Richland Chronicle February 13, 2018

CHRONICLE Richland

Vol. XLIV Issue 19 February 13, 2018

Chancellor outlines higher education plans Pg. 3

DACA WORKSHOP

Dreamers get help at campus forum

PAGE 2 RichlandStudentMedia.com

VALENTINE’S DAY Students share stories about worst dates

PAGE 3 Richland Student Media

ART CONTEST

SPORTS

Submissions accepted through March 5

Baseball, basketball, Super Bowl and Winter Olympics

PAGE 5 @RLCStudentMedia

PAGE 7 Richland Student Media

2 CAMPUS/LOCAL

February 13, 2018

DCCCD chancellor addresses economic trends JOYCE JACKSON Copy Editor

Dr. Joe May, chancellor of the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD), held a System Network update for faculty, staff and students to discuss initiatives within the Dallas Community College system regarding the Higher Education Network – and why it matters.

During the Feb. 8 address in Richland’s Fannin Hall, May said the current trends are unlike anything he’s seen in his 40-year career.

“People actually are not liking what higher education is doing,” said May. “There’s the disconnect that we see happening right now between society, individuals, employers and the political environment.”

Texas has fallen behind in workforce education. The Houston Chronicle recently reported that the state is struggling to find the workforce to meet today’s needs.

“When the Dallas Regional Chamber surveyed 2,000 CEOs of companies, what they found was that the No. 1 concern employers had was talent,” said May. Ninety-nine percent of new jobs created since 2008 require education beyond high school. The statistics are staggering for the current and future economy.

“Sixty percent of jobs by 2030 will require post-secondary education,” May said. “Right now, in Dallas, we have 431,000 individuals that are illiterate.”

May said Dallas has the lowest percentage of adults with a college degree in any urban city in the nation, which affects the lives of about 50 percent of the population. The economy is leaving those people behind.

“The DCCCD way is about caring how a community succeeds,” May said. He emphasized that part of the need for the network is

to address student suffering. He said the top request of students is food.

“Our students are hungry. They don’t have the resources for food today,” May said.

“Thirty-nine percent of students are missing meals on a regular basis. Some are missing meals almost on a daily basis.”

May said the goal of the community college system is to prepare individuals for careers, but when they get to college 18 percent of students never finish a single course.

“I believe we can change this direction overall,” he said. “I believe that that can only happen if we assume leadership to help our students in ways we haven’t done before. If I don’t do it and you don’t do it, we all don’t do it, I don’t know … who will?”

The Higher Education Network is made up of high schools, colleges, universities, employers, nonprofits and individuals who work together to solve the problem.

One part of that initiative is the Dallas County Promise. He said the initiative is not a scholarship – it’s a new trajectory that will change how students attend college.

“The Promise is about one thing and one thing only. It’s about eliminating barriers and removing friction from the process,” May said. “We’ve created one webpage, one site that students can go to and commit to go to college.”

High school students are asked to sign a waiver so DCCCD officials can start communicating with them on a regular basis.

Part of that process involves completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

“There’s one measure that is a better predictor of whether or not a person goes to college,” May said. “It’s whether or not they complete the FAFSA. If they complete the FAFSA, they are twice as likely to go to college as the student who does not.”

Students who sign up for the Dallas County Promise pledge to commit to college by

Staff photo Drew Castillo

Chancellor Joe May discusses the Higher Education Network.

submitting a DCCCD application through applytexas.org or at dcccd.edu/apply and then enrolling at one of 31 colleges in the network.

“We want 75 percent of high school students to complete the FAFSA,” May said.

“If we achieve that, we will be No. 1 in the nation in terms of making that happen.”

Once enrolled, students must maintain a 2.0 GPA and complete at least 18 credit hours per academic year to continue to receive tuition benefits.

May said that half of DCCCD students who are prepared to transfer never make the transition to college.

“They, on average, will live a life of poverty,” he said. “Their salaries are the absolute lowest

of any of our students. Even if they are in a technical field and drop out without completing, those students actually outearn our students who don’t prepare.”

