TCC Collegian April 29, 2020

The Collegian collegian.tccd.edu

“SAWAYAMA” review

Page 3

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 29, 2020 – Volume 32 • Issue 26 News

News

Entertainment

GRADUATION STORIES Students tell how the canceled graduation affects them. PG. 2

ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION The pandemic has caused massive stress to students. PG. 2

“#BlackAF” Producer Kenya Barris makes an impressive acting debut. PG. 3

TRINITY RIVER

Crisis affects workers

Editorial

Feature

IMMIGRATION BAN IS RACIST Banning immigration visas will not stop this pandemic. PG. 5

“DAILY LIFE” NE students appreciate little things through photos. PG. 6

NORTHEAST

‘If I go down, we’re in deep trouble’

EDGAR ESTRADA reporter

Kayla Swancy worried that she had lost her job.

A work-study student on TR Campus, she didn’t know if she would receive a paycheck when the financial aid office where she worked was closed.

“I have things to pay for,” Swancy said. “Life is not cheap, and it was very unexpected.”

Per the Department of Education guidelines, the college converted her and other work-study students’ funds to a one-time stipend payment.

“It was a relief because it is much needed,” Swancy said. “But I miss working, I planned to work this summer, so I would really have to stretch this check.”

TR financial aid specialist Stephanie Castillo said the Department of Education instructed colleges on how to pay work-study students for the remainder of the spring semester but have not issued guidelines for the summer.

In total, 271 students work for the college districtwide, including 64 downtown at both TR and the district offices, Castillo said.

“Summer is kind of wait-andsee because we don’t know,” Castillo said. “We know classes won’t be on campus, but we don’t know that we won’t reopen.”

Bill McMullen, TR financial aid director, said most of the programs and processes haven’t changed while the school is closed but how he communicates with students has.

“Where it’s not the same is that there’s this big void because there aren’t students coming in,” McMullen said. “Talking to students one-onone, being able to gauge how they’re doing, you can watch their body language. You know why they’re there.

There’s a huge informational gap between how they are doing and us.

I can’t help them if I don’t hear from them.”

Brooke Baldwin/The Collegian

Dual credit student Adriana Lopez and her mother NE student Venezia McCain believe Lopez contracted the coronavirus after talking to a pediatrician, an allergist and immunologist and a dermatologist.

Daughter exhibits uncommon allergic reaction of coronavirus JILL BOLD

editor-in-chief

Dual credit student Adriana Lopez and her mother NE student Venezia McCain raced through a red light on the way to Cook’s Children’s Hospital March 20, speeding toward an emergency room to save Lopez from dying from anaphylactic shock. Before her mother picked her up, she had become ill in a matter of moments.

“I looked in the mirror, lifted my shirt and saw that the rash was all over me,” Lopez said. “It felt like fire on my body. My throat was tight, and it was really hard to swallow.”

She called her mother immediately.

McCain used her training as a former 911 operator to keep Lopez calm while she drove home to help.

McCain drove her usual 25-minute commute in about 12 minutes, arriving home to find Lopez needing immediate medical attention.

She knew she couldn’t wait for an ambulance, so she opted to drive Lopez in her own car in case her condition got any worse.

“If needed to do CPR or inject her with the EpiPen, I could do that,” McCain said.

Lopez has a history of allergic reactions, but nothing like this. McCain wasn’t sure what could’ve caused the extreme reaction her daughter was experiencing.

See Corona, Page 4

“I have things to pay for. Life is not cheap, and it was very unexpected.”

Kayla Swancy

TR work-study student

McMullen and his staff are preparing for an influx of students submitting student academic progress appeals based on COVID-related circumstances. Student academic progress is the program that determines if a student is eligible from one semester to the next. It evaluates a student’s completion percentage of courses taken and a student’s grade point average.

If students do not meet SAP standards, they can submit an appeal form but would have to define mitigating circumstances that caused them to be unsuccessful in their courses and then detail what adjustments they would do to combat those circumstances in the future.

