Richland
CHRONICLE Vol. XLII Issue 1 Aug 25, 2015
‘Champions’ has a nice ring to it. Pg. 3 Richlandchronicle.wordpress.com
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2 CAMPUS
August 25, 2015
Concealed guns will be here by August of 2017 MARTA PLANELLS Editor-in-chief
Concealed handguns will arrive at community colleges in Texas by August 2017. After many twists and turns, SB 11 was passed by the Texas legislature and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott last June, despite the opposition of most Democrats and higher education advocates. Two-year public institutions like Richland may wait until 2017 to comply with law, according to Ann Hatch, director of media relations for the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD). Hatch said: “DCCCD has opposed campus carry, along with the majority of other colleges and universities across the state.” The district is planning meetings with employees and students throughout 2016 to find the best way to implement the new regulations. Dr. Kay Eggleston, Richland’s president,
said these are matters that the Board of Trustees will be studying carefully in determining the best interests and ultimate safety and security of students, faculty and staff. The bill is now law and all public college campuses are required to comply. Only private schools have the option to choose whether or not to allow weapons on campus. Two-year programs have more time to plan: At state universities, the law goes into effect in August 2016, one year before community colleges. The so-called campus carry bill was one of the most controversial laws in the 84th session of the Texas Legislature. It allows concealed license holders to carry concealed guns on campus. Opponents of the bill got the lawmakers to include language that allows for gun-free zones at each college or location. This means that districts will have the flexibility of establishing ‘gun-free’ zones within its campuses. Those areas include child care/ development centers; early college high
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Trumped Up: The Trumpinator
Photo illustration Isai Diaz
schools; areas for sporting events, such as arenas/playing fields for basketball, volleyball, baseball and soccer. Hatch said Richland Collegiate High School would be counted among
the potential gun-free zones. Since this is a state law, however, districts cannot approve a policy that eliminates the new regulation.
By Abraham Igene
August 25, 2015
SPORTS 3
Ring ceremony for the national champions BLANCA REYES Photography Editor
Richland College recognized its nationalchampion basketball team in a private ceremony on Aug. 12. “This was an event that the administration came up with to honor the guys for the season they had, to give them the rings… It’s a special deal,” head coach Jon Havens said. Richland President Kay Eggleston said that the event and rings were designed to honor the squad for winning the 2015 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) basketball championship.
Coach Jon Havens, left, and President Kay Eggleston enjoy the ring ceremony.
“It’s a really beautiful and personal ring that the players will have the rest of their lives,” Eggleston said. According to Eggleston, the Dallas County
Community College Foundation provided the rings for the Thunderducks. Coaches and players took an active role in the design of the rings as well. Each ring includes the tournament year, Richland College and the name of the player or coach on it. “You put a lot of work into it. You want to remember what the year is about,” assistant coach Michael Gross said. “It signifies all the hard work, the practice and teamwork to achieve this national championship,” Eggleston said. “It is a great opportunity. These guys are about to go out to their next colleges,” Havens said. “It’s a great event to acknowledge and recognize these guys.” Havens said that although it was a special ceremony for the team and the college community in general, the event had to be exclusive to a few people due to limited space. One of the proud parents present was Nicole Hall, who is Trevor Hall’s mother. Hall was one of the strongest players on the team. “I think he actually has the opportunity to further basketball as a career,” Mrs. Hall said. “Trey is very fortunate to be in a championship team.” Hall left Dallas last week to establish his residence in San Antonio, where he will continue playing basketball for St. Mary’s University. The ceremony was held in the Brazos Gallery, where a small but cheerful crowd witnessed the final chapter of the story of one of the most successful basketball teams Richland has ever had.
Staff photos Blanca Reyes
Players, coaches and Richland leadership pose for photos made by family members and friends invited to the ceremony held in the Brazos Gallery on Aug.12.
Gross said that the ring implies many special things for the team and it is a way to show how hard this team worked. “Hard work, determination and dedication. Everything goes into this ring,” Gross said. “I think it [the ring] is a little validation of the group that you have,” Havens said. Havens added that the most rewarding thing this season was the happiness and enjoyment that he saw in his players when they won the championship in Loch Sheldrake, N.Y. on March 17. “See their faces and how they celebrated
after that. That is the best moment for me,” Havens said. While Havens acknowledged that it is difficult to have a championship team every season, he said that he is trying to continue with this high level. That’s why he is recruiting players who are not only good on the court but who can represent the school and their families very well. For more information about the team, visit www.richlandcollege.edu/athletics/basketball, call 972-238-6244 or stop by Guadalupe Hall, Room G-120.