May said the goal of Dallas Community Colleges is for 60 percent of students to graduate college with a high value certificate or degree within six years.

“We start with the Dallas high schools.

Then we inject the Promise into the program,” May said. Then it’s possible to tie into a partnership with our Post-Secondary partners.”

The Dallas County Promise Post-Secondary partners are UNT-Dallas, SMU and the DCCCD Foundation.

Richardson grieves for police officer shot on duty DREW CASTILLO

RichlandStudentMedia.com

Staff Writer

A quiet night turned deadly for a Richardson police officer who responded to a disturbance call at the Breckinridge Pointe apartment complex in Richardson Feb. 7. Thirtyseven-year-old David Sherrard was shot in the neck and taken to Medical City Plano hospital where he died from his injuries. He was the first officer to die in the line of duty in the 63-year history of the Richardson Police Department.

A bystander was also killed. Thirty-year-old Rene Gamez was found shot in the doorway of the apartment where the suspect, 26-yearold Brandon de McCall, barricaded himself in an hours-long standoff. According to investigators, Gamez and McCall knew each other

but the extent of the relationship remains unclear.

Richardson Police Department spokesman Sgt. Kevin Perlich said McCall remained inside the apartment and officers cornered the individual into custody.

Sherrie, who only wants to go by her first name, is a resident at the Breckinridge Pointe apartments. She said police blocked the entrance to the apartment when she arrived and told residents there was an active shooter on the premises.

“There were several shots. I heard there was about 50 shots at first, and the police officers responded, and I guess the police officer got shot,” Sherrie said. She described the complex as a “very quiet community.”

“I came here to get out of North Dallas. I was living on Skillman and Audelia and was trying to get away from the violence,” she said.

The case has been turned over to the Plano Police Department. McCall was charged with capital murder and is being held at the Colin County Jail.

Sherrard was a 14-year SWAT veteran of the Richardson Police Department. He leaves behind a wife and two daughters. The officer’s police cruiser has been turned into a makeshift memorial where members of the community have left flowers, balloons and letters of support. It is parked outside police headquarters.

According to the Richardson Police Department’s Facebook page, a donation page has been set up for the Sherrard family. The Assist the Officer Foundation will donate 100% of the funds to the family. Donations can be made at https://dallasatorelief.firstresponderprocessing.com. Funeral arrangements were pending Photo courtesy Richardson Police department Facebook page at press time.

Officer David Sherrard

February 13, 2018

CAMPUS 3

North Texas Dream Team helps DACA recipients renew paperwork MIKE SOKOLSKI Staff Writer

Richland College, in cooperation with the North Texas Dream Team (NTDT), held a forum on Feb. 3 to help individuals eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renew their paperwork. The opportunity to renew DACA was made possible by a ruling by U.S. District Judge William Alsup (9th Circuit) earlier this year.

Joe Posada-Triana, an NTDT member, expressed happiness about the reinstatement of the program. “Our goal is to serve and support our undocumented community. We were able to assist people in filling out their DACA renewal forms to submit at no cost.”

Amid all the doubt surrounding the DACA initiative, the federal government reinstated the program in early January. Resuming normal proceedings, DACA began filing renewal requests across the country.

Kristian Hernandez, vice president of the North Texas Dream Team, said that “the only things that we are able to process per the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) memo are renewals.”

Dreamers are understandably uneasy about their long-term prospects. While the so-called “Dream Act” has been discussed for 17 years, nothing has become law. Last year there were

at least four bills introduced in Congress to give normalization to DACA recipients, but nothing was passed.

The White House has proposed giving legal status and the possibility of citizenship to 1.8 million Dreamers. As part of the deal, President Donald Trump has three conditions that include funding for the border wall with Mexico (including security enhancements), a call to end the visa lottery for immigrants and limitations for family members wishing to enter the U.S. Under Trump’s proposal spouses and children would be the only family members eligible to immigrate.

“We are still pushing for the stipulations articulated with the clean Dream Act,” said Hernandez. “We don’t believe that relief for Dreamers should come at the expense of other undocumented immigrants.”

