Eastfield Et Cetera August 26, 2019

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in inthe theHouse House Professor conducts at world renowned Carnegie Hall see page 6

Eastfield College

Wednesday, August 26, 2019

Volume 51, Issue 1

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Hampton remembered for hospitality, charitableness

By SKYE SEIPP Editor in Chief @seippetc

Patience, generosity and a love of Great Danes and Scooby Doo are some of the many qualities Sandy Hampton, administrative assistant and “mother figure” for the Upward Bound program, will be remembered for.

Hampton died on Thursday, June 27, from complications with rheumatoid arthritis. She was 56.

Hampton worked with the Upward Bound program from 2000 until last fall, when her health problems became more serious.

During her 18-year tenure with the school, Miss Sandy, as many knew her, started the Angel Tree project, organized a care package program for military service members and was a College Emergency Response Team member.

Amanda Frizzell, program coordinator for early college programs, said Hampton was a best friend and mother figure to her, and that no matter what Frizzell needed, Hampton would find a way to help her.

“She was just so caring,” Frizzell said. “She was almost saint-like. She cared for and loved everybody, even if she didn’t like you.”

From giving Frizzell money so she could spend the weekend with her husband in Oklahoma to ordering her food when Frizzell was stuck in the house for two weeks after a dog attack, Hampton would help in any way she could.

She said Hampton was like that for everyone, though. Whether it was students, faculty, staff or anyone outside of the school, Frizzell said she was always there to listen or lend a helping hand.

Hampton’s office was full of students who would come by to chat and get advice from her.

On top of that, she kept Scooby Doo memorabilia, photos of former students with professional careers, toiletries, candy and an array of hot sauces for her students.

“The small things that she remembered and was willing to offer could make the world of a difference for these kids,” said Jonathan Estrada, a program coordinator with Upward Bound. “Some kids could come to school and they don’t have money

A celebration of life for Hampton was held on July 5 in G102, where former students and coworkers shared stories of how she impacted their lives.

for deodorant, but Miss Sandy had it there.”

She kept more in her office than condiments and toiletries. Hampton would also keep food for kids who didn’t like the lunch options or for those who hadn’t been able to eat that day.

Because of Hampton, Upward Bound director Kristina Every realized that food might be scarce for some of the students and now keeps some in her office.

“The kids loved her because she was like a grandma,” Every said. “She would get on to them when they weren’t doing what they were supposed to be doing. If they needed something to eat, she would always have food and candy.”

Miriam Moncivais, a former student and recent graduate of the University of North Texas in Dallas, said Hampton was there for her through some of the toughest times in her life.

Had it not been for Hampton, she said, she probably would have dropped out of high school.

“A lot of us saw her as the mother figure we lacked,” Moncivais said.

“We didn’t have that affection from our parents because we were coming from homes that were kind of broken. She was always there to get us back together.”

After Moncivais finished the program she would visit Hampton on

her birthday, bringing flowers and cake. She said Hampton was always checking on her former students to make sure they were doing OK and to see if they needed anything.

Multiple sources have also confirmed that Hampton even let students who had graduated stay with her after they were kicked out of their homes.

For years, Hampton would host a Thanksgiving meal at her home with former and present Upward Bound students on the Friday following the holiday. Estrada said she would cook two turkeys and a ham for the family meal.

He said one holiday season she won a $5,000 shopping spree at J.C. Penney by writing an essay about how she would spend the money.

She said she would buy sweaters and other clothing items for the troops.

She won the award and did exactly what she said, plus more. After purchasing the clothes, Hampton bought toys for kids in need. But due to the expensive price of toys at J.C. Penney, she returned them and got her money back. Hampton then went to Walmart to get more toys for her money.

“I was like ‘Well that sounds like Miss Sandy right there,’” Estrada said.

“Trying to optimize the most out of a dollar and for the kids.”

From putting together the Angel Tree, which ensured children of faculty and staff members received at least one present during the holidays, to all of the lives she helped with, students and faculty said her impact on the college and district is vast.

Janice Hicks, dean of educational partnerships, said Hampton was a genuine caregiver and would do anything to make sure people’s needs were met.

“I will look to her spirit when I need a sense of comfort or need to keep fighting and advocating for my students,” she said. “When I feel like I can’t give anymore, I’ll just give a little more, because I know that’s what she would do.”

Hampton is the second daughter of four and was born in 1963 on an Air Force base in Germany. She is survived by her husband of 34 years, James; her son J.C. and daughter Christy; seven grandchildren; two sisters; and her two “big-headed babies,” Pudge and Spooky Boo.

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Convocation kicks off new year

College employees kicked off the new academic year with Convocation on Aug. 22. Above, Donielle Johnson welcomes employees to the Convocation after party in the Hive. Below, Sharon Cook receives the Jean Sharon Griffith Student Development Leadership Award from Eddie Tealer.

