The Puyallup Post | Volume 22 | Issue 1 | October 18, 2016

The Puyallup Post VOLUME 22 ISSUE 1 | OCTOBER 18, 2016 | PUYALLUPPOST.COM

Pierce Celebrates

SERVING THE STUDENTS OF PIERCE COLLEGE PUYALLUP SINCE 1994

th

Anniversary P

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Inside The Puyallup Post Staff Co-Editor-in-Chief: Chase Charaba

253-912-2399 ext: 8632 | ccharaba@pierce.ctc.edu

Co-Editor-in-Chief: Armani Jackson

The Puyallup Post

253-912-2399 ext: 8630 | ajackson@pierce.ctc.edu

Online/Social Media Manager Carissa Wagner

253-912-2399 ext: 8583 | cwagner@pierce.ctc.edu

Senior Reporter

Volume 22 Issue 1 October 18, 2016

Grace Amsden

253-912-2399 ext: 8881 | gamsden@pierce.ctc.edu

Senior Reporter

5 Signs of the college

Suzanne Buchholz

253-912-2399 ext: 8722 | sbuchholz@pierce.ctc.edu

Print Reporter

master plan

Rebecca Dickson

253-912-2399 ext: 8624 | rdickson@pierce.ctc.edu

Print Reporter Andrea Mendoza

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253-912-2399 ext: 8651 | amendoza@pierce.ctc.edu

Print Reporter Daniel Pollock

253-912-2399 ext: 8587| dpollock@pierce.ctc.edu

Besides buildings and parking lots, the arrows on the new campus signage point to another place: the future of Pierce College Puyallup.

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Senior Online Reporter Hannah Pederson

Cheer team 9 looks ahead

253-912-2399 ext: 8628 | hpederson@pierce.ctc.edu

Online Reporter Shelby Cross

Raider Cheer hopes to bring energy and excitment to students this season.

253-912-2399 ext: 8812 | scross@pierce.ctc.edu

Online Reporter Jared Leingang

253-912-2399 ext: 8601 | jleingang@pierce.ctc.edu

Online Reporter Colton Swanson

12 New college website

253-912-2399 ext: 8811 | cswanson@pierce.ctc.edu

Office Manager/Reporter

nearing beta

James McCraw

(253) 840-8496 | jmccraw@pierce.ctc.edu

Graphics Manager

The redesigned Pierce College website will be released for beta this fall.

Katie Foster

(253) 840-8496 | kfoster@pierce.ctc.edu

Adviser

Teresa Josten

253-912-2399 ext: 8509 | tjosten@pierce.ctc.edu

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

This publication is intended as a public forum. Published materials are the sole responsibility of the editors, reporters and photographers and are not intended to represent Pierce College’s policies.

For more information on advertising rates call (253) 840-8496 or email puypost@pierce.ctc.edu.

Meet the new OSL leaders

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A new group of students moved into the Office of Student Life, ready to serve the students.

The student newspaper is in room C218 in the College Center.

Submit a Letter

Email letters to the editors to ccharaba@pierce.ctc.edu or ajackson@ pierce.ctc.edu, or use the submission form on our website.

Address

The Puyallup Post Pierce College Puyallup 1601 39th Avenue SE Puyallup, WA 98374

OCTOBER 18, 2016

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THE PUYALLUP POST

News

It’s a

Trap!

Katie Foster

College officails exterminate rat infestation A Chase Charaba Co-Editor-in-Chief

Jared Leingang

fter months of battling rodents in the College Center with traps, college officials have the upper hand.

Rats and mice infested Pierce College at the end of spring quarter, necessitating officials to hire an outside exterminator. Students sighted rats in the Academic Resource Center on May 18, and multiple rodents were spotted in the Office of Student Life, including a dead rat and two dead mice that were pulled from the ceiling.

“I’d say probably in the last month, we’ve caught two in the traps that we’ve set,” Dan Timmons, building and grounds manager for the Puyallup campus, said. “That’s a huge difference from when this first started. We were probably catching a couple rats each day.”

The college contracted with an exterminator to get rid of the rats last spring, and they’ve continued to work with the college into fall quarter. The pest control company came to the college every week for the first month, Timmons said. Now the company will make monthly visits to check the traps and reassess the situation.

“We set traps in the ceiling and on the roof,” Timmons said. “We call them the penthouse, the units on top of our roofs.”

It took about a month for the problem to get under control, and the college has taken

measures to ensure that the rats don’t return, Timmons said.

Director of Safety and Security Chris Mackersie sent an email to all college employees last quarter asking them to remove food from their desks that wasn’t in containers. ..“Over the years, we have had similar challenges in the Brouillet and Gaspard buildings,” Mackersie said in his email. “In each case, Facilities required the assistance of the building occupants to completely eliminate the rodents from the buildings.”

As reported by The Puyallup Post in the June 14 article about the rat infestation, custodians focused on collecting trash every night and notifying staff members who had left food out during the night in an effort to curb the problem.

“We’ve taken measures to make sure exterior building doors are closed when not in use,” Timmons said. “We’ve asked the college community to help us out by not leaving any kind of food out. If you’re going to be having food by your work area, make sure it’s in a closed container.”

Timmons said he doesn’t know why the rats showed up in the College Center, but that the building is the perfect environment to attract rodents.

“We have our dumpster in the back and we have our kitchen right there, so we have multiple food sources for the rodents to hang out,” Timmons said. “If doors were being left open, that’s the perfect environment to get them to the building, so we just have to be diligent and make sure we keep that area clean and the doors closed.”

The new login screen for student email, which is accessed through Microsoft Office 365.

A new outlook on student emails: From Gmail to Microsoft Suzanne Buchholz

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Senior Reporter

uring the summer, Pierce College student emails switched from Google’s Gmail to Outlook, the service provided through Microsoft Office 365.

The change in emails was the result of Pierce implementing new Microsoft Office 365 programs across all campuses. These programs were adopted to provide students with a variety of tools to help them gain academic success and allow them to use services that hadn’t been available before, Web and Database Programmer Rosemary Cooke said.

“We’ve been planning for some time to provide Microsoft Office 365 to Pierce College students, in part because of feedback from the students themselves about the value of the service,” Cooke said. “All of our students now have full access to the Microsoft Office suite of applications, some of the most powerful and ubiquitous productivity tools available, at no additional cost beyond tuition.”

In August, currently enrolled students received emails through their Gmail accounts informing them of the

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changes being made to the email services. The email gave instructions on how to transfer their account from Gmail to Outlook, as well as how to retrieve any old emails and addresses they had stored in their old accounts. Although the accounts are new through Outlook, they use the same usernames that students had through Gmail.

Some students reported issues switching their emails since the Aug. 26 cutover date, Cooke said. Staff at the Help Desk have assisted students with problems ranging from logging in for the first time to updating the accounts on their phones to continue receiving new messages, among others.

“The biggest change from how our Google Gmail accounts were handled is that we are no longer providing default passwords,” Cooke said. “Our student Microsoft Office 365 account passwords must meet more stringent complexity requirements than Google passwords did.”

Student email passwords now must be eight to 16 characters long and are required to have at least one upper and lower-case letter, a number and a character such as a punctuation symbol. Pierce staff decided to give students randomly-generated temporary passwords as a means of

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making it easier for them than trying to fulfill all these new requirements. Students can reset their passwords at any time by logging into their MyPierce portal and using the password reset tool under the Microsoft Office 365 tab.

“Additionally, students who set up two-factor authentication on their Microsoft Office 365 accounts can use that second factor to recover access on their own in the event they forget their password, no Help Desk call or MyPierce reset needed,” Cooke said. “We’re very excited for our students to be empowered in this way.”

Students who are still struggling to transfer their emails can get help in several ways by finding tutorials on the Pierce website, contacting the Help Desk and Student Technology Assistance Team or visiting the IT department on campus.

“We’re excited for our students to have access to the Microsoft Office suite of applications, and online support for collaboration and sharing,” Cooke said. “Rolling our student email into the Microsoft Office 365 service gives Pierce students a single starting point for communication, collaboration and productivity.”

OCTOBER 18, 2016

News Women Writers class gets in formation Andrea Mendoza

S

Reporter

One of the posters for ENGL 266, which can be found all around campus.

Armani Jackson

tudents walking around the hallways at Pierce College Puyallup may have noticed flyers with a picture of Beyonce hung on the walls. These flyers are advertisements for the Women Writers International Mosaic hybrid class being taught fall quarter by adjunct assistant professor Shannon Wilson.

Women Writers is an annual class that focuses on the literary work of women writers. The class will focus on Beyonce’s visual album, Lemonade. Referred to as the Lemonade edition, the class will pave way to the interpretation and influence of black women writers.

“We’re using Beyonce and her visual album as an entry point into a conversation about black women writers,” Wilson said. “I’m specifically using this term and not African American because not all of the authors we’ll read in this class are American. We’re specifically talking about black female identity and experience.”

This class is intended to embrace black womanhood and to demonstrate the experience black women go through. The class incorporates the album Lemonade in its content, but it isn’t the only material used. The course content consists of eight novels and two collections of poetry specifically chosen by Wilson to challenge the common stereotypes that surround black women in particular. Works in the course include, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow is Enuf by Ntozake Shange, I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem by Maryse Conde and Daughters of the Dust by Julie Dash, all of whom are black women writers.

“When I first decided to approach the course using

Lemonade, I was looking for books that were dealing with the thematics that I see in the visual album,” Wilson said.

“I was also looking for texts that are directly referenced in the album.”

The literary works are to guide students into analyzing, identifying and exploring all aspects of the gender stereotypes often connected with black women.

“I wanted students to know what they were getting into and to be prepared to grapple with this content,” Wilson said.

The inspiration behind this class was the rise of a black women cultural movement. Black women are the founders of the social justice movement Black Lives Matter and many celebrities are using their platforms to speak up about the social injustices women of color face. After the release of Beyonce’s Lemonade, many black women started to speak up about the literary works referenced in the visual album that aired on HBO April 23. Candice Benbow, a lecturer in Women’s and Gender Studies at Rutgers University, created the hashtag #lemonadesyllabus. This hashtag was used to suggest readings that could start a conversation with the thematic concerns and content of Lemonade.

“Candice Benbow created this syllabus hashtag where women expressed their opinions about books recommended to read so you can understand the visual album better,” Wilson said.

Women Writers meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1212:50 p.m.

“I think as a women of color it’s empowering because it discusses black women issues, which is something you don’t really see in other class,” student Victoria Miles said.

Andrea Memdoza

New Women Writers Lemonade Edition opens up for students this fall quarter

$500,000 grant brings new paths to Pierce College The Washington Student Achievement Council estimates 700,000 students in Washington attended a university or community college between 2009 and 2015 without reaching a degree.

“The idea (of Pathways) is to as quickly as possible get students on a path towards a career,” Marty Cavalluzzi, Pierce College Puyallup president, said. “The data shows if we don’t do that, the more they flounder around and the less successful they will be.”

Financial Aid covers only two years of community college. The intent of Pathways is to ensure students graduate before their Financial Aid deadline ends. Pathways can help students take classes in the correct order and in the correct quarter, making certain they graduate within two years.

At Pierce, 64 percent of students are the first generation of their family to pursue a higher education. These are students who don’t have family to help them understand the technical world of college, the definitions of higher education jargon or in which order to take classes. Pathways is designed to make college clearer and more accessible for these students.

Pathways will be implemented in fall quarter of 2018. The grant, paid in $100,000 increments over the next five years, will help pay for faculty, along with consultants, to design each class plan.

Campbell and Cavalluzzi believe Guided Pathways will make a student’s success at Pierce even more achievable.

Daniel Pollock

P

Reporter

ierce College’s future changed after College Spark Washington and the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges awarded the school a $500,000 grant. The grant is focused on implementing Guided Pathways, a system designed to simplify college course decisions.

With Guided Pathways, each degree concentration will have a separate “road map,” meaning a new student’s class schedule will be fully planned for the two years they study at Pierce. Vice President of Learning and Student Success Matthew Campbell compares it with Google Maps, where there are default directions, but also alternative routes; for choosing some classes, the final choice is the students’.

“Right now, the way we’re structured, there’s maybe a thousand ways to get from point A to point B for an associate degree,” Campbell said. “The Pathway picks the most direct route and makes that suggestion.”

All degrees and certificates will be categorized into different concentrations, such as humanities, science, technology, engineering, math and healthcare. Each concentration will have a set class plan, or path. When a student comes to the college, they choose a path based on their interest. If the student doesn’t have a specific interest, they can choose a broader plan to find a subject that attracts them. Students can switch to another path if their main interest changes.

OCTOBER 18, 2016

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THE PUYALLUP POST

News Courtesy of Marty Cavalluzzi

All photos by Grace Amsden

The new signage features a graphically designed campus map, color-coded according to the buildings and parking lots. Concrete footings serve as the sign’s foundation. McGranahan Architects and Plumb Signs were contracted to work on this project, Taylor said.

Campus master plan points toward Pierce’s future Grace Amsden

B

Senior Reporter

esides buildings and parking lots, the arrows on the new campus signage point to another place: the future of Pierce College Puyallup.

The new signage, implemented this September, accounts for a piece of the campus master plan.

The plan is an all-encompassing look at the college, Pierce College Puyallup President Marty Cavalluzzi said.

Infrastructure improvements such as heating and wiring, building remodels and new buildings are examples of what can be included in the plan.

“We think long term: here’s where we are now, what’s working well, what’s not working, what is it we need to fix and where is the college going? What do we want it to look like 10 years from now, 20 years from now?” Cavalluzzi said.

The purpose for the new signage is to help people find what they’re looking for.

It’s also to create a friendlier campus to individuals such as prospective students, Jim Taylor, director of facilities and construction manager, said. Facilities executed this plan after approval, Taylor said.

One sign, with a color-coded map for buildings and parking lots, can be found on the walkway from Parking Lot A to the

College Center.

“We had very minimal signage when you came onto the campus, and it was just part of a long-term master plan for improvements to both of the college campuses,” Taylor said.

A renovation of the Pierce brickstructured signs on College Way is in the campus master plan. These updated signs will feature a maroon background and gray lettering.

Besides signage, the addition of a STEM building is also within the campus plan.

2023 is the earliest this building can be seen on campus, Cavalluzzi said. This building’s request to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges will be made in December 2017 for the 2019-2021 biennium, as this process operates of a biennium. The last request was December 2015.

It’d take about four years for the building’s construction, which will be 70,000 square feet and cost about $40 million, Cavalluzzi said.

“When we do get that STEM building - because we have to have it - what will come out of the (Brouillet) Library/Science Building will be everything on that bottom floor, and it will go into that new building,” Cavalluzzi said.

As for the LSC, the plan is that it will be filled with many student services, such as

the tutoring center.

The previous campus master plan, from 2002 to 2015, included plans for the building of the College Center, Garnero Child Development Center, Health Education Center and Arts and Allied Health Building.

“I know for a fact the next building, because it’s in our campus master plan, is that STEM building - that’s the next one we need,” Cavalluzzi said. “Then from there, it depends if it keeps growing. It doesn’t make sense to put a new building just because it’s in the campus master plan if there’s no one to fill the space.”

Another building in the plan would serve as additional classroom space, though a program would likely be included in it.

Other items in the campus master plan include another Garnero Child Development Center classroom, a transit center, HEC gym and sports fields for baseball, fastpitch and soccer.

