Richland
CHRONICLE Vol. XLII Issue 8 Oct. 13, 2015
STOP! “I COMMIT” Pg. 3
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2 CAMPUS
October 13, 2015
Committing to complete your degree RYAN DERENBECKER
mit to completing their degrees by signing a pledge. “We’re going to have goodies and giveStaff Writer aways. It’s a fun way to close out Complete With Me Week,” Nealy said. Faculty and staff on campus are commitStudents come to Richland with different ted to help raise the graduation rate on this goals. Some of them are here to earn an ascampus and that is why Office of Student sociate degree; others to take the required Life has organized Complete With Me Week. courses before they transfer to a four-year During this week, students can participate institution where they can earn a bachelor in different activities, which are designed to degree. raise awareness about the importance of getThe reality is only ting a degree among the 8 percent of students student body. “We’re going to have graduate at Richland Kristi Nealy, Office of 30 percent of Student Life coordinator, goodies and giveaways. It while students transfer to a said the events are designed to encourage stu- is a fun way to close out bigger university, according to data postdents, to not just start college, but to finish, whether Complete With Me Week.” ed on the Free Apfor Federal they’re getting a certificate — Kristi Nealy plication Student Aid (FAFSA) or transferring to another website. As for genuniversity. der, the overall graduation rate at Richland is The Ducktoberfest is one of the events 9 percent for male and 15 percent for female organized for Thursday, Oct. 15. It will be students, according to the latest data availheld on Guadalupe Field from 10 a.m. to 1 able from the National Center for Education p.m. Snow cones and cotton candy will share Statistics. Note that not all students at the space with games and inflatable attractions. institution are tracked by these rates. These All activities are free to all students. numbers refer to students who began their Friday, Oct. 16, wraps up the week by restudies as full-time, first-time degree or certurning to business. Tables will be set up to tificate-seeking students. provide students one last chance to com-
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Image courtesy Office of Student Life
Students will have an opportunity to sign a pledge to finish their degrees.
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Copy Editor
Ten student senators elected to the Student Government Association will begin one-year terms, starting Oct. 5. The election took place Sept. 29-30 on campus and consisted of 14 potential students in a race for 10 open positions. The newly elected senators are: Nneoma Anyanwu, Yaritza Arteaga, Dandre Brumfield, Troy Hardin, Ashley Ikemenogo, Zion Mike Nimoka, Jay Saadaddin, Ashton Self, Sundas Sheikh and Greg Weasah. “This is a place where students can voice concerns over issues related to Richland,” said Carter S. Bedford, director of the Office of Student Life. The new senators will serve in the fall and spring semesters, but not during the summer. They will be eligible for re-election in the fall of 2016. Bedford said the SGA is important because it gives students opportunities to advocate for their key issues with the administration. Some of the issues the SGA tackled last year include smoking policies, food options at various locations on campus, such as Subway and Starbuck’s, as well as water bottle refill stations, Bedford said. He explained the only qualification to be part of the SGA is you have to be a currently enrolled student and maintain a 2.0 GPA in good standing. “I would encourage students to partake in any
process that affects them,” he said. Sonia Aikhionbare, SGA president, was elected last April and will be president until April 2016. Aikhionbare, 18, has been a student at Richland for two years and is majoring in biochemistry. She plans to start at Texas Tech University in the fall of 2016. “Senators’ duties include being at the meetings, as well as voting for anything that’s on the table,” she said. “It’s mandatory that they go to all the meetings.” As far as voting on issues, it’s “60 percent plus one” of the 10 senators. “The senators are expected to be able to interpret ‘Robert’s Rules of Order,’ and getting used to what they can do for the student body,” she said. “During each committee we vote for committee chairs. Each committee picks what’s most important to them. The general body gets to vote on the issue brought up.” Aikhionbare said the SGA decided to keep everything exactly the way it was with the smoking policies. “There should be some places assigned for smoking, while other places are not,” she said. “We can’t do anything about our vendor, Subway. In 2017, we can get another vendor ... It’s up to the administration, but we do have some kind of an influence.” The general body meets every other Monday at 2:30 p.m. in El Paso Hall, Room E031. Check with the Office of Student Life for the exact dates throughout the semester.
