The Puyallup Post | Volume 21 | Issue 7 | March 1, 2016

VOLUME 21 ISSUE 7

March 2, 2016

SErVIng thE StUDEntS Of PIErcE cOLLEgE PUYaLLUP

Theo Chocolate Factory tour: the sweet experience

Grace Amsden

The words “chocolate factory” may bring about images from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: lifesized lollipops, lickable wallpaper and only a few golden tickets.

Almost two dozen Pierce College Puyallup students obtained similar tickets in the form of a waiver that would eventually

lead them to chocolate. But to earn this, they didn’t have to purchase chocolate bars. All they had to do was sign up for this tour in the Office of Student Life.

Sign-ups began the first day of winter quarter and it took six days for the event to fill up, Sustainability Coordinator Morgan Pasquier, who planned this event, said.

More than 20 students were placed on the waitlist.

“I was stunned, honestly,” Pasquier said.

“After how difficult last quarter was in terms of student participation, it was a little alarming. I’d expected it to be popular, but not that popular.”

Twenty-one students, Pasquier and two drivers traveled down the chocolate river to the Theo Chocolate factory in Seattle on Feb. 13. Well, they actually traveled on the freeway in the Pierce College vans, but this

group stumbled upon plenty of chocolate upon arrival.

Students first visited the gift shop, which offers many selections of chocolate, caramels and other confections. There’s sea salt dark chocolate, chili dark chocolate, hazelnut crunch, moon pies and the Valentine’s Day My Cherry Baby milk chocolate bar with cherries mixed in. There’s also saltContinued on page 8

Katie Fenton

Editor-in-chief

Grace Amsden

Grace Amsden

Left: the variety of chocolate treats at the counter of the gift shop inside of theo Chocolate. CeNteR: Students Kenna-Rose Burns and Marissa espino before the tour began. Right:the tour guide Katrina Keddy talking about the factory.

Commentary • News • Campus Life • Entertainment • Sports

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The voice of the students of Pierce College Puyallup

Why have Presidents Day? Armani Jackson

Presidents Day moved to accommodate worker sleep schedules Armani Jackson Managing Editor

Four score and about 136 years ago, the Federal Government brought forth, upon this country, a new holiday. It’s conceived in honor and dedicated to the proposition that all national workers can have more three-day weekends, according to History.com.

Originally known as “Washington’s Birthday,” the holiday was renamed “Presidents Day” after its date was moved from Feb. 22 (Washington’s actual date of birth) as a part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act created in 1971. This act, once put into place, moved several Federal holidays to Mondays, so more workers would be able to have three-day weekends, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

Today, this holiday is viewed as a day for patriotic celebration and remembrance of all past and present presidents. The holiday became more sentimental during the Great Depression when pictures of Washington would be printed on the front page of local newspapers every February 22, according to History.com.

Later in 1932, this day was used to reinstitute the Purple Heart. Public schools usually spend the surrounding days teaching children about the lives and accomplishments of presidents, mostly Washington and Lincoln.

“I view Presidents Day as an occasion for Americans to recall that all of our presidents have been/are patriotic individuals,” History Instructor Christopher Vanneson said. “None of them have been perfect and a number of them have demonstrated significant weaknesses and prejudices. Some of them have been more successful than others in the aforementioned noble endeavors, but all of them deserve credit for at least

Commentary

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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.

Presidents Day started as a celebration of Washington’s birthday but now is a day to remember all past presidents. trying to make our country better.”

If reenacting a battle isn’t enough of a celebration, people can visit George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Virginia. Every year it holds two birthday celebrations, one on Presidents Day and the other on Washington’s actual birthday. Visitors expect to see Washington’s actual house he was born in, but it was destroyed in 1776 by a fire. But, his Birthplace contains multiple colonial revival structures to help someone get into the patriotic spirit, according to their website.

To celebrate Lincoln’s birthday, each year on the closest Sunday to his actual date of birth Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, located in Indiana, holds a “Lincoln Day” where visitors can tour the historic farm and admire rangers dressed in clothing from the 1820s era, according to the Lincoln Boyhood website.

If those presidents don’t spark interest, the National Park Service provides a list of places that commemo-

rate the rest of the presidents including John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, Teddy Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and others, according to US Parks.

Pierce students like welcome the break from school.

“I appreciate the day off, it’s nice, but I don’t do anything to celebrate it,” student Claudia Speakes said.

Others think there are different ways to commemorate the holiday besides examining the historical background. “(Presidents Day) is a good excuse to take a day off,” Executive Director of Operations Cole Webb said. “I guess we could make a birthday cake for George Washington (to celebrate it), that’d be fun.”

Although federal agencies are typically closed, one can spend the day reaping the benefits in retail. Bigbox stores like Macy’s, Nordstrom, Best Buy and others tend to have some of the best deals, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal. Also, many online shopping platforms offer discounted prices on products or free shipping.

Presidents Day is one to spend either pondering on presidential terms or shopping until a person’s heart is content. Regardless of how it’s remembered, this holiday is a general celebration of what all the presidents have accomplished, Business and Social Science Instructor John Lucas said.

“There’s only one thing that we vote on as a country,” Lucas said. “That’s the election of the president and vice president, which is one of the reasons that there’s a special bond between the citizens and the president. In some countries, these roles are split between two people (head of government and symbol of the nation). The fact that both of these roles are combined in one person gives the president a unique importance for our country.”

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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“November Bird”

By: Meg Low

Fly across the ocean and I’ll Hang my own trapeze Spanning from the rooftops Steady over stormy seas

Rep. Hans Zeiger Contributing Writer

Sing me something selfish, rhythm Drowning wounded words Free from substance, truth, can you Do that November bird?

I’d close you in the locket dangling Senile from my sleeves But in my hands you turn to wind Though I beg you not to leave Fly across the ocean, Dear I’ll Somehow learn to live Day by daydream my nightmares I Can’t forget, forgive I can’t recognize myself for the Pain you painted me ‘A little red looks good on you’ Well, if that’s what you think Could you bring me back the moon since I can’t walk the sky?

I’d gladly trade this blue earth For gray black and white Fly across the ocean can I Meet you in the west?

I’ll chase you bird, until my lost Heart withers in my chest

Students have big role in higher ed policy In 2015, thanks to effective advocacy by students across Washington, the Legislature acted to reduce college tuition at our state colleges and universities. Last session was truly historic, but there’s a lot of work to be done to make college affordable and to improve higher education attainment.

There’s no issue more bipartisan in the Legislature than higher education. Lawmakers want to do what’s best for college students, and we want input from students as we make policy decisions.

As the ranking Republican on the House Higher Education Committee, I’ve laid out seven priorities for higher education this legislative session. I’d love to get student feedback on these priorities.

First, the Legislature needs to follow through on the 2015 tuition reductions and prevent future increases. In future budgets, we need to maintain the tuition reduction policy we passed, but also replace dollars to our institutions that would have come from tuition payments.

Second, we should maximize financial aid payments through the state Need Grant (providing financial aid to income-eligible students completing higher education). Currently 29,000 eligible students aren’t receiving Need Grant payments. Need Grant funding should cover more students and be prioritized for low income as well as students in their first two years of higher education. Freshman-to-sophomore retention is a key determinant of graduation.

Third, we should control costs. One obvious cost – more than $800 per student this year – is that of textbooks and course materials. House Republicans are working to drive down textbook costs through expanded use of open course materials.

Fourth, promote innovation by adopting recommendations from higher education stakeholders with a performance funding system to incentivize increased high-demand degree completion. My bill to do this is House Bill 2692. I have another bill that would allow “income share agreements” to engage the private sector in increasing high-demand degree completion.

We also need to modernize student support and advising services. Our community colleges are making strides in this area, and Central Washington University is asking the Legislature for help to launch a “Fifth Year Promise” program that would allow a student to complete a degree in four years and would cover the costs if the student had to go beyond four years for no fault of their own.

Fifth, we should support policies that afford Washingtonians a wide range of higher education choices. As students launch their careers, we should ensure Need Grant funding remains available across the range of all higher education choices.

Sixth, we should protect student and faculty academic freedom and promote diversity. This means ensuring a free exchange of ideas among students and faculty. Rep. Matt Manweller, REllensburg, has introduced House Bill 2488 to enshrine campus free speech in state law. It would eliminate so-called “free speech zones” that limit speech on campus.

Finally, we should promote opportunities for underrepresented student populations and make Washington the most veteran-friendly state for higher education in the country. We need to continue our investment in the Opportunity Scholarship and fund the goals of first-generation students heading into the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. We must continue work to improve credit for prior learning for veterans, invest in veteran centers on campuses and expand online and classroom learning opportunities for current service members.

Want to make a difference in discussions of issues like these and others? Consider coming to Olympia this session, contacting legislators in your home district, and collaborating with your school’s student legislative liaison. Following last year’s historic tuition reduction, we can’t rest on our laurels. The work has just begun.

Rep. Hans Zeiger (R-Puyallup) is the ranking member on the House Higher Education Committee. His email is Hans.Zeiger@leg.wa.gov.

The Puyallup Post website gets text-to-speech capabilities Chase Charaba Online and Social Media Manager

The Puyallup Post’s website now allows readers to listen to articles with Responsive Voice, a free plugin for self-hosted Wordpress sites.

This new feature was added due to a student request for more accessible features for those in the college Accessibility and Disabilities Services.

On puyalluppost.com, readers can open an article they wish to read and once the page loads, readers have the option to click a red button just below the headline that says “Listen to Article.”

Clicking this option will initiate the text-to-

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speech service.

The program reads only the text in the article, including who wrote it and the person’s position, unlike some programs that read the entire website.

Improvements can’t be made to this new feature because it’s a free product made by an outside source, although newer features can be included on the website in the future if a new program is purchased.

This feature is a continuation of The Puyallup Post’s goal to make their online presence more accessible and relevant to all students on campus.

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The Puyallup Post website now allows users to listen to articles.

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fightin’wordS

Shoutout

Is Pierce ready to implement the new state transgender policies?

Alex Heldrich CJ Robinson

another gender as an excuse to harass or harm a member of another gender. However, this fails to account for the fact that the policy at Pierce College states that The recent passage of the new transif anyone has a problem or suspicion about possible gender policies in Washington state behavioral issues, it’s not permitted. Also, before the guarantees the right for transgender or passage of this bill, it wasn’t as if there was an invisigenderqueer individuals to use the ble force field present at the doorway of another genbathroom, locker room and other facilCJ Robinson der’s bathroom: the only thing that stopped this was ities according to their own prefersocietal norms. The difference is now transgender indiences.

This is the start of a long road to equality for trans- viduals can feel like they’re accepted wherever they gender individuals across the world. Those who identi- go.

Another common argument heard against these fy as a gender different from the one they were policies is that of genitalia being assigned at birth are considered shown in a locker room, specificaltransgender. It’s important to “It’s important to note ly to children who are of the other note that gender identity is difThis goes under the assumption ferent than their sex. This means that gender identity is sex. that somehow children would be that a person with a set of female genitalia can still consider them- different than their sex. “scarred” in some way because of a glimpse of another person’s geniselves a man.

This means that a talia. If parents are worried about This group of people have this, there are alternatives. One posbeen regularly discriminated person with a set of sible change is a private changing against throughout recent histofemale genitalia area, which are becoming more ry and the evidence is clear. The common. This could give the transHuffington Post states that transcan still consider gender and cisgender (same gender gender individuals are discrimithemselves a man.” and sex) populations more options nated against every day. Specifibased off of factors of how comfortcally, a multitude of articles are found showing arrest patterns, doctor/patient relation- able they may feel with this new implementation.

Society must stop discrimination of a large group of ships and online violence that all point to a clear dispeople out of fear of the unknown. Transgender indiadvantage.

By supporting trans people, society is allowing viduals are people, and everyone knows the feeling of them to feel safer in their own bodies without the dis- being an outsider or as if they don’t belong. For this portion of the population, this is a daily occurrence and crimination already in place.

Many may argue that this policy poses safety con- these types of bathroom policies are a good first step cerns because of people that may use identification of towards mitigating this feeling.

Reporter

How do you feel about the transgender bathroom policy?

Rhiannon Webber: “It’s really important for trans people to have a safe place when they need to use the bathroom.”

Josh Riggs: “I think all bathrooms should be trans bathrooms.”

