Eastfield Et Cetera December 7, 2016

Etera

Eastfield College

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Volume 48, Issue 7

Assured through faith Professor Shazia Ali discusses life as a Muslim in Trump’s America See page 3 ➤

Eastfield, Dallas react to election Protests erupt downtown, students voice their opinions See page 2 ➤

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Wednesday, December 7, 2016

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The Et Cetera

Americans protest, celebrate Trump win

By JULIO VEGA Staff Writer @JulioVegaETC

Nearly a month after Republican Presidentelect Donald Trump’s historic upset over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, America remains as divided as before the election.

Trump’s policies have softened following his win, but he still vows to take a hardline stance against undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes, close off trade with China and countries involved in NAFTA and eradicate the Affordable Care Act and some of President Obama’s executive orders, such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans.

DACA gives qualifying undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children the opportunity to work and attend school without fear of deportation. Applicants must file for renewal every two years.

Trump’s victory has caused many people, especially minorities, to fear for their future within the country.

“This presidential election was something fearful and unexpected,” student Maria Serratos said. “I didn’t expect that the candidate Donald Trump could win the election.”

Science major Alma Gallardo said there was a racial element in the election.

“I am not in favor nor against Donald Trump’s presidency because it wasn’t in my hands,” she said. “I feel like racial tension is increasing, and I understand that in all society there is racism. Although I feel that Trump does have a lot to do with the recent racial tension, because before the election racism wasn’t that bad, but again racism right now exists in all parts of the world.”

Protests have sprung up in places like New York, Los Angeles and Dallas. Speech professor Nick Vera believes protesters are expressing their First Amendment rights and should be lauded so long as they are non-violent.

“Protest is what this country should celebrate, as long as it’s informed,” he said. “There would have been an opposite reaction if Hillary was elected. There would have been people who were just as angry if she was elected because they felt their interests weren’t going to be represented.”

Conversely, student Joel Bahm said that people should unite as a country and put their differences behind them.

“They are acting like a bunch of babies, and they need to grow up,” he said of the protestors.

“They will either have to get along or not. Give the elected president a chance. He’ll either do well or hang himself.”

Business administration major Laura Gibson believes the protests are an overreaction.

JONATHAN WENCES/THE ET CETERA

Protesters in Dallas marched Nov. 10 with signs representing various movements, all united against the president-elect.

“We had sort of a bad pick between the but their actions could have negative consecandidates,” she said. “Probably neither one of quences. them would have lasted more than four years.

“I don’t want to say that I support them,” he So hopefully, we’ll get a better choice next time.” said. “I do support the fact that they are Student Government Association President See Trump, page 5 ➤ Aaron Sustaita said it is their right to protest,

Tips to avoid fake news in new era of yellow journalism We have all seen it: that crazy uncle on your Facebook feed posting news so outrageous that it can’t be true. Or can it?

The simple answer is no, Fidel Castro will not come back to life after the Cuban government faked his death.

However, there is a bigger problem at play here. A new era of yellow journalism being ushered in by exaggerated news on sites that are extremely biased or fake.

These sites have gained so much power that some have speculated that they, along with pro-Donald Trump Russian propaganda, played a part in shaping the presidential election.

Websites like TMZ and the print tabloids have been doing this for years, but many people realize that those forms of media are gossip rather than real news.

However, there are few ways to stop people from creating websites promoting “fake news.” Once it’s online, nothing stops it from reaching millions of people in a matter of seconds.

The problem with posting fake or exaggerated news is that those

without the ability to see past serious flaws in a story might actually believe it to be true.

Here are some tips to see if you can really trust the “news” people are putting on social media.

–Compiled by Parker Ward

→ Look at the source

The source of the story is often the easiest way to see if it’s really newsworthy.

If it’s not a formal news source like The Washington Post or ABC News, take extreme caution when reading the story.

Some websites have even begun posing as credited news sources.

Methods include changing “.com” to “.co” in the URL. One such story, posted on a website posing as ABC News, claimed that a man was paid $3,500 to protest Trump’s rallies.

While the story was obviously fake, the now president-elect and his campaign manager at the time, Corey Lewandowski, tweeted out the story to their followers as if it were news.

A simple check of the URL could

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High have alerted them to the fact that this was fake news.

→ Check the headline’s wording

Some headlines are nothing but “clickbait” meant to draw in readers with outrageous claims.

If a headline sounds too ridiculous to be true, then it’s probably false.

“THE TRUTH IS OUT! The Media Doesn’t Want You To See What Hillary Did After Losing ...” reads a headline on LibertyWritersNews. com, a site run from an Airbnb rental

by two former restaurant workers who told The Washington Post they write to get clicks.

Any good news organization would never use all caps and put an exclamation mark in a headline unless the world is ending. And chances are, it isn’t.

→ Check quote sources

Believe it or not, some news might not always be completely fake, but certain websites like to present quotes out of context or otherwise significantly altered.

A simple check to see if the quote came from a firsthand source will probably tell you whether or not you can trust that source.

A recent example was a crusade against Kellogg’s perpetrated by Breitbart.

The website claimed that Kellogg’s stocks were falling due to “accusations of child labor exploitation.” This claim is exaggerated. The real story is that some of Kellogg’s products used palm oil that a human rights group claimed was made using child labor.

Breitbart did not mention this article or where they got their information

from, leading anyone who did not look deep enough to believe there was a huge scandal.

→ Look for any serious flaws

Does this story actually sound feasible? If you have serious doubts before even reading the story, then it is probably as far from the truth as a “.co” website.

For example, a few weeks ago, a fake news story about Hobby Lobby closing all its stores spread across Facebook. However, Hobby Lobby’s website showed a statement saying the story was false and that the company was still in business.

You should always have a healthy level of skepticism.

→ Is it satire?

Websites like the Onion produce comically satirical news. It’s obviously fake, but it does not go out of its way to tell the world that it is satire.

The only real concern is that satirical websites don’t tend to break away from their comedic model.

Their satire is fake and just meant to be humorous, but some people still fall into the trap.

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Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Muslim professor embraces positivity Ali rekindles her faith post 9/11 but faces challenges

By KATRINA BOND Staff Writer @KatBondETC

Shazia Ali stepped into line, ready to board the plane, when a security guard came over to her. He asked her to remove her shoes, explaining he was performing a “random check.”

Ali had already been through more than four security checks since she set foot in customs, and it was getting old.

When Ali had left for vacation two months before, she passed through customs without any extensive patdowns or security checks. As she returned to Dallas, she was stopped at every new station and asked to repeat the same checks over and over. The only difference was that she was now wearing a hijab.

This incident took place in 2002, when airport security was heightened in response to the 9/11 attacks.

Ali wondered why they weren’t pulling aside people without headscarves. The increase in security seemed directed specifically toward Muslims.

At the time, Ali had just recently begun wearing a hijab.

“It was the most incredible experience of my life,” she said. “And that moment really hit me, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to be a different person if I wear this, and I’m going to be viewed very differently.’ ” Ali, an English teacher at Eastfield, has seen a resurgence of hostility and harassment over the past year since Donald Trump began arguing that Muslims were dangerous people.

The president-elect has previously stated he would like to ban all Muslims from entering the United States and have Muslim-Americans register so that the government can keep a better watch on them.

“I would argue that it is worse today for Muslims in America than it was post-9/11,” Ali said. “The rhetoric is being spoken out openly, everywhere. Before, it was more under wraps. Now, when you have [the future president] who’s going to talk about it openly on a podium, you need a little bit of inner strength.”

She said this climate of mistrust and fear that Trump is creating is

English professor Shazia Ali reads the Quran at the East Plano Islamic Center. Ali has practiced Islam since 2002.

damaging to the community.

Ali said she frequently experiences the negative effects of stereotyping. Because she grew up in the Middle East, many people expect Ali to speak Arabic or have a very traditional, religious lifestyle. While Ali was born in Pakistan, she grew up in Dubai, which she described as “almost the Las Vegas of the Middle East.”

In Dubai, Ali led a secular and privileged life. Although she grew up surrounded by Muslims, she was unaware of many aspects of the religion. She considered herself culturally Muslim because of her family’s customs and traditions but knew very little about Islam.

Ali went to a British high school in a time when her family had housekeepers and chauffeurs. For fun, she would go to ice skating rinks with her friends or hang out on the activity floor of her building, playing tennis or badminton. Ali wore jeans and T-shirts, spoke English and craved hamburgers and milkshakes.

“It was like the melting pot of the world,” Ali said. “Different nationalities, different ethnicities, exposure to different kinds of people. It was a

very diverse population.”

Moving to the U.S. at 22 wasn’t much of a cultural shock for Ali, barring her introduction to American football. She was a cultural minority, but she was already used to a Western lifestyle.

On Sept. 11, 2001, things changed.

She was an administrative assistant at the University of Texas at Dallas and still leading a non-religious lifestyle, caring for her son and pregnant with her daughter. Her friends knew she was Muslim, but she didn’t necessarily “look” Muslim.

“One of the first things I encountered [after 9/11] was that people asked me these questions,” Ali said. “ ‘Oh you’re a Muslim too, right?

