March 27, 2024 TCC The Collegian

LeBlanc speaks with campus

Students, staff give recommendations, feedback

FOUSIA ABDULLAHI campus editor fousia.abdullahi@my.tccd.edu

Chancellor Elva LeBlanc held listening sessions with NE students and employees on March 29.

The meetings are how the administration listens to the recommendations and grievances from students and employees.

NE Interim President Jan Clayton opened the sessions by introducing LeBlanc and taking about her history here at TCC from student to now chancellor.

“She has an understanding and an appreciation of your experience as students, including the challenges and the barriers that you tackle as you work to achieve your educational goals,” Clayton said. “It’s central to how she leads and what she expects from us as faculty, staff and administrators.”

Many of the district administration leaders attended the event and participated in the discussions with students.

“The student voice is extremely important to us,” LeBlanc said. “We do send out surveys to students about scheduling of classes and about their experience in the classroom.”

Students shared their experiences and opinions, some expressing gratitude for supportive staff and others wanting a system that addresses problems between students and faculty.

At the start of the session, LeBlanc noticed that the students didn’t look comfortable and suggested that they separate into multiple groups. Students had an opportunity to share their ideas with the administrators.

“This event was meaningful to me. I felt like I was being heard and understood,” said NE student Sarah Johnson. “Being heard makes me feel very welcome. And I actually have a place at TCC.”

Student Marina Maranto, who is presi-

NORTHEAST

dent of the Neurodiversity Club, shared her perspectives, highlighting the need for more education on accommodations and a more personalized approach to interactions between neurodiverse students, faculty and staff.

“I would like our SAR department to reach out to high schools and help transfer our neurodiverse students from high schools to TCC, because it’s very scary to go from high school to college,” Johnson said. “It’s just very overwhelming.”

Students said they enjoyed the more intimate group discussion, instead of speaking on a microphone.

“I definitely noticed that more people in my group had more to say,” Maranto said, “and I was very excited that need was immediately recognized and fixed. I’m looking forward to seeing what changes they implement from our conversation.”

TCC is currently conducting strategic planning and would like feedback from stu-

The student voice is extremely important to

Elva LeBlanc

dents and staff on issues that are important to them, even if these issues wouldn’t take effect until after they graduate.

Maranto said in the future she would like more student representation at the event.

“They need to be bigger and louder,” she said. “I would love to see these filled, maybe in the Center Corner.”

One way students and employees can

give feedback is by filling out the anonymous district student survey, which allows them to provide more details about their concerns.

After the student session, the chancellor met with staff and faculty to discuss their concerns and recommendations.

Some raised the need for more employees, as well as student employees, to help with the workload. Others discussed the need for upgraded buildings and the ongoing technology issues that many are facing daily.

Angela Lockhart, a Learning Commons associate, said she felt more heard than at the last listening session she attended last year.

“I appreciate that there is going to be an email sent out so that we can anonymously respond in more detail and after some more thought because a lot of times it is really hard on the spot and in front of everyone to say everything,” she said. Wednesday,

Ramadan in a new community

FOUSIA ABDULLAHI campus editor fousia.abdullahi@my.tccd.edu

Some Muslim students are celebrating Ramadan differently this year because they have been displaced by war.

In Ramadan, which is one of the five pillars of Islam and the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, which means abstaining

from eating, drinking and having sex during those hours. In Islam the Quran was sent down during Ramadan and most people try to complete reading the Quran during it. The month is also about prayer, fasts and acts of charity. Billions of Muslims across the globe

DISTRICT Funds for child care approved

OLLA MOKHTAR

campus editor

olla.mokhtar@my.tccd.edu

Due to an increase in demand, the board is granting an additional $185,000 to support childcare services.

In the March 21 board meeting, trustees approved the action item to increase funding to TCCD’s Child Care Assistance Program for Career and Technical Education. This program allows eligible student parents access to certified, high-quality childcare facilities with funding from the Perkins Basic Grant. The federal grant allocated $1,961,468 for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. In the Fall of 2022, Learning Care Group Inc., a provider of early education and care, entered into a contract with TCC that allocated $65,000 as an amount that can not be exceeded. While the amount was below the threshold of needing board approval at the time, the amendment to the contract will exceed that with a new total of 250,000. This requires board approval.

An increase in demand for the Spring semester led this effort to supply 30 more student parents for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

“Any funds that we are not able to spend, we have to send back to the coordinating board. That’s why we do amendments throughout as needed,” said Issac Rivera, district director of curriculum and educational planning.