Other award winners were: Donya Flores, part-time staff; Nancy Singer, full-time staff; Deborah Rhoads, Excellence in Teaching for adjunct faculty; Brie Day, Excellence in Teaching for full-time faculty; Heidi Bassett; administrator; Deon Darden, Innovation of the Year.

PHOTOS BY RORY MOORE/THE ET CETERA

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Monday, August 26, 2019

District trustees onboard with single accreditation

By SKYE SEIPP Editor in Chief @seippetc

Chancellor Joe May’s initiative to “become one college” by switching to a single accreditation was approved by the Dallas County Community College District Board of Trustees at its Aug. 20 meeting.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges currently accredits DCCCD’s seven campuses separately.

May’s plan would allow all seven campuses to be accredited together, which would make it easier for “swirl students” — those who take classes at multiple campuses — to graduate.

“About 521 students enrolled today are ready to graduate, except they can’t,” May said at the Aug. 20 meeting.

Those students are unable to graduate, according to May, because a SACS rule requires them to complete 25 percent of their credits at one college. Single accreditation would eliminate this requirement.

The plan does come with chal-

Chancellor Joe May

lenges, including each school maintaining its separate identity and concerns over the amount of federal grant money each college could receive.

Benefits History professor Matt Hinckley is a supporter of the initiative and said having each college accredited separately gets confusing when the district is already considered a singu-

lar entity for state purposes, such as financing.

He said SACS is used as an argument by schools or groups of professors who are fighting against “meaningful reform,” as he called it.

“It’s not SACS that would say no to whatever this reform is,” Hinckley said. “It just means that we would have to get creative in how we would tell SACS how we would do it.”

Hinckley gave an example from about 10 years ago when the district was setting up the EDUC 1300 or “learning framework” courses.

He said six of the seven colleges had agreed on a textbook and they also decided to include an “e-portfolio” that would allow students to place all of their work from their time in one place. He said it would have been useful for students on their college and even job resumes.

Due to a single group of professors at one college holding out, the whole proposition died.

“Part of the argument they made was, ‘We’re an independently accredited college. We choose to do it this way,’” he said. “And really it had

BUDGET

nothing to do with accreditation.

They just wanted to use a different book.”

By moving to a single accreditation, Hinckley said, similar issues wouldn’t be a problem.

Room for concern Not all faculty members agree with the chancellor, though.

English professor Michael Morris said he does not support the single accreditation initiative for a number of reasons.

“It’s a very involved process and very complicated,” he said. “If you have one department or particular problem that holds things back, that holds back the whole school even if it only involves a small number of people.”

Morris said he worries that some of the more “dysfunctional” campuses will impede the accreditation process. He also said that he fears by going through this change the academic freedoms of professors could be compromised.

According to Justin Lonon, executive vice chancellor with the dis-

FY2019-20 Full-time Staff and Admin

Annual district budget for fiscal year 2019-20, as approved by the board.

Expense Summary

DCCCD

3% Raise

IT Upgrades

$81 million

Facility Improvements

$25 million

Tax Rate and Tuition

Full-time Faculty Pay Increase

$2,280

No Increase

Avg. Taxable Home Value

$206,583

Annual Tax Increase From Last Year

$19.09

State Funding

$94.5 million

Total

$487,153,284

Scholarships and Tuition Waivers Funded at $21.9 million Budget Increase $20.8 million

trict, academic freedoms would not be compromised with the move to a single accreditation.

But there are other concerns.

“Each of our colleges have their own personalities, … and we don’t want to lose that through this effort,” Lonon said. “At the same time, since there are so many students that go to more than one college, sometimes it frustrates students that the information they get at one college is different at the other college they go to.”

Moving to a single accreditation could also potentially affect the amount of federal grants the district receives. Currently each of the seven colleges is able to apply for federal grants independently. By moving to a single accreditation, the district might only be allowed to receive one grant instead of seven separate ones.

Lonon said it’s unclear what will happen with federal grants.

“We got a chance to have some additional meetings and conversations with the Department of Education and some of the folks in Washington, D.C.,” he said. “We think there’s some specific designation that our colleges moving forward could be given as branch campuses that would still allow us to individually tap in to some of those grant dollars.”

There’s also concern about the possibility of restructuring leadership roles within the colleges and/or district.

“We don’t have all the answers right now,” Lonon said. “I realize that uncertainty brings unease. I expect there will be additional questions and concerns along the way, but so far everybody’s been very thoughtful and contemplative about it.”

Kim Chandler, vice president of planning, research and institutional effectiveness and liaison for SACS, said the district is working on putting together a written proposal to turn into SACS by Sept. 1. This would allow the SACS board to review it at its December meeting.

She said if the SACS board doesn’t come back looking for more information after its review in December, the district could begin to see change in the spring.

“There won’t be many changes in the sense of how we do our job and what that really feels like operationally day to day for those of us at the college,” she said. “I think there will probably be more collaboration between the colleges as we make decisions about how we offer programs or events and services.”

