Issue 4 Volume 54

thecurrent the student newspaper of green river college

December 4, 2019

www.thegrcurrent.com

issue 4 volume 54

Popular Traditions Make the Holiday Season More Joyful pg. 5 & 8

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2 December 4, 2019

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Connor O’Boyle | Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

Yoav Duman Challenges The Arab-Israeli Conflict By: Valentin Dreher Staff Writer Yoav Duman spent the first 30 years of his life in Israel, where he was born and raised in the middle of the never-ending Arab-Israeli conflict.

The dispute between Jewish Israel and its Muslim neighbors has been simmering since the founding of the state of Israel in 1948. Duman came to the U.S. about 12 years ago with the goal to educate students about this issue in his Political Sciences class “The Arab-Israeli Conflict” taking place this winter quarter. It is from 11 a.m. to 11:50 a.m., Monday through Thursday.

“Most classes taught at Green River are very general and not focused on one topic,” Duman said. “This class is unique. It allows students to examine one particular case and then draw conclusions that also apply to other conflicts around the world.” Duman taught this class for 12 years at the University of Washington and brought it to Green River in 2018.

Duman thinks it is necessary for U.S. students to learn about the conflict because of the deep involvement their country has within it, paid for by taxpayers’ money.

“Most people are not educated about what is going on in the Middle East,” Duman said. “Instead, they rely on the information provided by their echo chambers.”

This can be especially dangerous in such conflict that is mostly a competition of narratives. The class will also touch several religious topics that Duman believes many students will be passionate about.

Duman personally had numerous points of contact with the conflict.

“I served in the Israeli military and also lost a cousin in the conflict,” he said. However, he was quick to point out that he does not have a biased view of the issue.

“I do not adopt the Israeli narrative and [I] have friends on both sides of the conflict,” Duman said.

“I have been active in the peace movement for decades and always promote dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. That’s why I also spent some time in the majorly Palestinian West Bank.”

His objective for the class is to question the stories of all the groups involved. “Anybody who has a strong position on the issue will see their ideology challenged by my class,” Duman said.

Brent Matoba, a student at Green River, took the class the last time Duman taught it. He felt it was valuable to him to learn about what he calls “a massive 100-year humanitarian crisis.” What he liked most about the class was that it was not mainly focused on facts and statistics, but emphasized the human element.

“It was all about empathizing

Green River College’s biology club offers an opportunity for students to enrich themselves in the study of life science through various hands-on activities and off-campus experiences.

The club is advised by Daniel Najera who teaches cell biology, northwest ecology, and environmental science at Green River College. The club president is Chantal Fonticoba, a third-year student at the college. Mark Vernon, another staff member at the college, helps run the club as well.

Biology is commonly described as the “study of life in general” and focuses on the components and structures of life. The club teaches students how everything in the world is interrelated and covers a wide variety of any living species that is able to be studied.

“Biology is important for people to learn because they are biological organisms,” Najera said. “Everything they learn [in the club] is directly relevant.”

The club does something new every meeting and the focus of the meetings is typically about something that one of its members observes and finds interesting.

“We are learning birds with the

help of a bird game, we did a honey harvest, we have done placenta tours, [and] gone to the Burke Museum,” Najera said. Fonticoba shared that the group even dissected possums once.

In a recent meeting, the group went on a walk to check on nature through a trail surrounding Green River College. The trail is a longterm research study site flourishing with wildlife. The location of the college is unique because it offers such a diverse ecological system that many other colleges do not have on their respective campuses.

The goal of the nature walk was to look for and identify different mushrooms, as well as listen for bird calls. Students were able to see, touch, and smell wild mushrooms that were found growing on the forest floors and trees. Common fungi that were found included cauliflower fungus, witch’s butter, and clavarioid fungi.

Vernon also used an audio device to pick up on the various bird sounds that were audible in the forest and helped identify the species of birds that were heard, with the most common being the chestnut-backed chickadee.

Anyone is welcome to join biology club, there is no previous knowledge of biology required.

Green River College 12401 SE 320th St., Mailstop: SU Auburn, WA 98092-3699 NEWSROOM DIRECT LINE 253-288-3457 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dakota Farnsworth thecurrent.EditorinChief@ mail.greenriver.edu 253-508-2555 ext. 2375

Valentin Dreher| The Current

Green River College’s Yoav Duman, a Political Science professor in Salish Hall. with the participants of an event and then analyzing the thought process behind the actions they took,” Matoba said.

Matoba said that Duman’s personal experiences with the issue were helpful to him and his classmates. “He could give a first hand account of the issues discussed in class,” Matoba said.

Matoba also said the class helped him realize that nothing in the world should be thought of as black and white. “At the beginning of a class, we’d go over some horrific event, and I’d be convinced the people involved were monsters,” he said. “By the end, we’d covered their justifications, and I found myself almost agreeing with the aggressors [of the event].”

Matoba also accounted for the fact that it is easy to get a good grade in Duman’s class if one shows up and tries to participate. He

brought up different extra-credit opportunities and the instructor’s helpfulness when questions or concerns came up.

Duman pointed out that no previous knowledge is needed as he aims to make the class accessible to all students. It fulfills a social sciences requirement and is part of the Global Studies program at Green River College.

After all, Duman does not believe that the dispute can be resolved soon. “It is almost impossible to draw borders between Israeli and Palestinian territory. There are many elements involved in this conflict, including religion, ideology, and the support of outside groups,” Duman said.

The complexity of the conflict is one reason why he thinks students will not regret taking his class and learning more about why it is so far from being resolved.

Najera said that joining the club “will immerse you in the living system you are a part of” and “make you realize your connections to life that you might not always think of and show you how diverse life is.”

Biology club meetings are held at noon every Friday in room 243 of the Marv Nelson Science Learning

Center. The last meeting of the quarter is Dec. 6. Fonticoba said that the club has a flexible schedule and “does stuff outside of that when people can’t make it”.

The club’s meeting time changes very quarter to fit the various schedules of students who are interested in joining.

