Oct. 23, 2020 Hutchinson Collegian

The student voice of Hutchinson Community College

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October 23, 2020

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www.hutchcollegian.com

pinion

Aaron Strain questions how much your vote really counts in Kansas. Page 2

ampus

Get a preview of local races for the state house and senate. Page 3

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Vol. 62 Issue 7

ports

Soccer player Madison Ontjes has played little other than the waiting game for the last 15 months.

Page 6

Current COVID Count

By Emily Branson and Sam Bailey Staff Writers

Unprecedented times. Uncertain outcomes. Global pandemic.

For the last seven months, the world has been in limbo. Life changed, plans rearranged, and utter chaos reigned.

One of the few encouraging thoughts during these times is that most everyone is in the same boat, rowing upstream with a hole in the bottom.

Some college students are racing to the finish line blindfolded, surrounded by uncertainty since early March, and the distress doesn’t seem to be fading anytime soon.

With only five weeks left in the semester, some Hutchinson Community College students wonder why the college has not transitioned to remote learning. They feel left in the dark about HutchCC’s handling of COVID-19.

However, HutchCC President Carter File and Director of Marketing and Public Relations Denny Stoecklein feel confident in the college’s communication with students and control of COVID-19 on campus. “We want to be transparent,� File said. “That’s not the issue. I think our issue is (we don’t know) what we aren’t

C O V I D

doing or what more can we do.�

File and Stoecklein were surprised that students felt out of the loop because they said students had not expressed those feelings. “You’re the first student who has told me directly that there’s a concern that there is not enough information being shared,� File said to a Collegian reporter.

The college sent out several announcements regarding COVID-19 on campus at the beginning of the semester. Since then, students have received only sporadic information.

Baldwin City freshman Jacie Devers said she feels uneasy and concerned that HutchCC lacks transparency with students. “I am not very sure they are telling us the truth about the COVID statistics,�

Devers said.

The college encourages students to visit the COVID-19 page of the hutchcc.edu website for accurate and updated information.

However, straightforward information can be challenging to find on the COVID-19 page. The page recommends visiting the Reno County Health Department Dashboard for the latest number of cases in the county and at HutchCC, identified on the dash-

board as “higher education.�

File and Stoecklein both said they believed the two most recent emails sent to students regarding COVID-19 contained a link to the dashboard. However, neither email included the link.

After realizing this, File and Stoecklein agreed to send out an email to faculty and students including it. “We can certainly put out an email to tell faculty, staff and students where to find that information,� File said. “I know it’s under the COVID-19 button on the website, but if it would help the communication process, absolutely, we would be happy to do that.�

HutchCC cannot share specific information about which staff or students are in isolation or what classes the students are in, which means that the only information shared with students and staff is what is on the Reno County Dashboard. “House Bill 2016 restricts severely what information you can and cannot share with other people,� File said. “We certainly couldn’t name them, say what classes they’re in, or who their faculty is because then those all become personal, identifiable information.�

HutchCC’s administration releases pertinent information through the offi-

cial college communication channels, like email and DragonZone announcements, but are hesitant to post the same information on social media sites due to potential backlash and misinformation in post comments. “Social media is not my favorite way to communicate with students and our constituents,� File said. “It’s fraught with an awful lot of problems with people that will jump into the middle of a conversation with zero information.�

While lacking social media posts may make the information harder to find for some, Larned sophomore Brooke Butler said that students just need to know where to find it. “I think the college is being very transparent about the statistics,� B utler said. “Many students do not seek out the information though.�

File encourages students to read the information that is shared with them through the proper channels. “We’re making the plea to students,�

File said. “When they get Dragon Zone messages, read them.�

File posed a question to students: “What more can we do, and what more should we do?�

For any questions and concerns, email HutchCC at covid-19@hutchcc. edu.

By Brooke Greene Staff Writer

With the never-ending uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought upon us, nobody knows what to expect in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Many businesses, organizations, workplaces, and schools are doing their absolute best to keep their followers and customers informed, and upto-date on the local gating criteria regarding the pandemic.

COVID-19 came quickly and unexpectedly.

