Eastfield Et Cetera March 8, 2017

Etera

Eastfield College

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Eastfield lacks drug counseling resources despite statistics, drug-related arrests See page 4 ➤

Volume 48, Issue 10

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NEWS

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

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The Et Cetera

Puente program aids, expedites college readiness

By KATRINA BOND Life & Arts Editor @KatBondETC

Eastfield’s Puente Project, which began this semester, is a new program designed to help students in developmental courses facing barriers to continuing and completing their education.

Every Eastfield applicant is required to take the Texas Standard Initiative test, which determines college readiness in math, reading and writing. If students do not pass the TSI, they must take developmental courses in their failing subjects. To ensure developmental students stay in college, Eastfield has now implemented the Puente Project for the spring semester with plans to expand in Fall 2017.

The program enrolls Human Development and Developmental Integrated Reading and Writing students in specially designed, small classes. The students take the two developmental courses for eight weeks and then go directly into Learning Frameworks and English Composition 1 with the same professors. Smaller classes and mentors are included to meet individual students’ needs.

The Puente Project originated in Southern California in the 1980s and has since been implemented by colleges across the country. The program was originally designed to help Mexican-American students who learned English as a second language and were not yet collegeready.

“After examining culturally and socioeconomically what was going on, the idea was to create a different culture in the academic envi-

ronment to be more immutable to the Latino/ Latina culture,” English professor Amanda Preston said.

Preston teaches the Developmental Integrated Reading and Writing and English 1301 courses as part of Puente.

“In a lot of ways, it makes sense because the Western and American education model is built on this 19th century Germanic style,” she said.

Preston believes traditional academic culture doesn’t cater to people of different cultural backgrounds. The program needed some tweaking to cater to Eastfield’s student demographic, she said.

“It’s not just a single cultural focus,” Preston said. “It’s including Latino/Latina, AfricanAmerican, Native American, but also a number of other global cultures because that reflects our population in the area and also our student demographics.”

The classes are group-oriented, and the students are encouraged to get to know one anoth-

er. Preston said students in her class get in small groups of three or four, which she calls their “familias,” to promote the idea that students should be more responsible for themselves and their classmates while showing them they are not alone in the classroom.

“Puente basically creates a community in the classroom, which is why it works around this idea called ‘familia,’ ” Preston said. “This makes college personal. The idea is if we can do that, then we’re more likely to be able to help students get through that hard part and also prevent them from turning in on themselves.”

Puente students are also given extra attention from their professors. Preston said if a student is absent in her class, she may contact them to see if she can help.

Additionally, students in the program receive in-class advising to assist them in continuing their college educations and keep them on track beyond the initial Puente courses.

Professors also encourage students to invite their families to “Noche de Familia” to better

PHASE addresses mental health

By MATTHEW WESEMAN Reporter @TheEtCetera

Without family and friends for support, mental illnesses such as depression can make life seem impossible. This is what the Providing Hope and Suicide Education project is designed to address.

PHASE coordinator Courtney Pickens thinks depression is a daily battle with small victories won over time.

“Because that’s what life is,” Pickens said. “It’s a constant set of getting over things and looking back at those things that we’ve overcome.

It’s just that internal motivation and what we’re trying to get out to the students.”

Pickens battled depression after graduating college.

In the beginning, she confided in a therapist. She discovered anger, self-hatred and “externalization of

things that shouldn’t have existed.”

Pickens said it took a few years, but she coped with her depression piece by piece.

“You have to take care of yourself because your need to take of other things and other people,” she said.

The PHASE project is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Every year, Eastfield will receive $102,000 for the project, which began in September 2015, to conduct suicide prevention initiatives.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death in college students age 20 to 24 and third among young adults age 15 to 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Eastfield is actually the only college in the state of Texas to have the grant,” PHASE program director and Eastfield counselor Katie

Neff said. “Part of that is Dallas is statistically high in terms of suicide.

Also, the subpopulation that the grant is addressing is the LGBTQIA community and veterans.”

Eastfield offers students free counseling by appointment. The service is intended to address shortterm issues, but students can be directed to specialized care.

From Feb. 13 to Feb. 17, the PHASE project sponsored the Week of Love to promote self-love, empathy and understanding between individuals.

On Valentine’s Day, Nikki Head with the Family Place’s Be Project, an anti-violence program, gave a presentation on setting boundaries in relationships, recovering from abusive relationships and maintaining healthy relationships.

“I wish that our high school had a program like [the Be Project],” Head See PHASE, page 6 ➤

connect with the classroom and help them receive support from home.

Preston said the human development and learning framework classes are paired with English classes because English is the foundation of all other classes.

“The idea is we’re going to start them in this English class because a lot of turn-around happens there, especially when you have multilingual learners,” Preston said. “The Puente program prioritizes and becomes aware of the needs of students, and the fact that English class is one of those classes that a lot of people enroll in and drop, or enroll in and don’t finish… The goal is to reduce the amount of recycling and increase matriculation by making sure students are not lost in the process.”

Ten students are enrolled in the program this semester. When students return from spring break on March 20, they will have completed their developmental classes and will begin EDUC 1300 and ENGL 1301.

“We intentionally started with a small cohort,” said Robert Harper, dean of the Office of Student Engagement and Retention. Harper said Puente Project coordinators wanted to have a “pilot run” in the Spring 2017 semester to gauge exactly how all the pieces would fit together for the future. “Then in the fall, we’re going to scale up the Puente Project.”

Business major Eli Bautista has found success with the Puente Project.

“They actually help you a lot, and not just with English, but with my other classes, too,” Bautista said. “I’d probably be more behind [without Puente].”

— Emily Martinez contributed to this report

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Bathroom bill leaves transgender students in limbo

By JOSE DELGADO and JAMES HARTLEY Contributor/Managing Editor @JamesHartleyETC

A bill in the Texas Legislature has the power to require students at state-funded schools to use bathrooms aligned with their birth sex.

President Donald Trump recently rescinded rules set by former President Barack Obama's administration that ordered schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms that matched their gender identity.

On March 6, the Supreme Court sent a case brought by a transgender Virginia student back to an appeals court for reassessment.

The appeals court had relied on the Obama administration’s interpretation that Title IX, a set of regulations regarding gender equality on campus, ensures protection for transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice.

Implementation of this interpretation was put on hold due to a lawsuit and, with President Trump’s removal of those protections, the issue remains unresolved.

Transgender students will still be able to use unisex bathrooms if they choose not to use those aligned to their birth sex.

Rachel Wolf, coordinator of Eastfield’s Title IX efforts, said the Obama directive issued in the waning days of the former president’s second term gave clear guidance on how to handle the issues.

“Now, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Wolf said. “What I say from

my heart, from my intentions, from my values, we are going to do what’s best for our students. All of them.

But we will also follow the law.”

Wolf said she’s been advocating for unisex bathrooms and believes that they’re more important now than before.

Brookhaven College, another Dallas County Community College District campus, has four gender-neutral, single-stall bathrooms intended for public use.

Eastfield’s only unisex bathroom is located in the A building, but it is not intended for public use. More are planned with future renovations.

Student Yaneth Lira said her only concern for transgender bathroom use is potential abuse.

“I am just afraid non-transgender people will take advantage of the situation and harass vulnerable and helpless people in public settings,” Lira said.

District Chancellor Joe May said DCCCD leaders would follow the law despite opposition.

“From our point of view, we want students to feel safe,” he said. “We want people to feel comfortable about where they are. If there are issues that arise, I want to hear about it, and we will deal with them if it is indeed a problem.”

In December, The Texas Association of Business said the Texas “bathroom bill,” a priority for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, could cost the state up to $8.5 billion and end more than 100,000 jobs.

Forbes estimated that North Carolina, which passed a similar

bathroom bill, “flushed away” $630 million in roughly nine months. The state lost business including the NBA All-Star game and NCAA and Atlantic Coast Conference league championships.

Earlier this month, the NFL said the Super Bowl would not be held in Texas if the bathroom bill passes.

Three groups — with meetings estimated to bring $3.1 million in total spending — are no longer considering San Antonio for their events because of the proposed bill, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

“That bill is not without controversy,” May said. “I can tell you that there are many from chambers of commerce to individual businesses, organizations that have great concern about the bill.”

Student Juan Ramirez isn’t opposed to transgender students using the restroom of their choice.

“I don’t see it hurting anyone,” he said. “In fact, I believe the bathroom bill is another step toward discrimination.”

May said the DCCCD, as well as local businesses, are actively standing against the bathroom bill.

“Part of the concern from even the Dallas Chamber of Commerce is they don’t want to send a message that we’re excluding people from our community,” he said. “We have legislators in favor of it and we have people that are concerned about that issue, and there’s also a large group of people that are concerned that it’s not something that we would like to see happen.”

Wolf said the outcome of the

Bathroom Bill Breakdown Federal Law: An Obama-era interpretation of Title IX gave transgender students at public schools the right to choose between gender-segregated bathrooms.

President Trump's administration reversed that interpretation. This returns the decision to individual states.

The Supreme Court sent a case regarding bathroom use back to a lower court Monday for re-evealuation.

The lower court used the now-obsolete interpretation as the reason for its ruling.

State: In Texas, the policy on bathroom use by transgender people is unclear. A bill in the Texas Legislature will require transgender students at publicly funded schools to use the bathroom that matches the sex on their birth certificate.

Dallas County Community College District: Chancellor Joe May said although many leaders in the DCCCD oppose the bathroom bill, they will uphold the law. May said one of the goals of the district is to make all students, faculty, staff and administrators feel comfortable and welcome. transgender bathroom issue would be a major indicator of the future of non-discrimination in Texas.

“I still think if we can talk about an environment of non-discrimina-

tion based on gender or sex, then we have to have an environment where one’s gender or identity isn’t threatened,” Wolf said.

— TNS contributed to this report

Revisions to advising aimed at personalizing experience

By ANTHONY RESENDEZ Reporter @TheEtCetera

In an effort to streamline the advising process, the Office of Student Engagement and Retention has split services for first-year and returning students.

The First Year Experience will focus on orientation and choosing a major for students who have less than 30 credit hours.