Biology Club Helps Students Connect To the Life Around Them By: Kylee McManus Staff Writer

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MANAGING EDITOR ONLINE MANAGER Taylor Robertson thecurrent.SocialMediaManager@ mail.greenriver.edu CAMPUS EDITOR Connor O’Boyle thecurrent.Campus@ mail.greenriver.edu A&E EDITOR Amy Carpenter thecurrent.AE@mail.greenriver.edu OPINION EDITOR Maddie Farnsworth thecurrent.Opinion@mail. greenriver.edu SPORTS EDITOR Efrain Pardo thecurrent.Sports@mail.greenriver. edu PHOTOGRAPHER Rakesh Kommanagunta mkommanagumta2@mail. greenriver.edu LAYOUT EDITOR Dee Senaga thecurrent.PageLayout@mail. greenriver.edu GRAPHIC DESIGNER Elsa Finkbeiner efinkbeiner@mail.greenriver.edu STAFF WRITERS: Abdi Sidali, Anuhea Borden, Chris Sundet, Halley Swindle, Jadelyn Castro, Jessi Zamorano-Saucedo, Kylee McManus, Lance Simons, Macie Jean Walker, Marian Mohamed, Romeo Buckley, Samantha Olguin, Tatiana Vila-Ferreri, Valentin Dreher

Corrections

If you find a factual error or simply a name spelled If you find a factual error incorrectly, orplease simply contact a name us spelled at: incorrectly, - editor@thegrcurrent.com please contact us at: - 253-288-3457 - editor@thegrcurrent.com - or find us OEB 17 - 253-833-9111 ext. 2375 - or find us in SA218

Kylee McManus | The Current

Biology club members walking around the trails that surround the college.

Connor O’Boyle| Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

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3 December 4, 2019

Students Find Many Ways to Help Them Study for Finals

Elsa Finkbeiner | The Current

By: Christ Sundet Staff Writer

With fall quarter coming to an end, students are taking advantage of resources at the Green River College campus to prepare for finals.

Finals are the most important part of the quarter. One final test or paper could make or break a student’s GPA. Three students shared their own experiences with finals week, and gave some tips on how to get through it without getting too stressed out.

Nawal Kumar, a first-year student here at Green River College, is preparing for his finals by going to the Writing Center and getting more help outside of his classes.

“I’ve definitely been more proactive in doing things to help me for the end of the

quarter like going to the Writing Center for some of my essays and studying more in the evening,” Kumar said. Kumar also shared that he will try to get more sleep in the coming weeks to get mentally prepared for the work required to get through his final exams.

Kumar isn’t the only student that has been taking school more seriously lately. Logan McMurray, a Running Start student at Green River College, only has two classes at the college but still has a lot on his plate with finals coming up for his Music Theory and History classes respectively.

“I have six days to study for my history exam, so I am definitely going to take advantage of that,” McMurray said. “I don’t think I am going to get that [much time] for my music class though, so I’ve been studying more now so I will be more prepared for the test in a couple weeks.”

Students have many different methods of how they prepare and study for their finals.

Isabelle Jones has her own specific way she goes about preparing.

“Basically, what I do to prepare for finals is usually sitting at my kitchen table with my music playing,” Jones said. “I can’t study in my room or else I will get distracted. I turn on an app on my phone geared for studying

Rakesh Kommanagunta | The Current

GRC students using the Holman Library computer lab to study for tests and finish up final projects. for my easiest classes first and then I eventually get to the hardest classes. I spend a lot of time studying and I make sure I’m really perfect at every subject.” She also shared that this method has worked great for her in the past and that she recommends it to students who struggle to study for harder classes first.

While finals week can be very stressful, it is a great time to learn how to work well under pressure. This helps students learn an important life skill that they will carry with them for when they become a part of the work force after college.

Good luck on your finals next week, Gators.

MSA Spreads Mental Health Awareness Students for Bernie Club Aims to Educate By: Marian Mohamed Staff Writer

MSA provides a safe space for Muslims and even non-Muslims to share their thoughts, give advice, and form bonds with fellow club members.

Sumday Addish, one of the club leaders, belives that the club explores bigger ideas on giving Islam a platform here at Green River.

“We haven’t started yet but we’re planning to have a Islamic Awareness week in the spring before Ramadan and having a week full of just seminars about Islam and workshops,” said Addish.

MSA club members sit down every Thursday at 12 p.m. to share their own experiences in their own respective communities and how they are perceived in public. Last week the Muslim Student Association at Green River College sat down and had a discussion about the role that mental health has in the Muslim community. They discussed their own experiences and coming forward to their family members. But, they were usually met with hesitance and are pushed away. It is discussions like these that can help the Muslim community better understand how mental health can significantly influence one’s faith.

“I notice that a lot of the time when people tend to have mental health issues in the Muslim Community, they tend to say their Iman is like a little low or they need to read Quran more and pray more. That’s not the only way to help them.” Addish said.

Mental health is rarely talked about in the Muslim community as there is stigmatization about the topic. This has made many Muslims feel as though they can’t get help from their families who believe that mental illness is not a problem and all they have to do is pray it away. An agreement was concluded during the discussion on how family members, specifically parents who have gone through a war in their home countries, do not understand why their child is so stressed out about their classes.

By: Macie Jean Walker Staff Writer

Wikipedia

Muslims praying in a Mosque in Bangladash.

“My parents don’t understand you know,” said Hanan Ali. “When it was their generation there were no resources and it was forced onto them to read the Quran (Islamic Holy Book) and look to God for guidance.

So I don’t really ask them. A lot of Somali [Muslim] families ran away from war to come to America. My stress is nothing compared to what they went through.”

Despite there still being a very disapproving view of mental illness within the Muslim community, there is still time for it to change. MSA is doing its job well enough for allowing Muslim students at Green River College to share their thoughts, vent to their fellow club members, and have time to grow from these experiences.

The Students for Bernie club at Green River College was formed with the goal to promote Sen. Bernie Sanders as well as educate other students about the American civic system.

With 10 current members, the club’s intended goal is to help students be more educated about the civic system, as well as promote Sen. Sanders and learn about the presidential candidates in order to build an informed opinion.

Because of his deep passion for politics and government, it is most important to Kai Ortiz-Sugimoto, the founder of the club, that those who come enjoy themselves and make friends while learning how to make the world a better place to live.

Students for Bernie meetings are held on Wednesdays from 12-1 p.m. Ortiz-Sugimoto explained that he founded the club from nothing and that it has been difficult to coordinate meetings and schedule events due to the fact that it is a new club, but he is optimistic about the future.

“It’s really important to give people a supportive environment to discuss politics and exchange ideas,” Ortiz-Sugimoto said. “I want to build a community where students can get along and politics is not a subject that is avoided but rather celebrated.”

But Ortiz-Sugimoto has more than just meetings in mind. He is planning debate-watching parties and other exciting, promotional events to get the club noticed.

“Watching the debates is really exciting, and to make things even more enticing, we’d like to serve a meal,” said Ortiz-Sugimoto.

“Everyone loves food.”

The club was created with the vision of allowing people to come together discuss politics in general, but is primarily used to promote interest in Sen. Sanders. Ortiz-Sugimoto intends to accomplish this by helping students educate themselves about

the political race and how they can be involved in their local and federal government.

