Etera Dallas College Eastfield Campus

Ten currently suspended fields of study offered by Texas community colleges are likely to become available at the end of January. See Page 3

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Volume 52, Issue 4

The Year In Review:

How many things can you find that remind you of 2020?

See Pages 6-7

2

NEWS

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

@TheEtCetera

The Et Cetera

Students are feeling the fallout from COVID-19 By JASMINE RODGERS Reporter @TheEtCetera

A recent survey by the Texas Association of Community Colleges shows that taking classes online is only one of the challenges students are facing as a result of COVID-19. The survey — titled “Covid-19 Pandemic” — was done to assess student needs and found 73 % of students are facing financial insecurity, 47 % of students lack regular internet access, and 16 % of students do not have computers. Other findings noted that 21 % of students are very likely to enroll in fewer classes, 26% are very likely to delay graduation and 19 % are somewhat likely to delay graduation as a result of the pandemic. Dallas College sophomore Jasmine Smith is one of the students who’s been affected. “Because of all the changes that were happening this semester, I decided to take fewer classes just to make sure I don’t get too overwhelmed,” she said. Due to the fact that Smith has reduced her school hours to part-time instead of full time for the fall semester, she anticipates a delayed graduation. Losing income has been another effect of COVID-19, with a reported 57 % of college students losing income and/or work hours. Catherine Gutierrez, a sophomore at Mountain View, was laid off from her job as a law firm intern toward the beginning of the pandemic. “I have no form of income,” she said. Gutierrez has been able to rely on assistance from her family, but some students do not have this support. The pandemic has also affected Gutierrez’s social life. Spending time with friends has always been her preferred way to relieve stress, but now that in-person contact with friends is limited, Gutierrez said her stress has increased. She has fallen behind in her studies as well

THE PANDEMIC’S EFFECT ON STUDENTS BY THE NUMBERS ENROLLMENT

Dallas College is down 9.3% from fall 2019 for the first 16 weeks, 14% for the first 8 weeks, and up slightly in second 8-week enrollment at 6%. (Source: Dallas College)

16%

lack regular access to a computer

The following info is taken from the Dallas College COVID-19 Student Needs Survey

21%

very likely to take fewer classes

ACADEMICS

26%

very likely to delay graduation

19% somewhat

likely to delay graduation

ONLINE

57% 44%

47%

lack regular access to the internet

57%

struggle to find a quiet place or time to study

TIME

INCOME report losing income and/or work hours are likely to experience food insecurity within 30 days

35%

have taken on additional daily care hours for dependents

MATTHEAU FAUGHT & JUAN JARAMILLO/THE ET CETERA

and said she may not be able to graduate in 2021 as planned. While many students have lost their jobs, some have had to pick up extra hours to support their families. El Centro student Maria Monsivais is among the 57 % of community college students who have opted to take increased hours at their place of work as a result of the coronavirus. “It has been a hard time adjusting to every-

thing,” she said, “My [two] little brothers are still in high school and my mom doesn’t work, so I had to take some extra responsibilities at work.” While her father has not been laid off and continues to make decent pay, she felt as though it was her obligation as the oldest sibling to help her family. Monsivais noted that while her educational obligations have not been heavily impacted by

COVID-19, her social life has definitely suffered. Since the pandemic began, she has lost her grandfather and cousin, both of whom lived in Mexico. Neither died from COVID-19, but due to the pandemic, Monsivais’ family was unable to travel to Mexico for the funerals. “It has been really hard on my family,” she said. “I wish this could all just be over.”

