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Community Illuminated - Fort Worth hosts annual Parade of Lights Pages 4 and 5

Wednesday, November 29, 2023 – Volume 37 • Issue 11

@tccthecollegian • collegian.tccd.edu

SOUTHEAST

Retirement announced for SE president Bill Coppola plans to leave next January after serving twelve years KEYLA HOLMES

campus editor keyla.holmes@my.tccd.edu

After 12 years, SE Campus President Bill Coppola is retiring. It’s been an invigorating, enlightening and rewarding position to be in, according to Coppola. With his last day being Jan. 31, he reflected on the time he’s spent in his role, calling it bittersweet. “My favorite memory is getting to know the students,” Coppola said. He said he’s depended on students to tell him what direction he should take the campus. “I think one of the most enlightening parts of the job was getting to work with students to see where we’re going in the future,” he said. Coppola didn’t go out seeking to be president. Instead, he said things just happened that way. “Being president was really the position I wanted to be in because then I could reach the entire college, or the entire campus in order to touch and help as many students and as many faculty and staff as possible,” he said. He expressed a long existing desire to help as many people as he could. Coppola said the higher up you go, the more people you can help. “A lot of people saw

Alex Hoben/The Collegian

SE Campus President Bill Coppola talks about the painting “The Boxes,” a student-made painting that was donated to the president’s office. The painting was done by SE student Vu Nguyen. something in me that I didn’t see in myself,” he said. “They gave me an opportunity as well as an opportunity to fail, which you learn from.” Coppola said of 50 community college districts in Texas, he has

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worked at three of the top four largest ones, TCC being one of them. “In my experience, this is the only one that really puts students at the focus of the decisions being made,” he said. “We don’t just

create policies, build buildings and offer classes and then tell you, ‘Well, come on in and succeed.’ We go to the students first.” SE SGA President Anita Aiguokhian said Coppola collaborates with students at any

given opportunity. Recently in Phi Theta Kappa, Aiguokhian said they were working on the college’s budget, which is something they do to impact the college and community. She said Coppola’s readiness and openness left an impact on student organizations. “One of the requirements is that we have to collaborate with the faculty and the administrative office, so we called onto Dr. Coppola and he was there to answer immediately,” she said. “He was very welcoming of our ideas.” Aiguokhian learned about Coppola’s retirement from an adviser during a PTK meeting. She said it was a moment that left her experiencing mixed emotions. “We want him to go ahead and flourish, but knowing that there’s going to be an empty space for now — no one can be him,” she said. SE Assistant to the President Allen Powell, who has worked with Coppola for two years, said the experience has been rewarding and challenging. “You always learn because he really takes the initiative to teach you, train you and mentor you,” he said. “He’s really good at doing all of the above.” Powell said he displays an important sign of good leadership – letting others make mistakes.

See President, page 6

NORTHEAST

Board reviews selfevaluation results HOPE SMITH

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

TCC’s board of trustees self evaluation results show an overall positive rating with some concerns on knowledge, support and personal agendas during a special board meeting. Shortly after the monthly board meeting Nov. 16 at 2 p.m., the board reconvened for a special meeting where they discussed their self evaluation. It was directed by Mary Spilde, a consultant from the Association of Community College Trustees. Trustee Gwendolyn Morrison commented on one of the anonymous concerns detailing special interest agendas from individual trustees. She explained she doesn’t believe the board is in a position to censor or control the processes or agendas of the board members. “If that [personal agendas] exists, I think that the main

responsibility of the trustees will be to redirect focus of the board through conversations with the chancellor in terms of addressing things that the chancellor recommends,” Morrison said at the meeting. “This board, statutorily, can only take action on items that are presented to us as an action item at the recommendation of the chancellor.” Another concern stating “silo decision making” brought confusion for trustee Laura Forkner Pritchet, who was unsure as to how it went into play as a board who takes majority vote. “We can make individual decisions, but as a board if it is not a majority vote, there are no decisions that are made for that particular item,” Pritchett said to the board. Together, the average of the board rating from the assessment was 4.51, a .26 increase from last year’s assessment of 4.25 on a 5.0 scale. “What I see in this, there

See Board, page 6

Alex Hoben/The Collegian

Board members Kenneth Barr, Jeannie Deakyne and Shannon Wood discuss the votes for Tarrant Appraisal District election. Phishing concerns Phishing emails increase in district mailboxes Page 2

Striking Starbucks Students discuss cafe affiliation to Starbucks Page 2

Alex Hoben/The Collegian

NE health coordinator Amy Pellacani works at her desk in the health services office in NSTU. The office offers different services including free STI testing as well as blood drives.