The Completion Center will help students with more than 30 credit hours oversee career choice, transferring and graduation.

Executive Dean of OSER Robert Harper said the college is replicating the advising model used at four-year universities.

Instead of seeing different people at each vis-

ALEJANDRA ROSAS/THE ET CETERA

A student checks in for an advising appointment.

it, students are assigned to advisers for a year.

“The data shows if you have an assigned adviser, they would know you,” Harper said. “But

if you go to one person at one point and somebody else at another, you’ll get a different message every time.”

Tonya Marbley-Wilson, director of the First Year Experience, said the new process is functional as long as both advising staff and students are on the same page.

Student surveys will be used to gauge its effectiveness.

“We want to make sure that even though we may not be perfect, that we are striving in the right direction and keep students first,” she said.

Evette Hernandez, who is pursuing an Associate of Science, said the advising office was helpful during her recent visit after the program’s changes.

“I had gone there twice and understood more of my academic situation from going to

only one adviser,” she said.

Science major Jaime Caudle, however, said she had trouble with the new process.

Despite making an appointment, her adviser was unavailable at the scheduled time.

Even though there were others available, she could not see them.

“It’s so frustrating to work that into your schedule and be the only one who actually shows up,” Caudle said. “If I were to make my experience better, I would give a heads-up that I’m not going to be there and drop the, ‘Students can only see their assigned advisors.’ ” The First Year Experience is in C-120. The Completion Center is in C-237.

Students can visit eastfieldcollege.edu/Services/Advising/ for information or to book an appointment.

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Campus denies need to address drugs Eastfield offers no drug recovery option

By JESSICA LUTHER Reporter @TheEtCetera

In the past four months, there have been five arrests by Eastfield police related to drugs and alcohol, but the college has zero substance abuse prevention or recovery programs available to students on campus.

Social work and substance abuse counseling professor Daniel Ramirez thinks the fear of a negative image plays a big role in that.

“Nobody wants to put up fliers,” he said. “They don’t want to have brochures around. The reason nobody wants to admit we have a drug problem on campus is because when you say that, there is a stigma.”

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 66 percent of students in college are under the age of 30, while 75 percent are between 18 and 24. These young students face academic pressures and many experience increased responsibilities while navigating a vastly normalized drug and alcohol culture.

Daniel Morrison, an Eastfield student whose name has been changed, admits to regularly smoking marijuana, drinking in excess and experimenting with a number of other drugs.

“It’s a growing-up process trying to navigate school and work,” Morrison said. “It gets stressful, and some people use drugs as a little break. It’s an escapism. I’ve tried weed, cocaine, Xanax, promethazine and Molly. I smoked before I came to Eastfield this morning.”

Students can find dozens of informative pamphlets in the Health Center, but few are related to substance abuse. Those that are available focus on details such as street names for drugs or descriptions of various highs. There is one pamphlet for Alcoholics Anonymous.

“It’s quite likely there are unknown cases of abuse in Eastfield, but they are likely few and far between,” Health Center Director Cynthia Taylor said.

The Counseling Center, led by Katie Neff, offers free, short-term coun-

seling services to students in C-140.

Prior to February, Neff was the only licensed counselor available to a student body of more than 15,000 and was operating with no main phone line. Students can wait anywhere from one to three days for an appointment.

“The only thing we have done on the counseling side was during our Mental Health Awareness Week, we had some guest speakers from [the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission],” Neff said. “It doesn’t seem like much, does it? A typical university or campus would have drug and alcohol awareness.”

In 2015, the University of Texas at Austin conducting a survey showing that 26 percent of students from both two-year and four-year institutions across the state reported abusing prescription drugs with 25 percent admitting to increasing drug use upon entering college.

Additionally, a 2015 report released by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism revealed that about 20 percent of college students in the country meet the criteria for disorders related to alcohol use. The report also found that each year, about 97,000 students experience alcohol-related sexual assault, 696,000 are physically assaulted by drunk students and 1,825 die under the influence of alcohol.

“I think [Eastfield] should offer something because sometimes people do get out of hand with their use, and sometimes it does become lifethreatening,” Morrison said. “I know people that have overdosed.”

Neff strongly encourages students struggling with substance abuse to schedule appointments at the Counseling Center. Students over the age of 18 can be assured privacy under Texas law with consent forms. If necessary, counselors can refer students to substance abuse support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.

“They are programs that have shown over time to work,” Neff said.

“I’ve had them come to a previous campus but have not had the time to initiate it here.”

EMYLEE LUCAS/THE ET CETERA

Counseling Services Eastfield Counseling Center No Cost — 972-860-7270 AA Dallas Meeting Locator No Cost — 214-887-6699 NA Dallas Meeting Locator No Cost Ever — 972-699-9306 NEXUS Recovery Center Females only, state funding available — 214-321-0156 Offers intervention services, detoxification, inpatient and outpatient counseling services.

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Neff is also co-chair of the Campus Assessment Response and Evaluation Team comprising police representatives, administrators and faculty. The team relies almost exclusively on anonymous reports from faculty and students regarding the behavior of others.

CARE primarily documents and monitors students of concern but can refer students to support services off campus. Students reported to CARE are subject to criminal and punitive repercussions for violations of the student code of conduct.

Paul Goertemiller, executive dean of student development and support

JAMES HARTLEY/THE ET CETERA

Adderall is a controlled-substance prescription drug the FDA warns is highly addictive. Prescribed to treat ADHD, the drug is often abused by students to increase focus and attention span.

services and CARE Team co-chair, oversees the health and counseling departments.

“A lot of colleges and universities have NA and AA meetings on campus,” Goertemiller said. “Now that we have our second counselor on staff, we should have more resources for student programming.”

In 2009, the National Center for Higher Education Risk Management published a report encouraging col-

lege campuses to abandon reactionary behavior intervention teams for more proactive, prevention-based models.

These more modern teams are intended to provide support and resources to students and avoid serving exclusively as a response measure to campus threats or disruptive behavior. This requires collaboration between campus and community proSee Addiction, page 5 ➤

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OPINION

Recovery is difficult, help can make it happen

JIM GERZ/MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE/TNS

A man who identified himself as KP smokes marijuana in a pro-legalization rally.

College lacks aid for addiction

Continued from page 4 grams to coordinate awareness campaigns and risk mitigation strategies. Another goal is to identify students struggling with addiction before they hit crisis.

According to Morrison, not all students with substance abuse issues are in crisis.

“Most of the people that I know on campus that do drugs are A students,” he said. “People that are going places, people that get awards, people that are out doing incredible things, they might have a little issue.”

Of the five drug-and-alcohol-related arrests made by Eastfield police in the last four months, three were students and four were a result of traffic stops. According to police reports, two students were arrested for possession of marijuana paraphernalia. The third was arrested for public intoxication and is listed as a previous offender.

The two non-student arrests were for possession of marijuana paraphernalia and a positive substance test for heroin, respectively.

All three students were released after initial arrest with citations and a referral to Goertemiller, who also serves as Eastfield’s judiciary official when it comes to student code of conduct violations. The student arrested for public intoxication had his car keys temporarily confiscated until he returned to campus sober and was escorted to a DART pick-up location.

Students referred to Goertemiller can expect a thorough investigation into their alleged conduct violations.

Once he reviews the police report in full, students are invited to meet with him and explain themselves. If he feels the student is facing a substance abuse problem, he refers them to the Counseling Center.

“I can’t mandate counseling, but I can offer it and strongly encourage it,” Goertemiller said. “I don’t know if they carry it through, though.”

Eastfield Police Chief Michael Horak encourages his officers to take a caring approach to students.

“Our goal is to build a sustainable community,” Horak said. “It’s all about community policing and keeping our students safe.”

Morrison said Eastfield police are effective at their job, which encourages students to separate drug use from campus.

“We keep it away from the school,” he said. “If you

walk by the N building, you’re already at risk. They’re dedicated police, and they will search you.”

Eastfield is the only Dallas County Community College District campus to offer a substance abuse counseling certification program. Program coordinator Phillip Ortiz teaches his students the importance of prevention programs and the benefits of proactive treatment combined with crisis intervention. He believes Eastfield students are at risk.

“We’ve got at least 14,000 students,” Ortiz said. “A lot of them are probably going to have issues, and the resources are far from adequate. I have had some call the office and ask about treatment, and we cannot help.”

Only a small portion of colleges are providing organized, formal support for students suffering from substance abuse.

The Association of Recovery Schools encourages campus-based 12-step programs, events on campus to facilitate the development of substance-free social networks, counseling services with clinicians who have specified training concerning substance abuse and a focus on educating the broader campus community to reduce stigma and increase participation in peer accountability.

This is the change Ramirez wants to see at Eastfield.

“School is a community hub for many students, and it would be ideal for the student body to be able to connect that community with finding resources when they need help,” Ramirez said Neff is working to implement digital surveys that will help students self-identify the need for substance abuse support. She also wants recovery support groups like AA and NA to hold meetings on campus.

“It’s on the big list of things to do,” Neff said.

Ortiz supports new peer support programs.

“That’s something that I probably would be open to by coordinating with Katie Neff or with other faculty, or even with some of the student organizations,” Ortiz said.

Ramirez hopes to change perception of drug use and addiction on campus through organizations such as the Human Services Honors Club.

“A lot of what we’re talking about is culture and attitude,” Ramirez said. “I think it would be really helpful if we had more promotion of ways students can hold each other accountable and facilitate help for one another.”

For an addict, one is too many, and a thousand is never enough.

When you hit the pipe, shoot up, smoke or drink a beer for the first time, you’re ruined because the cycle of your addiction begins.

This is an everyday battle.

We tell ourselves to take it one day at a time.

We can capture the opportunities in the present, so we can look forward to a brighter future. Change is good. Help is out there.

I was introduced to drugs through friends.

Cigarettes were my gateway drug at 8. When I was 9, I started smoking weed.

When I was 10, I got my first taste of LSD. Between 11 and 12, I started using cocaine, crack, PCP, heroin and meth.

When I was using, my family and friends didn’t trust me enough to leave me in their houses alone.

I was known for stealing money, rings, earrings — anything and everything that I could use to buy more drugs.