“When we look at the definition of mitigating circumstances, circumstances beyond your control, to me that automatically meets it,” McMullen said. “Now moving forward, what are the students going to do? Have you made an adjustment?

What are the adjustments you are going to make?”

Being a support team for the students is what McMullen and his

See Financial, Page 4

SOUTH

Project donates masks to protect drivers DANG LE

managing editor

An upholstery instructor and a group of students teamed up to make 500 masks for essential Trinity Metro transit drivers.

The board and the vice president of administration from Trinity Metro Detra Whitmore approached South upholstery instructor Sed Lacy to start this project three weeks ago.

“I feel honored that my name was brought up to put an impact on the community out there,” Lacy said.

Since the campus was closed, he went back to contact some of his previous students and one current student.

“He [Lacy] contacted me, saying he heard the transit system needs some masks. And of course, I said, ‘yes,’” Connie Doyle, one of his previous students, said.

Lacy and Doyle joined South student Rachael Leventhal-Garnett, former upholstery students Donna Ward and Edith Owens and South commercial sewing instructor Charon Coffman, who also was one of Lacy’s students, for this project.

Doyle currently owns Abode, a fabric, rugs and upholstery store in Bedford, Texas. This is where all the members of this project first met. There, they compiled the materials they had together and started working on the process.

All the masks will be made with 100% cotton, so they will be washable and reusable.

Leventhal-Garnett, who has been in the upholstery class for two years and is also the director of operations and donor relations for the Fort Worth Public Library Foundation, said that since her foundation has a lot of the fabric to make masks, her chief executive officer donated to this project.

Then, Ward, who has already

Photo credit: Rachael Leventhal-Garnett

TCC instructors and students meet to collaborate with making facial masks to increase the Trinity Metro Transit drivers’ safety. sewed masks for her organization, purchased enough elastic for the project. They also receive the mask tab donation from Isaiah Industries, a roofing company that Owens contacted.

All the students and professors worked from home while sheltering in place. Each of them will work on

100 masks. As all the participants have other jobs outside of this, they are not setting any deadlines, but are still looking forward to finishing them within the next two weeks.

Leventhal-Garnett said that it took her around 20 minutes to put together a mask.

See Masks, Page 4

News

Page 2 • April 29, 2020

The Collegian

DISTRICT

Students cope with canceled graduation

Collegian file photo

As the pandemic continues, TCC students, just like all others across the nation, will not have the opportunity to walk the stage when they graduate this upcoming May.

A student spent more than three decades to get her degree. Now, she can’t walk the stage

Collegian file photo

Every May, TCC graduates and their friends and family gather at the commencement, but the ceremony won’t happen this semester.

Soon after she opened the email from TCC that said graduation was canceled because of the novel coronavirus, tears rolled down her cheeks.

“It took the wind out of me.

It was a lot,” TR student Venezia McCain said.

She first enrolled in classes at TCC in 1989. McCain, 49 years old, has been planning to walk the stage for her Associate of Arts degree ever since.

“God, as far as the associates [degree], it has been the biggest thing for me,” she said.

She had a one-year-old baby by the time she enrolled. She would take a class here and there but sometimes have to stop to work three jobs and take care of her children. She never gave up.

“I don’t care how long it takes me, I am going to get a college degree,” she said.

Her last semester threw her another hurdle. Fleeing an abusive marriage, she had to move mid-se-

mester. Then her teen daughter was hospitalized, suffering from a cytokine storm, an immune system’s overreaction to fighting off the COVID-19 infection.

Still, she wanted badly to show her teen and adult daughters that she could do this, that she could get her associate’s degree no matter how long it took her.

“I am just going to show them, I am going to get this done, I am going to walk the stage,” she said.

Her eldest daughter, her daughter’s husband and her granddaughter were going to drive down from Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, N.M., she said.

“I just pray there will be a ceremony after the COVID crisis calms a bit more,” McCain said.

Many students like McCain had family coming into town, parties planned and internships to explore, but plans keep changing.

South student Kalyn Thomas said her mother never finished

college, so it was a big deal to her that she celebrated her first degree in higher education before she transferred to a four-year college.