S CAMPUS 3
October 13, 2015
Students interested in spreading domestic violence awareness can get an “I commit” bracelet every Thursday at the events organized at Richland.
Staff photos Blanca Reyes
Francisco Martinez, left, and Elvis Pham ask for information about “I commit” bracelets from Greg Weasah.
Lt. Melissa Jacobs answers a student’s question.
BLANCA REYES Photography Editor
“It needs to be addressed. Domestic violence happens every day and it happens in all segments of our society,” Richland faculty and counselor Dr. Don Thomson said. Domestic violence impacts women, men and children of every age, background and belief. Statistics show 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men in the United States have suffered severe physical violence by an intimate partner, according to whitehouse.gov. October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Richland is taking part in the efforts made to create a society free of violence. “Today and every Thursday in the month of October we’re going to spread awareness about domestic violence,” Kristi Nealy student life office coordinator said. Lt. Melissa Jacobs said throughout the month the Richland police department, the Student Life Office and the Counseling Center are trying to persuade people to commit to speak out if they know of or see an act of domestic violence.
“[It is like a] ‘See something, say something’ promotion,” Jacobs said. Although most victims of domestic violence are women, there are a significant number of males who suffer from domestic violence and are less likely to ask for help out of fear of being ridiculed because of a lack of understanding. Also, more money is spent in prevention campaigns for women, so people are more aware of abuse against women. According to information on domesticviolencestatistics.org, however, men are more likely to be victims of attacks with a deadly weapon. According to one study, 63% of males as opposed to 15% of females had a deadly weapon used against them in a fight with an intimate partner. Thompson said when talking about domestic violence, the desire of have power plays an important role. He added that every day people want more and more power. Usually, that power is translated in controlling and abusing their partners.
“Women can abuse the power they have,” Thompson said. Lt. Jacobs said although men have the same resources that women have, the problem is that it is more difficult for a man to say that he is being abused than it is for a woman. “Many people think men can’t be abused,” Jacobs said. Another barrier to breaking this myth is the lack of research dealing with men as domestic violence victims. Society is less likely to view abuse of males as seriously as any other form of abuse and feel little or no empathy for men. In addition, just a few shelters are designed for men; most of these places accept only women and children and some have very strict rules about the age limit for boys. Many just accept children who are 13 years or younger, according to the domesticviolencestatistics.org website. Nealy said the best way to understand domestic violence against men is to think how a women feels being abused.
“Many people think men cannot be abused.”
— Lt. Melissa Jacobs
“The physical evidence of domestic violence against women is clear, but men suffer from domestic violence as well,” Nealy said. The Richland team is giving away purple bracelets with the phrase “I commit,” which means the person who is wearing it is aware of the problem and can help to the victims. According to domesticviolencestatistics website, to win the battle against violence every body needs to be aware and take an active part finding the solution and men who suffer domestic violence can only receive help if they break the silence. Not reporting domestic violence because of the stigma attached is the main reason that men currently receive few services, and one of the reasons that studies on the issue are so few. Jacobs said approximately 30 percent of the men who are abused report it. She emphasized the importance of breaking silence. For more information about resources, students are invited to stop by El Paso Hall, Room E082 to talk to one of the counselors (no appointment needed), El Paso Hall, Room E040 or be referred to the right people, or contact the Richland police department at 972-860-4290.