Fall enrollment drops, could affect state college funding By JORDAN LACKEY Opinion Editor @JordanEtc

Dallas College student enrollment is down nearly 10% from last fall, with the largest dips occurring in low-income areas and ZIP codes that have been heavily affected by COVID-19, according to a report presented Nov. 10 to the Board of Trustees. “We’re worried about every single student that’s being left behind,” Chancellor Joe May said at the meeting. “Our failure is not just a percentage mark on a page, it’s a person. And the impact of this is significant. … I think this just means we have to work harder in order to get more people in the door.” General enrollment for the fall 2020 16-week term is down by more than 14,000 (9.3%) when compared to fall 2019, and the first eight-week semester was down by almost 3,000 (14%). The second eight-week term saw 1,200-student increase (6%). “This has been a crisis like no other in our lifetimes,” Vice

Chancellor of Student Success Beatriz Joseph said. “It’s about keeping yourself and your family safe. … It’s about being able to put food on the table. And unfortunately, in situations like that, education just takes a back seat.” Dallas College surveyed students who attended classes in spring 2020 and did not return for fall. More than 45% said they need face-to-face instruction in order to be successful and most would return once campuses reopen. “It wasn’t surprising that only 3% said it was a financial reason,” May said. “Overwhelmingly they don’t like online.” Dallas College’s loss is comparable to the national average of 9%, May said. In Texas, enrollment drops range from 2.4% for Austin Community College District and 21% for Houston Community College, according to the Texas Association of Community Colleges. “I think [10%] is a pretty amazing number,” said Wesley Jameson, vice chair of the Board of Trustees. “With all the barriers

that people have had to overcome, to only have lost 10%, roughly, in overall enrollment. We’re struggling with unemployment, with food challenges, I think [10%] is a real success story.” College leaders are analyzing how these enrollment trends could affect state funding. The biennial meeting of the Texas Legislature, when the two-year state budget is drafted, starts in January. To combat enrollment drops, the college has streamlined the enrollment process from six steps to three. Officials are also trying to distribute emergency aid funds provided by the federal government, but Joseph said they have struggled to keep up with the ever-changing federal rules. Dallas College received about $20 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act earlier this spring. Of those funds, $9 million must go directly to students in the form of emergency aid. As of Nov. 10, about $2.5 million has been distributed, leaving over $6 million available.

NEWS

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The Et Cetera

eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

State likely to lift suspension on 10 fields of study By HARRIET RAMOS Editor in Chief @HarrietRamosETC

Ten fields of study suspended by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in July were greenlighted to return by the board’s transfer workgroup on Nov. 5. The board is expected to approve the workgroup’s recommendation to remove the suspension at its next board meeting Jan. 21. “The hold’s been released and ... if it’s approved, they’ll move forward,” Linda Braddy, president of Brookhaven and member of the workgroup, said. On July 23 the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board voted unanimously to suspend the fields of study that were scheduled to become effective on Sept. 1. Ten fields of study were affected: communications, computer science and information technology, drama, economics, fine arts, health and wellness, history, journalism, mathematics and radio and television. Fields of study are designed to fulfill freshman and sophomore requirements for corresponding bachelor’s degrees at the university level.

ET CETERA FILE PHOTO

Annette Raleigh throws rice during the play “Gods of Carnage” on March 4. Drama, along with nine other fields of study, was suspended at the start of the semester by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, but the suspension is expected to be lifted at the board’s next meeting Jan 21.

Universities are required by state law to accept the credits of transfer students who have completed the requirements for a particular field of study. Jacob Fraire, president and chief

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executive officer of the Texas Association of Community Colleges and co-leader of the workgroup, said the reality is that this is not happening uniformly. “Too many of our students were

having [field of study] courses not apply to their major,” he said. Fraire and members of the workgroup have met on a weekly basis since the spring to look at solutions to barriers students face when they transfer to four-year institutions. Braddy said the reason the board decided to suspend the fields of study was to give the workgroup time to look at the problems related to field of study adaptations by four-year institutions more thoroughly and make changes if needed. “We didn’t want students to start in those [fields of study] and then go ‘Oh, wait, we had them one semester and now we don’t have them anymore,’” she said. “We thought it would be best to just pause it, but it was never with the intention of throwing them out. It was a wait and see.” Fraire said the workgroup gave each field of study an extensive review but did not make any changes to them. One of the issues they found was that not all community colleges put fields of study on their transcripts. In those cases, universities don’t realize the student has taken a field of study. In other cases, universities count