New health coordinator joins TCC FOUSIA ABDULLAHI

staff reporter collegian.editor@tccd.edu

Having a health service coordinator and two part-time nurses, one nurse working each day on campus, will help address some of the acute medical issues students may face on campus. Amy Pellacani, RN NCSN is the new NE health service coordinator. Pellacani also has a bachelor’s in health information administration. She came to TCC from ESC Region 11, Which provides professional development, technical assistance and management of educational programs to 76 public school districts, 17 public charter schools, 90 charter campuses and 150

Finals madness Mental health awareness rises among finals season Page 3

private schools. Before that, she was an Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD school nurse. Going from a primary education level nursing to a college campus is a significant change for her. “I really developed a love for helping the students and the communities. I feel like to come here, I’m having to adjust my mindset because it was children under 18 for the most part,” Pellacani said. “So here, I get an opportunity to explore bigger topics, taboo topics and get that kind of education out there to the students.” Pellacani is looking forward to creating new events such as CPR, Stop the Bleed training, tabling events, working with student groups on campus and

outreach working with the student body, like those who have just become adults learning how to take care of their health. “Health Services provides health programming to the TCC community. They also provide acute care to the TCC community. Some of the programming that they do is health fairs,” said Cara Walker, NE Director of Student Development Services. Some of the programs are free STI testing for HIV, Syphilis, Chlamydia and Gonorrhea done by a third-party organization such as Tarrant County Public Health and the AIDS Outreach Center, usually monthly. Twice a month, NE Campus hosts STI testing for the campus community, as well as blood drives, according to Walker.

Dietetic program SE Campus offers opportunity to learn more about wellness Page 3

Strength in numbers Protesting corporations requires team effort Page 7

See Health, page 6

2 • Wednesday, November 29, 2023

NEWS

SOUTHEAST

Caffe Noliz sales not affected by boycotts Corporate Starbucks only target, says ECI Management president NINA BANKS

managing editor nina.banks@my.tccd.edu

Some TCC students are boycotting Starbucks, but Caffe Noliz and Trinity Brews aren’t taking the hit. On Oct. 9, Starbucks Workers United, a union for Starbucks employees, posted “Solidarity with Palestine!” on the social media platform X. The post was deleted shortly thereafter. Starbucks’ Executive Vice President Sara Kelly released a statement stating that the company “strongly disagree with the views expressed by Workers United” and announced they would be suing SWU. In response, many customers, including TR student Norma Vizcaino, have decided to boycott Starbucks. “I have a lot of nephews and I want to be a good example for them,” Vizcaino said. “I don’t want to be like “Yeah I still went to Starbucks even though I knew paid for people’s deaths.”” TR administrative assistant of student activities Isaac Woodke previously worked for Starbucks and hasn’t purchased their products since leaving the company. “I’m all for the boycott myself,” Woodke said. “I think it needs to happen. It’s incredible and I know that a lot of sales in Starbucks in general are seeing it. They’re getting hit really hard with it and are kind of suffering from it.” TCC’s Caffe Noliz is a “We Proudly Serve Starbucks” location owned by vendor ECI Management. Corporate Starbucks makes a profit through up charging Starbucks products by 23%, such as cups, cold brew and paper products. Woodke acknowledges that students may not understand the difference between a “We

Alex Hoben/The Collegian

NE student Aila Sherman eats a salad from Caffe Noliz, the cafe can be found in NSTU. The on-campus eating establishment offers Starbucks drinks, pastries and meals. Caffe Noliz opened earlier this year across the district. Proudly Serve Starbucks” location like Caffe Noliz and actual Starbucks stores. “As far as our café, I know that ECI owns our cafe,” Woodke said. “I don’t know if boycotting our café would be on the same level as boycotting an actual Starbucks. Should we boycott it altogether or places owned by other companies OK to participate in?” Trinity Brews worker Imelda Chavez noticed students’ confusion about buying from their location. “It’s not really a Starbucks because ECI gets the money,” Chavez said. “Some people

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do ask. I think someone asked the other day if we were working for Starbucks or another company.” According to ECI Management president Frank Ricupati, NE Caffe Noliz served an average of 172 customers a day from Sep. 9 to Oct. 15. From Oct. 9 to Nov. 15, NE Caffe Noliz served an average of 165 customers. Ricupati is not concerned about the boycott affecting Caffe Noliz. ‘We Proudly Serve’ is a completely different license,” Ricupati said. “I don’t anticipate that it would affect us at all. You never know though. But at this point, it hasn’t

affected us at all.” TR Trinity Brews worker Gustavo Sanchez recalled less students coming in on his shift Nov. 24. “We haven’t had any customers in the last hour,” Sanchez said. “We only had one and they didn’t even order from us. They just got chips and a soda.” Vizcaino believes the boycott has the potential to impact Caffe Noliz. “Starbucks is even on military ships which I thought was wild,” she said. “You vote with your money now.”