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The other face of domestic violence
4 ENTERTAINMENT
October 13, 2015
Well-balanced entertainment RYAN DERENBECKER Staff Writer
It’s not the movie I expected. The early trailers would have you see. “The Walk” as a death-defying drama, but it’s far better than that. The best entertainment balances drama with comedy, often in close proximity to boost the power of both. “The Walk” carefully treads this thin line to great effect, bringing real characters and events to life with gripping drama and funny interactions. The lead actor in this movie is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and he is almost unrecognizable in his role of Phillippe Petit. Gordon-Levitt buries himself in the flashy street performer personality of the role and brings Petit to life. The cast supports his act with the strength of a high tension cable, creating a cast of believable characters who display more depth than just a crew claiming they wish to help Petit perform. The early stages are a light-hearted biography, but the bulk of the movie feels more like a crime caper. Petit’s highwire performance between the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center is, in the words of one cop, “breakin’ about a hundred city ordinances.” It must be carefully planned, and the buildup to the title sequence focuses on the planning of the illegal perfor-
mance and building the team to pull off the death-defying stunt. One disclaimer: I hate 3D, but I did see “The Walk” in 3D. Usually the plastic glasses are just an excuse to charge extra and at best, add nothing to the movie, but “The Walk” is an exception that benefits greatly from 3D filming. Only a couple of moments use the “jump out of the screen” amusement park gag; rather, the 3D is used to better display foreground and background, naturally drawing attention to the main crew without eliminating background settings. More important, 3D fully realizes the towering majesty of the World Trade Center. Because the movie focuses on a high wire stunt, proper visual representations of the twin towers bring the danger to life. As great as “The Walk” is, it’s not quite perfect. The movie is a well-paced drama right up until the last 15 minutes or so, then drags on just a little too long toward the end of the title sequence (and while detailing the aftermath of the stunt). The emotions involved in the movie never reach an intensity that matches the subject matter. It’s still a very good movie, and depending on your tastes, maybe even a great one. Just make sure to bring your meds if you have vertigo. Grade: A-
ALINA LUNA Staff Writer
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Images courtesy fandango.com
“North by Northwest” – Classic Alfred Hitchcock screening only outdoors as part of the Dallas Angelika “Hitchcock-tober” series, following Cary Grant’s Dr. Roger Thornhill who is mistaken for George Kaplan and his quest to get rid of some baddies.
A+
Costumes that will scare in the right way
“Eli Roth’s The Green Inferno” – Long delayed and nonsense from the horrorporn maestro Eli Roth. The story centers on a group of naïve college students who go to the Amazon thinking they are doing good only to encounter some true evil from the very people they were trying to save in the first place.
C-
October has begun and with that so has the hunt for the perfect costume for all those parties to come. This is the holiday to be anyone you want to for an entire night. So many options, so little time. So ladies, here are a few tips to help you decide and a few choices that will look great this Halloween. The first step to picking a costume is to answer a few questions. Have I been this before? Do I want to keep the character close to the original, or should I put a twist on it? Do my friends and I want to do group costumes? Will it take long to find the costume? Once all those questions are answered, the search can really begin. The choices vary from a Disney princess (Frozen appears to still be very popular) to the entire Justice League. Don´t be afraid to be bold. If you want to do some group costuming, be realistic, but ask around. Always have a backup just in case, though. You can be Snow White and find yourself a prince charming. You can be Margo, from John Greene´s “Paper Towns.” You can be a Dr. Pepper can because you are one in a million (at least that is what they tell us). If all these fail, and you are a indecisive as I am, be the sandman. All you need are pj´s, a “blankie,” and glitter to sprinkle on everyone. There may still be a couple weeks before Halloween actually gets here, but that time will pass all too quickly. Be the bell of any ball and strut your stuff, because for one night, you can be whoever, or whatever, you have ever imagined. I think I will sign up for being a dragon.
“Hotel Transylvania 2” – An animated Dracula (voiced again by Adam Sandler) becomes a grandpa when his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) has a child with husband Jonathan (Andy Samberg). This one was just slightly better than the original.
“The Intern” – Robert De Niro is a widower who gets a job working for a fashion and e-commerce website run by Anne Hathaway’s Jules. From Nancy Meyers, who directed the Mel Gibson-led “What Women Want.”
C+
B-
“The Martian” — Matt Damon is Mark Watney, an American astronaut left for dead on the fourth planet from the sun who faces dilemmas and predicaments aplenty. From “Alien” director Ridley Scott.