On Oct. 13, 2010, I lost my son.

I was 14. My son was stillborn. His mother was in labor for eight hours.

When my son came out, he was not crying, so I thought everything was OK. The doctor told me that he was the happiest baby he had ever seen.

However, when the nurse took my son from the doctor and gave him to me, he told me “I’m sorry, sir, but your son is dead.”

After, I tried to hang myself in the hospital bathroom.

I remember taking my last breath, then everything went black.

A male nurse found me, and they brought me back.

In the 2011-2012 school year, I dropped out of high school after I was caught using drugs in the locker room during a football game and was kicked off the team.

I started going back to high school in 2014, and I graduated in 2016.

But I was still using through all of this.

I tried to stay clean throughout those years, but I would always relapse.

The last time I relapsed was in

Valentino Jorge

the summer of 2016. I was on crack, meth and heroin.

I was going through 9.75 grams of crack three times a week.

I was using 4 grams of meth a week. I shot heroin daily. I also got drunk every morning.

On Sept. 1, 2016, I had enough and decided to get sober for my son.

If he had lived, I knew he would not be proud of me.

I cried for about two hours that day and told myself I was going to become a better person.

I know my son is looking down at me and that he is proud of his dad. I have turned into a better person.

I never thought I would ever be sober, but recovery has changed my life.

I finally have money in my pocket.

I don’t have to worry about where I’m going to get my next fix.

College has helped me a lot. It occupies my mind, and there is always something to do here whether it’s hanging out with friends, walking around or going to events.

I go to rehab groups. Without these groups, I don’t know what I would do.

When I became clean, my friends and family started to trust me again.

I remember the first friend who told me to lock up after myself while staying at her house.

I couldn’t believe she was letting me stay there alone.

I had stolen thousands of dollars from her, and she welcomed me into her home.

Don’t get me wrong, being in recovery is very hard for me.

I want to use every day, so I go to college every day of the week to occupy my mind.

But this is the first in six years I didn’t relapse on my birthday. I know my son is proud.

If you are struggling with addiction, please don’t hesitate to get help.

I will be more than happy to lend a hand.

NEWS

6 Wednesday, March 8, 2017

PUT IT ON YOUR

Calendar March

Wed

8

University recruiters, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., the Pit Coffee with the Commanders: meet Eastfield police, 10-11 a.m., the Pit Work Out Wednesday: Zumba, yoga, dance or cardio, 12:30 p.m., Lower Courtyard

Fri

10

Commencement Kickoff and Cookoff, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the Pit Student Government Association meeting, noon-2 p.m., C-295 3-point shootout contest, 12:45 p.m., P-200

Sat

Intramural open gym, 9-11 a.m., P-200

Mon

Spring Break, campus closed through March 19

Tue

University recruiters, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., the Pit

11 13

21 Wed

22

Got Grad Bash: Games, prizes, commencement information, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the Pit University recruiters, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., the Pit Work Out Wednesday, 12:30 p.m., Lower Courtyard STEMinar: Careers in Computer Support, 12:30-1:30 p.m., S-100

Thu

Got Grad Bash, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the Pit SGA meeting, noon-2 p.m., C-295 Green Screen Demo Session, noon, L-111 5-on-5 volleyball, 12:30-2 p.m. Fridays through April 21, P-200

Sat

Intramural open gym, 9-11 a.m., P-200

Mon

Got Grad Bash, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the Pit

Tue

University recruiters, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., the Pit Got Grad Bash, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the Pit

23

25 27

28

ABOUT THE COVER

ILLUSTRATION BY EMYLEE LUCAS

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

Eastfield could offer four-year degree

By JAMES HARTLEY Managing Editor @JamesHartleyETC

A bill in the Texas Legislature could allow Eastfield to begin offering classes for four-year degrees in early childhood education, reclassifying the school as a four-year institution.

The bill would allow all Dallas County Community College District campuses to host four-year degrees in early childhood education.

The bill requires a need for at least 2,400 early childhood educators in Dallas County and approval from the DCCCD Board of Trustees.

Nancy Beaver, director of Eastfield’s early childhood development program, said the bill’s passage would allow Eastfield to help fill a community need.

“We’re about 4,000 pre-k teachers short,” Beaver said. “That’s a real drastic shortage. Having an affordable option for students to take an early childhood education through … second or third grade would really be very, very helpful.”

Joe May, chancellor of the DCCCD, said the district has been looking for ways to expand into offering four-year degrees.

“We’ve been looking at Eastfield as

the college to perhaps lead the area in a baccalaureate in early childhood education,” he said.

Beaver said the bill wouldn’t hurt.

“I don’t know if we alone could fill the gap,” Beaver said. “But it would really help because, number one, it would be affordable and number two, it would be something where our students who are taking courses with us already can continue on and grow even more. I think the need is so great, it’s going to take more than just Eastfield.”

May said it is too early to tell if there will be an increase in tuition rates for third- and fourth-year level classes in the early childhood program or tuition across the board.

Mike Walker, dean of social sciences, said the bill would allow Eastfield to further meet early childhood education employment needs in Dallas County.

“The Dallas County community colleges have made a commitment that we are going to fill the gap because, right now, there are thousands of teaching jobs,” he said.

“In service to the community, we have told them that we are going to step up to meet that need.”

Walker said the bill’s opposition comes primarily from four-

PHASE program helps students form, recognize healthy relationships

year colleges who will argue that community colleges would be forgoing their traditional role of workforce preparation.

“When the Legislature starts to consider this, they’re going to hear from us and we’re going to be saying, ‘Yeah, we think we should do it,” he said. “The four-years are going to be saying, ‘I’m not so sure, we’re already doing that.’ And then the argument can be made, if you’re already doing it, why are there thousands of jobs going unfilled? We’re not just offering the degrees. We can claim we’re doing it for a very specific purpose.”

Walker disagreed. He said that’s exactly what a four-year degree would be doing.

He said four-year universities have failed to fill the thousands of teaching jobs in the Dallas Independent School District, not to mention the surrounding districts.

“I think if we went there in too many areas, that would be a problem,” he said. “I think in this particular situation, there’s an identified need within the community, so I think you could argue that it would be in the purview of the community college to, in this instant, step out of its lane and offer a four-year degree. … We’ll be able to ramp it up pretty quickly to

where I think we will be able to offer hundreds of teachers a year.”

Walker said he expects tuition to remain the same for junior and senior-level classes.

He believes the affordable price of DCCCD credit hours will be an incentive for students to stay with Eastfield and complete a four-year early childhood development degree.

“My initial thought is, I think they’re still going to be charged the rates we charge for other classes,” Walker said. “I think I can with some certainty say I don’t think that will be a higher cost.”

Walker said some of the instructors currently teaching child development courses are already qualified to teach junior and senior-level classes required for the four-year degree.

Marketing the program could begin soon after the bill passes, he said.

He believes that the bill has a better chance of passing now than it did a few years ago.

“Even if the Legislature says that we are not going to be able to do a four-year degree, we’re still going to work to meet that need,” Walker said.

“We’re still going to work toward creating a new teacher education program here that will help fill the needs the community has.”

Get fit

Continued from page 2 said. “We act as mentors, then we’re able to give them tools and skills and a different way of thinking about things.”

Head stressed setting boundaries and resolving conflicts in a respectful manner. Doing so allows a person to express behaviors they are comfortable with.

Head warned any violation of these boundaries opened the door to conflict. She advised that conflicting partners should communicate with honesty, clarity and empathy to reach a resolution all while respecting themselves and each other.

According to Head, the advice could be applied to romantic relationships, friendships, familial relationships and others.

The PHASE project will invite more speakers with topics related to suicide education every month until September 2018, when the project will conclude at Eastfield.

The college also subscribes to the online tool Kognito that trains faculty and staff to recognize depression symptoms and refer people to help. Students can also use Kognito, which also helps veterans adjust to campus life and become more empathic to the LGBTQ community.

“What we do hope is to keep the Kognito program and make that a professional requirement for faculty and staff,” Neff said.

Correction Government professor Anthony Carr was misquoted in a Feb. 22 story about minority and police tensions. Carr said: “It just takes two people making contact for a situation to basically spiral into something negative.” In the story, “contact” was changed to “conflict.”

The Et Cetera regrets the error.

ALEC OLGEN/THE ET CETERA

Students and employees gather in the Lower Courtyard for Workout Wednesday. The workouts include Zumba, dance and cardio. The event is offered every Wednesday.

opinion Etera

7 www.eastfieldnews.com

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Eastfield College 3737 Motley Drive Mesquite, TX 75150 Phone: 972-860-7130 Fax: 972-860-7646 Email: etc4640@dcccd.edu Editor in Chief David Silva Managing Editor James Hartley Life & Arts Editor Katrina Bond

Sports Editor Julio Vega

Copy Editor Caitlin Piper

Design Editor Emylee Lucas

Photo Editor David Sanchez

Asst. Photo Editor Andrew Gonzales

Staff Writers Jon Aguirre Macks Prewitt

Emily Martinez Landon Williams

Senior Staff Photographers Ahmad Ashor Alejandra Rosas Isabel Espinoza Jesus Ayala Photographers Yesenia Alvarado Nakia Richardson Designers & Artists Alec Ogle Garrett Williams Editorial Assistants Martha Especulta

Donna Mann

Marie Garica

Reporters Cat Dyson Anthony Resendez Valentino Jorge Matthew Weseman Alyssa R. Fullilove Laresen Ullrich

Avery Williams Ben Ensign Josh Taylor Jon-Mark Tamez Jessica Luther

Contributors Esmeralda Olguin Braulio Tellez Vanessa Ochoa Shekinah Berry Chelsi Harris Cristhian Herrera Hermila Martinez John Lemus

Josue Hernandez Jasmine Oliva Joel Sierra Alber Molina Jose Delgado Jennifer Sanmiguel Esther Moreno

Advertising & Marketing Keturah Hill Student Publications Manager Elizabeth Langton Faculty Adviser Lori Dann

Editorial Policy The views expressed on the opinion pages and other opinion pieces and cartoons in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of The Et Cetera, Eastfield College or the Dallas County Community College District.

The Et Cetera is published every two weeks—except December, January and summer months—by a student staff.