By discovering students’ political standpoints and opinions, and reminding them to go out and vote and support whoever they would like to see in office, Ortiz-Sugimoto hopes to create a friendly and inclusive community where everyone contributes to building a better tomorrow.

There are many ways to get involved in Sen. Sanders campaign, one way being through Bernapp. Bernapp is an app accessible in the Apple app store and Google Play Store that allows users to film and share why you support Sen. Sanders, and why others should too. Bernapp also shows events in user’s general area, which includes a map feature that shows volunteer projects voters can participate in, as well as debate-watch parties, or events that Sen. Sanders will be attending.

Ortiz-Sugimoto believes that Sen. Sanders is a strong candidate because of his reliable nature and clear goals. His past history in poltics shows that he has been fighting for gay rights and women’s rights since the 70s.

Furthermore, Sen. Sanders has fought against war and foreign intervention, and fought for universal healthcare since his election to Congress. Ortiz-Sugimoto continued to say that Sanders’ zeal is unmatched in his efforts to “delete student loan debt”.

Ortiz-Sugimoto believes that the club is for everyone. Whether those interested are passionate about politics, or just curious about who might be running the country for the next four years, the Students for Bernie club is open to all students who want to become a part of the democratic system our country is so well known for.

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December 4, 2019

Campus Crime Blotter Campus Safety responded to the following incidents from October 15 to October 22 among others.

All information is from Campus Safety incident reports.

11/14/19 6:03 p.m.

SE 320th St. Traffic Violation.

A staff member reported almost being struck by a dark colored vehicle while walking across the crosswalk on SE 320th Street.

11/15/19 1:33 p.m.

SS. Theft.

Possible Theft. Possible theft of the Campus Safety Rayovac Shop vaccuum that was missing from SS Building.

11/16/19 9:05 a.m.

SA. Fire Alarm.

Fire Alarm. The fire department responded to a Fire Alarm in the Student Affairs building. Occurred in the Student Affairs Building.

11/16/19 6:00 p.m.

RAC Center.

Theft.

Theft. A student reported her wallet taken from the women’s Locker room in Student Union RAC.

11/18/19 10:07 Student Affairs.

Vandalism.

Theft/Vandalism. A staff member reported the vending machine on the second floor of Student Affairs was broken into.

Occurred in Student Affairs.

11/19/19 10:07 a.m.

SA. Theft.

Theft/Vandalism. A staff member reported the vending machine on the second floor of Student Affairs was broken into.

11/19/19 3:40 p.m.

Trades Building Fire Alarm

Fire Alarm. Fire alarm in Trades possibly set off by Welding in Room 614.

11/19/19 3:23 p.m.

Parking Lot 16.

Hit and Run.

Hit & Run. An unknown person hit an ADA sign in parking lot 16 and drove off.

11/19/19 11:00 p.m.

SU. Tespass.

11/21/19 9:00 a.m.

Parking Lot 11.

Reckless conduct.

A non-student was trespassed from campus north of Student Union.

Reckless Conduct. Student came in to report that a vehicle was speeding in the parking lot and almost hit them.

11/21/19 1:12 p.m.

Student Union.

Theft.

Theft. A student reported he lost his wallet in Student Union, when it was returned to him it was missing $50.00.

11/22/19 11:43 a.m.

SE 312th St. Traffic violation

Traffic Violation/ Weapon Violation. Auburn Police reported a traffic offense that occurred off campus in which a replica weapon was shown.

Connor O’Boyle | Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

The Queer and Allies Club Show Pride By: Jessi Zamorano Saucedo Staff Writer

The Queer and Allies club is a welcoming and safe place for the LGBTQ+ community at Green River College.

The Club takes place in the SU-250 every Friday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., and anyone is welcome. President Amanda Moore and vice president Persephone Staehle make sure that everyone in the club is heard.

If members happen to miss a club meeting or cannot go due to personal reasons, Moore and Staehle will send an email on what was said and done at their meeting as well as making sure those who miss meetings are still involved with any group voting, discussions, or future events that were planned.

To start off club meetings, everyone says their name and pronouns. They also share the Queer Person of the week, who is a historical person that made a huge impact for the LGBTQ+ community.

When they announce who Queer person of the week is, the group discusses the things they did and their appreciation for them.

Moore and Staehle like to have a mixture of fun club meeting days as well as more serious discussion days. For the fun days there are games, group activities, and time to decompress. For the more serious days, there are big group discussions based on what is happening in the news or other topics posed by club members.

In this week’s club meeting coming up on Friday Dec. 6, it is going to be a fun day due

to finals coming up and students preparing for them. There will be games like Uno, Ice Breakers, and more. It will be a day for members to relax, get to know one another, and have a good time.

The Leaders of the club are going to start preparing for Pride prom. Pride prom will be from 7 p.m. to midnight May 27 at the Gator Hall. The theme for this year’s pride prom will be a classy interpretation of Greek and Roman mythology. Any Green River students are welcome to attend.

Dressing up is optional and tickets can be purchased online or on location. It is an event for students to come together and get to know their community. There will be a huge variety of food, cake, music, and a photo booth for group pictures or portraits.

At the end of the night, two drag queen and kings will be nominated.

Moore and Staehle note that there is a huge population of the LGBTQ+ members here at Green River College. Despite this, the club is relatively low in numbers. Some club members did not know that there was a Queer and Allies club before joining. Many students at Green River were unaware of the club as well.

Having a Queer and Allies club provides students a safe space that is welcoming for all types of people, even if they just need someone to talk to or have any questions. This club allows anyone to feel safe and welcome, especially if they are questioning their own sexuality or simply want to know more about the LGBTQ+ community.

Running Start Studes Share GRC Stories By: Sean Bessette Student Writer

With finals right around the corner, the new Running Start students are reflecting on how they have adjusted to studying at Green River College.

Running Start students Jena Stannard and Carson Covey share their experiences and knowledge after almost completing their first college quarter. The last day of the fall quarter is Dec. 13 with finals starting a couple of days earlier.

“I’m learning about the dynamics of college and how independent I have to be which is different from high school,” said Stannard, a Kentlake High School junior who is taking two classes at the college and two at her high school. Stannard plans on transferring to a four-year university after Greenriver and majoring in teaching while minoring in American Sign Language. She also said her first quarter has been good so far.

Covey, an Enumclaw High School junior, has also been enjoying his first quarter at Green River College. “Everyone takes classes seriously and nobody is goofing off like in high school,” said Covey, adding that he likes how everyone at college is there to learn.

Not all adjustments are easy and simple, though. Some are more challenging.

Stannard said her most difficult adjustment has been in regards to the readings. She said that while she had to read in high school, the readings in college are more intertwined with assignments, quizzes and essays for the specific classes students take..

