November13 Issue

Etera

Eastfield College

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Volume 45, Issue 5

The day that changed Dallas

November 22, 1963

What we saw, heard and felt

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News

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Put it on your

Calendar November Wed

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A student-faculty mixer will be held in the Pit from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students can get information from faculty members about specific courses and plan their class schedules for the spring semester.

A recital series featuring the Eastfield Brass Ensemble will be held in the Performance Hall, F-209, from 12:30 to 1:50 p.m.

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Students can determine their best path toward graduation at “Find Your PACE” in G-101 from 9:30 to 10:50 a.m.

Review critical skills and learning outcomes needed to succeed in developmental reading in “Through the Looking Glass,” part of Deep Week. The event will be held in G-101 from 11 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.

“Everyone Has a Story,” the Eastfield fall dance concert, will be held in the performance hall from 7 to 9 p.m. The concert will feature the work of guest artists Antonio Arrebola and Delilah Buitron, the Dallas Flamenco Festival and Estudio Flamenco Dallas.

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Let your inner mathlete out in the EFC Math Games. Earn tickets to buy prizes including a graphing calculator.

The event will be held in G-101 from 9:05 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.

The Piano Department presents the Student Piano Recital in F-117 from 12:30 to 1:50 p.m.

“The Herpetology of Mexico,” part of the Science Seminar series, will feature Jacobo Reyes in S-101/102 at 1 p.m.

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The Science Seminar series presents “Water Conservation: A Municipal Viewpoint” with Kathy Fonville in S-101 and S-102 from 1 to 2 p.m.

About the cover

Illustrated and designed by Yolanda Ramirez

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

Lab instructors bond with children

By Karina Dunn Staff Writer

When he was 10 months old, Will Crawford was splashing around in his bath when he suddenly stopped, looked up at his mother and signed the word “done.”

Dee Crawford, an employee in the college’s Business Office, was shocked.

Soon, she discovered that her son was learning other things at the Child Laboratory School in the K Building.

“He was saying ‘eat,’ ‘more,’ ‘done’ and ‘please’ with his hands, prior to being verbal,” she said. “They taught him that.”

Crawford has entrusted the care of both of her children to the instructors at the Child Laboratory School, which works with infants, toddlers and older children.

Accredited through the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the program uses tools such as the Creative Curriculum to better serve and nurture students.

Misty Lavigne, coordinator of the Center for Child and Family Studies, believes open, transparent relationships with parents allow them to connect with their young students.

“We get them to come in at 3 months and leave at 5 [years] ...” Lavigne said. “It’s pretty rewarding to see them grow up.”

Eastfield’s Child Laboratory School, which is open to the public but used extensively by employees

Odessa Leeper/The Et cetera

Instructor Shelia Whipple reads to 6-month-old Jesse Crawford.

and students, is the only nationally accredited center within a 25- to 30mile radius of Mesquite.

Crawford said the program’s accreditation holds the school to a higher standard, but she also appreciates the instructors because they honor her values as a parent.

If she is uncomfortable with her daughter 6-month-old daughter Jesse eating a certain food or moving on to the next stage in the curriculum, the instructors give honest opinions on the next course of action.

“I think they do phenomenal work,” Crawford said. “It makes me proud to know this center is on our campus.”

Shelia Whipple, an instructor in the infant room for 13 years, said listening to parents is a learning experience.

“Although I have experience, I [recognize the need] to trust and listen to parents and how they parent,” she said.

Crawford said the instructors’ willingness to listen creates trust. She

considers them as much a part of her children’s upbringing as she and her husband.

“They come to birthday parties,” Crawford said. “They’re like family.

Lisa and Shelia should have partial custody of our kids.”

Whipple said relationships with parents form as a natural consequence of caring for their children.

“We develop closer relationships with parents because it’s often their first baby,” Whipple said. “They’re bringing us all they have.”

Important moments from the infants’ time at the center are captured in memory books. When a child graduates from the toddler room, each family receives a book filled with pictures of the student with friends and instructors.

Marla Ponce, the school’s lead toddler teacher, takes pictures with students during activities and sends them to parents.

“It’s instant and breaks the ice, so you’re comfortable,” she said.

She said these events are one of the reasons she enjoys her job.

“They say their first word or say something funny or hug you, just little milestones, stuff that makes you laugh,” she said.

The instructors said they learn something new with every child.

“The infants taught me the joy of introducing them to first things,” Whipple said. “I feel like I’m an important person in their life.”

Amazing Heroes presentation highlights law enforcement

By Robert Burns Staff Writer

A student is late for class, rushing down Oates Drive, when suddenly a loud “whoop” screams through the air. Flashes of red and blue fill the rear-view mirror. A police officer saunters up in his perfectly pressed navy blue uniform.

Now the student is late and has a ticket for an expired registration. That student likely has a low opinion of police. But if that officer paid for the ticket and sent him on his way, would the student’s perspective change?

Amazing Heroes in Law Enforcement presentation, part of the Common Book series of events, emphasized the positives of police work. The presentation, hosted by Eastfield law enforcement professors and former police officers Michael Santiago and George DeAngelis, focused on various acts of kindness performed by law

enforcement personnel.

Santiago presented some examples of police helping their fellow citizens.

He told the story of Hayden Carlo of Wylie, who was pulled over for an expired registration. Carlo explained his dilemma to the officer: He could either feed his kids or renew the registration.

The officer handed Carlo a warning ticket and a $100 bill, enough to pay for both his and his wife’s registration. The officer wished to remain anonymous.

Another story was that of Florida police officer Viki Thomas, who responded to a call about a shoplifter. When she arrived at the scene, she discovered the shoplifter was a mother of three who couldn’t afford the $300 worth of groceries she had stolen to feed her children. Instead of arresting her for shoplifting, Thomas bought $100 worth of groceries out of her own pocket, then gave the woman

a ride to her apartment.

Not all of the stories had happy endings. Three minutes after San Diego police officer Jeremy Henwood gave a 13-year-old a dime to buy cookies at McDonald’s, he was gunned down by a petty thief on the run from police.

Humans weren’t the only heroes honored during the presentation.

DeAngelis, who worked with K-9 officers for five years, talked briefly about the importance of K-9 to the police department. His dog Stomper, a German shepherd-husky mix, was rescued from certain death after biting a neighbor.

DeAngelis said German shepherds are chosen most because they are loyal and brave, but also approachable. Other breeds such as pit bulls and Doberman pinschers are seen as vicious by the public.

DeAngelis presented a training video where a K-9 vaulted over a car and wrestled a fleeing suspect to the

ground before his human partners arrived. He also told students about an El Paso police dog kennel where K-9’s were poisoned by a Mexican cartel.

The crowd of students sat in silence for most of the presentation.

Some said the presentation changed their perspective on law enforcement officers.

Many said they were moved by the selflessness of both officers and their canine counterparts.

“I thought it was very touching,” Spanish major Brenda Ramirez said.