—Ricky Miller
A
October 13, 2015
SPORTS/LIFESTYLE 5
Quirky Calender Oct. 13: English language day International day for failure Silly saying day International skeptics day Oct. 14: Emergency nurses day Dessert day Fossil day Stop bullying day Take your parents to lunch day SAVE day (stop America’s violence) Oct. 15: Spirit day ”I Love Lucy” day Global hand washing day Get to know your customer day Grouch day
At press time on Friday, Richland women’s soccer team was leading against North Lake College, 1-0. Although they started slow with a few losses, the Richland women’s team now has several wins under its belt. Above: Jazmin Cuenca, center, steals the ball from North Lake Friday. Right: Priscilla Armenta,13, defends the ball during Friday’s game against North Lake.
Staff photos by Blanca Reyes
Oct. 17: Sweetest day Wear something gaudy day Black poetry day National pasta day Oct. 18: Chocolate cupcake day No beard day Oct. 19: Evaluate your life day Dress like a dork day Multicultural diversity day New friends day Month – October: Cookie month Adopt a shelter dog month Breast cancer awareness month Domestic violence awareness month National pizza month National vegetarian month — Alina Luna
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Thunderducks take to the soccer field
0ct. 16: Learn a word day Dictionary day Steve Jobs day World food day World student day
6 NEWS/OPINION
October 13, 2015
Campus shootings kill two more An overnight brawl between two groups of students escalated into violence Friday when a freshman at Northern Arizona University opened fire on four fraternity members, killing one and wounding three. Steven Jones, an 18-year-old fraternity pledge, told police he shot the group of students only after they hit him in the face and chased him, according to court documents at press time. He also said he tried to administer first aid to one of the victims. Prosecutors said the suspect’s account amounted to a “self-serving” statement and alleged Jones was the aggressor. “There is no indication of self-defense here,” Deputy County Attorney Ammon Barker said. “The defendant had retreated from the fight, he obtained a gun and then he went back into the fray.” The victims were all members of the Delta Chi fraternity, the organization said in a statement. The university identified the student who died as Colin Brough. The victims being treated at Flagstaff Medical Center are Nicholas Prato, Kyle Zientek and Nicholas Piring. The hospital said it couldn’t release any information on conditions. “This is not going to be a normal day at NAU,” said school President Rita Cheng after the incident. “Our hearts are heavy.” The parking lot where the shooting happened is just outside Mountain View Hall dormitory on the Flagstaff campus, which provides housing for many of the campus’ sororities and fraternities. The gate to the dorm’s main entrance was closed Friday, and police had the surrounding
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Two people embrace outside a Northern Arizona University student dormitory, Oct. 9, in Flagstaff, Ariz., after a student opened fire earlier.
area taped off. Brough was from Castle Rock, Colo., about 30 miles south of downtown Denver. The same day, one person was killed and another wounded during a shooting at a Texas Southern University student-housing complex, university and police officials said. Houston police spokesman Kese Smith said it wasn’t clear whether the individuals were students, but he said one person was killed and another person was wounded. The shooting was reported around 11:30 a.m. at University Courtyard Apartments, a student-housing apartment complex on the edge of campus. The incident occurred just hours after another shooting near the same housing
complex. The university said in a statement that the earlier shooting occurred early Friday morning, and that the school was increasing police presence on campus. Details about the earlier shooting weren’t immediately available, and it’s unclear whether the shootings are related. The shootings came on the same day that President Barack Obama was scheduled to visit Roseburg, Ore., where eight students and a teacher were shot and killed at Umpqua Community College. “We’re going to have to come together as a country, but today is about the families,” Obama said during his visit. — Story by The Associated Press
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El Paso Hall, Room E020, 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 at 2 p.m. in E020 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
October 13, 2015
Enough is already way too much JOE STUMPO
Upcoming Events Today 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Flu shots El Paso Hall, Room E081
Online Editor
12 Noon to 2:30 p.m. Transfer Fair El Paso Hall Lounge 12:30 to 1:30 p. m. Dr. Jerry Wallace Music Scholarship Recital Fannin Performance Hall, Room F108
Image courtesy The Associated Press
Students visit a memorial at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore., on Oct. 5.