Each member of the college community is entitled to one free copy of The Et Cetera.

Additional copies are available in Room N-240.

Letters to the Editor Letters must be typed, signed and include a phone number. Letters will be edited for profanity and vulgarity, Associated Press style, grammar, libel and space when needed.

The content will remain that of the author.

Letters considered for publication must be 250 words or fewer. Letters may be delivered to Room N-240 or sent to etc4640@dcccd.edu.

OUR VIEW

MARTHA ESPECULTA/THE ET CETERA

Lack of substance addiction counseling is major misstep In the chaos of campus life, students are especially susceptible to drug and alcohol addiction.

Whether they’re popping pills to stay awake through finals, smoking to calm their nerves or drinking alcohol for the first time, college is where many people are introduced to addiction.

A support system is vital in reducing the damage, but despite being the only Dallas County Community College District campus to currently offer a drug counseling certification program, Eastfield offers no specialized counseling services to addicts.

A 2015 survey conducted by the University of Texas at Austin found that 26 percent of students from two-year and four-year institutions across the state were abusing prescription drugs, while 25 percent reported using illegal substances such as marijuana or opiates.

Campus officials insist there is no drug problem on campus, but with all students living off campus and no direct resources for addicts, the problem doesn’t necessarily have to manifest on Eastfield grounds to impact students.

Enrollment, student retention and graduation rates are all at risk for struggling students, making this a problem for the college itself.

Additionally, Eastfield police have made five arrests related to drugs or alcohol in the past four months.

Three of the five offenders were registered students, two arrested for possession of marijuana paraphernalia and one for public intoxication.

All three were released shortly after.

We commend Eastfield for offering free general counseling services, but appointments must be scheduled days in advance and may not be timely enough for students looking for an outlet. Additionally, a mere two licensed counselors are currently available for a student body of nearly 15,000.

Steps are rightly being taken to offer services to addicts with plans to implement online surveys to help students identify possible addictions, and Eastfield counselor Katie Neff has plans to bring Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings to campus.

But the problem should be addressed more thoroughly at the administrative level.

Hiring more counselors can cut waiting times for the counseling office, and hiring substance abuse counselors, perhaps even some educated by Eastfield, can only improve life for students struggling with addiction.

Most people come to college to improve themselves. An easily accessible support system for addicts and addicts-in-the-making cannot only improve the quality of life on campus but potentially save lives as well.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Feminists need to step it up As American women, we’ve come a long way from not being able to vote or go out in public when we were on our periods. But despite the advances of modern feminism, we still have a lot of work to do.

Now more than ever, women must stand together in solidarity.

One of the major issues with mainstream modern feminism is the specific focus on rejecting traditional gender roles instead of validating all women for all the things that make up their identities.

For whatever reason, some women will try to draw a line between themselves and other women, as if being a feminine woman is bad thing. I used to be one of them.

Previously, I was delighted when a man would tell me that I was “not like other girls.” I was so proud that I didn’t participate in traditionally feminine activities and considered women who did inferior to me.

Since those days, I have come to realize that I rejected traditional femininity because society had taught me that interest in makeup, clothes, cooking, shopping, needlework or anything pink automatically made me vapid and spineless. I learned to associate femininity with inferiority, and in my quest to find myself, I rejected my identity as a woman.

For other women who do subscribe to the traditional idea of femininity, animosity toward “tomboys” can arise. This is illustrated by that Taylor Swift song, “You Belong With Me,” where the T-shirt-wearing girl next door is pitted against the cheerleader as they fight over a boy.

The truth is, every woman is worthy of respect, whether she is a scientist or a makeup artist — and who said the two are exclusionary?

I know plenty of women who are intelligent, kind people, and their preference for masculine or feminine things have no bearing on their worth as a person.

I ask you to stop demonizing femininity and instead validate it.

A woman working as a hairstylist deserves the same amount of respect as woman working as a nuclear physicist.

Another concern with modern feminism is the idea that when in a group of mostly men, it is acceptable for women to disparage one other.

If you become “one of the

Katrina Bond

guys” in a social group, it is your responsibility to call out sexist behavior. If a male student in your study group refers to another woman as a “bitch” or a “slut,” you must stand up for that person. Silence only tells him it is OK to disrespect other women, and agreeing with them causes even more issues. It’s OK to dislike someone or critique them, but calling them vulgar names based on their gender is wrong.

In a world where women are held to impossible double standards, demonized for being female and disparaged no matter what we do, we must be able to count on one another.

I’m talking about women of all backgrounds. I’m talking about left-wing and right-wing women, women who are immigrants and women who have never set foot outside Dallas. I’m talking about white and black and brown women, women who speak 18 languages, women who wear hijabs and women who wear miniskirts. I’m talking about lesbians and straight women and girls who are asexual. I’m talking about transgender women and cisgender women and intersex women alike. We have to stand together.

If we spend all our time and energy focused on demonizing other women, we lose resources that could have been better spent focusing on the real threats to our existence, such as poverty, abuse, racism and sexism.

In order to tackle these issues, women must stand united.

I ask you to make an effort to reach out to other women because small actions can lead to huge results. Smile at your fellow female students and faculty in the hallway.

Speak out if you see a woman being treated with disrespect.

Women must focus on a common goal and show bigots that we are a force to be reckoned with. If we stand together, supporting and building one another up no matter what, we can make real changes in the world.

Life &Arts

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Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Professor cooks up prize-worthy BBQ

By JASMINE OLIVA Contributor @TheEtCetera

On an early Friday morning in spring, Oslynn Williams sits in the passenger seat of Keith Evans’ pickup truck as the two friends drive 70 miles north of Dallas-Fort Worth to Muenster for their second-ever barbecue competition.

Williams is reading text messages containing detailed lists of ingredients and instructions from their mentor, Nick Lacy. Lacy was unable to join the Capps cook-off team at Germanfest, a North Texas festival celebrating German and Texas culture, but Williams hopes they will be able to win some awards without Lacy.

At the entrance, dozens of other groups wait to be checked in. Though the real festivities do not take place until the following day, nerves start to build as teams compare cooking techniques and equipment. Williams and Evans drive through the entrance gates with their heavy-duty meat smoker in tow. Suddenly, they hit a bump, and their smoker goes flying off.

Williams thinks they’re doomed.

“Everyone was looking at us like, ‘Who are these guys? They can’t even put a smoker on right!’ ” Williams said.

Williams hooks the smoker back onto the truck with his head down.

He feels like a pageant queen tripping onstage.

As someone in the graphic design and computer industries, Williams’ professional and personal life revolve around competitiveness. In his computer illustration and digital imaging and publishing courses at Eastfield, he teaches his students to work well as a unit while also maintaining awareness that their classmates are future job competition.

David Danforth, head of the digital media program, praises Williams’ passion and patience as an educator and likens it to other skills needed in a competition setting.

“He takes his time, like you would have to do in a barbecue cook-off,” Danforth said. “He’s good under pressure.

“I think our industry in general is

PHOTOS COURTESY OF OSLYNN WILLIAMS

Above, Oslynn Williams (second from left), a digital media professor and competitive barbecue chef, poses with his team, the Capps.

Right, Williams’ team’s award-winning ribs are ready for judging.

very competitive because it has to be.

When it comes to creative people and commercial designers … a lot of us are very competitive.”

Williams said it was this competitive drive that kept his team going after their first experience in barbecue cook-offs. He likens it to the classroom.

“The goal is for everyone is to come together and be a strong unit and accomplish the main goal,” he said.

After the flub at Germanfest, Williams and Evans meet teammates Adam Witherspoon and Chris Andrews and the friends set up their campsite and begin their cooking process in the hopes of redeeming themselves. Over the next few hours, Witherspoon smokes chicken, Williams prepares beef ribs, Evans cooks brisket and Andrews helps wherever he can. They take turns getting up throughout the night, tending to the fire in the smoker.

The next morning, the team turns in their meat and hopes for the best.

As teams gather under a large tent at the center of the festival grounds, Williams and the rest of the Capps crew are positioned near the edge of the crowd next to a popular reality

show cook with a camera crew and entourage. He thinks there is no way they will win anything with someone so experienced around.

As results in the three major cookoff categories are announced, they watch the barbecue hot shot next to them grow red with anger. The Capps rookies place second in brisket and fourth in ribs.

The reality show cook does not place at all.

“You would’ve thought we won the lottery,” Evans said. “We were jumping up and down screaming.”

Danforth has known Williams for 12 years but had not heard of his cooking hobby until recently.

“What really bugged me is that I didn’t know about this until that video was shown,” Danforth said, referring to the new employee introductory video, released at the beginning of the fall semester, in which Williams revealed his hobby.

Williams’ love for cooking evolved after years of watching his relatives grill and smoke meats at family reunions.

“In a sense, I was an observer,” he said. “I would watch my mom prep certain dishes and my dad cook his chicken. I would look and I would

learn, and I would try something different.”

Growing up, he tried different techniques with ribs and brisket, his family volunteering to taste test his creations. His experiments were not always good, but the experience helped craft him into a seasoned barbecuer.

“I’ve always helped [my family] cook meat, but getting into competition and learning, now I’ve become the go-to guy to ask about barbecue,” Williams said.

Williams first competed at a barbecue cook-off in 2009, shortly after Lacy, a member of the International Barbecue Cookers Association, persuaded Williams and his friends to join him at a competition in West, Texas.

“We didn’t know how serious it was,” Williams said. “We just thought you go out there, cook some meat, turn it in and see what happens. But no, there’s this art behind it.”

See Digital, page 9 ➤

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Shorty’s serves great food, helps the hungry

By MACKS PREWITT Staff Writer @MacksPrewittETC

In Sunnyvale, off Highway 80 and Lawson Road, lies a barbecue joint that used to be a gas station. The bright red and yellow lettering draws your eyes and the exterior decorations welcome anyone who pulls up.

Inside, walls are lined with antiques and handwritten notes from customers.

Shorty’s BBQ is so full of character that you would wonder how they can fit it all in one small, remodeled gas station.

Once you meet the owners, it’s clear where all the character comes from. Brad Greene and Yolanda Cole have been working tirelessly since Shorty’s opened in 2008.