DISTRICT

Phishing emails target students, facutly, staff OLLA MOKHTAR

campus editor olla.mokhtar@my.tccd.edu

Do you need a job? Don’t worry, there are 10 different emails from jobs you’ve never heard of waiting in your inbox. Phishing emails are targeting students again, according to the Information Security Office, and are offering fake jobs in an attempt to get students to change passwords. According to the Chief Information Officer, Todd Kreuger, large increases in email phishing occur during specific times during the academic year. All Higher Education institutions experience it, but with TCC’s recent switch it allowed TCC to use the same toolset they use with the rest of the college, he said. “In the past we were only able to react in the aftermath of an event. All proactive measures to combat phishing lay in the hands of Google,” he said. “Now TCC can put into place more safety controls around the entire process. In addition to technical defenses, the user plays a big part in the safety and defense of their email. Effective password hygiene, use of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), recognition of what malicious or scam email looks like, reporting suspicious emails are all part of the bigger puzzle that is protecting email.” Kreuger said TCC uses multiple systems and vendors to limit the amount of malicious or ‘scam’ emails delivered to a mailbox and that they filter known malicious links to prevent the user from going to them if the email is delivered but that “Unfortunately, scam email is among

the most difficult to detect with technical systems,” he said. “It usually doesn’t have complex code or malware attached to it, and any hyperlinks or URLs involved usually go to sites that can’t be blocked, like google or amazon. For detection of those types of attacks, we are often dependent upon the user to report them.” Only employees and student employees receive security awareness training annually, but IT will be investigating the feasibility of offering this service to students as well, he said. TR student Leah Zulfiquar said the phishing emails she gets claim to be from TCC, offering her jobs at the school, but when she tries to search for them on Google, no information can be found. “I find it burdening and annoying that I have to delete and unsubscribe so I don’t have to keep getting emails. [It’s] just time consuming,” she said. Zulfiquar said she wished there weren’t so many emails to have to unsubscribe to and that there was a way to avoid being signed up to other websites. “You know how we have so much events at school? I wish they would hold events and teach students in general, even in classrooms, how to stay safe online,” she said. Though she feels safe around campus with multiple cameras, she said that it felt like her physical security was taken more seriously than her online security. Jeff Koch, NE professor of computer science, said phishing is a form of social engineering. Read more about this story online at collegian.tccd.edu

Illustration by Tj Favela/The Collegian

Olla Mokhtar/The Collegian

Collegian takes on nationals NINA BANKS

managing editor nina.banks@my.tccd.edu

The Collegian was inducted into the Associated Collegiate Press Hall of Fame on Oct. 30. The Fall National College Media Association Convention took place in Atlanta from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2. During the event, The Collegian earned the coveted spot in the ACP Hall of Fame alongside publications such as The Shorthorn and the Daily Texan. Collegian advisor instructor Christopher Whitley acknowledged the achievement for the publication. “It’s a big deal,” Whitley said. “That only goes to college media organizations that win one of the most prestigious awards in college media time and time and time again.” Whitley remarked how impressive it was for the publication to receive acclaim despite being relatively new. “You have to have a combination of 15 National Pacemaker awards and finalist awards,” he said. “And if you consider the fact that The Collegian has only been around since 1988, it’s a very new publication compared with universities that have been around for a hundred years. To still reach that designation in that short amount of time is pretty amazing.” Multimedia editor Alex Hoben won the first place National Pinnacle Award in Best Breaking News Story and is glad to have the opportunity to be on the same stage as fouryear colleges. “As a community college, we are not seen with the same lens as four-year papers or four-year colleges because we’re only here for two years and then we’re gone,” Hoben said. “In my opinion, we produce

better work than some four-year colleges. We get to show that community colleges aren’t just a pit stop, and our papers aren’t just something we do for extra credit. These are our passions. These are our dedications to our campus, our college and to our own journalistic progress.” Whitley carried out his last term as CMA president at the convention. “It was an honor for me to be president,” Whitley said. “It was an honor to do this job for three years and help guide this organization that I truly love. I got to support them. This organization supported me, so it was nice to be able to support my colleagues from all over and advocate for them.” Editor-in-Chief Hope Smith watched Whitley prepare for his final convention and was glad to see his work come to fruition. “He’s put a lot into it,” Smith said. “He definitely cares about the CMA which is always good to have. I know that Chris made a really big impact in the CMA. It really showed through in the final meeting when the new president was inducted.” TR Campus editor Olla Mokhtar earned first place for Best Coverage of Faith. She was grateful to be surrounded by her peers. “Liberal arts isn’t really a desired field at least in my culture just because it isn’t “stable,”” Mokhtar said. “Being in a room full of people who just love what they do and were unapologetic about it was inspiring and admirable. ” Smith looks forward to her next and final CMA convention with The Collegian. “CMA is an awesome opportunity for students in college media to gain real word experience with a community of people who really care about the work and the future of journalism. I look forward to the future of CMA,” Smith said.

