March 31,2015

CHRONICLE Richland

Vol. XL Issue 10 March 31, 2015

Tap dancing - a lifestyle:

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Non-stop events at Richland: Pg. 6-7

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CAMPUS

EMT certification available LYDIA NIGUSSIE Staff Writer

Richlandchronicle.wordpress.com March 31, 2015

Students can become a National Registered Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) at Richland beginning this semester.

Lisa Smitthart is the medical program director who made this class available through Continuing Education.

“An instructor of mine stated her son wanted to do EMT at Collin but there was a wait list,” said Smitthart.

Smitthart decided to start the program because it’s a great opportunity for students interested in working in the medical field. The program is a gateway class to becoming firefighters and paramedics. Currently, Brookhaven and Collin College’s Spring Creek Campus are the only community colleges offering EMT certificates.

The program consists of two courses: EMSP1001- Emergency Medical TechnicianBasic (112 hrs) and EMSP1160- Emergency Medical Technician-Basic Clinical.

Students must pass EMSP1001 and EMSP1019 (CPR for Healthcare Professionals) to be eligible for the clinical, which requires a 36-hour rotation in hospital and fire department affiliations to develop top-notch professional students. They will be trained in health, safety and life-saving skills.

They will also be evaluated on cognitive

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knowledge, affective behavior and psychomotor skills to ensure they are ready to continue to clinical.

The clinical capstone is an EMT internship. Students will again be evaluated on their knowledge, behavior and skills to determine if they’re prepared. The clinical requires a minimum of 12 hours working in emergency departments, and the internship is a minimum of 24 hours on a 911 Mobile Intensive Care Unit of ALS Ambulance. The program is designed to essentially train students who will need liability insurance ($13) as they’re required to participate in patient care activities and station duties.

The EMT Program total tuition is $1,265 with additional costs that vary for immunizations. Uniforms are included with tuition and must be worn at all times on duty. The uniform is a Richland college EMS uniform shirt, an American National Standards Institute approved safety vest for externship and navy blue EMS pants.

Smitthart has great expectations for the success of the students and the professional training they will encounter. Smitthart said she would like to see a gender-equal class.

She noticed an interest mainly of men and encourages more women to join. She is preparing events to let students know this course is available.

The class is open to the public. Smitthart plans to have an open Q&A for students.

Dates will be announced later.

Staff photo Marta Planells

An Emergency Medical Services technician answers questions outside Sabine Hall about the new program that will be coming to the campus in April.

Staff photo Lydia Nigussie

Ashar Jama,30, and Dr. Goodowitz practice oral hygiene techniques.

Richland students get drilled on dental assisting skills

Dental assisting programs are now offered at Richland. Students will learn the fundamentals and the versatility of practice in a staffted office. Melinda Weaver, dean of continuing education, coordinated a partnership with the Dental Career Foundation.

Weaver saw this partnership as an exciting opportunity for students who want to be trained professionals working in dental offices, especially since the medical field is one of the fastest growing occupations. According to the foundation, dental assistants are in short supply.

Director of Education Dr. Wayne Goodowitz started the Dental Careers Foundation in 1993 and has taught many students since. The program consists of 70 hours of classroom and clinical labs over a 10-week period.

Clinical labs are held in a dental office located in Plano. The office holds eight opperatories, limiting the class to 16 students and only two students in X-ray rooms.

New to the office is an extra oral X-ray machine that takes panoramic X-ray bite wings and periapicals. The students learn sterilization out of tray setups and how to operate the tools and mold teeth. The labs also teach other functions in the office like working at the front desk. The hands-on sessions make the program impressive. Students work with Goodowitz as he instructs them during their labs. Students are currently in their eighth week of training.

“You come to class and you don’t go home without putting into practice what you learned,” said Jazmin Rivas.

Rivas decided to study dental assisting when she visited Healing Hands a non-profet dental association. She watched how helpful and caring the assistants were and decided she wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.

Amanda Moore decided to do dental assisting when she went to an orthodontist for braces. Scared at first, the dental assistant calmed her down. That influenced her and

she is now pursuing a career.

Moore’s friend recommended her to the class after graduating two classes ago. Moore began working in an orthodontist’s office at Network Stokes Orthodontics and said this class is a great lead into assisting.

“The instructors make you feel comfortable and will work with anything,” Moore said.

Deirdre Cortes used to work in the dental field in Mexico. Her husband’s job required them to move to Texas so she enrolled at Richland for ESL classes and noticed the Dental Assisting Program.

“I saw the program and got very interested,” Cortes said.

Cortes decided to get back in the field as an assistant. The classes are similar to the real-world experiences she used to practice.

Students are able to learn good habits of becoming a dental assistant.