A remodel of the Gaspard Administration Building is also of interest and within the plan, as a building must be at least 20 years old to be remodeled, Cavalluzzi said. He’d like to see a student welcome center with services allowing students to sit and speak with someone instead of waiting in line.

Safety and security is another aspect of the campus master plan. This contributes to the lighting on campus and even the way

the limbs are positioned for an increased sightline.

“If you’re walking on a sidewalk, you can see farther along so you’re not surprised if anyone’s walking down the sidewalk or anything,” Cavalluzzi said. “Part of it’s personal safety - but part of it is we want you to be safe and feel good about where you’re walking, and you can see where you’re going.”

Main elements in the campus master plan, such as lighting and wireless expansion, may transfer to the next plan. On Oct. 12 at the Board of Trustees meeting, one of the agenda items was for the Board of Trustees to review the series of projects for the upcoming campus master plan from 2016-2025.

“They’ll look over this campus master plan and have a month for feedback whether they accept it or not,” Cavalluzzi said. “Then in November they will vote, basically, to decide yes, we accept this campus master plan.”

In 100 years, Cavalluzzi expects each building on campus to be remodeled. There would also be multiple residence halls, he said.

“All the things we do, we’re just trying to fulfill our mission,” Cavalluzzi said. “We need to make sure that we’re doing what we say we’re going to do.”

EpiPen price increases over 500 percent, causes concern Rebecca Dickson

R Reporter

etail costs for EpiPens had increased to more than $600 and lives could be at risk because of it.

EpiPens, a brand of epinephrine auto injectors, provide medication to patients with life-threatening allergies. In case of an anaphylactic shock, not having epinephrine during an emergency may increase the chances of death.

Mylan, the company which owns EpiPens, recommends patients carry at least one EpiPen injector at all times due to the risk patients face in an emergency.

An epinephrine auto injector can be a crucial medication for those who suffer from anaphylaxis, an autoimmune response to an allergen. Usually, these allergies are toward food, insect bites/stings or other environmental changes.

Without proper medical treatment, anaphylaxis can be deadly.

EpiPens are used by many patients and can prevent death while a patient is transported to emergency care.

“It’s not optional for somebody who has severe allergic reactions to a whole variety of things,” Chairman Jason Chaffetz of the House Oversight and Reform Committee

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said. “Here you got a drug that has been on the market for a hundred years… but the price of this has gone from roughly $99 for one to $600 for two.”

According to Business Insider, Mylan acquired EpiPen from The Merck Group in 2007. Although EpiPens are manufactured by The Merck Group, Mylan sells and markets them. The company receives $274 and makes a net profit of $100, according to the CEO of Mylan, Heather Bresch.

“Approximately 85 percent of EpiPen patients pay less than $100 for two (EpiPens). Our pens were used hundreds of times, including on many children who have no known allergies,” Bresch said to the House committee.

For patients who do not have insurance, EpiPens can cost up to $608 without savings cards or other programs.

“I don’t feel that is a good idea,” student Alivia Lloyd said. “I feel scared (about the price increase) because if my mom doesn’t have an EpiPen, she might die.”

Mylan has proposed several solutions in response to the criticism they have received..One solution they offer is a generic product.

“Putting a generic in the market, we believe, would be the most efficient way to make (EpiPens affordable for all

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patients),” Bresch said.

Not all are happy with this solution. Mylan receives $274 from the brand name EpiPen when sold at wholesale and the generic pens will be sold wholesale at $300.

Therefore, some claim Mylan may have a higher net profit off their generic epinephrine auto injector than they would off of EpiPen. Other solutions include an EpiPen savings card to save up to $300 (depending on the patient’s insurance), applying for Mylan’s Patient Assistance Program if the patient is 400 percent below the poverty line and EpiPen 4 Schools, a program which provides free EpiPens for schools to use for students.

Still, there are patients who can’t afford EpiPens, and there are few alternatives for those without insurance.

Mylan said they have products other than EpiPen and work on investing in research and development for other products.

“Mylan, as best as I can tell from afar looking at it, has done a lot of the good in the world and they offer a lot of good products. But of the 635 products they offer, this generates about 10 percent of the revenue,” Representative Glenn Grothmann said to the House committee.

OCTOBER 18, 2016

Opinion Fightin’ Words Which is better: Gmail or Outlook?

Gmail

Microsoft Outlook

Andrea Mendoza

Rebecca Dickson

O

C

Reporter

Reporter

n Aug. 26 all hell broke loose as the Pierce College student email officially moved to Outlook through Microsoft Office 365. Returning students may have noticed that student emails are no longer received through Gmail. Panic has risen everywhere, the new Outlook emails are here to the feed the fire. .....During winter quarter, Pierce College offered Microsoft Office 365 free of charge to its students. The bundle included Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote as well as 1TB of storage on the Microsoft cloud known as OneDrive. Although everyone was able to have Microsoft applications, the only Google product was the student emails. Gmail has more than one billion active users according to techcrunch.com while Outlook has a mere 400 million active users and there is an obvious reason why. Gmail is just better.

Users can store more videos, photos and documents on Gmail as it offers 15GB of free mail storage while Outlook only offers five. Gmail also has a priority inbox in which emails deemed important go directly to the inbox.

Users can automatically sort emails by sender, keywords in the subject line or body, attachments and size. Users can use these filters to automatically mark messages as read, apply labels, respond with approved message, delete them and more.

Gmail uses labels and stars instead of folders in which users can apply multiple labels to their messages to organize them to their liking, and stars that set aside the most important emails for later. In Gmail, users can apply smart labels so Google automatically applies labels.

Outlook, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated when it comes to organization.

It uses folders in which all mail except junk mail goes to the inbox. Users can customize these folders to make them more like labels, but they have to go through a series of steps in the options menu as well as filter in order to organize their mail.

The Gmail interface can also be customized to the users’ personal preferences.

Currently, Gmail is using a tabbed index that categorizes emails like-messaged from social media into a social tab and advertisements into a promotions tab. Google has been experimenting with Inbox, a third alternative for Gmail’s interface that allows email to be treated more like a to-do list according to lifehacker.com.

Outlook uses a three-panel view in which folders are on the left panel, emails in that folder are in the middle panel and the email text is on the right panel. There is no way to change this design so users are stuck with it until Outlook opens up the option to do so.

Finally, both Outlook and Gmail have ads. Ads in Gmail appear like regular email on the promotions tab and can be taken off by disabling the tab in the settings. Outlook ads appear as full banners on the side of the screen. The only way to get rid of these ads is by either downloading an ad blocker or paying $20 a year for the ad-free Outlook. The one billion active Gmail users have made the smarter choice for using Gmail.

hange is often slow, frustrating and hard, but students shouldn’t give up on it.

This summer, the Pierce College IT department transitioned students to Microsoft Outlook email. There have been issues with this transition. Many students are angered and frustration is apparent. However, they must consider the benefits of this transition.

The first benefit of upgrading to Outlook is quite apparent in Microsoft’s suite of products. Before the introduction of Microsoft Office 365 last year, students who couldn’t afford Microsoft Office needed to go to the computer lab to type up papers or risk a low grade. With the most recent upgrade to Outlook email, there’s a clear-cut package of tools students can use: email, word processing, PowerPoint presentations and Excel spreadsheets.

Because of the lack of features in Google Drive, students who attempted to create works cited pages for classes were often unsuccessful. This caused papers for required classes like ENGL&101 to lose points. By providing Office 365 to students who are unable to purchase Microsoft Word for their personal computers, the chances of passing a class as critical as ENGL&101 is more likely. In addition, students are exposed to industry grade tools which are necessary for success in the workforce.

The second benefit of upgrading to Office 365 is critical- security.

While students are exposed to advertisements while checking their Gmail accounts pertaining to their search history and emails on Google, no ads are shown on Outlook.

Information regarding search history, YouTube views and other internet viewing is not connected to the new school emails, allowing students to have confidence in the separation of school and personal life.

With Gmail, data is not confidential. Outlook protects students’ information, allowing communications with professors and classmates to be private. While Gmail sells information to companies using Adsense, Outlook does not.

Although the transition for current students was a bit challenging, new students will not have to face this transition. It’ll be made for them. By facing a bit of challenge at the beginning of the school year, students saved future students from making a transition.

The IT department did its best in making this simple, from emailing students countless times throughout spring and summer, by putting out a PSA on the front page of the school’s website offering step-by-step instructions on how to transition to Office 365 and by offering assistance one on one to those who are struggling with the transition.

The tendency in students is to see the worst in every situation. Students should instead see this as a learning experience. Although difficult, it’ll be for the best.

The IT department at Pierce College has made the best choice for students- a confidential, cost effective and quality email account.

Shout Outs Was switching student emails from Gmail to Microsoft Office 365 a good decision?

“I feel like it was really confusing and a pain in the butt. We get a 100 megabit drive for storage, but I use Gmail more for everything.”

“No. I haven’t even done it yet.

I have no idea even how to do it. I don’t have time to.”

Chrisanndra Sawtelle “It would have been fine (staying with Gmail). The main thing was it was an unnecessary hassle. I have to go to the Pierce website to get to the email.”

Interviews by James McCraw

“I was taken aback. It was a bit of a burden doing the switch. There was no real purpose to do it. Overall, it was a terrifying time, having to change the password.”

Reporter/Office Manager

Kat Whelan OCTOBER 18, 2016

Rudy King

Jake Manas

Toni Lane

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“ It almost messed me up because I was getting emails from a teacher whose class I was on a waitlist, and I didn’t know I had gotten in their class until the first day. I had also already bought Microsoft Office Suite without knowing I had it for free.”

“It’s a pain in the butt. I did it. I switched.”

Lauren Asher THE PUYALLUP POST

Opinion Letter From the Editor:

Welcome to the new, refined The Puyallup Post D

and a table of contents has been added to page two to better direct you to content you’re interested in. Our Comments Corner section was renamed Opinion to better reflect the variety of opinion articles we’ll be writing, and we’ve introduced a new Focus section of special topics to be included in our newspaper once each quarter.

The Puyallup Post will also be cutting its production schedule from 12 editions each school year to nine, while also increasing our average length from 20 to 28 pages. This will better allow us to produce high-quality stories and feature packages.

On the digital side, we’re discovering new ways to bring you news and entertainment.

This year we’re putting an emphasis on video and multimedia content and looking to introduce podcasting to our website.

We’re excited to introduce things we haven’t been able to do before, and we hope that you find these changes helpful and more in-line with our mission to serve the students of Pierce.

Best wishes, Chase Charaba Co-Editor-in-Chief

Colton Swanson

ear readers, You know how a house, after years of being lived in and worn by the environment, has to be painted? Cracks in the walls have to be filled. Roofing has to be replaced.

Remodels have to be completed to improve functionality. An old house is made new.

It’s safe to say that The Puyallup Post has had its siding chipped and its paint faded by the Washington rain. While new paint has adorned the newspaper over the years, there was still an underlying problem. Our house needed to be remodeled.

Since publishing its first issue in 1994, The Puyallup Post has been the voice of the students of Pierce College Puyallup. For the past 22 years, the Post has written in-depth articles on various topics for both print and online. The Post has constantly been adapting so it can float on the ever changing tides of journalism, whether it be installing a new theme for puyalluppost.com, or launching new multimedia and video sections.

Our house has been remodeled and added onto this year.

You hold in your hands a new era of The Puyallup Post, one that’s entirely student-led and constantly looking to better serve the students.

Our completely redesigned print edition is like a clean slate. We’ve taken the best parts of The Puyallup Post from previous years and added our own new identity.

We’ve introduced a new logo and new branding to better reflect our digital-first ambitions. Fonts have been replaced and simplified to better focus on the content of our pages and to improve readability. Section headers now guide readers through our pages,

View of the C parking lot near the Brouillet Library/Science Building, one of the three student lots on campus.

Safety Second: Pierce needs cameras in parking lots car, it’s not always possible to take everything from a car to a classroom, especially if a student is just attending one hen arriving anywhere, it’s human nature to or two classes that day. If someone was to break into a feel a need for safety and comfort. While it’s car and steal something of value, the student whose item apparent that most people feel at ease at Pierce was taken would have no way of being able to identify College, it may be a little known fact that there are actually a suspect to the police because there would be no tapes no cameras in the parking lots. for them to review. If an accident were to occur in the The main entrance and the parking lot, there’d be no way West Access Road entrance are determine who was at fault “Thousands of students come to monitored by security cameras, if both parties claim that they but the parking lots are missing and go throughout the day were innocent because they’d such technology. When safety have no way to review and leave their cars to attend again is a top priority, it seems a bit it. It may put a few people odd that one of the largest and classes without the knowledge on edge, knowing that they most used areas of the campus be at risk of one of these that if something were to may remains in the dark. situations due to a lack of This may come as a surprise happen, they’d have no way of cameras and that is something to some people as it seems like be fixed. knowing who, when and how it that should an obvious place to have extra The question may arise security with the constant use occurred.” as to why. Why are there no of the parking lots. Thousands cameras in the parking lot? of students come and go Why is the most concentrated throughout the day and leave their cars to attend classes and constant area of activity left out of the safety equation? without the knowledge that if something were to happen, There are security officers on campus. Why do they not they’d have no way of knowing who, when and how it fix the problem? As it turns out, the security office has no occurred. While it’s inadvisable to leave valuables in the power over the situation. While the employees monitor the

Colton Swanson

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Online Reporter

WWW.PUYALLUPPOST.COM

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video feed on a large monitor in the office, the employees can’t install new security cameras on campus. It may sound bizarre, but it’s actually the student’s responsibility to pull for the installation of cameras in the parking lot. If enough students banded together to fight for the cause and took it to the Office of Student Life, a change could be made.

The technology is funded in student fees paid to the college at the beginning of each quarter and there may not be an apparent need for cameras in the parking lot.

Therefore, if the problem is not brought to the attention of the faculty, then it may not even cross their minds as something that needs to take precedent over other funded projects. Things would progress as they have been for years, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, there have been instances in the past where, if there had been a way to actively monitor or record events in the parking lots, situations could have been resolved or at the very least cleared up for the people involved.

Nobody is directly at fault for the lack of security in the parking lots, but it’s time for a change. The safety and peace of mind for Pierce College students both present and future should be taken into consideration and this begins with current students. Whether it begins with a petition, a letter or anything in between, the time is now to for students to step up and make safety come first once again.

OCTOBER 18, 2016

Opinion

Slow moving changes to Pierce Transit routes James McCraw

S

Reporter/Office Manager

itting on the dimly lit bus, waiting at the South Hill Mall Transit Center, there’s a man sitting across the aisle from a college student. He’s in his early ‘60s, wearing an old, worn out cowboy hat. The student sees him on the bus every morning, completing the crossword from the local newspaper, but leaving the rest of the paper for the driver every day.

Numerous workers and students check notifications on their phones, sip their coffees and wait patiently to depart. A mother consoles her child, frustrated by the lack of movement of the bus, waiting at the station. The student sits quietly in his seat, his backpack next to him, blocking anybody from sitting next to him, watching the latest episode of his newest favorite show on Netflix, knowing that the bus ride is his last bit of escape from the real world.

Every weekday morning, that student makes the almost hour long trek from his apartment complex off of Golden Given Road to Pierce College Puyallup each day because, along with 22 percent of transit riders, riding the bus to and from various schools across Pierce County each day is the only means of transportation.