Community College, it was reported four students were arrested in northern California for plotting to carry out a similar Columbine-style attack at Summerville High School in Tuolumne. I don’t believe for one minute that if California had the same stringent gun laws that Illinois has such a mass shooting would have been prevented. If
“Treating the mentally ill is the only way these mass shootings will stop. ” someone is intent on killing, it doesn’t matter how he got the gun. Nor does it matter how many rounds the weapon can fire so long as the person can take out a few people before his cowardly act of turning the gun on himself. Let’s face it: Guns don’t kill people. People kill people. Politicians in Washington have been debating the gun control issue since the deaths of the Kennedys in the ‘60s, Beatle John Lennon in 1980 and President Ronald Reagan’s attempted assassination in 1981. Both
of the last two assailants were mentally ill. We have gotten nowhere. Every incident since Columbine has been, as Obama called it in his speech, “routine.” In the coming weeks or months, though I hope it doesn’t happen (and that’s wishful thinking on my part), another mass shooting will occur on another campus. Obama and the rest of the country will express the same shock and go through that same routine all over again. Campus newspapers will do more predictable news stories interviewing campus police and administrators asking what are they doing to keep students safe and there will likely be more regurgitated editorials and columns. Treating the mentally ill is the only way these mass shootings will stop. I have always believed that, based on the treatment (or lack thereof) these mass murderers were receiving. Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said on CNN’s “New Day” this “ …isn’t a gun problem. This is a mental problem. It’s not a question of the laws. It’s really the people.” Commenting about the problem and actually doing something about it are two different things. I don’t think a presidential candidate, Republican or Democrat, has ever said during their campaigns what they intend to do about treating the mentally ill in this country. Maybe it’s time for them to start.
At 2:15 and 4:45 p.m. Free movie: “Jurassic World” Sabine Hall, Room S118
Wednesday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Flu shots El Paso Hall, Room E081
Thursday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Ducktoberfest Cotton candy, snow cones, mechanical bull, basketball slam dunk Guadalupe Field (south of Guadalupe Hall) Noon and 6 p.m. Fiber Visions: works by Dallas area fiber artists Brazos Art Gallery Gallery talk by Professor Brenda McKinney 12:30 p.m. Richland International Film Series “Pan’s Labyrinth” Rated R with English subtitles Sabine Hall, Room SH117
Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Commit to Complete Tables Prizes and freebies El Paso Hall lounge and breezeway
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This is the eighth column I have written about a mass shooting since the Columbine school massacre in 1999. I am just as fed up with these tragic incidents as President Barack Obama was when he spoke hours after the latest shooting Oct. 1 at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore. The tragedy left nine students dead, in addition to the gunman, who took his own life. I am so disgusted I am not even going to criticize the president when he said, “We know that states with the most gun laws tend to have the fewest gun deaths.” I’ll let the right-wing political pundits such as Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity at Fox News bring up Chicago when it comes to how the state of Illinois has the strictest gun laws and just about every weekend the body count in the Windy City continues to reign with double digits. I am tired of hearing the names of the dead and their young ages being read off by law enforcement officers at crime scenes. I’m also tired of the “drive-by” media, acting like vampires in need of fresh blood who hope the more people killed, the more they can keep the tragedy alive, reporting it for days. I am tired of hearing from survivors recounting their horror with stories about how the killer in this latest shooting asked students about the religion and, depending on their answer, would either shoot them in the head or the leg. I am tired of hearing survivors talk about how this is not how they envisioned their fifth day in college to be. I am tired of hearing from friends and family members of these shooters about how they had no idea the person was planning to commit mass murder. “That’s not the son I raised” would be among the many responses from the parents. I get so tired of hearing about how these shooters attempted to seek, refused to seek or were undergoing psychological counseling before they went off the deep end. The red flags consistently were missed every time these tragedies occurred. Most of all, I am sick and tired of politicians using such tragedies as a means to get on their political soapboxes about how more stringent gun control laws need to be put on the books to stop these tragedies from happening. It’s nothing but talk. Three days after the shooting at Umpqua
OPINION 7
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8 October 13, 2015