The lab nurtures the experiences for student practitioners. Goodowitz is receptive when answering questions during class sessions. The small classes allow each individual extensive hands-on training. Goodowitz calls it “working knowledge” as he watches and observes his students apply their skills.

He disciplines them effectively to be good assistants and works with their posture, etiquette and behavior to be good assistant for doctors’ assistants.

After all the students get to practice hands-on, Goodowitz ends the class with a pep talk.

He speaks with passion and motivates his students to continue applying their skills and to go network. Students get placed in the field and are given the opportunity to be sent on interviews. He uses himself as a reference and gives his students a list of opportunities that has been forwarded to his office. In fact, many of his graduates can be found working throughout the Metroplex.

— Lydia Nigussie

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Persistence pays off in pursuing lost relatives Copy Editor

Joe Connelly retired after working for 46 years at Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 100 in Dallas. He taught in their apprentice school for 35 years.

Staff photo Melanie Brandow

Emeritus student Joe Connelly talks about finding his biological parents.

court.

Next, he called the 96th Judicial District Court in Fort Worth and had a court date set to appear before the judge to explain why he wanted to find out the name of his biological mother.

When the judge asked him why he wanted to know this information, he said, “Everybody else in this courtroom knows who their mother and father is. You know who your mother and father is and the bailiff over here knows his. I want to know mine.

“The thing [the judge] told me was that my mother didn’t die in childbirth because she signed the adoption papers a year after I was born,” he said. “It was a closed and private adoption, which meant that an adoption agency was not used.”

The judge could not release the information until a third party could locate his biological relatives, so Connelly paid the court $300 for an intermediary to do a search for his mothers’ sisters, if any.

“I was asked to write a letter to this sister and tell her about myself, unsigned, and send it to the intermediary who would in turn forward it to the sister,” Connelly said. But the reply wasn’t good – the sister refused to sign adoption release papers.

The intermediary advised him to send a personal letter to the judge and ask him again to release the records.

“At the end of the fourth week, there was a fat letter from the 96th Judicial District Court,” Connelly said. “It contained all the

adoption records which included the name of my mother. But, she died in 1996. Her last name was Oberste.”

Connelly went to the library next to do his own research and a librarian helped him track down where his mother once lived -- in Malden, Mo. Eventually, he received a death certificate and funeral home worksheet for obituaries.

“The worksheet contained the next of kin; one niece, three nephews and two sisters and the cities and states where they lived,” Connelly said. “I had hit the jackpot!”

Connelly met with his cousin Judy in Missouri, three other cousins and an aunt, as well as a cousin in Dallas, who gave him a binder with all the information and pictures he needed to finalize his search for his mother.

Connolly has since submitted his DNA to two banks, www.familytreedna.com and www.dna. ancestry.com, after taking a cheek swab to be matched with others who may be related.

Connelly continues to take Raney’s class because it varies each time he takes it.

“In a lot of the classes, you can learn a lot from the other people in the class the way they do their research,” he said. He would recommend the class to anyone who is adopted or searching for lost relatives.

“Folks need to start on their genealogy before they get too old, before your mother and your father and all your aunts and uncles die,” Connelly said. “You need to find out how they lived their lives. There’s a lot of good stories there.”

Richlandchronicle.wordpress.com March 31, 2015

JOYCE JACKSON

“I’ve run work here in Dallas, built buildings like this [Richland] except instead of being spread out, they were straight up multistory skyscrapers,” Connelly said.

Yet, at 66, he realized that one thing was missing in his life. He was adopted at birth and never knew who his biological parents were.

At that point, as a widower, he thought he must have relatives somewhere. For many years he said he had felt like a “Heinz 57, a mixture of a little bit of everything.”

Now, at 75, he says, “Genealogy is my main bag.”

Connelly is taking Don Raney’s Emeritus Internet Research Genealogy class, but he first enrolled in the class about seven years ago in search of his birth mother.

He first took a keyboard refresher course and began to write stories for www.findagrave. com, a website where you put names of family members in and link them to other family members.

At first, he started looking for his grandmother and grandfather. He only had a name.

His adoptive father told him they were buried in Wylie, so he checked out cemeteries there, walking row by row. He eventually found them elsewhere, buried in St. Paul, a cemetery north of Wylie.

His sister-in-law then found information on the Internet from the Texas Department of Health and Vital Statistics in Austin regarding requests to the court for those wishing to find in which court adoptions took place. A few months later, he learned the name of the

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ENTERTAINMENT

RICKY MILLER

Richlandchronicle.wordpress.com March 31, 2015

Entertainment Editor

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I wanted to like “Insurgent.” I did. I really did.

“Insurgent” is the second installment of a planned trilogy. “Divergent” director Neil Burger did not return for this sequel. Director Robert Schwentke tries to replicate some of that “supposed magic” from Part 1 of the series and mold it into something completely different for audiences.