Lives were flipped upside down. Jobs were lost, families were torn apart by isolation and deaths, businesses went under, and mental health plummeted.

As the world has adapted to this new sense of “normal�, people are seeing COVID updates on websites, on the news, and many social media platforms. Checking these has become like checking one’s email, just waiting to see who is in the red zone or if the community has pulled through it.

If this is so important, especially to students whose lives revolve around their education, what does Hutchinson Community College do regarding

Upcoming events

Oct. 28 — Region 6 Cross Country Championships in El Dorado Oct. 30 — No Day Classes Nov. 5 — Instrumental Jazz Ensembles - Home Stretch Concert

COVID-19 updates?

On HutchCC’s website, there is a red bar at the top of the page that states, “COVID-19 Information�. Students and staff might expect to be able to find consistent updates, but one may be disappointed to see a large gap in our updates. There had not been an update on the website about the pandemic since Aug. 31 until just last week on Oct. 14, although there is a link to the Reno County Health Department’s website, which has comprehensive updates. Some HutchCC students report getting emails about COVID-19 updates, while others don’t, the link between the students and administration seems to be broken, or at least barely hanging on.  Area public school districts in and around Hutchinson, have had a different approach.

When a positive case is confirmed at a school, emails are sent to parents informing them. A Buhler student who has learned remotely this entire school year tested positive, and even then, USD 313 sent an email to parents notifying them. Names of those who test positive - whether an adult or child - are not given.

See Buhler, Page 5

The happenings around campus

College Student Weather Report Friday High: 47; Low 28 Winter’s coming Saturday High: 53; Low 41 I can’t feel my face...

Sunday High: 47; Low 23 Morning showers bring ice towers

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Weather source: The Weather Channel

C L A S S E S

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Opinion

Page 2

Stop sexualizing women “When I met you last night baby, before you opened your gap, I had respect for ya lady, but now I take it all back.”

These wonderful lyrics can be found in a song called, “Ain’t No Fun,” by the artist Snoop Dogg featuring Nate Dogg, Kurupt, and Warren G. If you could not have guessed from its wording, this song talks about how a single female can easily get passed around from one man to his “homies” performing whatever sexual acts the man of the night desires.

As a woman, I am deeply disturbed by this song and many more songs produced by the week that do nothing but gratify the sexualization of the woman. I am so sorry to burst the bubble that we call the male ego, but women are not on Earth for the pure gratification of your wants and desires.

We do not wear short skirts, cropped shirts, and anything hanging off of our bodies for you to grab at us or feel us up. Last time I checked, women are living, breathing human beings, and, believe it or not, we do have valid feelings.

Social media came around when I was going into middle school. From sixth grade to now, I have been surrounded by what is considered to be

an attractive female. A toned waist and wide hips, but not any hip dips, medium-sized boobs, a perfectly round butt, and not any taller than the men we are with.

This “ideal” body type has been shoved down the throats of millions of girls and women worldwide that do not fulfill it. But, if we complain about our looks, we are bombarded with ways that we can better ourselves so that a man can want us.

The most common comment that a woman can receive when we do not look like model status is to work out. No one takes into account that some women just have differently shaped bodies. No matter how much they work out the hourglass, perfect shape that men want, it cannot be achieved.

The film industry is the absolute worst at sexualizing women. For decades, the only way a woman can be as successful as their male counterparts are based solely on how she looks.

However, these women are still overlooked because they are too pretty to be considered serious actors. If an actress speaks out about the film industry’s injustice, she is snubbed out of any new roles, which are then given to someone that wouldn’t speak out.

The Hutchinson Collegian Friday, October 23, 2020

Orange was the imposter

E.G. Weinhoffer/Cartoonist Male directors overlook powerful actresses who refuse to be sexualized and choose the new actresses with the pretty face that fits into their fantasy for years.

From bold, red lips to short, sparkly dresses, it’s not the acting skills people remember; it’s how her body looks in tight clothing that makes the real impact.

Women are truly beautiful in all shapes, colors, and sizes, but if society keeps throwing the perfect woman at girls everywhere, we all will have to deal with many personal issues. I do not feel empowered by the media that currently surrounds women.