“I originally had plans of having my whole family come to my community college graduation just like they did for my high school graduation,” Thomas said.

NE student Courtney McDonald was going to celebrate graduation with her friends from classes at TCC. She said she will probably host a Zoom party instead.

“It’s upsetting that I cannot go through with my original plans, but it’s more important to keep everyone safe,” McDonald said.

And students like NW student Kathryn McKenzie realize that life is going to go on. Some are even grateful.

“Overall, I’m excited about this year and grateful with what God has blessed me with and what He holds for me in the future,” McKenzie said.

Contributors: Muhammad Ashraf, Luceli Lopez, Justin Smith, Cale Sherrod and Rose Pemberton.

NORTHEAST

Anxiety for students increases during stay-at-home orders ELYSSA GIDEON reporter

Anxiety and depression already weighed on some students’ lives prior to the spread of COVID-19, but the new normal has created unforeseen situations that students now must cope with.

NE student Julie McNett cannot go through with her hysterectomy due to it being considered an elective surgery, which has been halted during the pandemic.

Being the only caretaker in the household, McNett has a husband who is disabled, a 17-year-old son, a 13-year-old autistic son and a 2-year-old little girl she is responsible for, and her income is currently the only one sustaining them all.

“I can’t let anything happen to me,” McNett said.

She has had a battery of tests and biopsies over the last few years

and was finally ready for a total hysterectomy. She had finally gotten the answer she had been waiting for, but then the COVID-19 shutdown surgery ban happened, and she’s been living in fear.

“I need this surgery, my family needs this,” McNett said. “So, I start seeing a hematologist/oncologist to manage iron and vitamin infusions and to monitor blood counts to make sure levels don’t change drastically, but I live in fear daily.”

Sheltering-in-place orders have forced parents to become their children’s main educators. NE student Katheryn Ramirez is overwhelmed by the number of responsibilities that come with now having to teach her children at home.

“I have a house full of kids and a husband at home, whom I am still trying to care for, and doing wife and mom duties all while trying to take all four classes online and homeschool my children,” she said. “It

is not getting easier.”

NE student Jessica Wood treats her depression, but this situation has made everyday life more difficult than usual.

“My anxiety is controlled via medicine, but my depression has gotten out of hand, I am missing class and assignments due to it,” Wood said. “I typically cope by hanging out with my friends during class and being as social as possible.”

The stay-at-home orders that have come about to keep people healthy during this pandemic have also, in some ways, created further mental and physical health issues outside of COVID-19 itself.

Ramirez, McNett and Wood agree that during this time, people should still reach out to their friends and support system because they’re not alone and remember not to be too hard on themselves. This is a temporary situation.

eamesBot/Shutterstock.com

Sheltering in place during the pandemic creates new anxieties like having to homeschool children and postponing elective surgeries.

Entertainment

The Collegian

April 29, 2020 • Page 3

NETFLIX REVIEW

Black culture called into question in Netflix series MICHAEL FOSTER-SANDERS feature editor

Rina Sawayama, Sawayama

Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama tackles topic of racial discrmination, toxic masculinity, love and friendship in her first album “SAWAYAMA.”

MUSIC REVIEW

Genre fusion creates stellar debut album DANG LE

managing editor

The Japanese-British singer’s debut album, “SAWAYAMA,” is a mashup of how metal rock and R&B pop elements would sound like when being put together.

Born in Japan, raised in England and graduated from Cambridge, Rina Sawayama came onto the music scene in 2017. One year later, she came out as pansexual.

The theme of “being an outsider” played a big part in the album. The raging “STFU!” showed her talk about racist experiences in the music industry. The only ballad, “Chosen Family,” described her coming to terms with her sexuality and being accepted into the supportive queer community.

“Paradisin,’” which bears a resemblance to the video game arcade background music, talks about how she grew up with a single mother. The new jack swing track “Love Me 4 Me,” is a self-love track, but the purepop, relatable “Bad Friend” sees Sawayama antagonizing herself for leaving her friend behind.