Covey’s most difficult adjustment was a little different. Running Start students often find themselves with more free time since they have flexible schedules in comparison

to high school, and Covey said that the extra free time “tends to make you procrastinate” a whole lot more.

“If you can make yourself focus and stay on top of your assignments, it makes classes much easier,” said Covey.

As the quarter rolls into its final stages, Running Start students are recognizing key differences between high school and college.

Stannard said that a large difference was with how class time is used. In college, classesseem “more productive” than high school.

“We learn the material in class that we need to and then any work that we need to complete is done outside of class,” Stannard said. The effective use of class time leads to more information being learned in an even shorter amount of time.

Covey is experiencing similar differences to Stannard’s. Covey said that some big differences he’s noticed between college classes and high school classes are that college classes “advance much faster” in comparison to high school and that “there is no tolerance for falling behind in your classes because no professor is going to wait for you to catch up.”

There are more than 2,000 students participating in the Running Start program at Green River College and they have many resources available to them. There is the Math Learning Center in Cedar Hall 313, the Tutoring and Resource Center on the second floor of the Holman Library and the Writing and Reading Center in RLC 173.

The end of the fall quarter marks the end of the first college quarter for a lot of students.

That means students are reflecting on their first quarter, making adjustments based on what they have experienced throughout the quarter and preparing for what is next.

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Connor O’Boyle | Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

5 December 4, 2019

The Holiday Season Spreads Love And Joy Among All Cultures at GRC

One fancied up Christmas tree.

By: Jordan Roshau Student Writer

All over the world there are different holidays celebrated, every community having their own traditions that are unique and special to them.

The holidays are a time of relaxation, being close to loved ones, and giving to the less fortunate.

Everyone celebrates something different this season, whether it is Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or simply being in the winter spirit of kindness. Despite our different holiday traditions, everyone is connected by the kindness they give during this time of year.

Pacific Lutheran University student and orchestra member Ellison Roycroft says his holiday traditions are “reflecting on what has changed and what has stayed

the same, and sharing some time with loved ones.

“Most of my practices involve bringing people together and engaging in interaction,” Roycroft said. “My personal favorite is playing pinochle because it is a safe way to be competitive and after a good game, everyone has had fun.”

Tacoma Community College student Finn Gray shares that his family celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah.

“We usually do a small dinner for Hanukkah and hand out some gifts, and then on Christmas Eve we celebrate Christmas with my mom’s step mom and Hanukkah with my grandpa,” Gray said. “My dad forces our family to go to midnight and then on Christmas we hang out with my dad’s side of the family and eat lots of food.”

Green River student Jessica Cortes celebrates Christmas, waiting until midnight on Dec. 24 to open presents. “We have a little doll Jesus,” she said. “And before opening presents we have to kiss [the] baby Jesus.”

For Cortes, Christmas is more of a religious holiday than anything else. Despite all of these different traditions, an over-arching theme

that seems prevalent in our community is celebrating Christmas in November. The day after Halloween, almost every store is stocked with holiday decorations and toys, people start wearing Christmas sweaters, and Christmas songs start playing on the radio.

According to becomingpeculiar. com, Christmas should not be celebrated in November for some of the following reasons: “Not wanting to short-change fall, don’t ruin the magic of the holiday season by dragging it out too long, there is an unhealthy balance between Christmas and the rest of the holidays, Christmas music isn’t good enough to last two months, and decorations lose their appeal very quickly.”

On the other hand, dailybreak. com argues that November is the perfect time to get the attention of consumers: “Stores are already selling holiday décor, the Pumpkin Spice hype is dying out, if you shop for gifts now you’ll worry less later, two months of nostalgia are better than one, and corny Christmas movies are the best!”

Similar to these websites, Green River seem to have differing opinions on when to start celebrating the holiday season.

Rakesh Kommanaguta | The Current Elsa Finkbeiner | The Current

“I get [celebrating Christmas] earlier in the month,” said Green River College student Lukas Graham, “but wait until after Thanksgiving.” He said it is important to wait until after Thanksgiving to celebrate Christmas and “respect the order” of the holidays.

Roycroft’s opinion on celebrating Christmas in November is “do what makes you happy.”

“Holidays and religion vary so much from household to household that I think that nobody should be judged for promoting something that values community, family and gratitude,” Roycrift said.

Similar to Roycroft, Gray said that “Christmas in November is a little weird but Christmas has no religious meaning anymore so I guess like do whatever you want.”

While everyone has their own opinions on when and how to celebrate the holidays, here is the over-arching message: The holidays are a time for people to do things they never have time to do during the rest of the year. Whether it may be working at a soup kitchen, singing carols, or holding loved ones close, this season is the time to spread joy to friends and family.

Happy Holidays, Gators.

The Environmental Club at Green River College Spread Awareness and Change By: Anuhea Borden Staff Writer The Green River College Environmental Club has been organizing volunteer work in order to re-design garbage cans on campus.

Though garbage cans all over campus could potentially lead to the critters scattering garbage, the Environmental Club has made note of that in advancing the college’s own environmentalism on field.

According to Annenberg Learner, the common individual contributes about 4.6 pounds of trash on a daily basis and conjointly the United States generates around 230 million tons of trash every single year.

Because of this ridiculous accumulation of waste, a countable 1.4 billion pounds of litter finishes up inside our oceans each year.

Not too long ago, one post by Arizona-based Byron Román reignited twitter’s #trashtag challenge. Román announced footage of a trash-filled field before he and other volunteers cleaned it up. Sharing the results of his cleanup on Facebook, his post was paired with a caption.

“Here could be a new #challenge for all you bored teens, take a photograph of a locality that desires some cleanup or maintenance, then take a photograph once you’ve got done one thing concerning it, and post it,” Román said. “Here are the individuals doing it #Trashtag challenge, be a part of the cause.”

His post rang in 324,000 shares and 97,000 likes and it became an infectious agent post.

This challenge is not new, with its beginnings dating back to 2015. Steven Reinhold, who is more widely known as an individuals Ambassador for an outside company referred to as UCO Gear, pitched this idea in which came about on a drive through California.

He became inspired after dropping a paper receipt out of the window accidentally, and consequently determined to select up one hundred items of trash to form up for it throughout his trip.

He felt that he was making a difference with every piece of trash he picked up. To unfold awareness concerning his own enriching expertise, he took his plan to the UCO Gear to encourage consumers to pick up trash and spread the word. This is what ultimately started the #trashtag project in 2015.

This challenge has been encouraging individuals to care for their environment by keeping the ground clean. There are over 78,000 posts on Instagram with the #trashtag thus far with participants increasing.