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Monday, August 26, 2019

Professor’s passion strikes a Tealer strives to high note at Carnegie Hall lead with kindness

Q A

By Harriet Ramos Reporter @TheEtCetera

Melinda Imthurn stood on the sidewalk outside of Carnegie Hall in New York City. She posed for a selfie beside a poster featuring the musical groups that were scheduled to perform that Saturday evening.

Toward the bottom-right of the poster was a picture of the conductor for the performances. A woman standing nearby looked at Imthurn, then at the picture on the poster, and cried out: “That’s you!”

Imthurn, Eastfield’s director of vocal studies, had the opportunity to participate in two major musical performances this summer. The first took place at the world-famous concert venue Carnegie Hall with Imthurn as the conductor. The second took place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas with Hugh Jackman.

Imthurn said that she spent more than a year preparing for the event at Carnegie Hall. She chose music written exclusively by women composers. The community choir that she directs, the Women’s Chorus of Dallas, joined her onstage for the May 25 performance.

“I felt very calm and was able to just enjoy the music,” Imthurn said.

“It was really a wonderful experience.”

Eriene Resendiz, a member of the Women’s Chorus and a music major at Eastfield, was one of the singers at Carnegie Hall. She said that it was amazing to perform in such a famous place.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get to go back, but I went one time and that fills me up.”

Imthurn and the Women’s Chorus returned home from New York City just in time to prepare for the concert with Hugh Jackman’s international tour, “The Man. The Music.

The Show.”

Imthurn said Jackman’s group likes to include choruses from the communities where their concerts take place. She said she was surprised when Jackman’s group asked the Women’s Chorus to participate in the June 19 performance.

“They sought us out,” Imthurn said. “It was just our good fortune

&

Eddie Tealer took over as president of Eastfield after Jean Conway retired at the end of the fall 2018 semester.

He sat down with Editor-in-Chief Skye Seipp to discuss more about his life and goals.

Q What made you decide to work for a college?

A

At some point in my professional career ... I realized that it was about taking and not really giving back. Having grown up from a servant leader standpoint, where you give back to the community and help others, I didn’t really feel that.

I decided to have a complete career shift. I went back [to school] and got my doctorate in leadership and started concentrating in education. I found my calling when I came to DCCCD in 2008.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MELINDA IMTHURN

Imthurn had over a year to prepare the music she was going to conduct for the concert at Carnegie Hall.

that they contacted us.”

Unlike Carnegie Hall, the Jackman invitation was last minute. About 10 days before the performance, Jackman’s chorus manager sent Imthurn the music to practice with her choir.

On concert day, the Women’s Chorus arrived at the American Airlines Center early to rehearse with Jackman’s band.

Jackman himself came in about half an hour before show time and took a picture with the choir.

Erin Giles, a Women’s Chorus member, said meeting Jackman was the highlight for her.

“He came in and he was like really encouraging,” Giles said. “He said, … ‘Just do your best. We want you to have fun.’ And he thanked us for being there.”

Imthurn’s role in this event was to prepare her group to perform. Once

they were ready, she stepped backstage and experienced the exhilaration of watching her choir perform “A Million Dreams” by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and two other songs with Jackman.

“That’s the heart of a teacher is you love to watch the success of your students,” she said. “You enjoy watching their success more than you would enjoy doing it yourself.”

She said her success with the Eastfield Choir and the Women’s Chorus of Dallas is due to the training that she received in vocal pedagogy.

Though her work at Eastfield keeps her very busy, Imthurn feels that performing in outside endeavors is a way to practice her art. She is motivated by a passion for music.

“I love it,” she says. “If you love what you are doing, you want to do it as much as possible.”

Q What’s your favorite movie?

A

It used to be “The Matrix,” but now I’ve changed to “The Avengers.” I’m completely hooked on the whole generation of all the Avengers. The one I haven’t seen yet is Endgame, but I cannot wait, so don’t spoil it.

Q Do you have a favorite superhero?

A

Not really, I think I like all of them because they all bring a little bit different expertise to the group. I really liked Iron Man, but now I like the Black Panther a lot, but I don’t think I have a favorite.

Q What’s been the biggest challenge in your life?

A

I would say one of the biggest challenges I had initially was finding my path and what I really wanted to do and be. I don’t think that’s easy for individuals. I think that I’m very blessed right now to be able to say that I’m in a career that balances with my life expectations. I love being able to be with the students. I like helping them grow and evolve to become better adults. ...

Looking at the parents during graduation, that level of pride they get and the sacrifices they’ve made for those individuals to walk across the stage and take their families to the next level, I think there’s no better intrinsic value or fulfillment than what we do in this district, and that’s educating our students and helping them become better.

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Dive into arts Expand your mind by checking out these concerts, plays, galleries and recitals. Events on campus are free and open to students, employees and the community.

For the full Arts Collective calendar, visit eastfieldcollege.edu/ artscollective.

— Compiled by Yesenia Alvarado

Drama

“Miss Nelson is Missing” performed by the Dallas Children’s Theater Location: Performance Hall Dates: Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m.; Sept. 14, 1:30 p.m.