I had high hopes for the original as well, released in 2011, but it delivered the most basic thing a story could do. It just putt-putted to a basic conclusion and then ended. I gave the first entry in the series a mediocre grade of C+.

Schwentke knows how to make decent films. I relished the elderly spy saga “RED” in 2010.

In Part 2 of the planned trilogy, it appears

Ricky’s Take

the production company (Summit Entertainment) sank all of its dollars into computergenerated birds and shots with skyscrapers blowing up and shards of glass flying through the air. Meanwhile, Tris (Shailene Woodley) takes part in a computer simulation. Oh joy.

The strong-boned Theo James reprises his role as Four, Tris’s companion and love interest. The duo share an authentic rapport and chemistry that translates to the screen.

Similar to what “The Transformers” did by having the flick feature an Oscar-winner in Frances McDormand (“Fargo,” 1996), “Insurgent” includes Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer (“The Help”) as a sort of higher-up with a position of power. Her identity is that of Johanna, a faction member of high-ranking authority who does not really want Tris and Four hiding in her sanctuary.

I hate to say it, but when the plot involves a lot of sci-fi mumbo jumbo, the audiences tend to lose interest in the story.

“Insurgent” tries to add further credibil-

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Images courtesy wordpress.com/moviepiolet.com

ity by having Daniel Dae Kim (TV’s “Hawaii Five-O”) as Jack Kang, a leader of one of the factions.

Also returning are Maggie Q, Miles Teller, Mekhi Phifer and Kate Winslet, the leader who sees divergents as a threat. Winslet’s character of Jeanine is the only one who has any substance.

For some unknown reason, the Oscar-nom-

inated Naomi Watts makes an all too-brief appearance as Evelyn, whose persona is barely even mentioned in the proceedings. Talk about a throwaway part. Her identity is barely even acknowledged in the events that unfold.

“Insurgent” does not really take any steps to improve the original “Divergent,” thus turning the series so far into a film that is as mediocre as they come. Grade C

“Get Hard” – Comedians Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart team up in “Everly” – Salma Hayek is the title character, hunted by her former this supposed comedy in which the former is framed by his superi- bosses. C+ ors at the company for some white-collar crimes. I laughed, but it is “McFarland USA” – Kevin Costner stars as the coach of a high not worth full-price admission.

Grade: C school running team in this based-on-a-true story tale that actually “Birdman or (“The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”) “Home” – Jim Parsons Keaton (TV’s “The Big Bang Theory”) is thea voice delivers in every single department. B+ B - Michael is a washed-up actor staging one-man of Oh, an alien another world on Earth and “It Follows” – Ridiculous horror-thriller about an entity that folshowfrom on Broadway who who dealshides with out a variety of predicabumps into Gratuity “Tip” Tucci (voiced by the Rihanna, “Battleship”). ments and problems preceding opening of his play. lows its victims after a romantic tryst. The movie stars Maika MonSteve Martin provides voice of Captain Smek while of Jennifer Lo- of roe from last year’s guilty pleasure “The Guest.” The score, however, “Fury”theB+ - Brad Pitt is commander a platoon pez is Tip’s mother, adults: C (for kids:in B) is especially creepy and eerie. C soldiersLucy. facingFor predicaments aplenty Germany at the end of World War II. “John Wick” B - Keanu Reeves is the title character here,

SPORTS/OPINION

Congrats, T-Ducks!

While the Thunderducks had celebrated their basketball championship in New York, they didn’t have the opportunity to share the title with the students until last week.

The Office of Student Life organized an event to congratulate the basketball team for its victory in the 2015 NJCAA Division III tournament. The team, coach Jon Havens and

assistant coach Michael Gross were present for the celebration that took place in the cafeteria. Team members wanted to thank fellow students for their support.

They promised to work just as hard next season to bring the title back home again.

— Marta Planells

Staff photo Blanca Reyes

Victory over Cedar Valley College

The Thunderducks defeated Cedar Valley College 7-5 Friday after an extended break due to inclement weather. More games are scheduled this week to make up those missed.

Money from March Madness: Here’s how it should be used JEROME ROBINSON II Staff Writer

The winning shot that the greatest player in basketball history made in 1983 for the University of North Carolina provided fuel that thrust the game into a fan-crazy basketball fever throughout the United States. That player has risen to unimaginable wealth and notoriety, as has the NCAA basketball tournament We don’t have to refer to the player by name because most people on the planet already know of Michael Jordan. MJ or His Airness will do. This article isn’t really about the greatest Chicago Bull of all time anyway. This story focuses on the effect his play had in launching the world’s largest betting tournament.

