Issuu

Baked With Love - SE student creates wedding pastries and aspires to join FBI Page 4-5

Wednesday, February 14, 2024 – Volume 37 • Issue 15

@tccthecollegian • collegian.tccd.edu

CHILD CARE

TCC’s Children’s Center hosts hat tea party

Rama Ajlouni/The Collegian

Children at the NE Childcare Center getting ready for their tea and cookies party while wearing their different hats. The kids were able to celebrate with their families.

Parents, children enjoy day of decorative fun, treats for participants OLLA MOKHTAR

campus editor olla.mokhtar@my.tccd.edu

Tea, cookies and hats were all on display for TCC’s Children Center Annual High Hat Tea Party on NE. At the beginning of the semester, every child has the ability to choose a topic to learn about. And on Feb. 9 it was hats and tea. The Children’s Center is open to the public on a waitlist process but it is also where many students, faculty and staff take their children to. For TCC police officer Donald E. Whiteside, seeing his child Dawson playing and running around the classroom was gratifying. “The interactions with the parents and the kids and seeing how they’re happy,” he said. “This is

what we all want.” Whether it be a lunch or a playground playdate Josh Mauldin, father of two-year-old Luc said the value of it is more than just having a tea party. “It’s more of just an effort that the teachers and the administration put into organizing something for the parents,” he said. “So it could be a tea party, it could be lunch, it could be a playground play day, it doesn’t matter what the event is, the fact is that they’re making an effort to do it and to organize it. That’s the value” Not only that, Mauldin said he feels inviting the parents benefits the children as well. “It’s just nice to see that first hand,” he said. “The biggest thing is just getting parents here, letting kids see their parents show up and

support them in an event. For all the kids, it just kind of makes the kids feel more supported like ‘Oh, there’s a school event and all of our parents are showing up,’” he said. Erica Flynn, mother of four year old Emery said that the reason why she brought her daughter to the facility was because she thought it was developmentally appropriate for her “I think the kids’ anticipation,” she said. “It’s just such a build up for them when they show up and their parents are here and they get to spend time with them. It’s a good bonding time.” The structure, the teachers and how attentive they were with the children is what attracted former student and former intern Millie Afeame to bring her four year old daughter to the facility.

...it doesn’t matter what the event is, the fact is that they’re making an effort...

Josh Mauldin Parent

Afeame said that while she always hears about her daughter’s friends, with the tea party she had an excuse to finally meet them. “What I experienced as an intern here, I would want everyone to experience. Every parent to have piece of mind when their child is

here,” she said. Child Center Teacher Erielle Casayuran teaches three and four year olds and said the tea party’s goal was to have families involved with their children. Casayuran explained that it is right around valentine’s day when they teach about kindness. She explained the tea party was an opportunity for the parents to learn more about what teachers plan on doing in the classroom next. “Like what are we doing next in the semester, what are we learning and how’s so and so doing. It’s more in depth with them.” She hopes that if the families and children took anything away from the event it would be that they are a community and like to be with the families and children, welcoming them into their children’s space.

ADVISING

New model for advising streamlines process As part of enrollment and retainment measures, students will be assigned an adviser until completion, a measure not implemented until recently. NE Vice President of Student Affairs Terese Craig explained that the goal for the college was to achieve pre-pandemic community and workforce numbers. One of the observed issues came from appointments and the individual’s situation. Where students once had to make an appointment and meet with a counselor, Craig said the investment of new counselors on campus to be assigned helps avoid a game of “Telephone” when having to re-tell a student’s academic plan to each new counselor. “Part of what we saw was that by the time a student was actually ready to register – and really should be seeing an adviser – they were

really confused, because they were given to anywhere from six to eight different advisers along the steps of the process,” she said. Because the college follows the National Academic Advising Association’s three goals and eight principles, Craig said the focus was understanding what a reasonable caseload looks like per adviser. Provost Shelly Pearson said that under the “One College” model, though TCC has many campuses, the main goal is to make the student experience the same across the board. This includes support, services and advising. “You don’t want to have one direction on one campus and then go to another campus and it’s a different direction, especially in advising but even in academics,” she said. “We need to approach our general operations consistently.” Since the COVID-19 pandemic that caused a deep slope in enrollment for higher education institutions, according to Pearson, TCC is beginning to experience a jump in