It takes straightforward steps to assist saving the earth. However thanks to the #trashtag challenge, works could be as simple as a social media user taking an image of an area filled with trash. Once this close up is complete, the individual could follow up with another image of a similar space they may have cleaned that was formerly decorated with trash. Then by utilizing this #trashtag, users are inspired to post the before and after photos on social media. Common spots to clean up are facet roads, beaches and forests.

The majority of the wasted merchandise have many chemicals that cannot be fully decomposed. Plastic objects comprise the largest quantity of waste that will eventually take up to 1,000 years to decompose in landfills.

“If an animal ate a piece of plastic, they will die, their body will decompose, but plastic will not,” Smith said. “It will come out from their body, then another animal eats it and they will die. Littering causes a bad cycle.”

Around the world, roughly 1,000 birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die

every year due to wasted trash brought about by humans. By littering, the effects reduce the safety of the entire world population, planet, animals and the overall environment.

“I was stunned that I still found discarded plastic water bottles within the forest,” said Tylor Kostohris, a student at Green River College who encountered a trash-filled space where he was hiking. “I was simply frustrated that somebody just threw trash away and was oblivious to the results.”

Even though individuals still manufacture waste, that waste has to go somewhere.

Green River College’s atmosphere Club is attempting to unfold awareness concerning

the environmentalism and rising field cleanliness by conducting a clean sweep and a film screening. “#trashtag is the best thanks to spread awareness and how much trash really is out there,” Smith said. “If individuals see someone clean up, perhaps it doesn’t even a giant profit, however it would build individuals conscious of the matter.”

There is no limitation to the positive impacts of environment-friendly practices and #trashtag is no exception. Even picking up a few pieces of trash every now and then can help make the earth become a better place for the coming generations.

Rakesh Kommanaguta | The Current

Green River College trash and recycling bins lined in up all together in the Cedar Hall building

6 December 4, 2019

The Past Lasts

The Wordsmit H Alexithymia

As his familiar face turns old the past haunts me for my mistakes.

I should have listened to what I was told, realized the extremity of the stakes.

Don’t give out your trust if it isn’t earned, think about the consequences every time.

Don’t play with fire if you don’t want to be burned, try your best to prevent the crime.

I lay in bed still, with only two things I can hear.

The sound of my deep breaths and the ringing in my ear.

You see, some wear a disguise when they interact to earn someone like me’s trust He made it seem like a typical friendship Until he was controlled by his own lust

It is all going downhill faster then I could expect.

Slowly piece by piece, my life is becoming wrecked.

My eyes were wide open Yet I still couldn’t move You went through with your plan Even though I disapproved

My heart beats out of control no matter what I do.

I do not know how long this can continue until it is completely through.

Now questions run constantly through my brain Hoping one answer can heal my pain I ask myself: “Did I ask for it in a way?”

“Will I ever forget this day?”

“Was it really my fault?”

“What did I do to deserve this assault?”

I run through scenarios in my head hoping to find an answer I won’t dread You know what you did You know what you do You don’t care who you hurt If it doesn’t hurt you I’m just one of the many You broke then tossed aside I’m just one of the many When asked about you lied Losing some sleep Losing my mind the thought of you makes me cry every time When my eyes aren’t awake All I can see Is a clear as day picture Of what you did to me

Nowadays seeking attention is a call for help in disguise.

Although, it is treated as unserious, just a bunch of dramatic lies.

They cannot tell, they do not see.

Her imprinted scarred skin, that merely lies not on the outside, but instead within.

She hides behind a fake smile and performs a simple kind act.

Hoping others will feel the love, care, and importance she lacks.

Do you even notice that she feels lonely, lost in a sea of hundreds of stories?

Oh, that’s right, you don’t care enough to see, or really do anything.

In front of you, she is crying.

She is slowly dying.

Reaching her hand out to you…

Oh, if you only knew.

thecurrent

submission

thing of Halley Swindle

Amy Carpenter and Dee Senaga A&E Editor| Layout Editor www.thegrcurrent.com

7

Toxicity

Life on Repeat

When I’m with you No words can explain The endless nights Caused by the pain, That you inflicted upon me Yet, still, I come back on bended knee.

Over and over I plea For the forgiveness of someone I think I need.

Are you tired of this world, the people, their words?

Do you feel as if you are not being heard?

People say they understand us but we know they do not.

They say they want the “old” us but they missed their shot.

I gave all my power to you, You’re the weakness that I succumb to.

I constantly long for your approval Instead of focusing on your removal.

I can see that you’re no good Yet, that brings me closer to you, To see if you’re misunderstood, To see things from your point of view.

Now I realize you do things carelessly without thought.

You don’t care if you hurt me along the way And after you and I fought, You just watched as I walked away.

We can’t explain it in a way they’ll understand, And we know that we’re drowning with no helping hand.

At last, we go to sleep and try to close our eyes, While our thoughts take over and terrorize.

Melancholy Music You have your earbuds in your ear Listening to the words throughout the song Noticing the artist’s sadness and fear Sharing their sense of right and wrong You sing along in your head Not loud enough for people to hear This song causes a tear to shed For all their words are completely sincere

studentsubmissions Students may submit short stories, graphics, photos, drawings, poems, etc.

Not guaranteed to be published.

Must be sent to TheCurrent.AE@mail.greenriver.edu We encourage students to submit whatever they wish and to use this as a creative space.

Deadlines: [January 24th, Febuary 7th]

a&e The Vocal Coaching Class Showcases Their Talents

8

thecurrent

Amy Carpenter | A&E Editor thecurrent.ae@mail.greenriver.com www.thegrcurrent.com

December 4, 2019

By: Halley Swindle Staff Writer

The Musc125 Vocal Coaching class, taught by Kelly Eisenhour, will be putting on their vocal showcase in the performing arts theater.

Halley Swindle | The Current A poster for Green River’s Vocal Showcase.

Eisenhour has been teaching vocal coaching at Green River College for approximately six years.

“We address solo singing and we learn [alternative] techniques to sing better solos [in the class],” Eisenhour said.

This class offers many different vocal opportunities all students. It also provides a challenge for a wide variety of skill levels. The student’s performances are evaluated by both teachers and peers.

“It’s really fun to watch your fellow students sing a wide selection of songs,” Eisenhour said. “Supporting some people who haven’t sung in public before is great.”

Alan Munson, a Running Start student, is taking the class and is very passionate about music at Green River College.

“I love singing so I figured I’d gain more confidence on stage and my vocal ability would improve through the vocal coaching class,” Munson said.

This quarter Munson has been able to sing Fly Me To The Moon, Singing in the Rain, and A Whole New World. His favorite was Singing In The Rain because he feels he got the chance to make it his own.

