Jun 7, 2012 (43.12)

Survey PG. 5

Street Fair PG. 10

Staff reflection on our survey

Health and Fitness PG. 11

Garland district hosts block party

New club focuses on competative workouts

SPOKANEFALLS.EDU/COMMUNICATOR

June 7 - Oct. 11, 2012

Volume 43 | Issue 12

Building leaks on campus not addressed Nick Boe

The Communicator Though there are minor water leaks popping up in building 24, they don’t necessitate buckets like the ones currently in the halls of building 18.

Various ceiling leaks have been noticed in multiple buildings on the SFCC campus in the past few weeks.

Most noteworthy is a leak in building 18 and minor leaks in building 24.

There are currently yellow buckets acting as a temporary fix underneath a leak in building 18. According to Jim Brady, dean of computing, math and science, this particular leak has recently shown up, however leaks

and condensation build-ups in building 18 leading to browning on the ceiling tiles is not uncommon. There have been cases of leaks in building 18 since the early 1990’s, when it was built.

“A lot of the leaks, I’ve been told, are condensation,” Brady said. “And I keep hearing that they’ve done quite a bit to make those better.

“What we have here is an actual leak.”

According to Brady, one of the reasons for the buckets is the large pressure that the maintenance department is under, given recent budget cuts as well as new larger buildings being built without additional staff-

ing.

“The philosophy of this campus is to preserve instruction over everything else,” Brady said. “We’ve seen cuts in buildings and grounds; things don’t get fixed as fast as they used to.

“My guess is that what we’re seeing is a result of those cuts.”

Glen Cosby, the dean of humanities and academic international initiatives, says that leaks in new buildings, like the ones in building 24, are to be expected.

“Buildings settle... and no matter how good the foundation is, there will be some settling, and sometimes Leaks | Page 2

Nick Boe | The Communicator

Ceiling leaks in Building 18 are being contained by placing buckets beneath the leaks to catch water.

OneAccount Fees: $2.50: Foreign ATM fee $0.50: Debit transaction $10/month: Abandoned Account fee (six months with no transactions) $29: Insufficient or Uncollected Funds, first item

Brad Lewis | The Communicator

Emilee Birch (right) is one of many students who feels the content displayed is not relevant to campus life.

MTV contract forces student exposure to content MTV advertises and markets to SFCC students, while the school is provided with no compensation or commission.

Alicia Villa

The Communicator MTV Networks on Campus Inc (MTVN) holds an exclusive contract with SFCC that gives them control of the picture and sound of the TVs in the Student Union Building (SUB), which they use to broadcast the MTV University (MTVu) chan-

nel.

The the three-year contract with MTVN has been in effect since former Vice President of Student Services Alex Roberts signed it in Nov. 12, 2010. The contract provides a “service” to the school: music videos for free with the exception of the electricity the televisions require to run.

“SFCC isn’t getting any money and MTV isn’t getting any money,” said Director of Marketing and Outreach Penny Butters. “The only thing MTV is getting is an opportunity to display in our SUB.

PERSPECTIVES

Marketing to students

The Communicator

FOCUS

Page 4

Spokane drag racing

“They are the ones who are required to maintenance (the televisions), take care of the equipment, and update them if necessary at no cost to us.”

A group of students that frequent the SUB lobby in building 17 are outspokenly against having MTVu on the campus, to the point where they’ve complained about the content to campus staff members.

Racheal Slater and Emilee Birch are two members of the group of students, and both wish to see MTVu

$38: Insufficient or Uncollected Funds, additional items Source: higherone. com

For a link to the complete study mentioned in this story by The U.S. Pirg Education Fund, go to spokanefalls.edu/communicator and visit the news section page.

Advocacy group looks into Higher One system John Lynn

The Communicator A major education research group has brought attention to the “privatization of government benefits” by banks and financial firms like Higher One, the company that will be intercepting SFCC students’ financial aid starting this summer.

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund (US PIRG) released a 37-page report highlighting their recommendations for colleges to avoid predatory practices by financial institutions.

The report, “The Campus Debit Card Trap: Are Bank Partnerships Fair to Students?” has a chapter dedicated entirely to Higher One. The report states that 80 percent of Higher One’s revenue comes from user fees.

College students across the country, aggravated by the fact that they are paying fees directly out of their financial aid, have organized protests and created Facebook pages to voice their outrage.