Kanter Media reported that March Madness beat out the NFL postseason revenue with the numbers in the $976 million to $1 billion range. This feat isn’t matched by any other tournament in any other sport.

The achievements of this major cash cow are flawed by several failures. One problem is the players who represent these schools.

A large number of players don’t earn degrees, according to CNN. It’s sad but true that the worst graduation rate in colleges is among Division I basketball players.

Exploding profits from the NCAA basketball tournament: Should they be put to better use?

The flawed system wins. The people who sacrifice their blood and sweat leave after it’s over with pretty much nothing. I’m not blaming the NCAA, but it is the big winner every year because this tournament will always be a moneymaker.

Last year, March Madness had its highest TV ratings in 18 years. Every single player, in my opinion, should be paid, plain and simple.

My theory to support that statement is simple; cash rules. This money would give a young athlete who hasn’t completed that degree at least something in a bank account; not millions, but a fair amount to help the former athlete sustain a respectable lifestyle.

The major universities and colleges put themselves into a unique monetary position just by making it to the tournament every year.

Staff illustration Quan Tran

This money helps universities support programs other than sports. Research, arts and countless opportunities are created through the March Madness basketball tournament.

Any reasonable explanation the NCAA higher-ups offer should include fair compensation to all schools and athletes. It would show that the greatest ideals of the tournament are being displayed on and off the court.

Richlandchronicle.wordpress.com March 31, 2015

Image courtesy Paul Knudson

The men’s basketball team brings the national championship home to Richland.

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CAMPUS

Thunderducks spring MARTA PLANELLS/CRISSY ASHLEY

Richlandchronicle.wordpress.com March 31, 2015

Managing Editor/Staff Writer

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If you stopped by El Paso Hall last Wednesday morning you might have been surprised to see the hub of activity. Students dressed in their best attire and with a stack of résumés underarm wandered around from one table to another, searching for a desired job. The companies displayed all the incentives necessary to attract the best candidates. Meanwhile, Richland’s steel drum band entertained the crowd and created a comfortable atmosphere for everyone.

The job fair was a great opportunity for students to make contact with employers. Over 50 companies sent representatives to campus in search of prospective employees. Summer is near and students are already planning what to do. Many would “kill” for a good job.

Big companies like Macy’s, Texas Instruments, CVS, Belk, T-Mobile, and others were present. There were options for all interests.

The restaurant industry was represented by several large chains such as Burger King, Popeyes and Waffle House, just to name a few. For those looking for a job in the tourism industry, some of the biggest hotels in the Metroplex, like Omni Park West, Hilton Anatole and the Gaylord Texan Resort were seeking employees at the fair.

Most of the companies offered part-time jobs and wages varying according to the candidate’s experience. Stephen Meng is studying history and secondary education. He went to the career fair looking for new companies.

“If I do not know the company I will definitely go to find out who they are and what they do.”

He printed out more than 20 copies of his

Staff photo Isai Diaz

Bonnie Hueston gets into the beat of “Cupid Shuffle.”

résumé and dressed up in a suit and tie to come to the fair. “I am looking for a career change from retail,” he said.

Most students already know how to prepare for job interviews, but for those with little or no job-hunting experience, Richland hosted another event organized by Adecco to help students learn job search skills.

They shared tips on how to dress for interviews, how to write a résumé and how to behave in front of employers. Sian Vrana is Adecco’s branch manager who said the most important thing to keep in mind is to be professional and look people in the eye.

“We have people coming into our office on their cellphone that are improperly dressed.

We do all kind of coaching around that,” she said.

Dressing for success Are you a student looking for a job? Do you know how to sell yourself ? At Richland’s job fair on Wednesday, quite a few employers were looking to fill open positions and eager students gathered to present résumés. As a college student, one should learn how to communicate and sell yourself to hiring organizations.

One may argue that communication skills in an interview is the most important factor in landing a job, more so than any other element. But others may say clothes rank highest and could make a difference in how potential employers see applicants.

The question is, what do students wear who want to attend the job fair in between classes?

And how does a student dress who may not have class, but is still pressed for time?

Cynthia Fobbs was one of the best dressed at the job fair.

“I’m a bargain shopper and was going for a look that is mid-to-executive management level. This is the reason why I chose a designer

dress with a Wal-Mart top,” said Fobbs.

Bhavik Rana was also a person who did not have class and had a little more time to prepare.

“I like to shop at different places and buy according to the way it fits,” Rana said.

In-between classes look.

Alex Rodriguez sported an impressive inbetween class look.

“I’m in between classes and did not want to overdress because I still want to be comfortable in class,” said Rodriguez.

Jordan Macias: “I am on the women’s soccer team and still have my practice clothes on, but still wanted to attend the job fair.”