Social Connections of Christmas Time By: Lance Simons Staff Writer Popular culture and diverse traditions surrounding Christmas are visible both here at Green River College and throughout the country.

Many common traditions may include hanging up Christmas lights and decorating a Christmas tree. However some families have unique traditions for the Christmas season.

Kanon Kurtz, a student at Green River College, shared some of his family traditions.

“Our family takes a trip to Greenwater to find a Christmas tree,” Kurtz said.

Tristen Hong, a student at Green River College, shared his Christmas traditions.

“Our family will open stockings before breakfast and presents, and afterward we prepare Christmas breakfast as a family every year,” Hong said.

There are countless family traditions that many families partake in every Christmas.

Every year many families will decorate their houses with with bright multicolored lights and decorations with symbols of the holiday.

Some houses are more elaborate and decorative than others, but all are celebrating their holiday traditions. Many people love to drive around different neighborhoods to see the brightly decorated houses.

Much of the Christmas pop culture comes from the famous movies that appear on TV every year. Some examples of these are How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas Special.

“Often our family would watch ‘The Polar Express’ or other similar movies,” Hong said.

Christmas movies and TV shows have made their appearance in popular culture and make up family traditions or simply a fun way to enjoy the holidays.

Christmas music is another element of pop culture that is everywhere. It is inside many stores and peoples homes. There are Christmas radio stations that only run during the holiday season.

“Our family listens to Christmas music while we decorate gingerbread houses,’’ said Kosmin Ignat, a future Green River student.

A huge variety of Christmas music is available around the country during the holidays. There are the old favorites, but also newer artists who have put out their Christmas songs and albums. Some artists include Mariah Carey, Michael Buble, and Pentatonix. However, some people hate it when Christmas music when it is played too early in the year.

“My family will usually listen to Christmas music after Thanksgiving,” Kosmin said.

Not to be forgotten is the traditions surrounding food during the holiday. Many families love to go all out for Christmas, preparing fancy meals for their family and guests. A popular Christmas dinner will often include a ham of some sort.

“During Christmas dinner my mom and dad will prepare a ham for everyone and we do it every year,” Kosmin said.

Not only is Christmas dinner a treasured aspect of Christmas, but so is baking and eating food in general.

Many different families have many different ways of celebrating Christmas from the food they eat to the music they listen to.

Amy Carpenter| The Current A Christmas tree decorated with ornaments.

“I like the social aspect of the class, everyone is close by the end,” Munson said.

“It’s so cool watching people who join the class with no experience leave it confident and sounding good.”

But the class doesn’t just address aspects of the voice. Eisenhour also teaches them what to do during a performance, such as placement of hands and legs, how to dress for a performance, and how to sing into a microphone properly.

“Kelly has so much experience in the music field so she knows how to teach anyone who shares a passion for music and wants to improve,” Munson said. “You should definitely come [to the showcase] if you want the chance to see some amazing singers.”

Sage Svedin, a student at Green River College, is also taking the class. Her musical background consists of almost ten years of choir and three years of musical theater.

“I decided to take vocal coaching [classes] because I wanted to work on getting over my fear of singing alone in front of strangers,” Svedin said.

She has enjoyed watching other students in her class improve as well as receiving

personal feedback in order to improve her voice. This quarter Svedin has been able to sing many different song such as I Won’t Say I’m In Love from Hercules, Dream a Little Dream Of Me, and Mama Mia. “My favorite would have to be I Won’t Say I’m In Love [from Hercules] because it fits my voice and I can show my attitude through my performance,” Svedin said.

“There are so many different vocal and performance techniques we are taught. It is just so fun to watch and hear everyone do something they love.”

Svedin made it quite clear that people should not only come see the showcase but take the class as well.

“Kelly is amazing, she gives you constructive feedback to help you learn and grow so you can achieve the best vocal and performance skills that you’re capable of,” Svedin said. “People should come to the showcase not just for fun, but [because] it gives us as students more experience with performing in front of a diverse crowd of people we may or may not know.”

The showcase will be presented Dec. 6 at 1 p.m in the Bleha Performing Arts theater.

A Review of the 2010s: the Most Nostalgic Year for Gen Z By: Abdi Sidali Staff Writer The 2010’s will be coming to a close soon and many are wondering what this decade will be remembered for.

This decade has been a true Internet Age, with exceptional games and music. There are over 7.5 billion people on earth today. Three billion people have smartphones and over four billion people have Internet access. It’s clear that the Internet has a big influence on most people’s daily lives.

Social media has had a huge boom this decade, with more platforms and users than ever before. Many new jobs have popped up through social media such as an influencer or YouTuber, which are not things you would have see 10 years ago.

Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and more recently Disney+ have also become more popular than ever before in the 2010s.

Many experts predict that the world will have even more people with smartphones and internet access in the upcoming decade.

“This could be a positive and negative,” said Salat Omar. “More people are going to have Internet access for the first time. But more and more people will be distracted by their phones and we’re going to see some jobs get taken over by technology in the future.”

In this decade we’ve not only seen a surplus in smartphone and internet use, but we’ve heard unforgettable music hits. Examples of these include Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO, God’s Plan by Drake, and We Found Love by Rihanna and Calvin Harris.

All these songs topped the “Billboard Hot 100” for many weeks at the time of their release and have generated millions to billions of views across YouTube, Spotify, and other music streaming services.

There have been many popular video game franchises release brand new sequels. Some of these games include Call of Duty, Halo, Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, NBA 2K, and FIFA. Fortnite has blown up in

the last several years, with billions of players around the world. New gaming consoles such as the PS4, and Xbox One have also come out this past decade.

One of the great victories of this decade have been the advances in LGBTQ+ rights and civil rights. In 2015 the U.S legalized same-sex marriage and had an increase in laws to protect them against discrimination.

People with disabilities also saw an increase in laws protecting them from discrimination in the workforce.

In January of 2016 Donald Trump was voted into office with many questions and controversies coming with him. Recently, news is coming out about Trump possibly being impeached and voted out of office.

With so many important and memorable events happening in the 2010’s there is no doubt this decade will be remembered for many years to come.

Elsa Finkbiner | The Current

Photo by pxhere

opinion

thecurrent

10 December 4, 2019

Madison Farnsworth| Opinion Editor TheCurrent.Opinion@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

Cancel Culture is an Unnecessary Mess By: Madison Farnsworth Opinion Editor

Editorial

Being a celebrity is not always about the glitz and glam, it can turn into an unnecessary bloodbath full of hurt emotions and broken trust.

Sometimes it can turn your entire life upside down, especially if you trip up and make a mistake. If that happens then that could lead to your entire career going down the drain. It means you are officially cancelled.