The section of the report titled “Key Recommendations for Student Cardholders” advises students to be cautious and informed. It encourages card users to plan ahead in case any Higher One | Page 2

Viacom | Page 2

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Leaks:

Settling to be expected after construction

News

John Lynn | Editor

MTVu TVs in the SUB are often muted Viacom: The even though the contract forbids it.

From Page 1

From Page 1

Despite the severity of the leak in building 18, Brady said that given that can cause leaks to occur,” Cos- all of the problems that the buildby said. “The best poured concrete ing has had that have been dealt slab will crack eventually; in fact with, he isn’t too concerned about the leak. Building 18 has underyou can guarantee that it will.”

Cosby said that there is no real gone roughly $750,000 worth of improvements cause for consince the buildcern about leaks “The best poured concrete ing was built in in the overall slab will crack eventually; in 1991, includscheme of buildfact you can guarantee that ing addressing ing 24. a lack of fresh “Thus far, the it will.” air leading to building has -Glen Cosby the building befunctioned pretDean of humanities and academic international initiatives ing very stuffy ty well I think, and a number of for the most part,” Cosby said. “Like any build- people reporting allergy-like symping, especially a building of this toms. size with how much use it gets, “I’m not gonna say I’m happy with there are problems that pop up the leaks, but it’s not the highest from time to time, but that’s true for priority,” Brady said. a car or a house, and it’s certainly Ardun Crawford, facilities manager no less true of a 76,000 square-foot at SFCC, did not respond in time to be included in this report. building.”

replaced with an alternative.

“I’d rather see something more educational,” Birch said. “I find (MTVu) to be far more obstructive to academics than it is helpful.”

Slater said that oftentimes students are taken aback by how “weird” the music videos are.

“Sometimes the music videos, it’s hilarious, you just watch the entire SUB’s conversations just stop, and everyone’s response is ‘what the f---?’,” Slater said.

Butters explained that students hold the biggest influence in their SUB, and that is why the MTVu TVs have been muted in the past. Although, the contract between SFCC and MTVN specifically states that “all Equipment including, without limitation, all monitors at the Location(s), shall be turned on, audible and operating during the hours the Location(s) are open.”

“We sometimes unmute them when

New admin position to replace academic services officer

Contributed photo | Nancy Fair-Szofran

CCS Provost Nancy Fair-Szofran

By Alicia Villa

The Communicator Major administrative changes within the district and local levels are going into effect this summer.

According to the minutes for the Feb. 21 CCS board of trustees meeting, The District Academic Services Officer position will be replaced by a CCS Provost/Chief Learning Officer.

The position also keeps the “The vice president of student services position will no longer have the responsibility for supervision and operations for these departments, which will then allow for the position to have much more time for greater supervision and oversight of student life.” same salary of $101,873 per year, but requires the Provost to have a more direct line to specific deans.

“The Provost position is broader and it has direct supervision of some deans in the areas of online learning, libraries and workforce development,” Johnson said. “We want to have someone in the district whose sole role is to focus on the quality education, workforce, e-learning and libraries.”

Appointed by CCS Chancellor Christine Johnson, Nancy Fair-Szofran will begin her employment at CCS Aug 1.

“Nancy was among the exceptionally well-qualified finalists for the SFCC President position,” said Johnson in an email sent to the CCS dis-

2

trict. “Fortunately, our personnel procedure allows us to draw upon this certified list of candidates to fill the provost/chief learning officer position without the time and expense of another national search.”

Fair-Szofran said she specifically wanted to develop a shared vision with CCS students and her previous job experience as the Vice President of Research, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness at Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) has her well prepared for this new position.

Her goal is to increase program completion rates among the three institutions.

“The way I’ve approached all my positions is to spend time learning and listening to student experiences, then acting,” Fair-Szofran said. “It would be very unfair for me to come in and take actions that may not fit the students needs.”

CCS Public Information Officer Anne Tucker explained that the Vice President of Student Services position has been expanded to include the dean of student life and administrative services and assistant dean of student life positions.

“A screening committee is interviewing candidates now, charged with identifying three finalists,” Tucker said in an email. “The appointment will be made by incoming SFCC President Gullickson.”

According to Interim President Pam Praeger, as of July 1, one position, the College Director of Student Life is being eliminated due to budget cuts and in conjunction with a district-wide consolidation.

In an email, Praeger explained that although budget cuts have not been as devastating as once thought, CCS still does not have the funding equal to what what it’s been in the past.

“Also through a district consolidation to become more effective,” said Praeger. “SFCC’s departments of security/safety; information technology/computing support; as well as graphics and media support will no longer be under the direct supervision of SFCC administration.

