Today’s Weather
70/54 Rather cloudy during the day. Considerable cloudiness during the night.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015 • Vol. 41, No. 4 • HCCEgalitarian.com Spring Break options for the thrifty see News, Page 3
Texans release Andre Johnson see Sports, Page 8
Bored? Just start binge-watching TV see A&E, page 10
HCC employees undergo new training Alyssa Foley
The Egalitarian Houston Community College’s chancellor directed all HCC employees to complete new discrimination response training by March 31. In a memo issued Feb. 26, Chancellor Cesar Maldonado stated, “It is an important part of all our jobs to keep HCC a respectful and safe learning and working environment. I personally endorse the concept of “See something…say something!”” Maldonado defined HCC’s non-discrimination policy in the memo, “No employee, student, applicant, vendor or visitor will be discriminated against because
of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity or veteran status except where such distinction is required by law. No reprisals or retaliation of any kind shall be taken against an individual who exercises his/her rights under the law.” “Any proven charge of discrimination will result in appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including suspension or termination from employment,” concluded Maldonado. Any possible violations of the college’s discrimination or sexual harassment policies should be reported to the Office of Institutional Equity at 713.718.8271.
“It is an important part of all of our jobs to keep HCC a respectful and safe working and learning environment. I personally endorse the concept of ‘See something ... say something’. Any proven charge of discrimination will result in appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including suspension or termination from employment.”
Cesar Maldonado HCC Chancellor
The training will be in the form of an online module. This training follows changes in federal law and directives from the Department of Education. “It is required to be in compliance with federal law,” explained David Cross, HCC’s director of
the Office of Institutional Equity and an Equal Employment Opportunity compliance officer. “It makes sure that we are tracking and addressing complaints that come in and have safety-sensitive issues.” “Usually when you hear “sex
discrimination” you think about sexual harassment,” said Renee Mack, but, “this module covers much, much more.” Mack is the manager of HCC’s Equal
see
HCC Training, Page 3
Rodeo Cook-Off gives taste buds an 8-second ride John Cañamar The Egalitarian
Smoking may be frowned upon in most public settings and even banned, but at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, it’s required. Before all the cowboys, horses and trail rides reach the NRG complex, the barbeque pit masters and connoisseurs arrive for the annual three-day celebration known as the Houston Rodeo Cook-Off. If you enjoy the taste of meat after it has been cooked in its own juices for multiple hours only to be enhanced by the sweet flavors of apple, mesquite or pecan wood smoke and secret recipes, all while listening to good music and being surrounded be
good friend, then the Houston Rodeo CookOff is the event for you. This three-day party starts off on Thursday when cooking teams prepare their pits and begin the 72-hour marathon of smoking briskets, ribs, turkey legs and multiple more cuts of game. For this years Cook-Off, there were 263 cooking teams that entered the competition and made the trip to Houston from as far away as Sydney, Australia. Each team has their own tent where they throw private parties. Besides the fabulous barbeque there was remarkable music come from every angle. Each team had a band or DJ playing in their tents and there was also the Miller Lite Stage at the Garden that was open to the
public, which had 11 bands and a DJ over the three-day party. To give all Cook-Off goers the full experience, the Rodeo sponsors a public tent that serves 50 thousand chop beef sandwiches with beans and chips. The Marine Corp NOLA Band was a huge crowd-pleaser, playing both current and classic rock and country music. At 7 p.m. on Saturday, all of the finalist for the completion were gathered around the Miller Lite Stage for the announcement of the five individual event winners— Brisket, Ribs, Chicken, Go Texan and Dutch Oven—and the overall Grand Champion. This year’s winners were: •Hill Country Go Texan – Brisket •100.3 The Bull – Ribs
•Across the Track – Chicken •Hill Country Go Texan – Go Texan •Tejas Cookers – Dutch Oven •Across the Track – Grand Champion There were no repeat winners from last year’s event, although Tejas Cookers were the only team to win last year for Ribs and this year for Dutch Oven. Kathy Scafuri, of Tejas Cookers, created the winning desert in the Dutch Oven competition. “I made a strawberry cheesecake sopapilla turnover for this year, last year it took fourth place.” Besides all of the great food and lifetime friendships established at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the Cook-Off is just the beginning of the rodeo, which raises money for scholarships.
The Official Student Newspaper Of The Houston Community College System