So can you tell us why they’re doing this? Can you tell us where it says that you have to kill people or you have to bomb yourself?’ They were asking really hard questions, and I had no clue how to answer them.”

At this point, Ali took a step back to take a long look at herself and Islam. She began reading more about the religion and tried to figure out what it means to be Muslim. She soon realized that she truly identified with Islam and decided to embrace it.

As she grew into her newfound faith, Ali began changing aspects of her lifestyle. She began wearing long-sleeved, loose-fitting clothing, and she abstained from alcohol. The most noticeable outward change was that Ali began wearing a headscarf, known as the hijab.

“I liked the idea of being recognized as a Muslim,” she said. “That kind of made me feel more confident about myself.”

Ali said that pulling aside everyone who “looks” Muslim or wears a headscarf is an uneducated and sometimes nasty approach to security. She said not everyone who wears a hijab is Muslim, and not every terrorist is going to have roots in the Middle East.

“It’s the same thing as looking at an African-American male, and if he’s 6 feet tall, you’re just going to assume he must be some kind of a thug,” she said. “It’s stereotyping at its worst.”

Simeon Dohmen, a 6-foot, African-American majoring in construction, is taking Ali’s English class.

Dohmen said he has experienced instances where people assumed he was going to steal from them. His

ALEJANDRA ROSAS/THE ET CETERA

mother raised him and his brothers to dress in ways that would stop people from stereotyping them.

Even at work and school, Ali noticed people treating her differently.

She had trouble adjusting to wearing the hijab regularly. She would choose not to wear her headscarf some days.

“The first year was a mess,” Ali said. “I could see the difference. I would walk the same halls, and when I had the headscarf on, people would look at me differently.”

In 2003, Ali faced the brunt of more stereotypes, this time in the classroom. Ali was a freshman at Richland College and approached her humanities professor to ask what majors were available in the field. She was interested in the humanities, but her professor dismissed her. He said she could “possibly do something with religion,” implying that a Muslim woman had no other interests or passions.

Seven years later, Ali earned her doctorate in humanities and literature from UTD. Now, Ali said she sees more aggression toward her community.

See Professor, page 4 ➤

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NEWS

FAFSA applications open The application period of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is open for the 2017-2018 academic year.

The application period opened Oct. 1, three months earlier than in previous years.

The new date is a permanent change to the FAFSA process. A FAFSA is required for all students applying for federal grants, loans and work study.

The change was made to help students attending four-year schools, but it should benefit community college students as well, said LaKisha Wooden, program coordinator for Rising Star.

“It will help students receive their award letters earlier,” she said. “They will exceed meeting the priority deadline and can focus on other things like getting registered for next semester.”

The earlier application window also means students may use information from

The Et Cetera

Spring 2017 registration has begun, ends in January

Briefs

their 2015 completed tax returns rather than making estimates before their latest tax returns are complete.

“The earlier students get this done, the greater chance they will have receiving additional grant funds that are awarded first come, first serve,” Financial Aid Director Karen Lazarz said.

Lazarz offered these tips to improve the application process: * Write down your ID, password and challenge questions. Since you use them only once per year, they are easily forgotten. * Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. The FAFSA online system can pull data directly from the IRS system so you don’t have to enter it manually.

For more information about FAFSA and the financial aid application process, visit dcccd.edu/PC/FA/Pages/default.aspx — Compiled by Kilee Torrez

DART, DCCCD to provide free bus passes for students

The Dallas County Community College District and the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system have collaborated to offer free Student GoPasses to qualifying DCCCD students. Credit students must be enrolled in at least six credit hours, and continuing education students must be enrolled in at least of 96 contact hours during regular semesters.

During the summer, students must be enrolled in three or more credit hours, or 48 or more contact hours in the fourth quarter, respectively.

To get a GoPass, students must have a photo taken at their campus, download the GoPass app and fill out a request form for online verification.

The form will be available sometime this month.

For more information, visit dcccd.edu/SS/OnCampus/Discounts/pages/dart-student.aspx.

Registration for wintermester and spring semester classes began in November. Jan. 11 is the last day to register for regular spring semester classes.

After the deadline, students can still register for flex term courses until the day the class begins. The last day to register for students who do not have “good” academic standing is Jan. 7.

Campus will be closed from Christmas through new year

The fall semester ends on Dec. 15. Campus will close for the holidays at 5 p.m., Dec. 23 and reopen Jan. 3. Spring 2017 classes will begin Jan. 18.

Corrections In the Oct. 26 issue of The Et Cetera, the names of volleyball player Kerstin Fredrickson’s professor Stacey Jurhree were misspelled and Jarezy Munoz’s gender was misidentified.

The Et Cetera regrets the errors.

Professor sticks to faith through struggles Continued from page 3

The first few days after the election, reports surfaced of assaults on people of color in Trump’s name. A woman in Ali’s neighborhood was assaulted in a grocery store, and her hijab was pulled off. Even before the election, people had verbally assaulted Ali in public and vandalized her house.

“I think the biggest problem that all minorities face is the silence of the spectators,” Ali said. “When you see something wrong happening, don’t be silent. Speak up. There are no more choices left. If you see something happening, you have to address it. You cannot be quiet anymore.”

Ali is not worried that Trump will have a chance to implement his plan to ban Muslims from the U.S. because it would most likely violate the First Amendment.

“I know that Trump’s ideas of banning Muslims and building a wall, none of it is probably going to happen,” Ali said. “But that’s not the point. The point is that he said it. It has been verbalized and articulated and out in the open for everyone to hear. The 50 percent of America that voted for him thinks that the right thing to do. So if we are going to go ahead and assault a minority just because they’re Latino or Muslim or gay, they’re going to be OK with it because our president does it. It’s

ALEJANDRA ROSAS/THE ET CETERA

Shazia Ali and her daughters shop for new outfits and hijabs.

perfectly fine. No one is going to hold you accountable for that. So you’ve lowered the bar of your morality and your integrity by electing him.”

However, she is trying to focus on the positives. The Thursday after the election, Ali attended a program at her third-grade daughter’s school. A man gave up his seat for her, and another woman told her “things are going to be OK.” It’s little acts like these that give Ali hope.

“Even though there’s a lot of negativity about Trump’s election, this is one ray of hope that I see, that I’ve actually witnessed,” she said. “I strongly believe that whatever happens is for the good. There’s some good in it. We just don’t see it right now.”

Ali believes that the only way to

end these prejudices is to educate others and stand together.

“There is that curiosity that his rhetoric has built up within intelligent people who want to sit down and say … ‘What exactly are Muslims about?’” Ali said. “There are more conversations happening. There are more interfaith events happening.

We are having those interfaith, intercultural conversations that are leading to more awareness and a more positive educational system where we start learning about one another.”

Dean of Social Sciences Mike Walker said that Ali disproves stereotypes by being herself. She is patient and kind with others, even when they ask her inappropriate questions about her headscarf or Islam.

“She allows all of us to see that the stereotypes are nonsense,” Walker said.

Until he met Ali, Walker said he had never truly known a Muslim person before. He only knew of the vague stereotypes portrayed by the media. Now, he considers Ali a great role model.

“She’s all about the kind of values traditional American culture is about,” Walker said. “She couldn’t be more American.”

Ali also has an advantage in the classroom, bringing in stories from her childhood in Dubai and her personal experiences as a minority in America. Ali and Walker co-teach a learning community that combines English composition and U.S. history. Walker knows that Ali has a unique background and perspective, and he encourages her to tell her side.

“We’re a better nation if people bring their different cultures into the mix,” he said. “We’re a better country for that.”

Ali and Walker’s students appreciate this as well.

“It opens up our eyes to different perspectives of what she went through differently than what we go through,” nursing major Nani Brown said.

Ali does not deny that there are differences in her daily life from that of other Americans. However, she sees herself as a regular person;

a wife, a mother of four, no different than the next American. She takes her children to the roller skating rink, entertains friends and writes creatively in her free time. Her poetry was recently published in the DallasFort Worth anthology “Cattlemen & Cadillacs.”

Most importantly, Ali thinks, is the fact that she’s a mom. She smiled as she mentioned her eldest daughter, who is 14 and began wearing the hijab within the last few years. She laughed about her daughter stealing her more fashionable scarves in order to match them to her outfits.

Ali admires how her daughter wears her hijab without hesitation.

Ali made the decision when she was in her mid-20s, and it came with lifestyle changes and a search for her identity. For her daughter, wearing the hijab is simply part of growing up and doesn’t come with much baggage.

As Ali’s two other daughters come of age, Ali said that ultimately, the decision to wear the hijab will be their own.

“It’s a choice that [they] have to make,” Ali said. “It doesn’t need to come from me or anyone else.”

ABOUT THE COVER DR. SHAZIA ALI ATTENDS HER MOSQUE. PHOTO BY ALEJANDRA ROSAS PHOTO ILLUSTRATION AND DESIGN

BY DAVID SILVA AND AHMAD ASHOR

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Wednesday, December 7, 2016

College sidelines staff who teach as adjuncts

By JAMES HARTLEY Managing Editor @JamesHartleyETC

Staff who have taken on extra service contracts for teaching will not have that opportunity come spring semester.