The story follows the Smedley Tornadoes, a football team that has never won a game. Miss Nelson, an overly nice teacher at the school, asks for help from her mean-spirited alter ego, Miss Viola Swamp, to turn the team into winners.

Improvisation Workshop and performance with The Laugh Supper Location: Performance Hall Dates: Workshop: Oct. 10, 6-9 p.m.; Performance: Oct. 11, 7 p.m.

The Laugh Supper, an improve troupe with Arts Mission Oak Cliff, will be offering a free workshop for people of all skill levels. A performance will be held with participants of the workshop and members of the troupe the following day.

“Augusta and Noble” Location: Performance Hall Dates: Nov. 14-15, 21-22 This play follows the story of Gabi, a 12-year-old from the Latino neighborhood of West Town in Chicago. As she prepares to start high school on the other side of town, Gabi begins to question her heritage and the journey her parents made across the border.

Art

Holding Weight by Delaney Smith and Taylor Barnes Location: Gallery F219C Dates: Aug. 29-Sept. 27, Reception: Aug. 29, 6-8 p.m.; Artist Lecture: Sept.

19, 11 a.m.-noon in G101 The exhibit is the collaboration of two University of North Texas graduates who work together with fibers to create art that evokes the viewer to question themes like communication, existence and experiences.

PHOTO BY ANTHONY LAZON/THE ET CETERA

The Bippy Bobby Boo Show consists of the Danielle Georgiou Dance Group along with the Eastfield Dance Company, alum Colby Calhoun and former Eastfield faculty member Nick Leos. Technical theater director Lori Honeycutt will also be involved in the off campus show.

Dance

Dance and Snack Location: TBA Date: TBA Not only do you get a preview for the Fall Dance Concert, but you also get to munch while enjoying some free art. In the past, this event has been in the afternoon and popcorn has been the common snack of choice.

Fall Dance Concert Location: Performance Hall Dates: Dec. 5-6, 7:30 p.m.

If you were left wanting more after Dance and Snack, the Fall Dance Concert will give you multiple, carefully lit performances. In the past, most choreography has been modern or contemporary, but Danielle Georgiou, chair of the Arts Collective and dance

Music

professor, said she wants students and the audience to experience musical theatre.

“I’m excited to bring in a different type of dance to our stage and expose the students to another way of performing dance,” Georgiou said.

The Bippy Bobby Boo Show Location: Theatre Three Ticket prices (with convenience fee): $21, students $10 with valid ID Dates: Oct. 25-Nov.2, 10:30 p.m.

The Eastfield Dance Company will be a part of a professional theater production directed and choreographed by Georgiou. The dance company will be performing with the Danielle Georgiou Dance Group.

“It’s great because now Eastfield will have a connection with a professional theater,” Georgiou said.

Every year, jazz professor and music faculty coordinator Oscar Passley hosts a variety of Wednesday recitals in F117 with performances from our very own students and staff as well as musicians from all over Dallas-Fort Worth. Here are some of the events we suggest you don’t miss: Solero Flamenco Date: Sept. 25, 1 p.m.

For Hispanic Heritage month, the recital will feature a flamenco group for the first time since Passley has been at Eastfield.

Trio Kavanáh Date: Oct. 16, 1 p.m.

Dallas Opera Orchestra musicians including violinist Grace Kang Wollet, pianist Trevor Hale and clarinetist Daniel Goldman will perform chamber and classical music.

EFC Jazz Faculty Concert Date: Nov. 6, 1 p.m.

The annual recital showcases our very own jazz professors, including Passley on trumpet.

The Jazz Ensemble will also do a concert at the Museum of Biblical Art on Oct. 19, 5-9 p.m. Recital series in F117

Gallery 219

ET CETERA FILE PHOTO

Eastfield Visual Arts Alumni Exhibition Location: Gallery F219C Dates: Oct. 10-Nov. 8, Reception: Oct. 10, 6:30-8 p.m.; Panel Discussion: Oct. 24, 11 a.m. - noon in G101 Seven Eastfield alumni will return to show their professional work. Gallery Director Iris Bechtol said most of the featured alumni are professional painters that show their work all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

One of the artists, Jeremy Biggers, was a student at Eastfield in the late 90s and has had work published in The Dallas Morning News and the Dallas Observer and his clients have included McDonald’s, Nike, Adidas, the Dallas Cowboys and many more.

David Dreyer was a student at Eastfield in the 70 and 80s and is now a resident artist at the Valley House gallery.

Eastfield Visual Arts Student Exhibition Location: Gallery 219 (room F-219C) Dates: Dec. 2-6, Reception: Dec. 2, 11 a.m.-noon Studio art students present their drawings, paintings and sculptures from the semester in this exhibit.

Sports The Et Cetera

Aug. 28 Aug. 30 Aug. 30 Sept. 6

Volleyball at Navarro Volleyball at Texas Woman’s University Soccer vs Seminole State Soccer at Paul Quinn College

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6 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

6 p.m.