Isaac Lawrence: “I think we should just take off labels on bathrooms.”

Anthony Otlang: “If it’s what they qualify as, then go for it.”

Amber Gilliland

restroom. The male students were allegedly using the stalls with the doors open and told the female student that she couldn’t do anything about it because of the new law.

On Dec. 26, 2015, a state regulation Situations like this are fairly unlikely to occur, but they’re went into effect that prohibited facilities hard to prevent when they do happen. from restricting bathroom and locker The YMCA’s official statements about this policy said room access to people of any gender. that members will only be allowed to use the restrooms This legislation wasn’t new, but an and locker rooms that coordinate with the gender identity expansion of a 2006 law that banned dis- Amber Gilliland they listed on their application. There’s no easy way to crimination based on gender and sexual enforce this, however. There’s no way to prove that someidentity.

An email was sent in March 2015 by Holly Gorski, one is of a certain gender. Those with bad intentions vice president for human resources, regarding Pierce Col- could easily put down any gender identity they wish on their application. In order to prevent incidents, there lege’s stance on bathroom gender issues. would need to be an attendant or “The short answer is that every card reading machine checking member of the Pierce College community is free to use whichever restroom “The Puyallup campus membership cards at the restrooms and locker rooms. This aligns with their gender identity,” Gorski said in her email. “It’s not up currently only has two would be costly and uncomfortto other people to determine whether gender-neutral stalls— able for everyone. This goes for Pierce as well. Students can or not a given person is in the right one in the Allied Arts report incidents of harassment restroom. If an individual chooses to these incidents shouldn’t enter that restroom, it’s the right restand Health Building and but happen in the first place. room for them.”

This legislation has the power Gorski sent another email to stuone in the Health to be a positive step, but Pierce dents and faculty on Jan. 29 to emphaEducation Center. The doesn’t seem prepared for it. size the college’s stance on the updatThere hasn’t been much discused legislation. college encourages sion about it except for the brief While this legislation is a step in the students to use the email sent out. The Puyallup right direction for trans rights, negative implications may arise due to the col- restrooms based on the campus currently only has two gender-neutral stalls—one in the lege’s lack of communication and gender they identify Allied Arts and Health Building accommodations.

Most students will continue to use with, but the majority of and one in the Health Education Center. The college encourages the campus restrooms as they normally would, but this law creates the the bathrooms are only students to use the restrooms based on the gender they identify opportunity for harassment. male and female.” with, but the majority of the Chances are that students of any bathrooms are only male and gender who feel comfortable using the campus restrooms and locker rooms have already been female. This leaves out students who are along the specdoing so. Explicitly telling students they’re allowed to be trum of gender identity and who may not see themselves themselves doesn’t make them any less fearful of dis- as fully male or female. These students shouldn’t have to crimination and harassment based on their gender identi- trudge across the campus to use the limited number of neutral stalls. ty.

The legislation itself isn’t a negative situation, but People will take advantage of the law to make others feels uncomfortable on purpose. There’s already a story there needs to be more discussion of the issue and braincirculating around campus of a female student who was storming of solutions that’ll make everyone on campus snickered at by male students who were using the female feel safe.

Senior Reporter

Stefan Sacha: “I think it doesn’t directly affect me so I’m not too worried about it.”

Erik Mullan: “I’m part of the LGBTQ community and one thing we want is equality.”

Angela Russell: “My favorite bar has two one stall bathrooms and both girls and boys use them and have been using them for five years now with no problem.

A bathroom is a bathroom, just go in and use it.”

Andrew Punchak: “I think we should be as accepting as possible of any gender identity on campus and I believe we need to make it more visible and approachable because the little gender signs by the doors aren’t very inviting.”

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Newsflash

What’s going on at Pierce College Puyallup

Transgender people have to pee too Bathroom policy in Washington state allows transgender citizens to use bathroom of choice Alex Heldrich Reporter

Citizens of Washington state as well as others may have heard recent discussion regarding a policy allowing transgender people to use bathrooms or locker rooms that coincide with their gender identity.

This policy affects both private and public facilities where gender indicates which room one can urinate or change their clothes in. Despite common belief, this policy was enacted about 10 years ago.

With the third largest population of trans citizens in the country, this policy impacts the life of many people living in Pierce County. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer community is celebrating this achievement as now their trans counterparts can hopefully feel safer when using the bathroom in public. However, there has also been a backlash among conservatives.

The Law and Justice committee within the state Senate passed a “genital-check” bill on Feb. 3.

This bill proposed that a person’s genitals must be examined upon entering a restroom or locker room. It’d repeal the bill put in place by the state Human Right Commission that calls for gender identity discrimination to be an illegal offense.

Republican state Sen. Pam Roach, who helped sponsor the new bill, had her office toilet papered by trans advocates on Feb. 3.

Students and others who don’t want to show their genitalia to “bathroom monitors” are in luck because the genital check bill hasn’t been officially passed anywhere in the state. State senators are still battling

with an LGBTQ focus group that the college sponsored.

“They were asking me about diversity and what they could improve on,” Pasquier said. “The policy exists but not a lot of students really know about it and a lot of my trans friends are afraid to use the bathroom that they identify with, so the next day they sent out a reminder to students and staff.”

Despite the policy, trans student Mikaela Payne still doesn’t feel safe using either bathroom.

“I don’t feel comfortable around guys in the bathroom,” Payne said. “It’s like a painful reminder that I’m trans. And also because I’m a girl, it’s awkward.”

Other trans students at the Puyallup campus have different feelings towards using the bathrooms.

“Sometimes I feel safe,” student Jasper Bailie said. “It really just depends on how the people in there look. For example, if it’s a scrawny little white boy who looks like I could punch him and he’ll break then

it out in the courtroom and it may pass.

An email to students and employees on Jan. 29 from Holly Gorski, vice president of human resources, reminded recipients of the college’s stance on the transgender bathroom policy.

“Pierce College supports and values the dignity of each member of its community and is committed to maintaining an environment free from discrimination and harassment,” Gorski said in the email.

“This commitments applies to all levels and areas of operations and programs and is intended to ensure that all students and employees are provided equitable opportunities to realize their goals and to function safely and effectively within the Pierce College environment.”

This means that trans students at Pierce are welcome to use the bathroom or locker room of their choice and are protected by the school’s non-discrimination policy.

This email was sent after Morgan Pasquier, student and sustainability coordinator for the Office of Student Life, met

I’m not really scared, but if it’s a big redneck who looks like he’ll strangle me, then I’ll want to run.”

While the new policy makes it legal for a trans person to use the correct bathroom, it doesn’t mean that they’ll be safe in there.

Payne has never used the women’s bathroom at Pierce for this reason.

“Trans people have been assaulted in the past and a secluded place like a bathroom could easily become a trap,” Payne said. “I don’t know who’s in there and if they would be accepting towards trans people.”

According to avp.org, 72 percent of victims of hate inspired homicides were trans women in 2013, 67 percent of which were trans women of color.

Other trans students at Pierce who are friends with Payne have experienced verbal abuse and rude looks when trying to use the correct bathroom.

“I haven’t had any problems here at Pierce,” Bailie said. “However at my high school I was threatened with rape and I got death threats. I had teachers that would tell me to get out if they saw me go in. High school was just a really bad place for me.”

Payne thinks that Pierce needs to be more involved in spreading awareness.

“Last year there were posters put on the walls that said the bathrooms were a safe space to be used by anyone,” Payne said.

“There could be something like that this year or even an event to spread awareness.”

Students who encounter any sort of emergency while trying to use the bathroom or locker room are encouraged by the college to dial 911 from a personal phone or 9911 from a campus phone. Then, students at the Puyallup campus should dial (253) 8408481 to reach campus safety.

For non-emergency situations where a student experiences discrimination or harassment while in the bathroom at Pierce, they should contact Gorski at (253) 964-6519 or hgorski@pierce.ctc.edu.

Summer camp focuses on STEM topics CJ Robinson Reporter

The international education program at Pierce College will soon confirm plans for its two-week intensive science, technology, math and engineering summer camp.

College officials hope to attract international and domestic students to explore the college’s science and technology programs at Pierce.

The program will include a series of educational activities during the day and cultural excursions that include tours of the Microsoft and Boeing campuses.

Students will complete a culminating project at the end of the session that includes a presentation. The program will also include a curriculum with topics such as higher level math, physics, science, college leadership and computer programming. Pricing for this event currently isn’t available.

Breanna Baker, activities coordinator for the international education program, said the original intent behind forming the camp was to increase exposure for the STEM program at the college. w w w . P u y a l l u P P o s t . c o m

“Many of our international students come to study things like engineering, math and science,” Baker said.

“We wanted to give them a little taste of that at Pierce College and give these students to have an opportunity to study and jumpstart their interests.”

The program will include teaching by both Pierce College professors as well as Dr. Yi So-yeon, South Korean scientist and astronaut, Baker said. She’s known for her accomplishment of being the first South Korean citizen to go into space.

So-yeon first became interested in working with the college in Jan. 2015 when she delivered a lecture entitled Mindfulness from Weightlessness, in which she described her journey to the space station. Since then, she’s showed interest in teaching for Pierce in the science program.

Professors and So-yeon will work together to create a curriculum to be taught in the program that they think will give students the best insight into the STEM field.

“We feel very honored that she’s on our team,” Baker said. “She’s so excited and has so much passion

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and energy to teach her specialty.”

The staff will be utilizing pieces of curriculum from the courses offered at Pierce and modifying parts of them to give an overview so students have a chance to see what they’re like.

Baker said this program was made while keeping international students in mind. John Green, marketing manager of international education, will embark on a trip to countries such as China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan and Brazil in order to advertise for the program.

International students will be provided housing for their stay and one international student will be awarded a scholarship covering the full tuition cost. These students can apply if they’ve demonstrated significant experience with STEM. Domestic students may also apply for scholarships if they’ve shown academic proficiency in math and science.

“If anyone is interested in STEM, I encourage them to sign up,” Baker said. “As for international students, they can test out the waters and see if studying in the U.S. is going to work.” m a r c h

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Lancer contract ending, future food service considered by committee Grace Amsden

Lancer’s five-year contract to expire in September, new bidding process will begin Grace Amsden Editor-in-chief

The current contract between Pierce College and its food service provider began in 2011 and will terminate in September 2016, Procurement Officer Curtis Lee said.

College officials will open a competitive bidding process to find a new provider or continue with the current provider, Lancer Hospitality, Lee said.

A committee of students and college employees will review and evaluate bids from companies. Student leaders at the Office of Student Life at both the Puyallup and Fort Steilacoom campuses have been invited to participate. There have also been requests for a faculty union chair individual to serve on the committee.

Other committee members in the District will be from different departments who use the catering services often, Lee said.

The bidding process is required before designating a food service provider.

The first step for this process is for the potential food catering services for Pierce to submit a proposal including a plan regarding how they can meet the mandatory requirements in order to cater for the college. These are the preliminary requirements that are part of the Request for Proposal, Lee said.

Next in the process, the vendors respond to this in writing and it’s reviewed by the committee. After this, the vendors will each give a presentation to the committee.

The committee members will then assess the food from each vendor. Once the committee decides on a vendor, this vendor will be contacted and a contract is initiated.

The completed contract includes the Request for Pro-

Lancer hospitality, the current food service provider at Pierce College Puyallup, will see its contract end in September 2016. posal, the vendor’s response to this and a new contract.

The final step is for the signing of the contract, which is awarded to the most qualified vendor, Lee said.

Even though this process will begin doesn’t mean that Lancer will be replaced and a new catering service will serve food and cater for Pierce.

Input from students is important as in the past, there’s been difficulty in participation for this committee, Lee

said.

The details discussed within the process will remain confidential until the contract is finalized.

The deadline for the committee formation is March 11.

The first meeting is March 14, where Lee will discuss the rights and responsibilities for this process. For those interested, they can contact Lee at CLee@pierce.ctc.edu or at 253-964-6595.

The ABCs of CBE

Provided by Sachi Horback

Pierce College offers new degree designed for self-motivated students Suzanne Buchholz Reporter

In addition to the degrees already available, Pierce College is offering a new choice to students called the Competency-Based Education business degree.