A change in the Fair Labor Standard Act regulations regarding overtime pay could leave more than 70 Eastfield staffers in a non-exempt status, meaning they will have to take overtime pay.

With the change, anyone working more than 40 hours a week and making less than $47,000 a year has to take overtime pay for the additional hours.

This has left the Dallas County Community College District to decide whether to pay overtime to staff teaching on extra service contracts or putting a temporary moratorium on those contracts.

A federal judge placed an injunction on the change until a lawsuit filed by 21 states, including Texas, can be heard.

The lawsuit claims that the federal government overreached in its decision to raise the non-exempt threshold and that such an action will hurt the economy and job market.

Larry Wilson, director of human resources for Eastfield, said he feels the safest move is to place a temporary moratorium on extra service contracts.

“The sense I was able to get from reading both a college and university HR blog and then just a general industry HR blog was that there’s some sense that the Department of Labor will appeal the injunction,” Wilson said. “That’s a political decision. It may or may not happen.

If they do appeal it, there would be a period of time for both sides to put their arguments to-

gether and a new hearing to hear the appeal.”

He said that an appeal could have the injunction overturned as early as January.

Wilson added that DCCCD is looking into ways extra service contracts could resume as early as the summer 2017 semesters.

Susan Hall, director of Talent Central for the DCCCD, said the district would wait for a final say from the Department of Labor.

“Obviously, this is an issue that interests and impacts a significant number of the population on both the employee and employer sides, and just as we waited for the final release of the amended rules back in June 2016, we will wait once again for the country’s policy-makers to confirm and/or amend this federal law,” Hall wrote in an email.

That leaves those who teach on the side in limbo until the DCCCD determines whether they would be paid overtime or with a contract.

Staff with proper qualifications, typically a master’s degree, have been offered extra service contracts in the past.

These contracts allow staff to teach classes as adjunct professors.

“We have no guidelines on how they would be paid,” said Rachel Wolf, associate vice president of student services and academic success. “If there were actionable information, we would be totally up to let them teach.”

While the extra teaching duties some staff take on are not technically part of their regular jobs, the extra pay is something some of them depend on.

“In my position, I pay child support,” said Amanda Rangel, an Upward Bound program service coordinator for Skyline High School who also teaches ESL and developmental math.

“When my child support was calculated, it was calculated with those extra service contracts.

So they would take $300-$400 out of my paycheck basically that I don’t have any more. So it impacts my life pretty big.”

Rangel said she doesn’t want to switch jobs because of the work she does at Eastfield.

“I’m a certified high school teacher,” Rangel said. “I have a bachelor’s in math. I have a master’s in post-secondary education. So me teaching here and being able to work for Upward Bound is kind of a dream come true. You get your hands in all of it, so it’s fun.”

She said she’ll continue working with Upward Bound even if she can’t work as an adjunct in the spring, but she is holding onto hope that something will change.

“I’m like, ‘OK, please tell me we can teach in the spring at least,’ ” Rangel said. “Let’s stretch that just a little bit longer. Because, like I said, I really do enjoy teaching.”

The regulation has left deans with a difficult decision, Executive Dean of Continuing Education Judith Dumont said.

“It’s really hard to find quality educators and people who really believe in the mission of what we’re doing,” Dumont said. “If you’re staff here and you believe in that mission, which is excellence in teaching and learning, the teaching part is being yanked away.”

Dumont said her division has had to put posting out for new adjunct professors to fill the now-empty positions.

“We’re having to think fast and quick,” she said. “But it’s not just us that’s in this position, it’s every other sister school. … So finding talent, we’re having to really be creating in how we’re reaching out to people.”

Wolf said the executive council, which includes executive deans, made the decision to ensure everyone gets equal, fair treatment.

“We determined that we would temporarily

put a moratorium on having out non-exempt employees teaching for extra pay,” Wolf said.

“The reason we did that was because we did not have any guidelines from anyone on how to [pay extra-service contracts] ethically.”

Courtney Carter-Harbour, executive dean of arts and communications, said that the problems are spurred by confusion about what the regulation would mean for an entity like Eastfield.

We need “at least a little more direction and consistency in the message,” Carter-Harbour said. “I know that the district is also relying on other parties to inform them of some of the implication or the guidelines.”

The DCCCD has not given Eastfield administrators a clear answer, Carter-Harbour said.

She said Eastfield administration have made the call to protect the institution.

“I think it’s a matter of being fair in terms of trying to figure out the best ways to compensate persons fairly,” she said. “I think it’s looking at all the different factors with FLSA.” Carter-Harbour said she is worried about qualified staff leaving for better-paying jobs.

“We have a lot of talented staff members who have been teaching for us,” she said. “There’s always value in having those persons who teach for us who are really acclimated to the Eastfield culture.”

Carter-Harbour said that the information Eastfield gets will be relayed to employees as soon as possible.

It’s not as if we had all this information in August and sat on it and now we’re sharing it,” Carter-Harbour said. “I think it’s just understanding that this situation puts the entire college in a bind. … We’re just having to receive the information as it comes, and unfortunately, it’s coming late.”

Trump win sparks personal, emotional reaction across U.S.

Continued from page 2 voicing their opinion, and they have the right to do that. … This is how our government works.”

Vera emphasized how active communities help shape the country.

“We have to have activists,” he said. “Otherwise, we have people just sitting down, and every four years they pull a lever for someone, and they think that that’s democracy. I think the reaction has been misinformed, and it’s because we’re so used to sitting still and waiting to be called on.”

Undecided major Ronny Holmes agreed.

“People [need to] get more involved,” Holmes said. “I believe if people are participating more with the process of government, that things could change.”

Turnout was 57 percent of eligible voters with 48.2 percent of the popular vote going to Clinton and 46.4 percent to Trump, according the FiveThirtyEight and The Cook Political Report, respectively.

Many worry that with a Republican-controlled House, Senate, and White House, many programs implemented in President Obama’s presidency, such as DACA, will be revoked.

Sustaita, a DACA student, believes that revoking the program will only harm the educational society.

“I do have a feeling that it is going to change, but I do know that it won’t be repealed,” he said. “It’s probably going to be more restrictive because Republicans and Democrats don’t really mix.”

Vera believes it isn’t specific groups that need the focus, but the

overall school system and public institutions.

“I would look at how will publicly funded institutions be affected by this election,” he said. “I would look at the larger umbrella there. How is it going to affect publicly funded institutions like museums, hospitals, roads and schools? Then we can drill down from there to see how it will affect individuals.”

Criminal justice major Victor Dias wasn’t in favor of some of Trump’s policies, such as the infamous wall, but disagreed with how the media represented him.

“I hate how the media portrayed Trump as if everything were wrong with him,” he said. “I would log on to my Facebook and see anti-Trump campaign videos on my feed but never an anti-Clinton video. I felt like I was the only pro-Trump supporter

amongst my friends and family.”

English major David Ndombe believes Trump won the presidency because he connected with the American people.

“If he can bring back American jobs and lower the taxes for companies, America will be [better off],” he said. “America isn’t in bad shape, but it does need to be improved.”

Gallardo concurred this.

“Trump could be a good leader because of the fact that he was … being 100 percent honest,” she said.

“That definitely is something to be optimistic about.”

Holmes believes this election can lead to a better future.

“Let people have their choice,” he said. “This is what this country is built on: choice. I believe that there should be a general goal that we should all aspire to, but it’s individu-

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A man marches with protesters in Dallas Nov 10.

alism and diversity that makes this country great.”

— Rodrigo Mendoza, Janet Barragan and Jonathan Nuno contributed to this report

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The Et Cetera

Generations stand together to protect native land

By KATRINA BOND Staff Writer @KatBondETC

After months of protests, the Army Corps of Engineers reversed course Dec. 4 and said it would deny a construction permit to Energy Transfer Partners to build the Dakota Access Pipeline on land claimed by Native Americans.

“It sounds good, but at the same time I’m cautious,” said former Eastfield student Leroy Pena, who has protested at the site in North Dakota and at rallies in Dallas. “I’m not expecting them to stop.”

Pena is proud of his native heritage. He is a member of the Lipan Apache Band of Texas and follows his ancestors’ teachings.

He has been an activist for native rights for decades. But in August, a pipeline project in North Dakota was approved, which caused Pena to become even more involved in native rights issues.

“My [Lakota] friend Tiffany called me crying,” Pena said. “She said, ‘They approved that pipeline, and it’s going to go through our sacred land.’ That’s when I started getting involved.”

Pena was in North Dakota from Oct. 27Nov. 2, helping with security, organization and protesting.

Pena’s interest in social activism began when he was a teenager in the Rio Grande Valley with protests over local issues, such as the termination of his high school’s vice principal. In 1985, Pena was a student at Eastfield and was involved in environmental and political protests.

The turning point came when his younger brother was deployed in the Gulf War. Pena began protesting again, this time with more vigor.

“I went to our state senator at the time, and asked him to pull the troops out,” Pena said. “I started protesting the war, and it was a long war, so I was [protesting] most of the time, when I wasn’t going to school.”