Even though this is not recommended job interview attire, hiring employers at the job fair may perceive her as being an involved student and a dependable employee.

David Lowe was a favorite among dressed in-between students. He was comfortable enough to attend class and dressed up enough to interview with an employer.

Malcom Turner and Samuel Lucas’s interview attire were good choices. They attended the job fair together and they both had the same idea of dressing for class and interviews.

Also, Dr. Ray Canham, dean of the Math, Science and Health Division, made the list of favorite well-dressed.

Regardless of how students were dressed, they all made the effort in attending the job fair to search for new and better opportunities.

Student art show The Brazos Gallery hosts the Juried Student Art Exhibition, a set of art students’ work through April 10. It is composed of ceramics, drawings, painting and sculpture, among others. Awards were given to the four best works.

Art gallery director John Spriggins helped evaluate them.

Staff photo Melanie Brandow

Faculty, staff and students groove to the “Cupid Shuffle” as a flash mob breaks out on Thunderuck Bridge Friday.

Staff photo Marta Planells

Bhavik Rana is dressed for success.

Stude

Staff photo Melanie Brandow

Jennifer Griffin, 18, displays hula hoop skills on Appreciation Day.

CAMPUS

g to life with events

Staff photo Ashling Han

Student art contest winners Above left:1st place: Robert Barretto Untitled, Plaster, Paper and wire, 3-D design.

Above right: 2nd place: Ana Maria Agredo Untitled, charcoal, drawing II. Staff photo Melanie Brandow

Music major, David Velasquez, 24, sets the rythym for Richalnd’s Steel Drum Band.

Left: 3rd place: Ceramic piece Yvette Webb,Floral Sculpture, clay, ceramics.

Richlandchronicle.wordpress.com March 31, 2015

ent Nicolai Jacobsz, left, shakes hands with officer Jose Munoz during the Dallas Police booth during the job fair.

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COLUMN / CAMPUS

Dancing on tap: It’s a feet feat MARTA PLANELLS Managing Editor

When it comes to dance, there are many styles to choose from. I took classic ballet classes for more than 10 years and then I changed to contemporary dance; however, I never thought about tap dance as an option.

Now it has caught my attention because it is one of the classes Richland offers.

Katelyn Harris started dancing when she was 3 and just beginning to walk. It became her life. She dreamed of being a ballerina. After seven years, Harris came across tap dance and it opened up a brand new world. Over time, she realized that tap dancing is what she loved, so she decided to make it a lifestyle.

Harris is the artistic director of the company Rhythmic Souls, a new tap dance company in Dallas. She came to Richland to teach a master class for beginners in tap dancing.

“We learned kind of the basic concepts, the basic musical notes…and then we learned single sounds, double sounds and triple sounds and some shuffle technique and we did a little combo at the end,” Harris said.

For one of her choreographed routines, she used the song “All about the bass” by Megan Trainor because in tap dancing is all about the beat.

The most important tool as a tap dancer is shoes. For those who do not know, tap dance is basically focused on the rhythm of the music. The dancers wear special shoes with wooden taps at the end that generate sound while dancing. It is fancy footwork, as Harris said. What you do with the rest of the body is also important, but the rhythm comes first.

Harris was a principal dancer with Tapestry Dance Company in Austin from 2006 to 2010. With this professional experience, she learned the importance of music and beats.

She has been nominated for best dancer in the Austin Critics Table Awards for her roles in “The Souls of Our Feet” (2008) and “Ears Wide Open” (2010), according to her website.

Coming back to Richland was very special for Harris because she is a former student and she is originally from Richardson.

Harris collaborated on some of the shows on campus, such as Moonstruck, which was performed last fall.

Staff photo Melanie Brandow

F.O.C.U.S. group members hope to provoke religious discussion on Thunderduck Bridge.

Questions unanswered: What do you know?

MELANIE BRANDOW

Richlandchronicle.wordpress.com March 31, 2015

Editor-in-Chief

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Staff photo Ashling Han

Teaching her tap dance master class in Guadalupe Hall, Katelyn Harris choreographs various dance moves step-by-step for beginning students at Richland.

Some people don’t know how to get to the first step of what religion to choose.

The Fellowship of Christian University Students (F.O.C.U.S.) wants to open a door to some unanswered questions. Getting permission from the Office of Student Life (OSL), F.O.C.U.S. set up various statement and question boards on Thunderduck Bridge March 24-25.

The small boards were statements that aren’t true such as “And Jesus said Follow Your Heart,” “Blessed are the Comfortable,” and “And Jesus said ... God Bless America!”

In addition to these “lies,” specific questions were set up, such as “Where did you get your information to believe about God,” “What lies do you believe about God” and “What do you think Jesus came to teach?”