CBE is an online-based degree identical to an Associate of Arts Business Transfer degree that students can complete in their own time and allows them to apply previous schooling and work experiences to their progress toward the degree. It was designed with self-motivated students in mind, so they can take as long they need or finish it early, Dean of Business and Social Science Sachi Horback said.

“We at Pierce College desire to serve our community and offer high-quality options that afford opportunities for our students to advance their education,” Horback said. “We recognize that our students have different needs, and therefore offering a program with flexibility and a clear path for moving forward is key.”

CBE is comprised of 18 courses which are designed to meet the requirements of the degree. The program utilizes various assessments to test knowledge on key components of the courses.

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the CBe degree makes it easier for students to earn their degrees in their own time. they may be able to successfully complete all of the assessments in that course at a faster pace than other students who haven’t had that experience.”

The program runs on a different cycle than other degree programs. Instead of a more traditional quarter system, the program has starting periods at the beginning of July, August, September, January, February or March. Students can enroll for as many credits as they can finish in the six-month period that the program lasts.

In addition to being self-paced, the program offers other perks that make it more affordable for students, Horback said.

“Financial aid is available for this as it is for any other program,” Horback said.

“And here is some other good news; the program utilizes free open educational

This is done to determine a student’s progress toward the degree.

Students aren’t able to choose all of the courses they take while pursuing this degree, as they’re tailored to fit the requirements of the program. However, the program allows students to drop courses they’ve previously taken and received credits for. The credits from previous classes are then applied toward the degree. They’re also able to apply any previous job experiences toward the completion of the degree when possible.

“Students can complete the course assessments at their own pace, leveraging prior school, work and life experience where appropriate,” Vice President for Learning and Student Success at Fort Steilacoom Debra Gilchrist said. “For example, if a student has experience working in a human resources office,

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resources, so students won’t have to buy any print or online textbooks.”

Students won’t have to go to the campus for any reason, but will still have access to resources such as the library and computer labs. Students in the program will also have specialized instructors and mentors to help them achieve their goals in the way that works best for them. Completion coaches will work as mentors to students through their time in the program and will assist them with tasks such as creating a timeline for program completion and discussing effective study strategies.

Students interested in the program are encouraged to meet with their advisers and discuss whether the program fits their educational goals. Gilchrist hopes that students will consider looking into this option.

“We are so excited to offer this option,” Gilchrist said. “We look forward to seeing different types of students work within the CBE option; vets who served in a business capacity in the military, small business owners who want a formal degree, students new to the business arena who cannot easily get to campus, individuals who are very focused and want to dedicate time to their learning and progress faster, etc.”

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Chase Charaba

Lane Community College torch editor-in-Chief Andre Casey (foreground), CeO of University of Oregon emerald Charlie Weaver and Western Kentucky University professor Chuck Clark participate in the first ever ACP Reinventing Student Media session.

The Puyallup Post attends Associate Collegiate Press journalism conference Editor-in-chief

From Feb. 18-21, nine members from The Puyallup Post attended the Associate Collegiate Press conference held in Los Angeles at the Sheraton Universal hotel.

At the conference were multiple sessions held by advisers, reporters, designers and experienced journalism officials who shared their knowledge about the profession, and gave personal inspiration and tips.

One of the sessions, with an additional fee aside from the other sessions, was the Disney Creativity Symposium led by Christopher Chapman, the Global Creativity and Innovation Director for Disney. The three-hour session was held at the John Hench Gallery in Glendale.

This is the archive library for the ideas that have inspired Disney and is the place where ideas come to life and plans are created, Chapman said.

In the session, Chapman emphasized the importance of accepting new ideas and how to develop an idea instead of saying that it isn’t good enough. He led the group through multiple exercises to illustrate his point.

At first, it’s unpredictable as to whether an idea will blossom or turn into a weed, Chapman said.

Often times, ideas can develop when an individual is participating in activities aside from sitting at a desk such as through exercising or yoga, Chapman said. Ideas may be difficult to develop if the individual is under pressure. Laughing can be one way to enhance the thinking process.

A brainstorming group exercise completed the session where individuals collaborated to think of a new kind of movie theater with different features opposed to the typical movie theater. Groups had to analyze the traits that accompany a movie theater with elements such as concessions, a movie screen, limited seating, ticket cost and dark lighting.

Then, the groups had to change one of these factors to brainstorm a new innovation for a movie theater. One group decided to have a theater with individual booths where guests could choose their own lightning in the privacy of their own booth; for example, this is similar to how guests at a restaurant make reservations.

Another session that required travel outside the conference was a tour of the Los Angeles Times. On the tour, students were led around the numerous offices and learned historical information of this newspaper and

Thoughts on LA trip

about articles that have been written.

A session called Going Deep in Interviews led by Jennifer Burger from California State University was another session at the conference. Burger discussed tips for interviewing, such as that the interview doesn’t begin or end once the reporter turns on their recording device.

Other sessions included the How to Cover Campus Crime and Breaking News led by Vince Filak from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He said that if a journalist is covering breaking news, they must remain calm and stay safe.

A keynote about the San Bernardino shootings was led by journalists Greg Lee and Ryan Hagen who talked about handling this breaking news case and their experience speaking with the victim’s families.

The Associate Collegiate Press awards ceremony was Feb. 21 and The Puyallup Post was awarded fifth place for the Best in Show award for the publication website of a small school.

The members from The Puyallup Post who attended the conference had a positive experience. The knowledge presented at the conference will be used to enhance the newspaper, social media and online website.

The Puyallup Post earns national recognition Armani Jackson

Grace Amsden

Chase Charaba Online and Social Media Manager

Armani Jackson Managing Editor

When more than 500 journalists are put into a room together, things get interesting. So many like-minded individual writers, editors, photographers and designers at one place is indescribable. It was so surreal that no one really felt like they were going until staff members landed at the Bob Hope airport. Hundreds of sessions were offered by accredited journalists, advisers and graphic designers to teach everyone the skills they needed to be successful in this everchanging field.

A few members of The Puyallup Post obtained certifications in their area of expertise. For example, reporters could earn one in storytelling, photographers in photo/video and page designers in design/art. As managing editor, it was encouraged to earn the editorial leadership certificate. Sessions focused on different aspects of the newsroom, from motivating staffers to the qualities that make an effective leader, and then taught everyone how to apply the things learned.

It was fulfilling, satisfying and gratifying to say the least. I went to this conference feeling like I was never ade-

During the Associated Collegiate Press’s best of show awards ceremony in Los Angeles, The Puyallup Post took fifth place in the publication website, small school category Feb. 21.

This award recognized overall web excellence for a college news organization from a campus with less than 10,000 students that also submitted for the award and paid the entry fee of either $15 (early registration) or $30 (on-site registration).

This came at the end of the four-day ACP Mid-Winter National Journalism Conference, one of two national journalism conferences offered by the organization each year.

The Puyallup Post placed higher than publications such as Loyolan from Loyola Marymount University, Observer from Case Western Reserve University, The Occidental Weekly from Occidental College, The Runner from California State University Bakersfield and The Banner from California Baptist University. Ultimately, Graphic from Pepperdine University took first place in the category.

The Puyallup Post and Green River Community College’s The Current were the only Washington state newspapers to

quately trained on what was required of this position. I was an assistant, the responsibilities that I’d taken on up until this point was nothing of my own. Everything people wanted me to accomplish, I had to do with someone else. This wasn’t my choice, it was just how things turned out to be and I didn’t know there was a problem with the system until this conference. That realization was a real slap in the face.

The conference was only four days, but it was four days of 10 hour learning blocks, L.A. tourism and group bonding.

This was the trip that changed the way staffers interact with one another. It was devastating to discover that the staff’s writing wasn’t improving because no one had ever taken the time to sit down and show them how to make the changes.

The things that I took away from this conference showed me how to be the best leader I can. Being in this leadership position isn’t about making the staff clones of you. This is about inspiring and helping them to be the best version of themselves. Now as I look back at what I learned, I see where I can make those changes and begin to actually be The Puyallup Post’s managing editor instead of the gray area between print and online.

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The Puyallup Post received fifth place in ACP’s Best of Show. place in any category, although Central Washington University’s Pulse Magazine placed fourth in feature magazine.

Even though The Post placed in the website competition, there are still changes to be made to the way the site operates and how stories are presented to the readers, such as becoming a digital first and a social media first publication.

These changes, such as engaging with students on social media and presenting more video content, will be rolled out over the next few months and into next school year.

The Puyallup Post also submitted for general excellence for two-year newspapers and for newspaper special edition but didn’t place in either category.

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Grace Amsden

Chocolate factory

ABOve:the tour guide at theo Chocolate, Katrina Keddy, informing students about the chocolate-making process through a series of photos about the cocoa plant.

Left: Sustainability Coordinator Morgan Pasquier taking roll call in theo Chocolate’s gift shop before checking in for the tour.

Next, sugar and/or milk powder is added, the sugar size is made smaller, acid is removed and then it’s all put into the holding tank.

After this, a bond is made between the cocoa butter and cocoa solids, inclusions such as sea salt or dried fruit may be added in and the chocolate is poured into molds. The chocolate is then cooled, wrapped and available for purchase.

The confectionary room was the next place Keddy led the group. This room is saturated with a rich scent of chocolate and cream.

“I feel like just smelling it made me gain weight,” Espino said.

More samples were given out in this room: a piece of spearmint chocolate, ganache, caramel and toffee.

After this, the tour was complete. The group went back into the gift shop to make purchases before departing.

This trip was free to students including transportation, a boxed lunch (provided by Lancer Hospitality) and the tour itself.

Because Valentine’s Day is Feb. 14, Pasquier said she purposefully planned this event in conjunction with that hol-

iday, which led some students to become interested in it.

“I knew it was right around Valentine’s Day and I thought it would be fun,” Burns said. “I’ve never done anything like it. Plus, I’ve been single for 18 years, so why not go get chocolate?”

The tour went well, Pasquier said, though she would’ve liked more discussion about fair trade. She also said this may be a recurring event in the future and thinks students enjoyed the chocolate sampling and overall experience.

Theo is an excellent company, Pasquier said, and even though it’s pricier than other chocolate goods, it’s better.

“Buying a Hershey bar, yeah - that’s cheaper for you (but) it does a lot of damage on a global scale to other people and other things where you’re paying a little bit more, but you’re getting stuff that’s coming from people who are treated fairly,” Pasquier said.

Even though students didn’t get to try an everlasting gobstopper or win a lifetime supply of chocolate like at Wonka’s chocolate factory, they got to learn about fair trade, the history of Theo’s, process of chocolate creation and get a head start on chocolate before Valentines Day. Grace Amsden

Katie Fenton

ed vanilla caramels, licorice caramels and milk chocolate peanut butter cups.

After getting a glimpse at some of the kinds of chocolate that would later be discussed, the group checked in for the tour. As required, everyone had to wear blue hair nets, and beard nets—if necessary. Tour visitors also had to use a lint roller on their clothes prior to entering the factory where the information and taste testing would begin.

Even prior to the tour, samples of two clustered chocolates were waiting to be taste tested by guests who’d evaluate them on a survey.

After the reminders for all hair to be tucked into the hair net, tour guide Katrina Keddy led the group into a seating room for the first part of the tour.

Students learned during this informational session that this organic chocolate company, founded by Joe Whinney, is certified in fair trade. This means that the farmers of the cocoa beans are paid fairly and “are better able to provide their families with adequate nutrition, access to healthcare and education, ultimately opening up a world of opportunities,” according to Theo’s website.

As for the cocoa beans, used to make the chocolate, Theo uses them from Congo, Panama and Peru.

The company’s principle for the cocoa beans is to pay a fair price for cocoa beans based on quality, according to Theo’s website. This provides incentives for producers to improve the quality of their cocoa beans.

The name Theo actually comes from the Theobroma Cacao. Inside the pods of this cocoa plant, which take about six months to mature, is mucilage: a sticky substance and within this are the seeds.

During this stage of the tour, the samples began, the first being 85 percent dark chocolate. This is the highest percentage of dark chocolate Theo produces. The second sample was dark chocolate with sea salt and third was dark chocolate with candied ginger.

“I really liked the dark chocolate with ginger in it,” student Marissa Espino said. “I don’t usually like dark chocolate, but I really liked that one. It tasted really earthy, which I’m not usually used to.”

The toasted coconut came next for sampling and the final was from the My Cherry Baby bar.

