The Collegian collegian.tccd.edu
“Onward” review Page 4
S E RV I N G T H E TA R R A N T C O U N T Y C O L L E G E D I S T R I C T
Wednesday, April 15, 2020 – Volume 32 • Issue 24 Feature
Entertainment
Viewpoint
EMPTY CAMPUSES Photos display how COVID-19 affects campuses. PGS. 2-3
“RESIDENT EVIL 3” Capcom remakes one of its most well-known horror games. PG. 4
SITTING OUT IS WRONG There’s no reason for U.S. citizens not to vote this year. PG. 5
Editorial
Feature
HOARDING CAUSES PROBLEMS Everyone needs to be fair and share groceries. PG. 5
FITNESS AT HOME Students can stay active despite quarantine. PG. 6
DISTRICT
Chancellor lays out COVID-19 responses JILL BOLD
editor-in-chief
The board of trustees in its April 9 work session heard how the college has responded to the coronavirus from Chancellor Eugene Giovannini, who was given emergency powers combat the obstacles the college faces due to the COVID-19 situation. Giovannini’s update since these powers were put in place explained that certain measures were being implemented to help students in this unusual time, such as extending the official withdrawal date for students from April 9 to April 23. “Students can stay in courses longer to determine whether they want to stay in the class or not without penalty,” he said. The deadline for grades was also extended four days for more instruction and interaction as well. He said the college will not implement a pass/fail grading system for this semester. After speaking with TCC’s accrediting body, Giovannini said implementing pass/ fail brought unintended consequences, complicating eligibility for scholarships and financial aid, preventing students on academic probation from moving to good standing and keeping students from showing their ability for graduation or promotion. In fields of study like nursing or education, a minimum grade point average is needed to prove competency, and when transitioning to a four-year university, pass/fail credits don’t always transfer. Gov. Greg Abbott waived some gradua-
“Students can stay in courses longer to determine whether they want to stay in the class or not without penalty.”
Eugene Giovannini chancellor
tion requirements for health care students to speed up their integration into the workforce to help on the front lines of the pandemic.
Screenshot from TCC board meeting video
The board of trustees and other district staff listen from Chancellor Eugene Giovannini gives his update on what the college is doing to help students, faculty and the community during the COVID-19 pandemic at the board meeting April 9. “It allowed not only nursing students but also respiratory care students to go out and assist,” Giovannini said. The college is working with John Peter Smith Hospital by donating the college’s three ventilators, allowing parking lots on all campuses to be available as “real estate” for mobile testing centers and the Tarrant Area Food Bank and even providing TCC’s 3D printers to print much-needed face shields for health care workers. He said the college has been very involved with its small business development center and with the community, utilizing the federal government’s stimulus package. “We typically worked with about 70 clients a month. We’re getting 70, 100 or more calls per day,” Giovannini said. “We’ve shifted some resources over there.”
Chief operating officer Susan Alanis requested the ratification of just over $1 million for 2,000 cellular-enabled tablets purchased for students who lack internet access. “The devices will be received and distributed in April,” according to the resolution submitted by Giovannini. “The IT Department and the Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs are developing a process to idsaid $1.3 million is requested to fund the purchase already made by the school for 1,000 Microsoft Surface Pros to enable faculty and staff to continue to work remotely. The college regularly refreshes older technology with newer equipment, so this purchase serves a dual purpose. The board will vote to enact these measures and expenditures in their next meeting on April 16.
Screenshot from TCC board meeting video
Chief operating officer Susan Alanis addresses the board of trustees.
NORTHWEST
Stress management helps students amid pandemic JORDYN TURPITT reporter
Stressors can come on easily during this coronavirus pandemic, and sometimes they are not easily controlled, two Fort Worth psychologists told students in an online meeting April 8. When Mindfully Managing Your Stress, a presentation to be given on NW Campus by licensed professional counselor Lauren Dunn was canceled due to the closing of all TCC campuses, NW sponsor and coordinator of intercultural student engagement Alex Vargas didn’t give up. Acknowledging that the information was more needed than ever, she worked with area
“We want to help you cope well with the different stressors that you are taking on during this time.”
