Resources, an inexpensive alternative to textbooks. This task, which the Office of Student Life officers have taken on, requires participation from both instructors and students. “(It’s) something the students care about, something we care about (and) something we’re willing to wear across our chests,” Executive Board of Operations Cole Webb said.

After student officers initiated the revolution, they realized flaws in their initial approach. Now, they’ve begun working on a Textbook Revolution reboot, an internal change they believe will help. “(We’re) working on a change of tone from ‘the professors are screwing us over,’ to ‘please let us help you fix this,’” Webb said.

The student officers are continuing with their initial plan to pass an OER bill to encourage all of Washington to use cheaper textbooks. This bill will require professors to state how expensive their book is when students register for a class.

This change will give students the option to pick the class with the cheapest book, thus encouraging teachers to choose cheaper books or online resources. In addition, the OSL is trying to eliminate access code prices for online resources.

Changing from textbooks to OERs is going to take lots of effort from the professors, Webb said, and the OSL is trying to take a stance with them rather than against them. They’re aiming to get the student voice to affect the professors’ choice.

“We recognize that OERs don't work for everything, but there are students who need this - who need to be spending less because they don't have money to throw around,” Webb said. “We know it will be hard for professors, but we need them to do it regardless.”

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Textbook Revolution shirts in the Office of Student Life.

Currently, the student officers are researching this topic from the perspective of students and professors. The soup and sandwich discussion on Jan. 20 in the Connection Café was the most recent step.

“That was kind of our ‘coming out’ party,” Webb said.

“This is who we are, this is what we’re working on and we need your help.”

The student officers also have a faculty workshop planned in February that’s open to students. The workshop will include separate student and faculty panels to better understand their feelings.

Currently, the OSL is working on phasing out their past attempts. The student officers would like Textbook Revolution shirts to be worn, but as they run out of the free t-shirts, they’ve decided not to place another order.

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They hope that students will continue participating in Tshirt Tuesdays, but they’re thinking of opening it to any and all red shirts, not just Textbook Revolution ones.

The red shirts reminds teachers that students want cheaper books, Webb said.

“It's a commitment,” Webb said. “If you're going to wear the same shirt every week, that's big.”

Now that the student officers talked to professors and conducted research, they’re trying to be less offensive to the professors, trying to see it from their perspective. However, their stance remains the same.

“We want the students to know that they have a voice, and their voice matters,” Webb said. “If their voice isn’t being heard, come talk to us and we’ll hand them a microphone.”

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CAMPUSLIFE

Plenty of cool stuff at Pierce College Puyallup

Suzanne Buchholz

Child Care Center receives national accreditation Suzanne Buchholz Reporter

The Garnero Child Care Center at Pierce College Puyallup received accreditation from the National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs on Dec. 17.

Receiving accreditation means that the child development center has been recognized for maintaining high standards of quality and professionalism in the services it provides. This includes providing professional developmental opportunities to staff as well as a learning environment to students that fits their individual learning capabilities.

NAC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the abilities and skills of early learning care professionals for the benefit of their students, according to the association’s website. The organization achieves this by providing quality training and resources to early care centers after assessing whether the centers qualify for accreditation.

NAC bases accreditation on multiple factors such as quality of education, parental involvement and health and safety standards. If NAC decides that these qualifications are met, the school will be eligible for accreditation.

“We provide high-quality early learning environments for children ages 12 months through five years,” Site Supervisor and Pedagogical Leader Ann Slaughter said.

“We use online portfolio systems for each child so parents can see the growth and progress of their children during their time with us. We also provide services through Head Start and Early Head Start programs that connect low income families with family support, health, nutrition information and more.”

In order to apply for accreditation, the employees of

The Garnero Child Care Center recently was recognized for maintaining high standards of quality.

the child development center underwent a self-study process required by NAC. This involved assessing such measures as how they track student progress, provide mentoring for educators and interact with students. This process can take anywhere from six months to two years, according to the NAC website.

Once this step was completed, NAC evaluated the results to determine whether they were satisfactory before coming to the college for an in-person evaluation.

“After we completed the self-study and prepared the necessary materials for examination, we had an observer come from the NAC to inspect all paper work and do observations in the classrooms to determine whether our practices were indicative of a high-quality early learning program,” Slaughter said.

Once the visit was finished, the results were sent to the association office to be examined by early care experts, according to the NAC website. These experts determined that the child development center was qualified to be awarded accreditation.

Once the accreditation is awarded, the child development center will have to maintain standards in terms of education and other services to keep it. Slaughter said currently plans are in progress to uphold and improve upon these standards.

“We are always looking for ways to improve,” Slaughter said. “We’re currently participating in the Statewide Quality Rating system known as Early Achievers, which seeks to offer support and feedback to programs in the state who are interested (in) improving the quality of their programs.”

Courtesy of Caltech.

Move over, Pluto: California researchers discover evidence of a ninth planet Armani Jackson Managing Editor

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology discovered on Jan. 20 a potential ninth planet in the Milky Way galaxy.

The two researchers, who may have discovered the existence of the planet through mathematical models and the aid of computer graphics, said they’ve found evidence of a planet but not the planet in entirety, according to Caltech.

“What the Caltech astronomers are looking at here are objects in very strange orbits-they're highly elliptical and they're in a part of the solar system where there really shouldn't be anything,” the science reporter of The New York Times Kenneth Chang said in an interview with The Puyallup Post. “If there isn't a planet, then there is still something strange going on, and in that sense, a planet is the simplest explanation.”

The two researchers are Assistant Professor of Planetary Science Konstantin Batygin and astronomer and Professor of Planetary Astronomy Mike Brown, who is already popular in the science field for “kicking Pluto out of planethood, so he doesn't need additional notoriety for the sake of notoriety,” Chang said.

The planet, nicknamed Planet Nine, has a mass 10 times greater than Earth, and its orbit is 20 times farther away from the sun then that of Neptune. Its orbital period is about 15,000 years long. Also, its atmosphere contains hydrogen and helium, according to sciencemag.org.

“This new one is way out there,” Astronomy Professor Paul Hinds said. “So even if F E B R U A R Y

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An artistic rendering of Planet Nine.

observing the Kuiper belt and beyond, and he hasn't overhyped his past results, so there's good reason to think he's not overhyping this one.”

The scientific methods for Batygin and Brown’s discovery were published in the The Astronomical Journal Jan. 20.

Research began because Brown’s colleagues said three of the most distant objects in the Kuiper Belt are similar with respect to an obscure orbital feature, according to Caltech.

Brown and Batygin plan to continue to learn more about Plant Nine’s characteristics.

“I hope they find it,” Pierce College student Jacob Fingerle said. “I’d like to see

it’s the size of one of the big gas giants, it’s going be very difficult to find because light goes out from the sun and decreases over what we call an inverse square (a planet’s light reflected from the sun is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source).”

Another revelation--the discovery of the new dwarf planet, 2012VP113, in March 2014--prompted the research to explain clustering of orbital elements, according to The Astronomical Journal.

“There have been many, many predictions of unseen planets in the outer solar system, and these have all come and gone,” Chang said. “This one seems more believable. Mike Brown has a strong record in

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what it looks like.”

Evidence for the new planet excites both students and professors alike.

“I’m waiting to hear the news that it’s actually been spotted,” Professor and Department Coordinator of Earth and Space Sciences Tom Bush said. “The gravitational evidence that’s there seems to be pretty solid (and) it looks like the planet is a pretty good size. Enough so (that) its gravity can influence the orbits of some of the debri out there in space and the Oort Cloud (the outermost reaches of the solar system).”

Currently astronomers are using the world’s largest telescope to try to spot the planet and researchers believe Planet Nine will be spotted within the next five years, according to sciencemag.org.

“The brightness of this new planet is going to be right at the edge of what the telescopes can see because they’re going to be so dim,” Hinds said. “Chances are it’s (Planet Nine) black and cold. So you’ll be looking out into the black cold space and it’s going to be black and cold.”

Planet Nine doesn’t seem to have the potential to alter astronomy or atmospheric science curriculum; the only influence it’ll probably have is a potential class discussion. “(This discovery) tells me that potentially there’s a lot of things going on in the very peripheral parts of the solar system that we don’t know about,” Bush said. “There could be a lot of different things going on out there that have yet to be discovered. Who knows what that’ll be.”

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Lizzie Duke

Pierce students mentor disadvantaged youth Lizzie Duke Reporter

College Access Coordinator Sarah McDaniel began a program last year where Pierce College students could mentor low income youth and teach them about college.

“It has been very positive working with Ridgecrest Elementary,” McDaniel said in a Ridgecrest Elementary newsletter. “The kid’s coaches have been having an amazing time meeting with each other and seeing the program grow on both ends is an example of this.”