Perhaps one of the craziest aspects of the album is how the singer incorporates nu-metal elements into the tracks. “XS,” which sarcastically criticizes modern capitalism, is a daring combination of Korn or N.E.R.D.’s explosive metal guitar riffs with The Cheetah Girls’ pink-R&B ‘00s vibe.

The slinky track “Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys),” which consists of ‘70s disco elements, Madonna-esque backing vocals and seriously slick basslines, is Sawayama’s ways of criticizing toxic masculinity and Beto O’Rourke’s remarks on his presidential run. But if one ignores the content

the first time, it’s a crazy, luxurious enough song to sweat on the dance floor.

The stadium-shaking “Who’s Gonna Save U Now?,” which takes inspirations from Bradley Cooper’s character in “A Star is Born,” is when the 29-year-old artist reminds the listeners that artists are the best version of themselves when standing on the stage.

Using cheering fan noises in the background, this may be the closest music fans can experience a concert with everything that’s been going on this year. And quite frankly, the track is the best imitation of how energetic live concerts can be.

Behind the boast and loud production throughout the entire album, Sawayama’s vocal delivery can perfectly lean into the ‘90s and ‘00s pop/R&B lane. The sparkly synth-pop “Tokyo Love Hotel” is a highlight of the album where she has the chance to showcase her vocals.

Throughout 13 tracks, it becomes clear that Sawayama doesn’t fit into any label or box. This debut album is just her playing with sounds and blending genres.

It’s too strong to be just pop, but it doesn’t go as hard to be solely metal. The album has that chic, expensive Western production style, yet she doesn’t forget her roots by adding Eastern elements.

The result? The album is a mess, but it’s a beautiful mess. And throughout the tracks, listeners may find an artist who’s comfortable enough in her own skin and ready to soar through this music industry.

Rina Sawayama is the artist to watch for in the upcoming years.

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Being black in America is a very complex thing, and veteran television writer Kenya Barris of “Black•ish” conveys this in Netflix’s series “#BlackAF.” Barris, who also makes his acting debut, plays himself in this meta-comedy about being a successful black man in Hollywood and what he thinks that’s expected of him being black in a majority white culture.

He’s also struggling with balancing being an in-demand scriptwriter and a father who is present in his family’s lives.

He’s a flawed individual who forgets his children’s birthdays, curses at his children to teach them about the real world with his experiences and to toughen them up since they’re Hollywood children. He loves them, but is learning what might work for him while he was growing up might not be the best route to go with his children.

The show is set within the backdrop of his daughter Drea’s documentary of the family’s daily life, so she can have a submission for film school. “#BlackAF” also shows the struggles of marriage and Barris’ better half, Joya Barris, played by seasoned actress Rashida Jones.

She’s a former successful lawyer who became a housewife when Kenya’s career blossomed. Joya is the glue that holds the family together. But as of late, she feels that she’s not being appreciated for sacrificing her career for her husband’s dream, which is causing a rift for the loving, but the goofy couple and will be a recurring theme through this season.

One of the best episodes of the season is the “Still...because of slavery” episode because it showcases the ideology of black families from different sides of the spectrum. Kenya’s family, from the inner city, comes for the Juneteeth celebration that Joya wants for the children so they can learn about their heritage.

Before the festivities start, Kenya tells his assistant and children to hide the valuable items because he knows how his family is, and they will rip him off. He stereotypes his own family similar to department store workers when minorities look and act a certain way.

What makes “#blackAF” work is the family dynamic and the synergy that the cast has with each other. The Barris children might be the least annoying children in television history because they feel authentic. The dialogue is so cleverly written and witty that it has a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” quality to it but not as dry and mean -spirited.

The only downside to the show is that the humor may alienate those who are not familiar with some aspects of black culture. On the other side of the coin, it might be able to teach about some aspects of black culture to develop understanding and empathy.

Is this show the end all be all about the black experience? No, but it’s a damn good show, which might become a reference if the series can keep the quality of Season One. Bring on Season Two.

Photo courtesty of Netflix

Scriptwriter Kenya Barris’s life is on full display with the pseudo docu-comedy “#BlackAF,” which also stars Rashida Jones as Barris’s wife, Joya.