Keddy explained that because each individual’s taste palette differs, the flavors from the chocolate can vary depending on who’s tasting it. One kind may be interpreted as spicy, fruity, floral-like, roasted, bitter, sweet, nutty or creamy.

“Hershey’s (chocolate) is super sugary and Theo’s chocolate was very real,” student Kenna-Rose Burns said. “It’s kind of like when you have coffee and you can taste the caramel syrup and the coffee itself. This is what it’s like. I’m taking in all the different components.”

After the seated portion of the tour, Keddy led the group into the actual factory area, first into a glass-paned room that overlooks the machines. A scoop of nibs were given out to be sampled. Nibs are small pieces inside the cocoa bean that are ground into the chocolate.

Keddy shared facts about the machinery for Theo’s chocolate making process as well as the steps required to make the chocolate. She gave out an illustrated diagram which has 16 steps and finally to the last step: when the chocolate is available for purchase.

Simply stated, the first step in this process is for the cocoa beans to be cleaned on the outside and then roasted. After this, the husks are divided from the nibs and then crushed into a paste until they’re continued to be made smaller.

Katie Fenton

Continued from page 1

Left: A bowl of dark chocolate being passed around for students to sample.

Right: Some of the items available in the gift shop include caramels, chocolate bars and moon pies.

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shoutout Andrea Mendoza

Plenty of cool stuff at Pierce College Puyallup

Lizzie Duke Reporter

For those on campus with a phone but no charger, plug it into one of the nine charging stations located throughout the campus.

Michael Schwartz, ASPCP public relations senator, developed the idea to add charging stations to the campus during a visit to Central Washington University.

He loved the concept and brought the idea with him when he came back to Pierce.

The stations were installed in the beginning of spring quarter 2015 and cost about $8,900.

Schwartz placed two in the Gaspard Administration Building, two in the Brouillet Library/Science Building, one in the Arts and Allied Health Building and four in the College Center. None of the stands are mounted to the walls, so students can move them.

“Everything seems positive,” Schwartz said. “The fact that people are moving them around to different places, I like that.”

Security was a concern with having charging stations so accessible and easy to move, but they’re heavy, Schwartz said. None of the chargers have been reported as broken and all of the stations are still on campus.

The charging stations were brought in as a project meant to be expanded upon. Schwartz plans to conduct a survey by welcome days of spring quarter to find out if the students like the stations or if they want a change. The survey will also ask if students want more or less stations.

“We want feedback from students, we really do,” Schwartz said. “We’re here to represent students. It’s their money. If they want it spent a certain way, come tell us.”

Schwartz plans to make changes in the weeks following after the surveys are compiled.

One option Schwartz considered when deciding on a type of outlet was charging lockers. These would’ve been kept in the Office of Student Life, and students

Lizzie Duke

More charge than the political race

Should college textbooks be free?

AJ Alonso: “If I’m going to be

paying $500 to $600 per class as it is, I’m not expecting a free book but I’m (hoping for) a significant discount on it.

I’m OK with it (textbooks) being 50 percent discounted, but free (is) asking a little too much.”

Nate Cline: “Absolutely, because

I’m broke as it is so buying a textbook is way too much money. The tuition is expensive too, so it’s all a lot of money.”

Student Nathaniel guerrero appreciates the convenience of charging his phone on campus. could put their device into the locker while it charged.

“It kind of seems sketchy to leave your phone out,” student Colten Wade said. “They should have some way to lock them up.”

Over the course of the year, Schwartz has received positive feedback from the student body.

“I use them all the time,” student Kamal Dhaliwal said. “Other than that you have to stand here the whole time, they’re pretty cool.”

Stations are meant for students to put their device on the shelf while it charges, not to use it at the same time, Schwartz said. Even so, he has been in contact with Kwikboost, the station provider, and is trying to get extenders for the cords so students can use their device while it charges.

“We rely on their feedback and input,” Schwartz said. “It makes our job easier and it helps them (students) because they’re getting what they need.”

Bella Pat: “Just recently my

psychology teacher broke her shoulder so we’re having a substitute who wants to use a different textbook. I didn’t get refunded on our psychology books which was an expensive book, so yeah they should be.”

Klaire Drumm: “I think they

should be free because a lot of people can’t afford them. It’d be more helpful since in high school all textbooks are free, so why is college the exception?”

Keely Fruedenstein: “Yeah

they should. It’s affecting a lot of people and they (teachers) know I didn’t buy a textbook because it was so expensive. It was $95 and I couldn’t afford it so I’ve been going without it and a lot of people do that.”

Abby Nelson:

“Yeah they should. I’ve actually had to withdraw from classes on several occasions and not get my money back because I thought I’d be able to afford textbooks after a period of time but (they) just weren’t affordable. It was a huge waste of time and money.”

Tyler Wellington:

“Yes, because we’re already paying for tuition and it’s already really expensive. So, it’d be nice if they were cheaper. Free would be nice too.”

Ashley Caplan:

“I don’t know if they should be made totally free, but they definitely need to be made a whole lot cheaper because they do get really expensive.”

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David Martin in the maintenance shop working on the broken medal motor.

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Pierce College Puyallup: Facilities Lizzie Duke Reporter

If anything on campus is broken, facilities is the place to take this to. Facilities is in charge of fixing and maintaining anything building related, including grounds work, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and plumbing.

If the department doesn’t have staff who can do fix the job at hand, they may contract for repairs.

“There is always a new challenge,” Building and Grounds Manager Daniel Timmons said. “Very rarely is there a simple fix. You have to work together as a team. It’s just really neat when you collaborate on a project and find the solution.”

The department consists of four maintenance staff members, as well as a grounds team, who mostly work outside.

The maintenance staff works 7 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. and the custodial staff from 3:30 p.m. - midnight.

A large portion of the work is upkeep such as putting batteries in automatic toilets and sinks and changing Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning filters. Preventative main-

tenance is required everyday, but random breakages are often unavoidable. Something breaks at least once every day, Timmons said.

“When you go in to fix something, you find something else wrong,” Timmons said.

The morning of Feb. 11, one of the heat pumps, which looks like an air conditioning box, lost it’s metal motor. The motor is attached to the base and ripped itself off, bending the metal.

“I never would have believed someone if they told me things broke as often as they do,” Timmons said. “If you have one door issue, within a week you have five more.”

Metasys is an online building control system which shows lighting, heating and cooling for each room on campus. Timmons looks at it every morning to check if anything is wrong and then fix it. There’s always fine tuning going on such as adjustments and maintenance.

Timmons believes many students or teachers think they can control the temperature with knobs in their rooms. Timmons doesn’t heat the hallways. If classroom doors are left

open, heat in the rooms gets pulled into the hallways.

None of those control the temperature, however - only the online control system does. If students or staff wish to change the temperature, they can speak with Timmons.

“We’re here for you guys,” Timmons said. “If there’s anything we should do to make the campus or the grounds better, it would be nice to hear the thoughts about how we do stuff. The whole point is to make these classes comfortable for you guys.”

Maintaining the campus is equivalent to caring for 160 average sized homes, based on size, Timmons said. Out of the 140 acres that make up Pierce College Puyallup, facilities maintains 44.

“We do our best to be as proactive as possible,” Timmons said. “You guys are the eyes and ears out there. If something is broken or not working, let us know.”

If there’s a problem during the day, students can contact facilities by going to A130 in the Gaspard Administration Building or calling 253-864-3149 for Facilities and Operations Programs Coordinator Dana Edmondson.

Some blueprints at Pierce College in the maintenance shop in the LSC.

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Lights, camera, action . . . click Amber Gilliland

One Button Studio program in library makes video recording as simple as hitting a button Amber Gilliland Senior Reporter

Room 227 in the Brouillet Library Science Building looks like an ordinary conference room from the outside, but the inside holds a program that many students and faculty don’t know is available to them.

Hidden in plain sight inside the library sits the One Button Studio.

The OBS was developed by members of Pennsylvania State University and is designed to make video recording simple. The studio eliminates the need for setting up a camera and lighting, as well as the process of removing files from a video camera to an external drive. The system does it all with the press of a butt o n .

“The One Button Studio is a great place to create video presentations,” Kandee Nelson, district computer labs manager, said.

“Whether you’re a faculty member looking to do an intro video or capture a short lecture or you’re a student needing to record a presentation, the OBS is an easy solution. No video experience is needed.”

To use the OBS, students and faculty need to present their student ID card and obtain equipment from the front desk at the library. They’ll be given a box with whiteboard markers and an eraser. They’ll also need the studio’s computer mouse and lapel microphone.

Upon walking into the studio, students will see a camera mounted to the wall, a desk with two computer monitors, a silver button, a USB hub and a whiteboard with three backdrops available. The computer screen on the right side of the desk runs the OBS program through an app avail-

the computers in the library run the One Button Studio, making video recording easier for students and faculty. able in the Mac App Store. The screen on the left can be used to show programs such as PowerPoint and Canvas.

To begin recording, a flash drive needs to be inserted into the top port of the USB hub. This will activate extra lights, the camera and the video program. The lapel microphone needs to be clipped or held and turned on.

When a student or faculty member is ready, they can hit the silver button on the desk. The program will give a five second countdown before it begins recording.

Pressing the silver button again will stop the recording. Each time the recording is stopped, the program creates a video file so students and faculty can record multiple files without having to do anything except hit the button. The program then

takes the video file that was created and transfers it onto the inserted flash drive.

Removing the flash drive from the USB port will turn off the extra lights and close the program.

“If anyone needs further help with video editing, the software and one-onone help with it is available in the AAH 132 Multimedia Center,” Nelson said.

Students don’t need an appointment to use the room, Dean of Library and Learning Resources Christie Flynn said, but can reserve time up to 24 hours in advance.

The studio was installed during fall 2014, but Flynn said that it wasn’t fully operational until last spring.

“We spent most of last year piloting and tweaking the technology to make sure that it was working properly and that the

sound quality was adequate for high quality recording,” Flynn said. “We made adjustments as people used the technology and provided feedback for improvement.”

Despite being installed almost two years ago, many people on campus, including faculty, don’t know that this program is available. “I have never in my life heard of the One Button Studio,” Director of Student Life Sean Cooke said.

Some students said that they like the concept of the studio, but haven’t taken advantage of it because they haven’t known about it. “(I’ve) never heard of it,” student Ryan Krueger said. “It’s a great idea, especially for class projects.”

This lack of advertising has been done deliberately, Flynn said.

“We were intentional about not promoting the One Button Studio until we had staff trained to help faculty and students use the equipment and troubleshoot any problems that occur,” Flynn said. “We also wanted to have Kandee Nelson, the (District) Labs Manager, produce a Self-Help User’s Guide.”

Nelson and District Staff Assistant Kali Cruz trained the employees of the Student Multimedia Center at the end of January on how to operate the program. These employees have been working on updating the signs in the studio, as well as creating brochures on how to use the program and troubleshooting tips.

Flynn said she anticipates usage of the OBS to increase in the spring.

“As more students learn about it, they can share it with faculty,” Flynn said.

“And as more faculty learn about it, they can share it with their students.”

Hannah Pederson

Which Raiders sport is the most popular?

the Raiders Athletics department advertises around campus.

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Hannah Pederson Reporter

From football games to thousands of dollars in sports scholarships, athletics have long been a part of the college experience. Here at Pierce, it’s been since 1968.

In that year, Pierce only offered men’s basketball.

Since then, the athletics department has grown to accommodate much more. They’ve offered two additional sports in the men’s division, baseball and soccer, as well as opened up the women’s division, which consists of basketball, softball, soccer, volleyball and a cheer squad.

Some of these sports have been more popular than others amongst student athletes, most likely due to visibility and popularity overall.

Most commonly, popularity among athletes is measured by the number of students trying out for a sport compared to the number of positions available. The amount of positions available can depend on how many student athletes graduated or left the team, leaving their positions open, and the number of positions total for the sport, keeping in mind that there are often times more players than positions on a team.

For basketball, there are five positions available on the court. For baseball and fastpitch softball, there are nine.

In soccer there are 11 players, and volleyball has six.

Both soccer teams have seen a dramatic rise in participation throughout the years, growing alongside t he increasing popularity of the sport in the United States.

According to nbcnews.com, since 1990, when the U.S. men’s national team qualified for the final round of the FIFA World Cup, popularity has increased dramatically, with almost 24.5 million people in the U.S. currently playing soccer at some level.