“I pretty much cried the whole time.

The fact that dogs and people can be so selfless is really touching.”

Santiago said he hopes the presentation opens students’ eyes about their relationship with law enforcement officers.

“This opportunity is great because we get to show people that the overwhelming majority of police do their jobs honestly,” DeAngelis said.

NEWS

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The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Classes, clubs moving as Testing Center expands

By Liritze Pedroza-Ortiz Staff Writer

Crowded parking lots aren’t the only side effect of the college’s record-breaking enrollment numbers this year. Classroom and meeting space are also at a premium.

The college’s Testing Center has outgrown its space and will be forced to expand into C-118 in the spring, which means the math classes held there now must be relocated.

At the SGA’s Oct. 25 meeting, Quality Enhancement Plan Coordinator Kyle Barron said those changes also mean the Harvester Room in C-142 will now be used as a classroom.

Therefore, clubs will no longer have a designated meeting room and will have to find other places to meet.

“We control [the Harvester Room], and the clubs really like that room,” Student Life Program Development Specialist Rita Bregola said, adding that there is a lot of flexibility with the current meeting schedule.

“Especially if it’s short notice, I say, ‘Yeah, go ahead, fill out the paperwork. If it is free you can go in it.’

Now, using a different room, we cannot do this anymore.”

Although it may not be the ideal situation, Testing Director Paul Goertemiller said the busy Testing Center desperately needs more room to meet testing demands.

“Between proctor tests, TSI testing and the new pre-assessment activity, the Testing Center is busy nearly all year,” he said.

He said the new pre-assessment activity (PAA) alone is a cause for concern because it is not timed.

“The Accuplacer took about three hours. For this test we expect students to take about four and half hours to complete the test,” Goertemiller said. “Students can spend all day here if they’d like.”

Currently, there are 27 computers in the Testing Center and 10 in the PAA office.

“That is not nearly enough to handle the demands,” Goertemiller said. “Fifty computers is a realistic goal, and I’ll take whatever I can get.

We will do the best with what we have.”

Room Coordinator Ruth Hale said the room changes will benefit the Testing Center but there is still

work to do when it comes to scheduling spring classes.

“It’s going to be a challenge to find a slot for those classes that will work around other rooms within the existing spring schedule,” she said.

Scheduling may also be a conflict for the clubs, who have been told that C-135 may be an option for their frequent meetings.

Hale said the college has only a few multipurpose rooms including G-101/102, S-100/101 and C-135.

“It is available time to time, but once the semester gets going it’s usually busy,” she said.

Although clubs may have access to a bigger room, some members expressed concern about losing C-142.

Video Game Club member Ibn Thompson said his club uses the Harvester Room every Friday and does not like the idea of moving.

“It would be a bit of a blow,” Thompson said.

Baptist Student Ministry Director Andrew Simmons, whose club uses the room every Wednesday, said he didn’t mind the change as long as they had a room to meet in.

“A room is just a room,” Simmons said. “As long as they can reassign

us somewhere else that’s not too far away, to where students won’t have to walk a half mile to get to, it will be fine.”

However, both agreed that the small space in C-142 was a problem.

Simmons said the club often rearrange tables and chairs during their meetings to eat, play games and have Bible study. A larger room would allow them to have a different spot for each activity.

Thompson also saw the potential benefit of a larger room.

“If we did get C-135, that would be nice,” he said. “We would have more room to interact, and we’d be able to bring more systems and have more fun. One problem we have with the room we are in now is that when we do get all of our active members, sometimes it gets hard to move around.”

Emily Niño, the Communications Club’s vice president of programs, said the club used the Harvester Room at the beginning of the semester, but wanted a bigger room for members.

“Right now we have roughly 28, 29 [members], and that doesn’t include guests that they might bring

or guest speakers they might have,” she said.

Because C-135 is much larger than the usual meeting space, Bregola said dividing and sharing the room is also a possibility.

“We have clubs that want to meet at the same time,” she said. “Having a room that’s bigger, we can divide it and put two or three clubs in a bigger room.”

However, some clubs were not excited about sharing the room.

Niño said the Communications Club likes to get its members involved by having them participate in ice-breaking games. The noise could be an issue if another club was sharing the room.

“I think it would be better if we didn’t have to share,” Niño said. That way we have the privacy of our own room.”

Dance Tank President Jamal Hargrove agreed that sharing the room might be distracting.

“When it comes to not dancing, but promoting, this room [C-142] is good for meetings and more serious talk,” Hargrove said. “[Sharing] is counterproductive. … You can’t really focus.”

Campus plants tree to celebrate Arbor Day Briefs NEWS

By Maria Yolisma Garcia Staff Writer

Travis E. Sales has helped the city of Mesquite plant 30,000 trees and remove approximately 288 tons of pollution through the Urban Forestry Program.

Those numbers seemed to surprise some students at Eastfield’s third annual Arbor Day celebration on Nov. 7, including computer science major Richard Gonzalez.

“I always knew that trees were very important, but it’s always good to be reminded of their importance and learn a little more about them,” he said.

Sales, who is Mesquite’s manager of park services and municipal arborist, said trees should have been planted in the city more than 20 years ago. Unfortunately, no action was taken to care for the environment, and the lack of environment awareness drove Mesquite to establish the Urban Forestry Program Today, Mesquite is recognized as a tree city and Eastfield is a tree campus.

President Jean Conway opened this year’s ceremony with a brief history of the holiday and explained that while Arbor Day is traditionally celebrated in mid-April, Texas celebrates it in November because the earth is more fertile now.

A Little Gem Magnolia tree was also planted outside of the C building. The tree, which is currently 9-feet tall, will grow to be about 20 feet.

District gathers to celebrate memory of Jan LeCroy Former DCCCD chancellor Dr. Jan LeCroy passed away on Oct. 10 at the age of 82. A memorial service will be held on Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas. In lieu of flowers, the LeCroy family requests that donations be made to the LeCroy Scholars Fund.

Eastfield Chorus to accompany Irving Symphony in 2014 show The Eastfield College Chorus has been invited to accompany the Irving Symphony in a performance of “Carmina Burana,” composed by Carl Orff.

The show will take place on April 12.

Odessa Leeper/The Et cetera

From left, Terrance Wickman, Jean Conway, Michael Gutierrez, Brenda Floyd, Travis E. Sales and Yvette Gonzalez plant a Little Gem Magnolia tree as part of the Arbor Day celebration.

Audience members were encouraged to participate in the environmental movement by taking home a free tree and planting it in their own backyard.

Yvette Gonzalez, president of the Science Club,

said student involvement is important when it comes to protecting the environment.

“It would be great to get the students involved,” Gonzalez said. “I hope that what they learned today they can take it home and spread the word.”

Academic advisers event will help students with schedules, degrees An Advisors-In will be held on Nov. 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Pit. Advisers will be available to assist students with their college plans.