A new semester can always be exciting but this one is especially important for the Richland athletic department. Women’s basketball is going to be part of Richland club sports. To start with, Richland has hired a new coach, Michael Wells. “This is a very exciting opportunity here at Richland, to be part of the Dallas County Community College District,” Wells said. “It’s exciting to get the program started.” Wells has extensive experience coaching college at different levels. It is not the first time that Wells has started a basketball program. A few years ago, Wells was in charge of starting a basketball team for Northwood University in Cedar Hill. “I believe we got probably as good a coach as possible,” Athletic Director and baseball coach Guy Simmons said. El Centro, Mountain View, Cedar Valley and now Richland have women’s basketball teams. Although the teams are just clubs at all the four colleges, according to Simmons, the district is moving forward to have women’s basketball as an official sport. “Obviously, we want to be in all of that,” Simmons said. The club has had an excellent response so far. At press time, there were nine players ready to participate in the program. Last Thursday
the first tryout was held, where prospects showed how competitive women players can be on the court. For freshman Alex McIntosh, it is a plus to have the opportunity to play Coach Michael Wells her favorite sport for the school that she chose to attend. “I like it. The fact that we’re going to be the first girls’ basketball team here, I feel we can do a lot,” McIntosh said. The first game is already scheduled for the end of October and more tryouts are being held during September. “If anyone is interested, they can contact me and we will bring them in and we will let them try out with the team… The door isn’t closed,” Wells said. For more information, contact Athletic Director Guy Simmons at 972-238-6263, email him at GSimmons@dcccd.edu, or stop by Guadalupe Hall, Room G-114. — Blanca Reyes
Staff photos Blanca Reyes
Latasha Williams, left, and Alex McIntosh play hard during Thursday’s tryout to ensure their places on Richland’s newest club team.
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Thunderduck women ready to conquer the court
4 ENTERTAINMENT
RICKY MILLER Entertainment Editor
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1. “The Boy Next Door” – Jennifer Lopez is an English teacher who starts a sudden relationship with an 18-yearold student. This one was dumb, cheesy and just plain ludicrous. Grade: D 2. “The D-Train” – Jack Black finds a commercial with an old student (James Marsden), trying to get him to return for a big high school reunion. It is the kind of flick one does not want to watch with parents or significant others because of the gross and yucky factor. D3. “The Lazarus Effect” – Typical horror entry; Olivia
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Wilde returns fom the other side, wreaking havoc on her science team by picking them off one by one. D 4. “Ouija” – O is for obviou. U is for uninformed. I is idiots. J is for jerks. A is for all fall down. D5. “Vacation” – No magic here whatsoever with Ed Helmsas as the elder Rusty Griswald who wants to relive the same cross-country trip he took with his family to Walley World. C6. “Lake Placid vs. Anaconda” – Dumb flick made for the SyFy channel wherein a giant crock runs amok while battling slippery snakes. Stars “Hard Target’s” Yancy Butler and the original Freddy Krueger, Robert Englund. D
7. “Joe Dirt: Beautiful Loser” – David Spade returns in what is essentially a take on “It’s a Wonderful Life” wherein his character finds out his identity doesn’t even exist. C8. “Hot Tub Time Machine 2” – The original cast members all return, save for John Cusack, who was off doing better things. C9. “Hot Pursuit” – Reese Witherspoon is a top cop while Sofía Vergara is an informant placed in the witness protection program. C10. “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2”- Kevin James returns as the gung ho security guard who attends a convention in Las Vegas where some baddies are running amok. C-
CAMPUS 5
August 25, 2015
Staff photo Isai Diaz
New and returning students wait in line to register for the Fall semester at the Admissions office located in Thunderduck hall.
Richland leads in enrollment Copy Editor
Among the seven Dallas Community College District campuses, Richland once again takes the lead in the number of contact hours and students. Mark Ammann, assistant director of admissions and student records, said Richland currently has 179,464 contact hours, close to 20,000 students overall this semester, as well as 933 more students than last fall. “What we’re measuring are the contact hours,” Ammann said. “That’s the actual hours that students spend in class, the number of students registered and the number of students that are paid, because a student who doesn’t pay gets dropped from class.” Ammann explains the figures as “a cyclical thing,” which he says is a testament to the advertising and outreach Richland is doing and the way the college processes students.