Pierce College Puyallup student Austin McKenzie

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started playing for the Raiders men’s soccer t eam in 2014, after a demanding round of tryouts, McKenzie said.

“They were very difficult,” McKenzie said. “At the time we had Micah Wenzel and Mark Lee as our coaches. They were very serious; very little mistakes could be made, and a lot of dedication had to be put in. There are 11 spots on the field and three to four guys were competing for every position.”

McKenzie said the same can be said for the women’s team, if not more. He attributes some of the popularity of the sport among student athletes at Pierce to the success of the U.S. women’s national team and the fans it has created.

Soccer isn’t the only sport that’s taken off in the 48 years that Pierce has had an athletics department.

Volleyball is relatively new, as far as the other sports offered at Pierce. It was first considered an offici al sport in the U.S. in 1957 and has grown to be among the sports offered at most high schools and colleges across the nation.

Pierce’s volleyball team has been promoted recently, due to the new management. As a result, it’s become a popular choice for student athletes and spectators alike.

The baseball and softball teams have maintained a steady popularity over the years with the sport, being labeled “t he all-American game”.

According to espn.go.com, the 2014 Harris Poll placed major league basketball as the nation’s second favorite sport, which can be reflected in the steady stream of students trying out for the Raiders basketball teams.

Pierce wouldn’t be Pierce without the athletics department, and the athletics department wouldn’t be what it is without its athletes.

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Make your voice heard Alex Heldrich

Rapper NomiS performs album Socially Just at Puyallup Alex Heldrich Reporter

Students of Pierce College Puyallup gathered together in the dining commons of the College Center Building to hear rapper NomiS perform a social justice rap on February 17. The event was organized by Social Issues and Awareness Coordinator Emmalee Chamberlain with the goal of spreading awareness about current social issues.

NomiS is originally from Oceanside, Calif., but now travels the country performing at colleges, festivals, arenas, bars and street corners. According to his website nomishiphop.com, he came from a musical background and found a special connection with the culture surrounding hip-hop in grade school. NomiS went to college himself at a California State University and he has a bachelor’s degree in visual and performing arts.

NomiS has released five albums including Socially Just, The Wretched, Searching for Alpha Trion, Rosario Dawson and Mouthpiece of the Lion.

NomiS was booked to perform at the Puyallup campus at the 2015 National Association of College Activities conference after Office of Student Life leaders watched him perform. Chamberlain used a process called block booking to schedule his performance, in which she chose a date and other colleges in the area picked dates around it. This saved the college money because of a discount that’s offered when colleges in a close area block book together. NomiS will also be performing at Lake Washington Institute of Technology.

“His performance will just be about current social issues,” Chamberlain said. “One issue that stuck out to me was modern day slavery, which was something I’ve already had an event about. He’ll rap about other things as well such as personal experiences.”

Chamberlain has had a couple other successful events in the past. At her modern day slavery event she had 30 to 40 people show up and about 100 people

NomiS performs his social justice rap as a message to students to learn about current issues. showed up to her event about the Syria crisis.

“I’m having it in the dining commons because there are people constantly filtering through rather than in the theater in the AAH, which is a place where not a lot of students go,” Chamberlain said. “I’ll have like 30 chairs set up and the tables will still be out.”

This was Chamberlain’s second winter quarter event and her first performance event, so she was excited to see how it went.

“I think social justice should be important to everybody,” Chamberlain said. “It’s kind of just common

sense.”

Many of the students attending had an interest in social justice.

“I’m African American, so this hits really close to home,” student Amber Gooden said. “I already knew a lot of what he rapped about.”

For students who missed NomiS’ performance, they can access his music at either www.youtube.com/ user/nomishiphop or www.nomis.bandcamp.com or connect with him at www.facebook.com/nomishiphop or www.twitter.com/nomishiphop.

See the world from Pierce College Puyallup Armani Jackson

The Office of Student Life offers global presentation Suzanne Buchholz Reporter

The Office of Student Life hosted a lecture titled Around the World in 50 Minutes on Feb. 23.

The lecture was presented by awardwinning author Marty Essen, who wrote Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents and Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades and Puerto Rico. The lecture featured facts, stories and photographs chronicling Essen’s travels across the seven continents.

“It covers a vast variety of topics,” Sustainability Coordinator Morgan Pasquier said. “Some of the suggestions for professors to contact range from philosophy to photography to science, so presumably it’s going to cover all kinds of different spaces.”

Pasquier planned this event after receiving an email about it from Recreation and Entertainment Coordinator Jesse Hamelin. She checked out Essen’s website, thought the lecture sounded interesting and decided to arrange it.

Pasquier’s goal with this event is to open students’ minds to new experi-

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Marty essen describes the creatures he encountered in his travels. ences and expand their knowledge of different cultures. She’s had experience with traveling and hopes to bring that feeling to other people, while possibly inspiring them to make their own travel plans in the future.

“I’ve been to a couple different con-

tinents and three or four different countries now,” Pasquier said. “I’ve always found during my travels (that) it’s broadened my mind considerably. And I’ve never been able to properly get across that feeling (to other people). I’m not sure Marty will be able to either but

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hopefully he’ll at least give the students some idea of it. Maybe it’ll lead to students wanting to try to travel and do their own things themselves.”

Around the World in 50 Minutes is a condensed version of Essen’s Around the World in 90 Minutes presentation, which has won Campus Activities Magazine’s “Hot Speaker” pick in 2011. It’s a rehearsed show in which Essen describes his various adventures during his travels and shares facts through a series of slides featuring photographs he took around the world. The stories are retellings of the ones found in his first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet.

In addition to presenting the slideshow, Essen will be selling copies of Cool Creatures, Hot Planet to students. The book details Essen’s encounters in the seven continents, with each chapter being devoted to a different continent as well as Central America.

The book has won numerous awards including Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s Top-10 “Green” Book, the Green Book Festival Award for Animals and the Best Book Award for Travel/Essay since its release in 2007.

“His website is full of rave reviews and people say that he leaves you laughing and also you’ve learned something along the way,” Pasquier said. “So it’s both educational and entertaining.”

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Desperate fines call for desperate measures Katie Fenton

Students are parking in non-parking zones due to limited spaces Katie Fenton Online reporter

It seems like a widely-accepted truth that parking at Pierce can be a nightmare. From about 9 a.m. to noon, cars prowl around campus in search of parking. Some drivers will even follow students just released from class as they walk to their car; but lately, more drivers have been parking in non-parking zones.

In a recent survey conducted by The Puyallup Post, 62 percent of students said they’ve struggled to find parking.

Nineteen percent of these students also said they’ve parked in the non-parking zones on campus, which include the grass on the side of the road and the areas painted with yellow stripes in the A lot. These areas block off access to fire hydrants and walkways.

“Even when I’m here four to seven hours early, I struggle finding decent parking,” one student said in the survey.

The limited parking has caused some students to park in the non-parking zones, where they’re subject to a $5 fine. Parking in front of a fire hydrant is a $10 fine.

Chris MacKersie, director of safety and security, said parking is usually at capacity during the morning and gets better as the quarter progresses, but the college is looking at possible solutions.

“We’ve been engaged in having somebody come in and do a parking study to help us (plan) for new parking,” MacKersie said. “It’s in progress, but there's no immediate solution.”

There’s an estimated 1250 parking spots at the Puyallup campus, MacKersie said. This includes those reserved for employees, visitors, carpools, vanpools, disabled and special needs vehicles, low emissions vehicles, motorcycles and service vehicles. Campus safety and

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Students will often park in non-parking zones, but the faded paint can be confusing. facilities department are aware of the parking problem and are trying to get funding for additional parking.

Student Calvin Gilkey said the college should construct parking lots similar to those of Westfield Southcenter mall in Seattle.

“They have towering parking,” Gilkey said. “I think it’d be more convenient and safer. Or they could just have a contract with Uber and add the Uber fee into tuition.”

There are many creative solutions to this issue, but it’s difficult for the college to receive funding for parking lots.

“It’s not easy,” MacKersie said. “More than likely the college will have to self fund it. If we show the state there's demand for more parking, they normally only fund (it) if you're getting a new building. So we have to take it out of our existing operations funds, and that's tough to do when we want to buy new equipment and invest in new programs.”

Without constructing new parking lots, it’s unlikely that more parking can be added at the Puyallup campus.

“At Fort Steilacoom, we have long parking rows when

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you can park on each side, but they're angled,” MacKersie said. “The closer they get to 90 degrees dramatically increases the number of cars we can get in there. That’s essentially how the Puyallup campus is laid out for absolute maximum efficiency.”

When parking is scarce, there are still plenty of alternatives to driving alone and hoping to find a spot. Students have the option of carpooling, taking the bus, riding a bicycle, getting dropped off or walking. If more students decided to implement any of these solutions, there would most likely be an increase in available parking.

Students can also leave earlier in the day to find better parking.

Campus safety officers are more lenient with where students choose to park when parking is at capacity, MacKersie said.

“During fall quarter we see the worst of that (parking at capacity),” MacKersie said. “We have people parking of the side of the road, which essentially, so long as they're not causing a life safety hazard, then we do allow folks to get a little bit creative.”

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Andrea Mendoza

Have your salsa and dance with it too Andrea Mendoza Reporter

Beginners Salsa is a class that teaches the basic dance moves of Latin music and is designed to improve endurance, selfesteem, social confidence and motor skills.

“What we do in here is take the latin sound of Salsa and we listen to it,” Salsa instructor Amy Edmunds said. “We learn the timing of it and then we go over the basic steps of salsa while at the same time dancing to different genres of the latin style of dance.”

Beginners Salsa offers a variety of dance moves, exercise, a family atmosphere and a good time. Edmunds, a former Zumba instructor, has been dancing for more than 10 years. Students can expect basic knowledge of what’s being taught, patience, a breakdown of dance moves to facilitate better understanding of them and a way to make this course fun for everyone from their instructor. Edmunds wants to ensure all her students apply these skills outside of the classroom and be confident in their dance moves. She understands that learning something new doesn’t happen overnight and takes time to learn, so she doesn’t expect perfection right away.

“I’m a student as well, learning dance in general it can’t all be done in a class it has to be repetitive movement over and over,” Edmunds said. “We’re all different creatures and the expectation for everyone to learn on the same continuum isn’t expected here.”

In Beginners Salsa students will hear music from all over the world, especially from the Caribbean and South and Central

Students in the Beginners Salsa class follow Amy edmunds’ steps.

America. Music from famous artist such as Marc Anthony, Daddy Yankee, Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias are heard in this class as well.

“Bailando by Enrique Iglesias is a big hit here, the students love that song,” Edmunds said.

Although the class is named Beginners Salsa, the class participates in dancing many other Latin genres like reggaeton, merengue and bachata to name a few.

“This is a really fun class and we learn all kinds of dancing so we’re constantly learning new moves,” student Riley Reiber said.

Salsa can be danced individually or with partners. There are 22 females and

three males attending the class, making a total of 25 students, but the numbers have increased throughout the year. When Edmund first started teaching, she had no males in the class, but many female students bring their boyfriends, Edmunds said.

Although there’s a low amount of male students, the class is still able to participate in partner dancing by having a lead and following role.

“We have two (couples). They really like to go out and dance in clubs,” Edmunds said. “They’re always asking me where they can go dance Salsa.”

Edmund’s goals for Beginners Salsa is to implement more dance classes of this type

to both the Fort Steilacoom and Puyallup campuses. She hopes her class will be able to take a trip to a Latin country that shows the Latin dancing culture.

“It would be a great experience for them to learn dancing all around the world,” Edmunds said. “They’ll be surprised that in a lot of different countries they all have their own way of dancing Salsa.”

According to healthfitnessrevoltion.com, salsa dancing has many health and social benefits. Weight loss, bone and joint health, balance improvement, social strengthening and lower cholesterol are a few.

“What we do is 20 minutes of stretching to get flexible,” Edmunds said. “Then we go into an hour of nonstop dancing and by the end, all of us are sweating but really hyped up about continuing. Coordination is a big thing here and we’re slowly improving on that.”

There are many opportunities for dance in the Seattle-Tacoma area that students can attend. She hopes that her students get the chance to experience salsa everywhere.