Pierce students began coaching youth at both Orting High School and Ridgecrest Elementary.

The program has 15 coaches, and McDaniel believes it’s best to have the same people mentor every time to work with the students for the whole year.

McDaniel recruited coaches with posters and promotion. Some volunteers are from American Honors or are Running Start students who need volunteer hours.

“I love those children,” volunteer Jesse Hamelin said. “They just brighten my day (and) every Friday I get to go visit them. I thought it would be a good opportunity to give back and show them that college leads to success.”

Students walk through the hall at Ridgecrest Elementary.

In a survey conducted after the first year of mentoring, 81 percent of students said they now have a greater understanding of college.

“They also kind of have that consistent good role model and influence com-

ing into their life,” McDaniel said.

One coach worked with a girl at Ridgecrest Elementary who was going through family issues. The coach went to an awards ceremony, that the girl’s family didn’t attend, to show her sup-

port.

Ridgecrest Elementary Principal Adrianna Julian later said in a newsletter, “What our Pierce mentor did not know is the impact she made by showing up at the RAH assembly and what this meant to a student who had been in and out of foster care and in desperate need of positive attention. That day our Ridgecrest student learned that others do care and want nothing but the best for them.”

Mentoring disadvantaged youth isn’t funded by Pierce College, so there’s a high chance it won’t continue next year.

The coaching is part of an AmeriCorps fund that’s given out every three years. There are more than 40 members of AmeriCorps in Washington state in other colleges.

McDaniel was hired by AmeriCorps and is considered a volunteer at Pierce.

She was looking into making it a permanent part of Pierce College Puyallup, but said it seems unlikely because, as of now, if the funds stop, the mentors stop going.

McDaniel said if the program does continue, it’ll most likely be at the Fort Steilacoom campus, as they have a representative and programs already existing through AmeriCorps.

Students of Color Conference bridges gap between cultures Amber Gilliland Senior Reporter

Students will have the opportunity to learn more about themselves and other cultures this April at the 26th Annual Students of Color Conference.

The SOCC brings together students and faculty from colleges across the state to learn about diversity. The application deadline was extended to Feb. 5 to encourage more students to attend.

At the conference, students will attend presentations by keynote speakers, as well as workshops.

“There are five sessions with 10 to 13 workshops per session on Thursday, Friday and Saturday,” according to mssdc.com. “ Each interactive workshop is scheduled for 90 minutes.”

Pierce College students will eat together at the conference but aren’t required to attend the same workshops. Students may choose the ones they’re interested in attending.

ASPCP President RoxAnne Simon attended the SOCC last year and said the workshops discussed subjects regarding all aspects of life.

“It was life changing just taking the time to learn about other cultures and how to learn to deal with people who stereotype,” Simon said.

Equity and Diversity Coordinator Timothy Estes said Pierce College Puyallup students have been attending the conference since 1992, and he encourages students to attend.

Estes said that students will get to learn more about their peers and themselves.

Campus events calendar Compiled by Andrea Mendoza

A flyer from the OSL advertising the Students of Color Conference.

“You get to see people outside the box that you see them in everyday,” Estes said.

Estes said he’s looking forward to seeing what the conference has to offer.

“I’m most excited to actually experience what students have said is ‘a life changing experience’ and am excited to see how I will benefit from this conference,” Estes said.

The conference will be at the Howard Johnson Plaza in Yakima from April 21 - 23.

The SOCC is free to students and will be funded by Student Services and Activities fees. Conference registration is $130 per student and $155 per adviser, but will be paid for by the college. Transportation, lodging and food will also be provided.

Each Pierce campus participates separately and a maximum of 40 students from the Puyallup campus can attend the SOCC. Students must be taking a minimum of five credits and plan to enroll in at least five credits for spring quarter.

Students will be sharing rooms and could choose their roommate for the conference. If a student doesn’t have someone in particular that they wish to room with, they’ll be assigned a roommate but will need to approve the pairing.

Interested students had to complete an application. Students needed to fill out a few short-essay questions explaining why they’re interested in attending and how they’ll use the information they learn to benefit the community. Two recommendation signatures from faculty members also are required.

Feb.9 Employer of the Month - KWA HomeCare

Feb. 20-21 OSL Now You Ski Me Now You Don't ski trip to Mt. Hood.

Feb.10 Houseplant Appreciation Day

Feb. 22 Last Day to Withdraw/Continuous Entry

Feb.11 Peculiar People Day

Feb. 23 National Handwriting Day

Feb.12 National Pharmacist Day

Feb. 25 Opposite Day, Open Mic Night 6-8 p.m. in the AAH Theater. More information in C210.

Feb.13 OSL Chocolate Factory tour 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Feb.26 Assessment Faculty Day-No School

Feb.14 Valentine's Day

Feb.27 Chocolate Cake Day

Feb.15 President’s Day-No School

Feb.28 Fun at Work Day

Feb.16 All District Day-Campus closed

Feb.29 Spring quarter registration begins

Feb.16 Spring quarter schedule published Feb.17 OSL Social Justice Rap 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. in the dining commons.

Feb. 17-26 Pre-registration advising

Feb.29 Pre-concert Talk for Northwest Sinfonietta, Mass in Time of War at 7 p.m. in the AAH theater

Feb.18 Thesaurus Day Feb.19 National Popcorn Day W W W . P U Y A L L U P P O S T . C O M

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Students express concerns about oncampus safety at night

CJ Robinson

Campus safety for night students CJ Robinson Reporter

For students who take night classes at Pierce College Puyallup, many walk to their cars when it’s dark.

While campus safety has preventative measures against crime, some students wonder if it’s enough to ensure their safety.

An informal student survey by members of The Puyallup Post show that five out of 20 students don’t feel safe walking to their cars at night.

One common complaint among the students is the absence of lights in the parking lots.

“You can see (lights) are burned out,” student Sarah Bridges said. “Even when you’re standing next to them in the A parking lot, they’ll go out. It’s creepy.”

The lack of lighting lies specifically in Parking Lot C, where many students have to park when the A and B lots are full but isn’t solely limited to that area.

Chris MacKersie, director of safety & security/assistant director of facilities, said that making sure lights are working is of high priority to the college.

“Campus safety regularly goes through the lights to ensure they are functioning properly,” MacKersie said.

On Jan. 26, members of The Puyallup Post conducted an informal investigation of the lighting in campus parking lots and found that 14 lights weren’t functioning properly throughout the campus. Key locations with malfunctioning lights included two lights in a row on the wooded path from the Arts and Allied Health Building to the Brouillet Library/Science building, one covering a cross walk from the AAH to Parking Lot B, two at the entrance of the path that connects Parking Lot B with the Health Education Center and two lights on the West Access Road. Others were in the courtyard connecting to the Gaspard Administration Building, the College Center and the LSC, the one-way road that connects Parking Lots C and D along the back of the campus and a light that turns on and off in Parking Lot A. A new system will help deter these types of malfunctions from happening, MacKersie said. This new system, Megamation, helps streamline work orders and

Students may need to walk long distances in the dark to get around campus or back to their vehicle after a night class.

makes sure resources such as first-aid kits, emergency call boxes and lights are regularly checked. Mackersie said it will be put into place sometime in February.

Student K.D. Williams identified a problem associated with the parking lots is the availability of general and disabled parking spots for students who have to walk long distances to get to their cars. She specifically referenced the large amount of unused staff parking spaces in Parking Lot B. MacKersie said the college follows Access and Disabilities Act code and in some cases exceeds the minimum number of disabled parking spots, and that the opinion of the student may have been one of perspective because they may only come during busy times.

Students also voiced their opinions about how to combat the problem of feeling unsafe.

Currently, Pierce’s only exterior cameras cover the entrances to view cars entering and leaving the campus. No cameras record the parking lots, courtyard or other exterior points on campus.

“If I knew there were cameras, I’d actually feel

more safe,” student Veronica Halte said.

Many students advocated for the addition of patrols on campus and more educational resources for students, such as how to effectively use self-defense mechanisms, how to increase awareness or what to do in the situation of a crime.

When walking to a car at night, walking in pairs is safer and decreases the chances of crime, MacKersie said. If walking out to a car alone, MacKersie advises students to do what law enforcement says; make sure to have everything arranged and keys in-hand before walking outside and be aware of surroundings. Texting, listening to music or looking down while walking could increase the threat of a crime, as opposed to walking with a purpose and showing confident body language.

Campus safety officers are available to escort students to their cars, emergency call boxes are located throughout the campus and the Office of Student Life hosted the “Students Fight Back” event on Jan. 28 in the AAH theatre to teach students self-defense skills.

Winter weather affecting students The Puyallup Post archives.

Slipping, falling, skidding, weather conditions affect Pierce College Andrea Mendoza Reporter

Winter has begun and that means snowmen, hot chocolate, sledding, cold temperatures, ice and possibly no school.