When Brad was 13, his first job was pumping gas at the old Diamond Shamrock gas station. In 2008, when Brad was working for Yolanda’s father and his trucking company, Yolanda’s father had the idea to transform the now-abandoned Shamrock into a convenience store.

Brad and Yolanda quit their jobs, paid off their bills, and with the $500 that remained, they bought supplies and sold hot links, chopped beef sandwiches and canned sodas at

their store. The name, Shorty’s, was taken from Yolanda’s father’s CB Radio handle.

Brad had never cooked barbecue before opening the restaurant, but you can’t tell once you take a bite.

The “Sanford and Son” is a ribs and hotlink sandwich that is my personal favorite, or you could just go with the normal chopped beef sandwich.

Both are excellent and mouth watering choices.

Soon after they opened, they were invited to The Taste of Forney event where they gave out samples and free sandwich coupons. Things started to take off soon after.

Over the years, Brad and Yolanda have been through many trials. At one point, they lost their house and had to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas inside the restaurant. Both said it’s been through God’s blessing that they have kept Shorty’s up and running. Their story is nothing short of miraculous.

They started selling all sorts of things to make ends meet, with their main side business being firewood.

During this time, Brad had taken to sleeping at the restaurant during the winter to sell people firewood during the night. He was letting a trucker stay one night when he saw someone head into the smoker room.

Inside, he found a little elderly woman trying to keep warm. She had been kicked out of a hospital and was walking along the highway when she found her way to Shorty’s.They brought her inside to sit by the fire, and Brad made her some food. Brad noticed she had a piece of paper and pencil that she was scribbling on.

When they woke up the next morning, she went out to use the restroom but didn’t return. She had left the piece of paper behind, and on it was a sketch of the fireplace and a poetic thank you note.

The note touched Brad and Yolanda so much that they had the piece

JESUS AYALA/THE ET CETERA

Diners sit at Shorty’s BBQ, a family-owned and operated barbecue joint in Sunnyvale.

of paper laminated on the wall of the restaurant.

Shorty’s BBQ has the standing philosophy that it’s their job to feed people. They have complimentary beans, which means customers can buy only a drink and still have all the beans they can eat. Brad even has his employees on the lookout for anyone who is on foot on the highway. If they see someone, they stop what they are doing and bring them inside.

Brad describes himself as a giver, and his actions prove that. He has provided all that he can for someone in need who has made their way to his restaurant. In this way, Shorty’s is

not only a barbecue joint, but a lighthouse to people down on their luck and stranded on the highway.

Shorty’s was recognized as the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year for 2016, despite the owners not even knowing they were nominated, and has won other honors since its opening.

Shorty’s BBQ is a place where wonderful people, great food and superior customer service all meet under the awnings of an old gas station and create what is possibly the best hidden gem I’ve been to. Check them out and ask to see the message from the elderly woman.

Digital media professor has a passion for food Continued from page 8

ALEJANDRA ROSAS/THE ET CETERA

Oslynn Williams, digital media professor and barbecuer, encourages his students to compete with one another in the classroom.

The team called themselves No Name BBQ their first year, but after they noticed all the winners at their first contest wearing baseball caps, they rebranded as the Capps. They thought everyone won because of this good luck charm, but during the next competition in West, Capps received no awards, and every winner was donned in a Hawaiian shirt. They kept the name anyway, and the team agreed they would continue entering competitions together.

Most barbecue competitions the Capps compete in include at least 100 other teams, so they are always looking for new ways to stand out. Williams likes to try different rubs for the ribs he prepares, and Witherspoon researches new ways to brine chicken. But the entire team shares a passion for one aspect of cooking.

“It’s all about the smoke and the wood,” Williams said. “Taking the time out to show the barbecue some love.”

Pecan wood is the team’s primary choice for

its rich sweetness, which helps with the flavors for Williams’ signature ribs.

Williams’ process is a labor of love. First, he rubs the ribs with a secret blend of spices and smokes them for two hours. He then takes the partially cooked ribs out of the smoker and douses them in honey, brown sugar and butter.

After, the ribs are wrapped in foil and cooked for another two hours.

Though this is an award-winning recipe, the team is not afraid to experiment.

“It’s an ongoing learning process,” Williams said. “There’s not one particular way that ... helps you win.”

The Capps strive to bring a general party vibe alongside their award-winning recipes.

From their very first competition in West, they noticed how seriously most other competitors treated barbecuing. Williams knew they wanted to approach it in a new way.

“Our campsite had streamers and beads,” he said. “We had all kinds of blow-up stuff and lights and pop-ups for our camp site. One year, we had this huge Miller Lite blow-up can that

was 20 feet tall.”

Evans likens it to camping.

“At the same time, you have this competition,” Evans said. “It’s a perfect storm.”

Williams used to joke about people who cooked competitively, but now that he and the Capps crew are award-winning cooks, he is unashamed to open up about his hobby.

“We just fell into the art of it,” he said. “It grew into something we really love doing.”

Though the team is spread out from Houston to Dallas and has not participated in a competition together in the last year, Evans finds himself “re-energized” and ready to “get the band back together.”

“If we don’t win anything at all, we’re happy because we got to go have a good time,” he said.

“If we win something, it just makes it so much better.”

In the meantime, Danforth is still pleading to get a taste of some of Williams’ award-winning ribs.

“My wife’s had his barbecue,” he said, “but not me!”

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MUSIC REVIEW

‘Divide’ diverse, emotional, radio-ready

By KATRINA BOND Life & Arts Editor @KatBondETC

Ed Sheeran’s new album “Divide,” released March 3, features 16 diverse tracks that cover him finding his place in the music industry, revealing his family history and finally finding the right girl. While I didn’t enjoy every song, there’s no denying “Divide” is a well-crafted album.

“Divide” broke the record for most Spotify streams on release date with about 57 million streams, double the previous record holder, The Weeknd’s “Starboy.”

The songs go from rap in “Eraser” to a ‘60s ballad in “Dive” to folk in “Nancy Mulligan.”

“Galway Girl,” which I predict will be the next single off the album, is a strange mixture of Irish folk, hip-hop and pop that comes together in a simple but incredibly catchy song.

I had trouble relating to or finding deeper meaning in most of the other songs on the album because, although they have personal details, the majority of the tracks lack poetic lyrics. The only poetic song I found is “Supermarket Flowers,” which is about his grandmother’s death told from his mother’s perspective and has great imagery.

Sheeran also seems to follow the same formula as in his previous album, “Multiply.” The

upbeat “Barcelona” and angry “New Man” follow the same emotional and musical patterns as their “Multiply” counterparts, “Sing” and “Don’t,” respectively. The slow and sappy ballads “How Would You Feel” and “Perfect” off “Divide” seem to be Sheeran’s attempt at replicating his “Multiply” hit “Thinking Out Loud.”

The variety of songs and styles offers a larger selection for radio hits, which Sheeran clearly had in mind when creating this album.

In contrast to his previous albums, Sheeran’s “Divide” contains no explicit songs. Although there are some phrases that would affect radio play, such as a reference to anal bleaching, it seems that Sheeran intentionally made the majority of his songs radio-ready and catered to a younger fanbase. While his songs are still laden with sexual and alcoholic references, this album is ready to be consumed by teens and adults alike.

This is a great way to play the system, but I feel like Sheeran has censored himself. He could have easily created explicit songs if he wanted to and has had previous success with explicit tracks. Instead, Sheeran chose to insert an “mmm” sound where an f-bomb was clearly supposed to go in “New Man” and avoids other curse words throughout the album.

To me, this detracts from the angry attitude of the song. Instead, we get a vivid visual description of the ex-girlfriend’s “new man” that

suddenly loses its momentum when it comes to the chorus.

Another issue with “Divide” was the specific song “What Do I Know?” in which Sheeran asserts that we can fix all problems in the world with music, and people should stop worrying about the economy and focus on loving and understanding one another.

While music has far-reaching effects, it is not the solution to everything, and Sheeran sounds like a Barney-loving 6-year-old who is completely unaware of the current turmoil in the world. It’s great to love your career, but that doesn’t make it OK to bash other people. I lost a little respect for Sheeran when I heard “What Do I Know?” The answer: not a lot about the real world.

While Sheeran has followed a mathematical theme with his album names, his previous albums being “Add,” “Multiply” and now “Divide” (perhaps his fourth album will be “The Quadratic Equation”), I can see how the title relates to the work as a whole. In the first song, “Eraser,” Sheeran talks about how he was suddenly thrust into fame and how at odds he is with the person he has become through his success. Throughout the album, the recurring themes of family and unconditional love shows

COURTESY OF ATLANTIC RECORDS

Sheeran is trying to separate who he truly is from the person seen by the world. He acknowledges his past, present and future so he can divide himself into those parts and greater understand the whole, which is apparent in his concluding song, “ Save Myself.” This final track explores the ways in which people have taken advantage of Sheeran and how as much as he wants to help people, he must help himself first.

This is a personal, diverse album that is sure to have some hits, but the fact that Sheeran censored himself by designing each song to be a radio hit makes me lose some respect for the album.

MOVIE REVIEW

‘My Cousin Vinny’ still a classic comedy 25 years after release

By DAVID SILVA Editor in Chief @DavidSilvaETC

March 13 marks the 25th anniversary of a film that’s considered one of the most accurate interpretations of courtroom procedure, “My Cousin Vinny.” The movie is used as a tool to demonstrate voir dire and crossexamination to young lawyers and has been praised by law professors, authors and circuit court judges.

But instead of an intense court drama or who-done-it thriller, “My Cousin Vinny” delivers an insanely hilarious tongue-in-cheek courtroom comedy that even the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia enjoyed.

The movie starts with Billy Gambini and Stan Rothenstein, played by Ralph Macchio and Mitchell Whitfield, two New York college students who accidently shoplift a can of tuna from an Alabama convenience store.

How does one accidently shoplift

COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX

Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei in ‘My Cousin Vinny.’

a can of tuna? That’s the least of their problems, as the two quickly find themselves suspected for the murder of the convenience store clerk who was killed the same day.

