collegian.tccd.edu
The wicked witch of New Jersey PG. 6
Wednesday, March 10, 2021 – Volume 33 • Issue 20 News
Feature
Entertainment
Opinion
Editorial
NEW TR CAMPUS PROGRAM Support program aims to help students. PG. 2
A SPRING IN YOUR STEP How to make the most out of your mini-vacations. PG. 3
A HAUNTING NOVELLA Historical fantasy inspired by the lives of real women. PG. 6
THE AIRWAVES ARE POLLUTED Just because you can talk doesn’t mean you should. PG. 7
MASK OFF Call it how it is. It’s dangerous. PG. 7
Azul Sordo/The Collegian
People dine outside, maskless, at Tex Mex restaurant Mi Cocina in Fort Worth. As of March 10, businesses in Texas are allowed to open to full capacity after mandates lifted.
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Texas leaders receive criticism and praise Abbott lifts state mask mandates, causing some concern for TCC students, staff and faculty LYDIA REGALADO campus editor
Tarrant County businesses have been able to choose whether they want to implement certain safety measures for one week now, but Gov. Greg Abbott said Texans do not need the state telling them how to operate. “COVID has not suddenly disappeared, COVID still exists in Texas and the United States and across the globe,” Abbott said. “But it is clear from the recoveries, from the vaccinations, from reduced hospitalizations and from the safe practices that Texans are using that state mandates are no longer needed.” Abbott said there is an advantage of being able to perform over 100,000 COVID19 tests per day, and hospital numbers can be kept down with the advancement of therapeu-
tic drugs. About 7 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered and as of Tuesday the number of people fully vaccinated was over 2.4 million, according to Texas Health and Human Services. NW criminal justice professor Kristi Hearn said she is concerned about the mandates being lifted because of the COVID-19 variants found in Houston. The Houston Health Department announced Monday that their wastewater has shown an increase of the U.K. variant of the virus — known as B.1.1.7 — since it was last tested in February. This may suggest an uncontrolled spread of a more contagious form of the virus. The data comes just as mask mandates have lifted and before spring break. Different variants have been found since the virus was first detected in China and can have different effects, such as spreading from
“If a place is packed, then yes, I will wear a mask, but if it’s just a few people, probably not.” NE student Kristina Randerson
person to person faster, according to John Hopkins Medicine. The most common variant detected in the U.K. — B.1.1.7 — made up 60% of new COVID-19 cases in December and is the predominant form of the coronavirus in some countries. The Houston Health Department and
Houston Water began testing wastewater for the common strain of the virus in May of last year to identify patterns and outbreak areas. Even if people are asymptomatic, the virus can still be detected in feces. “Texas is behind on vaccinations per See Abbott, page 5
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Staff members teach students vital skills for their academic careers ALYSON OLIVER senior editor
The NE Library’s Virtual Research-AThon provided students the tools they need to conduct successful research for papers, projects and more. The Research-A-Thon consisted of four sessions each dedicated to a different topic — finding ideas, databases, search engines and plagiarism. NE public services librarian Bonnie Hodges led the session on finding ideas. “Everybody rarely realizes how large, how broad their topic is,” she said. She showed attendees how to analyze a research idea from different angles so it can be narrowed down to a more specific topic. “You can say, ‘Well, my paper’s about gun control,’ but what is it about gun con-
trol?” she said. “Because if you just start talking about that you’re gonna go on for days.” She demonstrated how to use the TCC library’s resources to begin researching a topic, such as dictionaries, academic articles or eBooks to reference. She also explained the differences between various types of resources such as popular versus academic and primary versus secondary. NE assistant director of library services April Martinez led the session on databases and showed attendees the front page of the TCC library website and how to navigate to the school’s article database at no extra cost. TCC has over 100 databases available to students, she said. They are listed both alphabetically and by subject. Students who are still searching for a topic can look through databases such as Gale See Research-a-thon, page 5
TCC/Special to The Collegian
The NE Library Virtual Research-A-Thon included sessions on finding ideas, databases, search engines and plagiarism to educate students on research.
Page 2 • March 10, 2021
News
The Collegian
TRINITY RIVER
Program provides safe haven to students
Julie Amon/Special to The Collegian
The learning lounge for TRIO Student Support Services is across the hall from the main TRIO office. The room will be used for meetings, tutoring and planning.
Students in need are provided academic and social support with new TR Campus program LINDA PUGA
campus editor
A TRIO Student Support Services program has been added to TR Campus, combining passionate students with supportive staff to help them reach their academic goals. The program offers academic support and advice, a safe environment and opportunities for engagement and connectivity, vice president of Student Development Services Julie Amon said. “I hope that Trinity River students feel that they are part of a close-knit family who cares about them, their experience at TCC, their learning and success,” she said. TRIO SSS programs have successfully helped first-generation college students, low-income background students and disabled students for over 50 years she said. After receiving the grant to start the program, Amon said they began hiring staff, spreading the word and recruiting interested students.