The particular route that gets to Pierce, route 4, leaves the South Hill Mall Transit Center twice an hour and only runs from Pierce until 8 p.m., making it nearly impossible to take evening classes, or commit to nighttime or weekend activities. On average, 68 people take the bus to the college and about 77 people a day leave the college bus stop. That’s probably just enough to keep the route going, but not enough impact to see many changes to it.

In September, Pierce Transit was

able to invest 15,000 more hours of transit time thanks to a budget expansion.

“Pierce Transit held three open houses as well as solicited feedback online about where riders would like to see us improve service,” Rebecca Japhet, communications manager for Pierce Transit, said. “Of the nearly 1,000 comments received, the top two responses, by far, were to increase frequency of service (the bus would come more often), and increase span of service on weekdays to extend later into the evening.”

Japhet mentioned that based on that feedback, the company determined how to better allocate the expanded hours. For route 4, two trips were added from Lakewood Towne Center, one of the ends where the route originates, and one more trip was added from South Hill Mall, leaving at 8:45 p.m.

When the recession hit, Pierce Transit lost a substantial amount of funding. In fact, 73 percent of their funding comes from state sales tax revenue. The Transit had to reduce its services by one-third. Now that funding has returned to the Transit authority, they’re using these analysis surveys and open houses to better fund the routes and use their hours accordingly.

Japhet says that she’s aware of the amount of responses that were given to the Transit Authority regarding route 4, but she’s not currently aware of the possibility for night or weekend

trips to the college.

“This is something we have looked at in the past,” Japhet said. “Pierce Transit’s weekend service is more limited than weekday service, and it has the least demand, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile for those who would want to use it. It may be something on the table for the future, depending on resources.”

What frequent riders of the Transit system can do is stay involved. The Pierce Transit website has a method to contact the Transit Authority with questions or concerns. The public can also attend their open board meetings which are held on the second Monday of every month, at their training center located at 3720 96th St. SW in Lakewood, and usually begin at 4 p.m.

“Pierce Transit staff and the consulting firm that helped us conduct the analysis will present the findings to the Board of Commissioners in mid-October and hold public open houses in October to gather public feedback about the various options for improving service,” Japhet said. “We expect the board to finalize any new, changed or improved routes by the end of the year.”

Hopefully the changes that are made at the end of the year will help other riders expand their lives and make for greater opportunities here at Pierce.

Pierce College Puyallup

Chase Charaba

OCTOBER 18, 2016

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THE PUYALLUP POST

Photo courtesy Kaitlyn Ross

Sports

Laurin, Ross and Garnes pose with some of the other cheerleaders. Raider Cheerleading is a small team of dedicated athletes that perform at college events.

Cheers to the 50th: Raider Cheer hopes to excite T Online Reporter

he Raiders cheerleading squad has undergone a plethora of changes within the past year. The cheer captain for the 2016-17 season is Kaitlyn Ross, joining co-captains Syntaira Garnes and Avery Laurin.

Ross, better known as “Ginger” by her teammates, will be entering her second year on the cheer squad along with Laurin. For Gates, this will be her first year on the team and she expects a lot from them.

“I want everyone to look good,” Gates said. “I don’t want us to go cheer at a basketball game and have everyone think that we are a joke. The hardest part about cheerleading is doing the stuff that we do and then making it look easy.”

Showing everyone that there’s so much more to the sport of cheerleading than meets the eye is important to this year’s captains.

“My personal goal is to make everyone understand that this is a sport, we do everything that other sports do,” Ross said. “We should be considered a sport here and we should be treated as athletes, not just as an activity. We put in just as much time, if not more, into what we do than other sports.”

The cheer team isn’t a dance team, Laurin said.

“A lot of people think that we’re not athletes because we wave pompoms,” Laurin said. “If you came to one of our practices, you wouldn’t be walking the next day. What other sport does handstand hops as conditioning?”

The cheer team’s practices include conditioning for both strength and endurance. Even before games, the team will practice their routines and perfect their movements behind the scenes that the public doesn’t see.

“We are the only sport that makes sweating look cute,” Laurin said.

Tryouts for the 2016-2017 cheer season were held at the end of August with new head coach Anthony Wilson leading the charge.

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Wilson has 10 years of cheerleading experience and will aim to take his squad to the next level. He was officially announced as the team’s coach on May 7 via the Pierce College Raider Cheer page on Facebook. Wilson will be replacing coach Kay, who served as the Raiders head coach for the past three years.

“He is a cheer god,” Laurin said. “He can make anyone into a cheerleader, it doesn’t matter what you do. He is the Beyoncé of cheer.”

The Pierce cheerleading team is funded by student programs along with fundraising done by the squad throughout the season. The team is part of the Northwest Athletic Conference and supports the Pierce athletic clubs.

The cheerleading squad is most often found performing their routines at basketball games and supporting college events.

They also participated in the Western Rodeo Parade and Cattle Drive on Sept. 9 along with other members of the college. There, they gave out candy, posed for pictures with parade goers and demonstrated parts of their routine while moving through the streets of downtown Puyallup.

“We’re planning on doing more community based stuff,” Ross said. “We’re for sure going to have a cheer camp for younger kids at some point.

We’re trying to be more community based because even the community doesn’t know that we are here.”

A few returning names will sport the Raider uniform along with the newcomers. The captains were named on Aug. 23 and will lead the new members by example in each performance.

Cheerleaders Kiki Swanson, Nhan “Nathan” Ta, Emilee Soeum and Sarah Nadeau were all announced as being part of the team on May 23 while Nini Noun, Mikayla Smith and Kayla Oxborough were announced on Sept 1. Some new members are expected to be announced as well as the cheerleading team is holding private tryouts for a few more weeks.

“We have had two

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or three team practices together and they already have it down,” Gates said. “They picked it up really fast. It’s not just a team, it’s a family.”

One of the team’s goals is to make it to competitions and to make the team’s stunts solid, Laurin said.

“We want people to know that there is cheer outside of high school,” Ross said. “You don’t have to stop your dream once you graduate.”

For students who are hesitant about joining the cheer squad or feel that they don’t have the talent, Laurin says not to worry.

“You can come with nothing, you don’t even have to know how to do a cartwheel,” Laurin said. “If you come with nothing but you want to be there and you’re ready to work, you can become a beautiful cheerleader in no time.”

The Raider cheerleaders hope to continue their success from recent years and to bring energy and excitement to students and fans alike during the season. Raider Cheer can be followed by liking their Facebook page, Pierce College Raider Cheer and by staying up to date with their page on the school website at Pierce.ctc.edu.

Photo courtesy Kaitlyn Ross

Colton Swanson

The squad huddles up before their next performance (top). The girls pose for another picture during their practice. (bottom).

OCTOBER 18, 2016

Colton Swanson

Colton Swanson

Sports

The King’s Court chants on as Felix looks for his next strikeout. (left). Shortstop Ketel Marte cuts across the infield to rob Astros CF Jake Marisnick of a base hit (right).

Seattle Mariners season in review

Colton Swanson

T

Online Reporter

Colton Swanson

he 2016 season has officially come to a close after a 162 game run. After months of grinding, the Seattle Mariners fell short of the playoffs and finished second in the American League West nine games behind the Texas Rangers and three games back of the Wild Card.

The tone for the 2016 season was set in the final month of 2015. Jack Zduriencik, the Mariners General Manager, was relieved from his position on Aug. 28 after seven years in Seattle. Former Angels GM Jerry Dipoto took the helm a month later. From then on, the Mariners created a new culture within their organization with Dipoto leading the charge.

The new GM wasn’t afraid to make moves, his first of which came in the form of demoting struggling catcher Mike Zunino. Dipoto didn’t stop there as he made the first notable trade of the 2015-2016 off season. Shortstop Brad

Miller, First Baseman Logan Morrison and Relief Pitcher Danny Farqhaur were sent to Tampa Bay in exchange for Starting Pitcher Nathan Karns and young Outfielder Boog Powell. Before long, Dipoto became the most active GM in baseball. Notable players such as Adam Lind, Wade Miley, Norichika Aoki, Steve Cishek, Leonys Martin, Joaquin Benoit, Chris Ianneta, Nick Vincent and Dae-Ho Lee all made their way to Seattle.

With big name players coming in, others were on their way out. Names such as Carson Smith, Tom Wilhelmsen, Mark Trumbo and Roenis Elias found themselves in new uniforms to begin the 2016 season. Hisashi Iwakuma and Franklin Gutierrez returned to the Mariners after becoming free agents at the end of the 2015 season. New manager Scott Servais, along with new pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr and bench coach Tim Bogar joined returning hitting coach and Mariners great Edgar Martinez on the Mariners coaching staff.

Colton Swanson

Colton Swanson

Mariners relievers head to the bullpen.

Colton Swanson

Ball boys Jordan and Oscar head to the dugout at Safeco Field.

OCTOBER 18, 2016

The Mariners entered the year with high hopes after a disappointing 2015 campaign. Dipoto’s new team fit his original description of an athletic outfield that was made to play at Safeco Field. Martin patrolled center field, a platoon of Franklin Gutierrez and Seth Smith took over in right and Aoki roamed around in left. Newcomers Dae-Ho Lee and Adam Lind took command of first base. Iannetta and Steve Clevenger would head up the battery behind the plate. A bullpen of bounce back candidates was just the kind that Dipoto relied upon with new closer Steve Cishek leading the charge. The Seattle Mariners entered 2016 hoping to turn a new leaf in the Jerry Dipoto era. The Mariners have not made the playoffs since their historic 2001 season and now hold the longest playoff drought in the MLB, something Dipoto plans on changing during his tenure with Seattle.

Mariners face ups and downs

Seattle began the season by taking two out of three from their division rivals in Texas. Sparks flew in game two of the series as the Mariners scored ten runs, six of which came in the eighth inning. Former Mariners reliever Tom Wilhelmsen came in to pitch and gave up a pair of homeruns to both Seth Smith and Robinson Cano along with a double to Kyle Seager.

Tensions rose soon after as Wilhelmsen pegged catcher Chirs Iannetta in the back of the leg after surrendering four runs.

Both benches cleared as new Mariners manager Scott Servais and 2015 American League Manager of the Year Jeff Banister exchanged words across the field. The two sides were eventually cooled down and the game proceeded after Wilhelmsen was ejected from the ballgame. Luis Sardinas then hit a two-run home run off the next pitcher, capping off the six-run inning.

It was game two and the Mariners had already set the tone for the entire season.

Overall, the Mariners finished April with a record of 13-10. According to baseballreference.com, seven wins came against division opponents and the AL West seemed to be a slugfest early. After an uncharacteristic 2015, Robinson Cano came into 2016 recovering from double hernia surgery and also with a bit to prove.

Robbie finished April with 8 home runs and 24 RBI while playing above average defense. Cano seemed to be an early

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MVP candidate if the Mariners were to make the playoffs. On the flip side, Kyle Seager began the season slowly as he has throughout his career, hitting .159 while racking up 15 strikeouts in the month according to ESPN.com. Of course, nobody knew that Kyle Seager was on pace to have arguably his best year yet in a Mariners uniform.

May was very kind to the Mariners as two four-game winning streaks led the Mariners to a 17-11 record with an overall record of 30-21, according to baseballreference.com. The Mariners were one of the hottest teams in the game with a .286 batting average and .346 on base percentage. The Mariners found themselves in first place in May, playing much better than anyone’s expectations.

One of the biggest surprises for the Mariners was the longball. Through the first two months of the season, the Mariners had hit a total of 77 home runs.

Cano had 15 after hitting only 21 in 2015 while Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager had both mashed 10. Safeco Field has always been known as a “pitchers ballpark” but don’t tell the Mariners that. They finished the year top five in home runs, RBI and OBP, according to MLB.com.

Continued on page 11.

THE PUYALLUP POST

Sports Continued fron page 10

.....With the trade deadline looming, it was expected that Jerry Dipoto would again be active like he was during the offseason. It wasn’t a question of if there would be trade, but if big names would be coming or going. However, Dipoto shocked the baseball world when he made but one major trade, sending lefty Montgomery to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for first base prospect Dan Vogelbach. The controversial move led skeptics to believe the Mariners would be selling from the Major League roster but the team instead let the deadline pass without making much noise.

The Mariners finished July with a 12-12 record and remained just one game above .500 according to baseballreference.com. While the team on the field was mediocre at best, the Seattle Mariners franchise and their fans had plenty to celebrate. On July 24, 2016 Ken Griffey Jr. became the first player ever to enter the Hall of Fame in a Mariners cap.

Griffey earned the highest vote percentage in history for a Hall of Fame inductee. During his emotional acceptance speech, Griffey noted that he is “Damn proud to be a Seattle Mariner.”

At that point in the season, as the Mariners playoff hopes began to dwindle, it became all about Griffey. On Aug. 6 the Mariners retired Junior’s number 24 and it will forever be hung next to the late great Jackie Robinson’s number 42. During Griffey’s speech at Safeco Field he made a statement that resonated with the team for the rest of the season and became the motto of the Mariners. Griffey looked over at the team and simply said “Keep Fighting.” In no time at all, the Mariners fan base created the #KeepFighting brand and the Mariners listened. Whether someone believes in superstition or not, the Mariners were different after that speech and turned their season into one of the most memorable in Mariners history.

Continued on page 24.

Colton Swanson

All that hitting was on display in the second game of June. The Mariners found themselves in an early 12-2 hole in the fifth inning at the San Diego Padres. Starter Wade Miley got knocked around before Mike Montgomery took over in relief. The Mariners showed their resilience and determination from the sixth inning on in what became one of the biggest comebacks in baseball history. Seager drove a double into right field, scoring both Seth Smith and Cano. Newcomer Dae-Ho Lee then smashed a three-run homer to left, cutting the Padres lead to 12-7. The game flipped in the Mariners favor in the seventh inning as Seager drove in two more runs before Lee singled the other way to score Cano.

The score was now 12-10 Padres. Catcher Chris Iannetta promptly singled Seager home and then Stefen Romero tied the game up with a single to center. The Mariners weren’t done there as Shawn O’Malley got in on the action, driving in Iannetta. Aoki joined the fun, scoring Romero on a single of his own before Gutierrez put the nail in the coffin with a two-run single to center. The M’s went on to win the game 16-13 and split the series 1-1 with the Padres. The energy from the game dissipated later in the month and the Mariners finished June with an abysmal record of 10-18, making them 40-39 on the year according to baseballreference.com. Floating just above .500, many began to write the team off as they have in prior years. As the calendar flipped to July, fans and analysts alike began to wonder if the Mariners would become sellers at the deadline and whether the Dipoto plan was a pipe dream. Felix Hernandez had been placed on the 15-day disabled list at the end of May, Taijuan Walker was beginning to lose his feel for his fastball and the bullpen was in shambles. Evan Scribner, Charlie Furbush and Ryan Cook were still fighting the injury bug, a Steve Cishek save had become an adventure and the Lind/Lee platoon began to .............................struggle.

Pierce volleyball team serves into the new season Jared Leingang Online Reporter

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ard work, passion and heart.

Head coach Greg Finnel says the Pierce College volleyball team embodies those qualities and says it’s evident when they take the court.

The Raiders have an overall record of seven wins and 14 losses and are 1-0 in league play. The goal for the season is to finish with a top four record in the Northwest Athletic Conference, Finnel said. The pre-season record doesn’t count toward the team’s NWAC seeding.