NEWS

November 29, 2023 • 3

SOUTHEAST

Dietetic program aims to uplift students

Nutrition education and more offered through SE Campus efforts KEYLA HOLMES

campus editor keyla.holmes@my.tccd.edu

Nutrition is an aspect of food consumption that impacts everyone. SE campus offers the dietetics program for students interested in a myriad of jobs involving people’s health and well-being. “I knew I wanted to study something in the medical field, but not a nurse, not anything like that,” SE president of the student dietetics organization Andrew Becerra said. Becerra is a first-gen Hispanic student who had never been in a leadership position. Despite initially wanting to be a chef, he found his way to the program after his adviser, Mrs. Arnold told him about it. Beccera was drawn to the program due to his interest in improving society’s relationship with food. “I’m learning dietetics to properly educate the world on what’s good,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with a burger and fries, as long as we’re investing in our health with fresh fruits and vegetables.” Students interested in pursuing a career in the Dietetic pathway can get their start at an affordable cost at TCC. SE Dietetics Program Coordinator Christina Liew-Newville said The Dietetic Technician Program is the only accredited Dietetic Technician Program in Texas. “We train students to become competent dietetic and nutrition professionals through a rigorous curriculum, hands-on learning activities and practicum experience.” To combat misinformation and confusion regarding nutrition, Liew-Newville said she hopes to expand program enrollment. “We need more competent nutrition and dietetic professionals to educate the community on healthy eating and to clarify nutrition misinformation.” Throughout the curriculum students have to complete a total of 450 supervised practice hours or internship hours in three different realms. For Beccera, his practicum experience was his favorite. “You actually go to a place, apply everything that you’ve learned and then you work with other preceptors from these

Alex Hoben/The Collegian

SE dietetics student Corissa Carrell (right) discusses an electrolyte drink during a simulation with fellow SE dietetics student Robbie Baker (left). Baker was acting as a sick patient with Carrell helping her talk about what diet the patient should follow. different companies,” he said. “They will help you as an intern basically apply your knowledge, and they will open up the floor for you to experience what you’ve learned, and at a community college that’s a really good experience.” When it comes to working in the community, Beccera enjoys learning about what different people’s needs are, and how to best serve them. “I’m helping people by showing them

what was there all along, food,” he said. “If that’s not the case then it’s about what programs we can give them to help them be better in food security or have more opportunity for fresh produce in their area because not every area gets that, so that’s something we study for.” For students interested in learning more about the dietetic program, the TCC dietetic technician page offers information ranging from how to get started to the required steps.

SE Dietary Manager Program Coordinator Denise Blevins said the program is a lot of fun, despite there being some basic algebra. She assured the math wasn’t trigonometry, and that the program is relatively easy to get into. “It’s a fun group of people who are full of life, want to live their healthiest life and be supportive of other people,” she said. “Everything’s always about support and positiveness.”

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Mental distress increases due to extreme workloads, finals XAVIER BOATNER

campus editor xavier.boatner@my.tccd.edu

As the end of the semester draws near, the stress of an ever-increasing workload has begun to weigh on the shoulders of students. As time passes, so does the extensive amount of work for the average student. TCC students have tried to speak up about how their assignment workloads have put pressure on them and caused them to approach their studies and everyday activities a little differently. “To be honest, just making sure that I complete all the assignments on time is very stressful in itself,” Connect student Sean Garrett said. “Especially with the load I have on my plate, working two jobs, and with all of that taking time out to relax, I barely have time to exercise like I want to.” Trying to balance personal duties, personal desires and heavier assignment workloads can breed stress in college students. A study conducted by the American College Health Association in Spring 2022 as a part of its National College Health Assessment surveyed “over 54,000 undergraduate students” and revealed that around “77% were experiencing moderate to serious psychological distress.” However, psychological distress can lead to new habits. With 24 hours in a day, it’s possible to find time to make improvements, Garrett said. “It’s all about managing it properly

and getting the required rest each day. With that being said, in my experience, school has changed dramatically over the past 30 years,” he said. “It is stressful, but I learned to manage. Mastering multitasking and time management comes with practice.” Efforts to manage time properly can be beneficial for students across the board, despite its difficulties. Busy single mother and NE student Kortney Cousin said finding time for both her child and her is an arduous process, yet one that pays off overall. “I have done well so far keeping my grades in order and making sure my child is loved and has attention,” she said. “But I have lacked in the self-care department, and giving myself grace during these times,” she said. “I am learning to manage my time a little better as well as being more organized and staying disciplined.” Organization, as well as stronger study habits, are especially important at this point in the semester, due to final exams ramping up alongside larger assignment workloads. One of the best ways to prepare for upcoming exams is by closely reviewing as many lectures and graded materials as possible, however, doing so extensively could cause a state of exhaustion and mental fatigue said NE student Lexi Baker. “I always stress and spend all my time studying,” Baker said. “I always get super stressed which then puts me in a depressive state. My study habits change from class to class depending on what assignments we did throughout the semester.”