Sociology professor Sirak Asfaw is the adviser for the group. F.O.C.U.S. is based on a nationwide program, which can adopt campus ministry programs. The highest-ranking positions associated within these programs are interns. At the university level, ranking is constructed of the pastor, associate pastor, interns, staff and members. The pastor teaches classes to the interns.

Organizers said curiosity about what students thought of questions about their beliefs was the whole point of why the boards were set up. F.O.C.U.S. members thought this would be a great way to reach out to the colleges all around. They are spread throughout campus in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, such as Tex-

as Woman’s University, University of North Texas, University of Texas at Dallas, Collin College – Spring Creek Campus/Preston Ridge Campus and all the DCCCD colleges.

Next year F.O.C.U.S. plans to reach out to the University of Texas at Arlington and North Central Texas College.

Intern Melissa Collini, 24, a UTD chemistry graduate, said they wanted to get feedback on what people thought about God and Jesus.

“To see what they believe and why they believe. We set this up to inspire people to do that. To get them thinking, asking questions and just thinking through.” The questions were meant to get people to talk with them.

Common responses such as “Oh are these really true?” came from some of the students.

A few people would debate the statements that were on display. In those situations, a member on his mission trip from Western Washington University, Devon Fisher, 20, said that the best way to handle this is to, “Just talk about the answers you know best. If they’re really trying to attack you and bring you down, there’s not much you can do. I’m not going to fight back.”

Fisher travels to serve others at different universities and colleges. Richland is the farthest he has traveled. A finance and economics major, he is part of the Christian Campus Fellowship (CCF) group, which is a sister fellowship of the universities.

“All of it is really about truth and if you think about it,” said Fisher, “we really like it when people share what they think. We just really want to hear and interact with people who believe either different than us or similar things to us.”

OPINION

Who the #%$& listens to movie critics anyway?

JOE STUMPO Staff Writer

This past weekend I attempted to play catch-up on a few movies I missed late last year. Among them was the apocalyptic endof-the-world “rapture film” “Left Behind” with Nicolas Cage and director David Fincher’s critically acclaimed mystery “Gone Girl.”

When it comes to what today’s movie critics like, whether they’re the ones who have written reviews for decades or those who hope to be the next Pauline Kael or Roger Ebert (good luck on that one), I am like Al Pacino’s character Ricky Roma in the foul-mouthed real-estate robbery film, “Glengarry Glen Ross” (1992).

“I subscribe to the law of contrary public opinion. If everyone thinks one thing, then I say bet the other way,” Roma says.

That being said, I liked “Left Behind,” Cage’s phoned-in performance and all. I did not like “Gone Girl” and the only reason that film got any attention was because it was based on a best seller and the devoted readers wanted to see how faithful the filmmakers would be to the book.

I have seen better psychopathic performances by Oscar-nominated actresses before, in particular Glenn Close from “Fatal Attrac-

tion” (1987) and Rosamund Pike’s role didn’t compare.

In fact, I’m proud to say I’ve liked several movies the movie critics didn’t embrace, which include “Superman III” (1983), “Dune” (1984), Rob Zombie’s “The Lords of Salem” (2013) and “Halloween III: Season of the Witch” (1982) – yes! That’s the one about the Irish toymaker who wants to wipe out America’s kiddies with cursed Halloween masks! Sing along, “Two more days to Halloween, Halloween, Halloween! Two more days to Halloween! Silver Shamrock!”

A couple months ago I caught the first 30 minutes of the critically bashed “Leonard Part 6” (1987) with Bill Cosby and I laughed my #%# off! If you are wondering which Batman films I still watch today? Hint: It’s not the Christopher Nolan films! Pardon me, but the first priority when I go see movies is to be entertained. I don’t think about what I am going to say about a so-so movie in a review.

I don’t listen to movie critics. I don’t believe for one minute today their critiques (if you can call them that) ruin a film’s chances at the box office, let alone increase the money movies bring in. The audiences are the ones who determine that.

If movie critics really mattered, why is it that in today’s world of struggling city newspapers, it’s the critics who get sent packing

when budgets are slashed.

I don’t read anyone’s film reviews. When I browse through Empire magazine, Total Film, Film Comment and go to rogerebert.com, I

“I don’t believe for one minute today their critiques ... ruin a film’s chances at the box office.” make a mental note of the latest movies out with plans to see them later. I don’t pay attention to the Rotten Tomatoes movie scores.

When I think of “rotten tomatoes” I think that is the reason I get heartburn every time I eat pizza and pasta, not a film’s merit.

Rest assured sometime this year, I will see Johnny Depp’s “Mortdecai,” George Lucas’ “Strange Magic” and the Jamie Foxx remake of “Annie,” none of which were fully embraced by the know-it-all critics.