Instead, I am ashamed that I do not look like people such as Madison Beer, Bella

Hadid, Kim Kardashian, or Scarlett Johansson, because men tell me that if I don’t look like them, then I can’t be considered as beautiful.

If I, a 19-year-old college student, am faced with the thoughts of how I am not good enough or pretty enough because of the male standards, how am I supposed to tell my 10-year-old niece that she’s gorgeous when everything she hears and sees are the same things that I do?

The bottom line is that women are not sexual objects that can be picked apart and put back together like a build-your-own Barbie.

Women everywhere need to understand that they truly are beautiful beyond what the media says daily.

We are all different, and you are just as pretty as the next person. Women don’t need a man to tell us what is good enough because we are already good enough.

Columnist

Jolene Moore Jolene Moore is a freshman general studies major from Hutchinson.

Your vote matters (marginally) Your vote really doesn’t matter - for President in Kansas, that is. Where voting really matters is where it most affects you, electing your direct representatives.

Thanks to this thing called the Electoral College, your vote for Joe Biden, Howie Hawkins, Vermin Supreme, or even Donald Trump doesn’t amount to much in this solidly electorally red state. Arguably, the antiquated system is the primary driver of voter apathy, but that’s a separate issue.

However, being part of the statistic that makes sure Trump doesn’t win the popular vote in a complete landslide would be a neat feeling, depending upon your political persuasion.

Electing local officials who support your interests positively impacts your life more than tweeting about potholes or lacking public services.

Representatives and senators vote on how to allocate funds to highways, education and healthcare.

District court judges and attorneys set legal precedents and resolve disputes. School board members decide how to adjust K-12 learning through COVID-19. City council members approve property zoning and community improvement projects.

All of these political positions interact with our lives, and we determine the people in them. Most of the races for these hyper-local offices are won by slim margins and could easily be swung.

Kansas House and Senate seats comprising the Hutchinson area are up for grabs.

Hutchinson Community College alumnus and incumbent Rep. Jason Probst faces a Trump-touting and anti-mask challenger.

The race for the 34th Senate seat remains contentious after the primary defeat of Republican incumbent Ed Berger. A Trumpian beat the former HutchCC President with an avalanche of dark-money-funded ads and a 16% vote margin.

Shanna Henry, the Democrat vying for the seat in November, has a real shot of winning in the otherwise hard-Republican district.

In this year alone, the victors of several other Kansas primary elections won by votes in the double digits - a result of low turnout. While more voters vote in general elections, the voter pool of local races is still small relative to federal offices.

At the national level, Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932. Barbara Bollier, a Mission Hills Democrat, could potentially break the 88-year-long streak.

Her Republican opponent, Roger Marshall, who once said poor people “just don’t want healthcare,” derides Bollier as an abortion-loving big government healthcare radical.

The claims deserve a chuckle and an “I wish she was that cool” from me.

Even though her milquetoast politics went stale back in the Clinton era, she is leagues better than Marshall, who thinks climate change isn’t real and that government agencies inflated the COVID-19 death toll.

Here’s the deal: electoral politics, at this time anyway, is a game of margins. It’s a rigged game, no doubt, but the differences between candidates are stark and, to be quite frank, threatening to the survival of our species.

Voting is not going to usher in a utopia or dramatically alter our society’s structures of power. If it did, we wouldn’t be allowed to do it.

However, the arc of history bends towards justice - though not magically. It bends under the collective pressure of people rebuking the status quo through all available means - protesting, voting and holding those in charge accountable.

Early in-person voting is underway at the County Clerk’s office in the Reno County Courthouse Annex. Alternatively, voters can request an absentee ballot through Oct. 27 at KsVotes.org.

The Hutchinson Collegian

Collegian Staff

Letters to the editor

The student voice of Hutchinson Community College

The Collegian is created by Hutchinson Community College’s Newspaper Production class each week during the academic year, except for when school is not in session, or during final exams. Copies may be found on campus Friday mornings, or in Shears Technology Center, room 207.