— Compiled by Caitlin Piper

NEWS

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www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

Eastfield Remembers

JFK

By Justin David Tate Life & Arts Editor

Laura Jarnagin has waited almost two hours on a crowded downtown Dallas sidewalk for this moment. Finally, she sees the police escorts heading her way.

She jumps into the air, screaming at the top of her lungs.

“The president is coming! He’s coming!

Look, he’s coming!”

Behind her, onlookers stretch their necks to get a glimpse of the motorcade. Fathers lift their sons onto their shoulders to give them a better look at history.

Soon, President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy pass by, waving and smiling at the enthusiastic crowd. Laura notices that they look just like they do on TV, only in color — perfect hair and all.

It’s all over in a matter of seconds. Then Linda’s mother drives the still-giddy sixth-graders to Oates Plaza Pharmacy to eat lunch before heading back to Gaston Junior High for a pep rally.

The diner is filled with the aroma of cheeseburgers and fries. A live broadcast covering the president’s visit is playing through the intercom.

The girls sit down to eat, but can’t stop screeching to anyone who will listen about how they just saw the president. The jovial play-byplay is suddenly interrupted by a news report.

“The President has been shot!”

Laura later learned that the president had been killed. When she returned to school, her classmates had not yet heard about the assassination.

“I was upset. I was crying,” she said. “They were like, ‘What’s wrong with you? I said, ‘The president has been shot.’ And they were like, ‘No!’” Fifty years later, Jarnagin is a receptionist in the president’s office at Eastfield College, located less than 20 minutes away from where Kennedy was shot and killed on November 22, 1963.

It was a moment that impacted an entire generation, including many current and past Eastfield employees, who still vividly recall the day that Dallas was labeled the City of Hate.

Abbie rowe/White house

Did Dallas kill the president?

Don Baynham’s lunch in the storage room at work began with Wayne Newton and Frank Sinatra crooning in the background and ended with the radio announcement that the president has been shot.

As he rode the bus home to East Dallas that day, the 18-year-old maintenance worker asked himself the same questions many other city residents were asking themselves.

“Could we have done something different?” he wondered. “Is it our fault?”

It was the first time Baynham had ever spent more than a few fleeting moments considering the president.

He had seen the flyers from the likes of Republican Rep. Bruce Alger that said “Wanted for Treason” with Kennedy’s face crossed out.

He read about anti-Kennedy groups in the newspaper. But he saw them as nothing more than a minority of extremists.

The newspapers wrote about them, he figured, because they made enough noise to be

noticeable. In the aftermath of the assassination, that noise became deafening.

“Back then, I think really the feeling was, ‘Oh those crazy idiots,’ and you’d chuckle about it,” Baynham said. “After you experience [an assassination], you don’t chuckle about them anymore.”

The next year, Baynham dropped out of college to join the Army. He tried to escape the city, which he diagnosed with clinical depression.

Everyone spoke in hushed tones, whispering rumors of a Russian or Cuban attack, the inevitable war that would follow and possible attempts on the life of newly sworn-in President Lyndon B. Johnson.

“For a time, it just didn’t seem like people were smiling or laughing or telling jokes or anything,” Baynham said. “It was really just a massively terrible thing to have happen anywhere, much less where you live.”

Police excel under pressure David MacDonald had always wanted to be

a police officer. At age 20, he became one — for one night a month.

The future Dallas detective and Eastfield criminal justice instructor began his career as a reserve officer one Saturday a month helping out at the jails, transporting prisoners, patrolling and assisting more experienced officers.

He repaired televisions for Curtis Mathes, a television manufacturer in Garland. He was at lunch when he noticed a group of Cuban coworkers whose hands were moving quickly.

Their voices raised several octaves higher and they spoke considerably faster. Some of their eyebrows furrowed as if they were trying to comprehend something.

MacDonald’s Spanish was not good enough to understand them, but he could tell something wasn’t right. When he turned on the radio later that day, he realized what had happened.

Though he was deeply affected by the assassination, MacDonald was impressed by the fast, professional response of the Dallas Police Department, something he believes is overlooked when talking about that fateful weekend.

MacDonald praised Dallas police, especially Carl Day, a physical evidence lieutenant he later worked with after being promoted to detective in October of 1967.

“Carl Day found a fingerprint that belonged to Oswald on the rifle,” MacDonald said. “That, to me, put the icing on the cake.”

MacDonald said everything about the investigation, including suspected shooter Lee Harvey Oswald’s apprehension, was excellent.

MacDonald helped transport Oswald the night of Nov. 23 from jail to the interrogation room.

Reporters from around the world converged upon the jail. They fired away with questions, targeting anyone with a badge, including MacDonald, who had little knowledge of the details at the time.

MacDonald could tell Chief Jesse Curry was under intense pressure. News headlines focused on Dallas’ role in the assassination.

“In some ways, they tried to make Dallas the fall guy,” MacDonald said.

Mistake gives city a black eye On the afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 24, Jerry Henson was driving his beige and cream Chevrolet Bel Air to Wichita Falls, where he was

NEWS

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Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Sharon Cook Assistant to President Jean Conway 3rd Grade in 1963

, “I was in Ms. Love s thirdgrade class at Sam Houston Elementary in Corpus Christi and we were outside at recess. The principal called all of the classes inside and made the announcement over the loud speaker that President Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas.

I remember Ms. Love crying and explaining what assassination meant. We had been , talking about the president s visit to Texas for several days prior to the assassination and we were so proud, and now saddened by learning that he had been killed.

A few minutes later, we were , sent home and didn t return , until after the president s funeral, which we all watched on our black and white televisions.”

www.eastfieldnews.com “I remember during the Cuban Missile Crisis, we built a bomb shelter. It was, OK, , we re going to get out the , sandbags again. It was one corner of our basement. It was probably useless, but it made us feel good.”

Jerry Henson Religion, philosophy and history professor Age 24 in 1963

“Like a lot of Southerners, a lot of Texans, I was suspicious of a liberal Yankee. , He didn t sound like us.

He had that thick Boston , accent. I didn t appreciate Kennedy until after the election really when I started learning about his programs. I sort of discovered in that process some of the things that I most value and expected out of politics.”

planning to deliver a sermon at the 40-member Charlie Baptist Church.

The 24-year-old graduate student didn’t mind the drive. Gas was 20 cents per gallon near the Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth, where he studied religion.

A local radio broadcast broke the news that would alter Henson’s sermon that day.

“In retrospect, it’s kind of dumb that nobody anticipated that [Oswald] might be killed,” Henson said. “The way he was transferred from city jail to county jail just left the field open for somebody to come in and shoot him.”

Well-known nightclub owner Jack Ruby had walked up to Oswald as he was being transported and shot him in the stomach, killing the suspected shooter before he ever went to trial.

The city leaders put pressure on Curry to do something that would send a message that Dallas had complete control over the situation.

“Let the whole nation see he’s been arrested and he’s going to be in jail. He will be tried and probably executed,” Henson said. “Of course that didn’t happen.”