“The entire first year will be spent in accomplishing all these important tasks while we begin to bring new students into our program and serve them,” she said. TRIO staff began recruitment back in January with information sessions presented to faculty and staff, incoming students at New Student Orientations and those attending Welcome Week activities to fill the 140-student capacity for the program, she said. “Our outreach efforts have resulted in a good number of referrals and applications already, but we have plenty of room and are excited to see more of both,” she said. With the application process underway, remodeling has begun in a new space close to the Student Accessibility Resources Office and Science Learning Lab. Students will be able to utilize the space specifically for this program when on-campus instruction returns, Amon said. These renovations include new carpet, paint and furniture, with technology and signage coming in the next few months. TRIO recently announced the new program director after a series of finalist inter-
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views in November where students had the opportunity to attend and give feedback on each candidate. “We have an awesome and incredibly diverse student population and I look for team members who appreciate the strength that diversity adds to our community,” Amon said. One of the students who participated in the finalist interviews was New Student Orientation peer leader Katie Beard. “I saw the opportunity and when I investigated the responsibilities that the director holds, I became excited to be able to take part in that process and give a student’s perspective of what issues may be important,” Beard said. After attending two applicant interviews, Beard found the most important quality she wanted in the new director position was a strong team leader who has a passion for student support. Although she had never heard about the program beforehand, Beard left the interviews feeling like she could highly benefit from TRIO’s services, in addition to thinking
other students could use a support system like this on campus as well. Weeks after the interviews were conducted, Amon welcomed Chasity Alexander as the new TRIO SSS Program Director. “I was looking for someone who, in addition to the above qualities and characteristics, shared a deep understanding and connection to students who come from the TRIO SSS target student population,” Amon said. Being a first-generation and low-income college student herself, Alexander identifies with the struggles her students are facing and believes in the TRIO program’s ability to lead them to success. Before taking on this role, Alexander served as the TRIO SSS South coordinator for eight years and worked with mentors Trichele Davenport, current TRIO South director, and Dr. Sharron Crear, former TRIO South director, during her time at TCC. “I believe my experiences with students, faculty and staff truly opened up the opportunity and motivated me to continue to reach higher,” Alexander said.
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Student story accepted to Private music lessons hit high notes with students international magazine LOGAN EVANS
campus editor/photographer
There is a link between writing stories and playing music, NE student Amanda Ochranek said. A violinist of ten years and a fiction writer of three, she uses narrative arcs to inform her playing. “When playing a piece, I try to see the story,” she said. “If I know why it was written, great. If not, I try to come up with something and use whatever emotion comes from that in my playing.” But lately for Ochranek, the influence has flowed in the other direction — and to a positive result. Drawing from her experience as a musician, she wrote the short story “Speaking Through Sound Waves,” which was recently accepted for publication by Toronto-based literary magazine Scarlet Leaf Review. “This is quite rare,” said associate professor of English Rebecca Balcarcel. “Only a handful of students in my 15 years have had literary magazine acceptances, that I know of.” “Speaking Through Sound Waves” follows deaf violinist Allison and a romance she forms at university. The idea first came to Ochranek when she considered how much music relies on a musician’s ability to analyze the sound they’re making. “What if you couldn't do that?” she asked. To help flesh out her characters, Ochranek often builds backstories that include personality quirks and family life. She was able to bring Allison to life using information learned in a TCC sign language course. “There’s a difference between Deaf with a capital D and deaf with a lowercase d,” she said. “Allison would be deaf lowercase be-
cause she wasn’t born deaf.” Writing a deaf musician, Ochranek was presented with the unique challenge of writing descriptively about music without actually describing sound — a method she used to place the reader inside of her character’s mind. Rather than relay auditory sensations, Ochranek refers to the physical feel of Amanda’s instrument and the vibrations she feels while playing. Because of her deafness, Allison plays her violin with colored tape stuck along the fretboard, a device generally used to help beginners learn finger placement. Ochranek draws a strong contrast between this detail and the high level of Allison’s ability by having the character learn a rigorous piece — Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. “You don’t even know how many times I was listening to the Tchaikovsky concerto during writing,” Ochranek said. “I started picking out certain sections and thinking ‘How would I describe that?’” Ochranek first grew interested in writing through a Harry Potter fan-fiction project. She was then inspired to branch out and explore original ideas. While she hopes to continue writing as a hobby, Ochranek plans to pursue a degree in criminal justice or psychology. “I’m thinking about eventually being a profiler,” she said. Fittingly, Ochranek is currently working on a fan-fiction of the TV show “Criminal Minds” alongside her other original works-inprogress. According to their website, Scarlet Leaf Review aims to “encourage the appreciation of contemporary literature and art and expand the world of readers.”