Not long after trustee Shannon Wood became a young mother she became a single mother too. She said she wished this would’ve been around when she needed it and is glad that she can offer it to others.

“I want to bless others like I was blessed,” Wood said.

Each year, prior to the college’s registration for the fiscal year, incidental fees are reviewed, said Pamela D. Anglin, Chief Financial Officer. This includes non instructional costs and fees like the third party vendor costs including one from the American Red Cross. Each department in the district reviews their respective fees and alerts the college for any increase in cost. They found that the Certificate for First Aid and CPR/AED, usually $36, did not adequately cover the institutional cost the college pays the American Red Cross. It is now $38 for the 2024-2025 academic year.

In other news, TCC surveyed other peer community colleges for their costs in replacing diplomas. They were less than TCC’s, so Anglin also requested a decrease from $30 to $20 to be similar.

Additionally, the Texas Association of School Boards, to which TCC is a subscriber of, drafts policy for every independent school district as well as most community colleges in Texas which is separated into two parts: the local and legal.

TASB’s Update 46 reflects laws passed by the 88th Texas Legislature as it pertains to SB 17 and HB 8 on prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The board passed the local policies for prohibiting DEI in administrative organizations, vendor relations, equal employment opportunity, equal education opportunity in accordance with the law.

Tj Favela/The Collegian

Women STEM with greatness at seminar Industry insights are presented during EmpowerHER online event

She said another reason for the seminar was bring awareness to the lack of women in the STEM industry.

With Women’s History Month wrapping

Last

“The idea with this panel was bringing together professionals, and especially women leaders in industries, who are making a name and really advocating for women to become a part of these fields and career paths,” she said.

DISTRICT

“There’s still such a movement to grow,” Hitz said. “[We want to show students] The idea that, yes, women can also become a part of STEM.”

She added that the push for women in STEM isn’t as strong as it should be, at least when compared to other states and communities.

“It was such a male dominant industry for so long, and it’s growing exponentially in some ways, and other places, especially I think, around here in North Texas, it’s still a growing idea,” Hitz said.

While the industry still has room to grow, in its current form it offers unique strengths for people in the field, according to TR IT learning management system administrator Natalie Gamble.

“What’s motivating to me is the flexibility STEM careers offer,” Gamble said. “You get to use, you know, creativity and technology and you can work remote.”

As the panel drew to a close, guest speaker and vice president of operations at Fulgent Genetics, Doreen Ng, shared four key lessons she learned over the years in the hopes students could take away some useful insights.

“Number one, I think you we need to know our passion, doing what you like, it’s a passion, and doing what you don’t like, it’s stressful. It’s a key ingredient for success from my perspective.”

The second lesson is found in learning and mastering empathy, she said.

“People are the expense of any business you are in, and you cannot really attain sustainable success, if you do not think about other people and empathize with them.”

The third lesson comes in finding wisdom, she said.

“Being smart is good, but I think being wise is better,” Ng said. “I think being wise helps you better prioritize your time, your effort and energies towards things that really matters, right, so that you can continue to improve, or seek opportunities to optimize and advance.

TJ Favela/The Collegian

“The last lesson emerges with focus and time, she said.

“Don’t give up. Right? Remind yourself every day you need to be patient and be persistent in the effort that you choose. And keep yourself focused and stay on the course of action.”

Faculty inspire women to pursue STEM careers

KEYLA HOLMES campus editor keyla.holmes@my.tccd.edu

Ruth Gallardo has always been interested in science. However, the NE student decided to pursue art when she registered for classes.

Her reasoning – not feeling confident in math.

“Math has always been one of those things where I’m like, ‘I’m just not good at it,’” she said.

Within the last six months, Gallardo has taken biology courses that have caused her to reconsider her hesitations. She’s had super

engaging professors that seem to really care about what they’re teaching, and to top things off, they’ve all been women, she said.

“It just reminded me that I can do it if I want to,” she said. Based on the CNBC article, ‘I don’t think I would be good at it’: Gen Z girls far less likely than boys to feel they belong in STEM,’ Gallardo would be outnumbered.

Despite Gen Z boys and girls learning the same curriculum, 85% of boys are likely to say they’re interested in STEM topics while only 63% of girls were, according to a survey from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation.