2 p.m.

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Monday, August 26, 2019

Team sets sight on nationals: ‘We are going back’

By BRIANNA HARMON Reporter @TheEtCetera

PHOTOS BY SKYE SEIPP/THE ET CETERA

The Harvesters prepare for the start of their season with the fifth annual navy and orange intra-squad scrimmage game on Aug. 9.

Eastfield volleyball captain Catherine Mudd surveyed the court as she walked down the net shaking hands with the players from Owens Community College. Her eyes were locked on her teammates as they fell to the floor heartbroken over their loss in the national championship match.

“I remember being completely blank with no feeling at all,” Mudd said.

During the van ride back to the hotel, Mudd gathered her feelings about the loss. Once upstairs and settled in the hotel, she was ready to talk. She looked at her teammate Kylie Cobb and vowed, “We are going back.”

The Harvesters were down two sets to Owens when they fought back to tie the match in the fourth set. In the fifth set the Harvesters lost by two points, ending their season.

This year, Eastfield enters the season ranked No. 2 in Division III in the National Junior College Athletic Association pre-season polls.

“We just use it as fire and fuel going into this season,” coach Brandon Crisp said. “I tell the girls it’s not that we lost. It’s that we came two points shy. I still think we played one of the best matches I’ve ever seen in my life. We just use that as a little bit of a heartbreak. We were that close, so let’s go finish it.”

Mudd and Cobb are both outside hitters for the Harvesters. They are two of nine returning sophomores. Mudd had 209 kills last season for the team, leading the returning sophomores.

“I’m hoping I can be a positive role model and keep the encouragement going,” Cobb said. “I hope to keep everyone in the right mindset. If you are negative, it is just a wasted day.”

The Harvesters will also be returning Courtanae Calhoun, who played on the team during the 2016 season and then took a few years off from school.

The team finished third in the national tournament with Calhoun being named an All-American. During the 2016 season Calhoun led the team in kills in 259 as a freshman.

Crisp is confident in the depth and grit of the team’s roster.

“We have really been promoting intensity with our team from day one,” he said. “Playing-wise I think this is our deepest team yet.”

During the Aug. 10 scrimmages against Navarro, Seminole State and Frank Phillips, Crisp used nine different roster lineups. Each set he would switch positions the athletes would play so that not one lineup was alike.

Freshman outside hitter Alyssa Johnson said the practices allowed her to learn the playing styles of her fellow teammates.

“It is challenging to play with each other,” Johnson said. “I’m ready to get out on the court. We can only do so much of what we want to in practice. When-

ever we all come together in a game, it is something really special.”

Freshman outside hitter Emily De La Garza looks to bring her energetic personality to the court to keep the morale of the team high.

“I didn’t know what to expect from other players, and how we would all mesh together with there being so many people and so many positions,” said De La Garza. “But I feel like we are all pretty equal and the talent on the team is really, really high.”

De La Garza says her favorite things about the team are the competitiveness and family atmosphere.

De La Garza credits the feeling of camaraderie to Crisp’s coaching style.

“It’s not people just coming here to play, and that’s what I really enjoy about this school,” De La Garza said. “He really respects us. He respects the game. He really cares about each and every one of us.”

The Harvesters opened their season on Aug. 22 at Southwestern Christian College. Conference play will begin on Sept. 23 at North Lake College at 8 p.m.

SPORTS

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Monday, August 26, 2018

Soccer team aims to strike back after difficult season

By BRIANNA HARMON Reporter @TheEtCetera

As coach Paul Tate welcomes in his first recruiting class, he hopes to build on success of last season.

With only seven returners, the Harvesters will look to the freshmen to help provide more depth and diversity to the team.

Midfielder Crystal Evanyk, who led the Harvesters in goals with seven, will be one of the sophomores.

“We were strategic this year,” said Tate. “We were looking for stronger players to build on what we had from last year. We didn’t have a horrible team by any means, but it was put together last minute so we really just had to grow.”

The Harvesters 2018 season ended with a 6-11 overall record and 3-8 in conference play. The team made it to the semifinal game in the Metro Athletic Conference Tournament, where they lost to Brookhaven 5-1.

Sophomore defender Eimy Guzman said that the team’s work ethic was elevated to another level. The loss in the semifinal game gave the team a push to come back this season and work harder.

“The feeling is the worst,” Guzman said. “You really take it to heart. You have to wait a whole year to get it back. It shows you to go harder on every sprint and play every game like it’s your last. Give it your all and don’t ever settle.”

Guzman pushes herself and the team to get better every day by strengthening her communication skills.

“Everyone is really working hard for each other,” Guzman said. “We are still learning everyone’s style of play, but we are on the same page. We are already starting great, in my opinion. If we continue this way, I think we can go all the way.”

Tate said he is continuing to build on the successes from last season, but is excited about being introduced to new playing styles from the freshman class.