Curry gave the go-ahead to transfer Oswald in broad daylight from the city jail to the more secure and heavily guarded county jail. Oswald never made it.

The presidential assassination, Oswald’s arrest and Ruby’s shooting had all occurred within 48 hours.

Henson conducted the church service as usual that day until it came time to preach.

He announced that Oswald had been shot, scrapped his sermon and invited an open dis-

John Emery Associate dean of science and physical education Age 8 in 1963

Dana See Biology lab assistant Age 8 in 1963

“My father made both my brother and me sit with him and our mom and , watch the president s funeral procession on our little kitchen TV. I asked him why we had to watch it and he said because it was very important and he wanted to make sure we would always remember it.”

cussion about recent events.

“No city wants to advertise that it’s had a president killed in its town, but until that point, I don’t think people were blaming the city, particularly police, for the assassination,” Henson said. “You think about it, wherever the president goes, there’s a huge crowd, big buildings, lots of hiding places. A person with a deer rifle can get awfully close to the president without being seen in a big city with a big crowd and lots of strangers. But getting Oswald killed was just poor practice and poor judgment.”

Dallas begins to lose hope Cynthia Taylor, now a registered nurse and director of the Eastfield Health Center, was 10 years old when Kennedy was assassinated. She saw the tears of her teachers while listening to the news on the radio in the cafeteria of J.J. Rhodes Elementary.

But she would not begin to understand the full gravity of the situation until she came home to her father — a vocal supporter of the president.

“He was very, very heartbroken,” Taylor said. “I can’t say that he lost hope because he lived years beyond that. It wasn’t enough to take him down, but it was a stain on the city.

And that’s how a lot of us looked at it.”

Taylor’s father was an auto mechanic who never had a formal education. He instantly connected with Kennedy, who spoke in a simple, easy-to-understand way, and he watched all of the president’s televised speeches.

“My home has always been a home of news,” Taylor said. “My dad would read the paper and

The Et Cetera “All of a sudden, I looked up at a little black and white TV that we had in our kitchen and Walter Cronkite was on television, announcing to the world that President John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas. About 15 minutes later, he came out and said, it has been conf rmed that John F. Kennedy has been assassinated and he is dead in Dallas. He took off his glasses and he looked down because

“Less than two years later, Marina Oswald remarried and my dad, Carl Leonard Jr., performed the ceremony. He was the Justice of the Peace in Fate at the time. He was working in our lower beds when he received a call from the Rockwall sheriff that he needed him to perform a wedding. My dad just dropped what he was doing and went as he was to his shop there in Fate. When they arrived,

then watch the news, so I was brought up that way. It wasn’t like U-Verse now, where you can take it and move it everywhere. We had one room, one TV. That was the norm.”

Taylor believed the Kennedys were more than just politicians. She saw them as celebrities, as king and queen. She found President Kennedy’s youth and Jackie’s beauty and fashion sense appealing in grade school, even if she didn’t always follow the politics.

“We had so much hope in them, and they were kind of majestic,” Taylor said. “Every time you’d hear something about the Kennedy clan, you’d stop and look at the news to hear what they had to say because they were our family. The Kennedys were our royalty.”

Dallas moves on In the wake of the assassination, Dallas businessmen and community leaders felt the need to move forward and rebuild the city’s reputation. The anti-Kennedy groups that had paraded the streets before the shooting began to lose steam.

“It caused an enormous amount of soulsearching,” Baynham said. “It began a period of intolerance for that kind of hatred and venom-spewing.”

In 1964, John Erik Jonsson was elected as mayor of Dallas. The Texas Instruments cofounder pushed for education reform and new business deals. He steered the public conversation away from potentially volatile arguments between conservatives and liberals.

“We were confronted with the results of that kind of hate speech,” Henson said. “When

Bob Hoskins Communications instructor Age 20 in 1963

he was speechless after that. I , don t think at that age or any age you really understand what was just said because we only have [a few] presidents who have ever been killed.”

Carla Rogers Financial Aid and Veteran Affairs Age 13 in 1965

Sheriff W.J. Price introduced them and said they were in a hurry because the reporters were on their heels and they were dodging them. Daddy said it was the quickest ceremony he ever performed.”

you dehumanize somebody because of political beliefs and that person is killed, you have to ask, ‘How much did my hate speech contribute to that? Is that what I intended?’”

Baynham returned from serving four years in the Air Force in 1970 to find the city far different than the one he remembered as a teenager.

Buildings were taller, and more colleges had sprouted up, including El Centro, Mountain View and Eastfield.

Baynham joined the Eastfield staff in 1970, eventually becoming associate vice president.

Everything seemed bigger, brighter, bolder.

Jobs and opportunity seemed like possibilities again.

Eventually, presidents returned to Dallas. In 1984, Ronald Reagan was here for the Republican National Convention.

MacDonald was assigned to work as a Secret Service agent for the event.

“I think a lot of that there, 20 years after the assassination, was a feather in our hat,” he said.

Dallas was moving on and helping the world understand that just because a president was killed here didn’t mean the city was to blame.

“People gradually came to the conclusion that it could’ve happened anywhere,” Baynham said. “It could still happen anywhere today. The Boston Marathon [bombing] happened in Boston, but it could’ve been somewhere else. Those crazy people are out there. So people began to realize it’s not something intrinsically to do with Dallas. If Oswald had lived somewhere else, he would have tried it somewhere else.”

opinion

6 The Et Cetera

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Etera 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 Kevin Cushingberry Jr. Life & Arts Editor Justin David Tate Opinion Editor Caitlin Piper Online Editor Miguel Padilla Design Editor Yolanda Ramirez Photo Editor Odessa Leeper Staff Writers Billy Dennis Kristen Dixon Karina Dunn Gereneicia Foster Emma Hahn Liritze Pedroza-Ortiz Photographer Arica Hill Cartoonists Alex Hernandez Jonathan Wences Graphics Chadney Cantrell Advertising Manager Yolanda Ramirez Student Publications Manager Wendy L. Moore Faculty Adviser Lori Dann Editorial Policy The views expressed on the opinion pages and other opinion pieces and cartoons in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of The Et Cetera, Eastfield College or the Dallas County Community College District.

The Et Cetera is published every two weeks— except December, January and summer months—by a student staff. Each member of the college community is entitled to one free copy of The Et Cetera. Additional copies are available in Room N-240.

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

The content will remain that of the author. Letters considered for publication must be 250 words or fewer. Letters may be delivered to Room N-240 or sent to etc4640@dcccd.edu 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.

OUR VIEW

’Tis the season to make campus changes With the holidays just around the corner, many people are readying their wish lists, hoping to receive gifts from their friends and family. We realize that administrators aren’t always aware of what students want from their college, so in the spirit of the season, we have compiled our own Eastfield wish list in hopes of changing our campus for the better.

Many of these requests cannot be addressed overnight, but we hope our suggestions will be considered in an effort to improve the educational experiences of future Eastfield students.