Debra Scheiwe, NE assistant professor of biology, is used to hearing female students

during lab say they’re not good at math, have never been good at it and hate it.

To close the gender gap, Scheiwe thinks it’s important to expose all young children to all the possibilities, she said.

Schewie has sons, but now that she has a granddaughter, she loves taking her to science museums.

“Little girls should grow up with this mindset of ‘If I’m looking up at the moon, I should go,’” she said. “But if no one takes them to NASA or checks science books out of the library then how would they know it’s a possibility?”

Schewie didn’t come from a background where those close to her had attended college, she said. Her mother suffered from a mental illness, and she had obligations to her siblings.

However, one middle school science teacher saw something in her, and encouraged her love for science.

“It was because of her that I took AP classes in high school, looked into college and considered science as a career,” Schewie said.

Kimberly Campbell, NE math instructor, also felt supported growing up when it came to developing her interest and skill set for math.

“I was lucky,” Campbell said. “I had a father who was a builder and welder, and he always included me in the things he did, which included a lot of hands-on math.”

Campbell also had a lot of female math

teachers in her life who weren’t disinterested or ineffective, she said.

“Just an interesting thing to note, 11 out of 19 of our full-time math faculty are female, so almost 60%,” she said.

Gallardo thinks that oftentimes, girls saying they’re not good at math is a selffulfilling prophecy.

“If you decide you’re not good at math then you’re not going to try to be good at math, so you’ll never get better,” she said.

Gallardo advises students to shift their mindset so they’re open to trying.

“I may not be good at math, but I’m going to try and work at it because my passion is in the STEM field,” she said.

Women may feel like they need to be the best at something to be taken seriously, but Gallardo wants girls interested in STEM to know that it’s OK to not be at the level of Albert Einstein, she said.

“You just have to be willing to have setbacks and make mistakes, but you learn from them,” she said with a smile.

“Sometimes it can be embarrassing and stressful, but you really do just learn from it.”

Having a support system is an important aspect of building confidence to pursue a career in STEM. Gallardo is grateful for her parents’ attitude about her switch from arts to science, she said.

“My mom was like, ‘What do we need to do to get you to that point?’ because they just want to see me succeed,’ she said. “They just want me to be happy and fulfilled.”

Interest in STEM topics from Gen Z students

Jerry Swinney/The Collegian Gen Z students are exposed to the same curriculum, yet more boys are drawn to STEM subjects than girls, according to a survey by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation of 2,000 students aged 12 to 26.

the U.N. says that there is a 35% increase in people affected by violence compared to the previous quarter.

Fasting for the first time in a new place is difficult for many people because of a lack of a support system or the community they are used to practicing Ramadan with, as well as the time duration changing and getting used to a new environment.

Salma Mustafa, an NE student, said Ramadan is a good month because of the com-

Mar. 27 International Spring Festival

10:00a.m.-2:00p.m.

About: Enjoy cultural performances. giveaways, free food

Where: NSTU Courtyard & NADM

munity aspect.

“We can do our chores and study together. It’s barakah [blessed]. I hope everyone gets peace. It’s difficult for all of them. They are suffering, and we are suffering with them.”

Many people use this time for worship, self-reflection and as a habit reset.

“Worship is my favorite, I can do a lot of prayers and read more Quran,” said Salma Mustafa

Another student, Yusra Sayed, a new NE, studies here with her sister, Salma Sayed. Both are new to college life. They know people in Sudan who have been displaced.

“Thank God we are here”, said Sayed. “We are ok and there is no war, and for them, it’s so hard because it’s Ramadan and the war. It’s going to be so difficult for them. We just have to make dua for them [say a prayer for them].”

In the fall of 2023, during a president’s listening session, a student brought up the need for a space on campus.

Vice president of student affairs Terese Craig said, “We had a student who requested that we identify space where students might be able to gather to have some privacy for any type of reflection, prayer, etc. And that had been on our radar as a college, but the student requested that event really brought it to the forefront.”

Cara Walker, director of student development services, said the campus has been made aware of the need.

Thank God we are here. We are ok and there is no war, and for them it’s so hard because it’s Ramadan and the war.

Yusra Sayed NE student

“What was intentional with our Interim President, Dr. Clayton, is making that serenity room space for students of various faiths to be able to pray and meditate, to be able to do that in a secluded space and have that privacy.”

In NE, the room is located in NCAB near the podcasting and lactation rooms. It

Spring Event Calendar

Apr. 4 Ramadan Celebration & Iftar (RSVP required)

7:15p.m.-9:00p.m.