Now Pena is involved in Latino rights, political and environmental protests and Native American issues.

The Dakota Access Pipeline would transport crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois. Opponents say the pipeline could have harmful environmental effects and would cut through sacred Lakota burial grounds.

“It was originally planned to go up by Bismarck, close to the city, but the residents rejected it because it was too close to their water supply,” Pena said. “So they did another plan to go through the native land, and that one got approved, but everything was fast-tracked. They were supposed to do an environmental impact study, and they never got one.”

Julie Fedorchak, chair of the North Dakota Public Service Commission, told NPR that there was a 13-month review process in which the route of the pipeline was changed over 140 times to ensure that cultural and historical resources were preserved.

The pipeline would be placed under the Missouri River. Many are arguing that, although the people in Bismarck had a chance to vote

PHOTOS BY ANDREW GONZALES/THE ET CETERA

Left, a woman sings a native song during a Dallas Dakota Access Pipeline protest.

Above, protesters fill the sidewalks of Klyde Warren Park on Nov 5.

against the pipeline, the Lakota did not.

“The people, and they’re mostly Anglo, they said, ‘We don’t want that here. It’s going to burst and affect our water supply. So, more or less, go put it where the Indians are. No one cares about them,’ ” Pena said. “They did all this without going through the proper procedures.”

Fedorchak also said that the North Dakota Public Service Commission notified the Lakota of the plans for the pipeline and held nearby public hearings, neither of which the Lakota responded to.

The Lakota and their supporters believe that the land through which the Dakota Access was planned could legally belong to the Lakota Nation.

“Where they put that [drilling] pad might actually be on tribal land,” Pena said. “So we’re

getting these little delays and we’re seeing if those little delays will allow us to bring in people who can do something about this.”

Lakota tribal historian Ladonna Brave Bull Allard originally organized a protest of 15 people when the pipeline was first approved four months ago. Now there are close to 6,000 people from different states, countries and ethnic backgrounds at Standing Rock, supporting the Lakota.

“We’re coming from every corner of this country,” Pena said. “The last time this happened was during wartime, when the different tribes of the plains got together and they were fighting the United States Army. But this, they’re coming to save the environment.”

There have also been many protests in Dallas, which is home to Energy Transfer Partners

and its CEO, Kelcy Warren.

Pena has helped organized protests in the Dallas area, including one on Sept. 2 outside the Energy Transfer Partners building, in which Pena held a sign reading “Kelcy Warren: Wanted for the Rape of Mother Earth.”

On Sept. 13, Warren released a letter stating that “concerns about the pipeline’s impact on the local water supply are unfounded. Multiple pipelines, railways and highways cross the Missouri River today, carrying hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil.”

On Nov. 5, Pena attended a DAPL protest outside Klyde Warren Park. People gathered on the sidewalk outside the park, chanting “Keep it in the soil. We can’t drink oil” and singing “Which side are you on, my people, which side are you?” They held signs saying “Water is Life” and “People not Profits.”

The event was organized by Jonathan Chisum, a 25-year-old food service worker, and Kit Jones, a 70-year-old local counselor.

Jones said she is concerned about an oil spill in the future.

“All pipelines leak eventually,” she said. “So if it’s allowed to be constructed, then, at some point when it breaks, that oil is going to go into the river and all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.”

Pena, who worked on pipeline projects for 11 years, agrees.

“I know about what’s going on with DAPL,” Pena said. “I know it’s going to break. It’s not if it’s going to break, it’s when it’s going to break.”

At the Nov. 5 protest, Pena stepped up to a megaphone before a crowd of around 75 people, urging them to travel to North Dakota to aid in the Standing Rock protests.

“Things are starting to change up there,” Pena said. “They could use your help.”

His call to action was met with cheers from See Protestors, back page ➤

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Recovery continues year after tornadoes

By JAMES HARTLEY Managing Editor @JamesHartleyETC

Around this time last year, lab assistant Jessica Cadick was busy putting up her lime-green Christmas tree with her family, wrapping presents and planning out her celebration.

This year, she can’t do any of those things.

Cadick’s “forever home” in Garland was struck by one of the tornadoes that ripped through North Texas last December.

“I grew up there for a large portion of my life,” she said. “I was going to raise my kids for the majority of their lives and then my grandkids could come visit. Then for weeks there, there was uncertainty if that house was going to even be there anymore or if [the landlord] was going to have to just sell it off to whoever would buy the slab.”

Cadick’s was one of thousands of North Texas families who were devastated by the storms on Dec. 26, 2015.

Nine tornadoes touched down, killing 11 people and destroying or damaging more than 1,000 buildings.

In the end, it was more profitable for the owner to rebuild Cadick’s house. Cadick said the plan is to rent-to-own the house.

“I may just have to sell organs,” Cadick joked. “We’ll see how that will work out. Maybe child labor? I don’t know. … I’m just ready to go home.”

Looking back, she said she feels lucky because she and her family weren’t home when the tornadoes hit and that they know they will be able to move back into their house eventually, possibly before Christmas.

Houses in Cadick’s neighborhood remain in disrepair.

PHOTOS BY AHMAD ASHOR/THE ET CETERA

Jessica Cadick sits in her home, mostly rebuilt after the Dec. 26, 2015, tornadoes. She hopes to move back in by Christmas.

“Our plan, just to show where we are in recovery, is to have close friends and immediate family and have a party on the anniversary of the tornado at our house,” Cadick said. “Instead of being like, ‘Oh my God,’ we’re just going to be like, ‘Woo hoo, we’re home,’ and try to flip it around.”

Eight were killed on the George Bush Turnpike in Garland, just a short walk from Cadick’s house.

The tornado flung cars off bridges and pulled victims from their vehicles.

Cadick said she isn’t sure where they would be if it weren’t for donations and aid from friends and community members.

“The community response afterward was phenomenal,” Cadick said.

“Don’t get me wrong, it was really strange having someone go through my stuff, throwing it into bins. And I don’t know what’s in the bin, and it’s getting loaded onto a truck going to a storage unit. But we would not have been able to do that. I would

not have been able to do that. While I was pretty good and stayed emotionally calm externally, I was so overwhelmed. There was a huge hole in my house. Half of it was gone. I didn’t know what to do.”

However, Cadick said the smallest changes have the biggest impact.

She has to carpool with a coworker, can’t have her pets inside if they get muddy because of the carpet in their temporary home and doesn’t have the room to unpack many of her family’s belongings.

After the tornadoes, community members, organizations and charities stepped in to help with cleanup and supply aid to victims.

Jim Olk, Garland building official, said recovery is ahead of expected schedule in large part due to the community response and resources available to Garland.

“At this point, we have got 70 percent of the homes that were damaged reoccupied,” Olk said. “We’re actually adding to those ranks about every day as we finalize some of those

houses and perform the inspections on them. In comparison to the other cities like Ellis County, Glenn Heights and Rowlett that got severely damaged by the tornadoes, we are more well ahead on the recovery path than they are.”

He said underinsured or uninsured houses have presented challenges to property owners, but that donations have helped.

Eastfield offered free construction classes so students could move quickly through courses and go to work in rebuilding homes and businesses.

The college hosted information sessions, and employees went into the community to help victims decide their next steps.

Judith Dumont, executive dean of workforce education, said her division has already put more than 50 students through construction courses and has funds for about 250 more.

“I hate to say this, but I think we had a lot of momentum the first 90 days,” Dumont said. “Then it just sort of tapered off. I think people forgot about it, and I haven’t heard that much about it in the last six months.

I think it’s one of those times where sometimes other headlines get in the way.”

Dorothy White, public and media

relations director for Garland, said that the biggest challenge is remembering that the process isn’t over.

“If people see non-profits requesting support to help folks down there, whether it’s financial, material or emotional, that people be generous with those things,” White said.

“There’s been a lot of effort in the community to get Christmas decorations recovered. On Dec. 26, a lot of people’s Christmas decorations were blown away. … People have been raising toy donations for families whose Christmas presents blew away that day.”

She said the city of Garland’s #GarlandStrong campaign is also open to donations for people who need financial support as they work to finish rebuilding and reentering their homes.

Cadick said the tornado has already brought out the best in a lot of the community.

“It really does show the true colors of people willing to help, the people willing to go through it with you,” Cadick said. “It teaches you patience.

That’s about as profound as it gets.

Otherwise, tornadoes suck.”

Cadick said she isn’t walking away with any new fears or any sense of added safety.

“Statistically, it is just as likely for a tornado to hit my house as it was the day it happened,” she said. “It is completely random. … I won’t watch ‘Twister’ with as much amusement anymore, but that’s about it.”

White said that, for most people, emotional support is a major need.

“Patience and support are what these folks need,” White said. “I think as we approach this one-year anniversary, they just need our tenderhearted caring and support. … The grieving process is still ongoing.”

ITT Tech shutdown leaves students back at starting line

By JONATHAN NUNO Contributor @TheEtCetera

At least six former ITT Technical Institute students will continue their educations at Eastfield after the for-profit college shuttered all its campuses Sept. 6, just a few days into the fall semester.