A diploma mill in Spokane was busted in 2008: 10,000

people had purchased fake diplomas.

$7.3 million was spent.

2

people used their fake diplomas to get jobs at NASA and the CIA. Source: spokesmanreview. com

we see a music video that we like, but other than that, they’re almost always muted,” Birch said.

Butters agrees to an extent.

“I think it’s up to the people in the area, those kids who sit in the SUB don’t want to hear that, they have their own iPods and games going,” Butters said.

According to the contract between SFCC and MTVN, the only retaliatory action that can be taken for violation of the contract is that MTVN may elect to terminate the agreement and remove the equipment from the campus. MTVN has the discretion to do so at any point during the contract, however SFCC can only elect to terminate the contract by notifying MTVN in writing at least 30 days prior to the expiration of the agreement. If no such notification is sent to MTVN, the contract automatically renews for a one-year period.

MTVN did not respond in time to be included.

Check out page 4 Perspectives

Be sure to also check the poll online at: spokanefalls. edu/ communicator

SFCC checks credentials of new faculty/staff upon hiring

By Alicia Villa

The Communicator This year, the vice dean at the University of Pennsylvania was found to have faked some of his credentials.

Doug Lynch lied about earning his master’s and doctorate five years before actually earning them in order to get a job at the university of Pennsylvania.

Due to the recent events of Lynch faking his credentials the Communicator began to wonder how the process works and how someone gets hired by a school of higher education.

According to Greg Stevens, the Chief Administration Officer for Human Resources of CCS, anyone who wishes to acquire a high position in a college or university must meet standard requirements to work for a school.

“Having a four year degree from

Higher One:

Company claims business practices already in line with report’s recommendations From Page 1

unforeseen problems arise in obtaining your money. One problem the report states is that there sometimes aren’t adequate numbers of ATMs, or worse yet, enough cash in the ATMs for all the customers. Another problem is the placement of the ATMs. If the machine is located in a building that is not open during school business hours, it may be impossible to access your money without paying a $2.50 “foreign ATM fee”.

So far, CCS has acquired three Higher One ATMs, one on SFCC’s campus and two on SCC’s. The ATM at SFCC is located in the lounge area of building 17, which is unlocked from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. The ATM will not be available outside these times.

an accredited school is the minimum requirement,” Stevens said.

Human resources will then receive the unofficial transcripts from the candidates and then the official transcripts from the school they attended to make sure there was no tampering.

“We look at the candidate’s attendance records, courses they took, grades in those courses,” Stevens said. “...just the basic information of their academic history.”

Human Resources then calls the schools registration office for a background check on the candidate and that concludes the process. However if the candidate is applying for a position such as a V.P. or President then Human Resources will hire an investigator from Air Factz to perform the investigation.

Air Factz helps small businesses, corporations, landlords, and schools across the country to find the best candidate for jobs and to make sure everything the candidates say is true.

The biggest players: One of the US PIRG report’s main recommendations for students is to “complain loudly and often on campus” when faced with a problem obtaining their funds. Several colleges across the country have re-negotiated contracts to eliminate fees associated with accounts.

Another recommendation is to “complain loudly and often to offcampus watch-dog groups if you encounter a problem.” Complaints of abuse and other concerns regarding federal financial aid can be made to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General. Their phone number is 1-800-MIS-USED. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also responds to complaints and questions at consumerfinance. gov.

Higher One’s response to the report states “(We have) been working with the US PIRG, and our best practices are well-aligned with those recommended by US PIRG in its report.”

Did You Know?: Viacom owns BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV and Rate My Professors.com

Source: cjr.org

For our opinion on marketing practices on students:

U.S. Bank has the most card agreements of all banks with: 52 campuses totalling 1.7 million students Higher One has the most card agreements of all financial firms with: 520 campuses totalling 4.3 students Source: uspirgedfund.org

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11/17/11 1:36 PM

3

Perspectives

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With the addition of Higher One to the list of private companies to which our college has outsourced specific services, it got us thinking about the different ways we are marketed to as students.

Many will say that there are great ways that private companies can provide or improve services the state might have trouble with, and that if they make a dollar so much the better for the economy. Others refuse the idea that private companies have any place in public colleges, upset about the growing number of deals being made. Here’s our thoughts on the matter.