Patrick Moore, government professor at Richland, noted that most Americans support the extension of DACA. “I think the idea of deporting Dreamers is preposterous. First, it’s morally wrong. These kids had no choice. They have lived their entire lives here and are solid contributors. Second, it’s really, really stupid to deport them,” said Moore.

He believes the cost of deporting the Dreamers would be more than $250 billion in the next 10 years. Furthermore, Moore believes the move to end DACA has racial undertones.

Staff photo Maria Etetere

Dreamers get help to complete DACA renewal paperwork at Richland on Saturday, Feb. 3.

“The main thing that drives me nuts is that the push to deport Dreamers is purely unalloyed racial animus,” he said.

At the moment DACA isn’t accepting new requests for deferred action. Only those who have previously received DACA can file for renewal.

The North Texas Dream Team was formed in 2010 and provides free workshops that offer Dreamers the opportunity to meet with local immigration attorneys and get the help needed to pursue DACA. Trump has given a March 5 deadline for Congress to find a DACA solution.

VIEWPOINTS “What was your worst date ever?”

“I went on a date with this guy and we went out to eat.

It was really nice and going really good until we started driving home. The car died on the highway and we had to push the car out of the way and wait for a few hours until somebody came to help us.”

– Natalie Arevalo, economics “I once went to Main Event with some guy and when he pulled up to my house his mom was driving. Then the mom was giving me some mean faces and started arguing with me about my facial expressions. When we get to Main Event I paid for the laser tag. After that, we went to the movies and I paid for that too. After all that, he asked me for some money after the date!”

Staff photo German Zambrano – Princess Woods, graphic design “My worst date ever was my senior prom in high school.

I went to the prom with my date. While we were at the prom, there was a girl who was there without a date. He ended up dancing with her all night and being with her all night and leaving me all by myself and he took her home and I had to find a ride home from my date.

– Louise Rogers Keim, administrative assistant II Staff photo Aly Rodrigues

RichlandStudentMedia.com

Staff photo German Zambrano

4 ARTS

February 13, 2018

Oscars: Lesser-known films take precedence RICKY MILLER Entertainment Editor

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will honor lesser-known films in the technical categories leading up to the big winners on Sunday, March 4.

Here are some of my Oscar predictions for the big night.

Animated Feature Film — When I saw “The Boss Baby” last year, I wondered who this movie was geared for. It is about family, but it deals with some unsavory characters and I cannot understand why members of the Academy chose this one rather than “The LEGO Batman Movie.” “Coco,” “The Breadwinner,” “Ferdinand” and “Loving Vincent”to round out this quintet of nominees. I think “Coco” will win because of the good old Disney money train that regularly harvests winners.

Cinematography — “Blade Runner 2049,” “Darkest Hour,” “Dunkirk,” “Mudbound” and “The Shape of Water” were nominated in this category. I want Roger Deakins to win this award for “Blade Runner 2049” but have a feeling it will go to the cinematographer Dan Laustsen, for Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water.”

Production Design – “Beauty and the Beast,” “Blade Runner 2049,” “Darkest Hour,” “Dunkirk” and “The Shape of Water” are the nominees. I think this is one award “Blade Runner 2049” will nab, but won’t be surprised if “Dunkirk” wins top honors.

Visual Effects – The nominees for this category include “Blade Runner 2049,” “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2,” “Kong: Skull Island,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “War for Planet of the Apes.” I hope the golden statuette goes to “Blade Runner 2049,” but I am not sure who will win, so I’m going with the second chapter of “Guardians of the Galaxy” as the winner.

Foreign Language Film — The nominees include “A Fantastic Woman” about a woman forbidden to see off a lost love (Chile); the tale of a neighbor disrespecting another, “The Insult” (Lebanon); the mystery-drama of a missing boy, “Loveless” (Russia); “On Body and Soul” (Hungary) and the oddball is the artist tale “The Square” (Sweden). This is another category where I only saw one of these titles (“The Square”) because of lead Elisabeth Moss, but I have a feeling “The Insult” from Lebanon will win. It is significant because it is the first film to be nominated from that country.