“It’s (salsa dancing) breaking out more and more,” Edmunds said. “A lot of the clubs are starting to mix it up a little bit more which I’m glad about, that way students can go and experience it out in the real world.”

Beginners Salsa is a one-credit physical education course taught by Edmunds in the Health Education Center on Tuesdays from 4-5:40 pm. The class is set up for 20 minutes of stretching, one hour of non-stop dancing, and 20 minutes of varied exercise. This class is open to any students willing to learn, participate and give 100 percent of their effort.

Stop kitten around: Adopt, don’t shop Hannah Pederson

The adopt don’t shop movement, and why it’s so important Hannah Pederson Reporter

There’s a lot to consider when looking for a pet. If a family works or is at school most of the day, they’ll need an animal who doesn’t mind being left alone and won’t urinate all over everything in despair. If a household has young children, they’ll need an animal that can be trusted to keep its cool when grubby little hands yank on its ears and chase it all around. If a family doesn’t have vast expanses for pets to run around in, they’ll need an animal that’s OK with hanging around the house.

Finding a pet that’ll fit all of one prospective owner’s unique specifications can be a challenge, but there’s one major question everyone asks before they bring someone home: adopt or shop.

Many prospective pet owners turn to breeders without considering an animal from a shelter or humane society, believing that they’re paying more for a higher quality animal who won’t pose any future problems.

But just like anything else, breeding comes with its own host of pros and cons.

When thinking about the dark side to breeding, most minds jump to puppy mills, where the value of the animal through the eyes of the breeder may solely be to crank out offspring and the well-being of the mother and puppies is ill considered.

While this is an extreme, some more reputable breeders view their animals primarily as a source of income, and in the interest of producing animals with the desired characteristics, they tend to overlook potential health concerns.

“Designer breeds emphasize good traits, but bad traits as well,” Dr. Coe Lindner of All Creatures Veterinary Clinic on South Hill said.

Dr. Lindner has been practicing for 36 years, and has had countless experiences with breeders and shelters.

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Rollins brings her dog Karma to work.

“There are breeders who breed financially and there are breeders who try to improve the breed,” Dr. Linder said.

“They’re doing a nice service, despite the fact that other animals aren’t being adopted.”

Metro Animal Services is right down the road from Pierce College Puyallup, and various Pierce students have volunteered there.

One such volunteer, Jennifer Rollins, is now an animal control officer at the shelter with two dogs of her own.

“If you adopt, you’re saving that animal (and) rescuing it,” Rollins said. “But from a breeder, the animal has a home no matter what. We really just want what’s best for the animal.”

In the winter, between 30 and 70 cats and dogs go

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through Metro, Rollins said.

If the animal has a good temperament, it’ll move to adoption with the average turnaround from entering the shelter to going to a new home being two to four weeks for dogs and one to three months for cats.

The ethics of breeding versus adopting is up to the buyer, but for those with a strict budget, there are some common misconceptions to address.

“I’ve seen healthier pets come through animal shelters and humane societies than I’ve sometimes seen through breeders and Craigslist,” Dr. Lindner said. “One of the problems I’ve found is that you have to rely on the breeder’s word, and you might not be getting the whole story. When you’re going through a shelter, they’re constantly under public scrutiny and therefore held accountable, so what they say happened really did happen.”

Shelters typically have a standard adoption fee. At Metro Animal Services, it’s $110 for cats and $130 for dogs. This fee includes spaying and neutering, microchipping and a license.

Breeders can demand as much as they feel fair, which can be anywhere from $900 to $2000, according to forbes.com.

“Some reputable breeders have done a lot of the footwork for vaccines and deworming, but the breeders aren’t spaying and neutering,” Dr. Lindner said. “Humane societies have pets altered and do most vaccines before they become available for adoption. Going through a breeder is going to cost you more in the long run than a shelter or humane society.”

Families might turn to breeders because they’re looking for a kitten or a puppy as opposed to an older pet. Kitten and puppy adoption rates are significantly higher at shelters, as well.

With older animals, they’ll appear to be who they are versus getting a kitten or puppy and realizing all too late that they’re a holy terror.

“Senior pets already have a developed personality, and they have a life of love left to give,” Rollins said.

Metro Animal Services is offering 50 percent off the regular adoption fees for animals above eight years old, with four of the animals currently up for adoption qualifying.

“When you’re considering getting a new pet, go to an animal shelter or a humane society first,” Dr. Linder said.

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Grace Amsden

Grace Amsden

After 5 p.m., students can only get food on campus from the vending machines. featured in photos: Pam Plute (left) and Maxwell Ahlborn.

Low sun, low blood sugar for night students Vending machines only on-campus food option for night students at Pierce College Puyallup Grace Amsden Editor-in-chief

One of the first questions that a new student is likely to ask once coming to Pierce College Puyallup is where food can be found.

The primary source of food is in the College Center.

The bookstore sells chips, candy, instant soups and bottled drinks alongside other similar items.

For those who want cooked food made to order, there’s Lancer Hospitality. This is the college food service in the dining commons of the College Center.

There’s fries, burgers, flatbread pizzas, nachos, fruit cups, pastries and burritos as well as many other items.

“We receive position feedback in our ability to provide a wide variety of sustainable locally sourced healthy option,” Susan Smith, Northwest Regional Director for Lancer, said. “Our menu provides many of the lifestyle options people are looking for at Pierce.”

On the Puyallup campus, Lancer is open from 8 a.m.- 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. After closing, snacks and drinks are offered until 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and on Friday 2 p.m.. Here, students can’t purchase all food items offered inside of the main eatery such as the hamburgers and fries.

Once 5 p.m. approaches, vending machines are the only option for students if they choose to purchase food on campus. Night classes are in session while Lancer and the bookstore are closed. These machines offer candy bars, bottled drinks and packaged snacks.

“What I think is sad is that our cafeteria is not available to a lot of students,” Outreach Manager Ruth Schindler said. “They have very limited amount of offerings of operation.”

Student Rachel Miller has a class until about 7:45 p.m.. She usually eats before or after class, but if the need arises to eat on campus she may purchase a snack from the vending machine.

“It just depends on how hungry they (the night students) are,” Miller said regarding the selections from

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the vending machines. “If they’re really hungry, I don’t think a vending machine snack would cut it.”

Pierce College Puyallup President Marty Cavalluzzi is aware of the need for additional food to be offered on campus in the evening.

“Lancer closes and there really isn’t any food options at all,” Cavalluzzi said. “We have a lot of students in the evening. They need food. Somehow, we need to get food to them.”

There may be students who come to class directly after work and may not have time to eat prior to this.

This has led some professors to offer energy bars to their students, Cavalluzzi said.

“If they (the students) have nothing to eat or drink, like coffee or something, they end up falling asleep in class,” Cavalluzzi said.

The Office of Student Life student leaders are also aware about the concern for food options for night students.

“During Welcome Days, we do a ‘pizza run’ for the night students,” Student Government Vice President Maria Colocho said. “The food pantry is also available to all students at all times, so it also benefits the night students. At times, we have events that run up to 9 p.m. and there is food available for all students, as well.”

For the Pierce bookstore, floor supervisor Maxx Eastman said that the number of customers who come into the store after about 3 p.m. decreases, and extending the hours of operation for the bookstore for night students wouldn’t necessarily be beneficial to the store.

Night students should have a way to purchase snacks, through this may not be through the bookstore, Eastman said; but still, the store is open until 5 p.m. which can provide snacks ahead of time.

“If they (the night students) come, like, an hour early or just do some studying beforehand (prior to class), they do have the option to come and get snacks beforehand,” Westman said. “I feel that’s fair.”

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At the Fort Steilacoom campus, Lancer is open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. except on Friday, which closes at 2 p.m.. There’s also a coffee cart available Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. except on Friday when it closes at noon.

This means that the coffee is available to students longer at the Fort Steilacoom campus than the Puyallup campus. Yet, although the main eatery isn’t open in the evening, light snacks through Lancer are still provided until 5 p.m. at the Puyallup campus.

Food items available for night students should extend beyond the food from vending machines and there should at least be sandwiches and coffee available, Cavalluzzi said.

“I just picture this shiny metal cart just filled with subs stacked up high,” Cavalluzzi said.

As the campus grows, coffee or snack carts could possibly be added on campus besides the College Center, Schindler said.

“Even though I know that from Lancer you can purchase coffee and snacks, I think there’s something fun and light about having a coffee cart,” Schindler said.

Cavalluzzi said that he’d like to look into the food available on campus including what’s inside the vending machines and considering healthier choices.

“I would love to see a salad bar,” Cavalluzzi said.

“That would be nice - where students could come through and make their own salads.”

According to the anonymous survey conducted by The Puyallup Post, seven out of 20 students said there aren’t enough food options on campus. Twelve out of 20 said there aren’t enough healthy food options.

However students obtain food on campus, it may be possible that the future of the food choices will look different for night students and more selections will be available.

“The campus is open until late at night, so we ought to have food for people,” Cavalluzzi said, “and it should be more than just vending machines.”

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Beauty doesn’t have to equal pain Alex Heldrich

Buying cruelty-free products not as hard as it may seem, can be found in many stores

Alex Heldrich Reporter

The fluorescent lights are shining bright, the subtle sound of Top 40’s music echos off the walls and different perfumes combine to make one megascent as they all waft through the air. An individual scans their surroundings until suddenly their eyes land on a brightly colored tube. The tube draws them towards it. When it’s turned over, the label displays the small image of a bunny. This individual throws their arms into the air with sweet, sweet victory. At last, they’ve found the perfect shade of cruelty-free lipstick at Ulta Beauty.

The belief that it’s impossible to strictly buy quality cruelty-free beauty products without breaking the bank is a myth. Currently, cruelty-free beauty products can be found anywhere that sells cosmetics or other beauty products.

It might be heartbreaking for someone to give up the brand that they’ve been using for years, but animals are suffering for the $12 L’Oreal foundation.

Animal testing is typically done on mice, rabbits, rats and guinea pigs. If one isn’t comfortable with reading the details of acts of animal cruelty, this is the time to skip to the next paragraph.

According to the Human Society, one method of testing involves skin and eye irritation tests in which chemicals are rubbed onto the shaved skin or dripped into the eyes of restrained creatures who aren’t receiving any pain relief. Another method involves repeated force-feeding studies. These studies last weeks to months in order to look for signs of general illness or specific health hazards

Ulta Beauty at the South hill Mall is a local hotspot for both drugstore and high-end beauty products. such as cancer or birth defects. The final method of animal testing are “lethal dose” tests in which animals are forced to swallow large amounts of a test chemical in order to determine the dose the causes death. After these tests are finished, the animals are killed by either asphyxiation, neck breaking or decapitation. Pain relief is never provided.

It’s questionable as to how someone could look at themselves in the mirror while doing their makeup knowing that their products had once been the reason that a bunny was tortured and killed.

Animal testing isn’t necessary. Man-

ufacturing products and testing them on animals have occurred for a long period of time, the purpose so that people can know which materials are safe and unsafe. Yet, there’s alternatives to testing chemicals and products on animals.

According to neavs.org, scientists can use “in vitro” methods which means testing is conducted in a test tube with models based on human cells and cultures. There are also stem cell and genetic testing methods as well as microdosing on humans, in which a human is given low quantities of the product.

Cruelty-free makeup brands aren’t hard to find. With a quick Google search, many cruelty-free brands can be found; but watch out for brands such as Nyx and Burt’s Bees that are owned by a parent company which is not crueltyfree. Stay away from brands such as Almay, CoverGirl, L’Oreal, Maybelline, NYC, Revlon and Rimmel London.

A few cruelty-free brands that can be found at most drugstores are e.l.f., Wet ‘n’ Wild, Hard Candy, Ardel, Physician’s Formula and Milani. Cruelty free drugstore brands that may be harder to find include Bonne Bell, ColourPop, Flower, Jane, Mineral Fusion, Pacifica, Pixi, Prestige and Sonia Kashuk.

For those who enjoy spending slightly more money on high end beauty products, there are cruelty-free brands such as Anastasia Beverly Hills, Too Faced, Kat Von D, NARS and Morphe. If someone loves to try new and unheard of products, monthly beauty boxes containing cruelty-free products can be bought from VeganCuts, Petit Vour and BirchBox. Completely trashing one’s current makeup stash and repurchasing new cruelty free products is unrealistic and expensive. However, someone can slowly make the transition by only repurchasing the cruelty-free products after running out of what they’re currently using.