Follow us on social media: Facebook: The Collegian Hutchinson Community College Twitter: @HCC_Collegian Instagram: the_hutchinson_collegian SnapChat: hutch_collegian

Editor In Chief Sam Bailey Campus editor Caleb Spencer Opinion page editor Aaron Strain Sports editors Adam Kolb, Bailey Pennycuff Photo Editors Emily Branson, KJ Ryan

Online Edtior Kyran Crist Editorial cartoonist E. G. Weinhoffer Staff members Sophia Carter, Brooke Greene, Leslie Grajeda, Felix Johnson, Jolene Moore, Zariah Perilla-Best, Laci Sutton, Izzy Wheeler Collegian Adviser Brad Hallier

www.HutchCollegian.com

Columnist

Aaron Strain Aaron Strain is a Hutchinson native studying Journalism. They are the Collegian’s Opinion Page Editor

The Hutchinson Collegian welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must include the author’s signature, address and phone number.

The Collegian reserves the right to edit letters for style, legality and length. Letters may not exceed 300 words.

Send letters to hallierb@hutchcc.edu.

Non-discrimination statement Hutchinson Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, military status, sexual orientation, or any other protected category under federal, state, or local law, or by college policy.

For inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies contact: Jake Gunden, Coordinator of Equity & Compliance 1300 N. Plum Hutchinson, KS 67501 (620) 665-3500 equity@hutchcc.edu (www.hutchcc.edu/equity)

The Hutchinson Collegian Friday, October 23, 2020

Election Preview

Page 3

House District 102 House District 104 Senate District 34 Jason Probst (incumbent) Political affiliation: Democrat Hometown: Hutchinson Job: Self-employed writer, author, and content consultant. He was the district 102 representative elected in 2017.

Web site: probstforprogress.com Education: Probst is committed to properly funding education while allowing room for educators to expand their teaching and allow innovative ideas to benefit the futures of the children.

Economics: Probst is committed to working with local leaders to every option available to make Hutchinson a prospering location to live, work, and start a business.

Probst He believes the state should be prudent in how they’re spending tax dollars while keeping tax policy fair and widespread among residents.

Government: Probst believes in a government that is representative of the people it serves.

Health care: Probst will do everything he can to see that Kansas expands Medicaid. He believes that working families should not be denied healthcare because they cannot afford it or their employer doesn’t cover it.

Public safety: Probst believes programs designed to help families provide their children a safe and stable environment in which they can grow and thrive are essential to the future well being of all Kansans.

John Whitesel Political Affiliation: Republican Hometown: Hutchinson Job: Licensed Insurance Agent Website: johnforkansas.com Education: Whitesel was elected to the Haven school board, where he has fought for the parents and students to implement a better curriculum and better policies that put the parents and voters first and protect the rights of our students.

Economics: Whitesel believes taxes are Whitesel too high and believes we need to take active steps to spend less money and lower taxes.

Government: John believes we need less governmental control. He will fight to reduce burdensome government rules and regulations and increase personal freedoms.

Health Care: N/A Public Safety: John believes in the right to bear arms and strongly supports the second amendment. He also wants to eliminate victimless crimes, giving law enforcement to “protect and serve instead of being forced to write tickets.”

Garth Strand Political affiliation: Democrat Hometown: Burdick Job: CEO of Heartland Credit Union Web site: gowithgarth.com Education: Believes that politicians should view education for students as an investment not as something that is an expense. That the government should be able to help students prepare for their future without breaking the taxpayers wallet.

Economics: Understands that the states’ checkbook needs to be balanced in the same way that you should balance your own. If the people continue to check the balance on the federal governStrand ment monthly or even yearly the people could balance the checkbook before the government accumulates more debt.

Government: Strand believes that the people’s needs should triumph over the governments needs.

Health care: “It is past time to get Kansas money into the hands of Kansans to assist with needed health care.”

Paul Waggoner (incumbent) Political affiliation: Repulican Hometown: Hutchinson Job: General Manager of Waggoners Inc. Web site: waggonerforkansas.org Education: Believes that the people of Kansas should have the first and final stand on public school funding because the money for funding comes out of the taxpayers pocket.