Everybody makes mistakes and with the rise of social media your mistakes can be immortalized forever on the internet. For celebrities this is magnified by the fact that thousands of people are watching them at all time, so things they said a decade ago may come back and haunt them for future years to come Most of the time when a celebrity gets “cancelled” it is because another celebrity who was privately feuding with them and made the bright decision to bring it into the spotlight.

Then all hell breaks loose between the two celebrities and their own loyal, dedicated fans start fights on Twitter and Instagram.

Some celebrities have done things that are truly unforgivable, and those people deserve to lose their careers. But there has become a culture of cancelling celebrities’ careers over something that ends up getting blown out of proportion and explode in their faces.

In some cases, cancel culture acts as a kind of social justice to celebrities overwhelmed with their own power.

A recent example of this is New York based comedian Louie C.K., Known for his offensive and vulnerable stand up bits and Emmy Award winning T.V. show on the F.X. channel.

His claim to fame was understandably cut short when 5 women made sexual allegations against him back in 2017. His most common offense was masturbating in front of them, even without permission. Ever since this leaked into the public eye, Louie is now perceived as the antithesis of his puppy-dog eyed persona that people once loved and adored him for.

There have been times where a celebrity has been able to bounce back and able to put whatever controversy they were dealing with behind them. And it usually works out for them for some time, until they get re-cancelled.

That goes to show that cancel culture does not usually end up working out.

Either the celebrity will regain all their popularity before shit hit the fan or the celebrity in question did not learn from their mistakes the first time and managed to mess up all over again.

Cancel culture is very stupid. When someone makes a small mistake, it gets blown out of proportion and people “officially” cancel the celebrities. This can be really harmful to the ones who just made simple mistakes they quickly recover from but get haunted by it for the rest of their lives.

It is infuriating how when an innocent celebrity makes a small mistake we keep bringing it up and refuse to let it die, but when politicians and jackass celebrities do horrible things, we turn a blind eye or try to explain why they are actually a good person.

If we hold social media celebrities accountable for their actions, then we have to hold politicians accountable for their actions. Cancel culture needs to go, but if we cannot get rid of it, then we need to include everyone when it comes to “cancelling.”

On social media, we do see celebrities making small unfortunate mistakes

that can possibly make or break the rest of their careers.

What often comes next is a large retaliation from the fan base, other creators, or onlookers in general.

This, in of itself, is not a bad thing.

People should speak up and be adamant when they think a wrong has been made. The issue, often, is what comes next.

If people feel the need to cancel celebrities and possibly ruin their careers or even their livelihood, then maybe it’s time to rethink how we, the general public, respond and react to different celebrity controversies, no matter how big or small they happen to be.

Otherwise innocent people need to stop having their careers be dangled over their heads. They no longer deserve this type of treatment.

It’s okay to let celebrities move on with their lives and career; its absolutely necessary for both parties.

Holding someone accountable longer then needed completely drags out the situation.

It is a nasty culture that has sprung up within the past decade and toxicity of it needs to die.

Editorials reflect the opinions of the entire editing staff of The Current.

Spoiler Culture Threatens to Ruin the New-Age Cinema By: Samantha Olguin Staff Writer

In the past decade, spoiler culture has increased tremendously and when going to see a new movie that came out or going to watch a show, it is likely that people have encountered one or many spoilers beforehand.

Nobody likes to have a movie or show spoiled for them, so why do people spoil movies or TV shows? In most cases it is a bothersome audience, who spoil movies, but even actors have been known to accidentally release information and give spoilers before the movie or TV show is even aired.

Tom Holland, who plays Spider-man in the Marvel universe, is notorious for accidentally giving out spoilers for any project or

movie he is in. According to Marvel Studios, Holland was so vulnerable to leaking spoilers that he wasn’t given any details for the scenes he was acting in.

People are most likely to encounter spoilers when using social media, if a big movie or TV show just came out and is fresh in everyone’s mind, staying off and/or limiting social media use would be helpful to avoid spoilers for any type of entertainment.

When watching a movie or show people want to be surprised and shocked at what the movie has to offer and ultimately enjoy the movie. Sometimes encountering spoilers takes the excitement away, which sucks the fun out of watching in the first place.

It’s understandable why some pop culture websites might do it. Blogs or websites that

are dedicated to entertainment and television want to attract readers to the appropriate place to discuss, but it runs the risk of pissing off more people than attracting them.

In most cases, if a piece of information or video/article is being written about a movie or TV show, the creator would put something like “SPOILER ALERT” OR “CONTAINS SPOILERS” in the title, so the audience knows what is in store.

The all caps lettering and the need to put these statements in the title just emphasizes the fact that spoilers are a big deal in today’s day in age and the audience likes to be warned if spoilers are included.

“Personally I hate spoilers and when people spoil a movie for me it just makes to movie less enjoyable and sometimes I don’t even

want to watch the movie anymore because people have spoiled the plot or the most important parts of the movie,” said Angela Rios, a Running Start student.

Spoiler culture has become such a huge thing and is a big deal for many people. On the other hand there is a spectrum of people that simple don’t care if they encounter spoilers for an upcoming movie or show that they are planning on watching.

“If people spoil a movie or I come across a spoiler and social media I personally don’t care because I am not going to let other people ruin the movie for me,” said Kim Le, a Green River student.

Living in a world filled with spoilers sucks and there are many different opinions on spoiler culture nowadays.

Efrain Pardo | Sports Editor TheCurrent.sports@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

sports

thecurrent

11 December 4, 2019

Family Inspiration Drives Britton Garrard to Play

Godfrey Drake | Green River College

Britton Garrard, the star basketball player.

By: Tatiana Vila-Ferreri Staff Writer Britton Garrard is a student a well as an inspired athlete at Green River College and is regarded as an important asset for the men’s basketball team.

Garrard mentions that his father as the source of inspiration for basketball and the reason why he is dedicated to it. He describes that when Garrard was growing up his father was a sports fan and during that time he would play and watch sports with his family. All this moments together nurtured an interest for sports and the most relevant became basketball.

Even today, during Garrard’s early adulthood, his father is a prevalent motivator despite remaining between their home states of Idaho and Utah. “I owe a lot to him for supporting me and pushing me to be better,” Garrard said. “He came to our tournament and during every game he was standing and cheering all game long.”

When Garrard’s father calls to make sure that his son is okay physically, how his competitions are going as basketball is important in such a grueling and active sport. Garrard’s interest for basketball comes from the emotional response from playing, which goes beyond winning.

Garrard finds the feeling of shooting over someone’s head exhilarating, knowing that his quick thinking and polished skills have got the best of his opponent by challenging them to become more aware of him during the rest of the game.