About: Evening of education, celebration and multiculturalism

Where: TRTR Action Suite A 4202

Apr. 5

Annual Spring Plant Sale

9:00a.m.-5p.m.

About: Horticulture students share their knowledge and love of plants with you.

Where: NW05 near North Parking Lot

Apr. 8 Eclipse Watching Party

11:00a.m.-2:00p.m.

About: Learn about the solar eclipse. Free eclipse glasses.

Where: NW05 Lobby & outside area

is a quiet space for students to meditate, do yoga and pray or for neurodivergent students to use when needed. Each campus has a space open or is working on opening one.

“It’s great because they give you the opportunity to practice your religion, because prayer as a Muslim is the first thing,” said Sayed.

The room has a Q.R. code that goes to a form that students need to fill out each time to request a time to use the room. It’s best to give a 2-hour notice since someone has to come and open the door. It’s usually Amy Edgell’s assistant to Cara Walker or Stacy Herrera’s assistant to Vice President Craig.

The room accommodates 3-4 people at a time. With health and wellness in mind, the school provides hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes. While the room has little décor or furniture except for a table and two chairs, students can bring their Yoga or prayer mats or anything else they need. Still, each student is responsible for taking their items back with them.

“I hope that across the district that students feel supported and welcome,” said Craig. “And that they belong in that space, even though we don’t have it decked out with, you know, it’s whatever you need to need it to be as the user who’s reserved for that time period.”

Apr. 10 International Day of Pink

11:00a.m.-1:00p.m.

About: Celebrate worldwide day of anti-bullying and anti-homophobia

Where: NW01 Lobby

Apr. 1 Therapaws

2:00p.m.

About: Take a break from the stress of the day by petting therapy dogs.

Where: TREF Library Fish Tank 2105

TR Campus exhibit showcases artwork winners

NINA BANKS managing editor nina.banks@my.tccd.edu

TR Campus is hosting student work in the East Fork Gallery. An opening reception on Mar. 23 kicked off the exhibition — packed with attendees, snacks and lively music — and will be on display until May 2.

TR art professor Janae Corrado chose which pieces to be displayed. The exhibit gives students a chance to have their work displayed on a larger stage and for community members to explore up-and-coming artists, she said.

“We artists — I think most of us are self-conscious about what we produce by nature,” Corrado said. “So, it’s affirming to be able to have it in formal gallery space and see it, and then hear other people like talk about what they like about your work. There’s not a feeling like that.”

TR student and artist Carmen Pineda supported her friends featured in the gallery, including TR student Xo. She gravitated towards the piece “The Chainsaw Man, Hero of Hell” by Paul Sanders due to its anime inspiration.

“It’s amazing,” she said. “I’m also very anime inspired, and they did a great job on it. I love the use of color. The minimalist part of it really makes it pop if you ask me.”

Xo’s prompt for their work was glitches. Though the concept was initially intimidating, they were proud of the result.

“I really enjoyed this prompt, because I thought it was going to get the best of me and I wouldn’t be able to do anything with it,” Xo said. “But social media really liked it, I really liked how it turned out, my friends liked it, so I didn’t I think I did pretty good with this piece.”

Pineda is glad to see students having the chance for their work to be platformed in the Fort Worth art scene.

“The fact that the school would put this much guarantee their students,” she said. “I’m actually from Arlington, so most of the time, a lot of the local exhibits would be just local artists like in downtown and sometimes they’d have stuff from AISD — all the students would go there. So I’d be really interested to see what Fort Worth has to offer.”

TR student Jakob Brown derived inspiration from learning about the German Revolution, which was sandwiched between the first and second World Wars.

“I felt like it was very impactful and a very big problem we have in history, we just gloss over this” he said. “How many people have died in these revolutions, or in these tiny uprisings or in these tiny moments that we just forget because they are in between two massive world wars.”

Brown is not an art student and creates art as a hobby. He hoped this exhibit encourages aspiring professional artists and hobbyists alike to create and put out their work.

“I think art as a whole is a very human thing,” he said. “I think the beautiful parts about humanity, on paper on film on whatever it is. And I think that’s an essential portrayal for humans. And really, whatever your background is, whether you’re invested in art, whether you’re doing as a hobby like I am and you’re not involved in classes, it’s a powerful way to convey messages, very powerful way to convey emotions, and just general humanity. Anyone’s anyone that wants to be involved in art, loves art, loves displaying that humanity, absolutely, I think should come to the TCC art exhibit.”