field of study credits as electives instead of towards the students’ major. Braddy said universities know they’re required to accept these credits, but some are still hesitant to do so, preferring students take courses from the university they are transferring to instead. “In the system, there wasn’t necessarily true accountability for holding universities to that [mandatory] statute,” Braddy said. Braddy said the workgroup is making some recommendations to the board to help the transfer process go more smoothly. One of these proposals is a committee composed of 12 representatives from community colleges and 12 from universities. If approved, this committee would lay the groundwork for making sure fields of study mesh with what universities are looking for. It would be set up so that any decision they make would have to be approved by a majority from both sides. “I feel like that’s going to . . . help ensure that it doesn’t just devolve into sort of what we have now—the two-year vs. the four-year,” Braddy said. “They’re really going to have to collaborate.”

Life &Arts The Et Cetera

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eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

PHOTOS BY CHANTILETTE FRANKLIN/THE ET CETERA

Victoria Davis puts on her dance shoes before practicing at the Harbor in Rockwall on Nov. 6. Davis is diabetic and has been performing in dance competitions since she was 6.

Davis dances towards success despite challenges

Q& A

Victoria Davis was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 12, but she has not let that stop her from achieving her goals. She has performed in dance competitions since she was 6 and is working toward her Associate of Science degree at Eastfield. Davis was recently awarded the Myers-LeCroy scholarship for outstanding leadership and academic achievement. She sat down with Et Cetera contributor Daniel Mascorro to discuss her plans for the future and how she spends her time away from Eastfield.

Q A

How has being diagnosed with diabetes affected your life?

It helped me start eating healthier. It took me a long time to realize that these are the things that I am going to have to deal with for the rest of my life, and I just had to adjust.

Q A

How did you get diagnosed with diabetes?

The morning I was diagnosed my mom and I had just dropped my dad off at the hospital for heart surgery. While [still] in the car we got a call from my doctor. He said to take me to the emergency room immediately because my blood sugar was over 600. So my

mom immediately took me to the hospital. I was put in an ambulance and taken to Children’s Hospital, and my dad did not find out that I was in the hospital until he got out of open-heart surgery.

Q A

What has been the toughest part of living with diabetes?

Not being ashamed of having it. In middle school I would be embarrassed that I had to leave class earlier than other kids because I had to go check my blood sugar and take insulin before lunch. I would try and hide my diabetes. ... My junior year in high school I realized that this is something that I will have for the rest of my life. It is a huge part of my life, and I shouldn’t be ashamed.

Q A Q A

What is your career goal? To become a pediatric endocrinologist, which is a doctor for children who have diabetes. Why is that career important to you?

I was very close with some of my doctors [when I was] growing up with diabetes, and they helped me understand so much. This has really encouraged me to help children with diabetes as well, especially since I know firsthand how they feel.

Q A

What is your proudest moment in dancing?

My proudest moment in dance is when I performed a solo in front of my entire high school for a Black History Month pep rally, and everyone in the audience started to sing along to the song I was dancing to. I felt so happy in that moment. I felt like I belonged up on the stage and everyone was just there in that moment with me..

Q A Q A

How has COVID-19 affected you? During quarantine, we couldn’t practice dancing in person, so we had to practice on Zoom. How did having to practice on Zoom affect you and your team’s performance?

Being on Zoom did not really affect our performance at all because all of our dances were already finished, so we just had to practice to make sure we did not forget anything and work out to keep our stamina up. When we got to nationals, we were runner-up for the America Loves to Dance championship. We were all so happy to be back on stage again and performing even during a pandemic. Editor’s note: This interview was edited for style and brevity. Read the full Q&A online at eastfieldnews.com.