First, many students are losing valuable class time due to faulty technology. Whether it’s the often-sluggish Internet connection, a malfunctioning projector or an unresponsive Smart Board, professors and students are constantly attempting to fix broken or non-working gadgets when they could be participating in class.

Another major problem is that we seem to be outgrowing our own campus. As enrollment

continues to rise, buildings and parking lots are becoming more crowded. The recent announcement that the Testing Center will be expanding into a currently occupied classroom also means that campus clubs will no longer have a predetermined meeting room.

Other problems, such as the broken microwave in the Pit and the lack of a PayPal option when paying tuition, are minor in comparison, but no less frustrating to students and faculty.

We also wonder why some buildings lack elevators and don’t have restrooms on each floor.

This is most noticeable in the N building, which has no elevator and no second-floor restrooms.

Additionally, some of the elevators we do have in adjacent buildings are not nearly large enough to comfortably accommodate a wheelchair.

Another frustration is that the majority of the campus’ vending machines do not accept credit or debit cards. Some don’t even give back the proper amount of change. We realize we can go

to the Business Office for a refund, but this is a real time-waster, if not an impossibility, when trying to grab a quick snack before class.

And finally, is a nightly back-up on eConnect truly necessary, especially when so many students are regular night owls? Should three hours a day really be devoted to this?

That being said, there are some improvements we are thankful for this holiday season.

The outdated computers in the library are scheduled to be replaced, and food and drink is now allowed in non-computer areas, meaning we don’t have to take a break from studying to eat.

The addition of MyPortal accounts can also help many students keep track of their professors and classmates.

These are all steps in the right direction and proof that the campus and the student body can work together. However, we must strive to work in unison on these other long-term improvement projects.

opinion

7

The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

Defendants have rights, too

In late 1991, my uncle was accused of rape. His ex-wife claimed he had come to her house in the middle of the night, knocked on her door and sexually assaulted her when she came to answer.

She also claimed he had threatened their 4-year-old daughter with violence after learning the girl had been a witness to the crime.

Unable to prove his innocence, my uncle spent the next several weeks in prison. He lost his job, custody of his son and many of his friends.

Although she believed him to be innocent, his fiancée almost called off their upcoming wedding when the stress of the situation proved to be too much. His son was the frequent target of bullying at school when the news became public.

Almost two months after she accused him, my uncle’s ex-wife admitted she had lied about the rape, giving no particular reason why she had done so. My uncle was released from prison while she was admitted into a mental hospital for reasons unrelated to the event. She was later diagnosed with Bipolar disorder.

Despite her confession, my uncle had trouble adjusting to life after the accusation. He was unable to return to his old job, and because his name had been publicly released, he was eventually forced to move his family to another city.

He was unable to find work for more

Caitlin Piper

than a year and eventually took his life in early 1993.

I know my uncle is not the only one to experience something like this. Rape is a truly despicable crime with a strong stigma attached to it, and it can be very difficult to prove. However, the public tends to side with the accuser in the majority of cases, even if they have no prior knowledge of the events.

Because of this, I believe both the accused and the accuser should be kept anonymous until a verdict is reached.

Under current legislation, victims can remain anonymous in sexual assault cases, but suspects cannot. Equal rights should be given to both those who are being accused and those who have made the accusation.

Even if suspects are found not guilty, the trial can cause permanent damage to their reputations and follow them for the rest of their lives. In many of these cases, the majority of the public believe they have gotten away with a crime.

Those who oppose the concept of suspect anonymity in sexual assault cases claim that it will endanger any potential victims later on, and in a case where there are multiple victims, prevent others from coming forward to identify their attacker. While this is unfortunate, current legislation is still placing a double standard on suspects.

By no means do I condone sexual assault. A victim has every right to report an attacker and should never feel pressured to protect one, just as the public should never blame the victim for the attack or doubt an accusation unless there is a significant amount of contradictory evidence.

However, the rampant hypocrisy in modern legislation should not be ignored.

Granting suspects in sex-related crimes anonymity until they are convicted will prevent many innocent people from losing control of their lives.

Presumption of innocence is a staple in modern American law, and releasing the names of sexual assault suspects directly contradicts this. People should not be treated like criminals until proven guilty, regardless of the severity of the crime.

It is both unethical and unfair to pick and choose when we should uphold certain laws.

Happiness can come wrapped in a box Everywhere I go, I see advertisements for clothes, movies, TV shows, stores and food. I see huge billboards by the highway shouting for me to buy something I don’t have.

The whole world revolves around me and what I want. What can I buy that will make me happy?

The world wants me to believe that in order to be happy, I need X, Y and Z this very second.

But is that true? Will I really be miserable if I don’t have the latest iPhone, name-brand jeans or gaming system?

Will my world crash and burn if I don’t have a boyfriend, if I don’t have $1 million or if I don’t go on vacation to Walt Disney World?

These are all lies that the corporate world wants us to believe.

Even right and wrong have been twisted into things they are not so that we can be happy. Theft. Lies. Greed.

Revenge.

The dictionary defines it as “a state of well-being and contentment.”

Billboards define our happiness by what we don’t have. However, we should

Emma Hahn

be happy because of all we have.

Contentment is not longing for the new iPhone. Contentment is what Thanksgiving is about. It is about being happy for even the simplest things in life, like family or a home-cooked meal.

Some people have way less than others but rejoice in what they already have.

Recently my church showed a short film about Operation Christmas Child.

It showed hundreds of children holding shoeboxes wrapped in Christmas paper and stuffed with toys, candy and toiletries.

The toys in the shoeboxes were not extravagant. They didn’t require a plug or even AA batteries. They were mostly stuffed bears, dolls, yo-yos, jump ropes and jacks. They were simple by today’s

standards.

Most of the children on the screen were very poor. They struggle to survive.

The shoeboxes filled with treats were probably the first new gifts they had ever received.

The joy on their faces can’t be described in a few words. The children danced around, shouted, laughed and played with their new toys. Some even cried, because they received things they needed in their shoebox. Those children will stretch the candy and toiletries for months — because they know this is all they have.

By modern American standards, these children should have been unhappy. They couldn’t afford the new toys in the Christmas catalogues. They don’t wear designer jeans or live in a mansion.

Were they unhappy? No. They were delighted with their gifts.

Extravagance is not the essence of happiness. Happiness is found in what we are thankful for.

These children were thankful for their meager presents, and it was evident in their smiles.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Stay-at-home mom best job for little pay Not every stay-at-home mom is a lazy, trash talking, gold-digging woman. We don’t all live in big houses and have nannies at our beck and call. Shows like “Basketball Wives” and “The Real Housewives” have warped people’s perceptions about stay-at-home mothers.

Honestly, I used to think the same thing before I took the job myself. How hard could it be to stay at home and cook and clean all day? I’ve learned it isn’t as easy as it seems.

I have five children ages 7 and under, and taking care of them every day isn’t easy. My husband works an evening shift, so during the day I am usually responsible for handling their acGereneicia tivities. Believe it or not, Foster this is a full-time job.

