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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.”