See Study, page 6

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TR student Krista Flores studies anatomy and physiology in the cafeteria.

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4 • Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Fort Worth celebrates annual “Parade of Lights” downtown

Photos by Alex Hoben/The Collegian

North Crowley High School’s Mighty Panther Bands horn section plays down the street in downtown Fort Worth. The parade featured many high schools bands, all playing holiday-themed music to celebrate the festive season that the Parade of Lights kicks off in DFW.

Along with high schools, there were also colleges at the parade. One of which was the TCU float with students and cheerleaders. Among the community members with floats at the parade, there was the Girl Scout Troop 3039, DFW’s main Girl Scouts chapter.

Wednesday, November 29, 2023 • 5

Santa’s float marked the ending of the parade through downtown. The parade featured 116 floats, all manned by different parts of the DFW community.

Members of Studio 80, an 80’s-themed night club in DFW, party on top of their float. The float was shaped as a pirate ship and had 80’s hits like “YMCA” filling the streets.

Members of Ballet Folklorico Quetzal performed on the streets of the parade. The organization seeks to spread awareness of Mexico’s rich culture through dance.

TCC students and staff man a float during the Parade of Lights. The float featured Toro the bull and the student volunteers could be seen holding the placards for later floats.

6• Wednesday, November 29, 2023

President

(continued from page 1)

“He’s really good about allowing me to work independently, and that’s important, especially at this level because a lot of the time you’re putting out ‘fires,’” he said. Aiguokhian said Coppola really cares about students’ success. “When we go on PTK trips, he’s always there,” she said. “The last trip we went on was to our Texas leadership conference, and he was there. We didn’t expect him to be there, but he was.” Aiguokhian reflected on her first impression of him and said that she hopes the next president to be as collaborative, supportive, inspiring and approachable as Coppola. “I was in my first semester at TCC, and I saw this person greeting students in the hallway,” she said. “I didn’t know who

Board

NEWS

he was, but he was just there ready to help students and give them directions. That’s a quality I want to see in the new president.” Before Coppola retires, Aiguokhian hopes he knows how appreciated he is on campus and explained what she would say to him before he leaves. “You should keep being an amazing, inspiring leader,” Aiguokhian said. “I’m very happy that you get to move onto this new level and stage of your life. We are grateful. I am grateful to have worked with you for these few semesters I’ve been at TCC. Congratulations.” Coppola offers a final bit of advice to students before he leaves. “I would tell students to never give up,” he said. “Failure just means you didn’t try one more time.”

SE President BIll Coppola has served students both on-campus and off-campus. Coppola has gone on multiple student organization trips in and out of Texas.

Health

(continued from page 1)

was a lot of symmetry across the answers,” Spilde said to the board. “There were a couple of answers that were kind of outliers, but overall, and for the majority of the questions, you were very close in how you rated the board.” The three highest ratings on the board included a 5.0 in the category of advocating for the college, and 4.86 twice in boardchancellor relations. These categories covered advocacy for the college, allocating administrative responsibilities and roles between board and staff. The lowest ratings the board received were all 4.0, falling under categories of board organization, policy role and direction and standards for college operations.

Alex Hoben/The Collegian

One of the highest rated categories overall was the board-chancellor relations. Spilde explained that it is always good for a board to have a solid relationship with the chancellor. The assessments for a community college board of trustees follows a Board Self Assessment Cycle model. According to Spilde, the board sets annual goals who then work with ACCT, providing an assessment based on the needs of the board. The ACCT compiles the assessment results and the board moves into a review and discussion of it. “It’s a pretty comprehensive evaluation covering all of the roles and responsibilities of trustees,” Spilde said to the board.

Alex Hoben/The Collegian

Chancellor Elva LeBlanc and board President Teresa Ayala talk during the November board meeting. The board reviewed and discussed a self-evaluation.

(continued from page 1)

Students can walk into the health services center located in the NSTU building. They will be greeted by Gloria Randle, the administrative assistant who can help with their questions. Students that need a Band-Aid, face mask, hand sanitizer, lip balm, or feminine hygiene products, can find them in a neat basket by the door for students to help themselves. They can also make a virtual appointment to see a nurse using the school website. With the hectic pace of college life, students and staff may have different acute health problems occur day to day that need to

Study

be addressed. “We have emergency EpiPens, if they’re in the clinic and they have a reaction or something and we have Narcan for if they’re in the clinic. And glucagon or glucose tablets, if they’re in here and they get weak or their sugar’s low,” Pellacani said. She said a routine nursing assessment is done in the office when students come in with complaints. “They get a complete assessment when they come in even if it’s nausea, we check their blood pressure, we listen to them just like you would in a doctor’s office,” she said.