Economics: Waggoner stands by the thought that Kansas needs to redevelop the economy by removing unnecessary regulations along with useless taxes.

Waggoner believes in growing the Waggoner economy so that Kansas gets more jobs.

Government: Waggoner stands by the fact that the Kansas system is outdated and needs to be put back into the hands of the Kansan people.

Health care: Wants to get rid of the idea of Medicaid expansion because the cost of the program is very high and a certain percentage of the money put into the program goes back towards those who already have a private health insurance. Wants to make sure not to waste taxpayers money on something that wouldn’t directly benefit them.

Shanna Henry Political affiliation: Democrat Hometown: McPherson Job: Housewife / Retired Web site: https://shannahenry.com Education: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Economics: Wants to help local government help those in need.

Government: Believes the government could do better to help the lesser fortunate and wants to work towards Henry government transparency.

Health care: For Medicaid expansion, believes there are too many Kansans that could benefit from the Medicaid expansion.

Mark Steffen Political affiliation: Republican Hometown: Hutchinson Job: Physician and Board-Certified Anesthesiologist Web site: http://www.steffenstatesenate.com/ Education: bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biology from University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.

Steffen wants to make sure Kansas public schools remain among the top preforming schools in the nation and children to receive a quality individualized education to ensure they can reach Steffen their full potential.

Economics: Lower taxes and government spending. Steffen would like to reduce out-ofcontrol government spending.

Government: Smaller government involvement in peoples lives.

Health care: Does not want to expand Medicaid, says it would cause a massive tax increase.

Public safety: Steffen believes in the right to bear arms and strongly supports the Second Amendment and the use of military and police to protect and serve.

Food

Page 4

The Hutchinson Collegian Friday, October 23, 2020

Student grocery shopping on a friendly $10 budget

By Emily Branson Photo Editor

For college students everywhere, food is one of the most important, but often most overlooked, aspect of their life. Students are perpetually hungry, but rarely have the time or money to make themselves a home-cooked meal every night.

They resort to unhealthy fast food or microwaved meals that don’t fill them up. In order to provide a middle ground to this issue, we set out on a $10 budget to get as much sustainable food that we could.

While it doesn’t seem like the ideal place to shop, our journey took us to Dollar Tree. Dollar Tree is known for selling everything for $1. That being said, we were able to purchase nine items for a total of $9.86. The items we purchased are things

that are convenient to cook, appetizing to college students, and many were somewhat nutritious.

Those items included: • One can of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup • One package of Knorr Cheddar & Broccoli Rice • One liter of Mountain Dew • One M&M’s ice cream sandwich • One box of Eggo waffles • One box of Welch’s fruit snacks • One box of pizza rolls • One box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese • One box of Marshmallow Mateys cereal With all of these items, a college student could easily make breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with possible snacks, drinks, and a dessert. This low-budget shopping experience shows just what a little bit of money can do, and certainly proves to be a cheaper alternative than eating at fast food restaurants regularly.

Photos by KJ Ryan/Photo Editor

Microwaveable dinner for college students

By Jolene Moore Staff Writer

As the semester trucks on, many college students start to grow tired of the same meals made by people other than their parents.

Spending many dollars and wasting gas driving back and forth from McDonald’s to the dorms or home, just to go back the next day.

But what many college students or people that live on their own don’t know is there are tons of cheap ways to make good food just in a microwave.

One example would be a loaded baked potato, which is full of protein and healthy starches. All that you need to make this fulfilling dinner is a potato, sour cream, cheese and bacon bits, all of which can be bought for under $10 at most supermarkets.

To hear the potato fully start by stabbing the sides of the potato with a fork, making sure to spear all sides of the potato. Next, put it into the microwave for about five minutes. After letting it cool, check the middle to see if it’s fully cooked by splitting the potato down the middle.

If fully cooked, you can add whatever toppings to whatever amount soothes the grumbling of your stomach.

Another quick and easy meal is a loaded quesadilla which only takes around four minutes to cook and prepare. All you need for this meal is flour or corn

tortillas, cheese preferably shredded, some kind of cooked beans and a precooked meat of your choice. Grab a plate, lay one tortilla down and fill it to your desired

taste with cheese, meat and beans.