Image courtesy IMDb

RichlandStudentMedia.com

Ryan Gosling, Krista Kosonen, Elarica Johnson and Mackenzie Davis in “Blade Runner 2049” (2017).

“Mr. Right” (2015) — This romantic-comedy has good rapport between Anna Kendrick (“The Air Up There”) and Sam Rockwell (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”). It’s amusing because supporter RZA does not like green gummy bears — they go to Rockwell’s Mr. Right. B

Romance for Valentine’s Day

Staff photo Emily Escamilla

Pianist In Seub Jung (left) joins vocal professors Robert Brooks, Natalie Arduino, Shannon Talley, Rachel Moon and Beverly Griffin-Dyer on stage after their performance on Feb. 6.

Flawless faculty singing flourishes PETE SHANNON Staff Writer

The Richland community was treated to an hour of superb music delivered by five talented vocal professors during their noontime performance in Fannin Hall on Feb. 6.

Vocalists Beverly Griffin-Dyer, Shannon Talley, Rebecca Moon and Natalie Arduino, sopranos; and Robert Brooks, bass, performed selections from operatic, classical and folk repertoire. All were rewarded with enthusiastic accolades from the very appreciative audience.

Adhering to a long-standing admonition by an anonymous heavy drinker with a bad hangover to book no sopranos before noon, the 12:30 p.m. concert featured works by Europeans Georges Bizet, Giacomo Puccini, Henry Purcell, Franz Schubert and Johann Strauss, as well as Americans Hall Johnson, Ned Rorem and Cole Porter.

In her opening series, Griffin-Dyer demonstrated not only her absolute command of notes, tones and dynamics but also put forth a charismatic stage presence tailored to fit each number.

Similarly, all of the other singers exhibited various stage styles and techniques. For example, when the lyrics called for sultry, Talley leaned one elbow, cabaret style, on the piano lid, dropped her chin coyly and warbled away through fluttering lashes.

When performing the aria from Jules Massenet’s “Manon,” Moon wrinkled her brow and

“Belle Époque” (“The Age of Beauty”) (1992) — This gem took home the Best Foreign Language Film award in that year’s Oscar race. Look for a very young Penélope Cruz as one of the sisters in this enchanting tale.

B+

“Being There” (1979) — Oscar nominee Peter Sellers portrays a gardener who gets evicted from his residence when the master of the house unexpectedly dies. This comic-drama won Melvyn Douglas an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. It also stars Jack Warden and Shirley MacLaine.

A+

contorted her face into a grimace of pseudopain. At the end of her performance she raised her hand to her mouth and then to her cheek in overt gestures of sadness.

In a few places the singers’ lyrics, especially during the French and German songs, were a bit difficult to comprehend. At other times some listeners might have preferred the slightly raised piano lid to have remained a bit lower despite the precise accompaniment from Richland newcomer pianist In Seub Jung.

What was most impressive about all of the performers was the realization that everyone had memorized and perfectly delivered the lyrics to 11 songs in four languages amounting to almost a full hour of superb singing.

Professor Beverly Griffin-Dyer, soprano.

“Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006)— This treasure won Academy Awards for cinematography, art direction and makeup in 2006. The academy loves Guillermo del Toro and I won’t be surprised if he takes home more awards this year. “The Shape of Water” has been nominated for 13 Oscars.

B+

“Starman” (1984) — It stars Jeff Bridges, one of my favorite actors, and one of my preferred directors in John Carpenter. The film also features Karen Allen who starred in one of my all-time favorite movies; Steven Spielberg’s Oscarwinning “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

—Ricky —Ricky Miller Miller

B

February 13, 2018

CAMPUS 5

Thank-you card art contest now open for submissions Staff Writer

Richland is calling all artists to participate in an art competition. The contest involves designing an art piece for use on note cards to thank Richland faculty and staff.

The contest has been organized every year since 2011 by the Council for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and sponsored by Asel Art Supply of Richardson.

The art contest encourages students, faculty and staff to submit original art work, including photographs, paintings, drawings, digital design, etc., with the theme of Richland in mind.