numbers, with around a four to five percent increase per semester. “We are coming out of this recovery period, and I’m very excited about that because we have a trajectory, our goal is 50,000 students by 2025,” she said. “Right now, we’re hovering in the neighborhood of 45,000.” She noted that the growth is good, but it is important to focus on planned growth. That is why with the implementation of assigned advising for students, there is a more stable structure. “We need to make sure that that student is not just an accounted number. We’re making sure that the students are progressing and actually finishing and completing their work,” she said. Completion can be defined as anything from graduation, certification or transfer. Craig explained that the roles of the advisers have been clearly defined between success coaches, enrollment coaches and assigned advisers, or career advisers. This

Lunar New Year Campus festivities honor spring celebration Page 2

New ‘Percy Jackson’ show This series bring to life the young Olympian’s story Page 6

Advising for students Assigning an advisor will be beneficial for student planning Page 7

HOPE SMITH

editor-in-chief hope.smith393@my.tccd.edu

Alex Hoben/The Collegian

NW Academic advisers Sarah DeVries and Hector Montalvo host a table in NW01 to help students find their assigned adviser. made it easier to identify the needs of the student during application for general questions and onboarding, and then afterwards with an assigned adviser for their larger goals and plans. Right now, she said advisers are being assigned a 350-450 stu-

dent caseload which varies depending on the campus. “We know every relationship is different, every student’s experience and needs are different,” she said. “But the access to a person who’s there for them shouldn’t feel different.”

Chance is cheap Magic 8 Balls and fortune won’t give you what you want Page 7

The Horn of Africa Pay attention to what is going on with the Gulf of Aden Page 7

NEWS

2 • Wednesday, February 14, 2024

LUNAR NEW YEAR

SE embraces celebration, bright colors AZJA FARABEE

student reporter collegian.editor@tccd.edu

SE Campus turned red with an event to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The Student Government Association hosted the event at the ESCT building on Feb. 8. SE student and SGA member Oforitsenere Bodunrin greeted attendees as they walked through the door. Though Bodunrin does not personally celebrate the Lunar New Year, she enjoys watching her friends participate in the holiday. “I would be there while they’re celebrating,” Bodunrin said. “It is just a fun, nice

thing to see. very colorful and fun.” The Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, is an annual event celebrated by China and various Southeast countries over the course of two weeks. Each year corresponds with a different animal, and this year’s zodiac sign is the dragon. “The dragon is a symbol of power, starting new beginnings,” SE student development associate Alex Searsy said. “Good luck, joy, prosperity, and the New Year.” The holiday is celebrated with family and friends getting together to have meals and exchange red envelopes. Red envelopes are given to relatives and contain money to wish the recipient good luck on the new year. SE student Ron Cuanang describes the amount of money differing from each family member.

The Lunar New Year Celebration offered foods, such as egg rolls, fried rice, herbal teas and almond cookies. Traditionally, families will celebrate by eating round foods because it symbolizes wealth and fullness. “We eat loads of round foods and moon cake,” Cuanang said. “I mostly remember deserts.” Families who celebrate while living in smaller communities will go to Asian centered hubs to join the festivities and be able to honor the Lunar New Year with others, where additionally there are food vendors, entertainment and live dragon dances. In Vietnam, Tam Ho, SE Student and Senate Chair for the SGA, mentions they have the week off from school to go home and catch up with family and wish them luck

for the new year. “On the first days we have traditional food we eat,” Ho says. “In the afternoon, we go to family’s house. We just say hey and talk to them then we play board games.” Searsy says that they did their best to stay true to the culture by having Chinese and Vietnamese students come in as consultants for the event and asked them questions to gain insight on how families who celebrate to share some familiarity with the other students. “They get to share their culture with students from everywhere, and they get to participate as well. So it’s really fun, everybody learns about everyone’s culture,” Searsy said.

