September 22, 2015

Richland

CHRONICLE Vol. XLII Issue 5 Sept. 22, 2015

‘Freedom for all’... except Mexicans?

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Official Richland Chronicle Outlets

@ChronicleDCCCD

2 OPINION/CAMPUS

September 22, 2015

Image courtesy The Associated Press

Republican presidential candidates, from left, Sen. Rick Santorum, George Pataki, Sen. Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee, Sen. Marco Rubio,, Sen. Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, Donald Trump,

Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Carly Fiorina, John Kasich and Chris Christie take the stage for a CNN Republican presidential debate photo op.

Republican hopefuls duke it out in prime time TIAGO FERREIRA Staff Writer

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Eleven presidential candidates and three-plus hours of debate. This test of endurance, as some were calling it, measured each candidate’s attitude. Tensions grew and tempers flew high and some candidates (mostly Donald Trump) even got on the personal level.

We expect Trump to make personal attacks on other candidates the same way in which we expect there to not be any parking space at Richland. It is bound to happen. Sure enough, The Donald did not disappoint.

Trump began by telling Rand Paul that he should not even be on stage at the debate because he is far down in the polls. Paul fired back saying that Trump critiqued others on physical appearance as if he were still in middle school.

Paul was not the only one who was quick to

respond to Trump, though. Earlier this year, Trump made inappropriate comments on the Mexican heritage of Jeb Bush’s wife. At the debate, Bush suggested Trump apologize to his wife who was in the audience. Trump replied that he was not going to apologize because he did not say anything wrong.

There was much more to the Republican debate than just personal attacks.

A handful of candidates really made their presence felt. Carly Fiorina was one of those candidates. Fiorina had great answers that showed powerful amounts of strength as well. Her view on “drug addiction as an epidemic” is intensely personal considering she lost a stepdaughter to a

drug overdose. What really stood out, though, was Fiorina’s take on changing the picture on the $10 bill. Fiorina stated that changing the picture was simply a gesture and that women are not an interest group but are half of the nation’s group.

Fiorina was not the only standout on stage; Bush also made his presence felt. It was an eventful night for Jeb Bush. He went from admitting that he smoked marijuana in high school to getting involved in heated arguments with several candidates.

Through all of this, Bush was able to make himself stand out in the debate. When asked what he would do when he was elected, Bush

Which candidate is capable to lead the nation? A simple question with a more than difficult answer.

said he would switch the economy back to a high-growth strategy. His best moment came when he indicated that his brother “kept us safe” while he was president. The audience agreed with a loud ovation.

After more than enough questions and three hours later, the Republican debate was over.

Eleven candidates exited the stage to be greeted by cameras and the audience.

The roughly 23 million viewers who tuned in to watch were left to ponder on each candidate’s responses and answer a new question, a question that summarizes and defines the debate as a whole. Which candidate is capable to lead the nation? A simple question with a more than difficult answer, but it is our duty to find the solution. Though it was a detailed and extensive debate, it is only the beginning of what is to unfold. The next Republican debate is scheduled for Oct. 28, at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

Richland briefs “Fiber Visions” exhibition Following Leighton Autrey’s “Urban Feast” exhibition, which closed Friday, the upcoming exhibition will focus on Dallas area fiber artists. Twenty-five works will be on display in the new “Fiber Visions” exhibition set for Oct. 1-31.

Each exhibition is coordinated by Art Gallery Director John Spriggins in the Brazos Gallery in Crocket Hall.

Drug take-back Richland College Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its tenth

opportunity in five years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to campus. The event will take place on Sept. 26. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Sept. 26 Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Office of Diversion Control site or Richland College. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Parking Lot D5.

State Fair of Texas discounts The State Fair of Texas begins Sept. 25 and ends on Oct. 18.

There will be live entertainment, food, and plenty of activities.

Discounted tickets are currently available at the Richland College Bookstore and Café. General admission tickets are $14 (regularly $18) and child/senior tickets are $12 (regularly $14).

S September 22, 2015

NEWS 3

Trump rally light on policy, heavy on emotion MARTA PLANELLS Editor-in-chief

BLANCA REYES Photography Editor

The other attendees to Trump rally

One of most controversial planks in Trump’s political platform is his stance on undocumented immigrants. Although it is a fact that there are undocumented immigrants in the U.S. from around the world, Trump has some ideas that focus on Mexican immigrants.

One of Trump’s allegations is that undocumented Mexican immigrants include murder-

Staff photo Blanca Reyes

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to an audience of thousands at the American Airlines Center.