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LIFE&ARTS

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

@TheEtCetera

Make new traditions this holiday season

Thanksgiving just passed, and you’re likely already seeing Christmas lights on houses and even businesses around you. This year, some people may really need the joy that the holidays bring with them, you’ll say, and that’s true. But this year’s holidays won't only bring joy; they'll bring a whole tornado of emotion that might be starting to wrap around you like a ribbon on a present: curiosity, confusion, sadness and joy all being mixed together as at least some of the storm. No worries, my friends. Here are some ideas to make this Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate a very special one — one that would only happen if this pandemic happened. — Deirdre Holmes

Have a virtual feast Most of you probably have a party or at least invite a couple friends and/or family members over in the Christmas season. If you wish, you can still do so, but if you are concerned for the health of, for instance, your grandparents or very young son or daughter, try a virtual meal. No, you can’t eat through the screen (though doesn’t everyone wish they could?), but you could set up a tablet or laptop on the table and have a video call with your grandparents. You could see each other’s beautiful meals, and as you eat your own Christmas (or any holiday) feasts, you can talk with your family and feel at least part of that specialness of eating with your loved ones who do not live with you. You could also invite everyone on the video call to buy a specific food you all could eat “together." You can also have a virtual party and figure out some games to play or have a Christmas morning chat.

Make games for the kids Do you have children? Nieces or nephews? Young siblings? If so, creating games to play is a good bonding experience. Make-believe games and creativity were a significant part of my childhood and their attitudes have stayed with me as a teenager. Now, leave this article for a moment and go talk to your child. Ask them, “So, Christmas might be a little weird this year. It’ll be just us, and we can’t go anywhere. From the very hidden depths of your amazing mind, what do you think we could do to celebrate?” Don’t take “I don’t know” for an answer. They have ideas, trust me. You never know what answers you’ll get. Here are some ideas: Make a Christmas tree out of plastic cups and make pa-

The Et Cetera

per ornaments decorated with a picture of a relative. Dress up like elves and go on a family neighborhood walk. Make cookies and cover them with white icing and powdered sugar, pretend their snowballs, and throw them across the kitchen into father's mouth. It's messy, but sounds like a lot of fun.

Go ice skating Can’t you just hear Charlie Brown and the Peanuts singing this song on the ice? Well, don’t just watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on re-run all day, go sing it yourself! Some ice rinks might not be opened this winter, but not all of them are closing. Even the Galleria Dallas Ice Skating Center looks like it’s still in business. It’s not cheap, but you can even skate privately with your family or a small group after hours if you want to avoid a crowd.

Look at lights Here’s something my family actually did in at least a couple years of my life. I prefer doing it on Christmas Eve, but you can do it a little before or after, as long as you’ve got a car and it’s night time. Get behind the wheel with your family or friends and go for a ride around the neighborhood, the city, even the county (however far you want to go) and look at the lights and decorations people have put up on their houses. It is actually a really enjoyable experience, especially, but not only, for the kids. Don’t forget to put up your own lights, and have fun with it. So far in my light-rides I’ve seen a (video) Santa standing behind a window in a house and lights that synchronize to a dance routine with the radio. They're memories I’ll never forget.

Trade in those old traditions Maybe a favorite tradition isn’t going to work out this year. Well, take in mind all that I’ve said so far in the article, and then use all those ideas (especially asking the kids), and make a new tradition. One that will remind you of this year every year that follows it. This year is not something you have to remember with pain. You can make this year special. I would say memorable, but it’s probably going to be memorable for you nevertheless. Here's some ideas: write in a book, dance, sing, laugh and be with family. But remember, have fun!

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LIFE&ARTS

The Et Cetera

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

@TheEtCetera

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

@TheEtCetera

The Et Cetera

We are about to close the books on 2020, a year that has been characterized by the unusual. From COVID-19 to murder hornets and hurricanes, this year threw one surprise after another our way. What better way to remember the highlights than by making it into a game? So sit down with a friend, virtually or socially distanced of course, and play bingo.