After filling it, place another tortilla on top and place in the microwave for about 4 minutes, 30 seconds. Then,

add some salsa or sour cream.

There are several more recipes floating around that only take a microwave and some imagination.

Courtesy Photo

The Hutchinson Collegian Friday, October 23, 2020

Campus

Badinage presses on despite restrictions due to COVID-19

By Izzy Wheeler Staff Writer

Hutchinson Community College’s jazz group, Badinage, is a huge hit on campus.

This group consists of 11 members, six women and five men. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the students are required to abide by the rules set by the college when it comes to being in a vocal group, which is that all members must remain six feet apart and they must wear masks at all times.

The group still gets to use microphones, but compared to last year, it is much harder to connect with the rest of the group because everyone is so isolated from the others in the group.

They are also performing fewer songs due to the fact they could not practice together over the summer.

Badinage member Ryan Roderick, a Mulvane sophomore, was asked if wearing a mask has been a big issue for him or the group.

“Yes, depending on the mask, it can be hard to get the quality of tone that we are trying to produce when it comes to vocal jazz singing,” Roderick said.

“The tone that we strive for is much brighter than many other forms of music so when we have to use a mask, it makes the tone much lugubrious/ warmer, which is the opposite of what we want. I have also heard some kids struggle with breathing through cloth

Buhler

• Continued from Page 1

Superintendent of Buhler schools, Cindy Couchman, describes what USD 313 is doing to keep their students, parents, and faculty in the loop.

“We have taken the approach of sharing as much legal information as possible and are following the gating criteria,” Couchman said. “By being transparent we help our students and staff feel more confident in their decisions and courses of action. An update is made to our school website every Friday at noon with information determined by the health department. Our county is in the red currently, but if everyone does their part by social distancing and wearing their masks, we can turn this around quickly.” Couchman fully expects the schools to be up and running with face-to-face classes in a week or two if everyone follows the necessary health guidelines.

Hutchinson and Buhler’s high school have both resorted to alternative education methods. Buhler is hybrid, which means the students are alternated and only attend face-toface classes certain days of the week to limit how many students are on campus. Hutchinson started remote learning this week. Hayley Waymire, a freshman soccer player at Hutchinson High School, feels sympathy for the teachers and administration who are trying their best to navigate students through these uncertain times, “Being a freshman in high school going through a global pandemic is tough,” Waymire said. “The teachers are doing well in keeping us informed but they are struggling just as much as we are. I feel like we can all do better as a community, and keep positive attitudes and be uplifting through this hard time.” Balancing her life as a new high school student, a soccer player, and online education is bound to have its challenges, but she is one of many students who shows great

Ontjes

• Continued from Page 6

competitively.

“As of now, we have been practicing three days a week at 6 a.m. to begin preparing for the season,” Ontjes said. “The thing I’m most excited about this upcoming season is getting to play with all the girls. We all get along really well and we’re all really good players. I’m excited to see what the season brings for us.”

Page 5

Puzzles

masks when they try to sing as well.”

No Badinage members have had to quarantine so far. They have to be careful with COVID-19, not only for others’ health, but it affects their instruments as well.

They do not have time to be out for two weeks, so they have to be as safe as they can.

For Badinage, practice time is important.

“The entire time I have been there, we have yet to have a practice cancelled just because our director, Neal Allsup, was gone,” Roderick said. “The music is so very challenging, so we have to use the time we have very wisely.

From 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m., we are going through pieces and expanding our musicianship through Neal’s teaching and guidance. If we aren’t singing the music, we are either listening to his tips or listening to his stories that he has to tell.

It is a very hardworking atmosphere, but we also can have a few laughs and stories at the same time when we need a break from the music for a second.

Warmup wise, we don’t do many warmups because many of us will actually practice right before the actual class.

Usually when we get there we will just slide right into the music.”

There are no additional classes Badinage students have to take except the Badinage class from 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. strength in helping to fight this virus by wearing her mask and taking the needed precautions.