As far as health issues, Ammann said students under the age of 22 have to either have documentation of meningitis vaccination or a valid exemption on file. The only exception is for students taking classes through Dallas Colleges Online who have an exemption form saying they won’t be coming to campus. “In that case, they don’t need to get the vaccination,” Ammann said. “They just need to provide the exemption form.” Ammann said that when students register later, money doesn’t seem to be the problem. “We publish everything on the website so the student has access to all of our schedules … registration dates, drop dates, add dates, everything, refund dates – they’re all published, but the students don’t look for it,” Ammann said. Amman said he would recommend that students go to the website (richlandcollege.edu) and read, since everything is laid out. “If there’s something you don’t understand, we’re here to assist,” he said.
Staff photo Marta Planells
The ‘face of Richland’ Howard Clapper describes himself as the “face of Richland.” He’s been at the information desk for seven years and enjoys mentoring students. If someone has an issue or problem, he tries to find out about it and direct them to the proper resource. Clapper may be found in Thunderduck Hall near the cashier’s office, across from the financial aid office. — Joyce Jackson
Campus renovation Students will find changes on campus when they return to classes next week. The parking lot in front of Sabine Hall is under construction, which means finding a parking spot will be more difficult the first days of classes. Only Lot C is under construction, but lot A is completely open and there is also space to park in front of Hondo Hall. Part of the gym is also under renovation because of the installation of a new elevator. Whichita Hall is also being renovated. Students will need to check their schedules to see if their classes will take place in different rooms. Staff photos Blanca Reyes
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JOYCE JACKSON
“We try to deliver excellent customer service and so the students like to come here because they’re well taken care of,” he said. “One of the things we do in admissions is, we don’t just finish with a student and let them go. We will walk them from place to place. If a student needs to go to advising, I’ll take them out of here and walk them over to the advising. If they need to go to financial aid, we make sure we do that hand off process so they get the ‘Midas Touch’ in customer service.” Ammann said he attributes the reason students register late to procrastination, because it’s rampant in the district. “A lot of students just wait until the very last minute for everything,” he said. “There are some students that don’t read ahead of time so they’re not aware that, ‘Oh, I need to get my meningitis documentation in. I need to submit my transcripts. I thought you just needed the transcript from the last school that I attended.’ ” Ammann said Richland requires a transcript from each institution a student attends.
6 ENTERTAINMENT
August 25, 2015 Richland
CHRONICLE STUDENT MEDIA LEADERS Editor-in-Chief Online Editor Photography Editor Entertainment Editor Copy Editor
Marta Planells Joe Stumpo Blanca Reyes Ricky Miller Joyce Jackson
ON THE COVER Ring ceremony for National Champions Basketball team
COVER AND FONTS Photo illustration: Quan Tran / Blanca Reyes Cover certain fonts are provided by the following: www.nymfont.com - www.bvfonts.com
STUDENT MEDIA STAFF Isai Diaz Abraham Igene Quan Tran Benjamin Siebel
STUDENT MEDIA ADVISERS Erica Edwards Jack Fletcher David Goodloe
Staff illustration Benjamin Siebel
Raptor Reboot: Childish Gambino on the rise Glover to produce a new show titled “Atlanta” BENJAMIN SIEBEL
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Staff Writer
The artist actually known as Donald Glover is anything but typical. He is an American actor, writer, comedian, rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer, which, if you’re keeping count, makes him a septuple threat. This is apparent after seeing the movie roles he has taken on this year. He played a role in a horror flick, a male stripper in “Magic Mike XXL” and an astrophysicist student in the upcoming sci-fi thriller, “The Martian.” To make things easy for everybody, I just combined the two things he is best at or best known for, which would be rapping and acting, reminding you of the best all-encompassing term that describes him: Raptor. The brilliance of Childish Gambino is that he relates to everybody. The more you see his acting or stand up (“Weirdo”) you realize how much his life experiences tie into his rapping, his intensity, his passion and his drive, making him a genuine cultural icon. Quick examples; Before Sony rebooted “Spider-Man,” dorks on the Internet argued on message boards over who should play Peter Parker. Someone suggested “How about Donald Glover? He’s nerdy!” That sent the Internet into a racially divided frenzy where
you either thought it would be cool to be a black Spider-Man or you thought it was hypocrisy. Glover obviously did not get the role in “Amazing Spider-Man,” but the campaign ended up helping Michael Bendis create Miles Morales, the half Hispanic/half AfricanAmerican Spider-Man for the Ultimate Universe, which Glover got to lend his voice to in the cartoon version. As of right now, Glover is the “raptor” supreme due to his comedic and musical success on numerous platforms. What separates him from other actors who happen to rap is that he isn’t afraid to take on roles that would humiliate others, like he did last year in “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” Today’s raptors tend to act as
“... Glover is the ‘raptor’ supreme due to his comedic and musical success ...” characters that are variations of themselves or their ghetto persona: a hardcore gangster/ drug dealer or what it would look like if that thug was a cop as on “NCIS: Los Angeles.”