Circumstantial evidence has the boys seemingly caught red-handed, and when Billy’s confession about shoplifted tuna is hilariously misconstrued as a confession for the shooting, the pair is officially charged with

murder.

Enter Vincent LaGuardia Gambini, played by a very “Pesci” Joe Pesci, a newly appointed personal injury lawyer who, after his sixth bar test attempt, is ready take on his first day in court.

Vinny is a crappy lawyer. He spends half of the time arguing with the judge. He stands out like a sore thumb in his leather jacket, and his

New York accent is so thick that you’ll start talking like him halfway through the film.

Vinny’s lack of knowledge in basic court procedures and overall abrasive, Joe Pesci-ish attitude is paired with the equally abrasive style of his fiancée, Mona Lisa, played by Marisa Tomei.

Their interactions as the stereotypical Italian-American New Yorkers in rural Alabama make the smallest conversations the most comedic moments. Vinny and Lisa run across the town and are introduced to Southern grits, deer hunting and Alabama livestock.

The film is a reminder of what phenomenal actors can do with a simple concept. Tomei even won the Academy Award for best supporting actress. She steals every scene she’s in and proves to be Vinny’s only support for a majority of the movie.

The movie does have its eyeroll moments and some slang and references date the film. But these are soft blows to the overall quality.

The film even holds a few more serious themes throughout. The film mentions the possibility of error trails leading to the death sentencing of an innocent individual. The comedy of the movie keeps anything from sounding preachy, but the point is still there.

The film was more successful than initially anticipated and received generally positive reviews. Lately it’s been ranked among the best courtroom films of all time by the book “Reel Justice” and the American Bar Association Journal.

This film has aged well, with its funniest and most quote-worthy moments only getting even funnier when you’re anticipating them.

It’s an entertaining situational movie with two great actors that elevate the film beyond other “fish out of water” movies.

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MOVIE REVIEW

‘Before I Fall’ has an awful plot, cliche themes

By MACKS PREWITT Staff Reporter @TheEtCetera

“Before I Fall” is the film equivalent of an adult trying too hard to relate to someone half his or her age. It is embarrassing, stereotypical and not in any way relatable.

“Before I Fall” is the newest installment of young adult fiction movies, and it’s a good young adult movie, but that does not make it a good film.

It is based on the 2010 book of the same name by Lauren Oliver, and stars Zoey Deutch, Elena Kampouris, Logan Miller and Halston Sage.

“Before I Fall” follows Samantha, played by Deutch, who has everything she could ever want until she dies in a car crash and is forced to relive the day she died.

The three most important characters are Samantha and her best friend, Lindsey (Sage), who are part of the popular crowd of their high school.

The film has some great cinematography of the breathtaking Pacific Northwest, but as a whole, the film fails to engage the viewer.

Part of my disconnection with the film is the fact that all of the characters that we focus on are children of rich parents. Most of them are popular, and none of them are relatable.

They have no real insecurities that a normal

high school senior would have.

They are perfect “Plastics,” to quote “Mean Girls,” a movie that did the high school coming-of-age plot in a much better way.

The only character I related to was the awkward Kent (Miller), who had a crush on Sam and was an utter dweeb, which made him endearing and possibly the only real character.

The reason that the characters are in no way relatable to anyone post high school is because most people would find their choices and actions and just the way that they conduct themselves to be childish and unrealistic.

The problem is not the actors; it’s the whole script.

The second problem is that the whole plot behind the mystery of the film is revealed to be high school drama between friends.

She is supposed to live this torturous experience until she realizes that the universe wants her to fix some high school drama. The “drama” is one girl becoming a social outcast after her best friend blames a camping bed-wetting accident on her and deciding that the abuse is worth taking her life.

This plot belongs in a single episode of any of the middle school Disney shows that run now, not in a “serious film.”

The actual acting was great, but there isn’t

Zoey Deutch and Elena Kampouris star in “Before I Fall.”

much you can do when the film itself doesn’t draw you in and make you believe the situations are really happening.

The characters are more like characters in a B movie horror flick you want to shake some sense into.

Once the final piece of the puzzle is revealed I found myself wondering if the film was even worth the time it took to watch.

The opening monologue of the film is just

COURTESY OF OPEN ROAD FILMS

a paragraph rephrase of Carpe Diem. This is a massive . It doesn’t fit the film because, unlike the plot, the opening message conveys a serious and profound message.

“Before I Fall” opened March 3 but you would honestly be doing more to seize the day if you did your homework instead of paying to see this movie.

Bad grades are scarier than the situations the characters of this film find themselves in.

MUSIC REVIEW

Kozelek creates eclectic album you’ve probably never heard of

By JON AGUIRRE Staff Writer @TheEtCetera

I’ve heard nothing like it. It is strange, uncomfortable and puzzling.

Mark Kozelek’s eighth album, “Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood,” was released under the band Sun Kil Moon to little discussion Feb. 17.

Kozelek got his start as the lead singer of the band Red House Painters in the 1990s. Red House Painters were a combination of indie, alternative and folk rock. They’ve also been described as slowcore.

In 2001, Red House Painters reformed as Sun Kil Moon.

Kozelek has mostly remained out of the mainstream spotlight for his career. But in 2014, he was met with well-deserved success with “Benji,” a personal and beautiful folk and singer/songwriter album. His past few albums had followed the same sound of fingerpicked guitar and soft singing.

But “Common as Light” is a mas-

COURTESY OF CALO VERDE RECORDS

Mark Kozelek, lead vocalist and guitarist of Sun Kil Moon.

sive change of pace.

Kozelek has completely turned away from the sound that got him attention.

In this album, Kozelek goes for stream-of-consciousness lyrics, repetitive hip-hop influenced instrumentals and vocals ranging from spoken word to sing-rapping.

The instrumentals mostly serve as a vehicle to carry his words along.

His vocal delivery and lyrics are unlike any traditional singer/songwriter I can name.

Kozelek throws out any resem-

blance to traditional song structure.

There isn’t much rhyming in the lyrics, no use of syllables to structure verses and nearly no strong rhythm in his singing.

It sounds as if Kozelek individually wrote each song about his thoughts and actions on certain days throughout 2016 and refused to edit the lyrics.

I had one question in mind while listening to this album: Is this lazy or brilliant?

Without being limited by conventional techniques, Kozelek is able to express himself in a way he couldn’t if he were restricted by classic structure. He comes across as an actual human and not just a voice inside your headphones.

By his writing, we are able to get a glimpse into exactly who Kozelek is. He gets to share all of his thoughts and opinions freely.

This style of writing might seem like a cop out. However, Kozelek

is perfectly capable of telling great stories while using traditional techniques. The song “Jim Wise” from the “Benji” album is a great example of this.

The song with the most structure on “Common as Light” is “Bergen to Trondheim,” where Kozelek sings about the Orlando nightclub shooting, gun control and Muhammad Ali. The album’s unique songwriting style allows for Kozelek to cover a vast range of topics in each song. But one theme that seems to make its way into nearly every song is death. Everything from mass shootings, serial killings and the death of his personal friend is touched upon.

One of the only songs to not talk about death is “Sarah Lawrence College Song.” Here, Kozelek recalls a performance he gave at a small college in New York in April 2016. For half the song, he reads a note given to him by the show promoter.

In “The Highway Song,” Kozelek also recites a story about the death of an Old West outlaw and later the murder of an Eric Clapton imper-

sonator. “Chili Lemon Peanuts” contains a sung passage of the Bible and a spoken word section where he talks about seeing a Manny Pacquiao fight.

On the surface, a lot of the tracks follow the same style. Instrumentals that are mainly background noise, weird vocal delivery and rambling lyrics. Yet every song is memorable.

The only problem I have is its length. The album is a two-hour-and10-minute ride through Kozelek’s brain.

It’s not that the album is boring. It is the fact that there isn’t much variety offered in terms of style. The album consists of 16 long tracks. The average song length is just under eight-and-a-half minutes long.

This isn’t an album you can put on in the background while you do homework. “Common as Light” requires your full attention, and it’s hard to do that for two hours.

However, it keeps you intrigued for the whole two hours. “Common as Light” is boundary-pushing and one of the most creative and unique albums I’ve ever heard.

12

LIFE&ARTS

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

Spring Break To-Do List Spring break can be a stressful time.

It seems like you have a long week to go out and spend quality time with friends.

But most of us just use that time scroll through meme pages all night or creep on our more adventurous friend’s Snapchat story.

Then when Friday hits, we freak out

because we feel like we haven’t done anything meaningful with our lives.

As opposed to being stressed about college, you’re now stressed about what you’re going to do when taking a break from being stressed out about college.

It’s a beautiful cycle, really.

MARCH 13 □ Wake up at noon like the terrible person you are. □ Hit up NickelRama, a throwback arcade in Garland that has classics like Ms. Pac-Man, Space Invaders and Mortal Kombat for 5 cents per game. rger □ For lunch, go to Twisted Root Bu in Deep Ellum and try a vegan burger in style or a more carnivorous kangaroo patty.

MARCH 15 □ If you’re feeling particularly cultured, visit the Dallas Museum Art’s ”Mexico: 1900-1950” exhibitionof Pretend you know what you’re tal . kin about and incorrectly explain g avant-garde artwork to your frie nds. □ For lunch, visit Tacos la Banquet Puro D.F. off Live Oak in downto a wn Dallas. There’s no better way to celebrate unorthodox Latin Americ an art than getting some delicious tacos afterwards.

Illustrations by Alec Ogle and Emylee Lucas/The Et Cetera

No worries. We’ve compiled a list of things you can do here in the Metroplex that will make your spring break more fulfilling.

Consider it a spring break guide for those who want to do more than binge watch Netflix but do less than party in Cancun.

-Compiled by David Silva

MARCH 14 □ Take your furry friend to the ginormous dog park at White Rock Lake. If you don’t have a dog, sit and chat with a friend and pet cute dogs as they run by.

Maybe you’ll finally realize what you’re missing. □ Invite your favorite uncle to cook barbeque for lunch at the White Rock Lake grills. Meanwhile, take dog filter selfies near the gorgeous water.