Change can only be made if many people band together against animal testing. If someone takes the time to do a little research and shop critically, their skin will say “thank you” and so will the bunnies.

Burning love for fire command

Fire Command and Administration allows for firefighters to advance in their field Armani Jackson Managing Editor

For those looking to be “flaming hot”, Pierce has the degree program for them.

Pierce College offers a degree for firefighters looking to advance in their field. Designed to be completed after the fire science degree, Fire Command and Administration is a six to eight quarter program which prepares students for officer development.

Classes such as Basic Fire Investigation, Legal Aspects of Fire Service, Fire Service and Response to Terrorism, Hazardous Materials Operations and others teach leadership skills, ethics, government law and administration.

The program currently contains about 30 continual students with a graduation rate of about 10-15 per year.

Students are already working in the field and have experience and knowledge in fire science. Students typically take one or two courses over the period of a year.

“They’re already in the job, they’re not training for a job so there’s no sense of urgency,” Fire Command & Administration, Homeland Security Program Coordinator and Professor Robert Lord said. “What tends to drive the urgency is a promotional opportunity maybe coming up. It’s one of those (things) that’ll pittle along for a while and then something will really drive the sense of urgency (and they’ll) complete the degree.”

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Most classes are based on a predetermined standard a large population of volunteer firefighters who have that shapes the curriculum. Firefighters can gain stan- multiple years of experience.

Due to the importance of previous experience, Lord dard positional certifications from the International Fire Service Accreditation Board, but classes are based said that if students entering the program have little to on both sets of standards from the National Fire Acad- none, they won’t do well.

Pierce has partnered with Bates Technical College emy.

Pierce doesn’t offer those certifications. The way for this program. Bates teaches half of the classes, the process works it that the institution or agency that while Pierce offers the degree. Once classes are comtrains the individual cannot pleted, credits are transferred to also test them, Lord said.

Pierce. All requirements are com“already career or Instead, courses are provided pleted online so no commute to prepare students for the volunteer firefighters don’t between colleges is necessary. exams.

Lord said any other general need to take the fire The degree is based on education classes students need Prior Learning Assessment, service degree to learn are typically taken through Pierce meaning that students with at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord how to be a firefighter, prior knowledge, such as fire campus because they offer more science or other types of train- they already know. So the online classes. Students are working, can receive credit when ing 24-hour shifts so the online reason why they take this platform allows them to complete it’s equivalent to a class.

“We’re not teaching them assignments when they can. program is to prepare how to lay the hoses or throw The Fire Command degree is a ladder (or) how to fight the them for advancement and transferable to most four-year unifire,” Lord said. “We’re teachbut there aren’t many promotional opportunities versities, ing them the supervision, options for obtaining a bachelor’s. administrative (and) leaderIn fact, most enrolled students in the fire service.” ship side of fire service.” already have a bachelor’s in other Many institutions, includ—Robert Lord fields but attend Pierce to focus ing Pierce, Clover Park, on gaining skills for the fire servEverett and others offer a fire science degree which ice, Lord said. helps people get into the field, but so far Pierce is the “Already career or volunteer firefighters don’t need only school in Washington that provides this type of to take the fire service degree to learn how to be a fireadvanced education, Lord said. fighter, they already know,” Lord said. “So the reason The program was originally developed only for why they take this program is to prepare them for career firefighters but was later opened up to include advancement and promotional opportunities in the fire career volunteer firefighters. This was because there’s service.”

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firstlooK

courtesy The Examiner.com

We test the waters so you don’t have to

moviereview Suzanne Buchholz Kung Fu Panda 3 Action/Adventure, Animated, Comedy, Family

Since its release in 2008, Kung Fu Panda has been a hit for young and old audiences. Fans of the franchise might be wondering if the third movie can possibly match the quality of the first two films, as many animated film trilogies have fallen flat over time with a few exceptions.

Happily, Kung Fu Panda 3 has managed to meet, and even exceed, this reporter’s expectations.

The movie takes place following the events of Kung Fu Panda 2. Po (Jack Black), a portly panda who also happens to be the ultimate fanboy of all things kung fu, is still working on becoming the Dragon Warrior among the legendary kung fu group known as the Furious Five. But Po is thrown for a loop when he is unexpectedly reunited with his long-lost birth father, Li Shan (Bryan Cranston), an event that doesn’t sit well with Po’s adoptive father Mr. Ping (James Hong). cast: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Kate Hudson, J.K. Simmons, Bryan Cranston.

As intriguing as the family drama is, however, it wouldn’t be a true Kung Fu Panda movie without a menacing villain threatening to take over China.

This movie delivers by introducing Po’s most powerful rival yet. An immortal and dangerous spirit warrior named Kai (J.K. Simmons) has risen from rated: PG; Martial arts the Chinese Spirit Realm on a quest to rob all of the action and some mild kung fu warriors of their chi, a special energy with rude humor. healing properties that few people possess. His grand (if not typical for an animated movie villain) plan is to use the power of the chi to restore his reign over China as the supreme general.

Po discovers that in order to defeat Kai he must master the power of chi himself, a goal that Li Shan promises he can fulfill if Po will return to the secret panda village where he was born to train with him. Po accepts, and what follows is a journey of self-discovery as Po learns how to live among other pandas for the first time in his life, as well as how to find the strength within himself to take down Kai. Unlike the previous two films, Kung Fu Panda 3 isn’t rife with the typical “believe in yourself” tropes. While it isn’t entirely free of cliches-such as Po having to find faith in himself to lead the Furious Five to victory the final fight sequence is almost entirely free of this cliche and without explaining anything that would reveal a major spoiler, it certainly makes for a satisfying and epic battle.

Just as engaging as the plot is the animation. The action in the fight scenes is highlighted by amazing CGI effects that make their movements look fluid and lifelike, or as much so as one can get when it’s a panda putting the beat-down on his enemies. Throughout the movie, there are also scenes animated in a style reminiscent of Chinese watercolor painting, usually used to illustrate an event from the past or a dream sequence. The artwork in these scenes are particularly mesmerizing and adds to the overall Asian influence that the film tries to depict.

The film’s musical score, composed by Hans Zimmer, further added to the feeling of excitement. Most of the score had a Chinese-style sound to it that helped build the atmosphere of the movie, combined with the stunning visuals in the background. And of course, the score wouldn’t be complete without Carl Douglas’s Kung Fu Fighting playing at some point, and the remix made for this film is just as catchy as the original.

One problem with the film was that, for the most part, the majority of the Furious Five remained seen but not heard, much like in the previous two movies. It would’ve been nice if there was a little more development on their part, and that they’d be in action more often. But with the exception of an ill-fated fight scene involving Master Crane (David Cross) and Master Mantis (Seth Rogen), the rest of the Furious Five had very little screen time. This has always been a downside of the franchise-some background information on these characters would give the story a richer plot, but the focus always remains on Po, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and occasionally Master Tigress (Angelina Jolie). This is only a minor complaint, as the movie plot more than compensates for their absence.

Kung Fu Panda 3 is just as good if not more so than the first two movies in the trilogy. It’s packed with action, a little sentimentality and an all-star voice cast. Fans of the franchise shouldn’t be disappointed with this installment.

I give this movie:

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the bodies for the Barbie dolls now reflect a diversity of shapes and sizes.

Reality dolls: New Barbie bodies Lizzie Duke Reporter

The favorite childhood toy of millions, Barbie, has evolved and will be joined by a larger variety of dolls throughout this year. Debuting four new body types, seven skin tones and 24 hairstyles, the Barbies are now supposed to be more accurate to human proportions and diverse.

According to USA Today, there’s some controversy around these new dolls, specifically targeting the changes in Barbie’s body shape. Comments such as “Let’s not normalize being obese; it’s not healthy” are circulating the Internet, but none of these dolls are actually obese. One is taller than original Barbie, one more petite and one curvier.

There’s a whole world within the culture of Barbie. Many children spend their early years creating a life for their doll; dressing her, buying her other plastic friends and finding themselves through imaginary scenarios acted out through her. Some level of each child’s personality developed from the life of that Barbie doll.

Attempting to increase women’s self confidence by making Barbie look “normal” is better than any woman feeling the need to change her body to look like Barbie. Yet, neither should be necessary.

No child should feel pressured to look like a doll, or anything other than themselves. Being confident with one’s body doesn’t require fitting into a category. It doesn’t require perfection, less clothing, more makeup or a doll that looks just like them. It requires nothing other than personal acceptance.

“I never played with GI Joes thinking I need a

six pack,” Josh Haley, Health and Education Center staff member, said.

Changing a doll to look “normal” shouldn’t be the determining factor in self approval. That’s why the new Barbie bodies are both wonderful and frustrating.

Barbies are plastic. Sure, they’re perfect, but they’re nothing more than dolls. People are imperfect and that’s what makes them human. Women aren’t Barbies, and never will be, no matter how “accurate” they look.

Other dolls aren’t pressured to be “accurate.”

Clifford was never questioned for making dogs self-conscious, as they could never be that big or red. Toys don’t need to look like anything other than toys.

It’s lovely that society is moving toward accepting all people no matter their outward appearance. However, it doesn’t automatically make any woman any more accepted than they already were.

There are more than 7 billion people on this planet. Just because these dolls have slightly more variety doesn’t mean they can represent people any better. Giving them thicker features and a few skin color options doesn’t make them suddenly represent all women more than the original extremely tall and skinny Barbie.

Defining any body type as “normal” is no less wrong than defining a body type as “abnormal.”

Just because they resemble a woman doesn’t mean women are suddenly going to be any more perfect than they’ve always been, or the dolls are any better. Don’t let a plastic doll make any woman self conscious. Just let the toys be toys and the women be women.

Campus events calendar Compiled by Andrea Mendoza

Mar.1 Financial Aid workshop in College Center room 270 at 6 p.m.

Mar. 11 Pierce College Puyallup choir, Bon voyage concert in the AAH theatre at 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 4 National Walk to Work Day

Mar. 12 Plant Flowers Day

Mar. 6 National Frozen Food Day

Mar. 13 Pierce College Fort Steilacoom choir concert in the AAH theatre at 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 7 Former student registration begins Mar. 8 New student registration begins Mar. 8 Northwest Sinfonietta open rehearsal in the AAH theatre at 10 a.m.

Mar. 9 KWA Home Care- Employer of the month

Mar. 14 Pierce College orchestra concert in the AAH theatre at 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 16 Last day of instruction for WAOL classes Mar. 17 Last day of instruction for winter quarter

Mar. 10 Popcorn Lovers Day

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Troye Sivan proves YouTube a viable option for success CJ Robinson

YouTubers like Sivan taking on the world outside of YouTube CJ Robinson Reporter

Hundreds of fans mob towards the stage, hoping to get a look at the young, curly-haired singer. As the first song begins, voices ring out from all directions, singing along to one of Troye Sivan’s hit songs: BITE. The electronica beats of Sivan began with his rise on YouTube in 2008, his first video covering Tell Me Why by Neil Young when he was 13 years old. Since then, his fan base has grown to millions and he’s recently come out with his new hit album—Blue Neighborhood.

The line for the Seattle show of the Blue Neighborhood tour started nearly 10 hours in advance. Many young fans brought camping gear, food and items to keep busy to wait in order to get the best view of Sivan when the time comes.

The young artist has truly achieved a celebrity status, and this isn’t exclusive to him alone. Many YouTubers of this generation are gaining fame on and off the Internet.

2015 was a year for literature for the modern generation. A large majority of popular YouTubers published books based off of their specialized fields of videos.

Rosanna Pansino, creator of the channel Nerdy Nummies, released her cookbook based off of popular items in nerd culture, like the death star from Star Wars, apple pi pie and 20-sided-die cookies.

Dan Howell and Phil Lester, two British vloggers, released a joint authored book called The Amazing Book is Not on Fire, a combination of their two YouTube user-

the line for troye Sivan’s Seattle concert stretched nearly four blocks. names (danisnotonfire and AmazingPhil).

The book describes their rise to success and a more in-depth look at their lives than a vlog format can provide.

Many YouTubers have gone much farther than their original intent behind vlogging and creating a YouTube Channel.