Illustration by Hope Smith/The Collegian

NW uplifts Chinese culture, symbolism

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student reporter collegian.editor@tccd.edu

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Student Activities celebrated the Year of the Dragon at NW Campus Feb. 7, with a display that offered students the chance to learn about the Chinese Zodiac with gifts that symbolize prosperity for the new year. “ I t ’s s y m b o l i c o f p o w e r, confidence and intelligence. Eastern people believe these are characteristics of the dragon which is why they want to celebrate it and be together,” said Panya Chaibulom, Student Development Coordinator at NW Campus. “I want students to know more about the Chinese Zodiac. There are 12 animals in it, they can learn what year they are and after they can find out more information. I also want them to know why oranges and red envelopes are given out. There is meaning in that as well.” Chaibulom explained that the word “orange” in the Mandarin language sounds similar to the word “wealth”, causing the two to become entwined as a symbol of fortune, making it a popular gift to celebrate the new year. The red envelopes are typically filled with money that is representative of good wishes and fortune for the year to come. The meaning is not only found in the currency that is gifted, but also in the color of the envelope itself, red is considered a lucky color in Chinese and other

Eastern cultures. Student activities replicated this custom with chocolate golden coins inside their own red envelopes. “Showing different cultures to other people allows people to be more educated about different things, I definitely didn’t know about Year of the Dragon, but now I do, and I feel like I have more insight on that kind of thing now,” said NW student Aaron Trevino, who is also a member of Student Activities and a now proud Year of the Horse representative. TR student Brittany Frye said she was happy there were free snacks and that the atmosphere and attendees were so welcoming. “I think it’s so important to learn about everybody’s culture including one that you have probably never heard of because we’re all in this together,” she said. Student activities also offered a raffle for participating students with the prize being one of two stuffed dragon plushies. Students that participated should anticipate an email notifying them whether they won the sole remaining dragon sometime within the week.

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4 • Wednesday, February 14, 2024

The Oreo cupcakes tha make a delicious and l

Student, baker shares her passion NINA BANKS

managing editor nina.banks@my.tccd.edu

This aspiring FBI agent has a passion for baking. SE student and criminal justice major Emily Harbaugh was exposed to baking early in life. Her mother, Heather Harbaugh, wanted to be more conscious of the food she was giving her kids, so she started baking her own bread. Very quickly, Heather took note that Emily liked to be independent in the kitchen. “She has never really liked much instruction as a kid,” Heather said. “[I gave] her space to explore.” When she was 10, Emily and her best friend began selling cupcakes to her mom’s friends and neighbors. When she was 12, one of her customers reached out to ask if she could bake macaroons for her wedding. Since then, she has baked for several more weddings and events, like birthday parties. Her biggest order to date: 250 desserts. In terms of the difficulty of events, weddings take the cake. Brides can be crazy, Emily said. “It’s hard, which is why I’ve only done it for friends,” she said. “There’s an understanding of I’m still learning, and they have an understanding too. I do want to start selling to people or doing weddings for people that aren’t friends. I love [weddings] because every bride is different. So, I get to do some-

Photos by Alex Hoben/The Collegian

SE student Emily Harbaugh uses her culinary techniques every day. thing very specific, and it’s different than what I’ve ever done before.” Being homeschooled allowed her to nurture her passion for baking, she said. In her junior year, her mom decided to sign her up for dual credit classes at TCC. There, she decided to take a culinary class to see if it was worth pursuing.