“I’m feeling a lot stronger about this season,” he said. “We will fight more as a team, and I’m really excited about that. This is go-

ing to be the base of us growing for the future and us to be able to compete against the tougher teams in the conference.”

Freshman Marissa Vasquez looks to her communication skills on the field to help the team move the ball more efficiently through the midfield.

“Even though I’m one of the younger ones everybody still needs that extra push, whether they’re a sophomore or a freshman,” Vasquez said.

“Everybody needs that extra little motivation to get better every day. I feel like we are growing together very fast. We are moving the ball better and everything is just so much better from day one.”

Tate also welcomed in a new assistant coach this season, Mackie Reese.

“He just has so much knowledge of soccer to give these girls,” Tate said. “He doesn’t get to coach as much, so when he is here he just wants to indulge and coach.”

Away from Eastfield Reese is a firefighter for the Dallas Fire Department as well as the director of operations for the East Division at Solar Soccer Club in Dallas.

Reese helps the team work on fundamentals to become more defensive minded. Reese and Tate are pleased with how the team has responded to the pressures of two-a-day practices.

“Their determination to not give up and quit is something different than before,” said Tate. “They want to be pushed. They are enjoying it. They know what the goal is. We were at the semis last year, and a lot of people would say we shouldn’t have been there.”

Tate’s goal for this season is to win the conference tournament and advance to the national tournament. Tate said Richland and Brookhaven will be the two teams to defeat this season.

“I think we are sitting where we can compete and be more successful,” he said. “I think the basis this year is we will build on the foundation to be so much stronger.”

The Harvesters started their non-conference play Aug. 22 at Cisco College. The Harvesters will begin conference play Sept.

13 at Cedar Valley.

PHOTOS BY RORY MOORE/THE ET CETERA

Clockwise from top left, Carolina Duran, No. 17, fights for posession. Emely Narvarez charges the ball. Marisa Vasquez leaps an opponent in a scrimmage at UTD.

opinion

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ABOUT THE COVER ILLUSTRATION BY ANTHONY LAZON

Monday, August 26, 2019

Don’t let your college days play in the background As easy as some people may think community college is compared to a prestigious university, it’s still new and different.

Whether you’re here because plans failed or a financial situation or even if you’re like me and had no idea what you were doing after high school, I say you’re in the right place.

My senior year of high school was quite eventful. I was getting ready to graduate and probably never see my friends again. I was nervous and afraid of what was to come.

Although I applied to many colleges, I knew I wouldn’t go to any because — big shocker — I was young, dumb and broke. I didn’t take advantage of all the scholarships available to kids in my situation. If you have traditional uber-attached Hispanic parents like me, they probably didn’t want you to leave home yet either.

I wasn’t ready to sit in classes with dozens of kids and live in a dorm, so I stayed close to home and signed up for classes at Eastfield.

I started fall semester 2015. Still lost and on autopilot, I let an adviser choose my program of study.

I didn’t know who I wanted to be, but now an associate of science was my program of study.

I didn’t know what classes to

choose or if they even counted toward something. I ended up with biology for science majors at 6:30 a.m. four days a week and a class at the Pleasant Grove campus.

I ended up on my own, avoiding contact with people and not trying in class. Sitting alone in the G Building watching Netflix didn’t make me feel any better. It felt like a waste. To further my negative mood, I didn’t even join a club or volunteer anywhere.

I would skip classes regularly for the smallest reasons, and I missed deadlines all the time. I took five classes my first semester and failed two of them.

I wish I could say I learned from that experience, but I didn’t.

I thought I could handle my spring semester with no extra effort and failed again. I ended my first year of college on academic probation.

For my second year, I decided it was time to look for help. I visited my adviser, and we both decided I should try taking three classes the next semester. He also prompted me to think about my purpose and get out of autopilot. So I did.

I wanted to be here to take my basics, graduate with an associate degree and transfer to a university. I

Yesenia Alvarado @TheEtCetera

hoped by then I would have an idea of what my major could be.

In my classes, I began working with classmates. I took notes and used them to study for exams. I learned exams carried a lot of weight in most classes, so I kept an eye out for those. I didn’t skip class, because I learned that I wasn’t someone who could learn and study at home.

I even became friends with a girl from my psychology class named Vanessa. We would sit in the G Building and watch Korean dramas or study.

One day, she saw one of her friends pushing a cart full of newspapers, and we stopped to help.

Her name was Martha, an editorial assistant and cartoonist at The Et Cetera. It was the first time I realized Eastfield had a student newspaper.

She suggested we join. Once she mentioned we could do photography, I was in. I had always wanted to learn but could never afford a camera or have anyone to teach me.

As we stepped into the small, cozy closet of a newsroom, I saw all the people working at desks and I envied them. They knew they belonged there, and they loved their work. I didn’t know it, but all of those people would make my college days worthwhile.

I didn’t think joining a student organization could have this much of an impact on me, but it’s made me a journalism major with a sense of responsibility that drives my education. I put myself in a place where people with similar backgrounds and aspirations surround me, which help me stay focused and passionate.