News

Page 4 • April 29, 2020

Corona

The Collegian

(continued from page 1)

McCain, who is immunocompromised, was concerned when Lopez came home feeling sick after staying with her dad for the first part of spring break. McCain knew she was at risk of becoming seriously ill if she caught any sickness.

“If I go down, we’re in deep trouble,” McCain said.

They later learned that at least two members of the Lopez household tested positive for the flu. Soon after Lopez returned home, she experienced a runny nose, fever and sore throat, but the allergic reaction symptom of a body rash seemed odd. Lopez did not change her laundry detergent, try new foods or change anything in her daily routine that would normally trigger a reaction like the one she was experiencing.

The hospital released

Lopez after they treated her with several EpiPen injections and a cocktail of other medications, stabilizing her.

After this first hospital visit, McCain and Lopez walked away without any answers as to what happened or what caused Lopez’s illness.

By the next morning, a rash had reappeared on Lopez. Her fever persisted.

This time, McCain said she notified Lopez’s pediatrician, Dr. Rebecca Olvera, on the way to the hospital, who advised her to stay longer this time to probe for more answers.

Lopez’s reaction progressed in front of the medical staff at the hospital. Although the doctor ran blood cultures and performed chest x-rays, the possibility of the coronavirus has not been mentioned. McCain knew that

Brooke Baldwin/The Collegian

Lopez believes she was ill with the coronavirus and wears a mask to protect her mother’s health. tests were not widely available and didn’t request one at that time.

McCain reached out to allergist and immunologist Dr. James Thompson for help.

Through a video appointment, Dr. Thompson discussed all the symptoms and the timeline of exposure, sickness and

Masks

Brooke Baldwin/The Collegian

Workers in the financial aid office are concerned about students’ ability to get services due to campus closure.

Financial team are here to do.

“We don’t want people to walk away from their education,” McMullen said.

(continued from page 1) “This is unprecedented, but we want to help, and things will be put in place to help them.”

treatment with McCain and Lopez. He suspected that the coronavirus was the culprit, and the allergic reaction was a cytokine storm, the body’s overreaction of the immune system and a complication of the coronavirus.

McCain was advised to get in touch with dermatol-

ogist Dr. Catherine Harrell, who confirmed that another patient presenting the same set of symptoms and hives had a confirmed coronavirus diagnosis. Dr. Harrell said she concurred with Dr. Thompson in regard to coronavirus being the probable source of Lopez’s illness.

Lopez did not get a test during the time when she could have tested positive for coronavirus because it was not on most doctor’s radars at that time.

Dr. Thompson warned against going to get the antibody test to confirm what she already assumed. He did not want McCain to contract the virus by taking her daughter up to a testing site where she was almost guaranteed to be exposed.

Both McCain and Lopez have struggled to keep up

with school while navigating this ordeal.

“The toughest part of all this is the unknown,” she said. “Without the documentation of a test, it’s hard.”

They have conducted their lives as though Lopez had a confirmed case of the coronavirus, and they maintain their distance from each other while they live together.

McCain doesn’t want to assume any differently and have a false sense of security that she is safe when she may not be.

H e r d o c t o r ’s a d vice: Both women need to self-quarantine and self-isolate as much as possible.

Lopez is recovering, but she is feeling lasting effects from her brush with this illness.

“I’m pretty tired most of the time,” Lopez said.

(continued from page 1)

“It’s very different from sewing upholstery,” she said. “For the first time, I’m sewing very thin fabric, which I have never done before.”

Wi t h a c o m m e rcial sewing machine, she sewed five layers. For her, the mask is easy to make, but putting the side pads on is difficult due to its large size.

“If we had been able to work together in an assembly line, it’d be easier,” Leventhal-Garnett said.

“Since we’re all social distancing, it’s just harder.”

As soon as they finish, Lacy will be picking up the masks individually as they are practicing social distancing rules. Then,

he would drop them off to Whitmore at the Trinity Metro.