Staff photo Diana Bonilla

Staff photo Blanca Reyes

Protesters display a Trump pinata outside.

Hundreds of protesters chant to express their discontent with Trump.

ers and rapists, who are complicit with their goverment.

Many people gathered outside of the American Airlines Center to show their disapointment to Trump’s view about undocumentated immigrants.

“What we’re doing here is just to oppose to what Trump says about Latinos,” protester Oscar Salguero said.

Salguero added Trump’s statement is not valid because the majority of the undocumented immigrants work hard for little money and pay taxes.

“Even illegals are paying taxes and they can’t claim them back,” Salgaro said.

Protesters outside were not only Latinos but people from different nationalities at the outside rally.

Nathan Stolzer is a digital media student at the University of North Texas. He said that while Trump can be a good businessman, he should have nothing to do with politics.

“He targets those who don’t understand economics. He targets the traditional America like the idealist, '50, white America,” Stolezer said.

Staff photo Blanca Reyes

A Trump fan enjoys the rally inside.

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Dallas has not hosted a political event of the magnitude of the one that starred Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump since 2008. That´s when Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama brought his promises of change campaign to thousands of supporters at Reunion Arena in February 2008.

Real estate magnate Trump gave away almost 20,000 tickets for the rally at the American Airlines Center in Dallas Sept. 14. About threequarters of the arena was filled with supporters attending his first massive rally in Texas.

Trump rallies more and more resemble a rock concert and not a traditional political event. Like at any big concert, Trump’s followers came hours before the event, wearing T-shirts with slogans galore. Dallas was no exception. People had the opportunity to hear the proposals of the candidate, along with a heavy dose of entertainment.

Trump came on stage and the first thing he did was to emphasize that there was no teleprompter. The billionaire spoke for over an hour without a script.

Brad McClain, a commercial roofing salesman, stood outside the arena holding a sign which read, “Hillary for prison.”

“I love how he goes after the liberal media because I think they do nothing but lie and ask him trick questions,” he said.

While outside hundreds of Latinos protested against him, inside Trump fired up the crowd with his immigration proposals. “We have to build a wall, folks,” he said to his audience. “We have to build a wall. And a wall works. All you have to do is go to Israel, say, ‘How’s your wall working?’” while people chanted, “U.S.A., U.S.A.” The Texas crowd also cheered wildly when he said: “You people are suffering, I’m in New York, but they’re in New York, too. They’re all over the place.”

Trump, who boasted of leading the polls with over 30 percent of the voters, accused the media of manipulating his words and criticized his opponents in the Republican contest.

Trump’s message is that he is the guy who can fix the country because he is a successful businessman. So far, he has demonstrated he´s got a strong understanding of advertising and the media. He captured a lot of attention because of his provocative rhetoric, but the rally was light on specifics.

4 ENTERTAINMENT

September 22, 2015

2Tone hits the spot PETE SHANNON Staff Writer

Image courtesy amctheaters.com

Nana (Deanna Dunagan) has an “episode” in “The Visit.”

‘The Visit’ you shouldn’t make RICKY MILLER

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Entertainment Editor

That’s it. I’m out.

After suffering through “The Visit,” I am out unless M. Night Shyamalan ever does an “Unbreakable” follow-up.

He showed so much promise with the pretzel-twisting thriller “The Sixth Sense” back in 1999. Then Shyamalan achieved near perfection with his next Bruce Willis entry, “Unbreakable,” in 2000. But Shyamalan has offered nothing but disappointments since “Signs” (Grade: B+) back in 2002.

He followed that up with “The Village” (2004), a letdown (C+), and the fiasco “Lady in the Water” (C-). The disappointments continued with the annoying and pretentious end-of-the world spoilings of “The Happening” in 2008 (C) up until the ultimate summer bummer of the poorly acted mistake “The Last Airbender” (D+) in 2010.

He struck out again with Will Smith in “After Earth,” a flick where Smith helps develop the story. I gave that abysmal flick a C-.

In “The Visit,” a brother-sister duo, Tyler and Becca (Ed Oxenbould and Olivia DeJonge), go to visit their grandparents. Kathryn Hann’s persona as Mom is estranged from her own mother, hence part of the plot twist.

In lieu of cursing, Tyler yells out names of lady singers, like “Katy Perry!” Becca is a filmmaker working on a documentary about the family.

There’s a show on Adult Swim called “Robot Chicken” wherein various puppets are used to demonstrate a stand-alone tale. A while back they made fun of his ideas by stating, “What a twist?”