“I fell in love like, this is what I’m doing,” Emily said. She took strictly culinary classes her entire senior year. Harbaugh was enrolled in SE culinary instructor Allison Hodges’ classes. Hodges quickly became “more than just an instructor” to her. “She definitely has a natural talent for it and always has,” Hodges said. “Some of her early cakes were very, very good.” She is a joy to have in class, Hodges said. “She has such a great personality,” she said. “She is always bubbly, always eager to learn. That is the type of student you are always looking for.” In addition to her side business, Emily works 45 hours a week at La Madeline, is a full-time student, Student Government Association secretary and still manages to get eight hours of sleep every night. She doesn’t know where the time comes from. Heather accredits it to the fact that Emily only does things she loves. “Whatever she is passionate about, it gets done,” Heather said. “If it didn’t interest her, she wouldn’t be able to do it.” Emily hopes after she feels fulfilled in her career that she will open a bakery or an Italian restaurant. Baking is more than just a hobby, it’s a passion she said. “There’s love for what I make,” Emily said. “I do think that when I make something that I don’t like to make, it will never turn out as good as something that I do later to me, if that makes sense.”

Wednesday, February 14, 2024 • 5

at Emily Harbaugh makes are one of her favorite desserts to bake. She has perfected the recipe to take an ordinary cake mix and, with her own twists, layered cupcake that has not only cookie crumbs in the batter, but also the cream in the buttercream whip topping and even an Oreo on the bottom.

For decorating the cupcakes she takes crushed Oreo’s and sprinkles them over the buttercream whipped on top, and finishes it with an Oreo piece.

, e v o l n i t l l a e h f w “I s is ” , g i n h i t o d I’m Em Har ily bau gh SE s tud ent

ENTERTAINMENT

6 • Wednesday, February 14, 2024 MOVIE REVIEW

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Learn more about Admissions, Housing, Finacial Aid and Scholarships. Preview Academics and Student Services. Tour the campus.

New ‘Percy Jackson’ show is entertaining NINA BANKS

managing editor nina.banks@my.tccd.edu

When I was in fourth grade, I was best friends with a girl named Anna. She was exceptionally smart, and everyone knew it. “You know, Anna has read all the Harry Potter books,” my mom remarked while on a weekly trip to the library. “Those books are so big too. What a smart girl.” I took that as a challenge. My Twinkle Toe clad feet and stomped over to the shelf that housed the books and whipped open the cover. I got to page four and was severely underwhelmed and decided that the books were highly overrated. So now, I am a Percy Jackson fan and Anna is at Columbia University. I was obsessed with the Percy Jackson series. I read the books, I had a Pinterest board of fan art and begged my mom to send me to a camp — which was basically glorified role playing. So, like the rest of the fan base, I was tickled pink — or should I say blue — when I heard Disney+ was adapting the books into a show. Here’s a controversial take that may have me in a ditch with trident prong holes: I liked the movies. The rest of the fandom disagrees, emphatically. Yes, they weren’t accurate and Rick Riordan, the author of Percy Jackson, didn’t like the movie, calling it a “bad idea” in a letter to the producers of the film. But you cannot deny the iconic Lotus Casino montage shifted tectonic plates from its sheer brilliance. This time, Riordan was fully involved in the creation of the show. And it shows. Percy, Annabeth and Grover were each selected by Riordan himself. The TikTok comments under edits of the trio couldn’t say it better myself, “It’s like they shook the book hard and the three of them fell out.” The chemistry of the entire cast with one another is palpable on and off-street. Walker Scobell, who plays Percy, and Leah Sava Jeffries, who plays Annabeth, are able to serve the perfect amount of witty comebacks without coming off as forced or bitter. Aryan Simhadri plays Grover, the satyr protector of Percy, and mediates their verbal back and forth with the correct amount of awkward attempts to keep the peace. Perhaps the biggest error of the movie was that Percy and Annabeth were aged up to

Photo courtesy of Disney

Percy Jackson playing capture the flag at Camp Half-Blood. 17. Which is wrong, give or take five years. In the books, Percy and Annabeth are 12 years old. The show did right by casting actors their age. The show deviates from the book towards the end of the season. However, all the changes felt seamless and added to the suspense. It kept the book fanatics and newbies on their feet alike. I cannot commend the cast’s performances enough. Scobell presents the perfect amount of dry wit and sassiness while delivering angst in the heavier scenes. I can’t be that surprised, he did play a young Ryan Reynolds after all. Jeffries delivers as well, playing into Annabeth’s guarded personality. Virginia Kull plays Percy’s mom Sally and if you told me they cast Scobell’s actual mother, I wouldn’t have been surprised. Their mother-son relationship was so visceral. And you could feel the weight of the world — literally — resting on Sally’s shoulders. The show was brilliant, and I’ll be tuning in for every season, no matter how long it takes to get through the books. Hold fast Perseus.