I don’t need some wannabe movie critic who uses that extremely boring unoriginal “You” phrase writing, “If you like action adventure” or “If you like horror” or “If you like com-

edies” who thinks he/she is Mr. Spock and through some kind of mind meld, they know what I like. It’s bad enough these writers treat me like I am still in grade school and I have to decipher Entertainment Weekly’s C+ press release often times politically biased reviews of a so-so film versus the one that gets an A. When it comes to critics’ movie ratings, I’d use the four-star to no-star rating system, or if I were reviewing movies for Playboy magazine like film critic Bruce Williamson did, I’d use four bunnies to no bunnies.

That system is so much simpler, but I know today’s wannabe film critics want to be different.

My advice to those who rely on movie critics’ recommendations? Don’t! To quote George Harrison’s Beatles song, “Think For Yourself,” “Do what you want to do. And go where you’re going to. Think for yourself. Cos I won’t be there with you.”

You’re only going to be disappointed, (if not furious) if you listen to how everyone embraced a movie like “Gone Girl.” Trust me, I’ve been there.

I’m still trying to figure out what critics and audiences saw in “The English Patient” (1996).

To quote Elaine Benes from that Seinfeld episode, “Quit telling your stupid story about the stupid desert and just die already! Die!”

Richlandchronicle.wordpress.com March 31, 2015

Staff illustration Isai Diaz

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FEATURE Richland

CHRONICLE STUDENT MEDIA LEADERS Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Layout Editor Online Editor Photography Editor Entertainment Editor Copy Editor

Melanie Brandow Marta Planells Kisten S. Chetty Joe Stumpo Blanca Reyes Ricky Miller Joyce Jackson

ON THE COVER Left: Katelyn Harris. Top right: Andrew Gleboff, bass pans player for Richland Steel Band. Bottom: New EMT program.

Left: Staff photo Ashling Han. Top right and bottom: Staff photos Melanie Brandow Certain cover fonts are provided by the following: http://www.nymfont.com - http://www.bvfonts.com Staff illustration Quan Tran

March gladness: Women’s History Month JOYCE JACKSON

Richlandchronicle.wordpress.com March 31, 2015

Copy Editor

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How many of you know what else is significant about March?

March is Women’s History Month. When we think of what women of all ages have accomplished over the years, it’s mind-boggling to note how many have achieved recognition in so many different fields.

Late last year, one of those ladies achieved a first in Austin.

When Greg Abbott became governor last November, his wife Cecilia became the first Hispanic first lady of Texas. She exemplifies the American dream; she is the granddaughter of immigrants from Mexico.

Cecilia was raised in San Antonio by parents who were both educators. She followed

suit, studying for two years at the University of Texas in Austin and earning three degrees from the University of St. Thomas in Houston: a bachelor’s in psychology, a master’s in education and another master’s in theology.

Cecilia has been a teacher and vice principal, appointed to the State Board of Educator Certification by former Gov. Rick Perry and has devoted much of her career to senior citizens. The Abbotts have been married for 33 years and live in Austin with their daughter, Audrey.

Other notable American women, just to name a few, are: Susan B. Anthony, a pioneer crusader for the women’s suffrage movement in the 19th century, and Jeanette Rankin, the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress in 1916. Carrie Chapman Catt founded The League of Women Voters in 1920, just months before the passage of the

19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

Other women from around the world have also achieved great fame: Angela Merkel, a prominent world leader, became the first female chancellor of Germany in 2005. Starting out as a chemist, Merkel has chaired the world economic summit known as the G8. In 2014, she was named the most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.

Condoleezza Rice was the first female African-American secretary of state, serving the Bush Administration from 20052009. Michelle Obama became the first African-American first lady in 2008.

To learn more about women’s history, go to www.infoplease.com. There, you will find important famous women biographies, as well as facts about the women who have helped in so many ways to create U.S. history.

STUDENT MEDIA STAFF

Isai Diaz Ashling Han Fatma Mohamed Swaleh Jerome Robinson II James Shrader Ryan Bingham Duff

Quan Tran Lydia Nigussie Anthony Nguyen Truman Kohler-Katz Crissy Ashley Abraham Igene

STUDENT MEDIA ADVISERS Erica Edwards Jack Fletcher David Goodloe Tim Jones

Steve Noviello Larry Ratliff Marshall Siegel

ISSUE DATES March 31 April 7 April 21

April 28 May 5 May 12

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FEATURE/COLUMN

Students completely ‘DSKNECTED’ Staff Writer

A documentary titled, “DSKNECTD” was presented in Wichita Hall last week. The documentary is about the everyday use and overuse of technology. These sessions lead up to the National Day of Unplugging, which is scheduled April 24-25.

Dr. Sherry Dean, speech communication professor, gathered students for a conversation about cellphone use.