This year, the volleyball team is comprised of 10 freshman and three sophomores. One of the obstacles Finnel says the team needs to overcome is mental strength. The pre-season schedule incorporates tougher teams to help improve the team’s mental fortitude.

“It was a tough schedule; we finished 6-14,” Finnel said. “We were in every match, but we just didn’t have that mental toughness to put us over the edge. We learned a lot about the game and about ourselves.”

All of the players have progressed over time, Finnel said, but the two players that stand out the most are Brooke Peterson and Miranda Jeter for their consistent high level performances.

Practices run a little over two hours, which include watching game films and working on drills.

As student athletes, the standard rule is to maintain at least a 2.5 GPA to play but Finnel pushes for at least a 3.0.

The coaching staff does grade checks every two weeks and freshman athletes are required to do a minimum of three hours of study hall every week. It’s not required for sophomores but it’s recommended.

One of the coaching philosophies Finnel employs is creating a lasting culture and having the players buy into a family-like culture.

“If you can create that family culture and if you do it right, these girls will be friends for a lifetime and they’ll grow and compete better because of that,” Finnel said.

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Jared Leingang

After watching film of past games, the team takes the court to sharpen their skills during a practice.

Finnel learned from his previous coaching experiences that the closer the team, the better they’ll perform. He realizes the importance of having a great team dynamic rather than a team that’s led by one or two individuals.

The Raiders volleyball team plays every Monday and Friday with one home game per week at the Fort Steilacoom Health Education Center.

“If you come out you will have a good time; it’s fun. I don’t think I have coached a team that has been as fun to watch as these girls,” Finnel said. “They’re captivating on the court. They’re so fun to watch. Come join a family.”

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Raiders Volleyball Stats August 27- lost to SW Oregon 1-2 August 27- lost to Bellevue 1-2 August 27- defeated Columbia Basin 2-0 August 27- lost to Olympic 0-2 August 28- deafeated Clark 2-1 August 28- lost to Spokane 0-3 September 1- deafeated Edmonds 3-2 September 6- deafeated Edmonds 3-2 September 9- lost to Walla Walla 0-3 September 9- lost to Linn-Benton 0-3 September 10- lost to Spokane 1-3 September 10- lost to Mt. Hood 2-3 September 15- lost to Olympic 1-3 September 15- deafeated Bellevue 3-2 September 17- lost to Blue Mountain 0-2 September 17- lost to Olympic 1-2 September 17- lost to Edmonds 0-2 September 18- lost to Bellevue 0-3 September 18- deafeated Everett 3-0 September 18- lost to Columbia Basin 0-2 September 21-deafeated Lower Columbia 3-2 September 23- lost to Highline * 0-3 September 28- deafeated S. Puget Sound * 3-2 September 30- lost to Grays Harbor * 1-3 October 5- deafeated Green River * 3-0 October 7- deafeated Tacoma * 3-2 * denotes a Conference game

OCTOBER 18, 2016

Rebecca Dickson

Campus Life

The air hockey and foosball tables were kept under the staircase in the CTR until they were transported for state auction.

Air hockey, foosball tables to be sold

OSL to sell gaming tables to make more space in College Center this year Rebecca Dickson

P

Reporter

ierce College Puyallup will have more space in the dining commons this year.

The air hockey and foosball tables, once regularly utilized by students on campus, became rarely used by students. To create more room on campus for other activities, they’ll be removed and sold at auction.

The move came after an informal discussion with Director of Student Life Sean Cooke and the Office of Student Life. It didn’t go to a vote at a student council meeting, but student leadership input was a critical point to the decision.

Cooke said the air hockey and foosball tables have quite a history at Pierce.

In 2006, the Puyallup campus had a student lounge in the College Center. This student lounge housed a variety of activities, including the foosball table. Cooke said after the lounge was closed due to inappropriate behavior by students, the foosball table had nowhere to go.

“Space is really at a premium,” Cooke said.

When Cooke became director of the OSL, the tables were moved to a variety of places starting at the Connection Cafe. Cooke explained that the loud buzzing, clacking and banging of the air hockey and foosball tables didn’t provide a good environment for conversation and were distracting to students.

As they were considered nuisances, the OSL moved them to the Dining Commons.

Even with the move, the air hockey and foosball tables were rarely used. While the ping pong tables are used two to three times per day, the air hockey and foosball tables are used

two to three times per week.

Timothy Estes, former diversity and equity coordinator for the Associated Students of Pierce College Puyallup, said that the OSL would often receive notifications from students that the air hockey and foosball tables were broken. Specifically, critical pieces required for operation of the tables became broken. With few students using the tables, it became difficult to justify repairing the tables.

“Equipment is broken in ways that you just can’t think of how it happened,” Estes said. “I think it was appropriate because just by a demand aspect, they weren’t being used nearly as much as the ping pong tables were. I don’t know if (the damage) contributed to its’ unpopularity.”

Cooke said the space would be most likely used by more ping pong tables for students.

Although not a permanent fixture, they are often dragged out of their storage spaces and set up by students.

The air hockey and foosball tables will be going to a state surplus auction. As the tables are state property, the money gained will go to the Washington State General Fund, and won’t be given to Pierce directly.

State surplus auctions hold a variety of items, from children’s furniture to office supplies and gaming tables. Interested purchasers can look online to find the nearest surplus auctions.

The OSL offers a variety of other services and items for recreational activities. If students wish to check out equipment, they may go to the OSL and sign out equipment.

Equipment must be returned by the close of business.

Pierce College website beta expected to launch this fall Grace Amsden

Grace Amsden Senior Reporter

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his fall, it’s expected that the beta version for the redesigned Pierce College website will launch, allowing users to explore the site and provide feedback.

The new platform will be through Drupal, a software for content management. The project is a work in progress, so there’s a launch date rather than completion date.

“It’s getting there,” Brian Benedetti, director of marketing and communication, said. “We have the entire existing site moved over onto the Drupal site. And now we’re just rearranging and doing some editing.”

The goal for the website launch was this past spring, but due to unforeseen circumstances in the contracted company Topia Technology - health problems from a company employee - the contract was ended, Benedetti said.

“We just had to get somebody to jump in and replace that, so we just had to end that contact, start up with a different independent guy, which is great - the guy that we have is fantastic,” Benedetti said. “He’s a total Drupal guy.”

This individual is Rory Douglas, web developer for MARCOM. In May, MARCOM hired Wendy Secrist as web content manager after Angela Carson, previously online communications manager, left the position.

The goal of the new website platform is to be simple, understandable and quick. For prospective students, they should be able to utilize the website and understand it simply, Benedetti said.

According to student feedback from a survey and focus groups, there’s an addressed desire to accomplish everything through the website in three clicks, Benedetti said.

“At a community college, we have a lot of people that are first-time students, first-generation students, and it’s intimidating,” Benedetti said. “You come over, you don’t have a family member that has had the experience going to college and now you’re going to college and you’re trying

OCTOBER 18, 2016

Wendy Secrist, web content manager, is in the process of moving current website material to the new site. to navigate and figure this out.”

For those who utilize the website through a mobile device, the new website will allow users to scroll through the website on their device. It will be a responsive site, which means it will convert to this format. The current Pierce mobile site isn’t set up for a phone, Benedetti said.

“We make one change here (and) it changes everything, so you don’t have to go back in and put it into the mobile site, too,” Benedetti said. “We don’t have two sites - we just have one site that works and responds to whatever tool you’re using.”

Another feature for the new website is a top 10 list of frequently visited pages, which coordinates with user searches.

“If that starts changing with our users, then it changes there, as well,” Benedetti said.

The current website has more than 3,000 pages, some of which need updating, Benedetti said. The new website

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will operate through the content management system.

This gives various Pierce employees the opportunity to update certain pages.

Once updates are made, it will be taken into an approval process, MARCOM being the last to look at it before it’s published to identify if anything needs to be changed.

Also, MARCOM has a stylebook to follow to make sure the language presented is concise.

If an update hasn’t been made in a certain amount of time, emails will be sent to the individuals who can update the pages, informing them that an update is needed. Once an update is made, it will be added to a timeline which will keep track of the time element of the website.

“If you’re going to have a site, its got to be fresh,” Benedetti said. “It’ll help us help the students have a fresh site with relevant, current information.”

Because Drupal is free, it was selected and thorough research was involved to make sure it was the best option for students.

“We did have some other really expensive programs that we were looking at, and almost ready to make a case to go that route, and then we’re finding that Drupal was really getting popular because it was free,” Benedetti said.

The website will look similar when it comes to the college’s colors for its branding. A carousel gallery is an idea, perhaps with campus photos or a continuation of featuring students.

“This is for everybody, and primarily for our students,” Benedetti said. “We want it to be representing the college as a whole and then the needs of our students.”

The plan is for a link to the beta to be put on the current Pierce website. Once users enter, they can view it and comment with their feedback. This will be important, as website changes will be applied based on it, Benedetti said.

“We have been implementing some student ideas, and we really look forward to sharing it with you when we have the beta version finished,” Secrist said.

THE PUYALLUP POST

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50 YEARS of

PIERCE COLLEGE Pages 14-16

Photos by Grace Amsden

Grace Amsden

Grace Amsden

Grace Amsden

Focus

A group photo for the dental hygeine program after the homecoming kickoff (left). Jim Mullen, Pierce College retiree, points to a past photo he’s featured in (center). The audience watches and listens to the kickoff speeches (right).

Coming back home for Pierce College’s 50th anniversary homecoming “

Senior Reporter

Happy birthday, Pierce College!” These words echoed throughout the Pierce College Fort Steilacoom Health Education Center gym Oct. 8.

The occasion was the college’s 50th anniversary homecoming celebration after Brian Benedetti, director of marketing and communication, told the audience to say this to capture the moment on camera.

Homecoming served to celebrate the college’s 50 years and bring the past and present college community together, as well as others in the community.

The HEC turned into the site for this celebration, decorated with balloons and the college’s 50th anniversary cake with lights twirled around each layer, offering cupcakes.

The kickoff began at 1 p.m. with opening remarks from Marty Cavalluzzi, Pierce College Puyallup president, and Denise Yochum, Pierce College Fort Steilacoom president.

During the kickoff, a few songs were performed by the Lakes High School marching band. There was also an introduction of special guests, including Melanie Stambaugh, state representative for the 25th district, Denny Heck, congressman for the 10th district, as well as various Board of Trustees members. Past, present and current students and staff were also recognized.

Pierce retiree of 16 years, Jim Mullen, was one of the guests. He began working at the college in 1968.

At first, Mullen had a split assignment, working at the college’s counseling center and also as a professor. After about 20-25 years, he taught psychology full-time.

On one history banners presenting photos and information, Mullen is featured in two photos, one of which he’s sitting with students inside the former Albertsons grocery store - more specifically, the produce room.

“Obviously, it was unfinished (and) kind of cold,” Mullen said. “Eventually, we built two classrooms in that building. At first, the produce room was the only classroom.”

Mullen said that during his time at Pierce, the students and faculty were wonderful, and that his experience was more ‘fun’ than ‘work.’

“The thing that would characterize our faculty and our school in those days - and I hope it’s still the same - we cared a lot about students: are you teaching psychology, or are you teaching students,” Mullen said. “The philosophy at that time was we were teaching students psychology.”

The kickoff continued with words from Pierce College Chancellor Michele Johnson as well as Heck, and Don Anderson, mayor for the city of Lakewood, who presented a proclamation to Pierce for 50 years.

A video was also presented, sharing the history of the college over the last 50 years, such as how it began in 1967 in an empty Albertsons, and in 1990, the first building on the Puyallup campus opened: the Gaspard Administration Building.

After the kickoff, activities included face paintings by Raider Athletics cheerleaders, campus tours, food trucks, Science Dome showings and booths offering information, such as for programs at Pierce and the Lakewood Police Department.

Mark Alyabyer is currently a student in the dental hygiene program, and worked at

the program’s booth, which offered stickers to add to the campus passport - a flyer for collecting stickers at the booths and once filled up, it could be turned in for a chance to win an iPod Shuffle.

“My hope is that we can get people involved and get people to come into our actual clinic, and take care of their teeth,” Alyabyer said.

Department open houses/reunions were also held, such as for veterinary technology.

The 50th anniversary of veterinary technology will be in 2019 as the program started in 1969, Debbie Wong, program support supervisor, said.

“We started in little portables to what we have today,” Wong said. “Hopefully the legislature will approve funding so we can have a new building, so we can have better enrichment for the animals that are here on campus.”

The new building would be outside the current facility in the Cascade Building.

Additional equipment within this building would allow for more teaching and also education for the students, Wong said. For example, a life-sized horse model is of interest for practice prior to working with an actual horse, but must allow the space, Wong said.

“We’re not sure what it’s going to look like yet if we do get funding from the legislature, but I think it’d be cool if the building could be built and occupied by 2019,” Wong said. “Then we could have a big 50th alumni reunion/open house to a new facility. It will just be perfect - it may not happen, but hopefully it can.”

By the end of the homecoming at 5 p.m., cupcakes had been eaten, speeches had been given and photos had been taken. Program information had been shared, individuals reunited and the birthday for Pierce College was celebrated.

The next event for Pierce College’s 50th anniversary will be the Athletics Hall of Fame Dinner March 25, 2017 at the Fort Steilacoom campus.

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THE PUYALLUP POST

Grace Amsden

Focus New opportunities bring new perspective for 50th anniversary A Rebecca Dickson Reporter

Grace Amsden

s part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, the Service Learning Department will offer a multitude of options to get their hands dirty and to make connections throughout the school year.

Becky Anderson, head of the Service Learning Department, has created several volunteer opportunities for students. Each quarter, there will be at least six sponsored volunteer events that students and faculty can participate in. These opportunities are provided to not only benefit the community but to benefit students as well.

“We want our students to be active citizens,” Anderson said. “Our hope is that students, faculty and staff can get out and volunteer side by side.”

This year’s first volunteer activity, Parking Lots to Paradise, calls for students to take a “boring eyesore of a parking lot” and replace it with greenery for the community to enjoy.

The first step in the project was completed Oct. 1, which was to dig up the cement and put garden soil in its place. The actual planting and completion of Parking Lots to Paradise will take place on Make a Difference Day, Oct. 22.

The event is sponsored by the Pierce Conservation District, which will pay for all materials used in order to restore the parking lot.

“They need boots on the ground and hands to help,” Anderson said.

The Service Learning Department plans to have a multitude of other options for students.

On Nov. 4, students will have an opportunity to become a farmer for a day with Mother Earth Farms. The food harvested will go to Pierce County Food Banks.

Mother Earth Farms is run by the Emergency Food Network. According to the charity’s website, each time community members walk into a food program, Emergency Food Network ensures they walk out with enough food for nine meals.”

On Nov. 5, students will be able to volunteer to restore Bradley Lake Park. This project is part of Green Puyallup Day. Once again with the Puyallup Conservation District, students can help restore the local park.

The last volunteer event of the quarter will happen on Dec. 2. Students will have the opportunity to work with the Emergency Food Network, working within their Lakewood warehouse. Students will take packages of 50-pound bags of cooking staples such as beans and oatmeal and convert them into one pound bags for families to take home.

Students who volunteer at one event will receive a Pierce 50th anniversary T-shirt.

Students who volunteer at five events will get a water bottle for their participation.

Interested members of the community are asked to sign up at pierce.ctc.edu/go/ service learning.

For students who are unable to attend a volunteer event, there are still ways they can give back. In November, students can donate soap and dish soap to the Helping Hands House.