In December, the Puyallup School District had a two hour late start due to black ice and slushy roads.

Student Sydni Sexton feels that weather conditions are a hassle.

“If I'm late, then my grade goes down for participation and if the professor is late or doesn't arrive, then it’s almost like we wasted a portion of our money,” Sexton said.

Bad weather conditions come with an upside for some students. Some professors cancel class, making some students like Running Start student Brianna Whelan, grateful.

“It’s great, because I have morning classes and they're almost always canceled when it's bad out and I get to go home earlier,” Whelan said.

Icy roads and frosty roofs are some of the signals that cold weather and potential F E B R U A R Y

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Signage on campus warned of icy conditions during a snowstorm Dec. 20, 2013.

injuries are here.

According to ops.fhwa.dot.gov, icy conditions on the roads cause nearly 6,000 deaths and more than 450,000

injuries every year in the United States.

Employees of the facilities department try to minimize car crashes or injuries on campus, especially in the parking lots.

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Safety precautions such as putting salt on the roads are used to prevent any mishaps. Director of Safety and Security Chris MacKersie recommends being cautious of weather.

“Watch for weather, wear appropriate footwear because that's really important, slow down and be cautious,” MacKersie said.

During winter quarter, there was one report of a multi-car collision due to weather conditions, Mackersie said.

The college tries to notify students and employees of these weather conditions.

“Essentially what happens is that if weather is really bad after 5 a.m. we really missed our delay window to notify students,” MacKersie said. “If we get bad weather at 7 a.m., it’s virtually impossible to transmit the message.”

To ensure promptness of receiving messages from Pierce, students can sign up to receive notification from the Pierce College Emergency Notification System in their student portal under the “Emergency Notification” tab.

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Suzanne Buchholz

SHOUTOUT Andrea Mendoza

If you won the Powerball, how would you spend the money?

Jordan Zils: “I’d probably spend it on my college funds and with the last $20, probably get a Jersey Mikes (sandwich) or something.”

Ali Rowden: “The money would Robert Crane sorting mail in the mailroom.

A look inside the Pierce College mailroom

probably end up going to my siblings’ college funds. I have four little siblings (so I’d) put it in a savings account and hope for the best.”

Suzanne Buchholz

beneficial to the faculty and can be accessed in one convenient spot, Crane said.

Crane is the main employee in the Consolidated Services When one steps off the elevator in the dining commons across from the multipurpose rooms in the College Center, department. He said a typical day in the mailroom starts with processing print orders that profesthey might notice a set of double doors sors and other faculty members put in to their right. Those doors lead to the Pierce College Puyallup mailroom.

“Instead of trying to the night before or that morning. The mail is delivered in the morning, and For those who have seen the movie Elf, the word “mailroom” might conjure get it to everybody all Crane sorts and distributes each piece up this famous quote: “It smells like over the place, they of mail to the proper mailboxes. A courier from the Fort Steilacoom mushrooms and everyone looks like get it in one location campus usually comes by at some they want to hurt me.” But the Pierce in the day to transfer items to mailroom is nothing like that. Instead, here. Everybody has point and from the different campuses, and it’s an open room with a row of small an assigned mailbox, will help by sorting mail and other mailboxes for each employee along one while Crane takes his lunch wall, adjacent to another larger room and larger departments tasks break. where the mail is delivered and sorted.

Crane said that the mailroom at “The things that go on here, as far as will share a bigger the Fort Steilacoom campus is simithe mailroom goes, is staff and faculty mailbox so they can lar to the one on the Puyallup camhave mailboxes for whenever they get mail,” Consolidated Services Robert get their mail in one pus, but with one difference.

“At that location we have a mail Crane said. “Instead of trying to get it to central location.” machine that actually sends out all everybody all over the place, they get it the letters that need postage from the in one location here. Everybody has an —Robert Crane college,” Crane said. “So all the assigned mailbox, and larger departfinancial aid awards or checks stuments will share a bigger mailbox so dents get are sent out from the other campus through a mail they can get their mail in one central location.”

The mailroom is part of Consolidated Services at Pierce, machine.”

Consolidated Services offers a variety of services to facwhich also includes the receiving department and print shop that are all located in the same room. The receiving depart- ulty at Pierce, allowing them to focus on other tasks.

“There’s a lot of benefits of having a central location for ment takes in all deliveries made to Pierce, sorts them and then distributes them to the departments where they need to mail to be distributed,” Crane said. “Printing saves instrucgo. The print shop handles all printing jobs required by the tors valuable time they don't have to stand there at the smallfaculty, including such items as financial aid and registration er printers or copy machines. They can focus more on stuhand-outs, syllabi and tests. These are all services that are dents, planning their courses.”

Reporter

Samantha Sloan: “I’d probably go to Hawaii or pay for my mom to go with me because she loves that kind of stuff. I’d also pay for the rest of my schooling.”

David Proby: “I’d pay for schooling and also invest in stocks, depending on the stocks. Also, I’d spend the money to buy my parents a new house somewhere that they know is a good area and also trip them out to somewhere like Venice.”

Curtis English: “I’d spend it on a Lamborghini plus a new house. I’d invest half of it and then give some to the rest of my family.”

Susana Khomchuk: “I’d pay for more school and then probably give some to my family and then I’d spend it on a house, makeup and clothes.”

College offers alternative spring break Hannah Pederson Reporter

This spring break, Pierce College Puyallup students will have the opportunity to travel to Pullman, Wash., as a part of the college’s new alternative break program.

The program was put into effect last summer, when 10 Fort Steilacoom students traveled to the village of Santa Julia in Nicaragua for nine days to volunteer on a coffee collective run by local women to help them jump start their plantation.

“A lot of students said it was really life changing,” Community Engagement Coordinator Becky Anderson said. “It helped them understand another culture and brought them out of their comfort zone.”

This year, a new group of students who have already been selected will return to Santa Julia with building a school in mind.

These trips are exclusive to Fort Steilacoom students, as they’re funded by their Office of Student Life; however, Pierce College Puyallup Director of Student Life Sean Cooke took notice of the program at Fort Steilacoom and W W W . P U Y A L L U P P O S T . C O M

decided to create something similar for Puyallup students.

Puyallup students will now travel to Eastern Washington from March 24-30 for an alternative spring break.

Applications become available Monday Jan. 19 and were due Feb. 10. The trip cost students $100. Five full scholarships were available.

The trip is focused on the restoration of native habitats and is partnered with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and will include activities like planting trees and trail building and restoration.

Participants will also take part in nightly activities centered around Native American culture, which involves visiting a Powwow, an event to sing, dance, socialize and honor Native American cultures, to experience traditional food and dance.

“A lot of volunteering is getting to explore an area of your life that might not be linked to what you’re studying,” Anderson said. “The trip is a combination of exploring that side of the state, and giving back to a community who’s really in need of restoring the environment that should be there.”

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Deago Alexander: “I’d invest in stocks and spend it on school and education. I’d buy my mom a house and one for myself, then another house.”

Megan BeauchampTaylor: “First of all, (I’d) pay for my

education. I’m looking to get my doctorate in forensic psychology so that’s a lot of schooling and I'm going to get my master’s in criminal justice. Secondly, I’d buy my mom a new house. I’d help her relocate to California where I was born and go visit my family I’ve never seen before in Italy and donate some of it to people that were less fortunate.”

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Piling up the tasks for each day plus an added task...

Romantic relationship S

tudents at Pierce College Puyallup may take on another ‘hearty’ role besides being a student. They also may be in a romantic relationship. Perhaps it’s the “special someone” they are texting during class or grasping hands with while walking through the College Center.

“You see it a lot in high school, you also see it a lot in college and you see it a lot in work environments,” Faculty Counselor at the Puyallup campus Jennifer Wright said.

“Because that’s where you’re spending the majority of your time, and those are the people that you’re spending the majority of your day around. It’s just natural that you would then probably find yourself being in a relationship with someone.”

Whether the words are cringe worthy or enough to trigger butterflies in the stomach, Feb. 14 is an inevitable reminder of love, which includes the idea of romantic relationships. Valentine’s Day isn’t primarily for romantic couples, though. For student Sierra Mensonides, this holiday is an expression of love to anyone. This year, she plans on spreading the love toward her friends.

“I was thinking about writing a few letters to each of my friends and encouraging them and sharing how much I care about them,” Mensonides said.

Some couples may choose to show their affections by giving each other gifts, going out to eat or to see a movie, perhaps doing things they wouldn’t normally do on an ordinary day.

Students Dayna Wilhelm and Justin Fingerle, currently in a relationship, hope to go and play lazer tag if they aren’t scheduled to work.

“It’s our first Valentine's Day together,” Wilhelm said.