“I was 18 months away from graduating, and now out of all the credits I earned, I am only able to transfer three credits,” said former student Ivan Rodriguez, who was studying for software development. “It just frustrates me knowing that I basically have to start over from

scratch with all the hard work I put in.”

Rodriguez, who plans to enroll at Richland College in the spring, is one of 35,000 students left wondering how to receive credit for the classes they completed at ITT Tech’s 130 campuses, including one in Arlington and one in Richardson.

ITT Educational Services, which operated the college, blamed the closure on the U.S. Department of Education’s decision to bar them from enrolling students using federal financial aid. Questions about the company’s financial solvency and accreditation preceded the Education Department’s move.

“I honestly feel like ITT Tech was a big waste

of time,” said former student Tony Bennet. “I had plans to graduate next semester, and now I have to start from the beginning.”

Bennet is considering enrolling at El Centro College in the spring to pursue his career as an electrical engineer.

Students enrolled at ITT Tech when it closed or who withdrew within six months before the closure have two options: loan forgiveness or transfer of credits to another college.

“With loan forgiveness, you can scratch all of that debt out, but you have to start all over, and that’s the challenge,” Eastfield Director of Recruitment Marlonda Taylor said.

Credits earned at for-profit institutions such

as ITT Tech transfer at each college’s discretion, and many nationally accredited colleges have chosen not to accept them. If course credits do transfer, students are ineligible for loan forgiveness.

A student’s field of study determines if a Dallas County Community Colllege can accept the credits. The district offers programs such as accounting, business administration, criminal justice, computer aided design and drafting and electronic and computer technology.

For more information on transferring from ITT Tech to Eastfield, visit eastfieldcollege.edu/ pressroom/news/welcome-itt-tech/ or email Taylor at MarlondaTaylor@dcccd.edu.

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‘The Yellow Boat’ performance lacks real emotion

By KATRINA BOND Staff Writer @KatBondETC

The Harvester Theatre Company’s Dec. 2 performance of David Saar’s “The Yellow Boat” elicited a quasiemotional response from the audience, but it did not carry the gravity one would expect from a play with such a heavy topic.

“The Yellow Boat” is centered around 8-year-old Benjamin, who loves to draw and play pretend games. He is diagnosed with congenital hemophilia as a baby and later contracts HIV, and subsequently AIDS, from a series of blood transfusions intended to combat the effects of his disorder. The play is presented from Benjamin’s perspective and is based on Saar’s son, who died from the same complications in 1987.

The substance of the play exists mostly in subtext, which was enhanced by the fantastic lighting and sound work.

The use of color and lighting added a whimsical, child-like feel while also representing the progression of Benjamin’s disease. The color red

represented the pain Benjamin felt, while the color white represented clinical apathy. At one point, Benjamin uses every color of Crayola ever invented to describe his pain, except for yellow, which represents love and happiness to him. I enjoyed this visual representation of emotion and felt it made Benjamin more relatable.

Benjamin’s relationship with color and art is an important one. As his health deteriorates, the world around him begins losing color: white walls, white doctor coats, gray X-rays.

When the play reaches its conclusion, the stage is suddenly lit with a rainbow, showing that Benjamin’s suffering has ended and all the color has returned to his world.

Benjamin’s illness is explored through his drawings, which were supplied by 8-year-old Summer Long. The artwork was projected on the middle of the three sails on set and added to the progression of his childhood and illness.

There were few props and a static set, but the lighting and sound truly

sentences and headlines to describe the AIDS cases popping up across the United States. As these lines are thrown out like ammunition, Benjamin sits on the ground, playing with a yellow toy boat. It could have been a very powerful scene and would have evoked an emotional response from me had the lines been delivered with more projection, speed and emotion.

Unfortunately, the delivery of the lines meant the play could not reach its full potential.

While the play itself is well-written, the performance led to some confusion.

The quick exchanges and backto-back lines were not executed as quickly and loudly as they should have been, which meant some actors had delayed or inaudible lines.

There were also projection issues.

One character’s lines were almost never audible, and others were very difficult to hear.

At times, the actors seemed to be reading directly from a script instead of truly performing, which lessened the impact of the message of the play and dampened the emotional atmosphere that could have otherwise moved the audience to tears.

During an exchange between Benjamin and his friend in the hospital, I could see what the intention was, but it all seemed very scripted and inorganic.

The powerful story was weighed down by rushed or forgetful acting in many aspects, but I was still confused about a few things when I left the theater, such as what condition Benjamin originally had and the role of several actors.

Events in the fall semester included the Eastfield Theatre Company’s productions of Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” and David Saar’s “The Yellow Boat” and a visit to campus by members of the Lacks family.

On Oct. 13, Dr. Fred Grinnell discussed the ethics of human research.

Grinnell is a cell biologist and professor of medical science at the UT Southwestern Medical Center and is known for his work in bioethics.

The event saw a huge turnout according to organizers.

English professor Michael Morris, a committee member, has high hopes for common book events for the spring. The committee plans to include panels and involve other clubs and organizations on campus, he said.

“We would like to do academic panels,” he said. “We’d like to partner with some of the other events that are going on. For example, Black History Month [and] Women’s History Month. These will be less presentations and events and more conversations, and we’ll draw from the talent

and expertise of our professors.”

Alan Garcia, a student who attended the Nov. 9 Microscopes with Murry event, expressed his personal interest. The event was hosted by lab coordinator Murry Gans and showcased the varied uses of microscopes.

“It was enjoyable seeing how there are different types of microscopes and being able to use them,” Garcia said. “I learned the type of microscopes and the techniques they use it for to check money for fake printing, to check on living organisms, DNA, fingerprints, etc.”

The variety of themes has allowed the book to be shared and understood through numerous courses and different events with many possible focuses, Morris said.

“Each of our events has been very engaging, and my students have come back to classes talking about them,” Morris said. “It’s been nice to have them engaged in all the events, and we’ve had some very good conversations. I’ve just been really excited to see so many students get excited for what we’re doing.”

ANDREW GONZALES/THE ET CETERA

Benjamin, played by Joey Mojica, faces his life-threatning disease.

set the scenes. Red and blue lights flash as Benjamin goes to the hospital for treatments, and when he becomes deathly ill, the beep of a cardiac monitor persists in the background.

The rapid-fire, overlapping dialogue shows the audience that Benjamin only hears little snippets of conversation.

In one scene, his parents stand stage right and discuss how lethargic and sick Benjamin seems while doctors stand stage left, using fragmented

Common book events explore diverse themes, engage students

By DAVID SILVA Editor in Chief @DavidSilvaETC

This year’s common book has captured the interest of students from a variety of courses, Common Book Committee members say.

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot focuses on the true story of the “immortal” cells taken from a poor black cancer patient without her consent.

For years, the Eastfield common book project has chosen a book to incorporate into courses and activities.

Previous selections include Dashiell Hammett’s detective novel “The Maltese Falcon” and Ray Bradbury’s collection of science fiction short stories “The Illustrated Man.” Librarian Megan Horlander, a committee member, said the program has seen success over the past few years, including increased attendance at events.

“We’ve gotten really good feedback so far, especially this year,” Horlander said. “This is one of the big-

ANDREW GONZALES/THE ET CETERA

Lab coordinator Murry Gans shows students various microscopes during his Nov. 9 common book event.

gest years we’ve ever had because this is such a powerful book.”

In “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” Skloot chronicles how Lacks’ cells were sold and used to develop multiple scientific milestones, including the polio vaccine, cloning and gene mapping.

The book intertwines the impact of the HeLa cells on the scientific community and the Lacks family’s

struggle with race and class. It also covers the personal relationships among members of the Lacks family and their response to the use of Henrietta’s cells.

Because the book covers multiple themes and utilizes many styles of writing, the Common Book Committee found various ways to incorporate course work and events into the program.

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Professor goes from Kirkatron to BB-8 droid

By DAVID SILVA Editor In Chief @DavidSilvaETC

Computer science professor David Kirk isn’t the type to shy away from his passion for robotics and love of “Star Wars.”

“I’ve made all seven ‘Star Wars’ movies on opening night starting in 1977,” he said.

Kirk said he’s excited to see “Rogue One” in theaters Dec.16 and is glad that his most recent robotic creation has meshed his two passions together. Kirk has built a remotecontrolled, fully functioning BB-8 droid, equipped with lights and signature BB-8 sounds from “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.”

Kirk first unveiled the homemade droid at the campus’ convocation for faculty and staff in August. Since then, his BB-8 has made appearances at several campus events.

“Everyone just huddles around [at events],” he said. “It’s something you don’t see every day, so it definitely draws the crowd.”

Kirk said he found out about the BB-8 Builders Club website, a blog devoted to building life-like versions of the beloved droid.

The website is an offshoot of the R2-D2 Builders Club following the release of the original “Star Wars” film in 1977.

Both sites include blog posts of builders’ progress as well as various resources to help create your own droid.

“You have to spend a lot of time just studying here on the Builders Club,” he said. “Trying to see what other people are doing [and] posting, reading everyone else’s build logs and trying to figure out what you want to try to do.”