(continued from page 3)

throughout the semester.” Those feelings of being overwhelmed and overworked had reflected on Baker’s grades and overall performance, she said. “My performance is affected a little bit by the time it’s finals season I’m ready for the semester to be over,” she said. “I try to put my best effort into every assignment but sometimes I submit poor work when I’ve spent all day studying.” Feelings such as this could be sidestepped by using past experiences to adapt and learn new habits that could help students improve their mental health and

class performance. Baker said last semester, she was remarkably stressed about finals, and while she is still experiencing the pressure of finals this semester, she has learned new habits informed by prior circumstances. “I feel like if I would’ve started preparing sooner, I wouldn’t have been as stressed,” she said. “I think the projects are needed, and the exams are useful. I wish we could divide everything up into lesson quizzes and all of the quizzes be averaged for our final grade.”

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OPINION

Wednesday, November 29, 2023 • 7

EDITORIAL

Boycotts works when everyone participates We need to put our money where our mouths are, even if it means giving up that daily caramel brulée latte. Recently there has been a surge of boycotts against major corporations such as Starbucks and McDonalds for their reactions toward Palestine and Israel. While people obviously need groceries and basic necessities, humans can survive without an iced macchiato. If the pandemic taught us anything it’s that luxury items can also be made at home. Remember the whipped instant coffee trend? We can revive that. Boycotting is important because it speaks to our values, our morals and whether or not we’re willing to abide by them. The purpose of boycotting isn’t necessarily to drive a business into bankruptcy. It’s to hurt them in the only language they understand, money. According to its website, Starbucks does not support Israel f i n a n c i a l l y. H o w e v e r, w h e n Starbucks Workers United posted “Solidarity for Palestine!” on X , the corporation sued them after they said they received complaints from hundreds of angry customers and a damaged reputation. The Starbucks boycott regarding Israel and Palestine is centered on the fact that Starbucks’ actions in this situation went against people’s morals and views about what is happening in the Israel-

Markus Meneses /The Collegian

Hamas war. Protestors have stood their ground on boycotting it because they want the corporation to listen, and ultimately the world to listen as well.

With the current boycott of vapes, many consumers only stopped using the product because they learned the cobalt in them was sourced via the child enslavement in Congo. Not for the sake of their

lungs, but for the sake of Congo. Do we know how many child laborers have mined the cobalt in our phones? No, we don’t. But if we stop buying phones, clothing, groceries and basic necessities, we

will either be starving or naked, probably both. But we can use our voices and our wallets to boycott what is necessary. Boycotting must be done, if a person can, for the well-being of others. It’s fair to demand answers to questions the public is asking regarding these issues because it’s the public that funds and enables these corporations to exist. Without the public purchasing their items, they would cease to exist. It is why many companies change their logos during Black History Month and LGBTQ+ History Month. They know if they don’t take a public stance on things, they’ll lose their profits. And when people boycott, they listen because money is the unofficial language of America. Being a Switzerland in a country of very opinionated people is not the smartest thing to do. Boycotts have worked in the past, and they can work now. The fact is, Americans don’t have to worry about bombs potentially killing us every day, but we should be aware that we have a significant influence on the rest of the world. Some don’t understand the impact that our dollars make and think it’s none of our business, when in fact, it is. The goal isn’t to kill corporations. It’s to hurt them, and losing a pretty penny will get them to listen.

VIEWPOINTS

You can’t be a teenage girl forever and that’s upsetting

Emotions are a human thing, don’t put a gender label on it

my future peers at university. I juggled two jobs for my time at TCC, and while this isn’t unique to just community college students, it gave me character – and several breakdowns. I know if I went to university straight out of high school, I would find it hard juggling one job, much less two. This will be my first time moving out. And though I know it’s just for the school year, I might be a junior crying for my parents while everyone else got it out of their system freshman year. My coworkers at my other job are all older than me. Some by decades and some by a few years. In a recent conversation with two of the 23-year-old coworkers, one of them remarked to prepare for my twenties because it’s “all downhill from here.” Lovely. I know she didn’t mean to instill fear in me and I’m not afraid, but I’m still hesitant. I feel like 19 makes sense on me. Just like yoga pants and a sensible pair of UGGs. I was driving my esteemed colleague and friend Keyla Holmes home after a boba excursion when we got into a car accident. Luckily, no one was injured and all is settled. But it hit me, like the car did, that I had to be an adult. I couldn’t cry in the middle of Broad Street for my parents. Call it an epiphany or epinephrine. Sidenote, filing insurance claims through USAA is suspiciously easy. Does it mean I have a good bank or someone can commit insurance fraud in five minutes? While the teenage years weren’t easy, I love being a teenage girl. The world doesn’t make sense, yet we still pretend it does. Now the world is making more sense and I’m learning adult things. Like why do cars need so much oil and whar is a Roth IRA? I hope my twenties treat me well or maybe I’ll be twenty-three warning some doe-eyed nineteen-year-old about the horrors that await them. But that won’t be my fault, I’ll be a twenty-three-old baby after all.