“I feel like it’s a small way that I can help out in this situation with the skill that I have,” Doyle said.

“So, it just makes me feel good that they [Metro Transit drivers] can get masks since they’re out there in public risking their health.”

Leventhal-Garnett is also thrilled to be able to contribute to this crisis.

“There’s this sense of accomplishment of doing something a little bit complicated, and I’m a little bit more proficient around it, just to do something that would be helpful and meaningful,” she said.

Photo credit: Rachael Leventhal-Garnett

Rachael Leventhal-Garnett and Sed Lacy wear the masks that they’re making for the Trinity Metro drivers.

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Opinion

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Viewpoints

Editorial

Moviegoers flock to drive-ins due to virus

MALIK GILES

campus editor

Movie companies have pushed their releases back and postponed or canceled production due to the spread of COVID-19. When the country reopens, the ways of releasing films should change, and movie theaters should be replaced with drive-in theaters while production companies should stream their releases on-demand faster.

Movie theaters have always been unsanitary. Everyone’s had at least one time when they’ve experienced sitting down in a stinky seat or a 4-year-old sitting right behind one’s seat, kicking it.

Drive-in theaters should be considered the obvious solution. It preserves the six-foot social distancing rule by having people stay in their cars.

It is not loud when funny scenes during the movie occur, and no children are pounding on anyone’s seats.

Movie companies can release their movies straight to streaming platforms.

During the outbreak, Netflix has slightly surpassed Disney in stocks. Throughout the years, Netflix has also increased its prices for subscriptions. New movies have been releasing every week ever since the country has been shut down, and their marketshare has been high.

Disney+ did an early release of their animated movie, “Onward” in response to theaters being closed down.

The movie only spent two weeks in theaters prior to its digital release. Disney also had to push back movies such as “Black Widow” and postpone other movie productions due to shutdowns.

Disney+ is $5.99 per month, comparable to Netflix when it launched.

Should Disney decide to raise prices of Disney+ and release movies like “Black Widow” right away, their streaming platform could make as much money as Netflix.

The majority of the world loves movies to the point that movie companies should consider different ways of releasing their movies for the safety of their audiences.

Whether the moviegoing culture shifts to more drive-in theaters or streaming platforms, companies will have to think of something to get their movie out to audiences during the new normal.

Trump’s suggestions for cures inexcusable

JILL BOLD

editor-in-chief

President Donald Trump has a history of controversial statements, but his recent attempts to tout false cures for the coronavirus are dangerous.

As the U.S. president, he is one of the most influential people on the planet, and every word he utters will be scrutinized. So far, his ideas for coronavirus treatments have had no basis in medical fact and have created a mix of confusion and outrage from American citizens.

In early April, President Trump tweeted about the use of chloroquine as a “game changer” in the treatment of the coronavirus. This is a product used to fight fish diseases and is meant for use in aquariums, not as a treatment for humans. CNN reported that an Arizona man lost his life after taking the president’s words as truth and ingested the product.

April 29, 2020 • Page 5

In Trump’s April 23 press briefing, he responded to new findings that ultraviolet sunlight, bleach and alcohol all help prevent the spread of the virus on household surfaces.

He implored his advisers to look into shining light into the bodies of sick people, without acknowledging that this is already proven to be harmful to the human body.

He then suggested that they harness the killing power of bleach to eliminate the virus from the body by injecting disinfectant into ill patients to eliminate the virus from the body like Chlorox wipes would clean a countertop.

It’s bad enough that these “solutions” are so irredeemably wrong, but to mention them in a public setting to the millions of people who are listening to him is irresponsible as a leader. As a result of his statements on injecting bleach, the manufacturer of Lysol released an official statement warning against using their product in this way.

The country has already seen the deadly consequences of following Trump’s “medical” advice. He’s not a doctor, and he’s not a responsible leader. He harnesses the power and reach of his words to make himself look smarter and in control of this situation when he, in reality, is not. He needs to heed the advice of experts for the sake of the nation’s health and prosperity.