Nowadays, any Shyamalan film always has some ridiculous plot twist. Trust me when I say this is not worth full-price admission. Wait a while for it to get to the discount houses.

You will thank me later.

Grade: C-

“The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” — This is an uneventful follow-up to 2014’s “The Maze Runner.”

Dylan O’Brien returns as Thomas, a teen who is propelled into an unfortunate situation in this dystopian saga written by James Dashner.

C

Last Tuesday’s Richland noontime recital class in Fannin Hall provided an unusual treat.

The local jazz duo of Cindy Horstman, harp and Michael Medina, electric guitar, who call themselves 2Tone, was joined by guest electric guitarist Andy Timmons. Together they put on a virtuoso performance that elicited clusters of spirited clapping from the audience.

There was also an extended Q&A session that transformed the hour into a true learning experience.

2Tone + 1 (aka 3Tone) had no printed program. Instead, the trio simply launched right into its first number. It was announced afterward by Horstman, the group’s charming spokesman, as “Fragile” by Sting. True to its delicate sounding title, the piece’s languid pace easily relaxed the listeners, who then slid back in their seats to savor the show.

One of the most noticeable things on the stage, beside the array of wires and colorful amps, was the hearty foot stomping by both of the guitarists. These were no amateur strummers, but rather highly–skilled professionals who dared turn up their amps and flood the auditorium with pure howls.

During the Q&A, Horstman announced the ensemble does very little rehearsing, and basically plays each song differently every time. The sound of her amplified harp was actually similar to the guitars. And although it had more range, Horstman seldom plucked her longer strings.

When asked how she happened into playing jazz, Horstman said although she had been trained as a harpist in the classical style, she had just drifted into it for fun. She said every string of her harp was amped and without that help it would barely be audible or recognizable.

Medina then gave a heartfelt testimonial on the importance of rhythm over pitch when playing jazz. He went on to recommend becoming aware of one’s internal clock, which he

said is going all the time. Explaining why his feet are constantly in motion, Timmons said to him it’s necessary to express the beat physically. He said he even thinks about rhythm when he’s walking down the street.

As to licks, Medina held up his fingers, guffawed and said, “I have just three.” All the wannabe guitarists in the audience leaned forward eagerly.

“And I play them over and over again in endless variations,” he continued. The other two players smiled indulgently.

Horstman said when she’s playing she’s most concerned with how well she’s fitting in. Medina said, with regard to the music, to the group his main task is not to “step on it” but more to embellish it, meaning not to overrun anyone else or intrude on what is going on at any moment. He added that after years of playing in groups he now enjoys listening musically more that talking.

Medina and Hortsman have been performing together for over 20 years, and they have put out a number of CDs including some Christmas songs.

And, of course, they have a website (www. cindyhorstman.com) . Most of their appearances nowadays are for private gatherings, although they do still perform occasionally in public.

On the subject of composing and publishing, Timmons smiled and said, YouTube was his new record label. Then he chuckled and murmured, “But the royalties really suck.”

Near the end of the hour, Hortsman did something else out of the ordinary. She thanked the audience for coming out to share in 2Tone’s musical experience and for being so interested and attentive.

After a bit more discussion about how they don’t really rehearse or prepare very much for concerts any more, Medina sat back and thought a moment. Then he announced a demonstration. He said that for their last number he would start a song which the others hadn’t planned on and then depend on them to carry it forward spontaneously. He rolled his eyes and cautioned that his scheme might end in disaster. But it worked marvelously.

“One of the most noticeable things on the stage ... was the hearty foot stomping by both of the guitarists.”

“Black Mass” — An unrecognizable Johnny Depp is James “Whitey” Bulger, a Southie from Boston, a notorious gangster from the 1970s working as a confidential source for the FBI for many years. It is gritty, realistic and hard to watch in spots. It’s backed by some stellar writing.

A-

“Everest” — Warning: If you see this, make sure you watch it on an IMAX screen. This tale is based on a true story and centers on a group of various individuals struggling to make it to the top of the famed peak.

“Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation” — Tom Cruise returns for round four in the series that has an ever-changing slate of directors (“Jack Reacher’s” Christopher McQuarrie.)

B-

B-

“Sicario” — (Opens Oct. 2) Emily Blunt (“Edge of Tomorrow”) joins a task force finding and fighting a Mexican drug leader in modern-day America and Mexico. It also stars Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (“No Country For Old Men”) and Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro (“Traffic”).