JANINE SHUMAN campus editor
Students searching for a way to unlock their musical talents and pick up a new hobby can look no further than TCC. NW student and instructional aide Natalie Tejada encourages students to take advantage of the musical opportunities TCC offers to all students. “Any student can enroll in private lessons, Orchestra, Choir, Music Theory, Sight Singing classes, and other Music education classes,” Tejada said. “These classes can count for any extracurricular credit.” Tejada and NW instructional aide Catherine Livesay both believe TCC is the best option for students embarking on their musical journeys. “I definitely recommend taking them at TCC versus another institution because the staff at TCC have the most outstanding credentials and can accommodate any student whether they have been playing for years or just getting started,” Tejada said. Those deterred from achieving their musical dreams because of the exorbitant price tag attached to private lessons may find solace. “TCC also has the most affordable tuition rates compared to other institutions,” Livesay said. “A typical private piano lesson can cost from $40-$60 or more per hour, but the in-state tuition for 16-week hour-long private music lessons at TCC only costs $128.” Tejada, a music therapy major, has considerably benefitted from her musical abilities. “There are countless benefits to learning an instrument such as cognitive improve-
“There are countless benefits
to learning an instrument such as cognitive improvement, a means to express creativity and build confidence in oneself.” Natalie Tejada
NW student & instructional aide
ment, a means to express creativity and build confidence in oneself,” Tejada said. “It has given me a passion and purpose to express music through my own soul and heal others through music.” Due to COVID-19 precautions, most of these opportunities have gone virtual, but vice president of the NE Music Club Jaylen Harris believes TCC’s music department has handled the transition gracefully. “At first, online classes seemed undoable, since music is such a hands-on experience,” Harris said. “However, with time and initiative came significant adjustment, which led us to where we are today: able to function in the same or arguably a better capacity than before.” With the pandemic forcing many to stay inside more, Harris believes that music is good company. “This pandemic has forced us to get creative and innovative, and while pushing us out of our comfort zone, it allowed us to grow,” Harris said. “Many have risen to the occasion of taking music classes during these times and it is a commendable feat because the difficulty and commitment level in many areas has increased.”
The Collegian
Feature
March 10, 2021 • Page 3
Safe Spring Break JOSE ROMERO AND STAYCE PETTIES senior editor and campus editor
COVID-19 mandates were lifted March 10 in Texas, but the Center for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing, so TCC faculty, staff and students have given ideas for safe activities during spring break. The weather forecast predicts sunny skies for the majority of the week, and there are plenty of socially-distanced outdoor activities. Drive-in movie theaters have risen in popularity during the pandemic, according to NPR. Coyote Drive-In, located in Fort Worth, offers traditional Hollywood films, and Fun Movie Grill Drive-In Theater in Irving has a mix of Hollywood and Bollywood showings. Volleyball, ping pong, tennis and golf are all sports not requiring players to be closer than six feet, and it’s a way to socialize. Eagle Mountain Lake, Marion Sansom Park and Quanah Hill in Fort Worth are all outdoor trails with stretches of land for hikers or mountain bikers to traverse. Rental company Backwoods Paddlesports will offer kayak, paddleboards and canoe rentals starting March 13 at Panther Island on the Trinity River. Reservations can be made directly through its website. On vacation rental company Airbnb’s website, there’s a tab titled “Experiences” where users can type a location and discover which events or activities are happening nearby. From historical locations to stress management and reiki healing, there’s a variety of options to choose from. Some plan to stay in and watch movies. The action movie genre is on the docket for TR student Marie Conley and NE library specialist Samantha Kayem. Conley plans on watching the film adaptation of the video game, “Monster Hunter.” Kayem wants to watch Hugh Jackman’s final outing as Wolverine,“Logan.”