woman’s experience, doesn’t it set her apart from the rest of the world? Like she can’t just be a woman in leadership – a boss – but she is a woman and that must come first above everything else. If we continue a mindset like this, society will teach young girls that the part they play in the world is to entertain. There is a phenomenon that is a good example of this, and it follows along with a very good quote from Margaret Atwood, “You are a woman with a man inside watching a woman. You are your own voyeur.” This concept explains how a woman exists in a world that makes her an observational thing through the lens of a patriarchal society. She learns to see herself through that lens. The reason I bring this up is because it closely relates to the labeling process of a woman. Female rage is subject to a woman, the rest is beyond her. So, when she experiences feelings of anger, sadness or loss, it is not that she is a human being going through the emotional process. She is a woman. This mindset encourages her to see herself as something separate from the rest and unrelatable by comparison. The impact of something like that is going to ripple through a woman’s life and how she navigates her emotions. The last thing she needs is a new, way to tell her that her mental process is yet another separation. It is unnerving to see but not impossible to redirect. The intentions for these things are good and it is no deniable argument that women deserve to have a highlight for their accomplishments and human feelings. Don’t let the labelling take away from that human aspect, However. She is more than a woman – as the Bee Gees put it – and deserves to have just plain old rage.

NINA BANKS

managing editor

nina.banks@my.tccd.edu

As I near the end of my third semester andAs I near the end of my third semester and brace for my next and final semester at TCC, I can only think of one word. Adulthood. Sometimes it’s accompanied by an exclamation mark when I fantasize about the idea of moving out. The rest of the time it’s an ellipsis when I shake out my interior-decorating high and realize that it will be the start of my adult life. I lovingly refer to myself as a 19-yearold baby. My mom rolls her eyes every time I use it as an excuse for why I’m anxious to schedule a doctor’s appointment or why I didn’t put the dishes away before class. My parents and I made a deal that I would go to TCC, save up and then go to university after two years. I was reluctant and, quite frankly, pissed at the idea. But TCC has given me opportunities that I would’ve had to wait for until my senior year at university. And of course, I wouldn’t have met the talented people at The Collegian or trauma bonded with my biology lab group second semester. I wouldn’t trade my time here for anything in the world. After this semester, I will start applying for universities and will be apartment hunting in less than a month. The gravity of the situation hasn’t completely hit me yet. I feel simultaneously more and less prepared than

HOPE SMITH editor-in-chief

hope.smith393@my.tccd.edu

Gendered emotional expression through the media disproportionately affects women. I think back on all the times I saw the phrase “female rage” floating around on social media, with a compilation of Hollywood’s angriest women on film. There is something interesting about the way we categorize a woman, and the thing mentioned above serves as an example of how society does it. The ranges of emotions a woman experiences has to be picked apart and labeled. Female rage, they call it. Not just rage. It seems that when a woman’s body cannot be capitalized on, there comes a need to cut her up and sell her mind for parts. It is made into a viewable thing, consumable. That same phenomenon comes into play when we talk about a woman in leadership. A girlboss. For some reason, there is a fascination with setting the woman apart from the job she inhibits. An argument can be made for those two examples – female rage and girlboss – to say that these are empowering statements that uplift something traditionally hidden or under celebrated. To that extent, I would agree. But it seems to turn into itemization the longer we use it to take that human quality from a woman. When we use terms that classify a

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Meet the Staff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CAMPUS EDITORS

MANAGING EDITOR

NORTHEAST Xavier Boatner

Hope Smith Nina Banks

PHOTO/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Alex Hoben

ILLUSTRATORS Tj Favela Markus Meneses

SOUTHEAST Keyla Holmes TRINITY RIVER Olla Mokhtar

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Professional Staff

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ENTERTAINMENT

8 • Wednesday, November 29, 2023 MOVIE REVIEW

The ‘Games’ are back, better than before Prequel lives up to ‘Hunger Games’ franchise hype with storyline OLLA MOKHTAR

campus editor olla.mokhtar@my.tccd.edu

To say this Hunger Games further fueled my obsession with the franchise is not an understatement. In fact, it just made it worse because “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” beautifully curated President Snow’s origin story with its choice of cast, progression of the story and overall storyline of it. If you’ve read or watched any of the Hunger Games franchise you know that president Snow, or Coriolanus, is the antagonist in control of Panem’s government, military and the reason why the Hunger Games still exist. This movie explores how he became president and how he became evil. To begin, we’re brought back to when Coriolanus’ parents passed away as a result of fire from the 13th district. The war between the districts and the capitol occurred when he was about seven-years-old and though Coriolanus’s father was a major general in the military, Coriolanus’s cousin, Tigris, and his grandmother weren’t left with much food to spare, much less any wealth. Coriolanus grows up and trains under an academy in the Capitol, where he is tasked to mentor one of the tributes as a final test in challenging the top 24 students for the plinth prize. The plinth prize is a monetary prize and is something he desperately wants and needs as his family is struggling to pay the rent and other expenses, he also wants to go to the Capitol’s university. This challenge’s prompt was to create a spectacle out of the tribute without necessarily having to win. For Coriolanus this meant making Lucy Gray from district 12 stand out from the rest of the tributes. First off, my eyes were glued to the screen. There was never a moment of boredom or confusion because of how the storyline was executed and was so done flawlessly. I didn’t know there was a book on president Snow’s origin story but now that I do, I’m going back into my 12-year-old’s spiral of the books again. The acting completely captured and enhanced their respective characters, making it even more entertaining to watch. If there was