A-

CAMPUS 5

September 22, 2015

Fashion tips for women this fall ALINA LUNA

And the people gathered for Cedric Merritt

Faculty, administrators and students celebrate the legacy and life of Program Services Specialist Cedric Merritt, who passed away Sept. 14.

The vigil that took place Thursday at the Labyrinth. The Merritt family

Staff photo Isai Diaz

received the support of the Richland community. Richland leaders Dr. Kay Eggleston, Dr. Tony Summers and Dr. Zarina Blankenbaker shared their condolences with the Merritt family.

Image courtesy National Society of Collegiate Scholars

Congratulations to the first generation of NSCS inductees

The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) is an honor society that provides students with great potential an opportunity to shine, as well as helping the less fortunate through their service program.

The first NSCS induction ceremony at Richland College took place Sept. 16.

More than 100 students participated in the ceremony. They were

greeted by Dr. Kay Eggleston, Richland president, and given a membership pin.

They later took an oath to keep the three pillars of the society, scholarship, leadership and service. The ceremony ended with group pictures in the breezeway.

— Van Khuu

Upcoming drama

Staff photo Ryan Derenbecker

Actors rehearse a scene from the upcoming play, “Comes the Storm,” an original play based on the Book of Job by Drama Chair

Andy Long. From left: Audrey Clark (Carla), Mieko Hicks (Ida), Raied Makhamreh ( Tim) and Carter Brown (Martin).

Fall is right around the corner. It’s coming Wednesday, in fact. Here are a few tips on how ladies can stay trendy as summer leaves us. Maroon and burgundy are two popular colors this season. Every item of clothing from head to toe can be found in one of these two colors. For those who are unsure of the difference, burgundy is much closer to red, whereas maroon sits a bit farther on the purple side of the color wheel.

Wear a simple fitted sweater with sleeves rolled only slightly longer than a three-quarter sleeve, and fall will be smiling on you. The perfect bottom pieces are two classic options, a simple black kneelength leather skirt or a pair of denims.

Light and dark denims are both trending this season, so the choice is merely a matter of preference.

The shoes that any woman would kill for this fall are a beautiful pair of booties.

These shoes are comfortable enough that they make a casual look pop, yet they are also dressy enough to slip on for any semiformal occasion. A brown pair and a black pair should be added to everyone’s closet.

Once the main pieces are assembled, the goal is to make an outfit that is an eight, and make it shine on you like a 10.

To be a tad more casual, a long necklace with a bold pendant and very modest earrings. For a classier date-night, a shorter chunky necklace with longer earrings that drape will do the trick.

Finally, a rolled cuff on the jeans just above the booties will finish the look entirely. If none of these pieces work, an oversized white, maroon or burgundy sweater over pleather leggings with laceup boots and a messy bun is the next best look.

Regardless of which tips fit best for each individual, makeup is simple. The “fresh-face” is a major look this season.

A little bit goes a long way, or so they say.

If bold makeup is a much more appealing cup of tea, lipsticks that are plum, maroon and nude are the ones to add to your collection this fall.

By choosing the right colors, styles, jewelry and makeup for fall, every woman can look her best and be proud of it.

Richlandchronicle.wordpress.com

Staff Writer

6 CAMPUS

September 22, 2015

Urgent safety tips – in case of an emergency JOYCE JACKSON

Editor-in-Chief Online Editor Photography Editor Entertainment Editor Copy Editor

Marta Planells Joe Stumpo Blanca Reyes Ricky Miller Joyce Jackson

ON THE COVER Staff photo Blanca Reyes

COVER AND FONTS Staff photo Isai Diaz

Police officers patrol every parking lot on the Richland campus.

garding a shooter on campus. Orton, however, said he would take control of the situation since he is usually first on the scene.

Orton said he and the Richland police advocate the Run-Hide-Fight system in a shooter on campus situation.

“Lock yourself in a room and turn your lights off ... stay away from the glass.”

“Lock yourself in a room and turn your lights off. Make sure the projector is off or anything that would provide light and stay away from the glass,” Orton said. “If you can run and get away without the shooter seeing you, hide the best you can. The last resort is to fight.”

Orton said he wouldn’t recommend running, even though a lot of people probably would do that. In a lockdown with police activity, a situation could occur where Dallas police were chasing a suspect, or maybe had a suspect on the ground.

Other types of urgent events that require campus police assistance would include fire

drills, hazardous chemical spills and severe storms, such as a tornado.