Helping Hands House provides housing to families who are in need. They provide all of the supplies families need when they move in, including furniture, food and cleaning supplies.

In order to support this mission, Pierce College will run a dish soap drive. Students can donate through the bins which will be placed on campus.

“It’s something that will bring new perspective to your life,” Anderson said. “This is what we are about: making a student a holistic student.”

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Lakes High School marching band performs at kickoff (top). Chancellor Michele Johnson talks about the college’s achievements during the homecoming kickoff (bottom).

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Courtesy of by Michael Wulcher

Focus

The planning committee gets together to discuss ideas.

Golden opportunities for Pierce’s 50th Suzanne Buchholz Senior Reporter

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as an opportunity to thank the community for 50 years of support,” Benedetti said. “The college has committed to 50 service events throughout the year, including food drives, community partnerships, park cleanups and more.”

In addition to these events, PCC also celebrated with a 6-foot tall fake cake that was used as a decoration throughout the year. This inspired TCC to create a similar cake for their own celebration, which in turn was donated to Pierce for their festivities.

“For the cake, I know that the cake stand has been loaned to us by TCC and we have Pierce-ified it,” Ferris said.

The cake will be present at campus events and will be used as a display stand for cupcakes.

Ferris said she thinks the anniversary festivities will serve as a good way for students and other community member to take pride in Pierce and its history.

“I think this is a great way to celebrate the community that makes up the Pierce College District,” Ferris said.

“What has been accomplished in the past 50 years is amazing and I truly believe that Pierce College is an innovative institution, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us. I believe that anyone who attends events or comes to campus throughout this anniversary year will have the opportunity to feel the excitement and take pride in what Pierce College has done and continues to do.”

Grace Amsden

Grace Amsden

n honor of Pierce College’s 50th anniversary in 2017, the college will host a variety of events for students and staff to participate in. Among the festivities planned are a homecoming event Oct. 7-8, a Hall of Fame Dinner to celebrate athletic achievements on March 25 and a gala on April 22.

The events were organized by a committee comprising staff members, students and community members. The actual planning for the anniversary began much earlier than this, Director of Marketing and Communication Brian Benedetti said.

“We actually started preparing for this about four years ago, digitizing old pictures and video, looking at what other colleges have done,” Benedetti said. “But the full committee was formed and functioning about a year ago.”

In order to come up with ideas for Pierce’s anniversary, Benedetti and other members of the committee explored what other community colleges were doing to celebrate their 50 year milestones at around the same time. Two colleges that were prominent in this decisionmaking process were Tacoma Community College and Portland Community College. TCC turned 50 in 2015, while PCC celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2011.

Benedetti said PCC in particular was a big source for their ideas.

“Portland has won all kinds of awards for their 50th celebrations a few years ago,” Benedetti said. “PCC is a larger college system with a much larger budget so we knew we couldn’t do everything they did, but it

gave us a good start for ideas.”

PCC earned 15 awards for their 50th anniversary programs from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations, according to a report on their website. Their slogan of “Opportunity--Then. Now. Always” was integrated into every event they held, which featured a kick-off day in Pioneer Courthouse Square, an originally produced play and an exhibit at the Oregon History Museum.

One of the main events held at PCC that Pierce will also be offering is the gala. The event will celebrate the past, present and future of Pierce as students and staff reflect on the college’s history and honor alumni. Other details of the gala are still in the works.

“This event is going to be a formal event and attendees will be purchasing tickets,” Manager for Donor and Alumni Relations Nicole Ferris said. “At this time a special committee has been formed and is meeting to plan this event. That committee is made up of staff, alumni and community members.”

PCC also provided students and faculty with extensive volunteer opportunities that helped the college reach 75,000 total hours of community service hours during their anniversary year. Pierce will also be holding community service projects for their community to participate in. Benedetti said they will be encouraging students and staff to try fulfilling 50 service hours each to honor the 50th anniversary. These community service projects will culminate in a 50th Anniversary Capstone event on June 10, another idea picked up from PCC. “The college will also take this special anniversary

Pierce College Presidents Cavalluzzi and Yochum speak at kickoff (left). A proclaimation to the college for 50 years was presented by Don Anderson, mayor of Lakewood.

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THE PUYALLUP POST

Campus Life FDA updates blood donation policy for gay men T Hannah Pederson Online Reporter

he HIV/AIDS endemic of the ‘80s had a significant toll on the LGBTQ+ community, and though the height of the scare has long been over, its scars are still visible today in many ways.

HIV is no longer a death sentence, and it hasn’t been for many years. Medical science has made significant progress in the detection, prevention and treatment of HIV, with antiretroviral therapy drugs that, when taken daily, slow the virus and reduce chances of transmission, according to aids.gov.

Those who don’t have the virus but are in a relationship with someone who does can take these drugs as a precaution, and screening tests are much more timely and accurate.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, there are three varieties of HIV screening tests with the quickest taking anywhere from seven to 28 days to provide accurate results and the slowest taking three to 12 weeks.

According to the CDC’s HIV Surveillance Report analyzing diagnoses in the United States and dependent areas with data from 2010 through July 2015, the number of diagnoses is stable. No more people have been exposed to HIV than in past years, which means prevention methods continue to be effective.

Hannah Pederson

...Some people might be at a higher risk than others if they have preexisting sexually transmitted infections or share needles, but that doesn’t mean they’re automatically infected.

“Anybody can have HIV,” Rhiannon Webber, president of the Pierce College Puyallup Gay Straight Alliance, said.

In the CDC report, every demographic was represented, from young heterosexual women to elderly gay men.

As of Oct. 1, the Food and Drug Administration will be enacting a new policy for donating blood and blood products, most commonly plasma.

Previously, if a gay man had had sex in his lifetime and wanted to donate, he’d be turned away. After Oct. 1, he’ll only be turned away if he’s had male-to-male sex in the past year.

This rule has been a cause of some concern in the LGBTQ+ community, especially after the shooting in Pulse, the Orlando nightclub, where 49 people died and 53 were wounded.

Gay men weren’t able to provide the blood needed for emergency transfusions because they were sexually active, and the FDA deemed them at too high of a risk to donate.

The Puyallup campus holds a blood drive once or twice every quarter through Cascade Regional Blood Services, a blood bank with donation centers in downtown Puyallup, Tacoma and Federal Way. Jared Yslas is the assistant director of donor services at CRBS, and said the strict FDA regulations when it comes to gay men donating blood and plasma is most likely

because the organization does everything they can to reduce risk of transmission, not because they rely on stereotypes.

“Every single question that we (CRBS) ask a donor is to reduce the risk of communicable disease transmission,” Yslas said. “We need to keep the blood supply safe, that’s of the utmost importance, but at the same time we’re losing valuable donors.”

Blood banks like CRBS have to follow strict FDA guidelines for screening donors and testing blood, according to Yslas.

“Our policies are very very similar, the questions that we ask are almost identical,” Yslas said. “When it comes to safety and processing, we’re all very cognizant of the risks.”

A Pierce College student who wished to remain anonymous was deferred from donating in the Oct. 5 blood drive.

“When I went in, the first thing they said was I would be deferred for my eczema, but in my paperwork I had marked ‘no’ on the question have you had sex with a man who has had male-to -male sex in the past year,” the source said.

They asked one of the CRBS employees about their one year deferral policy anyway because of a male-to-male sexual encounter their partner had had in the past.

“She (the employee) was really sweet and understanding, and she fully explained the situation,” the source said. “I have to wait until a year after his encounter, and then a year from that date. Unless we stop having sex for a year, I won’t be able to donate until Jan. 1, 2018.”

The sources explained that being deferred was a very personal experience for them.

“Seeing as I’ve donated with eczema before, being told that I can’t at all was a big deal to me,” the source said. “The first time I donated it was to see if I had the same blood type as my sibling so I could be an organ donor for them, so being told that I can’t donate for two years was hard because that really affects my family.”

The sources partner has never been able

to donate blood due to other factors, but would like to in the future even though they’re barred by this policy.

“It’s not a nice feeling to know that you can’t donate even if you want to,” the sources partner said. “I feel kind of salty because the vibe that this is giving off to me, even though I know it’s not what they’re trying to do, is if you sleep around or have an open sexual life you can’t be 100 percent a good person anymore because you can’t do stuff like donate blood or anything like that.”

Webber thinks that while the new one year policy is an improvement, it’s still not enough.

“I understand the intent of the policy, given that until recently it took six months for HIV to show up in the blood and that it’s more easily transmitted through anal sex,” Webber said. “But a blanket ban (on sexually active gay men) isn’t working.”

Webber hopes that the FDA will continue to loosen its policies preventing gay men from donating.

“I wish they asked questions on a more individualized basis,” Webber said. “Not so much have you had sex with any man ever, but about your practices: are you sexually active, do you practice safe sex, do you know your partner’s history, have you been tested in the last year, things like that.”

Webber expressed frustration with the lack of language targeted toward trans individuals in the policy.

“I think just the fact that I don’t know what their (the FDA’s) policies for trans individuals are speaks to the inherent stigma because they’re not even taking it into consideration.”

Blood has become invaluable considering that 370 mass shootings have happened in 2016, more than there are days in the year.

“We respect and cherish every donor,” Yslas said. “Anyone who takes time out of their day to give what’s essentially a little piece of themselves for the benefit of the community is very much appreciated.”

Cascade Regional Blood Services visits Pierce College Puyallup twice each quarter.

Suzanne Buchholz Senior Reporter

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ALT, an online program meant to help students learn how to manage finances, was announced to be a part of the Pierce College Financial Aid program in fall 2015, with a launch date of winter 2016. Students who may have heard about the program might wonder if it’s currently in use, while others who haven’t learned about the program may be curious about what it entails.

SALT gives students resources ranging from lessons to blogs and videos on topics relating to money management.

After creating a free account, they’ll be able to access modules on topics such as living within one’s means, avoiding debt build-up and using a credit card. These aspects made it a good fit for the standards at Pierce, Financial Aid Director Isabelle Mora said.

“At Pierce College, we strive to help our students be successful both in and outside the classroom,” Mora said. “SALT was launched to give our students additional resources for money management and tips for borrowing wisely.”

SALT was first made available to students in fall quarter 2015, but it wasn’t widely promoted around the school despite plans to advertise during winter quarter.

Mora said the reason was because it was considered a soft launch, meaning that it was released to a restricted group for experimental purposes before making it available to

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everyone else.

“It was important for us to familiarize ourselves with the program and to gather feedback from smaller groups of students prior to creating a campus-wide promotion,” Mora said.

Instead, it was initiated through the COLLG110 courses provided at Pierce, which are required classes meant to help students adjust to college life. During these sessions faculty members would give students a lecture on the importance of maintaining finances, as well as have them create SALT accounts and complete a few modules to help them get used to the program.

Since then, SALT has been made available to all students and faculty members. Mora said it’s been going well so far and hopes to expand on SALT by having professors use SALT modules as part of their classes and promote it more widely to students.

“We would like to continue to grow financial literacy programs for our students,” Mora said. “Our overall goal is to teach students the importance of borrowing responsibly, budgeting carefully and making payments on time.”

Students who are interested in trying SALT can access it by clicking the Financial Aid tab on Pierce’s home page and scrolling to the bottom of the page, where they’ll find a link to log in to SALT.

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Suzanne Buchholz

Gaining financial knowledge with a grain of SALT

OCTOBER 18, 2016

Courtesy of Brenda Bardales

Features

Courtesy of a Panorama Member

Nicaragua service trip gives students “Ground-shaking” experience Pierce College launched first service trip to Nicaragua Online and Social Media Manager

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ierce College student Tevan Curtis had his perspective flipped upside down after embarking on a weeklong service trip to Nicaragua during his summer break.

On June 19, nine students and two staff members from Pierce headed to Managua, Nicaragua, to serve the community of Santa Julia. There they’d work hours of strenuous tasks, including planting coffee beans. This trip wasn’t for the faint of heart, but after Curtis heard about the trip, he couldn’t get it off his mind.

“It seemed like a really good opportunity, and it was something new I had never experienced before,” Curtis said. “(It was) something really alien to me.”

This summer was the second time Pierce has held a service trip in a differen country. They partnered with Panorama Service Expeditions, a nonprofit organization based in Sweetwater, Fla., that sends teams from multiple colleges to specifically serve Nicaragua.

Before the trip, Curtis, along with 17 other prospective students, were required to participate in a two-day interview process at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom. This included private interviews, and team survival games and activities. Curtis was required to explain how he would respond to being faced with extreme poverty and how he would overcome unfortunate situations.

“We were given a scenario where the plane would crash in the jungle, and we could only pick limited supplies of those available,” Curtis said. “We had to make decisions as a group and had to explain why we chose the items.”

Shortly after, Curtis and eight other students were selected and trained, they were bombarded with a dose of culture shock as they entered the streets of Nicaragua.

“It was ground shaking,” Curtis said. “It captured my attention very well. What I was seeing there was very different from anything I’ve ever seen here.”

Curtis began to feel fortunate for his life at that moment.

Seeing vendors and families in the filthy roads opened Curtis’ eyes to the true financial state of the country. Within minutes of being immersed in the culture, Curtis concluded that even his short week of serving would make an impact.

“I was only one member of a large group; one part of a larger effort,” Curtis said. “But I think I did make an impact on them (Nicaraguans) and their lives, no matter how small.”

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Curtis’ daily routine was a busy one. The service team began each day at the crack of dawn to head to the community and get to work. Curtis said the work was somewhat strenuous at times because the dirt holes for planting weren’t always prepared. The coffee planting consisted of compacting the pre packaged plant, tearing off the package and then planting the coffee plant in the ground.

When the team wasn’t spending their time serving, they were listening to testimonials from the Santa Julia community members to receive insight on their lives. At the end of each day assisting the people of Nicaragua, they would return to their hotel to debrief a daily topic to help gain perspective.

“We all discussed as a group what we noticed about that day,” Curtis said. “We had different themes each day like privilege and how we viewed it differently after our experiences.”

Curtis’ favorite part of the experience was the people of Nicaragua. He treasured the moments when he truly got to know them. The way they lived and their outlook on life affected him greatly.

“They left an impression on me that I am going to keep forever,” Curtis said. “They live rougher lives than we, but I think they have a better attitude than I often have.”

As each day passed, Curtis gained more perspective about the world. He now sees the world through a different lense.

“I’ve experienced their life for only a week, but I took away that they live like that every day,” Curtis said. “You come away realizing how fortunate you are.”

Pierce officials currently intend to continue the service trip to Nicaragua every summer. As students are taken out of their American lives, they will experience something they never thought they would and gain what seems to be more than a week’s worth of knowledge, wisdom and insight.

“This is a great opportunity, and everyone should take a look at it,” Curtis said.

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Curtis takes a break from serving to dance with the locals.

Outline by Chase Charaba

Carissa Wagner

THE PUYALLUP POST

Features Location: Big Island, Hawaii Date: Sept. 5-15, 2016 Current entry: Big discoveries on the Big Island Grace Amsden

T

Senior Reporter

he ground they’re walking on is the product of a volcanic eruption: lava. This kind is pahoehoe - a dried basaltic lava flow formed into rope-like patterns.

The group hikes through Hawaii’s humidity. In their backpacks, they carry items such as first-aid kits, water, raingear and their 99-page field guide. As required, they wear closed-toe shoes in the field: hiking boots or tennis shoes.