Immigration ban is simply act of racism

Michael Harp/The Collegian

On April 21, President Donald Trump announced that he would halt issuing green cards to prevent immigrants from entering the U.S. This decision is nothing but a racist act with no proof that it would help the country during this pandemic.

Trump’s supporters immediately agreed with his decision, saying that banning immigration would help stop spreading the virus.

They applauded the president for making the right decision, citing it as a reason to vote for him in the 2020 election.

A positive reaction is exactly what Trump wants so he can continue to gaslight people into thinking he’s actually doing something to keep the pandemic under control, cater to exactly what his supporters want to hear and also not-so-subtly spread his racist propaganda.

It’s comical to think the president believes in trying to stop the spread. As thousands and thousands of citizens are dying every day, he’s pushing to “open up the country.”

Trump argues that our economy is going to undergo irreversible damage if Americans don’t return to work soon, showing that he does not value our health.

His supporters can argue that’s not exactly what he said, but it’s definitely what he wants.

Giving states the power to open is just the perfect excuse for him to dodge blame.

Once the virus spreads, he can easily say that he didn’t explicitly tell states to open, but not using his leverage to reprimand governors who are opening up states as early at the end of April is destructive and it will cost American lives.

Rather than focusing on the more important tasks, which are to help the citizens and slow down the pandemic, President Trump chooses to find someone to blame and shift the focus on the most vulnerable group in the U.S. According to The Washington Post, immigrants comprise 17% of the U.S. workforce.

They are “more than one in four doctors,

nearly half the nation’s taxi drivers and chauffeurs and a clear majority of farm workers.”

One-third of all nurses in California, New York and New Jersey, the three states which are heavily impacted by the coronavirus, are immigrants.

In other words, the country needs immigrant employees more than ever.

They are the ones who have to sacrifice the most to stay in this country and take on jobs that no American citizen is willing to take, all while having to work harder to get there.

Trump sees the coronavirus as an international threat, calling it dangerous, racially-charged terms such as “the Chinese virus” or “Wuhan virus,” but he can’t seem to accept to the fact that the U.S. is actually the problem right now.

The U.S. is not the biggest country in the world, neither in size nor population, but it is the country with the most affected cases and deaths worldwide.

There are countries in the world where their citizens are getting tested and finding zero new cases, and they’re ready to open the country in the upcoming days.

The U.S. plans to reopen the country too, but with a small fraction of people being tested, and over 1,000 deaths daily, the decision to reopen is a recipe for catastrophe. Americans are sure to see a second wave of the coronavirus sooner rather than later.

So it’s a shame that Trump still thinks foreigners are the problem when instead, it’s just his incompetent leadership and failure to contain the virus months before it got out of hand.

Now, he will do anything to avoid accountability for his mistakes, and blaming immigrants just seems to be the easiest solution for him.

With all the contributions made by immigrants, they should also be seen as equals to all other citizens in the U.S. However, it’s hard for them to put any effort into the country if they will always be regarded as second-class citizens.

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The Collegian • 828 Harwood Road Hurst, TX 76054 Office: 817-515-6391 Editor: 817-515-6394 Advertising: 817-515-6619 email: collegian.editor@tccd.edu TCC is an equal opportunity institution that provides educational and employment opportunities on the basis of merit and without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status or disability.

Feature

Page 6 • April 29, 2020

The Collegian

NORTHEAST

NE photography students appreciate little things in their lives through the camera lens

NE student Lisa Rogers captures her grandchildren enjoying Easter day despite limitations during pandemic.

NE student Brooke Baldwin highlights mask safety.

NE student Alex Ramirez displays construction issues by his residence with the road closed sign.

NE student Chaney Kahle captures her work space of an aspiring female college student.

NE students Tiara Gavis snaps a shot of her garden where she plants things as a peaceful hobby.

NE student Angela Jones gives a glimpse into the toilet paper shortage caused by panic buying because of the COVID-19 pandemic across the U.S.

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Sara Fishbane

sfishbane@bellevue.edu | 682-305-6223

transfer.bellevue.edu/tccd Bellevue University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. • Bellevue University does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disability in the educational programs and activities it operates.