Ghislaine Maxwell

ARRESTED

Conflict

With Iran

Pakistani Airliner Crash

Failed Kidnapping

Listened to Fauci

of Michigan governer

Trump impeached

Working from Home

FREE SPACE SPACE Biden

Wins Ukrainian Airplane shot down Harvey Weinstein

jailed

LIFE&ARTS

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The Et Cetera

Vin Diesel’s a

Trump got COVID

pop star

eastfieldnews.com

Kim Jong-Un

Parasite sweeps the Oscars

Teen hacks prominent Twitter accounts

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

(falsely) reported dead

Locusts swarm Africa and Asia

Train hits a whale

Election

(Sculpture)

Results Delayed

Daily White House Briefings

Death

Of

FREE SPACE SPACE

Death of Kobe Bryant and his Daughter

Alex Trebek died

Beirut Explosion

Madame VP Black Lives Matter

Protests

Eddie Van Halen

SpaceX successfully launches

West Coast

Attending school

Record

wildfires

in PJ’s

number of hurricanes

OPINION

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Wednesday, December 2, 2020

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

Eastfield College 3737 Motley Drive Mesquite, TX 75150 Phone: 972-860-7130 Email: etc4640@dcccd.edu Editor in Chief Harriet Ramos Graphics Editor Mattheau Faught Opinion Editor Jordan Lackey Photo Editor Chantilette Franklin Production Manager Skye Seipp Senior Photographer Rory Moore Cartoonist Jesus Madrid Staff Writer Deirdre Holmes Reporter Jasmine Rodgers Contributors Deirdre Holmes Bryan Gomez Hector Tarango Daniel Mascorro Jenny Romero Megan Ogembo Al’darius Thompson Camille Schuh

Saru Adhikari Isaac Alvarez Imad Arrar Bri’anna Bloomer Karen Perez Amanda Smith Kayla Pineda Juan Hernandez

Additional Staff Alfredo Diaz Eddie Williams Muhammad Jallow

Mario Medrano Kathya Godinez Juan Jaramillo

Publication Adviser Elizabeth Langton Student Media Manager Sarah Sheldon Faculty Adviser Lori Dann 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 by a student staff. Each member of the college community is entitled to one free copy of The Et Cetera. First Amendment Right Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Letters to the Editor Letters must be typed, signed and include a phone number. Letters will be edited for profanity and vulgarity, Associated Press style, grammar, libel and space when needed. The content will remain that of the author. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.

ABOUT THE COVER Illustration by Mattheau Faught

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OUR VIEW

Holiday cheer shouldn’t be infectious After months of quarantine, paranoia and fear the holiday season seems to be the light at the end of the long dark COVID-19 tunnel. Many of us crave a suspension from our unfortunate reality, a reprieve if even for a moment, while we remember Christmas lights and cherished memories of days gone by. But we urge you to remember one thing: More than 265,000 American families won’t be whole this year due to COVID-19, and it’s our responsibility to prevent that number from climbing even higher. This pandemic doesn’t care what time of the year it is and it isn’t going away simply because of a date on the calendar. We aren’t out of the dark yet, and we shouldn’t entertain the thought that COVID-19 is going to

end any time in the near future. More than 1,500 Dallas residents died this year from COVID-19 and new cases are the highest we’ve seen in Dallas County since September. The U.S. reported 2,046 COVID related deaths the day before Thanksgiving, the highest one-day death toll the country has reported since May, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. After Memorial Day, several states, including Texas, saw a consistent rise in new cases and hospitalization. This is a trend we should not aim to repeat. We don’t say this to kill your holiday season, we say this so the holiday season won’t kill you or your loved ones. In such a tumultuous time we understand the importance of family and we encourage everyone

to lean on whatever support system they have. But we beg every one of you to do so safely and responsibly. Too many have died already and too many families will mourn this holiday season. A few common-sense measures could save countless lives this Christmastime. Wear a mask. Keep social distancing in mind. Keep social gatherings small or chat with family virtually. We are all tired of video calls, but it is safer than meeting in person. Avoid public places, order gifts online and have them sent directly to family or friends. We may not be able to hold our loved ones this holiday season, and that’s hard, but we take these measures so we might be able to see them again next year and hold them even closer.