All art must be electronically submitted, be at least 300 dots per inch (dpi) in jpeg format, landscape orientation and cropped to fit a five-and-a-half-by-four-inch card. Participants are encouraged to submit more than one original design.

Professor John Drezek said, “It is important to solicit art from the Richland community since we are showing appreciation for the Richland community. We honor fellow Thunderducks by using their original creations.”

The work from last year’s winners (clockwise from top left): Richard Wilson, Wallace Hughes, Xavier Serra Busquet and Carolyn Rose Carpenter.

Thursday is the Student Engagement Awards ceremony hosted by CTL and the Council for Community Building (CCB); Friday is a “surprise” activity day.

Drezek said, “All [of the] efforts of the committee are to express appreciation for

every member of the Richland community who contribute to the success of our students and make Richland the best place we can be to learn, teach and build a sustainable local and world community.”

RichlandStudentMedia.com

EMILY ESCAMILLA

Drezek first brought the idea of thank-you cards in 2011 while serving with the CTL. Students were asked if they would like to write thank-you cards for their teachers, advisers, tutors and librarians. The cards were a bigger hit than expected since they printed 200 cards the first year and had to reprint more the same week. The CTL printed 1,000 cards in 2012 and increased to 4,000 cards in 2014.

The deadline for submissions is March 5 at 5 p.m. Artwork should be sent to Drezek at Jdrezek@dcccd.edu. Voting will take place during spring break and winners will be announced on March 19.

Four first-place winners will be selected and receive awards from Asel Art Supply of Richardson. The artwork will be featured on actual thank-you cards during Appreciation Week at Richland.

“The Council for Teaching and Learning is most grateful for the support of local businesses,” said Drezek.

Appreciation Week will take place from April 9 to 13. Events to look forward to throughout the week include free coffee and cookies at the bookstore on Monday; the Day of Fun on Tuesday will include threelegged races; Treat Day will be Wednesday with snacks offered from local restaurants;

6 CAMPUS

February 13, 2018

Richland welcomes a new English professor CHRONICLE Richland

STUDENT MEDIA LEADERS

THU NGUYEN

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Copy Editor Entertainment Editor Layout Editor Design Editor

Layout Editor

The Richland College English department recently added a new faculty member. Professor Afrin Zeenat grew up in India but was familiar with the English language from a young age. She went to Jesuit Convent and the school used English in teaching and studying.

The school is run by Catholic nuns.

The young Zeenat “used to read a lot and became passionate about English literature.”

After graduating in India, she got married, moved to Bangladesh and settled down.

She got her first master’s degree and taught English literature at Dhaka University for about 10 years.

During her teaching time there, she received a Junior Fulbright Scholarship. The scholarship offered her the opportunity to complete her second master’s in the U.S. Zeenat

“What I like the most about Richland College is the diversity; that you have people from all around the world.”

– Afrin Zeenat, English teacher

RichlandStudentMedia.com

Illustration courtesy of Richland library

Black History Challenge The Richland library is offering students a chance to test their knowledge of Black History. The library is hosting an ongoing game of “Jeopardy!” throughout the month of February.

Isai Diaz

ON THE COVER

Chacellor Joe May talks during his System Network event on campus on Feb. 08 Staff photo - Drew Castillo

COVER AND FONTS Certain cover fonts are provided by the following www.nymfont.com – www.bvfonts.com

STUDENT MEDIA STAFF

Staff photo Aly Rodrigues

Professor Afrin Zeenat goes through assignment with her student.

completed her degree in English at the University of Arkansas and returned to Bangladesh.

Her academic path did not stop there.

Zeenat then applied for her Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas. This time, she came back to the U.S. for her education and worked as a teaching assistant for six years.

“I wanted to come to America for my Ph.D. mostly because I knew that American Ph.D.s are the most rigorous compared to the other Ph.D. degrees that are offered in other countries,” said Zeenat. “So I thought this would give me an opportunity to really understand literature; to know my subject really well.”

Zeenat moved to Dallas and joined Richland’s English faculty six months ago. She is teaching four sections of English this semester. Zeenat said that she enjoys the Richland campus and environment.

