Run the human race with John Carson on page 8.
September 22, 2008
www.theAccent.org
Volume 1, Issue 1 Hanlly Sam • Staff Photographer•
Inside
Helping Ike Evacuees
Explore the Texas Music Museum on page 7.
Register to vote by Oct. 6 in any Student Life office. Learn why on page 2.
Alma Hernandez • Photo Editor
Dot Dearinger, an employee of the Office of Student Life at ACC, donated her time last weekend to volunteer with the American Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Ike after buildings closed early in preparation for the hurricane.
ACC staff member helps with Red Cross shelter efforts Elizabeth Carson Editor-in-Chief
Read about what’s happening with parking and transportation on page 5.
While many people planned to stay indoors on Sept. 12 due to hurricane preparations, Austin Community College Student Life Assistant Dot Dearinger risked highly congested roadways and sacrificed personal comfort to volunteer with the Red Cross, helping displaced Texas coastal residents. Dearinger, who works at the Rio Grande campus, took classes at ACC and participated in a work study with the office of Student Life in 2003. Now she’s a part of the full-time staff in the same office. Dearinger first started volunteering with the Red Cross during Hurricane Katrina. She picked up food and brought it to the Capital
Area Food Bank to help serve Hurricane Katrina victims who were taking refuge in Austin. At that time, Dearinger became a certified Red Cross volunteer. After a quick, on-the-spot training, she spent every night with the displaced families until they could return home. “Some of our dearest friends now are from Hurricane Katrina,” said Dearinger. “I know how important it is to be available, even if you can just talk to someone.” She explained that volunteers like herself are there to comfort the victims and provide companionship, laughter and maybe a respite from childcare by playing with the children. During Hurricane Katrina, Dearinger used her cell phone to call victims’ relatives in other
states, letting them know that their family members were safe. The relief she heard on the other end of the line was its own reward. “They didn’t realize that people just care,” she said. Dearinger knows what it means to live through a hurricane. Many times she evacuated and returned to assess the damage when she lived in Galveston. After Hurricane Charlie, Dearinger had enough, and it was one of the main reasons she moved to Austin. Extra hands are often needed. Hurricane victims need to be registered, school gyms need to be converted into temporary residences and services to victims need to be provided including taking care of medical needs and helping with babies. With a background in human
services, CPR training and suicide prevention classes under her belt, Dearinger is able to serve her community in a practical way. Dearinger was not able to return Saturday to help at the shelters and by Sunday most residents had left them. The Texas Department of Transportation has posted electronic signs along the highways that warn of gas shortages on roadways heading toward Beaumont and Houston. Area officials do not recommend anyone return to the area for awhile while recovery efforts continue.
Get Involved www.centex.redcross.org
Net Neutrality a democratic ideal threatened Trevor W. Goodchild Staff Writer
Internet access to the average student is essential, and unrestricted access to high speed data transfer is viewed as a right. This concept that anyone with a connection can transfer as much data as they want and do it at as high a speed as their connection will allow is known as Net Neutrality. However, it is currently being challenged by large telecommunication companies. Net Neutrality is, as University of Texas Professor Robert Jensen puts it, “A system of mass communication and democracy. That means we have to always be attentive to the need to ensure the most democratic access to the communication of this technology.” This unofficial tenet of the internet enables nondiscriminatory access, so that no service provider can block content based on their business
alliances or political persuasions. Yet, if some had their way, this could all change soon. Companies such as AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon have been spending tens of thousands of dollars lobbying Congress to make laws allowing them to provide fast internet only to those who pay higher fees, while the rest of internet users are limited to dial-up or slower connecting capabilities. They would intentionally slow down the current widely used internet bandwidth and reserve the normal speed the general populace is accustomed to for those who can afford the higher price. In 2006, the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Bill (C.O.P.E. Act) was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, but later did not make it through the Senate to become law. Essentially, it would have allowed telecom companies to eliminate Net
Neutrality. Save The Internet, one of the most organized groups taking action regarding the recent attacks on Net Neutrality, is made up of such diverse groups as Gun Owners of America, Moveon.org, the Christian Coalition of America and even the founder of Craigslist.org, Craig Newmark. Net Neutrality has also sparked the attention of several well-known bands such as Wilco, Aesop Rock, the Wu-Tang Clan, The Roots, and Pearl Jam, who have joined the group Rock the Net, a coalition of musicians and labels that support Net Neutrality. Musician Moby stated, “You will not be allowed to sell out the internet to companies like AT&T without a huge public backlash. If Congress guts Net Neutrality, independent music and news sites would be choked NEUTRALITY continued on pg. 3