Orton said he is in charge of campus fire drills. Most of the scheduled drills he does in a year follow the International Fire Code, which requires him to do 10 evacuation drills per academic year from Sept.1 through Aug. 31.

“Last year ending Aug. 31, there were 36 drills,” he said. “We had our 10 scheduled evacuations, but then I had 16 unscheduled alarms due to construction, students deciding they didn’t want to take a quiz or a test. We’ve had some irrigation issues that have set off some high pressure evacuations.”

Orton said he would highly recommend that professors take students out to the parking lot for fire drills. Usually, they’re congregating around the building. If the fire department had to show up and get in, they wouldn’t be able to do it.

“Students should stand 100 feet out, but I like them to move to the parking lots and again, not congregate,” he said.

Students should be aware of the correct phone numbers for emergencies, based on whether they’re calling from a landline or a cellphone. If you dial 911 from a landline phone on campus, Orton said, there’s a chance you could get the Dallas Police department and they would have to transfer you to the college.

Significant savings on textbooks ANGELA MARTINEZ Richlandchronicle.wordpress.com

CHRONICLE STUDENT MEDIA LEADERS

Copy Editor

Recently there was another college shooting, this time on a campus in Cleveland, Miss.

A history professor died as a result and the shooter killed himself. In case of such an emergency here, it’s important that the Richland community knows how such violent events will be handled by the campus police.

Richland Police Sgt. Barry Orton said there are two types of lockdowns that could occur on campus: One is a lockdown with active shooter; the other, a lockdown with police activity.

“Our officers are going to be first responders, so we’re going to where that shooter is,” Orton said. “We’re going to have to do a lockdown. It could be over the PA system. It could be over the phone system. Or, it might be directly through the Dallas County Community College District alert system.”

Orton recommends that students sign up for the alert system, which is found on the DCCCD website, www.dcccd.edu.

“It would be like a weather day,” he said. “It would come over the alert system. You’d get an alert on your phone that says, ‘All DCCCD campuses are closed due to inclement weather.

Same thing with this. We have a shooter on campus. Do not come.’ ” Police Chief Robert Baker, the incident commander, would make major decisions re-

Richland

Staff Writer

Richland college students are enjoying a 15 percent average savings on textbooks based on new book pricing.

Dallas County Community College District and the Follett Higher Education Group have a new five-year contract in which the cost of textbooks no longer includes a comission. The savings could be even greater on used and rented textbooks, according to district officials.

“Figures will vary, based on whether a student buys new or used textbooks, as well as how many semesters she or he is enrolled,” said DCCCD Chief Financial Officer, John Robertson.

Commission–free sales are not the most common approach when it comes to college bookstores.

“DCCCD has made a big commitment to

impact access and affordability to their students, foregoing the additional revenue to ensure students are most prepared for success in and out of the classroom,” said Adam Boynton, bookstore and café manager.

“The key is student outcomes and if access to materials is improved, more students will have the materials, improving their opportunity for success.”

The contract was recommended to the Board of Trustees by Chancellor Joe May and will be applied from this past March to the end of February 2020. Students are also spending less money through support for third-party billing.

Another benefit from this contract is that a used textbook buyback can now be made at any DCCCD bookstore rather than only from the location the textbook was purchased.

Aside from saving money, access to digital content for the district and students will also be increased.

Certain cover fonts are provided by the following: www.nymfont.com - www.bvfonts.com

STUDENT MEDIA STAFF Isai Diaz Abraham Igene Quan Tran Bertille Eya Maffo Alina Luna Tiago Ferreira Vincent Leal

Diana Bonilla Melanie Brandow Ryan Derenbecker Harris Sadiq Uyen Van Khuu Ahlam Al Mahrooq

STUDENT MEDIA ADVISERS Erica Edwards

Steve Noviello

Jack Fletcher

Larry Ratliff

David Goodloe

Tim Jones

Karin Matz

ISSUE DATES September 22 September 29 October 6 October 13 October 20 October 27

November 10 November 17 November 24 December 8 December 15

AWARDS

ACP Pacemaker Winner, 2000, 2001, 2007 ACP Pacemaker Finalist, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007 ACP Online Pacemaker Finalist, 2007, 2008 1st Place - TIPA Sweepstakes, 2005 3rd Place - TIPA Online, 2005 & 2006 Over 170 Texas college journalism awards since 2000 CMA Newspaper of the Year Finalist, 2014 1st Place – TCCJA Overall General Excellence, 2014 2nd Place - Pinnacle College Media Award, 2014

CONTACT INFORMATION

El Paso Hall, Room 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

September 22, 2015

Student debt: Is a degree really worth it?