Connor Franta, a young and well-known YouTuber from the U.S., has started his own record label called Heard Well and a company selling coffee, albums and merchandise branded as Common Culture.

Franta is also now the newest member of The Recording Academy, the organization that awards Grammy’s.

Many YouTube content creators have gone from making low-quality covers of songs to writing and releasing their own music through record companies. The most famous example of this is the infamous Justin Bieber, who found his fame at a young age through viral videos of his performances.

For the time, this medium was new and unknown and attempting to get rich through it sounded impossible. Today, it seems to be happening more often than singers are found through the old-fashioned means.

Sivan’s case is a prime example of how to make it big by starting out small. After singing for a few competitions and smallscale events in his home country of Australia, he turned to YouTube as a singer and subsequently a vlogger. Sivan released his first vlog in 2012 after five years of singing on the channel, and a year later he was signed with EMI Australia, a Universal Music Australia label. He first released TRXYE, a 5-song EP in 2013 and went onto release his debut album, Blue Neighborhood, in 2015. Now, Sivan is selling out venues like the ShowBox Sodo in Seattle, with hundreds of fans waiting to hear his music come to life.

There’s a sense of community around

these fans because many of them have watched Sivan since he began uploading and now seeing him perform at this stage is a cathartic experience. Waiting in line and attending these events gives them an outlet to see other fans in a place other than the Internet.

Jared Fluhrer, a student at Pierce College, attended the concert on Feb. 4.

“The energy of the crowd was different from anything that I’ve been to before,” Fluhrer said. “It probably is because his fans are so much more dedicated and have been with him for so much longer.”

Moving from the Internet into the real world isn’t always successful. With the growing number of people discovering this medium, it’s becoming harder and harder to complete the first step on this path to fame—gaining support online.

Some who wish to take their already successful channels outside the bounds of YouTube are having problems. The Fine Brothers, known for their React series on YouTube, recently ran into some trouble when attempting to trademark their show.

The premise of the channel is to have children, adults, elders and famous YouTubers react to different viral videos, video games or foods. Many viewers and commenters saw their copywriting as an abusive system because it limits others from a broad spectrum of production. The “react” idea, they claimed, isn’t original and would stop too many creators from enjoying the freedom to make videos they want. Subscriber counts dropped while negative comments and dislikes increased until the channel finally withdrew their trademarks.

Even still, it’s important to remember that it’s not completely impossible to succeed on YouTube. Many may still come out of this system and open up the world to a whole new set of entrepreneurs, musicians and content creators, just like Sivan.

Chase Charaba

AC/DC salutes Tacoma with rock ’n’ roll Chase Charaba Online and Social Media Manager

Legendary rock band AC/DC played to a sold-out crowd at the Tacoma Dome Feb. 2 on the first date of their 2016 North American leg of the Rock or Bust World Tour. The band played a set of massive hits that left nearly 30,000 people with ringing ears and smiles on their faces.

The packed show was met with new security enhancements put in place by the Tacoma Dome, including new metaldetector wands and bag searches at all doors.

Once inside, Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown opened, playing a small set of straight-forward rock and roll and one cover song, while concert goers found their seats and bought AC/DC merchandise, including red blinking devil horns and a special shirt that says “Tacoma or Bust.”

The Australian rockers from AC/DC took the stage at 9 p.m., beginning their journey through hit song after hit song.

Up first was the title track from their new album, Rock or Bust. Although most people weren’t familiar with the song, everyone was on their feet as Brian Johnson screamed and danced on stage, with guitarist Angus Young dressed in his famous green school boy outfit.

Their second song was a personal favorite: Shoot to Thrill, a powerful anthem straight from their best-selling M a r c h

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AC/DC performs their 1979 hit Highway to Hell at the tacoma Dome during the encore feb. 2.

1980 album Back in Black. Johnson’s vocals wailed, and although clearly not up to par with his vocals in the ‘80s, he still delivered.

Other songs performed included: the 1977 deep track Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be, their massive 1980 hit Back in Black, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, the 1990 favorite Thunderstruck, High Voltage,

Rock n Roll Train, Hells Bells, Sin City, their 19-minute epic rendition of Let There Be Rock and an encore with Highway to Hell and For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).

The concert also included their first ever live performance of their new song Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder and the first live performance of their song Given

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the Dog a Bone since Oct. 27 1980.

Each and every song was executed on point and the band never stopped putting on a great show. Johnson refused to stand still all night, instead opting to dance around on stage even when he wasn’t singing and acting out some of the lyrics, particularly on Given the Dog a Bone when he walked down the catwalk as though teasing a dog.

Hells Bells was accompanied by a massive tolling bell hung from the ceiling and Whole Lotta Rosie included a blown-up “Rosie” sitting atop the back of the stage.

Young performed all of his signature moves, including spinning and rolling on the ground with his guitar during his lengthy solo at the end of Let There Be Rock, bringing the song to nearly 19 minutes. During Highway to Hell he placed devil horns of his own on his forehead, much like the ones he wore on the album cover in 1979.

Closing the killer show was For Those About to Rock (We Salute You), complete with a cannon salute that has become an AC/DC trademark.

Despite each band member being in their 60s, AC/DC delivered a high energy performance that many bands in the 20s cannot achieve. AC/DC definitely brought the rock to the Rock or Bust tour.

I give this concert:

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Amber Gilliland

Russian feminist punk group Pussy Riot visits Seattle Amber Gilliland Senior Reporter

Excitement filled the air of the Neptune Theatre as two members of the Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot took the stage on Feb. 8.

The sold out event titled Pussy Riot: Feminist Punk and the Police State brought together an eclectic mix of punk music fans, feminists, film enthusiasts and civil rights activists to witness a documentary screening and discussion from Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina and Ksenia Zhivago.

The evening began with a brief introduction to Russian history, the leadership of President Vladimir Putin and a small backstory of Pussy Riot given by event moderator Mariana Markova.

Pussy Riot is no ordinary punk band. They’re the perfect mix of performance artists, civil rights activists and musicians.

“Pussy Riot is a movement,” Alyokhina said.

The group uses their songs as political demonstrations, holding unannounced performances in public places while wearing masks and bright clothes. The group’s demonstrations are meant to shock audiences and their lyrics bring attention to government corruption, gay rights, media censorship and express the group’s disapproval of Putin.

After the introduction, an abridged version of the documentary Pussy vs. Putin was screened. The film is a documentary that highlights the group’s journey to fight the Russian regime, including moments from the criminal case that plunged Pussy Riot into the spotlight.

On Feb. 21, 2012, five members of Pussy Riot, including Alyokhina, held a performance in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The women began dancing and singing a prayer asking to remove Putin from power. The women later said the performance wasn’t a religious protest but a statement against the Russian union of church and state. Cathedral security quickly removed the women from the facility and Pussy Riot then used footage of the event to turn it into a music video for the song.

Alyokhina and two other members were later arrested for their actions and held in custody for months until their trial. They were denied bail for fear that they’d flee the country if released from custody. On Aug. 17, 2012, the three women were sentenced to two years in prison for the crime of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” for offending members of the Orthodox Christian church and creating a disturbance.

The imprisonment of Pussy Riot created an uproar around the world as people showed support for the release of the women. Many supporters blamed the conviction on Putin’s union with the church and questioned how offending someone was a crime worthy of multiple years in jail.

Other scenes from the documentary included shots of their political protest demonstrations and songs, as

the sign outside the Neptune theatre advertises Pussy Riot performance. well as scenes of angry church members throwing holy water and yelling at Pussy Riot supporters.

When the documentary concluded, Alyokhina and Zhivago appeared on stage to applause and a standing ovation from the audience.

A moderated discussion followed with an opportunity for audience members to ask questions. The women were joined onstage by Markova and tour promoter Alexander Cheparukhin, who helped translate for Alyokhina.

Discussion topics included women’s issues in Russia, Alyokhina’s experiences while imprisoned and other Russian artists who have joined the movement.

A portion of the time was spent discussing the state of the government and judicial system in Russia. Anecdotes of media censorship and questionable imprisonments were mentioned, including the stories of a man who was given a 20 year sentence for his political views and another man who was sentenced to jail for standing next to a building where a painter was working.

“If you don’t keep an eye on your democracy, you could have the same,” Alyokhina said.

MediaZona, an independent news service created by Alyokhina and Pussy Riot member Nadya Tolokonnikova, was also mentioned. This platform was created by the women to help fight Russian media censorship.

Alyokhina encouraged audience members to help the Russian movement by bringing attention to the cause and speaking out against injustice.

The entire evening can be summed up as inspiring.

Russian citizens continue to fight for basic rights that Americans have only had for a small amount of time.

Scenes from the film were reminiscent of the civil rights movement in America. It was extremely moving to hear from these women who aren’t afraid to stand up for themselves and others.

Despite the full venue, the discussion felt intimate.

Audience members were able to ask their questions at a microphone that was directly in front of the stage, so that eye contact with the speakers was easy to maintain. Despite being over an hour long, the discussion didn’t feel long enough. This reporter was left with many unanswered questions such as what happened to the women after they were released from prison and where they reside now.

A few lucky audience members were able to purchase T-shirts before they quickly sold out. The proceeds from the sales would go to helping other political prisoners, Alyokhina said.

The evening ended with a 15-minute trailer for another documentary about Pussy Riot that had never been shown in the U.S. and another roaring round of applause.

Two Pierce students chosen for All-Washington Academic Team Amber Gilliland Senior Reporter

The All-Washington Academic Team is a group that honors community and technical college students for their academic success. It was created by Phi Theta Kappa, and recognizes students from across Washington state.

Students are chosen for the team by applying through Phi Theta Kappa scholarships. Two students from Pierce College Puyallup, Kaitlyn Thorley and Jeremy Cruz, have been selected to be part of the 2016 team.

Kaitlyn Thorley 18-year-old Kaitlyn Thorley’s main focus is school.

As a Running Start student, Thorley lives on her own while working two jobs and attending college. She commutes daily from Enumclaw to attend classes to earn her general transfer associate degree.

Thorley said she was debating between attending Green River Community College and Pierce. She chose Pierce because she loved the environment that college had to offer.

“I’m really glad I’ve chosen Pierce College Puyallup,” w w w . P u y a l l u P P o s T . c o M

Thorley said.

Thorley has spent much of her time outside of class volunteering. She’s a member of Phi Theta Kappa, has been the president of youth groups and has volunteered at a hospital in Enumclaw.

Being chosen for the All-Washington Academic Team has been a humbling Kaitlyn Thorley experience Thorley said.

“It’s really cool to see that people out there notice you for your academics and community service work that you do,” Thorley said.

She hopes her spot on the team will give her the chance to help others.

“I want to inspire self and others like me who don’t have good family background,” Thorley said.

Jeremy Cruz Jeremy Cruz, 25, left his full-time job at a paper mill to attend Pierce College.

Cruz lives in Tacoma and was debating between attending Pierce or Tacoma Community College. After researching, he chose Pierce because of the location and

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the academics that were offered.

“I liked that they had two locations,” Cruz said.

Cruz is majoring in electrical and computer engineering. His knowledge of engineering began when he started to play music and record himself. This gave Cruz experience with audio engineering.

Jeremy Cruz When he started working at the paper mill, he was surrounded by technology and began talking with the engineers there. This led to his interest in earning a degree in the field.

In his free time, Cruz enjoys snowboarding, building robots and playing with Legos.

Cruz said he’s excited about his spot on the team and the potential for scholarships.

“The recognition alone is really awesome,” Cruz said.

“Hard work really does pay off. The possibility to get money for school is huge.”

Thorley, Cruz and the rest of the 2016 academic team will be honored on March 24 in a ceremony at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia. Governor Jay Inslee will be at the ceremony and students will receive medallions from their college presidents.

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Students and faculty gathered in the Allied Arts and Health Building on Feb. 10 to Executive Board of Operations Cole Webb dances at Open view an artist reception for Susan Russell Hall.

Mic Night Feb. 25.

Campus scene Photos by Amber Gilliland

Courtesy Cole Webb

Students enjoy pizza and playing video games during Fight Night on Feb. 11.

A variety of video games could be played during Fight Night on Feb. 11.

Students playing ping pong in the College Center.

On Jan. 26 at the Washington state capitol, 34 colleges were represented at the Legislative Action Day.

A banner at the entrance of the College Center advertises Black History Month.

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