“What I like most about Richland College is the diversity; that you have people from all around the world. This diversity I didn’t see in the previous places that I worked,” Zeenat said. “The campus is beautiful. I was struck by its beauty the first time I came here I didn’t expect it to be this big.”

In the future, Zeenat plans to publish books and continue teaching English.

Trivia contest and short plays on campus this week

Black History Month graphic

Aly Rodrigues Kammonke Obase-Wotta Joyce Jackson Ricky Miller Thu Nguyen

Here’s how to play: • Select a category from the “Jeopardy!” game board.

• Write your response along with the category and contact information on a notecard for a chance to win a prize.

• Drop the notecard in the drop box next to the board.

• Winners will be selected weekly until the “Jeopardy!” board is taken down on March 2.

• Topics change weekly so enter as many times as you like!

Chrystal Haynes, Richland librarian, said the library chose to do “Jeopardy!” for Black History Month because the staff realized that students and patrons interact very well with games and events. Student engagement was very high the last time they did an interactive activity.

“We want our students to have fun while learning new facts and ideas, and we thought that ‘Jeopardy!’ was just the thing to do,” Haynes said. “See you in the library!”

Drama The drama department presents “Richland Writes 2: A Festival of 10-Minute Plays.” This free production is open to students, faculty, staff and the community from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Feb. 15-17 in the Arena Theater in Fannin Hall, Room 108.

The following original 10-minute plays written by Richland students were chosen to be produced for the festival:

“Fair Trade” by Mieko Hicks The father of a dying boy makes a deal with a mysterious stranger. Wishes don’t always come true, at least the way we thought they would.

“Therapeutic Painting” by Brian Miranda A young man learns to tap into his own creative spirit following the abuse and ridicule he suffers at the hands of his brother.

“Darkness of Loss” by Anika Espinoza A young girl learns to cope with loss through the help of a psychiatrist and her family.

“The Fight Room” by Jeremy Gaydosh Two sets of friends experience a strange room in which people unleash their frustration and anger. This dark comedy of violence offers an interesting take on society.

“Backspace” by Brian Miranda A group of friends, an ever shifting sense of reality and a manipulative creator who explores his own imagination. This science fiction story looks at the dark side of space and time.

“Troy” by Lily Nguyen Two demons escape Hell by inhabiting humans on Earth. Things don’t go so well for one of them in this comic fantasy.

“Father and Daughter” by Jeremy Gaydosh A young father at home with his infant tries to balance job, career and the joys and terrors of having a tiny human life completely dependent on a parent to survive.

- Joyce Jackson

Gloria Agbogla Tru Armstrong Drew Castillo Emily Escamilla Maria Etetere Jeremy Gaydosh Micro Daniel Mbega Ndoumou

LaShanda McCuin Everett Newson Jorge Perez Caitlin Ramsey Mike Sokolski Paul Young German Zambrano

STUDENT MEDIA ADVISERS Erica Edwards

David Goodloe

Jack Fletcher

Tim Jones

Meg Fullwood

Larry Ratliff

ISSUE DATES February 20

April 17

February 27

April 24

March 6

May 1

March 27

May 8

April 10

AWARDS ACP Newspaper Pacemaker Winner, 2016 CMA Two-Year Radio Station of the Year 2015 ACP Best of Show Award 2015 ACP Photo Excellence Award 2015 CMA Newspaper of the Year Finalist, 2014 1st Place – TCCJA Overall General Excellence, 2014 2nd Place – Pinnacle College Media Award, 2014 1st Place – TIPA Sweepstakes, 2005 3rd Place – TIPA Online, 2005 & 2006 ACP Pacemaker Winner, 2000, 2001, 2007 ACP Pacemaker Finalist, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007 ACP Online Pacemaker finalist, 2007, 2008 Over 270 Texas college journalism awards since 2000

CONTACT INFORMATION El Paso Hall, Room E020, 12800 Abrams Rd., Dallas 75243 Newsroom: 972-238-6079; richlandchronicle@gmail.com Advertising: 972-238-6068 Email: Advertise@dcccd.edu Staff meetings Spring 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 2018

February 13, 2018

Baseball season in full swing as T-Ducks basketball makes final push for higher seed Tru Grit Play Ball While the basketball and wrestling programs continue their seasons, Richland’s baseball players are beginning theirs. The Thunderducks opened the season with a 22-2 blowout against Dallas Christian College.