Being a stay-at-home mom is one of the most challenging yet rewarding jobs I have ever had.

My day starts at 6 a.m. when I have to coax my two oldest boys, Josiah, 7, and Micah, 6, out of bed. I make sure they are dressed appropriately, brush their teeth, wash their faces and have their backpacks ready by 7:15.

After I send them off to school, I still have three tiny terrors to tackle: Joel, 5, Trinity, 3, and Kamari, 1.

Between 7:15 and 11:30 a.m., I am cooking breakfast, starting my morning chores, helping the kids get dressed and preparing lunch before dropping Joel off at school at 11:55.

If it’s a Tuesday or Thursday, my school days, the morning is more hectic.

Usually between 12:15 and 2:45 p.m., I’m finishing whatever chores I wasn’t able to complete that morning, working on homework, and running errands before picking Joel up at 2:55. Then I rush home to meet my oldest boys who are dismissed from school at the same time.

From the time they get home from school to their bedtime at 8:30, I’m assisting with homework, cooking dinner, helping them find school clothes, take baths and reading bed-time stories before finally tucking them into bed.

After all that you’d think I’d have some “me time,” right?

Nope, that’s when I begin my evening chores. I also study and complete any homework that wasn’t finished earlier.

Once I’m done, showered and ready for bed, it’s about 11 p.m. I’m exhausted, yet fulfilled.

In this whirlwind of daily events, I am able to capture timeless, precious moments with my children.

I enjoy hearing them giggle after a joke we share or watching them talk animatedly while enjoying one of their favorite cartoons. I love seeing their excitement when we are baking together or after I unveil a surprise.

I like to watch how determined they are when attempting to do something for the first time. These are the moments that I live for, and I wouldn’t be able to experience this if I was still working full-time.

I get to plan their schedules and spend extra time with my children. I can experience all of their milestones firsthand.

I don’t have to wonder what they are doing or how they are feeling because I am there to ask them.

I’m sure life would be easier if I was one of the “Real Housewives” characters, but that’s just not reality for stay-athome moms like myself.

We bust our butts to take care of our families, our homes and lastly ourselves. But it’s all worth it.

Life&Arts

The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

Cryptozoology

Science seminar dispels Texas animal myths

By Karina Dunn Staff Writer

Does Bigfoot live among us?

Ask a cryptozoologist, a person who specializes in the study of hidden animals, and he will say yes.

Legend has it that Texas is home to famous creatures such as the Chupacabra and Bigfoot himself. Their stories have spawned a network called the Cryptozoology of Texas.

Its researchers attempt to identify cryptids or animals that have not been scientifically proven to exist.

Cryptozoologists are passionate about exposing these obscure creatures to the public and do not limit themselves to the scientific method, or even to reality.

On Oct. 31, Dr. John Emery and biology professor Murry Gans highlighted some of the findings and operation of cryptozoology. Their explanations and analysis led to a discussion on mythological creatures and the obsession surrounding them.

Emery stressed the importance of looking for facts among the myths.

“You have to look and say, do [cryptozoologists] have a vested interest, or are they looking for the truth?” he said.

Emery asked the audience to consider the reasons a researcher may have for believing in one of the cryptids, such as funding for projects, and to not be fooled by what appears to be good research.

Gans followed Emery’s presentation with an unexpected announcement.

“I am going to show you irrefutable evidence that I discovered Bigfoot,” he said.

Prior to his research, Gans considered himself a skeptic of cryptozoology. However, he said he went to great lengths to prove the existence of creatures like Bigfoot, conducting interviews and in-depth research on the subject.

Gans claimed to have found Bigfoot’s house and his car. He showed a video documenting the experience.

“At this point, I had a slight setback in my research,” Gans said, setting up his joke.

“Mr. Foot actually filed a restraining order against me.”

Emery said the scientific community has consistently denied that such animals exist.

“It is important to remember that no animal ever anticipated by a cryptozoologist has ever been found to exist,” Emery said. “Not one.”

Citing the National Center for Biotechnology Information, an official scientific database, Gans showed the audience the genetic make-up of a man, a woman and Bigfoot, whom Gans discovered to have an extra chromosome.

There was only one problem: The database used to document Bigfoot’s genetic information was created using Photoshop.

Near the end of his presentation, Gans asked the audience what makes a good lie believable.

“An old guy, with a white beard and a lab coat,” Gans said. “Credential tag, and a pocket full of pens,” he added, describing his own attire that day.

Gans encouraged viewers to look beyond the surface of most cryptozoology and see it for what it is: “bad science.”

Seadra Reese, a student who attended the presentation, said she was reminded to be more discerning.

“Don’t believe everything you hear,” Reese said.

Another student, Quincy Mance, said he learned more about myths and the importance of credible sources.

“Make sure to verify information and use an accredited site,” Mance said.

Gans and Emery both said the point of the presentation was to demonstrate the lengths cryptozoologists take to prove their own conclusions. “[Cryptozoologists] work backwards,” Emery said. “They start with the answer to their conclusion, [this animal exists], and manipulate research to prove it.”

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The Et Cetera

BAILE FOLKLORICO Dancers show off skills for Hispanic Heritage Month When the Hispanic Heritage committee wanted to bring an event to Eastfield that would cater to the surrounding community, they chose Anita N. Martinez’s Ballet Folklorico.

On Oct. 29, students from Martinez’s school performed classical Latin folk dances, including the Jarabe Tapatío, a Mexican hat dance.

The performance began with a group of young girls dancing in colorful dresses and ribbons in their hair. Their smiles showed the enjoyment they got out of performing for the Eastfield crowd.

Founded in 1975 by Martinez, a city council member at the time, Ballet Folklorico is intended to teach Hispanic youth about their culture through performing arts. The hope is they will become more aware of traditional Mexican customs.

— Genesis Castillo Jessica Garcia/The Et cetera

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LIFE&ArTS

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LO VE & WA R

‘Blue’ is a lip-locking Gamer Z ne lesbian love narrative

By Justin David Tate Life & Arts Editor

Lips. If you don’t like the curved indent of actress Adèle Exarchopoulos’ upper lip, or the small, permanent plump pucker of her bottom lip, this film is not for you.

Director Abdel Kechiche takes every opportunity to make those lips the focus of the camera’s gaze throughout this three-hour epic of self-discovery, lust, love, jealousy and ultimately heartbreak.

The film, “Blue is the Warmest Colour,” is a coming-of-age story told from the viewpoint of a 15-year-old French high school student named Adele. She becomes enamored with Emma, a blue-haired college student played by “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” actress Léa Seydoux.

The NC-17-rated film threatens to cross into the realm of sexual exploitation with extended love scenes that include realistic depictions of oral sex and close-ups of genitalia, but the two female leads’ believable relationship raises the film to an artistic achievement.

The sex scenes are not without purpose. They are essentially a physical display of how passionate and

intense the young couple’s love is.