Good novels cause us to look within, learn I read because I want to learn. Novels, short stories, poems—I read it all. A good story leaves me with some answers, but a great story leaves me with many questions. And that’s a good thing. Reading for fun is excellent, but actively reading for knowledge is a plus. Ever heard the saying never give up? If you were Ernest Hemingway, you wrote about it in a novel called “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” The main character, Robert Jordan, is given the task of blowing up a bridge that is supplying the fascist army during the Spanish Civil War. Though Jordan is successful, his final moments are those of a dying man who must face the enemy not knowing what will happen. In the final chapters, as Jordan contemplates suicide to save himself from the enemy, he decides to live. Without a way to defend himself, he waits for the approaching enemy. For Jordan, this is also part of the mission. Who can ever truly understand the last thoughts of someone who is bound to die if they are not in that position themselves? To a dying man, an irrational decision might be the only rational decision to make. You can ask why people don’t give up, or you can ask why a dying

Juan Quevedo Hernandez @TheEtCetera

man—why Jordan—didn’t give up. In “All the Names” by José Saramago, Senhor José has the same determination that Hemingway’s Jordan had in his mission to blow up the bridge. The difference between the two, however, is that José’s unbearable loneliness drives him to endlessly search for a mysterious woman he hardly even knows. Driven partly by his sense of love and partly by his madness for this woman, José breaks into buildings, steals and lies his way into a journey that Saramago tells us has no clear ending. Though the story does end with José flashing his light into a room of darkness where he seeks to find documents which could help him locate this woman, we as the readers do not ever hear from his exploits ever again. We can’t help but pity José and shake our heads at him in disapproval. Yet, at times, a story’s characters are fleshed out so well that they begin to mirror our own selves, leav-

ing us with the sense that we have spotted our defects and now have a starting point from which to seek change. Then there’s the question about evil. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, one of my favorite authors, writes about it extensively. Have you ever wondered if someone else can tell you something new about evil? Reading Dostoyevsky might be a good way to find out. In his novel called “The Brothers Karamazov,” a story about a man who caused his sons to hate him so badly that one of them ended up being accused of murdering him, evil manifests itself in horrifying ways. There’s a little anecdote that one of the three brothers, Ivan Karamazov, gives about why he cannot have faith in God. He asks his brother Alyosha to put himself in God’s shoes by making a choice: kill a single individual in order for millions to enter into salvation or not kill the individual and thereby cause millions to suffer. The brother says he can’t bring himself to kill that single individual. Ivan’s problem with God is that he allows people to suffer and sometimes without reason. What reason is there, he asks in the story, to have someone throw a young baby to a pack of savage dogs? What did the unknowing baby

do to deserve that? Everyone might have a sense of what evil is, but Dostoyevsky’s stories make evil a double-edged sword for thought. On a softer note, novels that reinforce some of our beliefs by posing questions that we never thought of before can deal with lighter topics and not necessarily frighten us. The goal of reading should be to enjoy. However, always taking something out of it — like a new thought or perspective — adds to the reading experience. —Juan Quevedo Hernandez is a contributor and a journalism major.

SPORTS

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eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Pandemic reignites old hobby of collecting sports cards By ISAAC ALVAREZ Contributor @TheEtCetera