From Sept. 5-15, 14 participants, one trip assistant and two instructors learned about Hawaii’s geologic and ecological aspects through the 2016 Hawaii Island Field Excursion to the Big Island, which cost $1,795.

“It was a wonderful melding of academic learning with exciting recreational aspects of the trip,” Tom Bush, professor and department coordinator for earth and space sciences, said.

The trip was open to anyone, whether it be for the 10 natural science credits or experience. One 5-credit course was GEOL&115, taught by Bush, and the other NSCL150, taught by Dale Blum, biology instructor and department coordinator. Pre-trip material was conducted online.

After meeting at the Hilo International Airport Sept. 5, the group went to the Kilauea Military Camp for their room arrangements. It’s located within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, which includes active volcanoes Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. “We were, like, a mile away from the summit of Kīlauea,” Brandon Voelker, student lab assistant, said. “Almost every night, we’d drive up there and see it.”

One viewing experience was a lake of lava within the Kīlauea Caldera.

For past trips, the glow from lava and fumes could be seen - not this particular view, Bush said.

A lava lake inside of the Halemaumau Crater, where the group drove about every night. This is about a mile from the Kilauea Military Camp.

“That was always pretty spectacular, too, but this was the the first time we’ve actually been able to see lava in the lake itself,” Bush said.

Hiking was a significant portion of the trip, including walking on ground with fairly recent lava flows without vegetation. That’s why there are cairns, piles of rocks that lead the path.

“The Hawaii hikes made me able to see different features in the hikes around here,” student Teresa Di Leonardo said.

“I like to go on the Snohomish mountains; I guess they’re kind of similar to Mauna Kea, because you can find alpine lakes far up there that are just pretty much secluded lakes that are there year round, because the permafrost prevents them from draining down.”

One experience allowed the group to see lava entering the Pacific Ocean from volcano Puʻu ʻŌʻō at the Kalapana viewpoint, which produces lots of steam from the impact.

“The main thing that was unique about this time was the lava viewing opportunities,” Bush said. “We had a really good lava viewing opportunity at the ocean entry.”

Museum visits were another aspect of the trip. At the Pacific Tsunami Museum, the group learned about tsunamis and their effects on the land and people. At the Lyman Museum, they learned about vegetation zones and the area’s cultural history.

A theme for the trip was that geologic processes impact ecology, Bush said; for example, if lava demolishes a forest but doesn’t impact a particular area, this isolates organisms.

“They’re called kipukas, where there’s species that are not found, not only anywhere else in the world, but not even anywhere else in Hawaii,” Bush said.

Swimming and other water activities, along with learning about its origins, were experienced at beaches such as Mahana Bay, which has green sand.

Lava tubes were also explored such as at the Kaumana Caves Country Park, where visible tree roots hang from the cave’s roof, Voelker said.

“You can just imagine how lava would be flowing through there - you can see the shape of the lava in there,” Voelker said. “What’s really cool is there’s stalactites that are made from the lava dripping down.”

Throughout the trip, group presentations were held for everyone taking the courses for credit. Some topics included lava tube formation and lava tube ecosystems.

The landscape explored through the trip is unique compared to other areas of the world, including volcanoes such as Mount Rainier, Bush said.

“A lot of places here are devoid of vegetation and covered by nothing but black, lumpy lava flows, steam coming out of the ground and maybe ferns growing out of cracks out of relatively recent lava flows that have erupted,” Bush said.

Leonardo said that she’s shown two comparison photos of Hawaii to others. One features a white sand beach with palm trees, which she said is an image others tend to think of for Hawaii.

“I have this (other) picture, and it’s of absolute desolation: black-like rock lava everywhere, haphazardly stacked,” Leonardo said. “That was my vacation to Hawaii. That was our experience.”

A group dinner at Bu

om f basalt fr A piece o .

Mauna Ulu

bba Gump.

A view of the Pu’u Pua’i cinder cone volcano at the Kilauea Iki crater.

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Photos courtesy of: Brandon Voelker OCTOBER 18, 2016

Hannah Pederson

Hannah Pederson

Features

Eight of Mesa’s 20 alpacas are fascinated by the camera.

A day on the ranch: Michael Mesa leaves Pierce College, gets 11 more alpacas Armani Jackson

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Co-Editor-in-chief

Mesa loves his new lifestyle at the ranch. He couldn’t be happier than he is being with the alpacas.

“You have to love it in order to put up with scooping poop, chasing them down and giving them shots, and the shearing and the birthing process,” Mesa said.

The field capacity is 50, but Mesa has some more work to do before he adds more. One of the projects he hopes to accomplish soon is the tear down of his barn and restore one of the back pastures.

The ranch is open for free tours and alpaca hugs. Visit www.fourdirectionsalpacas.com for more information.

Hannah Pederson

the alpaca pasture on most days. The calm environment has allowed him to spend more time on helping people find the right house and provided him with the opportunity to watch his herd grow.

In July, Mesa welcomed the newest edition to his expanding farm, Primera’s daughter Milly. Now the ranch has 20 alpacas, all coming from local pastures and fellow ranchers. The herd has two males, which switches the dynamic a bit since the farm was previously all female.

“Each alpaca has their own personality and temperament,” Mesa said. “They’re all just very curious and it’s a lot of fun. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

One of the new alpacas, Alberto, comes with a hanger sagging with awards. He’s won 24 ribbons in various competitions judging things like fleece quality, stature and potential traits that could be passed to an offspring. He’s also a national champion. Mesa hopes Alberto’s son Elijah follows in his footsteps.

The farm is now full-service, meaning it can board, breed, offer ranch tours and more. For those looking to own one of their own alpacas, Mesa is more than willing to sell and even offers up to six months of free boarding.

“It’s definitely an ongoing adventure,” he said.

Even through the fall and winter, if someone is interested, we’ll still do farm visits. It’s a fun experience holding onto a wet alpaca. They don’t really seem to care.”

Mesa feeds peppermint treats to the alpacas (top). He displays Alberto’s ribbons (bottom).

Hannah Pederson

ight off of State Route 512, a curious miniature ball of brown fur peeks her head out at drivers hoping they’ll catch a glimpse and want to play with her.

Other woolly creatures soon join her, and more drivers are slowing to sneak a peek at these animals. One new alpaca after another, Four Directions Alpaca Ranch continues to expand their land and staff.

For the past three years, former Access and Disabilities Manager Michael Mesa has spent the majority of his time cultivating the peaceful environment he hopes to provide his visitors. His goal was to retire and become a full-time alpaca rancher and two and a half years in his position, that goal was unexpectedly achieved. Mesa was offered an opportunity to go back into the mortgage industry where his career started. He said it was an offer too good to pass up.

Mesa worked in the lending portion of the mortgage industry before he was hired at Pierce College Puyallup. He found it related it to his position as ADS Manager.

“It’s really not that different than what I was doing in ADS,” he said.

“You look at a situation, you look at guidelines and you try to figure out how to make things work and what fits in. It’s a bigger stage, financially. I have a little bit more freedom (for work).”

His new position is a mortgage consultant for International City Mortgage in downtown Tacoma and does a majority of his work directly from his office, which just so happens to be in the middle of

OCTOBER 18, 2016

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THE PUYALLUP POST

Features

ido r r r o C c i r o t s Hi

Historic Place Firgrove School Built in 1935 Demolished 2020?

Chase Charaba

History of the Hill

Exploring South Hill’s historic landmarks Chase Charaba

I

Co-Editor-in-Chief

n a community where main avenues are lined with strip malls and shopping centers and congested back roads are bordered by housing subdivisions, it would seem that South Hill, Wash. has no history predating the 1970s.

South Hill’s nearly 60,000 residents are mostly newcomers to the area, helping to double the population of the Census-designated place every 10 years. Areas with acreage turned into middle-class housing. Forests and farmland became schools and shops, and older buildings are being replaced with new ones. South Hill’s history was forgotten with bulldozers and construction crews, but some historic places remain.

“Often when I mention to people that I’m a member to the South Hill Historical Society, they respond with the question ‘History? What history?” Jerry Bates, newsletter editor and webmaster of the South Hill Historical Society, said. “The hill today is mainly populated with those who only know strip malls, traffic congestion and endless housing developments, franchise food establishments and big box stores.”

The South Hill Historical Society was founded in 2001

by Paul Hackett, Carl Vest and Ben Peters to gather and preserve the history of South Hill dating back to the 1800s.

The society gathers historical documents, artifacts, photographs and interviews of residents to try and piece together the area’s history, Bates said.

Through their research, the historical society has written accounts and articles of specific events in South Hill’s history, such as the creation of the Pierce County Airport and the history behind Ball-Wood Road, which later became Meridian Avenue.

“As I say on the website, no famous battles were fought on the hill, no early resident appears in high school history books, no famous landmark exists—but before today’s current suburban growth, generations of families lived on the hill, various small enterprises came and went, significant events took place worthy of historical

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preservation and research,” Bates said. “For example, not many realize the north fork of the Oregon Trail passed through our community, or during World War II a Japanese balloon bomb landed on South Hill.”

A few historic places still exist on South Hill, such as the South Hill Historic Corridor and part of Firgrove Elementary, Bates said.

According to an article by Vest on the historical society’s website, southhillhistory. com, Firgrove was originally built in 1895 as Firgrove School, although it wasn’t built on its current site near the corner of Meridian Avenue East and 136th Street East until 1935.

This 1935 original brick building still stands today next to the current Firgrove Elementary, but the Puyallup School District has plans to build a new Firgrove Elementary. This could result in the demolition of the 1935 building, although current plans show the building remaining.

According to an article published on the Puyallup School District’s website, a $292.5 million bond passed in November 2015 will replace Firgrove and other district schools with new 30-classroom structures.

“Currently we’re supporting an effort to save the school from demolition,” Bates said. “It’s the oldest public building on South Hill.”

The South Hill Historic Corridor is another area that predates modern suburbanization. Markers around South Hill indicate the path of the Naches Trail Pass, a trail created by the Klickitat tribe of Native Americans.

“This corridor was also used by the first white settlers to Puget Sound country, the Longmire wagon train of 1853, forming the north fork of the Oregon Trail,” Bates said.

“Later this same route developed into the military road connecting Fort Steilacoom with Fort Walla Walla and played a significant role during the Indian wars.”

The historic markers can be found along 128th Street East near Military Road on South Hill, and near Rogers High School along 128th. This is all that remains of the trail on South Hill, which is now mostly covered by houses and stores.

Along with the trail, most of South Hill’s historic places have been destroyed.

Old hop barns, settler homes, log buildings and mills have been torn down in favor of new housing. The once plentiful farmlands, rhubarb gardens and old growth forests made way for state highways and urban growth that shows no sign of stopping.

“The hill forever changed from a quiet area of various small farms and family businesses,” Bates said. “For example, as a kid in the 1950s and ‘60s, I remember family members referring to South Hill as the ‘rabbit farms’ and it was labeled as such on local maps. Don’t hear that reference much anymore.”

As more of South Hill’s history disappears, the South Hill Historical Society is hoping that it can continue to collect information and to preserve the history that’s left.

Part of that is trying to get the local community involved, especially younger people.

“We are in a great need of young people joining the society to carry on our work,” Bates said.

The historical society holds monthly meetings that are open to the public at the Highlands Community Center near Pierce College Puyallup, where guest speakers and members continue to uphold their task: to maintain a link to South Hill’s past for future generations.

“Not many realize the north fork of the Oregon Trail passed through our community, or during World War II a Japanese balloon bomb landed on South Hill.”

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OCTOBER 18, 2016

Features Meet Puyallup’s new student leaders Daniel Pollock & James McCraw

A Reporters

t the beginning of each school year, a new group of student leaders move into room 218 in the College Center. They’re commonly known as the Office of Student Life.

From movie nights to forums on homelessness, they plan and execute events on campus. They want to make Pierce College a place students want to be; they’re the students’ voice, and they represent the college in Olympia. The OSL provides each Raider with a student ID card; they oversee the food pantry; they organize and advertise the oncampus clubs; on social media, they keep the students updated on college happenings; they make sure every student has the tools needed to succeed. The students’ success is their priority.

Esther Larson

Angela Madrid

What’s your favorite aspect of Pierce?

“The people, the professors and the students.

There’s such a caring spirit that the people have for each other.”

What’s your favorite thing about the OSL? “We all have a common interest: our best interest is the students. We all care about the people around us, we all care about the people here.

That’s the whole foundation of student leadership.

That’s why we do what we do and even when things get hard, just the fact that we’re serving the students and we’re serving this community keeps us going.”

Explain your position.

“I bring anything media-related to the college. I bring the game trucks, I rent out laser tag arcades. I think, in this technology-driven world, a lot of people are amused by events like this, so I’m excited for this year.”

What’s your goal for the year?

“I want to make the students more engaged and I want everyone to feel like they can be a leader.”

Vice President of Activities

Interactive Media and Gaming Coordinator

Yisha Ma

Kiss’Shona Curtis

Why did you choose to come to Pierce?

“I decided to go abroad to study. At the time, I was 17 and applied to American Honors. Pierce is the only college that accepts international students under age 18 for American Honors.”

What’s your main goal?

“My goal is to get students more involved on campus, that’s my job’s purpose. I want more students to want to be involved in the campus activities.”

What changes do you want to see happen at the college?

“My goal is to see the students become more engaged and involved. I want to make the campus a place the students want to come to. I want to make the campus an inviting, welcoming environment. School can be stressful, I hope to make the students lives easier through the events we put on.”

Do you have any tips for new students?

“Follow Pierce’s social media accounts, because there will be prizes. If you post something to our Facebook or your Facebook, tagging us, you might get a prize.”

Manjinder Sandhu

James Hesketh

Explain how you are a voice for the students.

“Since I’m the legislative senator, I go to Olympia and tell legislators what the students want, like ‘hey, we need to work on textbook affordability,’ or ‘we need to make transportation more accessible.’ Actual big issues I get to tackle.”

How do you know “what the students want?”

“Through surveys and through talking to them and through my coworkers, who are doing the same things. We’ve got to work as a team.”

Why are you attending Pierce College?

“It feels like I’m saving two years by finishing high school and getting my associate degree at the same time.”

Why did you apply to the OSL? “The OSL is the overlap in the venn diagram of the things I’m good at and things I’m passionate about. I saw they were doing good work and wanted to be part of it.”

Public Relations Senator

Vice President of Clubs and Organizations

Legislative Senator

Social Issues and Services Coordinator

Nadine Nabass

Britney Taylor

Student Advocacy Senator

Diversity and Equity Coordinator

Why did you apply to the OSL? “I was really excited when I got the position because I’ve always had this passion in me to spark change in a community that I care about.”

What’s the highlight of your job?

“Working the office hours is one of my favorite things because you see so many faces making student ID cards; and then you see people in the halls and they recognize you. It provides that welcoming environment for new students. It also provides a better environment for me as the student advocacy senator. It’s great having that one-on-one contact with people.”

Why are you at Pierce College?

“I wanted to get a head start on my education and I wanted to be challenged. I started to take classes part-time and saw what an awesome environment and wonderful community we have here so I started coming full time and never looked back.”

Why did you apply for the position you now have?

“I’ve always had a passion for diversity. I’ve had a lot of different adversities and I know a lot of people here at Pierce have as well. Through my own perspective, I can make a difference.”