Geoff Weckel
licensed professional counselor
psychologists Dunn and Geoff Weckel to help bring students ways to deal with stress. The presentation was delivered virtually through Google Hangout so anyone could join from the comfort of their homes. Fifteen
students took part in the chat. Vargas thought this meeting during the pandemic was essential because people are enduring different problems now. “We want to help you cope well with the different stressors that you are taking on during this time,” Weckel said. Dunn said that exercise can be a stress reliever, but the closure of gyms and parks may make it difficult to do. She advised students to get innovative with exercise and maybe go for a walk in their neighborhoods instead of going to the park and think of new and exciting ways to exercise. “You have to get more creative on being connected to people while still following social distance guidelines,” Dunn said. With social distancing and quarantined time, people are having more anxiety and depression. “There has been a 50% increase in depression and anxiety that medical personnel in Asia are seeing with their patients,” Weckel said. There are overreacting stress responses and underreacting stress responses. An example of an underreacting response is sleeping a lot more, Dunn said. “When we are going through anxiety and depression, the recommended amount of sleep is 8-10 hours, but no more than 10 hours,” Weckel said. Weckel said that if a person sleeps more than 10 hours, they are having an overreact-
pancha.me/Shutterstock.com
Students can find creative exercise solutions such as walking around the neighborhood to lessen their anxiety and stress while sheltering in place. ing stress response to the situation, and it isn’t good. “When we over-sleep, we are trying to lose touch of what is going on,” Dunn said. “When this happens, we are not self-regulating ourselves, and we are trying to disconnect from our body and emotions.” Both Weckel and Dunn said a schedule or routine is crucial to a person’s life, and normally when people have a schedule, they tend to enjoy life more.
Weckel referred to negative habits such as binge-watching television shows the entire day as “stress relievers can turn into behavioral addictions.” Netflix has had the highest amount of active users/watchers during this pandemic, Weckel said. “It is OK to watch a few episodes of Tiger King,” Weckel said. “But it’s not normal to continually binge watch the show and sleep for the remainder of the day.”
Feat
Page 2 • April 15, 2020
Photo spread showcases emptiness on all campuses as students
Photos by Brooke Baldwin/The Collegian
The visitor parking lot on NE Campus remains empty as students, faculty and staff work from home despite closed campuses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NSTU building on NE Campus, which normally holds student activities as well as the bookstore and gaming area, is completely barren.
With all of the students staying at home, outdoor areas outside of SE Campus are quiet and bare compared to the busy campus life when it was opened.
The marquee at an entrance of SE Campus warns students to be cautious with social distancing and sheltering at home while campuses stay closed.
This common area on NW Campus, where students frequemtly gather beside the Marine Creek Resevoir, is now unoccupied during the new normal.
ture
April 15, 2020 • Page 3
no longer physically attend any classes at any district location The vacant campuses cover millions of square feet of unoccupied space on all five campuses now that no students or staff set foot here. The college has never in its history been closed until further notice and never for a pandemic or any health crisis of this magnitude. Around 50,000 students and more than 2,000 staff members are now working remotely through the end of summer. Hallways, outdoor spaces, classrooms and administrative buildings that are normally busy with crowds of students are now seemingly abandoned and quiet. This new normal is set to continue for months, but these structures will be here waiting for the return of human life, whenever that may be.
The vacant, tree-lined pathway on SE Campus is devoid of students walking from building to building or any other human interactions.
TR Riverfront CafĂŠ, the only cafeteria on all campuses, remains eerily silent in contrast to the regular crowds at transferring events and during meals.
TR Campus Main Street hallway is where students are usually bustling with social events, classes and buying school supplies at the bookstore.
The covered walk way leading to the Administrative Services Building on South Campus is unoccupied until futher notice during the state-ordered closing of Texas schools.
Entertainment
Page 4 • April 15, 2020
The Collegian
DISNEY+ REVIEW
Family, love guide epic journey for brothers seeking their father MALIK GILES
campus editor
Photo courtesy of Capcom
The Nemesis hunt down surviving STARS members in the remake of “Resident Evil 3.” Jill Valentine must escape Raccoon City during a zombie apocalypse.
GAME REVIEW
Horror reimagined for new gaming generation MICHAEL FOSTER-SANDERS feature editor
The reinvention of things is the natural order of life. What’s old is now new again with a twist. The gaming company Capcom realized this and started to remake their “Resident Evil” games in 2002. After hitting home runs with their reimaging of the first two games in the series, especially the critically acclaimed “Resident Evil 2,” they’re back with the black sheep of the series, 1999’s “Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.” Met with gripes from players about being too hard or feeling rushed, it was the lowest selling game in the main game line in the series. Can Capcom right the wrongs of the past and give players the ultimate experience of survival horror, or will the zombie bites of the past make the game a lumbering mess? With a couple of headshots, it comes through mostly unscathed. The focus here is Jill Valentine, a Special Tactics and Rescue Service member and survivor of the first game. Immediately after pressing start, one sees the damaging effects of the horror she endured weeks prior. Struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and nightmares, she’s a shell of her former self. And that’s the least of her worries because the Umbrella Corporation has un-
leashed a mutated monstrosity, code named Nemesis, to eradicate the remaining STARS members who survived the first game. The original game is more action-oriented than the previous two, and that’s not a bad thing. Because the constant pursuit of Nemesis is the meat and potatoes here, the company had to focus on a less scare-inducing type of game with suspense and more of a situation of your back being against the wall with no hope, which is almost heart attack inducing. The game is running on an updated version of the Capcom’s RE Engine, and players can instantly tell that the tweaks enhanced the experience from the second game. From the visuals to the controls, it feels like an overall better product. The bad part about this game is the same thing that was wrong with the 1999 version. It feels rushed, and the story could’ve been fleshed out more, but I also understand why they might streamline the story to make it feel like a straight-up action game. “Resident Evil 3” doesn’t top “Resident Evil 2” in being the best game in the line of remakes, but there’s nothing wrong with second-place when the race is neck and neck. Go buy it ASAP!