NE librarian Bonnie Hodges shared movie streaming sites TCC offers. Feature Films for Education, Swank Digital Campus, Alexander Videos Online and Digital Theatre Plus can all be accessed via the database links on the library’s website. TV crime dramas and mystery are the associate professor of history Peter Mart i n e z ’s t o p g e n r e picks. “Bloodline,” “Broadchurch,” “Happy Valley,” “ U n f o rg o t t e n , ” “The Killing” and “The Sinner” are some shows he recommends watching along with reruns of comedy s h o w s such as “Seinfeld” and “The Office.” “Crime dramas help provide an escape from everyday stresses, and they keep your brain active,” he said. Historical dramas “Downton Abbey” and “The Crown” were NE student Kristina Randerson’s picks. For viewers not looking for something as serious, she recommends the classic comedy show “Friends” — a show she said she quotes “all day, every day.” Staring at a screen for prolonged periods can cause eye strain, retinal damage and nearsightedness, according to Harvard Health Publishing. To stray away from using technology, an assortment of books was suggested. Conley plans to finish the book “Master of One” by Danielle Bennett and Jaida Jones. It’s a young adult fantasy about a thief sent on a suicide
mission to retrieve a relic for the queen after a guard caught the character stealing. Randerson shared her two favorite books, “North and South” by Elizabeth Gaskell and “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte. She said she enjoys reading about strong women pushing themselves ahead for a better life. Also, the city of Fort Worth’s website and Eventbrite have a list of local events.
Illustration by Amber Davis /The Collegian
News
March 10, 2021 • Page 4
The Collegian
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Marvel Studios begins phase four rollout
Photo courtesy of Disney
Marvel’s plan for theatrical and television releases for the next few years was revealed July 20, 2019 at San Diego Comic-Con. The next film to be released is “Black Widow.” JANINE SHUMAN campus editor
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has drastically evolved across the decade, and so has its fanbase with 6.5 million people tuning in to watch the universe transition into phase four with the latest hit show “WandaVision”, according to Forbes. The post-“Avengers: Endgame” universe is different from the one fans have been accustomed to for the last 13 years. Despite this change, TR Film Club president Devin Jones commends Marvel’s execution of the transition. “Honestly, it’s impressive how they’ve managed to continue to make us
feel even after ripping out our hearts a few years ago,” Jones said. Associate English Professor Johansen Quijano attributes Marvel’s success to various constituents. “As far as the storytelling, when taken as a franchise the MCU has done some of the most sophisticated storytelling in film,” Quijano said. “While each movie works as a superhero film, they also work as something else, which is why people don't get bored of them.” As the first installment of phase four comes to an end, fans are left questioning the future of the franchise. “Is the series setting up Wanda to be the next Big Bad? What happened to Real Vision after Fake Vision unlocked its memories?” Quijano said. “All these
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Blackboard is out, Canvas is in style
Canvas to become new course delivery system MARY MATURO campus editor
TCC released information on Feb. 22 regarding the upcoming switch from the current Blackboard course system to Canvas. Canvas is primarily used as a course manager for students and educators. The transition announcement came almost a year after the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted most courses to be delivered online. The past year has been primarily taught virtually through Blackboard. Staff and students are familiar with the site, but not used to solely using it. Its multipurpose design has served TCC for several years and is used by student organizations and campus support services as well. The upcoming transition to Canvas has come as a shock to some students. Although an email announcement was sent out, it is not known if the entire student body received the news. TR student Valerie Jarure is a freshman at TCC and has spent her first year immersed in an online college experience. When Jarure discovered the upcoming switch to Canvas she said she didn’t know it was happening. “I will say, I’ve learned how to communicate with my peers and colleagues,” Jarure said. Other students were concerned
“I feel like moving online in general was a hard adjustment”
Kristian Mustafic TR nursing student
about the change. TR nursing student Kristian Mustafic, like others in her program, has seen drastic changes to her courses. “I feel like moving online in general was a hard adjustment,” Mustafic said. “We are getting into a good rhythm” She is not at all excited about the change, she said. Mustafic added that students in her program were still learning where to find valuable support systems, such as supplemental instruction. TR student Maria Granados is open to the change, but is concerned about the timeline. TCC is waiting until next semester to implement the transition to Canvas. Although no exact date of the switch is confirmed, it is stipulated that the Canvas system will be in place for the Fall 2021 semester.
questions are left unanswered so that the fanbase can follow the narrative through into the other movies. It's a technique called Transmedia Storytelling, and Marvel has pulled it off spectacularly.” While NW student Dylan Remington enjoyed the hit series, he feels some elements could have made it better. “WandaVision was great and I loved the mind-bending segments,” Remington said. “Although, I feel like they ruined Agatha’s character by making her too openly villainous and just pure evil.” Agatha Harkness is a character who made her initial debut in the 1970s. In WandaVision, she’s portrayed by Kathryn Hahn. “WandaVision seems to have been
created in a way that catches the attention even of viewers who don't know anything about the MCU,” Quijano said. Fans look forward to a year of Marvel content after the pandemic hindered the release of some of its planned films last year. “I’m looking forward to the Loki show because it opens the doors to an alternate universe,” Remington said. Despite its long run, the franchise has no end in sight and dedicated fans continue expressing their support. “Sometimes it gets hate, but these movies and shows simply are an art of their own,” Jones said. “I look forward to a day where I can take my future kids to see Marvel movies.”