OCTOBER 18, 2016

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THE PUYALLUP POST

Features Andrew Bottcher

Madison Martin

Outdoors and Recreation Coordinator

ASPCP President

What is the Outdoor and Rec Coordinator?

“I plan events which facilitate recreational activities and give students the opportunity to not focus so much on the responsibilities that they have and have an opportunity to decompress and relieve stress by engaging in informative activities that can also be entertaining.”

What got you interested in joining the OSL? “Last year I was in a class, Environmental Geology. Went on a trip ever since then, I realized how good of an opportunity it was and fun it could be to go on those. In Spring break of last year I went on Alternative Spring Break event. That was a good bridge for me to making the contact with Sean (Cooke).

He suggested to get involved in SL the next year.”

Why did you join OSL? “I joined because when I had first came here I was extremely excited and felt really welcome and so safe. I wanted to create that environment this year.”

What’s one thing that people don’t know about you?

“I debate. That’s actually the one thing that I do outside of school that I really love. I debate competitively. I’ve always been comfortable speaking with people but I feel a lot more confident speaking publicly with everyone. ”

Carissa Morrison

Sustainabiliy & Wellness Coordinator

Why did you join OSL? “I saw this as an opportunity to do what I love. I did student leadership in my high school and saw this as an opportunity.”

What do you do in OSL? I create three events a quarter. Activities that promote and show business and Economic stability. Also work on mental and physical health.

What is one thing people don’t know about you?

I want to be an Emergency Room Doctor because I want to and travel to third world countries and rural areas to train other doctors. I’m kind of an open book.

If anybody wants to come up and talk to me, I’m really approachable!”

Brianna Leaitiu Clubs Coordinator

What changes do you wish to make as a member of the OSL? “The only goal I have is to expand the amount of clubs we have. I really want to make an ASL club.”

What is one thing people don’t know about you?

“I was a lead singer of an alternative rock band for five years.”

Katerina (Kat) Schwab

Brooke Thomas

Graphics Coordinator

Why did you join the OSL? “I was able to be active at school. I was actually going to make a difference for students. I was somehow going to communicate to them through graphics.”

What do you do?

“The graphics coordinator works with all the seamless TVs.” (The flatscreens around campus that show events). “I also do the calendar for all the events.

Every graphic that you see that has to do with clubs or event wise for the college I do those.”

What is one thing people don’t know about you?

“I secretly go to Wendy’s and feed my dog ice cream while we watch other dogs play. I have a Pekingese-Lab, his name is Chappie. He’s my inspiration, my life, my world. My whole Snapchat story.”

Clubs Coordinator

Why did you join OSL? “My first few quarters I wasn’t super involved on campus and I was looking for a way to get more involved. I had a couple of friends who were on OSL last year and they told me it was a great opportunity to get involved on campus.”

What do you do in OSL? I am one of the clubs coordinators. There are two of us this year. We deal with clubs people. We help them through planning their events. We are currently working on clubs processes.”

What is one thing people don’t know about you?

“I’m really passionate about 70’s and 80’s rock music. I like Led Zeppelin and Metallica a lot. I just like that era. My dad is really into rock and roll and he influenced me. I drive an ‘86 Four-Runner.”

Justin Malepe

Carly Tryon

Why did you join the OSL? “I joined because I’ve actually had previous experience working with OSL. I worked for OSL at Green River.

I knew the benefits of working for OSL. I knew what to expect and I had experience with planning events.”

What is one thing people don’t know about you?

“I’m actually originally from the East Coast.” He moved to Washington with his family. He said, “I needed a new atmosphere and scenery.”

Why did you join the Office of Student Life?

“I joined the OSL because i thought it would be a really awesome job to have. It’s really diverse and we are doing a lot of good stuff to help students.”

What is one thing people don’t know about you?

“I’m considering being a park ranger or environmentalist with the National Parks.”

Entertainment Coordinator

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Operations Senator

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OCTOBER 18, 2016

Features Chancellor takes home ACCT award Daniel Pollock

Daniel Pollock

P

Reporter

Chancellor Johnson has served the college for nearly 40 years.

Mariners season in review Continued from page 11

Seattle Mariners fans look out over Safeco Field before a game (left). Relievers shag balls in the outfield during batting practice Things were looking good until Iwakuma (right).

The Mariners removed a struggling Cishek from his role as close and replaced him with flamethrower Edwin Diaz on Aug. 2. Diaz, 22, had been with the big league club since the end of June and had been used in increasingly difficult situations since he had been called up. A starting pitcher at the beginning of the year, Dipoto transferred Diaz to the bullpen while still pitching for AA Jackson. Diaz did not disappoint, finishing the year with a 2.79 Earned Run Average while racking up 18 saves and 88 strikeouts according to ESPN.com.

The playoff race began to tighten up after the Mariners finished August with a record of 16-14, according to baseballreference.com. While it may not be a sparkling record, a winning record was a step in the right direction. The race for the West was also a tight one as the Mariners and the Rangers were set to have an all-important three game series to end the month, but the Rangers swept the Mariners with ease. However, the month of September was kind to the Mariners and each game seemed like a must win. Seattle didn’t disappoint, winning 18 of their 27 ballgames and growing ever closer to a wild card spot. The Mariners took three of four from the Rangers and then opened up an eight game winning streak, sweeping the Athletics and Angels in the process. An even more important series against the Toronto Blue Jays, the holder of the second wild card spot, was held in Safeco where the Blue Jays promptly took two of the three games right out from under the Mariners. Going into the final week of the season, the Mariners remained just a few games back of the Wild Card and their first playoff game since 2001.

On Oct. 1, the Mariners were one game back of a wild card spot with only two games left to play. After a win from the Blue Jays, the Mariners had to win their game that day to stay in the hunt, half a game behind Detroit. The season rode on the outcome of game 161 and the Mariners turned to their most consistent and durable pitcher of the season, Iwakuma. The city of Seattle was abuzz as fans headed through the gates of Safeco Field.

The Mariners would face the last place Oakland A’s in the biggest game at Safeco in recent memory.

OCTOBER 18, 2016

Colton Swanson

Pierce executive team, to making certain the college vision is upheld, to representing the college in Olympia.

Johnson said her personal vision for the college in one sentence is a diverse, inclusive and equitable college where all students can achieve their educational and professional goals through the assistance of a dynamic and diverse faculty and staff.

ACCT also awards trustees, faculty and staff members. One national winner is selected from each group of regional awardees. National winners were announced Oct. 7 at the annual ACCT Awards Gala in New Orleans.

Colton Swanson

ierce College Chancellor Michele Johnson won the Chief Executive Officer award given out by the Association of Community College Trustees. Johnson’s award was announced via Twitter Aug. 3.

According to ACCT’s website, the award winner is based on their commitment to initiating or developing innovative programs for two-year colleges. The CEO must demonstrate a caring attitude toward their board of trustees, administrators, faculty and students and actively develop, organize or support state or national two-year college education associations.

Johnson is the Pacific regional winner. The ACCT Pacific region includes Alaska; the Yukon Territory; British Columbia; the West Coast including Utah, Idaho and Arizona; and also includes Hawaii, American Samoa and other islands.

A Tacoma, Wash. native and Lincoln High School graduate, Johnson didn’t always plan to work in higher education. When she attended Washington State University, she majored in social justice.

“My mom always said I was born with a fairness gene,” Johnson said. “I’ve always cared about the social aspects of justice. I also liked the notion of investigations and thinking about solving problems.”

She now applies her history in social justice to her job as chancellor by making sure every student has the tools needed to succeed in life and college. She wears a rubber bracelet that says ‘committed to student success.’ She put the bracelet on five years ago and has worn it ever since.

Johnson decided to pursue an academic career after she helped co-teach a criminal justice class. Her first professorship was at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.

Later, Johnson returned to Washington and, in 1977, joined Pierce as a part-time faculty member. The next year she was hired full time and taught criminal justice, sociology and coached women’s fast pitch and basketball.

In 1999, Johnson became president of the Fort Steilacoom campus. In 2005, Johnson was selected as chancellor. Johnson’s duties as chancellor range from meetings with the

faltered in the third, allowing four runs to cross the plate, giving the A’s a 4-2 lead. Another run crossed in the fourth and manager Scott Servias finally removed Iwakuma from the game in hopes to keep the deficit at only three. The Mariners answered back. Cano smashed his career best 39th home run of the season, a two run shot off of A’s pitcher Jharel Cotton. The A’s promptly got one back in the sixth and another in the seventh, making the Mariners playoff hopes seem bleak.

However, in the words of Ken Griffey Jr, the M’s kept fighting. Facing a 7-4 score, Cano singled home Aoki and then Cruz mashed one of the biggest and most exciting home runs of the season, tying the ballgame at seven. An overused Mariners bullpen could not keep up though and the A’s got the lead back in the eighth. That lasted all of a half inning when rookie Ben Gamel hit a game tying single to right and the entire Mariners season was going to come down to extra innings. However, the magic would die in the 10th as Joey Wendle hit a double off of the Mariners Edwin Diaz and the Mariners fell just short in the bottom half of the inning and lost 9-8. The Mariners would not make the playoffs in 2016, but it took until game 161 of 162 to seal their fate.

While many say baseball is too long of a season, it takes all 162 games to decide a winner. This rings true to Mariners fans as Seattle fell one game short in 2014. However, the two teams were different. The 2014 ball club relied heavily on a stellar bullpen while the 2016 squad used the home run ball to their advantage. Even though 2016 may not have ended the way the city of Seattle had hoped, the future is bright for the M’s. Players such as Gamel, Vogelbach and Edwin Diaz could become cornerstones of the franchise in the future with the already solid middle of the order. Cruz put up consistent numbers to last year and Seager and Cano had the best years of their careers. The three combined for 112 home runs and became one of the most fearsome 3-4-5 hitters in the game. While they had fantastic years, players such as Lind, Ketel Marte and Felix Hernandez did not live up to expectations. The Seattle fans will have to wait at least one more year to see their team in playoff baseball, but with Jerry Dipoto at the helm, the upcoming offseason could be a wild one. One thing is for sure. There’s hope for the Mariners, and Seattle better believe this team will keep fighting next year.

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THE PUYALLUP POST

Lifestyle Hannah Pederson

Innovation or unnecessary

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Hannah Pederson

A

pple has defined itself as an innovator for decades now, attracting elitist techies who always seem ready to put their lives on the line for their overlord. For the past two years though, Apple has been sticking to the same basic design for the iPhone, since the 6 and 6 Plus debuted in 2014.

That release was a landmark event for the company and for the smartphone market, and that past success has largely overshadowed the iPhone 7.

The 7 was available for preorder starting Sept. 9 at midnight and servers crashed almost immediately. Even if the 7 didn’t seem as distinctly different from its predecessors as the 6, it was still the new iPhone and dedicated Apple addicts were going to get it no matter what.

As someone who’s had an Android since they were old enough to have a smartphone, that feeling is largely unfamiliar. But, something new is always something new, and the anticipation was so strong it hurt.

When the box was finally sitting on the table, fresh from the delivery truck, it was evident that Apple really wanted their consumers to be in awe of the attention to aesthetic detail they put into the packaging alone.

Once the lid was carefully and impatiently tugged off and placed to the side, there’s a small folder with setup instructions covering the phone, adding another layer of suspense.

Then there was the 7 Plus, in matte black.

It’s a monolith, like its precursor. Just lying there it seems intimidatingly put together, like a 30-year-old lawyer.

Once in hand, the appreciation for the subtle redesign hits.

The sheer heft of the phone makes it feel more solid and reliable than most other phones on the market, which was proven true by the amount of times it was dropped in the first three days and how it magically withstood both vinyl and hardwood floors as well as the fact that it’s been playing Bob’s Burgers in the shower for a week and hasn’t shown any signs of wear.

In what’s been universally acknowledged as a solid idea, the antenna lines have been manipulated to blend into the back of the phone for a sleeker design, which is apparently what everyone is all about these days.

The cameras, yes, plural, bulge out from the back of the 7, which from most angles isn’t obnoxious. However, if the user hits it just right, it kind of looks like WALL-E. Apple isn’t the first to put a dual camera system in their device, that was LG with the G5.

On the G5, the user can choose which camera they want to use for a particular shot, with one just providing a wider view.

The 7 doesn’t allow for much manual control of the camera, users can’t pick and choose between the two, which was a let down for those who had hoped it would function like the G5 but with a telephoto option. It didn’t.

Despite that, the 7 does take surprisingly high quality pictures for a smartphone, and if Apple continues to advocate that smartphones be able

to compete with digital cameras this iPhone won’t be many users’ last.

The home button was another aspect of the phone Apple chose to distinguish from the 6 and 6 Plus. It’s no longer a button.

It may look like a button, but when it’s pressed nothing actually clicks. According to The Verge, a linear vibration unit jolts when users apply pressure which ends up feeling like a click.

It’s actually a lot more satisfying than a real button would be. There are three intensity settings for the home button, but the third and strongest was the only one that felt familiar.

The third and most controversial redesign was, of course, the headphone jack, or lack thereof.

This really seems like a profit driven move from Apple. They have a dedicated user base that will buy into whatever changes they decide to make, so why not eliminate the headphone jack and force consumers to buy headphones with a lightning adapter at the end that is only offered

by Apple.

The package provides a 3.5 millimeter jack to lightning port adapter and new earbuds compatible with the system, but it all felt unnecessary and honestly just a hassle.

According to Apple, the move was to make way for a bigger battery and other new features, but why not just make the phone bigger?

Once past the disputed exterior, iOS 10 takes center stage.

As an Android user, iOS has always been annoying. But, that was an older operating system on an older phone.

The decision to invest way too much money into this phone was because Apple had finally created a device that optimised its OS. The way it moves on the 7 Plus is alluring.

It’s satisfying. It’s sexy. The phone is physically big enough to make interacting with it simple, instead of an exercise in autocorrect because the keyboard is made for two year old hands.

For Apple users, iOS 10 is exciting. Coming from Lollipop, the latest version of the Android OS, on a pure Google phone, it was what users were already used to, just with a bit more fluidity.

The switch wasn’t overly jarring, it was just a matter of finding out what was hidden in which menu. There was only one really frustrating thing.

Apple is intolerant of third party apps. It limits their access in order to negate their function because if Apple has an app that does the same thing, it doesn’t want users finding one that does it better, like Facebook messenger.

Facebook Messenger is a messaging app that most Android users prefer over their provider’s messaging app because it’s more interactive and just as reliable.

On an iPhone, Facebook Messenger is pointless. It’s not as aesthetically pleasing, it’s not as user friendly (users can’t create shortcut icons to their favorite conversations) and it doesn’t do what it can do on an Android. That’s all because of iMessage.

The iPhone 7 Plus is a step towards something great in the smartphone market, but it’s not quite there yet. It’s worth the price in terms of functionality, and it looks good doing it.

Hannah Pederson

Hannah Pederson Senior Online Reporter

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Hannah Pederson

Puyallup Post

Chase Charaba

Apple releases iPhone 7 and 7 Plus

The iPhone 7 redesign is subtle but powerful.

OCTOBER 18, 2016

Reviews RestaurantReview

BookReview

Andrea Mendoza

Suzanne Buchholz

Novilhos Brazilian Steakhouse

Gravity Falls Journal 3

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Bellevue, Wash.

Alex Hirsch

or restaurant goers looking for an interactive and all-you-can-eat dining experience, 40 minutes north of Pierce College Puyallup is a Brazilian steakhouse.