MARCH 16 need to □ If you have some kids you n kids, entertain (whether it’s your ow cousins siblings or those awful little ) take get y the who visit every chance Center them to Legoland Discovery in Grapevine. eased all □ If the kids still haven’t rel ch, head their pent-up energy by lun taurant to The LOT, a kid-friendly res run off Grand Ave., and let them e. around while stuff your fac

Be G e a ch ar

MARCH 17 □ Eastfield’s baseball team is off during the break but the TCU Horned Frogs are kicking off their season against the Kansas Jayhawks at 6:30 p.m., so you can still enjoy some college baseball and possibly pick up a chewing tobacco habit in Lupton Stadium. □ While you’re in Fort Worth, visit Cousin’s BBQ and eat some of the best brisket in the Metroplex.

Take this moment to appreciate the awesome break you had courtesy of The Et Cetera.

LIFE&ARTS

13

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

www.eastfieldnews.com

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH / INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE WOMAN

ANDREW GONZALES/THE ET CETERA

Professor Cindy Casteneda journeys from dumpster diving for books to four degrees

By JENNIFER SANMIGUEL Contributor @TheEtCetera

The Monday afternoon sunlight fills the Brookhaven College hallway as Cindy Castaneda walks to class on the first day of the fall 2014 semester.

Wearing black Anne Klein pumps and carrying a purple backpack, she takes a deep breath as she enters the introduction to geographic information systems classroom.

It’s her first day of school all over again, and she is flush with uneasiness. A flood of doubts fills her mind.

“I hope I don’t embarrass myself here.”

“Am I going to be able to keep up?”

And the biggest question of all: “Am I too old to learn this?”

The answer, she soon realized, was no. At the age of 44, it would just take her a little longer than her classmates.

She would not be skilled in the subject at first, but she would work hard.

She was willing to do it over and over and over until it was good enough.

That work ethic was fostered by Castaneda’s parents, who told her and her sisters they could do whatever they wanted in their lives. But whatever they did, they had to do it well. “ ‘If you were going to work at J.C. Penney, you better be the employee of the month at J.C. Penney,’ ” Cas-

taneda remembers her parents telling her. “ ‘Your name is your brand, and your name is our name, and we’re known as hard workers.’ I really took that to heart.”

Early life Castaneda grew up in the border city of Calexico, California, with her mother, Xochitl Garcia, her stepfather, Adolfo Ponce, and her three sisters, Wendy Castaneda, Liliana Ponce and Susana Ponce. With a population of about 36,000, the city sits in a valley of sand dunes surrounded by agricultural farms that provide the main source of labor.

Castaneda’s stepfather worked in the fields from sun-up to sundown cultivating produce. Adolfo would come home tired, drenched in sweat, and he would often bring home vegetables from the farms.

“He’d come with, like, a 50-pound bag of carrots,” Castaneda said. “You can get really sick of carrots. At first I really liked carrots, but then you’d get carrot juice, and then you’d have carrot cake, and then you’d have glazed carrots, and then at the end, it’s like, ‘Oh my God, don’t show me another carrot.’ And it’d go into these cycles.”

The family struggled to make ends meet. For a while, Ponce couldn’t find work because he was blacklisted for supporting labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez and the

United Farm Workers strikes. Garcia would often take Castaneda to a dumpster behind the local K-Mart to search for usable items. Employees would throw out books, clothes and other items that they weren’t able to sell after re-stocking.

Because she was so small, Castaneda would be the one to crawl through the dumpster.

“What’s in there?” her mom would ask from the outside.

“Just some books!” Castaneda would reply, her voice echoing.

“There’s some clothes, too.”

“OK, throw those out!” her mother would say.

They would walk home with arms filled with treasures, and Castaneda would use the books to make up for the lack of a nearby library.

The books Castaneda would find sparked a lifelong love for education and continuous personal growth.

Castaneda’s eagerness was paired with her parents’ commitment to keeping the family name associated with hard-working people.

Castaneda used it to achieve her goals in education. She strived to excel in the classroom. Instead of attending her local high school, she won a scholarship to attend a nearby boarding school known for college preparation. She won another scholarship and was accepted into Harvard University.

The Et Cetera Experiencing Harvard International students from all around the world walked the Harvard campus with Castaneda when she arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1984. The small boarding school she had attended was nothing compared to the 210 acres and large buildings. She now had two roommates, one from New York who was born in China and another from Nova Scotia, Canada. But she was the one who felt out of place.

“Even though I was on par with the rest of the student body academically, I was still excluded in some ways socially because I was a first-generation student,” she said.

It felt like Harvard was more exclusionary to students like her and had more disadvantages for firstgeneration and low-income students.

Students from wealthier and more educated families had more connections and advantages within the university. There were clubs that some students couldn’t join due to the high cost of entry or lack of family history at the university.

Castaneda was also struck by how disconnected the Harvard professors were from their students. While her high school classes had about 12 students each, her English class at Harvard consisted of 800 students packed in a theater.

Castaneda sat among a large mass of students, watching the tiny professor teach below with graduate students beside them, the latter often answering questions or even lecturing themselves. It puzzled Castaneda to see so many students pay so much to attend such a large class when she paid the same amount in high school for a class of 10 students.

Castaneda was also encouraged to direct questions to the graduate assistants instead of interacting with her busy professors. When Castaneda encountered material she didn’t understand, she would often walk by her professor’s office, but she never asked for help.

When she became a professor, Castaneda wanted to be a different instructor. She wanted to give her students a better experience than the one she had with her own professors.

Invested in education After earning a bachelor’s degree in social studies with honors from Harvard and her master’s in public policy from the University of Chicago, Castaneda decided to become a teacher and college administrator. Being a teacher wasn’t her first choice until she had the opportunity See Professor, page 14 ➤

Women’s History Month: Influential Hispanic Women Michelle Bachelet

The first elected female president of Chile who served from 2006 to 2010.

Bachelet is now the head of U.N. Women.

Selena Quintanilla

A Grammywinning Latina artist who made Latin and Tejano music mainstream with her incredible vocal talent. She was fatally shot in 1995 by the president of her own fan club, and her death greatly affected the Tejano community.

Sonia Sotomayor

The first Latina Supreme Court Justice who went from growing up in the projects to changing the laws of the U.S. She has served as a judge for 25 years and has been on the Supreme Court for eight years.

Frida Kahlo

A prominent Latina artist who celebrated herself and her culture with her paintings.

Kahlo, who was disabled, worked with her partner, Diego Rivera, to create the mural movement in Mexico which depicted aspects of Latino life and culture.

Ellen Ochoa

The first Latina astronaut who also holds a doctorate in electrical engineering and three patents.

She is now the director of the Johnson Space Center.

14

LIFE&ARTS

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

PLAY REVIEW

‘In the Next Room’ creates comedy out of sexual taboo

By JOSH TAYLOR Reporter @TheEtCetera

With the Feb. 24 performance of “In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play,” the Harvester Theatre Company proved that taboo content can be seen in a funny and pleasant light.

“In the Next Room” by Sarah Ruhl is set in the late 1800s, around the time electricity was introduced into homes for personal use. The story revolves around Dr. Givings, portrayed

by Vinnie Serionel, an inventor who uses electricity-powered vibrators to treat hysteria.

Dr. Givings hides this method of treatment from his wife, Mrs. Givings, portrayed by Monica Lira, because he feels it is necessary to keep their relationship healthy. Dr. Givings works on patients all day, leaving Mrs. Givings to tend to their baby by herself.

As more regulars come in for treatment, Mrs. Givings begins to befriend them and ask exactly how her

DAVID SILVA/THE ET CETERA

Left to right, Albamar Seguinot, Giavannia Ramos and Vinnie Serionel perform “In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play.”

husband does his treatments. Not long after, the secret gets out, and Mrs. Givings becomes increasingly frustrated with her husband. The more the sub-plots being to evolve, the more intricate details the characters reveal about themselves. Most characters had a facade in place, leading the audience to believe they

are someone entirely different until they all meet their resolution, whether pleasant or not.

The stage sported a realistic, oldtimey look, boasting appropriate set pieces including an authentic vibrator from the 1880s.

The costume design was incredible, paying close attention to detail.

The more characters that get introduced into the office of Dr. Givings, the more tense the main couple’s relationship becomes. Back then, female orgasms were not well known. They were referred to as a “paroxysm,” or violent expressions of emotions.

For example, the first patient the audience meets is Sabrina Daldry, portrayed by Albamar Seguinot, who is accompanied by her husband. After a few treatments, she reveals that she comes back because she doesn’t get that kind of excitement from her husband. She enjoys the treatments the most when Dr. Givings’ female assistant Annie, portrayed by Giavanna Ramos, takes part.

The actors did an amazing job at conveying their characters. Whether it was their tone when addressing one another or their body language when listening in on hidden conversations, you could easily read their intent.

I left with an idea of what each character wanted out of their experience, but after some critical review of

Professor constantly seeks new things to learn Continued from page 13 to work as one. She avoided community colleges and wanted to work at a prestigious school.

“I just never thought that I would work at a community college because we made fun of the community college where I grew up,” she said. “As a professional, I was brainwashed that you should be at selective colleges for either earning your degrees or for working because those were prestigious colleges and everything else was ‘less than.’ ” While pursuing her doctorate in higher education at the University of North Texas, she took an introduction to the history of community colleges course.

By the end of the semester, Castaneda realized that community colleges offered more than she expected.

She realized that the experience that she had at Harvard wasn’t what she wanted to give to students in the future.

She wanted to teach them face-toface as her high school teachers did.

She could work with first-generation students, with students of color, with students who hadn’t discovered their potential.

She could use education as an agent of change in their lives just like

education was for her.

“Education is just magical in its transformative aspect,” Castaneda said. “We get students from all walks of life. Any variety of learning levels come here. If we do our job well and the students are committed to their work, then I know from experience that our students are going to be just as competitive at their universities as the students who started there.”

Castaneda started her teaching career at Eastfield in 2003, then moved to Richland College in 2004. In 2008, Castaneda ran for a seat on the Garland school board and served until 2015.

She was the executive dean of ethnic studies and a social science professor at Richland College before returning to Eastfield in 2010 to teach government. Being a faculty member gave her the flexibility to spend more time with her children.