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OPINION

Wednesday, February 14, 2024 • 7

EDITORIAL

Assigned advisers will help student success Having an assigned adviser could be like having a best friend, minus the boy talk. To make the advising experience personalized and streamlined, all students now have a specific adviser to schedule appointments with. Overall, the new advising system should improve students’ advising sessions. Being able to have one go to adviser seems efficient because students wouldn’t have to spend time each session bringing a new adviser up to date. Their “friend” in the advising office would already know their students’ goals and thoroughly understand their academic history. For freshman or first time students, having an assigned adviser could make the experience feel less overwhelming and more manageable. While figuring out where the bathrooms are on campus might be a struggle, hopefully knowing who to talk to about classes wouldn’t be. The college implemented the new advising system to better demonstrate the “one college” idea. The sentiment means that there should be a unified system committed to supporting the needs of all students. To keep students at the college, it was decided that all students would be assigned an adviser before they step foot into the classroom and until they graduate. The new system will most likely be helpful for those who need a reliable person to quickly turn to when they have a general question about

Tj Favela/The Collegian

classes or registration. For information pertaining to transfer requirements and graduation, having an assigned adviser is more than likely to create a streamlined experience for students. There’s also potential for stu-

dents to achieve a level of comfortability with their advisers that they may not been able to have visiting a different one each time. If they’re struggling with adjusting to college or need someone to talk to about a class that isn’t their professor, having

someone to talk to that you can put a face to a name may be the one thing students don’t have to feel stressed about. For the most part, the new advising system sounds beneficial for students, but like a bestie, there could be

potential issues down the line. Some students may have had to “kiss a lot of frogs” before feeling like they had found an adviser that best met their needs. And while that experience may not have been great, at least they had the freedom and relief of knowing they could simply schedule an appointment with a different person next time. According to NE vice president of student affairs Terese Craig, avergage caseloads for advisers will vary depending on the student population of a campus. While this seems completely reasonable, will students be able to receive the quality time they need during their advising appointments? And will advisers be able to manage potentially having around 350 students to assist on a personable level? Additionally, students may not be able to change advisers after already being assigned one. Maybe they can, but nonetheless, it’s a valid concern. And what about wanting guidance about a specific major? If the adviser a student is assigned knows very little about what that student needs and doesn’t, couldn’t that affect what classes they’re suggested to take? While there could be a few bumps in the road, the “drive” should be a lot smoother for students needing general assistance. Who knows? Maybe more students will find themselves in their assigned adviser’s office talking about boy problems after all.

VIEWPOINTS

If you know what you want, why leave it up to chance?

Somaliland’s youth in need of more humanitarian action

person’s life. Excuses need no limit on how to stall progress. This is why the importance of taking control of your life is so valuable. While the prospect of letting chance dictate the future feels less like a burden, it is destroying one’s own autonomy to truly decide what they want. If you did what you actually wanted – within reason – you might find that the fear you experienced before slowly dies out. It takes snuffing it out like a candle flame to know what it’s like to not be afraid of the future. I knew my answer without needing to consult fortune during so many crucial points in my life and I regret waiting for something to tell me I could have it, do it or say it. After it is said and done, all you can think about is what you could have done differently. Truthfully, you may never see the right time if you decide not to look for it. Sufi Poet Jalaluddin Rūmī once penned the phrase, “What you seek is seeking you.” This is the English translation of the original seven-century-old Persian text, but slight tweaks to the language depending on translation really does not change the meaning. It’s the idea that your own wants are not disconnected from you. In some ways, I have to believe the phrase could be true. You have to already know what you want, so chance deciding for you is going to sideline receiving what you want by opting for self-complacency. Waiting for something to happen after the stars align and the heavens open with a chorus of angels makes it all extraordinarily complex and not worth more trouble than needed. If you are going to take anything as a sign, take this column. I cannot predict the future or make decisions for you, but if you are considering choosing for yourself instead of chance, my answer would be, “You may rely on it.”