Garrard knows that every second during the basketball game is more than pure adrenaline and beautiful three-pointers. He knows that constant practice and basketball include its own drawbacks and cannot be avoided at the court. “The hardest part of basketball is definitely remembering the small details and staying locked every single play,” Garrard said.

Basketball is similar to many other sports -such as ice hockey and soccer- where all

have different positions where players are assigned and must play. For example, Garrard makes sure that his team is spaced out to knock down shots from the opposing players.

Garrard thinks that each team must work like clockwork for more than only playing for each other. The team needs to make sure that every player takes responsibility for their position and realize how their attitude and actions affects the game.

Additionally, Garrard beieves that players must stay focused on winning the game, even with the hustle and bustle that comes during a basketball match. Angry fans, sore limbs, and even worrisome things like injuries take part in a basketball player’s experience, proving that staying focused or “staying locked in” can be difficult.

Garrard also thinks that practice is a requirement of each player’s routine and his team players feel that if they do not practice, they cannot improve their ability and perfirmance for each game, each player must bring the best of themselves to the court. Not just for themselves or for the team, but for the fans in the stands.

“The hardest part of basketball is definitely remembering the small details and staying locked every single play,”

- Britton Garrard

Garrard has proven, though, that he is up for the task. “Britton is up every morning at 6 a.m. getting tons of shots up. He is by far our most dedicated member of the team,” said Godfrey Drake, the coach for the men’s basketball team.

Garrard sets goals to look up to and a strategy that keeps him dedicated to his im-

Godfrey Drake Rakesh Kommanagunta | The Current

When Britton Garrard brings out his “A” game, the team gets going on a scoring streak in the game. provement. This year, Garrard is aiming high, literally. He aspires to become the best shooter in the Northwest Athletic Conference and across the Pacific Northwest tournament.

Besides basketball, though, Garrard has other aspirations. He describes to have interest in a possible business major, as well as possibly transferring to a university closer to his home and family.

In the future, Garrard would like to open his own gym, but he is fully aware of the resources and time that it would take to

accomplish such a goal. This the reason why he wants to study a business major to focus more on the management side of a business in the sports industry.

Finally, Garrard would enjoy becoming a personal trainer, to stay active and fit. He understands that this is an important part of any basketball player’s career.

His dedication to the sport influences his family members and friends and presents him to other teams as one of Green River College’s outstanding athletes.

Godfrey Drake | Green River College

Green River College basketball team players all together, with spotlight athelete Britton Garrard in the front row smiling for the cameraman.

sports

thecurrent

12 December 4, 2019

Efrain Pardo | Sports Editor TheCurrent.sports@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

GRC Gators Enjoy Skiing and Snowboarding During the Winter

Liam Gaul Liam Gaul out on another snowboarding trip.

By: Halley Swindle Staff Writer Winter is a season that attracts a wide variety of people, primarily those who like to participate in sports.

Snow in Washington is something enjoyed by many students from Green River College, specifically those who have plans to snowboard or ski. Two fellow Gators, Liam Gaul

and Cody Osborn shared their opinions Osborn, who has been a student at Green about winter break and their favorite sports River College for nearly a year, enjoys skiing. in the snowy mountaintops.

“I would consider myself a level four skier,” Gaul is a Running Start student with a Osborn said, “I have been skiing since around strong passion for snowboarding He would the age of six so I have a lot of experience.” rate his skill level as intermediate as he feels Much like Gaul, Osborn also consistently that he still has room to improve his skills. checks the opening dates for the ski lodges “I started snowboarding when I was only he enjoys and most frequently visits the Crystwo years old,” Gaul said. “My favorite memtal Mountain Ski Resort. ory about snowboarding would probably be “Because Crystal Mountain is only like a when there was a completely fresh powdered half an hour drive from my house I go almost day at Crystal [Mountain] and there was every weekend that I can,” Osborn said. hardly anyone there.”

“I have sort of an Gaul describes attachment to there “I like snowboarding because it has himself as one of those because it is the place always been fun to show the new people who constantwhere I learned how ly keeps track of the to cross country ski.” people or beginners the routes and days that the different During the winter secret trails that very few people snowboarding passes break, Osborn plans actually know about...” open and goes every to travel to a ski - Liam Gaul chance that he gets. resort in Nevada “I absolutely plan to continue this on going snowboarding this winter break, I activity and participate in the sport he loves. always do,” Gaul said. “I usually go to Crystal Although he has tried both snowboarding Mountain but I have also gone to many othand skiing, Osborn definitely prefers skiing ers such as Whistler, White Pass, Diamond because “there is less of a chance breaking Pass, Snoqualmie, Mt. Baker, and others.” your wrist” and “unlike snowboarders, we as Gaul has many reasons why he enjoys snowskiers spend more time on the slopes and less boarding as much as he does. time in the hospital.”

“I like snowboarding because it has always While both of these students share a love been fun to show the new people or beginfor snow-related sports, it is clear that they ners the routes and secret trails that very have different opinions as to which sport is few people actually know about and the better. There is no way to really determine experience of snowboarding is just a really which sport is superior, so they can just enjoy awesome way to get fresh air out of the house their own sports to their heart’s content during the holiday season,” Gaul said. during the upcoming winter break.

Cody Osborn One of the trails that Cody Osborn has rode.

Green River College’s Basketball Team Hits a Milestone

By: Jadelyn Castro Staff Writer

Green River College students have been playing basketball since the college doors first opened in 1966.

Today, the team is coached by Godfrey Drake alongside assistant coaches Doug Dobkins and Erroll Garnett. The 2019 men’s basketball team is made up of 14 players, 10 freshmen and four sophomores.

The Gators are currently standing with a 4-1 overall record, counting the recent loss against Spokane Nov. 22. The team’s first priority this season is to qualify for the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) tournament and to win the western division title.

Coach Drake feels that the team could improve if they pay attention to the ball and communicated more while on the court. Also, Drake thinks that his team’s strengths are made up of being fast and having the ability to shoot the ball well.

“We have the best shot-blocker in the NWAC, Derek Cox,” Coach Drake said. “We also have two of the best scorers in the NWAC in Pa’Treon Lee and Tanner Nygren.”

A typical game day for the team includes a pre-game team meal and an activity of some sort.

The Gators have a good offense, but their defense in their coach’s opinion is their calling card. Lower

Columbia is one team in specific that the Gators feel challenged when going against, but Coach Drake mentions that the team will not be doing anything special to prepare to face them. He says they will do what they always do in the court to win against them.

“Our up-tempo style play on both ends makes teams adjust to us and when they play our game, we know that we have them right where we want them,” Drake said.

With the determination and motivation to do well on the court, the basketball team has a good shot at making it to the NWAC tournament this year.

Green River College Godfrey Drake, the basketball coach.