However, the true power of this film comes from the two leads’ interactions with family and friends.

Scenes highlighting the vast difference between the two families provide the funniest and most interesting revelations. They indicate that these women — Adele, a school teacher and closeted lesbian, and Emma, a painter who kicked her closet door off the hinges long ago — have unique cultural differences that can strengthen or stifle their union.

Other moments such as their discussion of the similarities between Bob Marley and French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and the smiles they share with each other while performing their best lioness roar to arms at a pride parade are a joy to witness.

They add to the evidence that this is a real couple that you want to believe will succeed. However, wandering eyes and jealous glances eventually foreshadow the inevitable.

If the intimate, intense physicality of their relationship doesn’t trouble you, there’s a tender love story to enjoy and ultimately lament.

Courtesy of Sundance Selects

Adele and Emma share a kiss in the film ‘Blue is the Warmest Colour.’

Courtesy of activision

‘Ghosts’ fires blanks from familiar arsenal

By Caitlin Piper Opinion Editor

Over the past few years, the “Call of Duty” franchise has become the unwitting poster child for the avalanche of unimaginative and high-budget, triple-A cash cows unleashed upon us every holiday season. Like fast food and summer blockbusters, these games tend to have little or no substance or originality and are considered the epitome of blandness by the gaming community at large.

Personally, I’ve always thought the reputation was largely undeserved. The series definitely has an audience, and few of its detractors ever acknowledge the surprisingly competent storytelling of “Black Ops” or the attempt to revitalize the stagnating formula with “Black Ops II.” Having said that, “Call of Duty: Ghosts” is just the sort of game the franchise’s critics were expecting. It is flashy, but bland.

It’s a decent way to spend a weekend, but it does very little to distinguish itself from the war shooters of the last decade. “Ghosts” is an exer-

cise in mediocrity, an uninspired, formulaic and ultimately forgettable entry in an otherwise perfectly respectable series.

Set in an alternate universe where the Middle East is destroyed by nukes, “Ghosts” takes place after the oil-rich countries of South America form the villainous Federation. With its newfound power, the Federation invades and conquers Central America, and is in the process of taking over America.

In response, a United States Special Operations unit known as the Ghosts is formed, led by retired U.S. Army Captain Elias Walker.

Its members include Walker’s two sons — Logan and David — and a combat-trained German shepherd named Riley. After the Walker family narrowly escapes a Federation-led kinetic bombardment of San Diego, they set out to destroy the Federation and save what remains of the country.

The single-player campaign is divided into a number of missions and objectives, each of which are

treading familiar ground. There’s a sniping mission, a stealth mission, a mission where you fire from the back of a vehicle as enemies pursue you — we’ve seen it all before. By no means is the gameplay bad, but it is a strictly paint-by-numbers affair.

The game’s main attempt to stand out is the inclusion of Riley the dog, but even that manages to be disappointing. You can sometimes control him and sometimes direct him to attack with a human player character, but what little novelty it has wears off quickly. It’s certainly not enough to carry an ultimately tepid game.

Multiplayer fares slightly better, but it still isn’t anything we haven’t seen before.

At the end of the day, “Call of Duty: Ghosts” is adequate. Everything functions properly, but it just feels like the game is going through the motions. Nothing is terrible, but nothing stands out. It is soulless and bland.

If you need to get your “Call of Duty” fix, nothing I say will stop you from buying “Ghosts,” but everyone else should just stick to “Black Ops II” until the price goes down.

Sports

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Nov. 15 Nov. 16 Nov. 18 Nov. 19 Nov. 23 Dec. 2

Volleyball national semis Volleyball national finals Basketball vs. Texas Wesleyan Basketball vs. El Centro Basketball at Paris Basketball vs. McLennan

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Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Eastfield advances to nationals

By Kevin Cushingberry Jr. Editor in Chief

Before her team stepped on the court for the Metro Athletic Conference title game, Eastfield volleyball coach Caitlin Smith told the Lady Harvesters the third time would be a charm.

Sure enough, after losing two regular-season matches to Brookhaven, Smith’s prediction came true in the postseason. On Oct. 26, Eastfield beat the Bears in straight sets to win the MAC title and advance to the NJCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball National Championship for the first time in school history.

The Bears, who defeated the Lady Harvesters in last year’s MAC championship, hadn’t lost a conference tournament match since 2004.

“We went in there ready to play,” sophomore captain Cynthia Martin said. “We walked in their gym calm, and it was sweet revenge.”

After last year’s defeat the Harvesters’ returning players met with former coach Audrey Glasscock and committed to making it to nationals.

However, two weeks before two-a-days, they found out Glasscock wasn’t coming back to Eastfield.

“She was one of the best coaches I’ve ever had,” sophomore setter Tangela Fuller said. “It was a rough patch because I wasn’t really sure what this season was going to be like.”

Smith, who was brought in to be Glasscock’s assistant, was promoted to head coach. She said she didn’t immediately have control of the team.

“It took me awhile to figure out their personalities, how they were going to gel together on the court,” she said.

The players also found it hard getting things to click at the beginning of the season.

“We wanted to be the best we could be,” Martin said. “But at the same time we had a brand new coach and freshmen, and there was so much learning that needed to be done.”

Freshman outside hitter Paige Morris, who was on Glasscock’s club team, said it was hard to see her coach leave.

“When I first met coach Smith, I was curious about how she coaches and how I was going to adapt to playing with her,” she said.

Morris, who said she was accustomed to being the “top dog” at Poteet High School last year, became discouraged when losses started piling up early in the season.

The situation got worse when the Lady Harvesters had to forfeit all of their wins in August and September after Fuller was found to be ineligible.

“We would just come in the gym and have no drive or energy,” Martin said. “Coach just got sick of it and said, ‘If y’all are going to keep playing like this, I’m just going to leave.’”

After that happened, Martin and sophomore co-captain Jordan Taylor had a long meeting with Smith and discussed what needed to change in order for the team to win.

The next day, Martin and Taylor had a meeting with the rest of the team and told them their goal was still the same as it was at the beginning of the season: “We want to go to nationals,” they said.

The Harvesters finished the regular season on a four-game winning streak that improved their conference record to .500 and earned them a spot in the MAC tournament.

Smith said she saw the team grow as the season progressed, and she believes the Lady Harvesters are playing their best volleyball heading into nationals..

“We’ve really got a fire going,” Smith said. “We’re working hard in practice, and we’re playing better in games.”

TBA TBA 7 p.m.

7 p.m.

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Kevin Cushingberry Jr.

Mavs back to familiar form

Arica Hill/The Et cetera

Captain Cynthia Martin goes for the ball in a game earlier this season. Martin, an honorable mention all-American choice last season, hopes to win the national championship.

Smith said that leading the Lady Harvesters to the national tournament just one year after she graduated from Cal Poly was a surprise.

“It was definitely a shock for me to be able to come in and have this type of impact on the girls,” Smith said. “It definitely says something about the girls’ character.”