It’s a steak lovers galore. That’s the first impression Brazilian Steakhouse Novilhos Churrascaria in Bellevue, Wash. gives when restaurant-goers see and taste all of the items on the menu. With 16 different styles of meat and an endless salad bar, Novilhos is well worth the fixed price of $54.50 per person price tag.

Fans of meat have the choice of eating chicken, beef, lamb, pork or sausage cut in different styles, all slowly spin-roasted, to help preserve their natural flavors and textures.

Guests can also serve themselves at the 60+ salad and hot entrée buffet. Novilhos also offers a la carte, happy hour and bar menus.

Although Novilhos sells themselves as a steakhouse, it’s also vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free friendly. The Novilhos experience originates from the Brazilian “Churrasco,” which is a tradition for generations in Southern Brazil, where Gauchos (Brazilian cowboys) pierce large pieces of meat with skewers and slowly grill them over open flaming pits.

For those unfamiliar with the Novilhos serving system, once seated at the table a waiter dressed in Gaucho outfits brings garlic mashed potatoes, cinnamon fried bananas, polenta and cheesy bread rolls to the table with a green and red sided token. The tokens are similar to a stop light. When the token is green, the meats keep coming. When it’s red, the meats stop until the token turns green again.

As guests started eating food from the salad bar, they can watch the meat being roasted in huge fire grills in the kitchen.

After guests have started drooling for the food, waiters carrying a different type of meat on metal skewers then serve it to the guest’s plate. Waiters serve in a circular motion so guests have many opportunities to get the meat they choose. For guests who aren’t fond of the carnivorous experience, Novilhos offers an endless salad bar only option at $31 per person. The salad bar includes mushroom risotto, caesar salad and black beans but it’s not worth the price considering it’s self-served, and the waiters are too busy paying attention to the meat-eating guests.

The Gaucho experience is brought to life throughout the decor and design of the restaurant. Huge paintings of the Brazilian cowboys are hung on the walls along with stocked shelves of Brazilian pottery.

Novilhos also offers six different dessert options, like creme brulee, papaya creme, South American flan, molten lava cake and lemon cake which are excluded from the fixed price along with drinks.

Food and drink prices range at each location. Desserts start at $8 at the Bellevue location.

Novilhos pricing might seem a bit too high, but it’s definitely worth the endless amount of food guests can eat. Guest who bring children along don’t have to pay the full adult price for them. Children ages 6 to 11 are 50 percent off while children younger than five are free.

Novilhos Brazilian Steakhouse and Churrascaria have two convenient locations in Bellevue and Lake Union and offers lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. Guests are recommended to make reservations ahead of time to ensure a table and to come hungry as the food is endless.

Novilhos is any meat lovers’ paradise and is definitely a worthwhile experience.

I give this:

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ans of the popular Disney XD show Gravity Falls were shocked and devastated when series creator Alex Hirsch announced in November 2015 that it would be ending after only two seasons.

They cried during the last emotional moments of the finale on Feb. 15 as they bid farewell to the characters they had become attached to. But this wouldn’t be the last fans saw of the series, as Gravity Falls Journal 3 released in July to answer their lingering questions and provide some additional backstory to the show.

For those who are unfamiliar with the series, Gravity Falls is a cartoon that chronicles twins Dipper and Mabel Pines during the summer they spend with their great uncle Stan in Gravity Falls, Ore. What could have been the most boring summer of their lives turns into a thrilling adventure when they discover a mysterious journal in the woods, filled with entries on the crazy creatures that inhabit the supposedly sleepy town. This sets off a series of events as they encounter various oddities and face threatening enemies, all while seeking out the elusive author of the journal.

Journal 3 is a canon version of the journal from the series, featuring every page ever seen on the show as well as many more that were never mentioned. Each page brims with written descriptions of odd fictional creatures from the Plaidypus to the Invisible Wizard, paired with detailed and whimsical illustrations. Many pages also feature codes that fans must decipher themselves in order to find out all of the book’s mysteries, an aspect devoted fans will remember and appreciate from the show.

The majority of the book is new material that serves to explain some of the unsolved mysteries from the show as well as provide some much-needed backstory to some of the characters, including the author himself. A later portion of the book relates events directly from the show, but far from being a mere retelling, these pages give insight and additional content that the show didn’t have time to address.

Fans can rest assured that many of their questions will be answered in the book.

All of this is in alignment with the style and humor fans have come to love from the show, making the book feel like a true extension of the series. The various writing styles, spanning from multiple characters such as Dipper, Mabel and the author, represent the characters so believably that one should be able to hear these entries in their respective voices if they’ve seen the show.

While the book is fantastic in most respects, there are a couple of drawbacks.

A few events from the show that would have benefitted from some more depth were only mentioned fleetingly or not at all in the book. This complaint is more based on what each individual fan would hope to see in the book and shouldn’t stop anyone from buying it, but certain storylines needing expansion aren’t as detailed as they could be.

Another flaw lies in the presentation of the book. Fans might be disappointed to see that the cover sports numerous Disney logos instead of the actual design from the show, although this is easily corrected by removing the dust jacket to reveal the authentic cover beneath (and bonus, the dust jacket doubles as a poster). The binding of the book isn’t as durable as it should be, either. Pages tend to come loose and fall out frequently, which poses a frustrating problem to people who like to keep their collectibles in pristine condition.

A few of these problems may be corrected in the future. During a panel at New York Comic Con 2016, Hirsch announced a new version of Journal 3 will be available to fans who want a deeper experience. This new edition will feature invisible messages that can only be read using a blacklight and will reveal additional secrets, as well as textured pages and an attached monocle to give it an appearance more authentic to that of the show. This edition won’t be released until sometime in 2017 and will be in limited quantities, however, so fans who don’t want to wait or risk missing out on the opportunity to buy it may want to purchase the original copy (at $20, it’s cheaper than the limited edition’s estimated $50 price tag as well).

Overall, Journal 3 is a perfect collectible item for GF fans to add to their shelves, among their other show memorabilia. It feels like taking one last road trip to the mysterious and memorable town of Gravity Falls.

Photo from Amazon.

Drive Thru

I give this: OCTOBER 18, 2016

26

THE PUYALLUP POST

Reviews Asian Fusion Fun: New Korean-American food truck

F

Co-Editor-in-chief

or those looking to expand their cultural horizons while sticking to their American roots, Burger Seoul is an inclusive and texturally different food truck perfect for every college student.

Located at 1750 S Prospect St in Tacoma, Burger Seoul has spent the past year building a reputation in the community.

The aroma of garlic and pepper combined with the sizzling of pork on the grill is enough to draw anyone in initially.

Customers are then put at ease once they gaze upon the red menu plastered against the striking white of the truck. With three kinds of burgers and two types of fries, they couldn’t make it any easier for prospective foodies wanting to believe the hype Tacoma has laid upon them.

Burger Seoul was opened on Dec. 12, 2015 by Young La after he returned to Tacoma from South Korea. The concept and menu comes from his original location in Korea, but were revealed to the world once again after La’s graduation from Pierce College, according to an article published in The News Tribune.

Both the most iconic and the most expensive burger offered is the bulgogier. Layered with decadent Korean ribeye, crunchy lettuce, black Seoul sauce and refreshing pickled Korean cucumbers, this burger captivates the taste buds by giving consumers a preview into the culture. It’s the seamless combination of meat and veggies that gives the burger its edge.

Traditional fast food places overpower the meat byproduct with soggy tomatoes, limp lettuce and a tangy ketchup and mustard mix. With Burger Seoul, everything is fresh and prepared with care. This was an untraditional take on an American staple, reinventing it so well that it should be its own new category. The taste can’t be beat with its $8 price tag.

The Fire Seoul is equally noteworthy and named “Tacoma’s best hangover cure.” This one is different in the sense that it’s made with pork instead of beef or ribeye.

Two defining features are the spicy Korean cucumbers and hot sauce.

WWW.PUYALLUPPOST.COM

Be warned: this burger is one of the hottest foods to experience in Tacoma. Even though it immediately inflames the mouth, each component has varying levels. The bun melts in the mouth, making way for the intensity of the pork. Flawlessly cooked, the pork dominates and then is quickly kicked out of power as the cucumbers make their way in. For those looking to warm up, the Fire Seoul is lit and breaks the bank at $6.

Finally, the Seoul burger which has ground beef, chuck and short rib, cheese, lettuce, spinach, onions and their famous Seoul sauce for $7. At one point they sold a vegetarian option with Korean ground beans, mushrooms, arugula, and egg, but has currently been removed from the menu. Cheddar cheese or a gluten-free bun can be added to a burger for an additional $1 charge.

A wonderful side to any of the burgers is the Seoul garlic fries. Unlike the garlic fries typically offered at baseball games, the potato isn’t overwhelmed by piles and piles of the fresh spice, and at times overpowering, seasoning. With Burger Seoul’s, the taste is subtle which adds a dimension to the fries without taking anything away. It’s the ratio of salt to garlic that makes these so addicting. They’re soft yet crunchy, creating an enchanted wonderland of texture for only $3.

A good atmosphere is as important as the food, and Burger Seoul excels. Music plays from speakers creating a fun and lighthearted energy. La dances along making the customer feel at ease while contemplating the menu. One facet that really distinguishes Burger Seoul’s customer service is their effort to please while simultaneously inciting happiness. La is eager to take photos with people or to have his photo. The truck is surrounded by picnic tables, umbrellas, benches and decorative plants to add a sense of hominess.

If someone is ever driving around North Tacoma, they should stop by Burger Seoul and experience the best mashup that’s existed since Drake and Josh.

Armani Jackson

Armani Jackson

Armani Jackson

Burger Seoul celebrates their one year anniversary in North Tacoma

I give this:

27

OCTOBER 18, 2016

Andrea Mendoza

Breast cancer affects Linda Buzbee and Linda Saarela, two members of the Pierce college Puyallup community

O Reporter

ctober has officially begun and along with it brought pumpkin spice lattes, Halloween costumes, candy corn and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Breast Cancer is one the most common cancers’ among women in the United States. Now millions of women are surviving the disease thanks in part to early detection and improvements in treatment. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research of the disease.

There are five stages of Breast Cancer. In stage zero, there’s no evidence of cancer cells or non-cancerous abnormal cells spreading out in the breast and is non-invasive. Stage one describes an invasive Breast Cancer with the tumor or cancer cells showing signs of growth. Stage two of Breast Cancer is the growth of cancer cells that have affected one to three axillary lymph nodes, the lymph nodes near the breastbone or a tumor which may or may not have affected any lymph nodes. Stage three cancer means the Breast Cancer has extended to beyond the immediate region of the tumor and may have invaded nearby lymph nodes and muscles, but has not spread to distant organs. Stage four describes invasive Breast Cancer that has spread beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes to other organs of the body, such as the lungs, distant lymph nodes, skin, bones, liver or brain.

Breast Cancer can be treated in many ways. Treatment depends on the stage of cancer and may consist of chemotherapy, radiation and/or surgery. When Breast Cancer is detected early in the localized stage, the five-year relative survival rate is 100 percent according to the American Cancer Society.

According to breastcancer.org, about one in eight U.S. women will develop invasive Breast Cancer during the course of their lifetime and are found in women younger than 45, while about two of three invasive Breast Cancers are found in women age 55 or older.

As a mother, wife and Breast Cancer survivor, business and social science professor Linda Saarela was diagnosed with late stage one Breast Cancer in December 2003.

After initially going in for an ultrasound to check a cyst, Saarela’s doctor came back with bittersweet results.

“The doctor said, ‘Well I have some good news and I have some bad news,’” Saarela said. “The good news is the lump the doctor found is a cyst, the bad news is we found another spot. Initially, I remember feeling thankful that it was found and then I got back to the car, I remember feeling total shock.”

Her Breast Cancer was detected early and made her eligible for a lumpectomy, a surgery used to remove cancer or abnormal tissue from the breast, and a 10 week radiation therapy, which uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. She remembers feeling tired toward the end of her treatment.

“I never saw myself as a person to get Breast Cancer,” Saarela said.

Throughout Breast Cancer awareness month, there are many advertisements for support groups available to people currently diagnosed, patients previously diagnosed and close members to the diagnosed. Support groups like Susan G. Komen and The American Cancer Society are available to anyone who needs them.

It was a difficult time for Saarela and she sought her family and faith because they were her strongest supporters during the entire process.

“I am a follower of Jesus Christ and I was strong in my faith to help me get through it all,” Saarela said.

Although having been diagnosed with Breast Cancer, Saarela felt at peace with the entire process.

“I never really asked the ‘Why me?’ ” Saarela said. “Bad things happen to good people and I’m glad I didn’t struggle with that because it’s very hard sometimes.”

After living through Breast Cancer, Saarela recalls seeing life as a bigger picture.

“Primarily after my treatment, I remember seeing the color of life more vivid,” Saarela said. “People associate cancer with death but that’s not always true, and life is much more than just work.”

This statement was also true for Marketing and Communications Administrative Assistant Linda Buzbee, who has been working at Pierce College for 27 years and was diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma stage two Breast Cancer in July 2009.

Ductal Carcinoma is an invasive Breast Cancer compared to breast cancers in Situ, which don’t spread outside tumor.

“Mine had actually spread and that’s why it’s invasive,” Buzbee said. “Then there’s stages which is a way to easily explain where the patient is at in their cancer.”

Buzbee’s treatment included surgery, chemotherapy and five week radiation therapy as well as reconstructive surgery and a deep inferior epigastric perforator artery flap.

“I had what’s called a DEIP flap,” Buzbee said. “It’s where they take muscle in your breast and it’s a microsurgery that attaches veins to your chest and makes new breast out of your own tissue, so I have my own breast and I’m very pleased.”

Breast reconstruction is a type of surgery for women who have had all or part of a breast removed. The surgery rebuilds the breast mound to match the size and shape of the other breast. The nipple and the darker area around the nipple (areola) can also be added. Most women who have had a mastectomy are able to have breast reconstruction.

Women who have had only the part of the breast around the cancer removed, such as a lumpectomy or breast-conserving surgery, might not need reconstruction.

“Everyone has their own personal journey with Breast Cancer and I have now been wasic for over five years out now which is a big milestone,” Buzbee said.

Once diagnosed with cancer, Buzbee had a hard time coping with the diagnoses making the entire process difficult for her.

“Cancer not only takes up a total on you physically, it really messes with your head and I had a hard time coping with ‘why me?’ and I was mad,” Buzbee said.

As a way to cope with her emotions and feelings, Buzbee sought out Livestrong support. The support group helped her relate to these feelings and accept them.

“You want family close and you want to rely on people but it’s also really a personal journey,” Buzbee said. “It was my job to try and be well so the support group helped me release.”

After being diagnosed with Breast Cancer, Buzbee lives life with a new perspective.

Her life was able to restart and learn to enjoy life through the ups and downs.

“That’s the funny thing about cancer, it makes you slow down,” Buzbee said. “It makes things really, really clear. It helps you restart every day and once you have cancer, it sort of hangs over your head but I do believe that I’m well to this day and everyday I affirm that.”

Being diagnosed with Breast Cancer isn’t the end of the world. There have been many advancements in the cancer research for Breast Cancer and that’s why Breast Cancer Awareness Month is celebrated.

Andrea Mendoza

Andrea Mendoza

Andrea Mendoza

Raising awarness about Breast Cancer

Buzbee and her family preparing for the walk (top). People gather at the finish line to pose for pictures (bottom).