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Siblings can be annoying, especially if one has to stay inside with them constantly because of COVID-19, and “Onward” is the movie to add to one’s binge list during this crisis and is available to watch on Disney+. Onward is set in an original universe with magical creatures such as blue elves, unicorns and pixies. It is tied to our universe with many modern-day pop references. The story is complex and appealing in that it makes one want Pixar to explore outside of the main characters in a sequel or spin-off. This movie introduced two brothers who had to grow up without their father. Barley is the older brother and had some memories of his father while Ian did not, since he was born after his father’s death. The narration is superb, adding a depth of emotion into how it feels for Ian to grow up without a dad. Ian and Barley’s father fell ill to an undisclosed disease, and in anticipation of his death, he left a birthday present for Ian to open when he turned 16. The present turns out to be a magical staff, with a gem, and a resurrection spell. Ian is a timid kid, but throughout the story, he becomes more and more adventur-
ous. He wishes he can be like his father from all the stories he heard, but it’s not until the ending with the insane plot twist he realizes he has more than what he needs in life. Barley is the goofy and brave brother that wants to look after Ian. He’s arrogant and doesn’t care about what people might think of him. The only things he loves are magic, his brother and his mom. It made sense for the two to go on an adventure to complete the resurrection spell and meet their dad, but the way the creators ended it made it seem like lazy writing. The brothers argued on which way to take just to find out at the end they didn’t know where to go. It was a coincidence that they accomplished their quest and found what they were looking for. The animation is distinctive and distinguished from other Pixar/Disney animated movies with the coloring and shading giving it a stop motion quality to the film. Pixar boasts a long list of hit movies, and this is one of them. It’s a shame that this movie only had two weeks on the big screen due to the spread of COVID-19 and the shutdown of movie theaters. It’s definitely worth a watch at home.
Photo courtesy of Disney+
Ian (voiced by Tom Holland) and Barley Lightfoot (voiced by Chris Pratt) are two brothers who embark on a journey to find an artifact to resurrect their father.
Opinion
The Collegian
Viewpoints
Editorial
Citizens should vote despite circumstances
DANG LE
managing editor
With Sen. Bernie Sanders dropping out of the presidential primaries, Vice President Joe Biden is now the presumptive Democratic nominee to face President Donald Trump in November, leaving upset voters considering the idea of sitting out and not voting in the next presidential election. It’s understandable why some people feel like they’ve been robbed. Biden has never had the most money, the biggest rally or the most energetic supporters. Yet somehow, he has created a lead that none of his others 26 candidates could surpass. For citizens who will not vote to re-elect President Trump, they feel like a moderate candidate like Vice President Biden won’t lead in a way that is much different from what’s in place today.
Thus, the discouraging idea of not having to choose between two unfavorable candidates convinces them to sit out the upcoming election. That is the wrong mindset, and it should be changed, starting now. Holding an election in a post-coronavirus country may also be an issue. People could feel unenthusiastic about the idea of standing in line to vote when scientists have predicted that the virus may return during cold weather in November. In Wisconsin’s most recent state election, voters were forced to choose between showing up to vote in person and risking their health or staying home and not voting. Mail-in ballots should have been the solution there, but it wasn’t. States should allow voting by mail for the safety of voters. Citizens should also embrace it. Colorado has done it, and it helps its citizens take time to do research on candidates and provides multiple drop-box locations for voters to cast their ballots safely. Politics shapes everything from education, jobs, and health care to daily social activities. Nobody should choose to silence themselves, and they need to voice their opinion during the elections. Voting causes changes, and not voting won’t cause any impact.
Pandemic vacations spark creative ideas
ELYSSA GIDEON reporter
My husband and I will celebrate our 12th dating anniversary this upcoming Friday, and we were hoping to travel to San Antonio, one of our favorite destinations, for a much-needed vacation out of town. Then, the quarantine happened. When it first started around midMarch, my initial hope was to still go to the hotel. However, this situation has spun out of control. The COVID-19 outbreak hot spots have become a game of whack-a-mole. As soon as one city or county recovers, another outbreak pops up somewhere else. Most, if not all, hotels on the San Antonio River Walk or nearby have shut down. So, we tried to figure out a way to still feel like we’re having a vacation when life feels like a stay-cation right now.