Technology is a part of people’s daily lives.

Waking up in the morning, most are automatically driven to check social media feeds, emails or messages. Even in classes, mobile devices distract students. This hinders participation in conversation. People think they can multitask, when, in reality, they are only complicating the function of their brain, according to the documentary.

Dr. Larry Rosen, past chair and professor of psychology at California State University, discussed the two functions of the brain in the documentary; external activities and internal thoughts. He said that when using both functions, it deliberately confuses the mind. Internal thoughts cannot be reflected during class lectures because students are paying attention to their phones.

According to Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, neuroscientist and human development scientist, it’s hard to disconnect because people are biologically driven for social interactions, Obsession drives people to always need to be on their phones. Rosen compared the addiction to phones to that of psychopaths, and noted the overuse and need to digitally connect.

Richland student Marina Perez said, “People can’t sit and have dinner anymore. They have to be on their phone doing anything.”

Even outside of classes, technology creates a social problem. It disconnects people from those in their physical world because they prefer to virtually connect. The more devices and technology advances, the more problems and distractions they encounter in their everyday lives.

“The main objective is to get students to think. Starting a conversation, ‘Oh I don’t realize,’” Dean said.

Students were able to explore the different ways technology is used and question its importance. The hardest thing is to balance their use. Dean wants students to think and strategize how people can use technology to help them instead of distract them. Mobile devices carry calendars, notes and other functions that can be useful.

Dean challenged students to disconnect for

Today 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Richland Wind Symphony

and Chamber Ensembles will perform 7:30 p.m.

Spring Symphonic Instrumental

Concert 1: “The Rhythms of Nations” Wind Symphony, String Orchestra And Chamber Ensembles

32nd Annual Richland Literary Festival Through Friday

For complete list of events and speakers go to:

http://www.richlandcollege.edu/english/festival Staff photo illustration Melanie Brandow

Marina Perez, ponders what others are thinking of “DSKNECTED.”

24 hours. Students can use that time to think and reflect at school, work or home without being distracted.

Media selling an unattainable image of beauty FATMA MOHAMED SWALEH Staff Writer

One afternoon, I was in my English 1301 class, and my instructor assigned an essay on gender, femininity and masculinity. So, to give us a rough idea on the topic, she showed us a documentary titled “Killing Us Softly 4” by Jean Kilbourne.

As I watched the video, it made me think that the media really has a huge impact on young girls of today.

Advertisements are sending controversial messages to young people. Young girls get the message too early that they need to be perfect in terms of being beautiful, thin, tall and fairskinned.

Most of these advertisements are linked to women’s feelings. They destroy their confidence in some way or other, as many young girls constantly compare themselves to models. In reality, the model in the picture is not a true representation because of the adjustments made in Photoshop as far as color, size and shading. Making young women look flawless is another way to sell products.

The media puts too much pressure on young girls today to resemble some kind of “ideal’’ image. This has brought about damaging consequences, such as eating disorders and depression.

Advertisements can be so persuasive at times, with products such as moisturizing

Staff illustration Isai Diaz

The latest edition of the documentary.

creams, lipstick and other types of makeup that mostly affect teenagers and women worried about aging. Some feel the urge to use these products and sometimes overuse them

thinking they would work faster or keep them from aging as quicker. The reality, however is that some of the products are overused and can cause side effects.

Community health major, Makda Seyoum, 20, said, “I feel like the media is not doing such a good job. I feel like there is a lot of pressure up for girls these days just to look a certain way or talk a certain way, which is not good. Some girls will go to some extreme just to look like the girls in the media.’’

This results in even more insecurity. Sometimes it gets to the extent that women hate themselves, starve themselves, harm themselves or just become depressed.

“Honestly, I think it kind of twists their way of saying things. I do not think it’s right sometimes; their post is not reality. It just throws the young girls because it gives them a fake image of what women should look like. I think girls are beautiful the way they are. They do not really have to push anything,’’ said Cindy Avalos, 22, a medical major.

According to www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, studies have documented that children are unable to understand the difference between advertisements and regular programs. The more time children spend watching television the more they are influenced by it.

The pressure from media is only going to get worse and will continue to emphasize ideal body image. It is upon the individual, however, to decide whether or not he or she is going to let the media shape their generation.

Wednesday 12:20 p.m.

Screening of Life of Pi

A Common Book Event

Sabine Hall, Room 117

Friday No classes

Spring holiday

No wireless access available Library closed

April 16 Last day to drop with a “W”

Summer registration begins in April Inclement Weather Hotline: 972-238-6196 For Richland employees: 972-238-6912 Information available after 6 a.m.

Richlandchronicle.wordpress.com March 31, 2015

LYDIA NIGUSSIE

Upcoming Events

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