“My goal for many, many years was to be a college president, but I don’t think that anymore,” she said.

Instead, she wants to continue teaching. While teaching, she strives to use what she’s learned as a student to elevate her students inside and outside the classroom.

Continuing her education Castaneda returned to school to

pursue an Associate of Applied Science purely out of academic curiosity. An avid traveler, she wants to learn more about management and analysis of digital interactive maps and data.

As a wife, mother of two and a full-time government professor at Eastfield, Castaneda has her plate full. She doesn’t let this stop her and is always looking for a new challenge.

“I’m a high-energy person, so nothing is harder for me than sitting still and doing the same thing time after time and year after year,” she said. “That just gets really dull for me.

I just like to learn new things.”

In order to fulfill a speech requirement for the associate degree, Castaneda took Fundamentals of Public Speaking with fellow professor Courtney Brazile, creating a unique situation between the two.

Brazile saw first-hand the passion for learning that Castaneda possesses.

“It was a really great dynamic,” he said. “To have someone like her with the knowledge base that she has to come in and position herself like a sponge to learn and to grow.”

In her government classes, she makes it mandatory for students to meet her for at least an hour once a semester. In this hour, the students

can discuss their class struggles and their plans for the future.

Students routinely visit Castaneda’s office after their government class.

There are two desks in her office, and the blinds on the far wall are open, bringing in sunlight. At the base of the window is a rectangular pot with various small cacti and succulents. The walls are filled with paintings, prints, framed certificates, awards and diplomas.

A colorful stone sign hangs on the far wall with a message in Spanish translating to “Here lives a professor.” On another wall are two colorful paintings of traditional Latin American and Hispanic art pieces. One features two women gossiping while working in an agricultural field, and the other shows workers in a watermelon field.

The artwork serves as a reminder of her childhood, particularly her stepfather. Photos of her husband, children and friends adorn her desk and windowsill.

She turns her chair to face her students with afternoon light entering from the window.

Science major Karleigh Vestal hasn’t had the best experiences with the college’s advisers. Her meeting with Castaneda was different.

a few smaller interactions, I pieced together a lot of information that only made me appreciate the show’s message that much more.

The show did get rather awkward at times, especially when you hear nothing but women moaning onstage. Thankfully, most of the awkwardness was broken up by refreshingly funny lines.

These comic relief moments really help make the show enjoyable and break up the subject matter. There is a lot of story to uncover once you look past the show’s face value.

Overall, “In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play” provides delightful insight into how weird it must have been to discover the various uses of electricity, especially on the human body. It is a refreshing experience that brings light to an otherwise taboo subject.

The Harvester Theatre Company will be performing an encore presentation of the award-winning show at 11:15 a.m. March 8 in the Performance Hall.

Women’s History Month Events

Recital Series: Ardina Colby Jazz Group 12:30 p.m. March 8, F-117 Speaker: Vanita Halliburton 11 a.m.-12:35 p.m., March 21, C-135A Recital Series: Soprano Heather Hawk 12:30 p.m. March 22, F-117 #NastyWomen Common Book Panel 11 a.m. March 23, the Pit Career Information and Job Fair 10 a.m.-1 p.m. March 29, second floor of C building Recital Series: Choir and Vocal Concert. 12:30 p.m. March 29, Performance Hall

“She cares about everybody, not just [the students] in class for her,” Vestal said.

In December, after two-and-a-half years of work, Castaneda received an Associate of Applied Science in Geographic Information Systems from Brookhaven College. She doesn’t plan to fully enter the GIS field, but she plans to incorporate it into her classes.

It will be her fourth and final diploma, she announces.

Then she pauses.

“Or will it?”

Sports

The Et Cetera

March 8 March 10 March 11 March 20

Baseball vs Richland Baseball @ Richland Baseball @ Richland Baseball vs Hill College

www.eastfieldnews.com

2 p.m.

2 p.m.

2 p.m.

2 p.m.

15

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Eastfield sweeps Lions, loses series versus Suns

By BEN ENSIGN Reporter @TheEtCetera

ANDREW GONZALES/THE ET CETERA

Eastfield coach Anthony Fletcher, center, gives his post-match delivery in the team's locker room following the Harvesters’ Feb. 7 loss to Brookhaven.

‘It’s supposed to hurt’

Harvesters miss shot at nationals

By JULIO VEGA Sports Editor @JulioVegaETC

Eastfield basketball coach Anthony Fletcher said Brookhaven would be a dangerous team to play against despite their losing record, that the stakes were high for that game.

He was right.

The Eastfield Harvesters’ basketball season ended abruptly with an upset home loss to the Brookhaven Bears, a team that had not won a single conference game, in the first round of the Region V Metro Athletic Conference Tournament.

“At some point, Brookhaven [was] going to beat somebody,” Fletcher said. “It always happens like that in conference. Nobody just gets 0-10 then goes into the tournament and loses.

I’ve been in this for 14 years, and I’ve never seen anyone lose every single game they play in conference and the tournament.”

The Bears finished last in the conference standings with a 0-10 in the MAC and 14-17 overall. But they shocked Eastfield (22-8) on Feb. 21 by shooting 53 percent from the field (37-for70) and matching that percentage from 3-point territory (9-for-17).

Fletcher said the loss was tough for the players to take, especially since the Harvesters had advanced to the national tournament in three of the past four seasons, but he said it would help shape their personal growth.

“Make this pain fuel your passion for the game of basketball,” Fletcher told the players following the loss. “Does it suck? Yes, it does. It hurts. It’s supposed to hurt. It’s called reality. It’s called life.”

Sophomore shooting guard D’Angelo Streeter,

who broke the school record for most points in a single game earlier this season with 56 points, said it wasn’t the way the Harvesters wanted to finish the season.

“I feel shorted,” he said. “I feel like we should have won. I feel like we should have gone to Minnesota.”

Eastfield sophomore point guard JJ Murray, who led all scorers in the game with 28 points, agreed.

“It’s a tough loss,” he said. “It’s a hard way to go out after the hard work we put into the season.”

In the decisive game, the Harvesters lacked the shooting consistency they had throughout the season, hitting only 42 percent (32-for-77) of their field goal attempts as a team.

In the first half of that game, the Bears had an explosive start, holding the lead and never giving it up, leaving the Harvesters to play catch-up.

Brookhaven kept that momentum going in the second half, making it a 19-point game with just less than 10 minutes remaining. The Harvesters found their rhythm and started playing to their strengths, bringing the game back to within three points with just over two minutes left, but they were ultimately unable to get back in the game.

Streeter, Murray, shooting guard Paul Ard and forwards Kent Garrett and Jacob Donahoe all played their last games for Eastfield in the loss. They look forward to continuing their careers elsewhere.

Although Murray is unsure of what he plans next, he believes everything will work out.

“It’s whatever God has in store for me,” he said. “I’m just going to get back in the gym and get better and see what happens from there.”

Streeter also said he has a big decision ahead of him.

“I’m just trying to pick the right school I want to go play at now,” he said. “I’ll … just do what I learned here and play the best I can at my next school.”

The Harvesters baseball team opened conference play last week with a series sweep of Mountain View, outscoring the Lions 33-2, but followed that up with a 2-1 series loss to Cedar Valley.

Eastfield, 10-9 overall and 4-2 in conference coming out of the weekend, has scored 156 runs in its 19 games, which ranks second in the nation.

Eastfield 3, Mountain View 0 Pitcher Paul Bowman (3-1) was dominant through 7 1/3 innings, allowing only two hits while striking out 10 of the 26 batters he faced in the Feb. 22 Dalton Acosta closed out the game, earning his first save of the season.

Tanner Foy scored two of Eastfield’s three runs, and Will Crooker and Blake Seagraves drove in one run each.

Eastfield 11, Mountain View 0 Mich Tamez (2-1) tossed a two-hit shutout over seven innings and walked only one in a dominant performance.

Eastfield’s bats came alive early, scoring six runs in the first two innings and adding five more in the sixth.

Gabe Guzman went 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs, three RBI and a stolen base to pace the Harvesters.

Logan Montoya was 3-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and three runs scored, and Foy was 1-for3 with a triple, three RBI and a run scored.

Eastfield 19, Mountain View 2 The Harvesters’ offense picked up where it left off in the previous game, scoring seven runs in the third inning and never looking back.

Foy led the way, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run and a triple, driving in four runs and scoring four more.

Guzman also went 3-for-5 with a triple, four RBI and three runs, while Blake Seagraves and Jordan Parker contributed three RBI each.

Cedar Valley 8, Eastfield 7 Eastfield saw its 7-6 advantage slip away in the ninth as the Suns scored two runs off reliever Daniel Acosta and took the win the March 1 series opener in walk-off fashion.

Skylar Black went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBI to key the Harvesters’ offense and Guzman was 3-for-5 with a RBI, scoring

YESENIA ALVARADO/THE ET CETERA

Jordan Parker at bat during a game versus Texas Wesleyan Feb. 27. The Harvesters won both doubleheaders against the Rams.

a run.

Eastfield 12, Cedar Valley 2 The Harvesters bounced back from their loss in the previous run by scoring six runs in the first three innings.

Montoya led a balanced offensive attack, going 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored.

Foy also homered, and Blake Seagraves added two hits and two RBI. Mich Tamez (31) struck out eight batters and gave up two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings to earn the win.

Cedar Valley 15, Eastfield 5 Starter Cody Johnson (1-2) was unable to get out of the first inning, giving up three walks and four hits as the Suns quickly scored the game’s first five runs.

Acosta (1-1) didn’t fare much better, allowing five runs — ­ only one of them earned — on five hits and three walks over the next 3 1/3 innings. Guzman went 3-for-4 with a triple, a RBI and a run scored for the Harvesters, while Crooker went 2-for-3.

16 Wednesday, March 8, 2017

WRAP UP www.eastfieldnews.com

ExtrEmylee By Emylee Lucas

The Et Cetera

Pleasant Hill Quilters

Extra Credit By John Lemus

DAVID SANCHEZ/THE ET CETERA

Pleasant Hill Quilters members sing during the lecture “Secret Codes of the Underground Railroad” Feb. 22 in C-135.

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