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English second language speakers study for exam DIOANY YOSUINO reporter
English as a Second Language students at TCC worked hard to pass the Texas Success Initiative assessment exam to be able to take accredited college classes. TR student Jhoniel Rodriguez said his English language skills have advanced a lot after learning it for three years, but when it came to taking the exam, his mind became like alphabet soup. Those vocabulary words of which he did not know the meaning also made him lose the sense of the text, so he had to concentrate deeply, he said. “I managed to pass the test,” Rodriguez said. “The key was to imagine that I was inside of every context. Usually, those who have English as a second language have to study twice as much as commonly would
be studied.” South student Dioyanda Yosuino said she took the exam three times because she couldn’t understand all the prompts, even when she tried to translate each word into her language in her mind. Yosuino said that she almost gave up, but her family encouraged her to keep practicing every day until the time for the exam came again. “I have learned English for two years and passing this exam has become one of the many achievements to come,” Yosuino said. “Everything is possible for those who are willing.” TR student Randy Rodriguez said the Texas Success Initiative Assessment exam was not complicated. He focused on answering what he knew and passed, which came as a surprise to him. “I’m usually reading a book,” Rodriguez said. “So maybe that helped me to better understand the readings.”
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Abbott
March 10, 2021 • Page 5
(continued from page 1)
capita,” Hearn said. “I am also concerned for health care workers if cases increase again to where they were just over a month ago.” President Joe Biden said he thinks states like Texas and Mississippi opening at full capacity during this time is a big mistake. “We are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this disease because of the way that we are able to get vaccines in peoples’ arms,” Biden said. “The last thing we need is neanderthal think-
Research-a-thon
ing that in the meantime everything’s fine, take off your masks, forget it.” Even though various states and counties have declared that mandates are lifting, Biden has not lifted his executive order issued earlier this year. Masks are still required for those who visit federal buildings or federal lands. NE student Kristina Randerson said she is glad mandates are lifting and feels that the vaccines are starting to do their job.
“I will make my decision each time based on the crowd,” Randerson said. “If a place is packed, then yes, I will wear a mask, but if it’s just a few people, probably not.” NE student Jazmin Aguirre said even if the COVID-19 situation clears up, she feels people will continue to wear masks on a normal basis going forward. “You know, like Asian countries they always wear masks even before COVID,”
Aguirre said. “So I feel that’s just how we’re going to have to be now.” TCC announced campuses will continue to follow CDC COVID-19 guidelines and all employees, students and visitors will be required to wear a mask and practice social distancing until further notice. Virtual Summer classes remain unchanged as TCC continues to monitor the situation with health and safety agencies.
(continued from page 1)
TCC/Special to The Collegian
Each session included detailed information on the topics they were dedicated to. Students were able to ask questions and give feedback on the information they learned. In Context to find ideas, she said. Students who already have a topic can use databases such as ProQuest to find exactly what they need. She demonstrated how to navigate through and narrow down the wealth of information these databases provide, and how to quickly assess resources — for instance, by reading the abstract, or seeing how many times a subject term appears in an article — to see if they are adequate. Databases are easy once you get the hang of them, she said. But she still showed students how to ask the TCC librarians questions online if they run into any hangups. “Just know the librarians are here to help you,” she said.
NE public services librarian Ricardo Garcia led the session on search engines. “From experience, we probably know that sometimes it’s hard to find good, reliable information online that your instructor will accept,” he said. He showed students a variety of search engines they can use, from Google to Duck Duck Go. It’s important to not just rely on a single search engine or the same search terms, he said, since different engines will come up with different results. Furthermore, he demonstrated how to find reliable information by looking for .edu, .gov and .mil websites rather than relying on .com, .net and .org sites, and how to conduct advanced searches to get desired results.
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Students can evaluate a website’s credibility by paying attention to currency, accuracy, authority, reliability and purpose, Garcia said. Finally, plagiarism means stealing someone else’s intellectual property, said NE learning lab manager Elizabeth Parrish during her session. It is easy to do because one doesn’t always think of taking someone else’s ideas without credit as stealing their property, even though it is. Most of the time, when students plagiarize, it’s an accident, she said. For instance, they copy and paste a portion of an article into their document and intend to cite the source later, then forget. Other times, they feel they can’t state
an idea better than the author has, are afraid of being wrong when working with a topic they’re unfamiliar with or assume professors will not notice, she said. All of these things can be avoided by using a works cited page and parenthetical intext citations for direct quotes and paraphrasing, she said. She showed students how to properly create these different kinds of citations and discussed the difference between MLA and APA citation styles. “Use your own words, don’t risk it,” she said. “You know, take a slightly lower grade for making a shorter assignment or turning it in a little bit later, than risking a zero.”