What separates Glover from other rappers, in addition to the fact that he approaches making his music like he’s directing a cinematic masterpiece, is that he raps about how, after all this success, he’s still not accepted or taken seriously. He explains that most of his haters are people who liked him as Troy on “Community” and wish that he would go back to his role on the sitcom instead of trying to rap. Meanwhile, Childish Gambino, the alter ego of said actor, is making major waves in the hip-hop world, after being nominated for two Grammy awards for the album “Because the Internet,” which I reviewed previously, and the hit single “3005.” He took that momentum and released the mix tape “Kauai.” He took crooning to another level with “Sober” and “Pop Thieves (Make it Feel Good).” When you check out Childish Gambino, prepare yourself for some heavenly crooning, magnificent beats and the pun-per-line type of storytelling that paints reality as it is seen through the eyes of Donald Glover. Now he takes the momentum from his cinematic success this year to make a show titled “Atlanta.” It’s based on his rapping endeavors. He will star, write for and executive produce that project. He is, also, currently working on his untitled third album.
Steve Noviello Larry Ratliff Tim Jones
AWARDS
ACP Pacemaker Winner, 2000, 2001, 2007 ACP Pacemaker Finalist, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007 ACP Online Pacemaker Finalist, 2007, 2008 1st Place - TIPA Sweepstakes, 2005 3rd Place - TIPA Online, 2005 & 2006 Over 170 Texas college journalism awards since 2000 CMA Newspaper of the Year Finalist, 2014 1st Place – TCCJA Overall General Excellence, 2014 2nd Place - Pinnacle College Media Award, 2014
CONTACT INFORMATION
El Paso Hall, Room E-020, 12800 Abrams Rd. Dallas, 75243 Newsroom: 972-238-6079 E-mail: richanchronicle@gmail.com Advertising: 972-238-6068 E-mail: advertise@dcccd.edu Fax: 972-238-6037
Staff meetings for fall semester: Monday and Wednesday 2 p.m. in E-020 Letter Policy Letters to the editor may be edited for space. They will be edited for spelling, grammar and malicious or libelous statements. Letters must be the work of the writer and must be signed. For identification and verification purposes, letters also must include the writer’s classification (grade level), full name, address and telephone number, although address and telephone number will not be published. Editorial Policy The Chronicle is the official student-produced newspaper of Richland College. Editorials, cartoons, columns and letters are the opinions of individual students and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other individual student writers, editors, advisers or the college administration. © Richland Chronicle 2015
What I did this summer: Call of (Jury) Duty JOYCE JACKSON Copy Editor
Now that it’s almost time for classes to start, students are getting back in school mode and talking about all the summer fun they had. While some students used the summer to get ahead in their classes, I took the summer off because I’m not going for a degree or planning to transfer to a university since I’m an emeritus student. Back in March, I received this dreaded notice by mail: State of Texas County of Dallas jury summons. I freaked out. I didn’t want to be bogged down by getting put on a jury in mid-semester. Fortunately, I was able to claim a postponement. That, however, doesn’t excuse anyone from serving. For those students who may not have served yet, be aware that you have to declare two or three months in advance two different weeks in the future when you can serve. Sure enough, my new jury summons came right on time: 8:30 a.m. July 20 at the Frank Crowley Courts Building. I decided right off I wasn’t going to drive there myself. The parking garage isn’t free, but that wasn’t the problem. I simply don’t feel safe in parking garages. My husband was a trooper and so he offered to take me. Here are a few tips for making the best of a jury summons. First of all, when most people get a jury notice in the mail, it ruins their day. These days, every single day is a busy day. Most people rush around trying to cram in as much as possible daily, so trying to make time in the future isn’t that easy anymore. There are some folks who get a thrill out of jury duty and feel a great sense of accomplishment. I am not one of them, but don’t let it spoil your day. Second, always bring plenty to read and/or your cellphone, tablet or some electronic device to keep you awake. And, figure out what to wear. For us gals, one can’t ever be sure if
it’s going to be freezing cold in the courthouse or too warm, so trying to figure out what to wear is a problem. There were several hundred people in the main jury room that steaming hot July day, including standing room only, but the temperature was pleasant indoors.