zure of assets; aerial strikes destroyed 90% of the city of Hargeisa, Somaliland. He was responsible for the massacre of 200,000 members of the Isaaq tribe. There are numerous mass graves. On May 18, 1991, Somaliland regained its sovereignty and has been a peaceful nation in a volatile location. It remains a safe country with political parties, parliament, currency, police, hospitals, schools, and military. Somaliland also has democratic elections, with a voter registration system, so every person’s vote is equally represented. Most of what people hear about Somalia has been about “Black Hawk Down, piracy and Al-Shabab none are present in Somaliland. Today, Somaliland’s recognition goes beyond politics but is a humanitarian right for the people of Somaliland, especially for the population 3.5 million of which at least 70% are younger than 40 years-old, 65% of youth are unemployed, their health, education, and employment are being held hostage by the lack of recognition by the outside world. The MOU and international recognition will give them the chance to make a better life for themselves and their families. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, put out statements denouncing the MOU and his speeches have incited violence in Somalia and in the diaspora against Ethiopia and Somaliland. There was a meeting at a mosque in Minnesota where clergy publicly called for a “jihad” on Ethiopia and Somaliland. The west, mainly the U.S. and U.K., have stated that an African Country would have to be first to recognize Somaliland before they did. This MOU will seal the deal. After 30 years, it’s long overdue for the world to recognize Somaliland’s Independence from Somalia, just like South Sudan from Sudan and Eritrea from Ethiopia and allow them to continue to build their country with the same power and resources as other countries.

HOPE SMITH editor-in-chief

hope.smith393@my.tccd.edu

I shake a Magic 8 Ball at my desk when I want a silly question answered that I already know the answer to. It’s helpful for a quick lunch decision and even more pleasing to see “Without a doubt,” show up on the little blue screen when I get the greenlight for something I had already decided on. In fact, I shook the ball before writing this. “Outlook good,” it prophesized. The funny thing about it is the sheer insignificance of the 8 Ball. It has no motive. It is not wise. The world would not burst into flames if the 8 Ball disintegrated into a dust pile and no one could ever reach for it to know if their crush likes them. The concept of “the right time” is guided under the same principles an 8 Ball does for decision making. It is entirely up to chance. If the 8 Ball was omnipotent then maybe the world could benefit, but it is not. It is just plastic. When we put our trust in things that cannot – do not – understand our lives, we are opting out on opportunity because we let chance dictate. Chance is cheap because the fact of the matter is you know your answer. The fact you are thinking about it means you have an answer. This does not need to apply to cheap fortune teller tricks, but to everywhere else in a

FOUSIA ABDULLAHI campus editor

fousia.abdullahi@my.tccd.edu

We should all be paying more attention to the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden now more than ever. On Jan 1, Somaliland President Musa Bihi Abdi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed signed a Memorandum of Understanding. An MOU is a non-binding agreement between countries stating they will form a partnership on an issue. In this case, Somaliland agrees to a 50year lease of 12 miles of Naval access to the sea to landlocked Ethiopia in exchange for recognition of its Independence, infrastructure development, and business investments. The controversy is that neighboring Somalia is heavily opposed to this partnership because they are against the recognition of Somaliland and have a one-Somalia policy. On Jun. 26, 1960, British Protectorate Somaliland became independent. Only five days later, it united with its neighbor Italian Trust territory and Italian Somaliland to become the Somali Republic. This bilateral agreement to unite never became legal because neither party signed the paperwork. In 1969, Siad Barre took over as a leader in a coup. His regime was a brutal dictatorship, so much so that between 1987 and 1991, he committed genocide of the Isaaq tribe who came from British Somaliland. This was done through summary executions, political imprisonment, torture and sei-

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Hope Smith Nina Banks

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8 • Wednesday, February 14, 2024

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