Page 6 • March 10, 2021
Entertainment
The Collegian
DISNEY REVIEW
Simulated reality with tangible emotions
Photo courtesy of Disney
WandaVision, the first Disney-Marvel live-action show, begins the fourth phase of content for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The season finale was released March 5. LYDIA REGALADO campus editor
Disney Plus’ original series “WandaVision” wrapped up this past week, giving an exciting and expressive glimpse into the workings of Wanda, the Scarlet Witch. Wanda Maximoff and Vision are two of Marvel’s supernatural beings who move to the town of WestView, N.J. following the aftermath of “Avengers: Endgame.” They are newlyweds and just want to live like normal people, but
their lives begin to quickly fall apart. A black-and-white ‘50s inspired season premiere shows Wanda and Vision as they begin their seemingly perfect lives. At first, they hide their superhuman abilities behind shenanigans, funny jokes and distractions like their nosy neighbor, Agnes, who becomes Wanda’s confidant. Vision hides behind a human appearance and has no problem at his job since superhuman intelligence and speed are a few of his many powers, but when he starts to think about it, he
On the launch weekend, the first two episodes of WandaVision had a viewership of about 6 million Disney+ subscribers, according to Forbes.
can’t remember what his company actually does. When his boss and wife show up for dinner, Wanda and Vision are unable to answer simple questions like when they were married or why they moved to town. Color starts flickering through the black and white frames as town members begin to notice the pair’s charade. After Wanda and Vision cannot keep up with their own act, they begin to feel like prisoners of an augmented reality controlled by mysterious forces. Other characters seem disillusioned and forced to play along, until they don’t. Each episode is set in a different decade and has a different opening theme. The ‘50s style of the first episode is marked with remnants of “I Love Lucy” followed by a “Bewitched” intro in the second episode. The show fast-forwards through the decades in full color with “Brady Bunch” visuals and “Partridge Family” music cues. Later episodes mimic “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Modern Family” and “The Office” as the live audience dissipates and characters begin talking to the camera. Even though the laughter from the audience is lost somewhere in the middle of all the changes, someone or something continues to watch Wanda and Vision’s life play out like a TV sitcom. Seemingly nonsensical retro commercials are built into the episodes,
which add to the show’s mystery and give the viewer clues about Wanda’s past. This can be a fun series for new fans because viewers don’t necessarily need to know the complicated character backgrounds to understand and enjoy the plot. The shows are much different than the comic books and this series does a fantastic job telling Wanda’s origin story to the cinematic universe without being overly confusing. The season is easy to follow and binge-watch since episodes are only about 20 minutes long except the finale, which is about 40 minutes. Each show constantly changes themes and character plots which adds nostalgia and excitement. We also get to see the build up of how Wanda acquires her powers and ultimately becomes The Scarlet Witch. There are plenty of Easter eggs and character face-offs during the series, leaving the door wide open for future movies and cameos. Fans of the Scarlet Witch can look forward to seeing her in the upcoming movie “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” which will release in theatres March 25, 2022. As far as the WandaVision series, you never know who, or what to expect.
BOOK REVIEW
Dark fantasy novella combines horror with history LOGAN EVANS
campus editor/photographer
You’re almost guaranteed to feel a chill reading “On The Shoulders of Otava,” the latest novella from British dark fantasy author Laura Mauro. Set during the Finnish Civil War, the story treads along with a heavy crunch of snow beneath its feet. Ice covers everything. Characters brave the wartime cold, they suffer frostbite, they go snow-blind. You might feel your own fingers go numb around the page. But if the cold doesn’t get to you, the novella’s quiet, lurking terror will. Siiri Tuokkola is a soldier in an all-female unit of the Red Guard, an ill-equipped paramilitary force fighting against the enemy White Guard. During a march towards an occupied city, a male superior commands the women’s unit to reroute to a nearby village — the trenches are no place for a woman, he says. Siiri and three of her comrades refuse. They follow after the departed men, but when a blizzard strikes and they’re forced to seek refuge in the nearby woods, they find themselves stalked by a strange force. Mauro — who recently won the British Fantasy Award for her collection “Sing Your Sadness Deep” — has a gift for blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. She does an excellent job at building a world that feels lived-in and harsh in its own right and then raising the stakes with the supernatural. Mauro is aware that the average reader might not be familiar with the Finnish history and mythology that ties the story together. These elements form the backbone of the novella, but they’re whittled down only to what matters in
the context of Siiri’s experience directly. Siiri shines best when she’s playing off the compelling group of women that surround her, from the brash and violent Ester to the soft-spoken Elina. Elina is prone to telling stories at night and through her, we’re introduced to mysterious beings that later manifest into Siiri’s reality. The fantasy element present in the novel might be hit-or-miss for readers. Mauro tends to leave things vague, but she always provides a fully fleshed out arc for the ambiguity to live in. There’s a strong emotional through-line that follows whatever Siiri may or may not be experiencing as the world around her begins to unravel. All of this is held together with vivid but compulsively readable prose. Whether describing a sky that “glares down through the sparse canopy like an enormous, malevolent eye” or a churchyard full of “crumstill bling gravestones like ruined teeth,” every scene runs deep with time and place while giving ample room for character. Readers will almost certainly feel compelled to learn more about the Finnish Civil War and its Red Guard, something Mauro encourages in an afterword. “The Women’s Guard were very real,” she writes. “It is thought that around 2000 women served as members, many of them seeing action at the height of the war.” There are enough ideas here to have warranted a full-length novel, but for the trim 78 pages we’re given, “On The Shoulders of Otava” is an ethereal, haunting look at a little-known time and place in history.