Jordan Burnett, Stormy Taylor, Nace Sweeney and Christian Cornelius all rounded the bases for their first home runs of the season.

Riley Ramsey pitched five innings and struck out five batters. Trevor Baxter finished the game with two innings and stuck out three batters. After starting the season winning four straight, the Thunderducks have lost three straight including two shutout losses in the doubleheader against Cisco College.

No need to fret already, it’s still early in the season and the Thuderducks will continue to face nonconference teams before facing Cedar Valley beginning Feb. 21.

Hanging On Richland men’s basketball players are still fighting for a higher seed in the Metro Athletic Conference but it won’t be easy. They’re currently sitting in fourth in the standings, 3-4 in conference play and 15-7 overall. On Feb. 3, Richland got revenge by upsetting Eastfield, 92-63.

Barrington Hunter led the way with 17 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals off the bench. Raylon Howard scored 15 points and Dallas Taylor poured in 13. A few days later, the T-Ducks traveled down 635 to Farmers Branch where the T-Ducks and the Brookhaven Bears went into double overtime. Unfortunately, the Bears came out on top, 94-91.

Richland has three games remaining, at Mountain View in South Dallas against the

SPORTS 7 Upcoming Events

All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated.

Today 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Mardi Gras celebration West Breezeway (El Paso Lounge contigency plan) 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

North Texas Food Bank Mobile Pantry Parking Lot Z (by Kiowa Hall) 12:30 to 1:50 p.m.

Staff photo Emily Escamilla

Frankie Almendarez throws the ball in the game against TCS postgrad on Jan. 9. Richland won 8-2.

Lions. Then the T-Ducks will play their final home game on Valentine’s Day against Cedar Valley and will wrap up the regular season against North Lake in Irving before taking off for the MAC Tournament on Eastfield’s home court in Mesquite.

Fly Champs Fly!!!

Eagles: magic, Patriots: meltdown, halftime with Timberlake: mischance, commercials: mirthful, ratings: meager. To sum up all of these M’s in Super Bowl LII- It was mediocre to say the least. The game itself was worth watching as the underdog Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl title defeating the New England Patriots, 41-33.

Austin, Texas native Nick Foles became the first backup quarterback since Kurt Warner to win the big game. Also, Foles won the MVP for his fantastic performance. Foles

completed 28 of 43, 373 yards, three touchdowns and even caught a touchdown pass.

The NFL needs to do a better job next season.

Its ratings have been flat out terrible and this year’s Super Bowl didn’t get any better. Down 3 percent from last season, the game is obviously getting slower and the halftime shows are a waste. Justin Timberlake’s halftime show was not a big hit. His tribute to the late star Prince wasn’t great.

It’s best that the NFL create something new for the fans. As much money as it brings in, there’s no excuse for the league to have poor ratings.

Next year’s Super Bowl will be in Atlanta and let’s hope the entertainment itself can set a high standard with football games or the ratings will drop.

-Tru Armstrong

“Get Out: A Community Conversation” Sabine Hall, SH118 2 to 3 p.m.

The African-American Connection sponsors “I’m Every Woman: From Girl Talk to Woman’s Work” Crockett Hall, C110

Feb. 14 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Valentine’s celebration El Paso Lounge

Feb. 15 - 17

The Drama Dept. presents: “Richland Writes 2: A Festival of 10-Minute Plays Arena Theater, F108

Feb. 20 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Photo The Associated Press

Torchbearers climb stairs before lighting the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea,Feb. 9. For the frst time since 2007, North and South Korea marched and sat side by side during the ceremony under the exploding fireworks. The Olympics will run until Feb. 25.

Lunar New Year celebration Lion Dance performance at 11 a.m.

El Paso Lounge

RichlandStudentMedia.com

7:30 to 9 p.m.

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February 13, 2018

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