It is half an hour after opening time on a recent Saturday morning, and Nick’s Sports Cards & Memorabilia shop — located in Far North Dallas — already has half a dozen customers browsing in the front room. In the back room, two employees arrange sports memorabilia on a table in preparation for a Facebook Live event scheduled for later in the day. The shelves are loaded with boxes of trading cards. Framed jerseys and photos of players, including Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays, hang on the walls. All taken together, it is a collector’s paradise. The COVID-19 pandemic has been hard on some local businesses, but at Nick’s Sports Cards and Memorabilia, founded in 1989, business is booming. “We’ve got a nice customer base and we’re getting a ton of new customers,” owner Dean Fuller said. The sports trading card industry has experienced a significant increase in sales since the pandemic started. Sports Collectors Daily reported in June that sales of basketball cards on eBay had increased 130%, baseball cards by 50% and football cards by 47%. “We’re very lucky,” Fuller said. “When the pandemic hit, people dug out their collections, looked at them, brought up the nostalgia and [it] brought them back to collecting more.” Fuller himself is a longtime collector of sports cards and memorabilia. He said it was a daily thing for his dad to bring home packs of Topps baseball cards for him to open. He used to bring his own sons to Nick’s, before he became the owner, to see what treasures they could find. “We would find some duds, but we sometimes would find rare cards,” he said. “It brought so much joy and excitement pulling the best ones.” Fuller said Nick’s did have to close its doors for a short period of time when Dallas County was under stay-at-home orders. Then they transitioned to curbside pickups. Now that the store is open again, regular customers are coming back. Tyler Smith, a 21-year-old collector from Dallas, recently visited Nick’s searching for a rare Ezekiel Elliott autographed card. “I have been watching Zeke since he was at Ohio State, so him playing for the Cowboys makes me want the card even more,” Smith said. “I usually come in between classes for a break and check in if they have restocked the boxes yet.” Another longtime customer, Eastfield student Mike Caravero, said he comes to Nick’s regularly to see what’s new. “I’ve been in and out of the shop these last couple of weeks, searching for the newest rookie quarterbacks in the NFL,” said Caravero. “Coming to Nick’s shop is fun. They have new cards and events to show off every day.” Collecting cards is a hobby that has been around since the late 1800s when sports cards were sold inside cigarette packs. In the 1930s, in an effort to attract young people, cards started being sold inside packs of gum. Today there are different types of cards. Some are base cards with a photo of the athlete, others are autographed and or have jersey patches on the card. Some cards feature multiple players. As a general rule, the rarer the card the more valuable it is, especially if it is in good condition. Cards are graded on a 10-point scale, with 10 being consid-

PHOTOS BY RORY MOORE/THE ET CETERA

Top, Dean Fuller, owner of Nick’s Sports Cards and Memorabilia, stands against a wall with boxes of cards on Nov. 24. Fuller has been the owner of Nick’s for five years and brought his sons to the store before becoming the owner. Bottom left, a selection of some sports cards available for purchase at Nick’s. The store is located in Far North Dallas off of Campbell Road just east of the University of Texas at Dallas.

ered nearly perfect, or mint, condition. Beckett Media in Dallas is widely considered around the collecting community as one of the toughest grading companies. Damaged cards, no matter their age, are lower in value. Under the right circumstances a card could be bought for as little as $1 and in one year it could be worth hundreds of dollars. Rookie cards are especially valuable and have the highest potential for growth. A 2003-04 Upper Deck Lebron James rookie card recently sold at an auction for a total of $1.8 million.

Tristan Taylor, an employee of Nick’s and a lifelong sports card collector, said he recently sold some Base Rookie Luka Dončić cards for $30 each and made a $400 profit. “There is so much upside to card collecting,” he said. “It could be just the fun and enjoyment of sports and ripping packs or the thrill of chasing a card that everyone wants and only dreams of possessing. People love sports, so as long as sports are a thing and continue to grow, so should card collectors.” —Harriet Ramos contributed to this report.

10 Wednesday, December 2, 2020

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Quiet on campus: COVID-19 keeps Eastfield relatively empty

PHOTOS BY RORY MOORE/THE ET CETERA

Clockwise from top left, the hall connecting F and G Buildings sits empty on Nov. 17. A janitor sprays disinfectant in the Learning Commons, which had opened for students that made a reservation, but is now closed again after Dallas College went back to operating wholly online. Business management major Juan Carrillo, left, receives help filling out his financial aid information from Janet Costello. Ann Johnson sits at a check-in station behind plexiglass in the F Building.