Yet, the true meaning behind Valentine’s Day isn’t limited to a single day, and romantic relationships don’t exclusively exist just on this holiday. When it comes to daily life and relationships, college students can have a great deal of commitments depending on the amount of activities they’re involved in. Besides college courses, this can be a job, social life or personal

Students Dayna Wilhelm and Justin Fingerle are one of the couples at Pierce College Puyallup who are currently in a relationship.

activities.

According to results from a random survey conducted by The Puyallup Post, 18 out of 20 students said they have a busy day-to-day schedule. Someone can have a top priority for their significant other, but find that it’s not easy to find the time to be a full-time college student and share hearts with another person.

A relationship must be nurtured, and an individual in a relationship must make time for it, Wright said.

“Often times, I see students come in that are really struggling with how to prioritize with all those things because work, school and relationships are all very important to them,” Wright said.

Suppose a student is taking three classes beginning at 9 a.m. each day and ending at noon. After class, they work at their job until 5 or 6 p.m. When this individual returns home, it’s not necessarily time for complete relaxation. There’s still the weight of school latched onto them: the homework, text-heavy textbook chapters, assignments and notes.

Professors often recommend the guidelines of spending at least two hours per every hour spent in class to study for the course. After arriving home at 6 p.m., the amount of work might take until 10 or 11 p.m., if not later.

“If you’re in class all day long, you would have less time to be with the person or to invest with the person and it could get difficult,” student Jonathan Kurtz said. “But I think if you care about the person enough, it shouldn't be an obstacle for you.”

Between managing a busy schedule and romantic relationship, about half of the 20 students surveyed find it hard to manage both of these at a time.

A relationship can serve as a distraction to some students in terms of class and studying while others may not have a problem, Wright said.

“It’s important to not get caught up in one over the other,” student Jared Westerman said, “But it’s not too tricky, I don’t think, to balance it.”

In the past, Westerman had a college relationship, and worked on homework during times that wouldn’t always interfere with times available for hanging out.

“We’d do homework together and kill two birds with one stone there,” Westerman said. “The other times, I’d just do it while they (past girlfriend) were in class or in the morning when I woke up: times I normally wouldn’t hang out with them, anyway.”

For Wilhelm and Fingerle, it’s usually on work days when they have difficulty finding time to be together, Fingerle said.

“We both know that we both have classes and homework, so we respect that and at the same time we just spend time together when we can,” Wilhelm said.

Wilhelm and Fingerle don’t have the same classes together, yet work on homework while being together and don’t find it to be distracting.

“I think it’s actually pretty helpful being with someone else,” Fingerle said. “It kind of helps me get my homework done.”

There’s not a definite answer as to whether time management with a relationship can work for everyone, Wright said.

There also isn’t a standard that while in college each student must have a relationship. Perhaps a student wants to focus on school, relationships with friends/family and engage in other activities.

Being a college student with a relationship is possible, yet this depends on how they can manage their priorities.

“I think that it just depends on the person,” Wright said.

“Our threshold for stress levels vary just depending on what our norm is.”

Story and photos by

Grace Amsden

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Courtesy of Grace Thomas

Aliens and sexy cowboys?

Sydney Blankenship shares wild stories

Grace Thomas and a swing dance partner.

Getting into the swing of things Grace Thomas brings swing dance club to Pierce College Lizzie Duke Reporter

Swing into the new Swing Dance club that was approved on Feb. 5.

Club President Grace Thomas is a trained dancer, as she’s been dancing for about five years and has taken lessons for at least two of those years.

“I’d love to do it for a job but my mom says ‘No,’ so it’s more of a hobby,” Thomas said. “But I’d love to dance competitively.”

Though she tried Waltz and Chacha, she mainly swing dances, which is a fastpaced, high-energy dance from the 1920s.

Thomas began deciding on creating a swing dancing club fall quarter, and this quarter asked for a club form from the Office of Student Life. The club meetings will most likely be Tuesdays, 10 a.m.noon or 2-4 p.m.

Thomas started by asking random individuals and friends who love swing dancing but don’t get to as often as they’d like, if they thought this club would be a good idea. They begged her to make it a club, Thomas said.

At least 12 students signed up, eight of whom are trained dancers. Thomas believes once it’s known as an official F E B R U A R Y

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club, more people will join.

She plans to use a half hour in the beginning of each meeting as an introductory lesson and the rest of the time spent for dancing. That way, the people who already know how can dance while the others learn.

Thomas’ main goal is to teach people what swing dancing is in the hope it’ll increase appreciation. She also wants to give dancers the opportunity to dance more often with more people.

“They’ll start to gain experience and start to be great dancers and that’s one of the greatest things,” Thomas said. “The growth is the best part.”

Anyone can sign up, including professional dancers or students who’ve never danced in their lives. Thomas assures that anyone can learn how to dance, but she said that because males lead in swing dancing, she hopes to have more males sign up.

“With dancing, if a guy can’t follow a beat, that doesn’t typically matter because the girl’s job is to follow whatever beat the guys do,” Thomas said. “If they can dance well or not, that’s a different story, but I believe they can learn how to dance.”

Swing dancing is a partner dance, but students don’t need a partner to join.

“Everyone dances with everyone,” Thomas said. “Don’t think you can’t dance if you don’t have a partner. And if you can’t dance, you can learn.”

their own comedy skit, laughed so hard that they choked on the sandwich and spit it out.

The sandwich then collided with the breast of a half-naked, changing cheerleader.

Another story by Blankenship includes Alex Heldrich the time that they had a run-in with an alien.

Reporter “It was two years ago when it snowed really hard and there was no power,” Student Sydney Blankenship is starting their second quarter at Pierce College Blankenship said. “I had stolen every nonPuyallup. Although Blankenship hasn’t perishable food item from my house been a student for long, they’re the president because I was going to survive this apocaof the Ink Slingers Creative Writing Club, lypse. I went to my friend’s house and later on a tenure committee and involved with the that night we went running outside at 2 a.m. and laid down in the front yard of a neighvolleyball team.

Blankenship has Student Life Sustain- bor that we didn’t even know. Then, we saw ability Coordinator Morgan Pasquier to this flash of circuit fuses blowing and we both legitimately thank for their enrollment thought it was aliens.” and involvement at Once, Blankenship Pierce. The two were at a Def Leppard concert “I just want to teach said, their family went when Pasquier recomEnglish at the high on a cruise to the Bahamas, courtesy of mended that Blankenship school level. I think the Make a Wish attend Pierce, Blankenas their ship said. Then, the high schoolers are Foundation, younger sister had Thursday before fall quarter classes started, fun to mess with and chronic kidney failShe’s currently in they registered. my own high school ure. a healthy state and “I registered in a math attends Pierce. class and a drama class, experience was “She still takes which I was then forced pretty okay. Iʼve medications and will to drop because my parneed another kidney ents were like, ‘No way,’ always wanted to transplant someday, so then I took a biology class,” Blankenship said. make comics that tell but my own kidney will be ready for her Blankenship plans to classic stories to when she needs it,” attend a university after make it easier for Blankenship said.

Pierce, so they can On the cruise, they become an English students to were locked in the teacher. understand and to tween room which “I just want to teach only contained Legos English at the high school tell vague and low quality Harry level,” Blankenship said.

Shakespearean Potter computer “I think high schoolers games. They also are fun to mess with and insults when the kids almost floated out to my own high school get sassy.” sea when swimming experience was pretty with stingrays. They OK. I’ve always wanted to make comics that tell —Sydney Blankenship had to be rescued.

As well as writing classic stories to make it and storytelling, easier for students to understand and to tell vague Shakespearean Blankenship plays video games, draws, plays a guitar and ukulele hybrid, and runs insults when the kids get sassy.”

Creative writing has been an interest of the Puyallup campus’ Ink Slingers Creative Blankenship’s. The passion started with role Writing Coalition.

“The writing club has impacted my life playing with friends and going on adventures and then turned into Blankenship com- in that I’ve learned that I’m a terrible presiing up with their own original and “awful” dent,” Blankenship said. “It’s fun, but I feel ideas that were written into their first novel. like I could probably do better and I’m “My first novel has since been deleted,” working on doing better.”

In high school, Blankenship also ran a Blankenship said. “I don’t want to read it. I don’t want to see it. The only thing that I creative writing club as well as participated was proud of is that it was an end-of-the- in the act of licking gummy bears and then world thing and the main character robbed throwing the sticky candy at people. an unguarded electronic store so everyone Blankenship said that they’ve since moved on to gummy worms. had iPads.”

“Right now, the idea of having my own Currently, Blankenship is working on a screenplay about zombies that has the place seems really nice,” Blankenship said. potential to become a YouTube series, “I want to live out of the house and be able which may be filmed by Student Advocacy to take naps whenever I want and not be told to do chores.”