Soon after he discovered the web-

site, he was told that the campus was thinking of having a “Star Wars”-t heme d convocation.

“I was like, ‘Man, I should try and build this Kirk thing,’ and I went to the first meeting, Dr. Conway’s there and I had some of the 3Dprinted parts for the dome,” he said.

“I raised my hand and said, ‘Well, if y’all do, I’m going to start printing these parts. I’m going to build a BB8.’ ” Before themn, Kirk had been indecisive about building the droid.

Kirk said his first robot, which he named the Kirkatron, was far less complicated than his BB-8.

“It’s basically just a computer screen that rolls around with big speakers,” he said.

Once he had committed to the project, he realized how much time and effort the droid was going to demand.

“It was so hard,” he said. “I was stressing about eight months just trying to get anything to work. It’s just trial and error. By far the hardest thing I’ve ever built.”

Despite the time and money spent on the droid, Kirk is happy with his commitment to the project.

“I want to inspire students to build cool stuff,” he said. “I think it’s the first one in Dallas, according to the Builders Club.”

Kirk said he might begin work on a R2-D2 droid in the future, but for now, he’s just enjoying and improving his BB-8.

“It’s fun,” he said. “I can use it at events up here. Put hats on him. I’m going to get him a Santa Claus hat. I got him a witch hat for Halloween.”

How Kirk built a BB-8: The base

Motors, giant magnets at the top and counter weights at the bottom control all of the major movements.

The magnets at the top cause the sphere to lean forward, and the two 27-pound counter weights keep the magnets at the top at all times.

Movements are operated by an RC controller, which connects to the Receiver, and power is controlled by the power switch.

An Arduino board at the side of the sphere connects to the lights and the outside is decorated with paint and stickers.

The base (cont.)

Heavy-duty polycarbonate spheres make up the body. They are screwed together and attached to a wooden board through the right and left motors.

The wooden board has left, right and back motors that allows the robot to move its body left and right and shake its head.

These motors are connected to the motor controller, the 2.4GHz 6 CH receiver and the 12V Battery.

The head

The dome is all 3D-printed material.

This inside has a second Arduino board that connects to the eye lights, a micro SD card that stores all the sounds, a Bluetooth connection and a speaker in a wooden box.

The head has a hole cut on the side to let the sound out.

Near the bottom of the BB-8 head there are strong magnets that connect to the magnets inside the body and rollers that allow the head to move freely.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY EMYLEE LUCAS PHOTO BY DAVID SANCHEZ

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Red Pegasus: a one-stop shop for endless comics

By MACKS PREWITT Staff Writer @MacksPrewittETC

Hidden in the winding streets of the Bishop Arts District is a small house painted a deep red that is home to Red Pegasus Comics. The color, size and name all piqued my interest, so I pulled over to check it out.

What I found inside were shelves upon shelves of comic books and Funko Pop figures that lined the walls. Owner and operator Kenneth Denson was friendly and engaging, and when another guest walked in, he greeted him by name. This was the most welcoming comic shop I had ever been in.

Red Pegasus Comics was started in November 2014 by Denson and his husband, Gabriel Mendez. Den-

son quit his corporate job upon realizing he was growing to hate it, and he and Mendez searched for a business that Oak Cliff was lacking. Thus, Red Pegasus Comics was born.

Red Pegasus Comics started as a popup shop and found a permanent home in April 2015. It was named “Best Comic Book Shop in the Big D” for 2016 by the Dallas Observer. The Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce also named it the Best Business of the Year.

Though space is limited, the shop houses about 15,000 comics. Its vast

collection contains publications from Marvel, DC and other publishers as well as Funko Pop figurines from all the geek fandoms.

When you first walk in, it might be overwhelming to see all the comics on the walls, but Red Pegasus Comics makes finding the right comic book easy.

“Nobody should have to pass a test to go to a comic book shop,” Denson said.

What makes this shop special is that if it doesn’t have the comic book you are looking for, Denson will special order just about anything from his distributors. While the shop doesn’t carry manga, getting what you want is only a couple clicks away.

“We aren’t going to look down our nose at people,” Denson said. “If you want the latest copy of ‘My Little

A BOOK TO CONSIDER

Meyer’s ‘The Chemist’ steps away from writer’s reputation Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” teen vampire series and her standalone adult novel “The Host” both came packed with action and a supernatural romance.

Nothing twisted or mysterious about the plot. But Meyer has shifted in a new direction since her last book release in 2008.

“The Chemist,” released Nov. 8, is supposed to be a thrilling and nail-biting experience. Not so much in my case.

About the author Meyer is an American young-adult fiction author and film producer. She is best known for her “Twilight” series, which has sold over 100 million copies worldwide and been translated into 37 languages.

About 55 million “Twilight” series books were sold in America alone, making Meyer the top-selling author in the United States between 2008 and 2009. All of her books received film adaptations.

Plot “The Chemist” is Alex, a former government agent with a natural talent for intimidation. After her previous employers decide she knows too much, she finds herself on the run.

She wears gas masks and sets up traps to keep her pursuers from attacking her in her sleep.

Then her former boss makes her an offer too good to be true: her freedom. Alex follows her gut and kidnaps the beautiful Daniel Beach, a schoolteacher reported to be part of an evil scheme to release a virus. You didn’t

MACKS PREWITT/THE ET CETERA

Kenneth Denson co-owns Red Pegasus Comics with his husband.

Pony,’ we can get it. I actually keep that in stock for certain customers.”

Red Pegasus Comics is located at 208 W. Eighth St. in Dallas.

Pit Pow Wow

think Meyer would fail at having the main character fall for the “wrong guy,” did you?

As Daniel wins Alex over with his charm, she realizes he isn’t the bad guy after all, and they form an alliance and hide and fight together for the rest of the 400-plus pages of the book.

Review I was expecting this book to be filled with action, but most of the plot is made up of Alex and Daniel hiding out and building up a bland romance. The whole government conspiracy was lost behind the romance. Alex is a little too perfect. She overcomes conflicts easily without blood or fear. She is overly confident in her abilities and never makes even small mistakes.

As a bookworm, I expected more from an author whose books were turned into multimillion dollar movies.

Meyer is a skillful writer, and her diction is powerful and vivid. But the plot did not have me on the edge of an imaginary cliff waiting for a dramatic ending.

“The Chemist’s” summary is mind-boggling.

It promised readers a thrilling mystery full of conspiracy, not a poorly written romance with a pretty boy. Far from a thriller, it’s a chick novel to curl up with after a break-up.

DAVID SANCHEZ/THE ET CETERA

Top, a group of students play a drum in a pow wow in the Pit on Nov. 11. Bottom, the group hosting the pow wow displays traditional native garments.

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Unleashing theArts

DAVID SANCHEZ/THE ET CETERA

Left, members of the Eastfield Dance Company offer a preview of the Fall Dance Concert in the Lower Courtyard on Nov. 30. Above, Mikaela Carrillo performs with the company. The concert performances are 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 and 9 in the Performance Hall.

DAVID SANCHEZ/THE ET CETERA

Visitors tour the student art show, which continues through Dec. 9 in Gallery 219 in room F-219.

JASMIN JIMENEZ/ THE ET CETERA

Music professors Oscar Passley and Karl Lampman play with the Jazz Ensemble, which will perform at 12:30 p.m.

Dec. 7 and in a Holiday Pops Concert at 8 p.m.

Dec 8, both in F-117.

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Award-winning member of: • Texas Intercollegiate Press Association • Associated Collegiate Press • Texas Community College Journalism Association

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/Sports & Features Brianna Harmon Managing Editor/News & Opinion James Hartley Copy Editor Caitlin Piper Presentation Editor Jonathan Wences Photo Editor David Sanchez Staff Writers Jon Aguirre Emily Martinez Macks Prewitt Winston Easy

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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.

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OUR VIEW

Trump cabinet would divide nation further For a man who’s vowed to unite Americans, President-elect Donald Trump seems to be trying his hardest to pit them against one another.

A particularly vicious election cycle has left the country split right down the middle, and Trump’s current picks for his cabinet are only confirming the worst of our fears.

No, the wall probably isn’t going to happen, and it’s going to take an uprooting of the Constitution to ban all Muslims from entering the country, but Trump’s cartoonishly draconian immigration policies have only found new roots in people like Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, whom Trump is currently pushing as the new attorney general.

Putting aside the alleged racially charged comments that barred Sessions from finding a spot in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama in 1986, the Sessions of the present day has proven himself more than eager to oppose just about every form of immigration, even legal ones such as the H1-B visas that allow non-American specialists in fields such as medicine, science and engineering to temporarily find work in American companies.

Worse is Trump’s current choice for senior counselor and chief strategist: Stephen Bannon, better known as one of the minds behind Breitbart News. Bannon is a culmination of every horrid stereotype surrounding conservative Re-

publicans, from his gleeful screeds against “trannies” and “the gays” to his unshaking contempt for Islam, Judaism and even the most moderate of movements for racial and gender equality.