For some students, the experience has been overwhelming. Students typically praise the day they finally become high schoolers, but being new to high school during a pandemic changed how high school is viewed.

Sydney Jarrett, a freshman at Hutchinson High School, spoke strongly about the different levels of transparency in her school.

“I feel like the school could do a bit better with communicating with the students,” Jarrett said. “For example, I was unsure if we were going to have a homecoming dance until the day before homecoming. The high school is doing a good job of making sure people are wearing their masks, but students still slip them off when they can. That, personally, makes me feel unsafe. It would be very helpful if the school and teachers would communicate better with the students personally, rather than us waiting to get emails which barely anyone I know looks at. I don’t feel very informed as for where we are standing cases wise but I know the district is working hard and they are doing a great job spacing out the students and trying to keep us happy during these hard times.”

While Jarrett said she felt less informed about the cases, communication is present between the school and students, but priority communication is through parent emails. She has a point when stating that students her age do not check their emails, but the information is nonetheless, being released.

The spacing between student desks at HutchCC is not consistent, many students complain about being elbow to below to other students in a class, with only a mask as protection. There have been reports of students, and even some faculty, not wearing masks during class.

As of this week, there are no plans for HutchCC to go with remote learning, as was the case in the spring.

Ontjes seems to fit in well with the team, freshman soccer player Jennifer Ramirez said.

“I love having Madi as a teammate.

She is fun to be around; always super happy and so funny. She’s super nice to everyone,” Ramirez said.

Through all of the hardship Ontjes has faced, she has always had at least one person who had her back through it all.

“My biggest supporter is definitely my mom. She was there for me during the whole thing and always helped me stay positive,” Ontjes said.

Sports roundup: Golf team has historical tournament in Texas

By Adam Kolb and Bailey Pennycuff Sports Editors

The No.1 ranked Hutchinson Community College men’s golf team broke more records on Tuesday in the final round of the NJCAA National Preview. The Blue Dragons won the team title with a 54hole scoring record of 828. That 36-under par score shattered the old team record by 19 strokes, which was set two weeks ago at The Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas.

Freshman Ben Partridge won the individual championship with a Blue Dragon individual scoring record for 54 holes, at 13-under-par 203. Partridge, Charlie Crockett, Harry Crockett and Cameron Rios-Ceballos all set career 54-hole low scores. Partridge had a score of 68, Harry Crockett with a score of 69, Charlie Crockett finished with 73, and Rios-Ceballos posted a score of 75. All five golfers, and individual player Charlie Hilton, broke or tied career-low single rounds, including Charlie Crockett’s 64, the second lowest score in team history.

There were four Blue Dragons in the top six of the individual standings and all seven golfers posted in the top 21.

Charlie Crockett finished second with a career low 54-hole total of 206. Harry Crockett finished third at 210, and Trey McCrae ended in a three-way tie for fourth at 313. Rios-Ceballos finished tied for 12th at 219, while sophomore Tyler Trudo posted the second best single-round of his Blue Dragon career with a 2-under 70, tying for 15th place.

Hilton scored 223, and tied for 21st place.

The Blue Dragons will close out the 2020 fall season at the Ryan Palmer Classic in Lubbock, Texas on October 26-27.

Men’s Cross Country - Last Friday, the men’s cross country team traveled to Kear-

ney, Nebraska for the Invitational at Meadowlark Hills Country Club where the Blue Dragons placed second. This is the thirdstraight second-place finish for the team.

Sophomore Teagan Flanagan posted his fourth race with a second-place finish or better. His time was 25 minutes, 7.3 seconds - just 0.3 seconds off his career-best 8,000-meter time that he set this season on Oct. 3 at the Red Devils Relays in Iola.

Four other Blue Dragons posted personal records on Friday.

Sophomore Jacob McElhanon was Hutchinson’s second-best finisher at 15thplace and a personal-record time of 26:23.8.

Freshman Cameron Delaney placed 18th with a PR of 26:43.7.

Freshman Jareth Carrasco had his best race finish and time at 29th-place and a time of 28:21.1.

Sophomore Matthew Schrag was the fifth scorer for the Blue Dragons. Schrag was 30th overall with a time of 28:22.6.