The cost of a higher education has skyrocketed. Many students leaving college have an ocean of tuition debt waiting for them. With a recovering economy, as well as a highly competitive global job market, it is unlikely they will be paying off their loans based on their degree.

The cost of college has made it nearly imposible for young people to invest in a full-time education schedule without working a job on the side. For international students looking for a degree from an American college, it's not even a question.

Richland offers solutions to this issue with its Career Services Center (in El Paso Hall), which focuses on guiding students in finding proper careers and jobs through the college.

Job fairs set up on campus help provide information and firsthand experience of how careers are actually suited to students. Work study programs allow students to receive tuition and textbook discounts.

"A penny saved is a penny earned," Benjamin Franklin famously said, but for students looking to transfer to a university (especially a private one) the expensive loans will come, one way or another. Balancing school and work is a full-time commitment that takes a toll on students.

Many students dedicate nearly all their energy to simply working in school and working at a job. A student’s health, happiness, diet and rest have to take a backseat if students seriously expect to support themselves while getting an education.

For the most part, students interviewed don't have a plan or schedule set up. Students don't know how to balance school and work because they actually can’t.

Jobs without college degrees do not pay enough, and many do not provide benefits.

Students may be working to support themselves while being in school, but there is virtually no such thing as a balance between the two.

I think this is why college dropout rates have soared in the United States. At a certain point, it’s not worth the trouble anymore. Although the United States arguably still maintains the

best quality of higher education, in a growing globalized economy where college is subsidized in countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, young people are looking toward other places to invest their education fund.

Just as immigrants came to the United States after World War II to get the best education and jobs, the opposite is now taking place. Americans are actually migrating to Canada, Europe and Australia and many times moving there permanently when they find work after school.

In the latter half of the 20th century, the United Stated emerged as the educational center of the world. A Cold War with the Soviets pushed the federal government to invest in education at all levels from elementary to college.

The result was a flourishing private sector with an educated job force as well as the greatest advancement in science and space exploration the world had ever known up to that point.

Federal action has been taken to subsidize community colleges. The question remains, however, that by the time education is a right rather than a luxury for American students, will it be too late for the U.S. to compete with an already broadly educated world?

Who does not know that Richland is a multicultural campus?

Its website gives the numbers: 130 countries represented and 79 languages spoken. Richland is one of the most diverse campuses of

the Dallas County Community College District.

Some people might not realize how difficult it can be for an international student to come here to study.

They will have to carry many responsibilities,

like the rest of students, but they will also have to get along in a new society, probably learn a new language and a different way of life. It doesn’t seem to be an easy path, but it’s worth it.

— Ahlam Mahrooq

Staff Writer

Thunderducks migrate from around the world

STUDENT VIEWPOINT How many hours would you like to work on campus?

“I’m definitely looking for 20 hours because I have to study classes like history and biology, which have a lot of content, so I can handle it with being married and balancing everything.”

Chathu Wali Education

“I have to learn how to understand lectures because education here is mainly based on computers and online websites, unlike back home I used to have a pink classroom. I think I’m getting along pretty good, because I love watching American movies and I have a background of American life.”

“Actually, at the beginning, I found some difficulties and felt weird because I was new and I didn’t know how to speak English fluently and wasn’t capable to understand what the students say. But as time went by I found a huge improvement of myself by gaining knowledge and developing my English language skills.”

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

Music recital series University of Nor Texas Jazz Singers and Avenue C

Wednesday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

FEMA table in El Paso Hall College Police/Office of Emergency Management

Friday State Fair of Texas opens, runs through Oct.18 Lone Star Horse spectacular Pan Am Arena, narration by actor Barry Corbin.

Other events: www.bigtex.com.

Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Drug Enforcement Agency takeback initiative Parking Lot D-5 Drop off old medications, no needles

Sept. 29 and Oct. 1

How do you describe your experience in your first semester? Did you find it hard to communicate or were you able to handle it?

Aminah Rabiu Nigeria

Upcoming Events

May Al Naser Lebanon

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Carter BloodCare blood drive East Circle Drive

Oct. 6 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Free HIV/STD testing for the Dallas County Health and Human Services mobile medical unit, East Circle Drive, outside the Richland library.

For more information call the Richland Health Center at 972-238-6135 or go by Thunderduck Hall, Room T110.

Richlandchronicle.wordpress.com

HARRIS SADIQ

OPINION 7

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8 September 22, 2015