College is for more than writing essays and reading textbooks, it can give you a purpose or incite a passion.

Now, more than two years later, I finished my associate degree knowing that I want to be a visual journalist will attend the University of North Texas this fall.

There are so many people out there willing to share their knowledge, so don’t be afraid to step into a room full of strangers. It’s your turn.

— Yesenia Alvarado is a journalism major and former managing editor for the Et Cetera.

8-week terms can trip up nontraditional students Shorter course terms can be probadjust for their needs lematic for those seeking a restart later put them at further Erik in life. disadvantage? How Krouskop I’ve had a few experiences with about those with spe@TheEtCetera shorter terms now and would like to cial learning needs, present the perspective of a nontradilike dyslexia? tional college student.

The administraI’m older than most, but there are a significant tion has said that there is good data to back up number of students at Eastfield that are over 30, the move, but my experience has been trying. so I’m far from alone in that. According to college When I go to register for courses, I often at least data, about a quarter of the enrolled students are consider whether I should take fewer credit hours. over 25 and 10 percent are over 35.

The shorter class is going to take more of my time People in my age group tend to be working outside of the classroom to get the same absorpfull-time jobs, have young children or give care to tion and retention out of it, and I’m sure I don’t their elderly parents. always manage it as well as I would in a full term.

Some haven’t been in a classroom in decades, I’m curious if the data being referenced includes which can make the accelerated pace challenging. long-term studies on retention, especially for inAs it has been for me. Sometimes significantly so. degree courses.

Online courses are particularly difficult, as they I’m not opposed to eight-week terms for nonrequire more time to begin with. degree related electives and courses like PE. I can imagine these challenges to be all the However, in-degree classes prepare you for the worse for our students that speak English as a rest of your life, and every ounce a student can second language. Does the accelerated pace squeeze out of it is gold. I’m also not opposed of learning and less time with the instructor to to eight-week term options, so long as there are

16-week term choices for all in-degree and rigorous courses such as math, which many students struggle with.

Eight-week schedules also impact the instructors. They now have to present 16 weeks of information in half the time. Which means they have twice as much to grade, with half the time to get to know the students and their needs.

Putting this pressure on professors could cause experienced faculty to seek employment elsewhere. I’m also curious if faculty members feel they can give the same quality education in eight weeks compared to 16?

Eastfield isn’t a four-year university mainly servicing young adults right out of high school.

Community colleges like Eastfield help keep some of us from falling through the gaps.

We have a large number of students that come to community college because for one reason or another it better fits their needs than a traditional four-year institution. Let’s not complicate that any more than we have to.

— Erick Krouskop is a digital media major and graphics editor for The Et Cetera.

Wrapup The Et Cetera

11 www.eastfieldnews.com

Monday, August 26, 2019

Three friends with a plan, a motel and a PACT

By ANDREW WALTER Staff Writer @AndyWalterETC

A baby’s cry for attention. The non-stop thud of feet trudging down the halls. The overpowering stench of cigarette smoke that permeates every room except the lobby, where the aroma of discount coffee brewing signals the start of another day.

These are the sounds and smells that three Eastfield automotive students have been waking up to at a local Motel 6 for the past two years. They’re up and dressed by 6:45 a.m., so they have time to grab breakfast and make it to speech class at 7:30 a.m.

Whenever they walk out of the motel, they sneak over to their car to avoid any unsavory encounters near Jim Miller Road. They’ve been flagged down too many times by homeless people in the area.

“We go all over town, just drive around sometimes,” said Benjamin Strittmatter, one of the automotive students who has loved the hum of a car’s engine since tinkering on them with his dad as a child. “There’s a lot of crazy stuff that happens around here. We gotta look at it all.”

Strittmatter, along with his friends Anthony Garcia and Trevian Young, recently graduated from Eastfield’s Honda Professional Automotive Career Training Program. Their Eastfield routine involved carpooling from Saginaw to Dallas, attending nearly 12 hours of classes, staying the night at a local motel, going to class again the next day and driving back to Saginaw.

The three students became friends in their high school automotive program at the Hollenstein Career and Technology Center. After some Honda dealership representatives and automotive instructor Elias Alba visited the Hollenstein Center and gave a tour of Eastfield, the three friends grew interested in joining Eastfield’s program.

The Eastfield College Honda PACT Program was recognized by Honda as a Top PACT School in the Nation in July. Out of 29 schools that have PACT programs, only Eastfield and Shoreline Community College in Seattle, Washington, were recognized.

Honda bases their awarding decisions on number of graduates, dealer involvement, PACT students hired by Honda and Acura dealers before or after graduation, enrollment of new students and instructor qualifications.