Photos By Alex Hoben/The Collegian

“June” by TR student Rama Amin. This piece is made with oil paint and depicts a woman in leisure.

“Look, It’s Mona Lisa” by Faizy Pham. The piece is made of different paint color swatches.

“Memoirs of an Alcoholic” by Denys Guerrero. This oil painting depicts a skeleton with wine bottles.

“Del Otro Lado Del Portón” by Alejandro Nerio Garza depicts the conditions migrants crossing the border face.

Women deserve to be humans in media

These

three films depict women in all situations of reality, emotion

NINA BANKS managing editor nina.banks@my.tccd.edu

Film is a medium that allows the audience to make sense of the various complexities of human personality. It can give a spotlight to all kinds of morality, from good to bad to gray. There’s also space to give this depth to groups that tend to be overlooked.

Women are often restricted from being in touch with the more difficult aspects of their personality. There are certain unspoken expectations of being graceful with their pain and reasonable with their behavior. The importance of seeing difficult, unpalatable and misunderstood women in media is that it can create an understanding of the repressed emotions women carry as they navigate these harsh expectations.

These emotions can be quite isolating but seeing them in a film can provide a sense of comfort. It is a reminder that human pain is hardly ever unique and that there is a place for the emotions we feel the need to hide. The following three films humanize complicated women without any sugarcoating.

The importance of seeing difficult, unpalatable and misunderstood women in media is that it can create an understanding of the repressed emotions women carry as they navigate these harsh expectations.

Repressing emotions that are not pretty to look at is an isolating experience. It stagnates growth and limits meaningful insight about oneself in relation to the world.

For someone to be in control of who they are, they must be comfortable with the parts of themselves that are ugly and hard to look at. Women are expected to hold desirability as one of their biggest priorities, which makes it hard to gain this control.

When a film uses a non-traditional woman to subvert what a woman is expected to be it can help women process parts of themselves that are difficult to accept.

It acts as a reminder that desirability is not meant to be constant. The ugliness and conflict that exists in everyone should be acknowledged so that it is possible to control it.

Women may believe they carry certain feelings in isolation, but human pain is hardly ever unique and the following three films humanize complicated women and feelings without any sugar coating.

‘Vagabond’ (1985)

Director: Agnes Varda

“Vagabond” opens with a woman who we will come to know as Mona, dead in the ditch. The film moves on to depict eyewitness accounts of who Mona was given by people she met before she died.

Standoffish and brash, she is not made out to be a sympathetic character. Her appearance is rough, with unwashed hair and grimy hands. The viewer might disapprove of her actions and her lifestyle or even pity her.

In one scene, Mona is drunk in a train station and causing a commotion. She is stumbling and incoherent without regard for others. There is a rawness to her actions, as she acts solely on impulse. This portrayal of Mona is humanizing in its own right. We are confronted with the fact that women have the capacity to be messy and jarring, and it doesn’t have to be redeeming or acceptable.

There is no moral arc for Mona. Her actions are as they are, whether you approve of them or not. The authenticity of characters like Mona can push us to get in touch with our own emotions, even the ugly ones.

‘A Bride for Rip Van Winkle’ (2016)

Director: Shunji Iwai

The film’s protagonist, Nanami, is as lonely as they come. She lacks meaningful connection in her life and spends her days in an apathetic haze. After a chaotic series of events she meets Mashiro, another woman lacking direction. The two of them have opposing personalities. Where Nanami is quiet and reserved, Mashiro is eager and bold. They form a quick bond and fill a gap in each other’s lives.

In one scene, Nanami and Mashiro are lying side by side in a dreamy bluelit room. They are in wedding dresses that they got for their impulsive, makeshift wedding.

Mashiro quietly tells Nanami: “You know, whenever I go shopping, the person at the counter puts my groceries into bags. For a nobody like me, their hands,

they’re working so hard. Those hands are stuffing my food and snacks into bags. When I see that, I feel my chest tightening. It makes me want to cry.”

Mashiro is describing a feeling of alienation. She’s left out of the world in so many ways, so any indication that she may still be a part of it brings up strong emotions.

This film focuses on aimless, lonely and rejected women. A state of being that often leaves women feeling hopeless, lost and scared.

When there are characters to relate to that display and verbalize this kind of detachment, it can be a relieving breath of fresh air for women in need of connection. It can be a reminder that the world is vast and there are people who share your deepest fears.

‘A girl walks home alone at night’ (2014)

Director: Ana Lily Amirpour

This film follows a lonesome vampire called The Girl. She interacts with the world in many ways. She likes to skateboard, listen to music and practice her eyeliner. One of her favorite pastimes though, is stalking and killing the men who abuse their power over women in the town she lives in, Bad City.

Acting as a vigilante or guardian angel for the women of Bad City gives The Girl an edge over the helplessness that seems to run her town.

Her appearance is stark. She wears a long body-length chador and sports lethally sharp fangs. She is unyielding with the people that she targets, direct and brutal. She appears seemingly out of nowhere and makes her presence inescapable until she deems that there is justice.

Women like The Girl paint a picture of autonomy that can be energizing and exciting. It can create firm resolve in powering through doubts about taking up space and asserting one’s presence. When we see women unapologetically demand respect, it tests our own boundaries of what is possible as we move through the world.

Illustrations by TJ Favela /The Collegian

U.S. citizens need more education on taxes

The US tax system can be intimidating for many. It is not common to be taught how to file taxes and it is something most people figure out on their own. Simplifying taxes would make it easier for people to comply with them and understand how they work.

Tax legislation in the US is convoluted and makes filing taxes burdensome. This can make taxpayers who do not understand the rules feel isolated and untrustworthy of the system.

Due to the unnecessary complexity of these laws, it makes filing taxes a time consuming and expensive process. Those who cannot afford professional tax advice get the short end of the stick.

To create a more straightforward system would lead to a smoother experience and more compliance for taxpayers.

Companies like TurboTax have taken advantage of the mystery surrounding tax laws in the past. Taxpayers under a certain income level can file their taxes for free. Through misleading adverts TurboTax made it very difficult to reach the part of their site that allowed for this. This trapped qualifying taxpayers to pay for their services.

Many taxpayers make mistakes when filing taxes due to the long list of rules in the US tax code that are not common knowledge. Yet, every year the Tax Code gets more and more complex.

There are over 800 IRS tax

forms. They can be connected and leave a confusing paper trail to follow. Figuring them out without professional help is daunting and difficult and leaves taxpayers no choice but to spend money. If tax laws were more focused

on being easily understood it would create more trust in the system as well as save taxpayers a significant amount of time and money.

The National Taxpayer Advocate says that using uniform definitions in the tax code is one recom-

Tj Favela /The Collegian

mendation to achieve this. The increased accessibility will create the base for taxpayers to be more confident in their ability to file taxes. Maximizing your tax refund is also made difficult if you do not understand how tax laws work. This

leads to the system favoring taxpayers that can afford to get help and leaving those who cannot at a disadvantage.

A big reason people don’t comply with filing their taxes is because they do not understand how it works. The IRS should take steps to make the process smoother and geared towards the taxpayers instead of policy interests.

Implementing education that would explain the process of filing taxes may also make the process less overwhelming to those filing for the first time.

As taxes are required for most people, spending time going over how they work is practical and useful. Being prepared for them may help in making them less confusing. There are groups that advocate for taxpayers and the simplification of the Tax Code to make the process less burdensome. Groups like The National Taxpayer Advocate are working to create an easy to understand tax process in the US.

Paying your taxes can be daunting but there are resources online to provide some clarity. There is a widespread understanding of the complexity of US tax legislation and many articles go into breaking it down to make it more accessible.

Moving forward, there needs to be changes made to the tax system so that taxpayers can have more trust in the system as well as be able to save their time, as well as their money.

I was scared of dogs. Now I’m that annoying dog person The mall gets old. Arlington needs more places for fun

BANKS Managing editor nina.banks@my.tccd.edu

Somewhere on my mom’s laptop exists a photo of a 2-year-old me with my — then loose — curls pulled into two buns with those soft, fabric hair ties so you don’t pull out baby’s three strands of hair. My smile is gummy as I am sat next to a golden retriever puppy sniffing my hand — literal moments before disaster.

That puppy proceeded to bite my hand. Not hard, probably, who knows? I was two after all.

Despite me not remembering the moments afterwards when the dog’s owner pulled him off my chubby fingers or my mom scanning her firstborn’s hand for any scratches, from that day on, I developed a deep-seated fear of dogs.

I was cured semi-recently when we adopted Bella, a 6-month-old terrier mix who resembled an overgrown chihuahua, in 2017 when I was 13. Before that, we never had any pets. This never particularly bothered me as I never gravitated towards animals. Unlike my younger brother, who begged every major holiday for a dog.

through. The pet conversation was quickly shut down by reminding my brother that our rental house didn’t allow any dogs.

This didn’t stop him from being around dogs. In a miracle of all child safety regulations, he befriended every single neighbor with a dog. As my mom loaded the two of us in a car on the way to school, he’d be greeted by a neighbor whose dog he pet last week.

Bella was a reward to my brother from my parents for patiently waiting all these years. He picked her himself. She was riddled with separation anxiety from being taken back to the pound two times within her six months of life.

My dad recounted the day he took my brother to the pound to look for a dog.

“There were dogs who were smiling and wagging their tails,” he said. “Bella was shaking like a leaf. I think your brother has a hero complex.”

The day after Christmas in 2021, we adopted a pit bull and named her Winnie. I look back to the days when I would go to my friend’s house and have to ask them to put their dog in a different room, and now I have the “scariest” dog breed.

My mom perhaps had the most growth. As the militant cat person she is was the parent who didn’t really want the dogs, and is now obsessed with them. She bathes them with a loofahs, buys them memory foam dog beds and cooks them a special meal every holiday. And we always have sweet potato on standby if they are every irregular.

As someone who’s considered Arlington their home for most of their life, I wish teens had more free or affordable activities.

When my best friend returns from UT Austin for any of the breaks on the school calendar, we, of course, get together to catch up. Sometimes we talk about relationships while walking around the Arlington Highlands, and other times we talk about professors at The Parks Mall, but after that, we’re kind of at a loss about where to go next. We try our best to be creative. We think maybe we should go for a walk at a park? How about a picnic? However, unless the weather is optimal, these aren’t always solid options.

This reality results in us going to Target for fun or getting together for a meal because other than that, there just isn’t much to do. Any activities we do end up thinking of, end up costing money.

I do recognize that maybe this is just our problem. Painting can be an inexpensive activity to do with friends. Movie night at someone’s house, walks at a park or even roller skating are all fun things to do too.

some sort of meet-up spot with their friends where other people from school or work hang out as well.

For young adults in Arlington, I feel like “our place” is The Parks Mall, but what do you do after you’ve gone in every store a billion and one times?

Not to mention, The Parks Mall has become increasingly unsafe for teens. It seems as if fights are breaking out every weekend. On Dec. 29, a shooting at the mall resulted in arrests and a lockdown, according to CBS News.

Teens under 18 also must be accompanied by an adult, 21 years or older. The rule is for those hanging out at the mall Friday-Saturday from 12 p.m. until mall closure, according to The Parks Mall website.

So where does that leave young adults under the age of 21 who can’t enjoy a glass of Moscato at a bar?

This leaves my best friend and I staying in and trying to think of an activity. We’ve gone to Fort Worth to enjoy Sundance Square and other streets in the city with strips of food and clothing store options.

When out and about in Fort Worth, I’ve realized that part of the issue with Arlington is that it’s not exactly a place I’d describe as walkable, and this plays a role in Arlington not feeling like there’s a strong sense of community.

Especially now that spring is here. Enjoying the fresh air while walking in and out of boutiques, maybe with ice cream, would be nice.

It wasn’t an issue of my parents’ dislike for animals. My dad grew up with pets of all species — including a piranha named Mr. Fishy and a bulldog named Fleabag, and my mom has been a cat person through and

Letter Policy

PHOTO/MULTIMEDIA

I have taken a long departure from my former self. I now constantly show people pictures of my dogs, talk about them or answer facetimes with the closest dog to me. And perhaps worse of all, I am now the person who always assures people to “not worry, she’s friendly.”

However, I think the issue stems from us wanting to go out and experience some sense of community without having to plan to attend an event in advance. I think of popular shows like Lizzie McGuire and iCarly featuring teens and I envy the fact that they all tend to have

Meet the Staff

Arlington will always be a city I think of as home. Despite not feeling as if it’s a place that encourages community among its teens, I hope groups of friends create spaces themselves and spread the word.

I wouldn’t doubt that there are corners of the city where teens meet up and connect, but if it isn’t talked about, no one will ever know. VIEWPOINTS

NINA

KEYLA HOLMES campus editor keyla.holmes393@my.tccd.edu