Image courtesy coloringbookfun.com
One aspect of the informational video with moderator Clarice Tinsley about jury duty disturbed me. It’s what a judge said in a demonstration for jurors. He said: “Raise your right hand and repeat after me. I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” That was it! What happened to, “So help me God”? I was shocked. How did those words get left out and who decided to leave them out? For those who believe in a higher spiritual being, why should anyone tell the truth if the almighty isn’t part of one’s conscience? I resent this sentence, and I’m sure others do, too, but that’s just another example of how someone in authority, like a judge, just changes the rules as they see fit. Yet, we, the people, don’t have
a say in it. Third, be sure to read the “List of Prohibited Items” before your due date. In our crazed society these days, I thought even a large safety pin could be considered a dangerous item, so I decided to empty my overloaded purse and just take the bare minimum: $10 cash for lunch, since they don’t accept credit cards, Kleenex, a pen and tiny pad for notes. Some of the Do Not Bring items include: any type of explosives, bombs, rockets, fireworks, rubber-band guns, mace, batons, fashion chains and defensive sprays, among others. Who would be stupid enough to walk into a courthouse with anything resembling a rocket? There’s security just like at the airport as soon as you walk in. Fourth, try not to start a conversation with anyone sitting next to you on either side. I was eventually sent up to the seventh floor to Court 204, District Court, along with at least 200 people. Sitting in one spot on a hard chair for an hour or two is extremely boring and tiring. I made the mistake of talking to April, 56, who had taken the bus from Oak Cliff to get there. She told me she was broke and couldn’t afford lunch, then rambled on about her Walmart smart phone, giving me a demonstration on YouTube when I told her I didn’t have one. We sat there at least an hour while I listened to her chatter. Police officers eventually escorted three young men in handcuffs out of the courtroom and down the hall. Meanwhile, the entire group of bored jurors waited until 10:45 a.m. when a police officer came out and told us our fate for the rest of the day. He gave us the news every juror wants to hear: We weren’t needed anymore so we could go back to the jury room. We nearly trampled each other trying to get back on the crowded elevators to return to the jury room quickly. The news was good there, too. We were dismissed, and it was only 11:15 a.m. – just in time for lunch. It was a great relief.
Richland briefs Play Auditions
Those who wish to audition can sign up on the Call Board in Fannin Hall, room F116. A This semester, drama department chair sign-up sheet was scheduled at press time to Andy Long has written a new play titled be posted by Wednesday. Students, staff and “Comes the Storm.” It’s a dark comedy based faculty are eligible for casting in either of these plays. on the Book of Job from the Bible. “Boom,” a play by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, will also be presented by the Richland drama Audio production courses department. Auditions for both plays will take place Beginning in Fall 2015, Richland will begin from 7 to 10 p.m. Sept. 2 in Fannin Perforto offer courses in Audio Engineering, Music mance Hall, room F102. Business and Electronic Music. Each course Performance dates are as follows: “Comes the Storm,” October 7-10 in Fan- has a different time. Location: Fannin Hall and nin Performance Hall, Room F102. “Boom,” Wichita Hall. For more information: ww.richlandcollege.edu/ in the nearby Arena Theater Nov. 18-21, Room F106. Both plays will begin at 7:30 p.m. hfp/music/
DCCCD 50th anniversary Dallas County Community College District is turning 50 this year. The district is hosting a celebration event next Friday, Aug. 28 at the Mesquite Convention Center. The district will show a review of the DCCCD history throught the years; it will offer round-table discussions for special topics as well as enterntaiment activities such as dance contests and bingo. Chancellor Joe May will speak at the closing ceremony. For more information: www.dcccd. edu/50th
OPINION 7
Upcoming Events Aug. 27 All buildings, offices, services closed for college-wide convocation until 1:30 p.m.
August 28 Continuing education Fall 2015 registration open Thunderduck Hall, T160.
August 31 Fall semester begins
Sept. 7 Labor Day holiday Campus closed
Sept. 8 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Music recital series begins Richland Faculty Jazz Ensemble Fannin Performance Hall
Sept. 10 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. 2015 Suicide Prevention 3K Walk For Awareness Sabine Hall To participate, RSVP: tminter@dcccd.edu
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