Strittmatter, Young and Garcia’s decision wasn’t an easy one. Going to Eastfield would require a commitment. They would have to drive more than 100 miles round-trip from Saginaw to Mesquite each day. Doing that twice a week would be a strain on both their wallets and their time.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HONDA PACT PROGRAM

Eastfield’s Honda PACT program was recognized in July as one of the top programs in the nation for the number of graduates, dealer involvement, students hired by Honda and Acura dealers, enrollment of new students and instructor qualifications.

After thinking it over, they came up with a unique solution. They would wake up around 4 a.m. on Mondays, carpool to Eastfield, go to class from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and then split the $65 rental fee for a night at the nearby Motel 6.

“I don’t regret the miles I’ve put on the truck,” Strittmatter said. “I have an unfaltering trust for my friends. The nights we spent in the hotel room really set [Dallas] apart and gave it that college feel.”

Back when they were in high school, Strittmatter, Garcia and Young entered an automobile maintenance competition in Waco and advanced to the second round in Corpus Christi.

While they were there, the three stayed together in a hotel for the first time.

“It’s just ironic how we hung out at a hotel for a school event to make it something we did for two years at another hotel,” Garcia said. “It just carried on.”

On Tuesdays, they would go back to class at the same time and then drive back to Saginaw to work full-time at local auto dealerships for the rest of the week. They’ve repeated this process for the last two years and say they’ve probably saved a fair amount of money by adopting this hotel strategy.

Garcia said that juggling these near 12-hour work days along with working full time is difficult, and it feels like their lives are made up of “back-to-back-to-back work.”

Young said that he loves the schedule. It helps him focus on all the other responsibilities in his life.

“I love that it is 12 hours because I don’t feel like I have to rush,” he said. “I don’t have to stress about getting my work done.”

Automotive instructor William Milam has taught Garcia, Strittmatter and Young throughout their two years at Eastfield. He said they are some of the smartest students of the Honda PACT Program’s 10th graduating class.

They don’t just sit in lectures or work on cars, Milam said. They do hands-on module work, computer work, diagnostics and more.

“They do bumper-to-bumper work, basically over two years,” he said.

Garcia said that Milam has been one of his favorite instructors. He loves Milam’s direct teaching style.

“He is a straightforward instructor,” Garcia said. “He never plays. Well, he does play a lot, but it’s always a life lesson when he tries to teach you.”

The trio said they felt a sense of relief after graduating. They want to focus more on their dealership jobs for a while now that they have more free time.

“We can finally relax on Sundays,” Strittmatter said with a laugh.

The Honda PACT program allows graduates to receive an associate of science degree, several Honda certifications and 95 percent of the training they need to become Honda master technicians.

“We get the associate [degree] and we’re almost Honda master technicians,” Strittmatter said. “That’s something you can really carry with you for life.”

While the trio said they plan on staying friends for life, they each want to do something different following their time at Eastfield.

Strittmatter said he might take a few more classes at Eastfield for fun but doesn’t plan on getting any more degrees. He still thinks that Eastfield has the best and closest automotive program available in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

He wants to open his own automotive shop or service center one day. “[I want] not just a garage but something more innovative,” he said.

At the time of publication, Strittmatter is the youngest employee at the Honda of Fort Worth to work in two bays by himself.

Garcia wants to focus more on the business side of the automotive industry. He wants to understand the workings of an engine inside and out. He eventually wants a mechanical engineering degree and said he will likely transfer to the University of Texas at Arlington at some point.

“I want to go back to school while I’m young,” he said. “I don’t want to relearn everything.”

Young plans to use his skills as a mechanic while traveling, perhaps with the military, as he comes from a military family.

He and his friends are thankful for Eastfield’s automotive program, even with the more than 50-mile drive from Saginaw to Mesquite.

“It’s a good program, and it helps me be not just a better mechanic but a more confident one,” Young said.

12 Monday, August 26, 2019

WRAP-UP

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

Laura’s Mind By Laura Sanchez Romero

PHOTOS BY YESENIA ALVARADO/THE ET CETERA

Former Duke Ellington trumpeter Tom Williams, above, performs a concert for the fifth annual Dallas Trumpet Workshop at Eastfield on July 16.

NEWS

Briefs New associate vice president hired Jose Dela Cruz was appointed to associate vice president for academic affairs and student success in July. He oversees student services.

Before coming to Eastfield, Cruz served as dean of student affairs at Tulsa Community College from 2016 to July of this year.

Former VP injured in wreck Michael Gutierrez, former executive vice president of academic affairs and student success, was hospitalized after a car crash Aug. 12.

He was released from the hospital Aug. 14. He suffered extensive injuries but is expected to recover, according to a statement from the Los Rios Community College District.

Gutierrez left Eastfield in June 2017 to assume the presidency of City College in Sacramento, California, one of four colleges in the Los Rios district.

College administrative restructured Positions in Eastfield’s administration went through a reorganization over the summer, and several departments were realigned in the college’s organizational chart.

Kim Chandler was promoted to vice president of planning, development and institutional effectiveness.

Sharon Cook went from assistant to the president to senior associate director of advancement and communications. She now oversees marketing and the audio visual production department.