Trump has nominated a few more reasonable voices. Former Marine General James Mattis, one of Trump’s preferred choices for secretary of defense, is wary of strengthening ties with Russia and separating from NATO, though his desire to renegotiate the Iran nuclear deal shows that he can’t stray far from Trump’s ideals.

Potential chief of staff Reince Priebus, a chairman of the Republican National Committee, has openly criticized some of Trump’s more extreme stances. But his apparent hesitancy to act as more than a half-hearted Trump apologist leaves us calling his leadership skills into question.

For all his promises, Trump’s “Drain the Swamp” campaign seems to be dead in the water.

Building a cabinet based on political loyalty will only leave Trump with an army of Yes Men. And for a candidate whose campaign promises changed depending on the time of day, we worry for the next four years.

A candidate who sold himself on his lack of political experience should be surrounded by people who have Americans’ best interests at heart. Those we have now will only serve to normalize the fear-mongering and unabashed intolerance saturating Trump’s campaign.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Disney cripples Star Wars Universe

On April 25, 2014, I Macks was sitting at my computer Prewitt when I happened upon one of the most distressing articles I have ever read.

Disney announced that they would be retconning the vast majority of the “Star Wars” Expanded Universe. Retcon, or retroactive continuity, is when previously established events in a fictional universe are added, changed or removed. I cried a little bit.

For those who may not know, the “Star Wars” Expanded Universe is the collection of books written by various authors spanning time periods that go beyond the original films. The “Star Wars” Expanded Universe is one of the greatest things George Lucas has ever done, and it was one of the main reasons I still liked him even after the movies-that-shall-not-be-named were released.

The Expanded Universe begins millennia before “A New Hope” and ends 136 years after.

Did you know that Luke ends up getting married and having a son? That Han and Leia have three kids who all become Jedi? That the entire “Star Wars” galaxy gets invaded by an extragalactic alien species that is virtually unbeatable and enslaves most of the galaxy? And that after the ensuing war, Han and Leia’s oldest son, Jacen, gets seduced to the Dark Side and kills a bunch of people as Darth Caedus before he is killed by his twin sister, Jaina?

Now all of that is irrelevant because of the retcon. Imagine if you took all this time and effort to build a mind mansion of information and knowledge. It took you years to learn and understand and compile. Then Disney comes along and burns all that information to the ground.

But instead of burning it all, Disney decides the broken-down shed in the back of the mansion is worth keeping. I’m talking about “The Phantom Menace.” You would be pretty pissed, right?

Well, that’s what Disney did. They took the collective works of dozens of authors, urinated on them and then set them on fire. So instead of having an ocean of an Expanded Universe with all these amazing novels and video games to enjoy and sate our proverbial thirst, we have a puddle. A puddle and the children’s show “Star Wars: Rebels.”

Which is a puddle with some mud in it.

We are all going to die of dehydration.

The worst part is that the greatest villain of the “Star Wars” universe is now being cast in “Star Wars: Rebels.” A character who is undefeatable on the battlefield, dark, complex and basically an alien Sherlock Holmes is being confined to a cartoon where he will be forced to lose so that the silly little heroes can live for another season.

Thanks, Disney. You had better hope my wish upon a star doesn’t come true.

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Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Playoff expansion won’t ruin college football

It’s college football bowl season — arguably the best time of the year.

But for the college football playoff selection committee, you could say it’s the toughest. The committee must decide who plays for the national championship.

The existing playoff system was put in place during the 2014 season.

Instead of the No. 1 and No. 2 teams playing each other for the national championship, the top four teams chosen by the committee compete in two semi-final games. Then the winners play for the national title.

When the transition was made, it opened up the potential to grant a No. 3 or No. 4 team the opportunity to play for the title. Many people wanted this, myself included. It was a step in the right direction.

Sounds easy, right? It’s actually the farthest thing from easy.

A lot of people have the mindset that an undefeated team should get the No. 1 spot. Then it trickles down from there. But time has shown that the No. 1 team may not always be

Brianna Harmon

the best. The committee determines the rankings with teams’ schedules and performances in mind.

So while undefeated Alabama has sole possession of the No. 1 after an Iron Bowl win over Auburn and a win over Florida in the SEC Championship, the only other undefeated team in the top 25 — Western Michigan — sits at No. 15.

The committee assigned No. 2 to Clemson, who is 12-1 with their only loss coming from Pittsburg.

Their win over Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship earned this spot for them.

The No. 3 spot goes to Ohio State, who didn’t win the Big Ten but lost to Penn State, who did. Ohio State’s last game was against Michigan, and

they barely won. I don’t think they deserve this spot. I would put Ohio State at No. 5.

The No. 4 spot went to Washington, which I believe should have landed at No. 3. Washington is 12-1 with their only loss coming from Southern California, who finished at No. 9. Washington had a dominant 41-10 win over Colorado to win the Pac-12 Championship.

I have always had the mentality that if you are going to lose a game, lose earlier in the season so that the rest of your schedule can make up for it. But if you lose late, make it to a top-ranked team. That is exactly what Washington did.

Ohio State is the only team in the top four that didn’t win their conference and lost to the team that did win the conference: Penn State.

Penn State was the first team left out at No. 5 and had an 11-2 record with losses to Pittsburg and Michigan early in the season.

My top four would be Alabama, Clemson, Washington and Penn

State.

But with five teams fighting for the No. 4 spot, someone is going to be frustrated.

Any day, a team could win if the odds are in their favor. With that many Big Ten teams in the mix, a six-team playoff could become interesting.

Texas Christian University and Baylor deserved a spot in 2014, but neither made it in.

The playoffs should be expanded to six teams, not because it would definitely affect the outcome of the playoffs, but because it has the potential to do so.

What if the playoffs were expanded and one of the No. 5-8 teams won the national championship? I’m not saying it would be common, but I see it happening at some point.

Getting the playoff system in place was the best thing for college football and a step in the right direction. When it was just the No. 1 and No. 2 teams playing each other for the title, you would often see

Streaming services shortchange artists Everyone is looking for the cheapest way to get what they want. That’s why Black Friday exists.

It would be easy to go off on a tangent and talk about how ironic it is that everyone rushes to get the best deals on things they don’t need the day after being thankful for the things they already have, but I digress.

That’s just America.

When it comes to music, streaming services such as Spotify are definitely the cheapest and easiest way to legally access almost any song you want.

Though these services can be a affordable way for people to listen to their favorite music, people don’t usually take into account how little these services pay the artists that make the music. If you look at the data, streaming services like Spotify are devaluing music.

A free membership for Spotify gets you access to shuffle mode for any artist who’s available. There is a commercial every 30 minutes, and you only get a handful of opportunities to skip songs you don’t like.

But in essence, you get the ability to listen to music more freely than you ever have before.

Premium Spotify memberships cost $10 a month. If you are a college student, it costs only $5 a month. With a premium membership, you get unlimited access to

Landon Williams

any available song at any time. You can also download any song you want for free so you can listen at your leisure offline.

Services like Spotify sound like an amazing idea, until you find out how much each artist is making per stream. According to data released by Spotify, each stream pays the artist an average of 0.006 cents.

There are a few artists who still make millions of dollars from Spotify streams.

You won’t find Drake or Rihanna complaining about what they make on Spotify. The people most hurt by Spotify are the 95 percent of artists who don’t get billions of streams.

Spotify isn’t fair. It doesn’t acknowledge the value or hard work that goes into making every song we enjoy. You would have to listen to a song 1,000 times in order for the artist to get paid $6.

The people who struggle even more are the songwriters behind chart-topping hits. In 2015, Kevin Kadish, who wrote “All

About That Bass,” was paid a grand total of $5,679 from Spotify royalties over the course of one year. This may seem like a good chunk of cash until you realize that “All About That Bass” was streamed 178 million times that year.

Streaming is such a new concept that the laws regarding pay are underdeveloped.

Spotify claims to pay billions of dollars a year in royalties, but labels usually hoard this money with very little of it going to the artists.

Recently, there have been endeavors to make streaming fairer to the people who make music. The Grammys, Taylor Swift and The Black Keys have all actively expressed their displeasure for Spotify.

They are fighting for the future of music.

They recognize that streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal are growing rapidly. Not too far in the future, artists and songwriters won’t be able to pay for the basic necessities.

Music is a pivotal part of everyone’s life.

Music has saved lives, built careers and actively made a difference in the world.

If music has impacted you in any way, please consider purchasing it directly from iTunes or buying the CD at a concert.

By actually purchasing the music, you are keeping the artist behind the music alive.

blowout games.

In 2012, Alabama beat Notre Dame 42-14, and in 2001 they beat Louisiana State 21-0. In 2006, Florida beat Ohio State 41-14.

Since the playoffs have been in place, we have seen better games such as Alabama holding off Clemson to win 45-40 last season after Clemson scored with 12 seconds left.

The 2013 national championship game between Auburn and Florida State was another close one.

Auburn led Florida State until there were four minutes left in the fourth quarter.

I say open the playoffs up to six teams, and let them duke it out.

College football is America’s second-biggest sport. The passion, intensity and difficulty don’t exist in any other sport. A six-team playoff won’t change that.

Every weekend there is going to be a game that feels like a playoff game with everything on the line.