Private profit has no place in public colleges

I

read the colin K-12 (though I fear to mention lege’s contract this aloud lest some soulless ad with MTVN exec hear), there shouldn’t be at (Music Television SFCC. With the buildings being put Networks) expectup, renovations being done, and ing to be surprised the hundreds if not thousands of at how much they computers on campus, I have a hard were paying us. time imagining that we were hard Instead I was surup for the cost of four medium size prised that they LCD TVs. Clayton aren’t.

If we bought them ourselves, Kraft I’d noticed that maybe we could do something MTV was always interesting with them. Play original playing in the sub content that goes on channel 19 when I went for lunches, but I’d figperhaps? That’s the public chanured it was what the kids who hang nel where most of student created out there liked. Turns out it’s because media content goes. Sorry students, SFCC is contracthey’d say now, tually obligated we’re busy listening to pump a con- “At what point will we to Rihanna’s new stant stream of it have to listen to CBS ads release in the sub. into our ears.

The point is that between lectures...this If you’re I think we could wondering the class brought to you by do a better job of TVs have to be Starbucks.” entertainment than on whenever selling our space to -Clayton Kraft the building is Perspectives Editor specific companies. open, they canWhen the audio not be muted or obscured, and we space is sold what’s to stop physical have no control over programming. space. First the billboards, then the To kick it off we aren’t being paid, wall space, the the computer screen MTV is basically loaning us the TVs backgrounds. At what point will I in exchange for college students have to listen to CBS ads between as a locked in audience. I’m trying lectures in class. “This class brought to think of why the college would to you by Starbucks.” agree to these draconian terms, but A lot of this is our ignorance all I can come up with is some old though, to be fair. As students if we guy saying, “Hey kids like the MTV, are annoyed by marketing madness they’ll love this.” like this we have to stand up and say Private companies marketing in something. I heard an instruction public spaces like this is nonsense. say he thought this kind of marketWe get enough of this crap out in ing was outrageous but that students the world. We see it on billboards would do the same thing they aland television, Pandora and Spotify ways do with stuff like this. Nothing. ads, junk mail and email. There’s As long these decisions come easy no end to the barrage of companies to of schools, with no pushback desparate to make a dollar off us, so or argument, the bar will just keep could it please stop where I’m getmoving. When we speak up is when ting my education? they’ll start thinking about what we There are no McDonalds ads have to say about it.

If it makes my tuition cheaper, go for it

I

Poll results What Viacom channel do you watch most?

A) Logo 9.09% B) Spike TV 9.09% C) Comedy Central 54.55% D) MTV 27.27% E) CMT 0%

It wasn’t that bad at first.

4

Vote online at www.spokanefalls. edu/communicator

Poll results from Communicator Online are unscientific and current as of June.

Ad

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The Staff

have no probThis is good, in fact, this is a great lem with prod- deal. It benefits everyone. The people uct placement, who made this deal made the right advertisements or decision. Which is why I am so exclusive contracts. confused as to why SFCC’s contract As long as I in some with Viacom, the company that owns way benefit from it MTV, Comedy Central and CMT, is that is. so pointless and lacking in integrity.

SFCC has several If you walk by the sitting area in exclusive contracts SFCC’s Student Union Building, you Lauren with various com- might notice four big screen TVs that constantly play MTV music videos.

Miller panies. Most of these pay SFCC for SFCC is forced, under contract, to having an exclusive never turn these off, never change the partnership and allowing these comchannel and never turn the volume panies to market or make sales to stu- down. I would have no problem with dents. The company that supplies the this, except for the school is getting food in the cafeteria and book shop, nothing out of the deal. The TVs are Sodexo, pays Community Colleges of not even ours. When our contract Spokane (CCS) a total commission of is up we have to give them back to $48,500 to be the only food availMTV. So I really don’t understand the able for sale on campus, apart from point of this contract. vending machines. This contract was Why don’t we buy our our TVs made after a bidding competition out of a tech fund and play student between several other food distribuproduced content? We have filmmaktors and Sodexo. ers and musicians and journalists in According to The College Facilthis school who would benefit and ity Use Agreement, “Sodexo Food enjoy having their content displayed Service Corporation, under contract to the student body. And I think that with the college, is the sole provider the student body would prefer that to of food services probeing constantly vided in the dining marketed to by “I am so confused as to rooms of Building a company that 17 at Spokane Falls why SFCC’s contract with has no interCommunity ColViacom...is so pointless and est in helplege.” ing students The Sodexo-CCS lacking in integrity.” succeed. We’re contract says that -Lauren Miller just marketing Web Editor statistics to them employees of Sodexo working on the campus get full and our school, for some reason, lets benefit packages. This is obviously a this happen. company that either cares about the I’m just very confused. If my people they work with, or at least school, my peers and I are not getting is fair and pretends to care. So I am anything out of this, I want no part happy with this deal. of it. On the other hand, if a comAccording to Rod Ramer, Purchasmission is being paid to the school ing Manager for CCS, along with the and that money is going to helping commission paid to the school by students, I don’t care. I like having Sodexo, the company made a donalow tuition and funding for clubs and tion to Student Activities. activities.