Senator Perry Doidge.

Blankenship’s long-term goals include Friends of Blankenship and other students may be familiar with Blankenship’s dying before getting Alzheimer's disease, wild stories about the adventures they’ve owning a falcon, creating a video game and been on and the things they’ve seen. Some publishing one of their works.

“I just want to be published somehow,” may be familiar with The Story of the Sexy Cowboy, a tale about a comedy show during Blankenship said. “I don’t care which mediBlankenship’s sophomore year of high um it’s in, but to have something that I’ve school in which a student was inappropri- created make people think, ‘Wowie, that’s ately dressed as a cowboy, with Icy Hot in really cool,’ would be awesome.”

Blankenship is a firm believer that if places where Icy Hot should never be, and danced on a table in front of a horrified people put their minds to it, they can achieve teacher. Blankenship, who was at the time anything, even if that just means eating three eating the remains of a sandwich used for packs of Swiss Rolls in public for a prize.

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Photos courtesy Larry Wiseman

Larry Wiseman has a passion for math, travel and the arts Suzanne Buchholz Reporter

Professor Larry Wiseman is passionate about math but has many interests outside of the classroom. Among his various hobbies are traveling, performing music and enjoying the arts.

Born in Tacoma, Wash., Wiseman hadn’t ventured outside the West Coast until he graduated high school.

This changed when he turned 18 and traveled to Europe with the Tacoma Youth Symphony, in which he was a French horn player. This was his first trip outside of North America. He had several new experiences, and one that stands out to him was performing in Mozart’s birthplace.

“Our last performance, which I think was actually our strongest performance, or at least mine was in Salzburg, and we were playing some Mozart there,” Wiseman said.

“Playing Mozart in Salzburg, that really meant a lot to me. Mozart was such a genius and he brought so much to the world that I’m so grateful for.”

Since then, Wiseman has traveled back to Europe as well as to Japan and China on different occasions. He said one part of traveling he enjoys is connecting with people.

“Traveling on my own, I really liked how in Europe, a lot of the public transportation have seats facing each other, kind of in groups,” Wiseman said. “It just naturally creates situations to talk if people around you feel like it, so I had some really interesting conversations with people while traveling.”

Wiseman attended Oberlin College and Conservatory in Ohio and then the University of Washington, declaring many majors such as economics, history and music.

He said he didn’t have a clear idea at first of what his career goals would be but wanted to expand his view of the world and initially wanted to be involved in music.

Wiseman earned his first undergraduate degree in history and his second in math, with a tentative goal of teaching. He worked as a one-on-one tutor before becoming a teaching assistant for math.

“The first time I walked in a classroom, I just realized (that) even people I didn’t know, I just cared about them,” Wiseman said. “I wanted to bring good aspects of myself forward and acknowledge that they worked hard to gain an understanding.”

Wiseman taught classes at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, Green River College and Tacoma Community College before accepting a full-time position at Pierce College Puyallup. He said teaching is challenging because students don’t always have the same level of understanding on a concept and must be taught in a way that’s easily understood, but the chance to connect with students and help them succeed is enjoyable.

Wiseman said he’s loved math since he was a child.

He said he liked the challenge and feeling of satisfaction when figuring out the solution to a difficult problem.

ABOVE: Wiseman (fourth from the left) performs with the Pierce Puyallup Chamber Choir.

RIGHT: Wiseman after his first triathlon, the Lake Tye Triathlon in Monroe, Wash.

“I didn’t really think about it, why I love math, I just did,” Wiseman said. “And then later on I started thinking about why I loved it from that early age and I think it’s something about just liking to see relations of things. But also it was fun for me, it was kind of like a prominent challenge.”

Wiseman also said he thought of math as one of humanity’s greatest achievements, as it allows one to be able to look deeper into the universe from a technological perspective.

“It’s a tremendous achievement in terms of gaining insight into the structure of the universe,” Wiseman said.

“We could have science without mathematics in a sense that you could have the scientific method where you’re testing hypothesis based on evidence but without the mathematics to quantify that and see relationships, especially relationships between different variables, science would be so impoverished it would be virtually unrecognizable.”

When he’s not teaching, Wiseman likes partaking in other hobbies. He recently started participating in triathlons because he likes to exercise. He feels they help him focus and connect with nature. He’s also currently a member of the chamber choir at Pierce and the choral union at Pacific Lutheran University. He takes part in the

arts whenever possible by going to performances and museums.

“I feel like (art) can deepen you,” Wiseman said. “It can lead you to see things or open your eyes in ways you didn't before. Not that it automatically does that, I just think that it can and I really value that as well as just loving it.”

Katja Whelan dreams big Suzanne Buchholz Reporter

Running Start student Katja Whelan is working to become an engineer when she graduates but has an even bigger dream in mind that she’d love to someday achieve - to become a professional singer.

Although Whelan isn’t sure this dream will ever be realized, it isn’t stopping her from pursuing her passion.

She’s in concert choir and vocal ensemble at Rogers High School, and while she said she doesn’t like getting up early for it, she enjoys being part of both clubs.

“I just always really liked singing,” Whelan said.

Whelan was interested in choir for a while and was able to join during seventh grade. She wasn’t able to join earlier due to her parents’ work schedules preventing them from being able to pick

her up. She’s been in choir ever since, and on Jan. 14 she sang the national anthem at her high school’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day assembly.

Whelan said this year has been one of her most active in terms of singing. She made it into vocal ensemble at her school as well as AllNorthwest Choirs. The concert choir she’s in will attend a convention for the Washington Katja Whelan Music Educators Association at Central Washington University.

Whelan’s been in many performances and competitions but said that what she considers her greatest achievement was being given the Most Inspirational Award in 11th grade. The award was given to her by senior Katie Ragan, whom Whelan said she looked up to and

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loved singing alongside. The award was a ribbon that she said she loves wearing.

“I'm able to wear the big, blue bow quite proudly every concert and choir activity we have, remembering all those who wore it before me,” Whelan said.

Whelan said most of her other interests tend to be artistic. In addition to singing she likes writing, sketching, photography and spending time on the Internet. She partakes in these hobbies when she’s not busy with choir performances and practices.

Whelan said choir has made a huge impact on her life. She loves it because it forces her out of her comfort zone and helps her overcome shyness, and it’s been a fun experience. She recalled going on a road trip to Seattle with her choir for a tour last year, and that it’s a memory because it was such an experience, and she enjoyed spending time with the choir.

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“I don't think there's been very many, if any, dull moments in choir,” Whelan said Her varied interests are reflected in the clubs she’s involved in at Pierce as well as in high school. When she has the time, she participates in the Gay Straight Alliance and the Writing Club and would like to join the Star Gazing Club.

At Rogers, she’s involved in the Japanese and Art clubs and wants to join the Hiking Club. At Puyallup High School, she’s involved in the robotics program.

Whelan plans to earn her transferrable credits at Pierce College Puyallup in the near future. Once she’s done, she wants to attend the University of Washington and major in engineering. “(I want) some sort of job where I don’t have to sit at a desk all day and stare into a computer,” Whelan said.

“One where I’m up and using my hands fairly frequently.”

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CJ Robinson

Astronomy program: Lots of space to grow CJ Robinson Reporter

Stars, black holes, meteors, galaxies, the universe itself; all of these concepts and more are explored through the astronomy courses offered at Pierce College.

Five classes are offered at Pierce: Survey of Astronomy, Intro to Astronomy, Survey of Astrobiology, The Solar System and Stars, Galaxies and Cosmos and Astronomy 115: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmos. Astronomy 115 is the only classroom-based astronomy course offered at the Puyallup campus winter quarter.

According to the Pierce website, the program “offers these introductory courses in astronomy for students interested in the moon, planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies.”

Additionally, the study of the planet’s motions, relationship to earth and a general understanding of space are covered throughout the courses.

“Astronomy gives your life more fullness,” Astronomy Professor Paul Hinds said. “You’re able to understand what's going on around you and what those strange things in the sky are.”

Hinds said he constantly changes and adapts his curriculum to meet developments in the field. The recent discoveries regarding Pluto are something that Hinds said he has to adapt to when teaching about the planets and celestial bodies.

“In physics I could use a textbook from back in the ‘50s and it’d be fine,” Hinds said. “In astronomy, it wouldn't have hardly anything that we’re teaching. It’s a constantly changing science.”

Hinds said there are several outcomes in the field of astronomy that these courses introduce to students. These careers can include academic jobs in research and teaching or governmental jobs at NASA, but Hinds and Earth and Space Sciences Department Coordinator Tom Bush said that those fields are very competitive.

Even still, seeing students discover new facts about the universe is what Hinds finds most rewarding about teaching astronomy.