Those things are what make college football so great.

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Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Harvesters take third place in nation

First two players to be named All-Americans under Crisp

By BRIANNA HARMON Managing Editor @BHarmonETC

ROCHESTER, MINN. — Harvester volleyball placed third in the nation at last month’s National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament, the team’s highest finish in the college’s history.

The Harvesters swept their final match Nov. 12, defeating Central Lakes College 25-17, 25-16, 27-25.

“I can’t believe I’m a part of something like this,” outside hitter Sammie Thoma said. “This team has really overcome some pretty big obstacles, but we did some incredible things. I think it is amazing that we played the way we did.”

Outside hitter Kerstin Fredrickson and middle blocker Payton Costlow were named to the All-tournament Team.

Lay and Courtanae Calhoun were name NJCAA All-Americans, making them the first two All-Americans under coach Brandon Crisp.

Eastfield finished first in the nation with digs per set (21.92) and second in the nation with kills per set (11.76).

The Harvesters finished their season with a 26-5 overall record and 11-0 in conference.

Eastfield played without libero Karina Lay, who injured her knee in the first set of the quarterfinal game against North Hampton.

Freshman Alyssa Tomlin filled in for Lay. It was the first time Tomlin had ever played libero in a game.

“I think she did a great job being that she hasn’t practiced it all year,” Crisp said. “She has always been our outside hitter. I looked at her at one point on the sideline and told her to take a breath because you could tell she was excited.”

Lay went from a leader on the court to an eye on the bench as she cheered the team on.

“I felt like I could help the team by telling them what was open,’’ Lay said. “I also thought me being loud

on the bench would be good because I was loud on the court as well, so having that same voice on and off the court would be good for the team.”

The Harvesters ran the first two games but struggled in the third.

“I felt like we got complacent,” Crisp said.

Setter Zelda Ortiz led the team through the final game as a voice of encouragement on the court.

“Dig deep, believe in yourself,” she would tell the team.

The close play at the end forced the Harvesters to score an additional two points to win the game and match.

The Harvesters opened the tournament against North Hampton, winning in straight games (2513, 25-15, 24-14) and snapping their opponent’s 23-game winning streak.

Outside hitter Cailey Clogston led the team on both offense and defense, finishing with 12 digs and 11 kills. Alyssa Jimenez added ten digs.

Costlow contributed 11 kills and three digs.

In its second match Friday against Ridgewater College, the team lost the first two games (18-25, 14-25) but fought back to win the next two (25-19, 25-22), forcing a decisive fifth game.

Eastfield lost that game 10-15, missing a chance at the championship and sending them to the thirdpace match.

“I’m proud of them and how hard they fought,” Crisp said. “I was seeing what I could do to get the girls back in it so that we didn’t get derailed. I told them to pass and to play their game.”

The team was in shock after losing.

“It wasn’t believable at first,” Costlow said. “We all thought we were going to get [to the national championship game], and then all of our dreams were crushed. I know it sounds dramatic, but they were in that moment. We were pretty evenly matched teams. We left it all out there, and there was nothing more we could have done.”

Left, middle blocker Payton Costlow goes up for a kill against Ridgewater on Nov. 11. Costlow was named to the All-tournament team. Below right, Courtanae Calhoun stuffs a Ridgewater player.

Below left, Zelda Ortiz celebrates after scoring a point against Central Lakes College.

PHOTOS BY BRIANNA HARMON/ THE ET CETERA

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Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Harvesters utilize depth in 11-1 start

By BRIANNA HARMON @BHarmonETC Managing Editor

After starting their season 11-1, the Harvesters basketball team has moved to No. 1 in the nation.

The Harvesters now lead the nation in points scored (1,486) and average points scored per game (123.8).

Eastfield is second in the nation for assists and rebounds, averaging 27.8 per game and 51 per game, respectively.

Their only loss was to Temple Junior College, 121-118. Temple, a Division I school, has also played against fellow Dallas County Community College District college Richland, who lost to them 95-81 on Nov. 18.

Shooting guards D’Angelo Streeter, who leads the team with an average of 17 points per game, Zack Duncan, who averages 13.8 points a game, and Ishmael Hook, who scored 28 points in a single game Nov. 22, have each been named Metro Athletic Conference Players of the Week.

Streeter is shooting 50 percent from the field.

“I feel like after all the work I put in, it’s finally showing,” he said. “I

think there are places I can improve at like rebounding. [I take it] one day at a time and try to make the best out of every practice.”

Duncan is shooting 46.5 percent from behind the 3-point arch.

“I’m really excited about this year,” Duncan said. “We are playing well as a team. I’m a leader on the team.

I will do whatever the team needs. I feel like we need communicate better and work on our defense.”

The team leads the nation in 3-pointers attempted with 33.4 a game.

“They are playing great basketball,” coach Anthony Fletcher said.

“They are shooting the three ball really well. Probably the best since I’ve been here percentage-wise and also in makes.”

The Harvesters are full of guards.

On any given night, Fletcher can start five guards.

“Guard play is big for us,” Fletcher said. “If we start five guards, a team will have to guard a four or five man.

And who is tough enough to do that?

Guys can get more minutes [playing] by being tough enough.”

Conference play starts at Eastfield against North Lake College at 2 p.m.

Jan. 14.

DAVID SANCHEZ/THE ET CETERA

D’Angelo Streeter leaps for a layup in the Harvesters 141-74 win over Paul Quinn College on Nov. 4.

Intramural participation expands ‘through the roof ’ Rec Fest includes Zumba, cards, Yu-Gi-Oh, chess

By RODRIGO MENDOZA Staff Writer @RigoMendozaETC

DAVID SANCHEZ/THE ET CETERA

Laith Alrdaideh dribbles the ball down the field during a game.

The Rec Fest intramural sports program has expanded beyond typical basketball and volleyball to include activities such as chess and Zumba.

“Participation from first-year students this semester in our activities has been through the roof,” intramural coordinator Jide “JC” Carew said. “This semester, we have done two events per month, and, depending on the demand, next semester we may have to look into having some activity as often as every day.”

The Office of Student Engagement and Retention is recruiting students into the program through the Eastfield app and new student orientation. Students involved in nonacademic activities are more likely to stay in school, college administrators say.

“In order to be able to retain students, you have to be able to engage them,” Service Learning Coordinator Larry Jefferson said. “Without that engagement piece, you lose the students.”

History major Geovaun Andrade signed up for soccer and basketball.

“The REC Fest hasn’t necessarily helped me on the academic side of things, but the activities have helped me meet new people,” he said.

Activities in the fall included chess and Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments, card games, five-on-five soccer, three-on-three basketball, tennis and Zumba classes. Additional activities

are planned for the spring semester.

“JC has built a good rapport with the students because he participates with the students,” Jefferson said.

“His ideas surpass some of the things I was thinking of, and he makes things more accessible for students by having students register online to see their stats.”

Winners receive customized medals and bigger trophies, and a champions banner will hang in the Pit. Carew, who is in his final semester at the University of Texas at Arlington, said his goal is to enhance the college experience for community college students.

“I want you to get a four-year experience for a two-year rate,” Carew said.

For information, visit eastfieldcollege.edu/oser/intramural-sports/ or email Carew at jidecarew@dcccd. edu.

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Protestors in Dallas support Standing Rock Continued from page 6 the protestors.

However, Richland student Cien Carmona, a computer science major, feels that he can support Standing Rock from Dallas.

“I think that this entire land is native land and whether you’ve been [to Standing Rock] or not, you should support the Sioux nation,” Carmona said. “They deserve clean water just like anyone else. Kelcy Warren’s not going to build a pipeline through his backyard. He shouldn’t build it through native backyards.”

Pena said the Lakota elders have stressed the importance of non-violent protest.

“When they got to Standing Rock, the elders were praying and asking the ancestors what they should do, and according to them, the ancestors told them that we should not use violence,” Pena said. “[We] use our voices and our presence. That’s what we’ve been doing. If you see [the protesters], the police are grabbing them and taking them down, but they’re not fighting. They get handcuffed, they get taken to jail. I have yet to see one of them take a swing at the police officers.”

On Oct. 28 at Standing Rock, a protestor allegedly fired shots at the police, and later, dozens of fires were started. Each side claims the other started the fire.

Daniel Vargas, an Eastfield student majoring in HVAC, said the pipeline is “ridiculous.”

AHMAD ASHOR/THE ET CETERA

Eastfield graduate Leroy Pena, center, talks to demonstrators at a Nov. 5 Dallas protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota.

“I think they should find other solutions,” Vargas said. “There’s no point in contaminating all the water. People rely on it.”

Pena urges Eastfield students to join the protest movement.

“This is their world,” Pena said. “I would ad-

vise them to get more involved. I’m doing what I can, but I’m not going to be here that much longer. As far as the damage that we’ve already done, maybe they could put a stop to it. It’s not reversible, but they could stop it from continuing.”

ANDREW GONZALES/THE ET CETERA

More than 100 protesters march on Nov. 12 from the Energy Transfer Partners building to CEO Kelcy Warren’s house in Dallas.