Martin said the team’s turnaround came just when they needed it to, and she believes they keep rolling at nationals. The national tournament will be held in Rochester, Minn., on Friday and Saturday.

“Some teams peak early,” she said. “We peaked at the perfect part of the season. We’re still peaking, and now we’re about to go to Minnesota and finish that off.”

Smith said the team isn’t focused on where it will be seeded in the tournament. Whether they are No. 1 or No. 8, they’ll be ready to play.

“People may not take us as seriously,” Smith said. “I think it gives us a good opportunity to show them what we’re all about.

Hey, we’re here to win. We want to come home with a title.”

You know how when someone gets a new hairstyle and they just don’t look like themselves? You try to act like it’s a good look, or just not mention it, but it’s obvious that the change just isn’t working.

That was the Dallas Mavericks last season.

They started the 2012 season without Dirk Nowitzki, leaving Mavericks fans asking “Who’s No. 42?”

Two years removed from an NBA championship, Shawn Marion is the only remaining player on the roster other than the 7-foot German who helped bring Dallas its only title in franchise history.

Dirk missed nearly 30 games last season, and by the time he came back, the team was below .500. He came back mid-season and tried to rally the team by growing his beard. While the Mavericks made it back to .500 by mid-April, they finished with the same amount of losses as they did wins: 41. The team missed the playoffs for the first time in 12 seasons.

Owner Mark Cuban splurged on shooting guard Monta Ellis in the offseason. He’s averaging 23 points per game [higher than Dirk] through the first seven games.

His scoring spree isn’t an anomaly — Ellis is known as one of the league’s most confident gunslingers, and he has averaged 20 points throughout his eight-year career.

The Mavericks also acquired Spanish point guard Jose Calderon, who has fared well playing alongside Pau and Marc Gasol in international play for Spain. Calderon is as versed in the pick and roll as any point guard the Mavericks have had since newly hired Nets coach Jason Kidd.

Ex-Spur DeJuan Blair has also joined the team, adding a post presence alongside free-agent pickup Samuel Dalembert. Ellis and Dalembert played together in Milwaukee last year, where they had some success before falling to the Heat in the first round of the playoffs.

As for Dirk, he’s 35 years old and this is his 15th season in the league. His knees look better than they did last year, and he scored at least 22 points in each of the Mavericks’ first three games, a peak he reached only 12 times in 53 games last season.

Dirk’s career averages are attainable this year, and Ellis may add the type of spark the Mavericks need. With the addition of new starters and some key role players, the Mavericks should be back in the playoffs as at least the eighth best team in the Western Conference.

They may not be the league’s prettiest team and it’s doubtful they have enough talent to be championship contenders, but the Mavericks are back to looking like themselves again.

Sports

12 Wednesday, November 13, 2013

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The Et Cetera

Harvesters flourish in freedom offense

By Kevin Cushingberry Jr. Editor in Chief

Sitting on the bench during a timeout, sophomore guard D.J. Jordan told his Eastfield teammates if they got him the ball on a fast break, he would finish at the rim. Moments later, Jordan was hanging off the basket with a defender under him, two points on the scoreboard and a chance for another at the free-throw line.

Plays such as these occurred often in the Harvesters’ first four games, which they won by a combined 158 points.

Jordan, who is averaging 15 points per game, has flourished alongside several other newcomers in what coach Anthony Fletcher calls his “freedom offense.”

“I love it,” Jordan said. “My teammates feed off of me and I feed off of them. Our chemistry and the style of play lets all of us shine.”

Freshman forward Ricardo Artis said the way the team has bonded since the first practice of the season wasn’t something he was expecting. Artis redshirted at North Lake in 2011, and joined the Eastfield squad in August after sitting out for a year.

“It’s crazy because most of us come from different cities, but our chemistry is great,” Artis said. “When I see [Jordan]

“

It’s crazy because most of us come from different cities, but our chemistry is great.

— Ricardo Artis

Freshman forward

get a dunk or [freshman guard Walter Bell] get a dunk, I’m as excited as if it was me.”

Dunks aren’t the only reason for excitement this season. Sophomore captain Joshua Shockey made six 3-pointers in Eastfield’s first home game of the season, a 144-102 victory over Open Bible College on Nov. 4.

Redshirt freshman guard Quinton Jones also scored 12 points on four 3-pointers in that game and added a 20-point performance the next night against El Centro. Jones, who is averaging 16 points, said his teammates have influenced his ability to make shots.

“I have to give credit to them,” he said.

“They’re getting me the ball when I’m open, and I’m making shots. We’ve started off this year a whole lot better than we did last season.”

Jones was awarded a redshirt season

after breaking his leg in the Harvesters’ third game last season. He was able to travel with the team last year and said this year’s team has some work to do before conference play begins.

“Our offense is good, but we need to improve on defense,” Jones said. “Just being more focused on the little things.

We’ll be ready by the time we need to.”

The Harvesters’ first conference game won’t come until Jan. 11. Sophomore captain Andrew Maxie said the team’s first major test will be Nov. 23 at Paris Junior College. Eastfield beat Paris, a Division I junior college, by three points last December.

The Harvesters were ranked fourth in the NJCAA Division III basketball preseason poll, ahead of two teams they defeated in the national tournament last year: No. 5 MassBay and No. 8 Caldwell Tech.

#20

D.J. Jordan Player of the Week “My teammates feed off of me, and I feed off of them. Our chemistry and the style of play lets all of us shine.”

Sophomore GUard Stats: 15 PPG, 4 APG, 4 RPG

SUCCEED Here, I feel at home and am surrounded by other passionate students who want to succeed.

— Raychel Taylor

Transfer student, music performance

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Trick or treat Spartan warriors roared into battle and a Thriller-era, zombified Michael Jackson moonwalked across the Pit on Halloween.

Students dressed in their best makeup and most creative outfits for Eastfield’s annual Halloween Costume Contest. Abe Lincoln, a green goblin and a red fairy took home awards for Most Creative and Most Scary.

Chris Pleis’ costume, inspired by the movie “300,” won the Fan Favorite award. It was a near exact replica of that worn by the character Leonidas, a Spartan warrior blessed with athleticism and comic-book muscles.

— Justin David Tate (Near right) The Science Club’s entry in the Pumpkin Carving Contest; (Clockwise from top right) Halloween Costume entrants Chris Pleis, Daniel Hernandez, Anderson Irby and Felicia Wagner.

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JEssica Garcia/The Et cetera

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Wrapup The Et Cetera

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Short Thoughts BY ALEX HERNANDEZ

Trivia Bits Thanks to “Boom Boom Pow” and “I’ve Got a Feeling,” what band set a record in 2009 for most straight weeks at Billboard #1?

A) Black Eyed Peas B) Fall Out Boy C) Gorillaz D) One Direction

Black Eyed Peas

Trivia Answer

SUDOKU

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Wednesday, November 13, 2013