April 15, 2020 • Page 5
Scrolling through Facebook I saw a graphic for Marvel. It was a timeline of all 23 Marvel movies based on when they were set, and that sparked an idea. We are still planning to get off early this Friday and will begin watching the Marvel movies in that order. We will be wearing Avengers T-shirts, drinking from Avengers cups, eating superhero-themed food on Avengers plates and marathoning the 23 Marvel movies all weekend. This is a time to use thought over money to set up a creative date or birthday party or improvised vacation. This is a time to connect in a meaningful way and to remember that spending money isn’t everything. This is a time for self-care, one doesn’t need a full 24 hours or a yoga retreat to spend some time on themselves. Had a beach vacation planned? Get outside and have a water gun fight all day, make fun tropical smoothies and have a dance party. Planned on going to Disney World? Watch Disney movies, play dress up, build a princess castle out of cardboard boxes. Needed a romantic getaway? Set up candles and a hot Pandora playlist, order in or cook something delicious together, eat breakfast in bed and don’t worry about dishes until Monday. So, quarantine or no quarantine, vacations can still be had. Get creative. Revise the plan, but don’t cancel it.
Hoarding groceries reduces food supply
Michael Harp/The Collegian
Flattening the curve means staying at home, but everyone’s got to eat. A trip to the grocery is inevitable for most American households that are sheltering in place. Initially, the response to the stay-at-home orders was a huge spike in demand for grocery items, and a run on grocery stores exploded across the nation, in a shopping spectacle not seen since Black Friday. This was not just one crazy shopping trip, but days and weeks of shoppers coming in to buy as much as they could to add to their stockpiles at home. Eventually, with the need for social distancing and smaller gatherings in grocery stores, lines now form around stores making conditions even more stressful for shoppers gathering necessities. Toilet paper, bananas, flour, milk and other shopping staples eventually had to be rationed by enforcing purchase limits after some people would buy up entire shelves of items, making them unavailable to anyone else who might need them. Right now is not the time to be selfish with bathroom products. Toilet paper is used more during quarantine as everyone is at home a significant portion of their days. That increase in demand and the perceived notion that we might run out if we don’t stock up now only aggravated this problem. Most stores have also implemented an elderly hour, where one hour early in the morning is dedicated to providing a calmer shopping environment to senior citizens. The policy prevents many cutthroat shoppers who can outmaneuver an elderly person without any regard to social distancing or anyone’s health. Stores have enforced new policies where they won’t accept any hoarder’s stash in return for the purchase price. Part of the appeal of hoarding is selling it back at an outrageous cost, price-gouging peo-
ple who may be in need and taking advantage of others. If a hoarder knows they can’t return anything unsold, fewer of them will descend onto the grocery stores of America. It is sad that we need to put these measures in place, and that people won’t be decent and considerate citizens and shoppers on their own. Still, to this day, toilet paper and other hot grocery commodities are sold out regularly despite purchase limits. Hoarding items from the grocery store is not necessary. An extra three gallons of milk or the dozens of eggs that some people hoard are perishable, as it cannot stay fresh for that long. However, that extra gallon of milk or dozen of eggs could have been in the hand of a mother who seriously needs it for their kids or older people who live on a fixed budget and can’t buy up a whole store or a full month’s worth of food and supplies. With grocery store shelves being filled up and emptied each day due to hoarding and fears of shortages, food banks who rely on the store’s extra unsold food are coming up short, according to Propublica.org. Donations are drying up when the demand on the food banks, just like the grocery stores, is skyrocketing. And with unemployment climbing at the highest level it has ever reached, this is a serious crisis. There was never any need to hoard groceries or stock up on any supplies on a greater scale than normal in the first place, according to Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen. If shoppers had just maintained their regular buying habits instead of panic purchasing their grocery necessities, everything could have been avoided. A return to our usual shopping habits can revert this situation back to normal. Using common sense and courtesy when shopping can help bring us back to a more manageable shopping experience.
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Page 6 • April 15, 2020
Feature
The Collegian
Variety is key to quarantine exercises
Sheltering in place doesn’t mean one should stop staying active and getting fresh air
Photos by Brooke Baldwin/The Collegian
A couple practices safe social distancing by walking six feet apart from each other while strolling through a park for exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Riding bikes with a partner while keeping adequate space can be a good way to stay in shape while still following shelter-in-place rules.
North Richland Hills resident Brent Baldwin plays a round of Frisbee with the people he’s quarantined with on the front lawn in his neighborhood.