Photo courtesy of PS Publishing
On The Shoulder of Otava is one of three projects launching Absinth Books, a new novella imprint of U.K. horror/fantasy publisher PS Publishing.
Opinion
The Collegian
Viewpoints
Editorial
Hollywood should be original for once
MICHAEL FOSTER-SANDERS editor-in-chief
Remakes and sequels to classic movies for the most part suck, and are cash grabs by studios. So, why do people still go see them hoping the experience will top the original movie? For example, this past weekend the sequel nobody asked for, “Coming 2 America,” debuted on Amazon Prime, and the backlash it received on social media was hilarious. Did people really expect a sequel to a 31-year-old comedy to be an Oscar award-winning feature? The original movie was great because Eddie Murphy was in his comedic prime. The story was a one-off, and the world was a different place back in the 1980s. Murphy is now 59 years old and isn’t the same person he was back then. If he tried to be that person, it would come off so cringey. Also, the X-rated humor would offend
so many people in this cancel culture age that it might not have even gotten a greenlight. Remakes to movies are a different game altogether. Unless the original movie is dated or horrible, a remake should not be done. The “Halloween” movie franchise comes to mind when this topic is brought up. In 1978 John Carpenter’s “Halloween” is the very definition of a classic. In 2007, the task of remaking this film was given to Rob Zombie, and he was screwed right out the gate. How can one improve on a near-flawless original film? If he changes too much, then what’s the point of it being a remake? If he changes too little, then why can’t a person just watch the original film? There are rare occasions where someone will make a sequel and do the source material justice or blow the original movie out of the water. Director James Cameron has done this with “Aliens.” Cameron took the claustrophobic slasher-type movie atmosphere of the movie “Alien” and made the sequel a war movie about having survivor’s remorse and post-traumatic stress syndrome, trumping the original movie in every way. Long story short: Hollywood, cut the malarky.
Conservative radio is parasitic garbage
ALYSON OLIVER senior editor
Conservative talk radio, perhaps one of the most insidious paths to becoming desensitized to bigotry, dominates the airwaves. Anyone can switch on the radio during a long commute or a period of downtime and discover one of these abrasive-but-entertaining radio personalities. Infamous Rush Limbaugh was one of the most well-known examples, but there is still a variety of similar hosts to choose from and a constant stream of broadcasts to listen to. It’s scary how readily available these shows are when they’re breeding grounds for conspiracy theories, farright ideology and hatred. They convince their listeners anyone who thinks differently from them is, if not evil, stupidly blind to the truth. This vicious “us-versus-them”
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mentality makes for dedicated fan bases. There is no accountability, either. Many hosts have a history of making racist, homophobic, transphobic and sexist comments and tyrannizing those with different political ideologies under the guise of comedy. And if you object, you’re unable to “take a joke” or “handle brute reality.” Because apparently, paying other human beings basic respect is a bad thing. Supporters are exempt from these insults, becoming the ones doling them out instead. “...that was how Rush attracted people to stand with him, because it meant they were out of the line of fire,” said reporter Sam Thielman in an NBC News article on Limbaugh’s passing. You aren’t really a great entertainer if all your entertainment value rests on trying to tear down others’ ideas by making straw man arguments and being morally obscene, anyway. To be a devoted fan of these shows and claim you still support the people of color, members of the LGBTQ community and women in your life is a total contradiction. What amount of pain and damage could have been avoided had America not been poisoned over the airwaves? It’s a shame we’ll never know.