Student Leah Keaton said she wants to become an

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Professor Paul Hinds helps students working on their labs for Astronomy 115.

astronomer and work for NASA. “Every little kid's dream is to be an astronaut,” Keaton said. “I just carried that through.”

Keaton said she’s learned a lot in Astronomy 115 and this will most likely aid her in the future.

Although he doesn’t want to go into the field, student Martin Kastner has a long-standing interest in astronomy.

“I grew up watching the space shuttle launches on NASA’s website,” Kastner said.

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“I’ve loved it ever since I was in elementary school. This class has shown me things I’ve never encountered.”

Bush said he has no plans to increase or change the amount of courses and curriculum, since current courses cover a large range of topics.

“There's so much that we don't know about," Bush said.

“The universe is probably so complicated that we can't imagine what we don’t know yet.”

More information can be found in the college catalog.

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Brandy Ferber-Christensen:

Courtesy Brandy Ferber-Christensen

Horseback riding, gun slinging program navigator Diane Donery Contributing writer

Brandy Ferber-Christensen has called Pierce College her home for several years. She was a Running Start student and now the program navigator for computer information systems and computer network engineering.

Her job fulfills her passion of helping others. As a program navigator, Christensen assists students with advising and additional support they might need to be successful in college.

“It's pretty cool I can help people with a major life decision,” Christensen said.

As a Running Start student, Christensen said she was influenced early in college by what she learned in her COLLG110 class. She believes her faculty counselor adviser and College Success class instructor Terry Green was the biggest influence in shaping her career today.

Christensen said she asked Green one day how she could find a job similar to his and then she set to work.

Christensen earned her associate degree at Pierce and bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Washington. She’s also taken classes at Central Washington University in its master's degree program for educational leadership.

As the first program navigator at the college, Christensen said it helps that she’s worked in many programs such as Running Start, student life, peer mentoring, TRIO and advising.

Anyone who enters her office in the College Center can quickly see that Christensen is a huge fan of horses.

Her office space is filled with personal photos and mementos of horses, including her riding horses at various events such as parades. When asked about the photos, her eyes lit up and with a huge smile, she began to show each memento and explained the details of its significance.

“As much as I love my job at Pierce, if it included animals, it would be a huge bonus,” Christensen said.

Her interest in horses came at an early age. As a child, Christensen said she was independent and loved being outside.

Whether it was climbing trees or taming wild cats, she was always outside, Christensen said. A significant time in her life was when her family moved next door to a farm with horses and stables. She’d befriended her neighbor and began to work on the farm in exchange for horseback riding lessons.

By 12 years old, Christensen had learned to drive a

Christensen with her horse Vanity.

tractor, truck and trailer to help with farm maintenance; she also helped with all the horses needs as well. In return, Christensen said she learned valuable life skills and it probably kept her out of trouble while growing up.

Christensen took the skills she learned and now owns four horses, one of whom is her pride and joy - a gelding she helped deliver 10 years ago. She now teaches horse riding lessons; her students include one as young as 5 years old who recently won her first place show ribbon.

“No matter your age, when you have a mutual respect with a 1,500 pound animal, it's a pretty cool thing,” Christensen said.

Among the photos displayed in her office is one of Christensen in her wedding gown with her horse decorat-

Chase Charaba

Snowshoe trip Continued from page 1

never driven up to Mt. Rainier myself and I knew (the road) was really windy, so I was like, ‘Okay, I’m just going to go nice and slow,’ but I think that it went well,” Grohs said. “We all safely made it there and back and we had everyone on our bus, so that was good. And we didn’t get stuck in the snow.”

As the vans left the A lot of the college, a student had to run across the parking lot to stop the vans from leaving him and Pasquier, who organized the event, behind.

After the hour and a half drive to the mountain, the vans had to stop to chain up, where it took just over 30 minutes to complete the task.

“They were brand new chains, so I think that they were just stiff and never bent (because) they had never been used before,” Grohs said. “It was just the process of putting them on the tires for the first time.”

An older set of chains was eventually used for Grohs’ van because they were easier to put on.

“It worked out that the van that I drove had the extra chains that we had used before, so that went on much easier,” Grohs said.

Once at Paradise, students ate a lunch

ed next to her. There’s also one of Christensen on her horse with a gun in her hand.

“My horse was even in my wedding, and yes, that's me with the gun on my horse,” Christensen said.

Christensen belongs to the South Sound Mounted Shooters, a riding club where members shoot guns at targets while riding their horses.

“I shoot guns off my horse,” Christensen said.

Most visitors to Christensen’s office probably wouldn’t guess that’s one of her hobbies.

“I clean up pretty good, don't I?” Christensen said, as she lifted her flowered scarf up and ran her hand over her boots with a big smile. “I have to brush the dirt off these every morning before I come in here.”

Pierce students traverse the last hill at the end of the snowshoeing tour.

of sandwiches, potato chips and a cookie in the parking lot,. After they were set loose to enjoy the park as long as they returned to the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center by 1:50 p.m.

Just before 2 p.m., students gathered around an interactive map of Mt. Rainier National Park with their guide, who explained the purpose of the tour and asked for student interests, such as wildlife and sustainability. Students were

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also instructed on how to put on the snowshoes.

Leaving through the back door of the lodge, students tightened their snowshoes and began their trek up the hills, which were covered in about 12 feet of snow.

At certain points along the trek, the park ranger would stop the group and talk about issues at the National Park, such as the building of the new visitor

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center at Paradise in order to be more environmentally conscience and the effects of climate change on wildlife such as pikas.

“I liked that in every single stop that we had (the park ranger) talked about different things like asking us what kind of wildlife did we think that we’d (encounter) and what kind of wildlife’s more endangered and what problems they’re having,” Grohs said.

The park ranger would ask students to consider problems that the park has faced in the past and continues to face, such as foxes getting drawn to close to the roads and getting hit.

“I liked how he’d ask us questions about, ‘So these are the problems we’re having with the wildlife, but then what would you do to solve it?’” Grohs said.

After learning about how glaciers helped to shape the mountain, students returned to the visitor center and began their ride down the mountain, stopping for photos of the orange sunset on the bridge over the Nisqually glacier at 4:40 p.m.

Students returned to the Puyallup campus around 6:30 p.m.

“I feel like the weather conditions were perfect and I felt like our guide was so nice and funny, that he made it fun and educational at the same time,” Grohs said. “I thought it was a blast. I loved it.”

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RAIDERSPORTS

Athletics and activities of Pierce College Puyallup

Courtesy Duncan Stevenson

– School spirit at Pierce College – Suzanne Buchholz Reporter

Pierce College is home to several sports teams including baseball, basketball, volleyball and soccer. These teams not only compete but help support the community.

In January, the Fort Steilacoom basketball teams sponsored various events including the “Salute to Armed Forces Night” and Medical Professional’s Night.

On the Puyallup campus, the Raiders cheer squad organized a youth cheerleading camp.

However, some students may not be aware of these sports teams, and if so, they might not go to the games. This could result in lower attendance at sporting events and less school spirit on the campus.

Sporting events are usually promoted on campus where many students would see the advertisements on their commute to and from classes. Banners hang in the College Center, advertisements are on the televisions throughout campus and announcements are posted on the college’s website and social media accounts.

Advertisements often are provided by the Office of Student Life.

“Working with established resources— (The Puyallup Post and The Pioneer), web services and student life offices—are the best, as they’re already established avenues for getting the word out to students and employees,” Director of District Athletics Duncan Stevenson said. “However, we’re always looking for new ways to put Raiders Athletics on people’s radar.”

Despite seeing these promotions, many students, when asked, said they don’t attend sporting events.

Pierce is a commuter campus, and most students only spend time in classes and then go home after this.

Many students also have jobs or other commitments. This prevents many stu-

The Pierce mascot spreads school spirit at a sporting event.

“I think wearing more Pierce clothing would spread more school spirit.”

—Damien Brown

dents from being able to attend school events such as games.

Another reason might be that many of the sporting events take place on the Fort Steilacoom campus rather than on the Puyallup campus. Many students might not be able to make the commute to the other campus unless they’re already taking classes there or live nearby.

Some students think that the school spirit at Pierce can be improved.

“I think wearing more Pierce clothing would spread more school spirit,” student Damien Brown said.

Those who want to spread more school spirit through their apparel might want to check out the Pierce College Puyallup bookstore. The store sells a variety of clothing T-shirts, sweatshirts and baseball caps featuring the college’s logo as well as items such as water bottles and keychains.

Other students think the Pierce community is doing a good job of spreading spirit but suggested such means as starting more sports clubs to increase it.

“I think starting a wrestling club would help,” student Elijah King said. “Give the guys something they want to do and the girls if they want to wrestle, too.”

Stevenson said one of the ways school spirit might be promoted would be through more interaction between student-athletes and other students as well as faculty members.