Photo courtesy of Murray Close/Lionsgate

In Lucy Gray’s timeline, president Snow is her mentor and her savior. In Katniss’s timeline, he’s a ruthles dictator. a way you could see my face when Coriolanus’s face came onto the screen, you’d be disappointed in me. I know he later becomes evil, but this film proved he wasn’t always like that. He was good once, and it almost made me forget that until my friend who I watched this with, gave me a “girl he literally killed people” face and I was brought back to reality. I almost sympathized with him, I almost forgot about his future because I fell in love with the past that is this movie. Rachel Zegler was not a person I would have imagined playing this character, because of her scandal with her attitude in playing another role, Snow White. Though the controversy surrounding that does not determine her

quality of acting, it hurt her reputation. But what cannot be said about her is that she wasn’t meant to be in this role. Lucy Gray was a singer, hence her nickname “songbird.” She was quirky and did not play by the rules, which is the energy Zegler exhibits naturally as an actor. She was just the perfect person for this role, I don’t think anyone else would have done it as well as she did. A good percentage of the reason was also the fact that I find Tom Blythe attractive, and don’t roll your eyes. We’ve all watched something because we thought someone was attractive and I’m no different. He is simply art, and this is an irrefutable fact, don’t argue with me. I understand he becomes a ruthless dictator in the end but there

are more pressing issues in the world than me having a crush on a fictional character. He’s fictional, his actions are too. Primrose and Finnick don’t actually die, they are alive and well let’s remember that please. Did I go down a TikTok rabbit hole of Tom Blythe in his buzz cut? Yes, but I am justified because I said so. So, if you’re looking for a cast and movie to take you back to Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark’s time you should watch this movie. Because even with the different faces, it is the same franchise most people know and love.

Matt’s Netflix special is only funny 20 percent of the time KEYLA HOLMES

campus editor keyla.holmes@my.tccd.edu

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Matt Rife, American comedian and actor, leaves it all out on the stage in his Netflix special “Natural Selection”. He makes fun of women who utilize protection crystals, shares his distaste for young people and criticizes social media trolls. Rife confidently moves across the stage, acting out certain scenes in his storytelling to make his performance more captivating. However, the crude middle school- like jokes, and regular check-ins with the audience to see if they were “still fun”, or responding positively to his more risky bits, was underwhelming. He spends a decent amount of time telling the audience that women who utilize crystals don’t know how to take accountability for their own actions. While he shares some valuable messages, their buried underneath a misogynistic attitude, due to him referring to women using the infamous B-word. Despite his distasteful rants, his presence on stage was captivating. His hand gestures, voices and utilization of his entire body was far more entertaining than a majority of what he said. Rife exemplifies this best during his bits about his love for old people and masturbation. Don’t worry about risque hand gestures as far as the masturbation part goes. He simply shares with the audience his first time getting caught by his step-dad. It’s also important to make clear that the masturbation and old people bits don’t coincide. However, he does make it clear what he would do with an elderly woman if given the opportunity. Aside from the crude humor through his talk about old people, there’s a authenticity in his love for them. He shares with the audience his experience as a teenager visiting his grandma in hospice, leaving her room to talk to the man next door. Rife talked about how amazing his stories were, and how those conversations influenced him to also want to have a full life. This part of the special was admirable, and let the audience in on a more sincere part of Rife. Rife provides an example by talking about an incident that recently happened to him. He goes on to share with the audience his situation with a flight attendant. Making it very clear from the beginning that he not only knows safety rules in regards to flying, but

...the crude middle school like jokes, and regular check-ins with the audience...was underwhelming.

understands why they’re in place, he starts to talk about his backpack having too much in it. He of course continues with the offensive humor, making fun of an apparently heavy set man sitting in the same aisle as him to later connect it to what the flight attendant said. Aside from her comment, the point of this story isn’t really even what happened on the plane. It’s that after it happened, Rife tweeted about it only to spend a significant amount of time after the incident arguing with people online. He tells the audience that he’s someone who’s apparently pretty defensive. His performance reflects this aspect of his personality throughout the show, considering his consistent check-ins with the audience to see if they’re still good. Rife is ready to defend himself despite all of his distasteful jokes.

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Comedian/actor Matt Rife co-hosts the 2023 Adult Video News Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada.