Nursing students fight for fair treatment

TR’s graduating nurse cohort petitions to get a grade for training

pleted through the program.

A program called Compass has caused TCC’s graduating nursing cohort to reach their breaking point.

At the beginning of the fall semester, TR’s nursing students were informed that they would be required to purchase an additional training program called Compass for $350. Compass is an online program meant to help prepare students for their in-class exams.

Although Compass had been utilized for previous cohorts, the administration decided that unlike previous semesters, they would no longer offer points for the work com -

This means, along with their existing workload, the students were now responsible for up to 15 additional hours of work each week that would not contribute to their grade.

After voicing their concerns and receiving no action the students decided to come together and start a petition.

TR student Brianna Ross started the petition for her and her classmates as a way to show their strength in numbers.

“We decided it would be best if we showed the unity because all of us are upset about this,” Ross said. “It’s not just a few people, so we said that the petition was the best way that we could show unity through this.”

After creating the petition, which gained over 200 signatures, the students again decided to contact the Dean of Nursing Dr. Jose Alejandro. They were met with the same response, to speak to their instructors and move up the chain of command— which they did, multiple times.

Alejandro refused to respond to numerous emails and calls seeking comment as did other members of the nursing staff and faculty.

This cycle has continued for months and has yet to receive a resolution from anyone on the chain of command. Instead, they said they have received snarky remarks and been made to feel as though they are the villains.

For some students, the reactions and lack of support have manifested into a fear of retaliation.

“In general, this whole program has been very unorganized since the beginning of the semester,” said one student who wanted to remain anonymous for the fear of not being able to graduate. “We all sincerely feel like no professor advocates for us, and we feel like it’s just really toxic.

“I don’t want anything to keep me from graduating and I feel like the nursing program, in general, has been really iffy, and I wouldn’t want them to do anything to hinder that.”

For some, the situation has come to a head and has affected more than just their grades. Another student who wanted to remain anonymous said that he and his classmates are exhausted from this situation and just want to be done with it.

See Nurse, page 3

There is a crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women in this country, according to Jodi Voice Yellowfish, who spoke to TR students on Nov. 17.

Yellowfish is the chair of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Texas Rematriate, which brings awareness to the violence affecting Indigenous women.

“Domestic violence, murder or having to report a missing person’s case, this violence touches very close to home,” Yellowfish said. “One of my first cases was my cousin. That was in Oklahoma.”

Yellowfish said it is stories like her cousin’s that are all too common. These are crimes that have been committed against

Indigenous people since the first time their land was ever stolen.

“This includes literally millions of Indigenous women over the history of the colonization of our lands, now called the United States,” Yellowfish said.

“Colonization is violent, and it hasn’t stopped,” she said. “Our land and our ways weren’t something that we were willing to just give up. There was a lot of violence and a lot of that ended up being genderbased violence.”

She said that because this treatment has persisted over the years, non-Indigenous people have become used to it.

TR student activities director Carter Bedford said he wanted students to be aware of this phenomenon being a current issue.

“It’s 2022 and we’re still having issues like this,” said Bedford.

Violence against Indigenous people happens because people think they can get away with it, Yellowfish said.

“Historically, we’re viewed as disposable. We’re viewed as objects,” Yellowfish said. “We lack that humanization on many levels. If we didn’t lack that human understanding, then we wouldn’t be used as mascots and costumes.”

Yellowfish explained that this dehumanization is put on display for entertainment.

“Things like the sexy Indian princess costume you can find at Party City during Halloween, people think they’re funny or it doesn’t matter but it feeds into that fetishization and sexualization of our people,” Yellowfish said.

The story of Matoaka, better known as Pocahontas, is a good example of how

See Indigenous, page 6

During the Nov. 17 board of trustees meeting, three people addressed the board questioning the speed of the board’s appointment of Elva LeBlanc as sole finalist for TCC chancellor and called for the process to be held again.

David Lowe, a resident of North Richland Hills, asked whether the board followed the correct legal procedure for LeBlanc’s appointment and if more than one candidate was considered.

“I believe there’s always more than one candidate,” Lowe said. “It is not right to only See Meeting, page 3

RSV impacts students, staff for semester end

The arrival of a respiratory illness has once again called into question the safety of children and the public.

With the semester coming to an end and the cold arriving just in time for the preparation of finals, maintaining grades and taking care of one’s health can be quite the balancing act.

While illnesses like the cold and flu are going around, RSV, or Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection, is causing an influx of patients in children’s hospitals, creating a potential obstacle for students with

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