He said that by mingling with more people in their classrooms, the cafeteria and other places on campus, they might be able to extend an invitation to others to attend sporting events and support their school teams. He hopes this might inspire people to become Raiders fans.

“Intercollegiate athletics at the community college level is extremely competitive across all of our sports,” Stevenson said. “Until you come out and watch a game, you don’t really know how good the level of play is and how hard our student-athletes work to excel at their sport.”

Pierce Raiders Cheer Camp provides a whirlwind of learning Hannah Pederson Reporter

This year’s annual Raiders Cheer Camp hosted by the Pierce College Raiders cheer squad brought kids from ages 5 to 15 together for a day dedicated to the basics of cheer and teamwork.

The camp took place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 16 in the Health Education Center at the Fort Steilacoom campus. After a day of learning, the campers showed off their new or refined skills during the halftime show at the women’s basketball game that night.

The camp was organized by the college’s head cheer coach Katelin Grothe, and co-run with assistant coach Fernando Ruiz, who was assisted by the squad’s cheer captains Brittany Leggett and Cady Dean.

Thirty-one campers participated, most of whom were between 8 and 10 years old and had previous experience with cheer through local teams, Leggett said.

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This is the first year that the cheer camp has been condensed into one day; typically, it’s spread out over three. Grothe attributes this change to making the camp convenient for parents.

Previously, the camp lasted about three hours in the evening from Wednesday through Friday. This made it difficult for working parents to drop off and pick up their children. Some were also apprehensive about the camp taking place on school nights.

This is Leggett’s second year volunteering with the camp, and she’s been a member of the cheer squad for two years.

Leggett began cheer when she was about 5 years old after her older sister convinced her to try it.

Leggett, Dean and another team member divided the basics of cheer into three sections: cheer, dance and stunting. Each of them taught one of these areas. The three leaders were each assigned four squad members to

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help provide a more interactive one-on-one experience.

This camp is one of the squad’s fundraisers, so it was important to Grothe that every squad member be involved.

“It really is a team effort to make camp run flawlessly and to make sure the kids are getting the best and most fun experience,” Grothe said.

Most campers come back every year, Leggett said.

“We love to see them come, and we love coming,” Leggett said. “They never want to leave, and I think that’s honestly what keeps them coming back.”

Most of the campers are from the Tacoma area, but Leggett would love to see the Puyallup cheer community represented in the camp in upcoming years.

“It’s a great camp for anyone, from beginners to people who have experience,” Leggett said. “It’s just a way for Pierce Cheer to connect with the community to let them know that we’re here and to get them involved.”

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Grace Amsden Editor-in-chief

Beyond the team bonding experience, rush of adrenaline during games and physical activity, Pierce College student athletes can also receive an athletic scholarship which goes toward Pierce tuition costs.

Scholarships are constantly being awarded to student athletes, Director of District Athletics Duncan Stevenson said.

“On average, we award between $50,000-$60,000 in athletic scholarships every year,” Stevenson said.

Guidelines for scholarships are determined through the Northwest Athletics Conference, the sports organization that Pierce College is a member of. Each sport at Pierce has a specific number of scholarships that can be given out.

A maximum scholarship for a student per quarter is $513 and the lowest is $100.

Coaches can give a partial to full scholarship amount, depending on the amount of funding.

“We didn’t have a minimum up until, say, three years ago, when the conference decided there needed to be a minimum to give it value,” Stevenson said.

For the men’s soccer, women’s soccer, baseball and softball team, each sport can award about $17,000 worth of scholarships per year. The basketball and volleyball team can both award about $12,500 in scholarships per year.

“The guidelines are based that we can give up to 40 percent of resident tuition for a student taking 15 credits, and that calculates out this year to $513,” Stevenson said.

“That’s a quarterly scholarship.”

Student Kailie Alama who plays for the softball team is a student athletes who has received a scholarship. The amount of money associated with the scholarship didn’t matter to her, as she said she’d feel grateful for any amount given. Since receiving the scholarship, Alama said that she must work even harder as an athlete while keeping up with schoolwork.

“I feel like if I don't do well in school or in softball, I let my coach down because he did his part about giving me a scholarship,” Alama said. “Now, it's my turn to return the favor and do my part as well.”

There are multiple ways that money is raised to support these scholarships. One of way is through the Raider Athletic Club booster club. According to the Raider Athletics website, “The club's aim is to unite Raider fans, alumni, and community business partners with the common goal of achieving excellence in academics and intercollegiate athletics.” There’s about $53,000 in the booster club, Stevenson said.

The club includes Pierce faculty members and outside organizations/businesses.

According to the Raider Athletics website, a donation “goes directly to enhancing the program's scholarship award program, and helping us meet programmatic needs for equipment, travel, and post-season participation.”

There are levels in the club based on the donation amount to the booster club. At the

Courtesy of Colten Barnes

Grace Amsden

Student athletes can score more than points

The money for a student athlete sports scholarship for Pierce is used toward tuition cost.

Scholarship guidelines are stated by the Northwest Athletic Conference, a sports organization for community colleges which Pierce College is a member of.

Baseball player Colten Barnes is one of the student athletes who received a sports scholarship for Pierce College.

top is the chancellor level for donations of games is another way to raise money.

“We’ve been slowly trying to build a $500, the president level for donations of $250 and the director level for a $100 dona- base so the coaches and the teams have more resources to work from,” Stevenson tion. said. “They (the team For each level, the members) also have to donor is given a gift of be actively raising appreciation for sup“The process for money in order for porting Raider athletics. receiving a those funds to come They may receive a Raider Athletics warm- scholarship happens in.”

Working at these up jacket, a Raider Athquickly. A coach games contributes to letics polo shirt or annual Pierce athletic event decides to award one each team’s account.

The coach of each team pass. For full descripand then this can choose how to distions, go to the booster tribute it to the team club tab on the Raider information is members. This year, the Athletics website. transferred through teams worked at every Donations can be Seahawks home used to fund scholarthe Intranet and sent Seattle game, Stevenson said. ships, decided on by the At each game, about 15 donor. The restricted to the cashierʼs members would account stores money office. The student team work all day and for scholarship funding, while the general fund doesnʼt physically together earn $1,200, which is put into the consists of donations receive the money.” team’s account. that can be put to any “You don’t get to go use. The money in the —Duncan Stevenson watch the game, which restricted account is at is the downside, but the highest it’s been, Stevenson said; there’s currently about you get to team build (and) meet other people,” Stevenson said. $12,000 - $13,000 within it.

The teams have been working at these Scholarship funds can also be raised is through team events. For example, the 5th games since 2002, Stevenson said. Besides Annual Raider Baseball Dinner Auction was the Seahawks, the women’s basketball team held Jan. 30 at the Fort Steilacoom campus, has worked at Mariner games, the softball raising money for the baseball team which team at Husky football games, the soccer team at White River Amphitheater. Various goes into the booster club account.

“The rest of the revenue raised from the teams have also worked at the Tacoma event will go into an unrestricted account, Dome for concerts.

Snap! Raise, the online platform for raisboth of them specifically for baseball,” Stevenson said. “The coach has the discre- ing money through social media, is utilized tion to use it to help fund scholarships or by student athletes, who spread the word help fund team equipment, uniforms, appar- about their team through social media.

Each team, except for the baseball team, el - anything like that related to the cost of has utilized Snap! Raise in the last year, running the program.”

Team members working for security and Stevenson said. The money raised through at concessions stands at Seattle Seahawks this will go into the unrestricted account

unless noted to be used toward scholarships in the restricted account.

“I think we’ve probably netted across the department about $18,000 (from Snap!

Raise),” Stevenson said.

Besides reaching out to others, students can reach into one of the vending machines on campus to retrieve a snack or drink they purchased, perhaps not knowing this money supports student athletic scholarships.

“All that money goes into the athletic scholarship fund and that’s about $25,000 a year (made from the vending machines),” Stevenson said.

Funding for student athletic scholarships is also allocated through the services and activities budget fee committee. This year, the Raider Athletics was funded about $21,000 from the S&A, Stevenson said.

About 10 percent of proceeds from the Foundation annual golf tournament event are used toward scholarships, as well.

The process for receiving a scholarship is quick, Stevenson said. A coach decides to award a scholarship, then this information is transferred through the Intranet and sent to the cashier’s office. The student doesn’t physically receive the money.

Student Colten Barnes plays on the baseball team and received a scholarship.

“My scholarship was (for) a total of $500 for my first and now currently my second quarter of my sophomore year,” Barnes said. “I was very happy when I was told about the scholarship. A scholarship for the sport you love is always a blessing.”

After a scholarship is awarded, the reactions from the student receiving it can vary, Stevenson said, including feeling entitled or questioning the amount of money they received, though these responses don’t occur often.

“You get others where it’s the one thing that helps them in school, (with) family finances and all the other things - they wouldn’t be in school if it wasn’t for the athletic scholarship,” Stevenson said.

SPORTS STATS: Results and standings Northwest Athletic Conference - West Region Women’s Basketball Standings (as of Jan 30)

Men’s Basketball Standings (as of Jan 30)

3-16 overall, 1-6 region

8-13 overall, 3-4 region

Jan. 23: Pierce (76) lost to Tacoma (78)

Jan. 23: Pierce (63) lost to Tacoma (74)

Jan. 27: Pierce (46) lost to Highline (57)

Jan. 27: Pierce (82) defeated Highline (74)

Jan. 30: Pierce (57) defeated Green River (55)

Jan. 30: Pierce (74) defeated Green River (69)

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FIRSTLOOK

We test the waters so you don’t have to

Lizzie Duke Thirteen Reasons Why Jay Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is the story of a girl named Hannah Baker who commits suicide and leaves behind 13 tapes. Each tells the story of a different person, situation or rumor which lead to her suicide.

The book is written similarly to a John Green novel, in the way it causes the reader to fall in love with a character, only to break their heart by killing them off. Asher indicts a slightly different grieving process by starting the book after the death has occurred.

Hannah’s story that of an average high school girl, yet that’s what makes it so touching. Rather than massive downfalls, it’s common situations that some people have experienced or witnessed such as false rumors, a poor home life, deceitful friends and a negative self image that eventually lead her to commit suicide.

This book stresses that people are more than just shapes floating through life, they’re deeply feeling and unapologetically driven. Anyone’s life could end at any point, and yet people keep living as if they have forever.

The character who receives Hannah’s tapes, Clay Jensen, is a modern prince charming. The entire book takes place in one night, as Clay listens to tape after tape. He follows Hannah’s map to each important setting she mentions, trying to walk in her very worn shoes. One cannot help wishing Hannah were still alive so that Clay could help her through all she was dealing with.

The novel ends fittingly without any real ending at all.

This may be a metaphor for how Hannah’s life ended unexpectedly soon, or it may signify how Clay hasn’t moved on.

Either way, the frustration induced by an open ending is oddly satisfying.

Overall, this book is tragically beautiful, thought-inducing and a good read for anyone looking for a change in perspective. Read with a box of tissues.

I give it:

Coloring the design, enhancing the mind Coloring books aren’t just for children, they’re a tool for provoking creativity, imagination and relaxation in adults

Grace Amsden

BOOKREVIEW

Grace Amsden Editor-in-chief

The first coloring book, The Little Folks’ Painting Book, was created in 1880 by the McLoughlin Brothers. Since then, coloring books have become an enjoyable and artistic activity not just for children but adults as well.

Coloring books aimed towards adults have made a splash in consumerism and television advertising.

Offered in stores such as Fuego, Hallmark, Michaels, Target and Barnes and Noble, coloring books are easy to find.

Coloring books serve as a way to escape from the high-speed of life and allow the mind to take a break and refocus, not to mention that it’s an enjoyable activity.

According to an article from The Huffington Post, “coloring has a de-stressing effect because when we focus on a particular activity, we focus on it and not on our worries.”

One coloring book is Lost Ocean: An Inky Adventure & Coloring Book designed by illustrator Johanna Basford. This book costs $9.99 at Costco. Within the book are images of mermaids, sea castles, ships and sea life. Some of the designs are mandala styled, which is an Indian spiritual symbol consisting of a large, highly detailed pattern. For example, there’s a mandala pattern in this book spiraling with seashells, fish, geometric shapes, starfish and turtles, to name a few of the items.

Disney Princess Art Therapy which also costs $9.99 at Costco, is unique and filled with the classic Disney magic. The images inside contain all the Disney princesses and more.

According to the book’s description, inside the book there are “all the accessories of the Disney princesses: glass shoes, spinning wheels, coaches, shells, roses, lanterns and tiaras. Use your brightest colors to enliv-

The Disney Princess Art Therapy and Lost Ocean coloring books among a series of markers used to color the pages.

en the elegant outfits of these characters and make the mandalas and other compositions of this work stand out.”

What’s unique about the layout in this coloring book is that on a page presenting a direct image of a princess follows to the next page with designs that accompany them. For example, there’s a page featuring Belle from Beauty and the Beast, her image centered in the page with designs surrounding her. On the next page, there’s a design with roses and vines, Lumiere, Cogsworth, the magic mirror, Mrs. Potts and Chip.

This isn’t just a standard coloring book with a soft cover that has large images for children to draw or scribble on, containing less detail than the coloring books discussed above. These books have sturdy pages that can be well-kept and treasured forever.

Coloring books like these ought to be appreciated, especially for the complexity of the designs. Upon opening a new coloring book, it may be difficult to pick an image to work on first.

But when closing it after working on a design, the individual will probably feel much more relaxed and artistically inspired to color some more and continue in the future.

I give it:

The first three students to email bsu.piercepuyallup@gmail.com will recieve a prize

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Armani Jackson

A restaurant to alter your karma Armani Jackson Managing Editor

Karma Indian Cuisine and Lounge, near the corner of 128th street and Meridian in Puyallup, is the restaurant to go to if someone wants to experience a culinary immersion into Indian, Pakistani or Middle Eastern culture.

Karma opened Oct. 15, 2010. It opens at 11 a.m. and closes around 10 p.m., but has a lounge which is open between midnight and 2 a.m. Though some people don’t know this restaurant exists, the dining experience is well worth it despite its outright sketchiness.

Besides The Lotus Grill in the South Hill Mall, not many Indian eateries can be found in the Puyallup area. With Meridian being comprised of a multitude of the classic American fast food chains, one can be skeptical to try anything marketed as ethnic. However, stepping out of a normal routine and trying something different can result in the best outcome: the discovery of a new favorite restaurant.

Walking in, one’s almost transported to India, with intricate golden designs on the ceiling, Bollywood style music playing from speakers and a disco ball. If it wasn’t for the wet bar, mirrored ball and hookah lounge, it’d be considered a five-star encounter for someone younger than their ideal clientele.

Overall, the food was heavenly, not only for the amount of flavor and spices, but also the portion size. Between the lamb vindaloo, chicken korma, lamb tikka masala and enough garlic naan to feed a small army, the meal was filling to say the least. The servers were polite and good at keeping water continuously filled, but nothing about them was special to the restaurant. The best way to describe them is like a stock character in literature: predictable and could be easily replaced. It took about 10 to 15 minutes for the food to be served, which is rather fast for a sit down restaurant. That seems too long for people who are really hungry, but it’s understandable for the complexity of the meal. Appetizers can be ordered, but the meal size is too big to be eaten on a semi-full stomach.

The menu contains traditional Indian food such as curry but also accommodates vegetarians and vegans. People can

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The menu at Karma Indian Cuisine includes Indian, Middle Eastern and Pakistani dishes.

choose a base meal and then decide which protein they’d prefer (chicken, lamb, shrimp or fish). The menu also includes soups and salads. These are relatively close to what an American palate is used to, like tomato and lentil soup or green salad (iceberg lettuce, mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumbers and broccoli).

The best beverage to ever come into existence is the Nimbu Paani. This is basically sparkling ginger and lemon juice with a whole lot of sugar. Refills on the drink weren’t offered so they may or may not have been free. Regardless, it takes the entire meal to finish one and another one wouldn’t be necessary unless someone can down that much acidity in one go.

The food is a bit on the pricey side, running about $14 for

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a lamb dish and $13 for chicken. The garlic naan and the drink were about $3 each, and one can order a normal dinner-sized meal for about $21 after tax. The restaurant does offer a military discount of about 10 percent for anyone with a military ID. Lunch specials are available for about $4 cheaper than the full-size meal from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., but it’s required that people explicitly say they want the lunch special. A person can order just about any meal as a lunch special and it includes rice, salad, an appetizer, lentils and the vegetable of the day along with the decided entree.

In the end, the price is worth an occasional culinary trip to India. The food was authentic and 110 percent satisfying.

I give it:

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Armani Jackson

Amber Gilliland

courtesy Cole Webb

Radio station KUBE 104.9 giving away free merchandise in the College Center.

Campus scene Armani Jackson

Armani Jackson

On Jan. 26, officers from the Office of Student Life rallied for the Textbook Revolution at the Washington state capitol in Olympia.

Amber Gilliland

LEFT: Students decorating the food pantry in the Connection CafĂŠ.

ABOVE: Donations for the food pantry Armani Jackson

Amber Gilliland

Rock formations in the CTR courtyard.

Student Technology Assistants Vekissa Drake (left) and Alana Perez (right) showing off their new vests.

Table in the AAH Building advertises the College Access Corps.

Heavy rains left large puddles on campus near the AAH Building.

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