Lifting mandates creates new risks
Amber Davis/The Collegian
As of today, the state of Texas is completely open. Mask mandates have been lifted and crowds of any size are legally free to gather, social distancing be damned. Any business can operate at full capacity — meaning bars, restaurants, waterparks and nightclubs running like its February of last year. About 45,000 dead Texans will not be joining us for what Gov. Greg Abbott calls an end to “government running our lives.” To Abbott and his supporters, this decision cmes in the name of personal freedom. The COVID-19 precautions that have become common knowledge over the last year are still heavily encouraged, Abbott said, just not enforced. This is apparently about letting private citizens make their own informed health decisions. Maybe this would be a fair approach if ignoring safety protocol affected only the individual doing so. But, as is the nature of a virus, that just isn’t the case. COVID-19 restrictions are meant to protect the population as a whole. Like a recent popular internet slogan says, “I wear a mask for you, you wear a mask for me.” Lifting these mandates means putting the lives of the vulnerable in the hands of the reckless. Abbott was quick to point out during his press conference one week ago that this lift is really only a technicality. Before this, he said, businesses were already at 75% capacity and mask laws were never widely enforced to begin with. So why embolden people to act out?
This puts businesses in a tough spot. A business owner can choose one of two paths — open completely and put their employees and patrons at risk, or continue with mask orders and lose money to a competitor that didn’t. There’s also the issue of unruly patrons lashing out at businesses who choose to still require safety protocol, something already reported by several Texas restaurants. Business has already suffered enormously from the financial ramifications of COVID-19. This is precisely why Abbott’s rushed decision is in bad taste. Rather than providing direct aid, he’s leaving business owners alone to fend for themselves. The answer is not to set laws back one year and hope that everything naturally resets, not while the virus is still rampant. Doing so is a gamble — one that, if lost, will be paid for in life. Government should be capable of providing aid to people who are struggling. Recent attempts at this have been less than ideal, with a third too-little-too-late stimulus package approved just last week, but it can at least hypothetically happen. What government cannot do — not in any capacity at all — is bring the dead back to life. Recovery takes time. Vaccines are rolling out. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but as Texans recover from a winter storm that left millions without power, it would be a shame for this light to go out too.
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Page 8 • March 10, 2021
Feature
South Campus hosts ultimate fighting game competition JOSE ROMERO senior editor
The actuation sound of buttons being aggressively pressed on controllers echoed through computer speakers as South Campus hosted their first virtual “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” tournament March 6. “This is our first time doing this,” organizer Michael Riner said. “Bear with us, we’re learning just as much as everybody else is. This is something we want to be able to do in the future and grow.” Competitions were held physically at the Student Activities office, before COVID-19 closures. Organizer Samuel Ruiz said Smash Bros. was chosen as the game for the tournament because of its high demand. In this tournament, all matches were played online and coordinated through the messaging app, Discord. Match settings were as follows: three lives, a time limit of six to eight minutes and disruptive distractions to players such as enemies on stages and throwable items turned off. The number of matches played per set depended on the round. Rounds one and two were best of one, semi-finals best of three and fi-
nals best of five. First place was NE student Chester Vitug, second place was NW student Jonah Banis and third place was South student Elijah Chapman. The top three spots out of 16 competitors won collectible Nintendo figurines called “Amiibos.” After his victory, Vitug said he couldn’t believe he won. He expected to make it to the semi-finals, not win the entire tournament. He was worried his lack of training would result in a loss. “I found out about the tournament with little time to spare, so I decided to just use a character I generally understood,” he said. “It allows me to forego spending time learning a character’s move set and prioritize matchups and feel.” He has 1,300 hours in the game, but he hadn’t played for two months before the tournament, which he said affected his confidence. This was Vitug’s second Smash Bros. tournament. The first was another TCC event last semester where he placed third. In last semester’s tournament, Chapman beat him, but this time, they faced each other again during the semi-finals where Vitug won with
a character named “Palutena” two to one. During this tournament, both had one life during the final match in their set. Chapman was playing “Donkey Kong,” and he had a higher percentage, meaning it’s easier to fly off the stage. Vitug used a projectile fireball to send Chapman off-screen. “It was harder than I expected,” Chapman said. “Chester, in particular, was the most difficult opponent.” During the final set between Vitug and Banis, Vitug won three matches in a row. For the first two sets, Banis used “Mythra/Pyra” — characters released as downloadable content two days before the competition. In the final match, Banis switched to another character called “Min Min.” He was able to take a life away from Vitug, but in the end, he recovered onto the stage while Vitug was charging an attack and got hit, resulting in a loss. Currently, there aren’t any future tournaments scheduled, Ruiz said. “After this tournament, we will evaluate the demand for more virtual tournaments and create more based on student feedback,” he said. “We’re always looking for fun ways to engage with our students.”
Illustration by Amanda Cole and Kristal Blankinship/The Collegian