Ads were easily ignored, people could walk by and never notice...

Ad

Clayton Kraft | Editor

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“Where are we?”

Did You Know?: Ohio State University’s newspaper The Lantern just outsourced control of advertisment and business portions of their paper to Gannet Company Inc, a media organization that runs 82 daily papers.

Source: The Lantern

The Communicator, hopes to maintain a forum in which students are able to voice diverse opinions on campus-related issues.

The Communicator also aims to inform students about topics relevant to their education.

Editor-in-Chief Randy Breedlove Web Manager Lauren Miller News Editor John Lynn Focus Editors Allie Roberts Kailee Suender Sidelines Editor Gabriel Dillon Perspectives Editor Clayton Kraft Photo Editor Gina Ochoa Multimedia Ashley Hiruko Marketing Jennifer Bridges Adviser Jason Nix Writers Connor Nuckols Nick Boe Alicia Villa Tyler Kelsey Riley Armstrong Will Gilman Scott Brewster Photographers Jake Hansen Brad Lewis Staff members can be reached via email with the following format: sfcc.firstname. lastname@gmail. com Please Note The Communicator is an open forum that is entirely student edited and produced, with no prior review from the faculty or administrators of Spokane Falls Community College. Content in this publication is the responsibility of the student staff of The Communicator, and as such does not necessarily reflect the view of SFCC administrators, faculty, or the student body.

Individual student contributions to the opinion page or any other section of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board or the student staff of The Communicator.

First copy of an issue is free, additional copies are 50 cents each.

spokanefalls.edu/communicator

op-Ed

Lauren Miller | Editor

New Communicator Crossword puzzle

Fill out your answers and check them on The Communicator Online at spokanefalls.edu/communicator.

Farewell from Miller and Hiruko to SFCC and The Communicator This quarter ends my two years on the staff of The Communicator.

Hiruko and I are the veterans of this newspaper and now we pass the torch to Lauren Miller Ashley Hiruko Breedlove and Miltner. I began Web Editor Previous EIC as News editor here and Hiruko as Focus editor, but our obsessive need for control soon pushed us to become Web Editor and Editor-in-Chief.

Though stressful at times, we both agree that the last two years have been valuable not only because of all the things we learned and the experience we gained, but because of the people we had the opportunity to work with.

I had no interest in journalism before joining the staff, but it turned out to be one of the best choices of my life. I now go off to another school with journalistic and HTML skills that I don’t think I could have learned anywhere else.

Hiruko plans to continue at SFCC until she has finished her AA, but hopes to transfer to University of Washington later.

Like any workplace, The Communicator newsroom can be filled with tension and the occasional drama, but it’s amazing that for the last two years we have had the paper out and on the stands on time. It’s the biweekly miracle.

As our name suggests, this is a community. My peers and co-workers are amazing people and many have become friends that I hope to remain in contact with even as I move on to university.

Hiruko and I wish the new upper editorial staff luck and hope that they continue to maintain the quality of the newspaper that we invested so very, very much of our time in.

The ommunicator reader survey results

We, as a staff at The Communicator, pride ourselves on our nationally awarded newspaper. However, it has come to our attention that student readership levels are not as high as we would like. As as a result, we conducted and distributed a survey to the student body of Spokane Falls Community College to find out what readers want to see in their campus newspaper.

Some of the questions we surveyed students on were what types of content that they felt was missing or what types of articles they’d like to see more of. The results were that students wanted more ‘how-to’ stories such as cooking segments. We also found that students want more entertainment in their paper so we’ve added crosswords to our Op-Ed section. We found out that students prefer reading the news section over other sections, how frequently students might tune into our new podcasts and video newscasts, and what type of content students will look for in those news portals.

Reader comments and opinions are important to us at The Communicator. We are always looking for feedback that will allow us to continue making improvements and creating a quality newspaper.

C

This survey was conducted by SFCC Communicator students. This is a non scientific study that uses only a sample of SFCC’s student population.

-Lauren Miller

Did You Know?: Future issues of The Comunicator will have an Op-Ed page.

Source: The Communicator staff

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Sidelines

Gabriel Dillon | Editor Dirty Dash Race locations and dates Utah Spring June 2 Utah Corporate Cup June 2

Gabriel Dillon

The Communicator

This year’s Dirty Dash holds the promise of lots of mud and a bigger and faster Slip ‘n Slide.

Sometimes having fun can be dirty business and on Saturday, June 16, for the second year in a row fun will be combined with mud and beer.

The Dirty Dash (DD) has started what they hope will be a tradition in Spokane for many years to come.

The Dirty Dash is a fun run and obstacle course that will be held in Riverside state park at the equestrian center, which just happens to be in SFCC’s back yard.

People will be jumping over hay bales, climbing over walls, trudging through mud pits, jumping in the river, chugging beer, snaking through tunnels and running through tires.

These are just some of the obstacles Dirty Dashers will encounter during the race.

“The course for the Spokane Dirty Dash will have less distance and more obstacles this year,” said Cameron Ferre, who works with marketing and sponsorship sales for the Dirty Dash in the Spokane area.“We have also added a bigger and faster Slip ‘n Slide.”

The Dirty Dash started three years ago in Utah when Matt Ward, the head of marketing for the DD and a couple of friends in their thirties decided they were tired of their corporate jobs.

“We got our inspiration from the Camp Pendleton run in California that has been going on for many years,” Ward said. “And we decided

to take it to the next level.”

In the past couple of years obstacle course races such as the Tough Mudder, Warrior Dash and the Dirty Dash have started to become a popular trend.

“The Dirty Dash is unique,”Ferre said. “I’ve never done a race like this before. It’s not timed and I had a great time running through it ( the course).”

Where other obstacle course races are highly competitive the dirty dash is about having a good time. It's time to bring out the inner child that is begging to play in the mud.

“The biggest difference is we are just about having fun,” Ward said. “The Dirty Dash isn’t a timed race and you don’t have to be a runner to do it, it’s just an excuse to get out have fun and

Spokane June 16 Billings July 14 Oregon July 21 Dirty Dash | contributed photo

Tacoma Aug. 4 Colorado Aug. 11 Boise day 1 Aug. 25 Boise day 2 Aug. 26 New Mexico Sept. 8 Missoula Sept. 15 Utah Fall Sept. 22

drink some beer (as long as you’re 21 or over).”

“The Dirty Dash was probably the most fun I had all last summer,” Kurt Guillespi, who will be running the race for the second time this year said. “Who would have thought getting dirty could be so much fun.”

Although the Dirty Dash is held in many other cities besides Spokane, the organizers say that Spokane is one of the their favorite courses. “ I think the best part of the Spokane course is the river,” Ward said.

“We love Spokane's level of natural

beauty. It’s a real cool outdoorsy town, it’s like a hidden jem.”

For people with kids twelve and under there is the Piglet Plunge. The Piglet Plunge starts at 2 p.m. It costs $5 and is just under a mile of muddy fun.

“That’s what kids do,” Ferre said. “ They play in the dirt and mud.”

Last year was the first year that the Dirty Dash was held in Spokane and according to the organizers the turnout was much bigger than anticipated with almost 4,000 participants.

“This year will be bigger,” Ferre said.

“We expect to have over 5,500 Dirty

Suggested race attire short shorts Dashers.”

According to Matt Ward, Spokane had the biggest first year turnout for the DD. Due to the large turnout last year there ended up being major parking issues. The parking was overflowed and there were cars parked on both sides of Government Way up to Fort Wright Drive.

loin cloth (for men) old pair of stinky running shoes light wieght top

Rock climbers tout self-improvement benefits Scott Brewster

The Communicator

Hanging on to a rock for dear life and defying gravity is one of the many aspects that come into play when you go out rock climbing.

Rock climbing enthusiast David Whitt, who has been climbing for a year, climbs locally at least three times a week.

“What makes climbing so fun is when you are outside climbing and you are somewhere a regular person would not be,” Whitt said.

Whitt got his start rock climbing through while working on his education.

“What got me started in rock climbing,“ Whitt said. “Is I took a class at North Idaho College and I have loved it ever since.”

Chloe Van Zandt, regular at local rock climbing company Wild Walls,

is actually working on a degree in mountaineering.

“I started rock climbing because I was interested in mountaineering and rock climbing is a skill that you need for that,” Van Zandt said.

Rock climbing, according to VanZandt, isn’t just a physical experience.

“One of the benefits of rock climbing is that it gives you a unique perspective on life like what you can do and what you are capable of,” Van Zandt said.

Whitt speaks about some of the other benefits one gets when rock climbing.

“When doing rock climbing I feel like I get stronger and it gives you good discipline in your life,” Whitt said.

Scott Thompson, who has been climbing for three years, talks about

why he got into climbing.

“I got into climbing because I wanted more of an adrenaline rush and the overall excitement of rock climbing,” Thompson said.

Climbing also physically good for you.

“Some of the benefits I experience are improved flexibility, and strength,” Thompson said. “Also there is no feeling like the one you get when you complete an outdoor route for the first time...it is better than going to the gym in my opinion.”

Aside from the physical and mental benefits, rock climbing can also be fun.

“What makes rock climbing fun for me is when I get better and I am able to complete new routes,” Thompson said. “Also I like to show off to my friends and have friendly competitions with them.”

Did You Know?: Only 1 out of 320,000 climbs result in death.

Source: www.allclimbing.com

Local climbing spots

Minnehaha Cle Elum Deep Creek Post Falls Dishman Hills Tum Tum China Bend

Indoor climbing Wild Walls Epic at EWU Jake Hansen | The Communicator

David Whitt, a student at North Idaho college, topropes a route.

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Friday Ni At the Spokane County Raceway, drivers of all types of vehicles compete for bragging rights.

Tyler Kelsey

The Communicator The sight, the smell and the rush of blasting through a quarter of a mile pushing your car to the limit. Sounds too fun to be legal, but it is.

Every Friday night starting at 6 p.m., Spokane County raceway welcomes drivers of all types of vehicles to come and bring them to their track.

It does not matter if the vehicle is old or new, big or small, slow or fast, as long as it passes the basic inspections that make sure the engine and other

Ashley Hiruko | Editor

ght Race

s

mechanical parts such as drivetrain and axles are in good enough condition to be pushed to the limit.

“It’s basically to provide an avenue for kids to go that is a safe and regulated... a good resource to go and bring out (your vehicle) and race,” said Jim Black head of the program.

Not only are there normal Friday night drags but also drag races for high schools to compete against each other which start at 5 p.m.

These are designed to help students or even alumni since most schools have dropped their automotive departments.

“The high school races compete in the Summit EP series for a trophy,” Black said. “This way they are actu-

ally competing for a higher purpose in a national competition other than just for fun, they actually can win the official series.

“On a typical Friday night we could see up to 150 cars out on the strip.”

The cost is around $20 to start, since every vehicle must be registered for $5 and to race it is $15. It costs $5 to watch the cars race.

“The drag strip was a lot bigger than I had expected,” said Tanner Brooks, who takes his 2003 Ford Crown Victoria Interceptor to the drags as a recreational activity.

“The staff was friendly, and the other drivers were friendly, for the most part,” Brooks said.

Jake Hansen | The Communicator

According to Brooks, in some cases the kids with nicer cars can be a bit cocky.

“Overall the experience is fun and I love going out there with a few friends.”

“My first impression of the drag strip was that I wish I had a faster car to drag with,” said Chris Selway, a spectator of the drag races.

From just being a bystander, Selway said that he is very interested and will be going out there with his own car some day.

“It was cheap to get in and worth the money and entertainment,” Selway said. “It was fun just to watch all the different cars, and that is why I am hooked and will be back.”

Spokane County Raceway When: Friday nights Prices: $5 to watch $15 to race $5 to register Source: spokane countyraceway.com

Garland Street Fair breathes new life to historic district Garland Street Fair Date: Nov. 17 Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Location: Garland Street from Monroe to Howard Street Price: Free Phone: 509.327.2960

Source: garlanddistrict.com

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This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the Garland Street Fair Conner Knockols

The Communicator It’s always best to start at the beginning, and all you do is follow the yellow brick road to the 10th Anniversary of the Garland Street Fair, this August.

The Garland Street Fair will be held on Aug. 11, and wil have various activities going on throughout the day. Attractions include arts and crafts, face painting, games, comedy acts, street performers and live music.

The Wizard of Oz will once again be the theme of the street fair.

The inspiration of the theme came from shops on Garland Street like The Tin Man and Ruby Slipper. The

Amy Cutler, director of the Garstreet fair also garnered some inspiration from it’s coincidental nameland Street Fair, has been involved with putting the fair on for the past sake, Judy Garland.

A yellow brick road will be eight years.

“You feel like you step back painted and weave its way down in time,” Cutler said. “You feel like Garland and other side streets to vendors and booths, taking a visitor you’re in a small town.”

It was estimated that more than by more than 25 food vendors and activity booths set up for people to 25,000 people attended the event last year. check out.

Scott Cross “The first couple years we is a committee member for the didn’t really have a “You feel like you step back theme,” Scott Cross in time.” street fair and has been a part said. “It took us a -Amy Cutler couple to decide to Director of the Garland Street Fair of the street fair go with the Wizard since the very beginning. of Oz.” There will be look-alike contests All the proceeds from the carnival games go to Spokane Guilds’ for Dorothy and contestants will not only have to look like her but will School & Neuromuscular Center.

“We make about $1,500 to be required to sing “Somewhere $2,000 to donate to the school,” Over The Rainbow”. A munchkin Cross said, “We feel they are a good hairdo contest will allow fair goers organization that is in the Garland to show off their hair and a Toto look-alike contest is open to dogs area.” and people.

Committee members expect the 10th Anniversary to be the best yet.

“We’ve learned through the years on how to do it better and better,” Cross said. “It’s going to be fun.”

Did You Know?: It was estimated that more than 25,000 people attended the fair last year.

Source: Scott Cross, Garland Street Fair committee member

Jake Hansen | The Communicator

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Ashley Hiruko | Editor

New Health and Fitness Club approved by ASG

The newly-founded Health and Fitness Club plans to provide an outlet for active students and to share healthy living.

Alicia Villa

The Communicator The Health and Fitness (H&F) club is exactly what it sounds like, maybe more.

The club was approved by activities board and Associated Student Government at the tail end of last quarter and have been quick to host events, including the Bigfoot Battle that took place June 2.

When presenting their club to Student Activities Board and Associated Student Government (ASG), members came across some concerns. One of those concerns was the difference between themselves and the pre-existing Wellness club.

While SFCC has several sports teams, the H&F club provides year round events outside of sports teams.

“I think the Wellness club and H&F club overlap a little, but I think it’s important that we have a club that emphasises fitness,” said Vice President of Activities Sarah Howerton.

Another question raised was if the club would host group workouts in school facilities. At present, only students enrolled in Physical Education courses can use the gym because

they pay a lab fee.

“The H&F club members explained in their presentation that they could do outside activities or borrow equipment and use the track field,” said ASG IRP representative Sean Burright.

Founders of the H&F club wanted to provide an outlet for active students through group workouts and competitions.

“After a successful strongman competition in the fall, I thought it would be a really good thing to have a club for the Health and Technician program that could host bigger events,” said Kelly Mongan, intern to club adviser Travis Werner.

Gina Ochoa | The Communicator Not only does H&F club provide Club members Rose Bender and Michael Holmes do training sessions as club workouts. competitive workouts, they also want is experience I can apply to that to provide free physical training to Health and finds the club to be accomodating to career and I can include them in my students. his schedule.

Fitness resume,” said club member Hailey “The club wants to help the stu“(The school gym) is a good Club dent body,” said Mongan. “If we have Moore. place to work out, it’s never crowded Club members and Health and 30 members from the Health and and the training sessions are flexContact: Fitness TechniFitness Technician ible when working with my classes,” Travis Warner cian program program, that’s Holmes said.

“This club is different member Rose 30 free physical The H&F club is all about serious Phone: Bender called the fitness, but Mongan explained that trainers available because it provides a way 509.533.4105 for people to compete in H&F club “one to the student there’s no reason to be afraid. of the best health body.”

“This club is different because it Email: workout.” related clubs on Members of provides a way for people to compete fallshfclub@ -Kelly Mongan campus” because in workouts,” Mongan said. “Not the club will be gmail.com Intern to club adviser Travis Werner the wide variety able to use these everyone wants to play intramural of events and the amount of trainers experiences in their personal lives sports. available. and careers.

“Even if you’re slightly intimiSource: Kelly Mongan Bender’s client and fellow club “I want to be a teacher, so learndated by the competition, it’s meant Intern member Michael Holmes agrees, and to be fun.” ing how to organize these events

sum mer 2012 ewu

ewu.edu/summer

1.800.831.6114

Did You Know?: All club approvals first go through the Student Activities Board.

Source: Student Activities Board

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