Freshman Aaron Geissinger finished 32nd with a PR time of 28:53.1.

Friday was the final regular-season race for the Blue Dragons. They will travel Oct. 28 to El Dorado for the Region 6 Cross Country championships.

Women’s Cross Country - The women’s cross country team placed third last Friday at the Nebraska-Kearney Invitational.

Freshman Louise Cocking posted the third-fastest 5,000-meter time in Blue Dragon history with a fourth-place finish of 19:09.3 Hutch had a total of 72 points. The first-place team, Nebraska-Kearney beat the Blue Dragons by 41 points.

The Blue Dragons had one other runner finish in the top 10 beside Cocking sophomore Sheila Too, who placed eighth overall with a time of 19:33.6.

Sports

Page 6

The Hutchinson Collegian Friday, October 23, 2020

Ontjes continues battle in career

Athlete of the week (Oct. 11-17) Sheila Too, Women’s cross country

By Bailey Pennycuff Co-Sports Editor

COVID-19 has caused many hardships for people worldwide.

With the help of the pandemic, Hutchinson Community College freshman soccer player Madison Ontjes hasn’t been able to catch a break.

Ontjes graduated from Nickerson High School, where she only got to play soccer for two years - Nickerson did not have a girls soccer team until Ontjes’ sophomore year.

Then, the summer before her senior year, disaster struck.

“I tore my ACL, MCL, and meniscus. My recovery was a six-month process. I had to miss my whole senior year of volleyball and half of basketball, which was really hard,” Ontjes said.

Her main goal while recovering was to be able to compete in the 4A Division 2 state basketball tournament.

“We had a really good chance of getting first, so that’s what I was really looking forward to with my recovery,” said Ontjes, who is the niece of HutchCC women’s basketball coach John Ontjes.

Ontjes finally was cleared to play at the start of 2020, and got to play a few games of her

Courtesy photo Hutchinson Community College freshman soccer player Madison Ontjes kicks the ball during a Nickerson High School soccer game in the spring of 2019.

senior season. That’s when COVID-19 stepped in.

Ontjes said it was “extremely hard” to miss half of the season, and then have the state tournament get cancelled.

In the two years Ontjes got to play soccer in high school, she enjoyed the atmosphere of the sport.

“My coaches made the season really enjoyable, and the team got along very well. Overall, it

was very fun,” Ontjes said. “I played center (midfield), and even got on the state leaderboard for goals scored in a season.”

Same as the other HutchCC fall sports, the women’s soccer team should currently be competing.

But the NJCAA opted to pushback all fall championships, except for cross country, to the spring.

“For me, it feels very strange not playing right now. We haven’t gotten to play actual games in a long time and it’s strange, because all my life I’ve grown up with a packed schedule because of athletics,” Ontjes said.

Although the team isn’t playing right now, they have had the opportunity to practice, and they are excited to be out on the field See Ontjes, Page 5

The week: Too finished in eighth place on Oct. 16 in Kearney, Nebraska, finishing in a time of 19 minutes, 33.6 Too seconds. She was the second-fastest Blue Dragon and was fifth among junior college runners.

The season: Too, a sophomore from Kenya, has three top-10 and four top-15 finishes this season for the Blue Dragons going into the postseason.

Changes from pandemic impact band

By Adam Kolb Co-Sports Editor

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect students and teachers around the world. Classrooms are socially distanced, sporting events are played with little or no fans, or not being played at all, and some schools have already made the transition online, eliminating face-to-face classes altogether.

In today’s world, it seems like everything is changing, and that’s exactly what has happened to the Hutchinson Community College band. Normally, during this time, the band should be playing at football games, with basketball season around the corner. However, the global pandemic will make them wait until the spring.

“It is weird not playing at any football games right now, but also nice to have kind of a break from that sometimes,” band member RJ Stovall said.

“It will make next semester twice as busy though, with basketball and football in the same season.”

Not only is the band unable to play at sporting events, the way they rehearse has been changed as well. Brass players Photo by KJ Ryan/Photo Editor are required to have bell covers on their instruments, in order to lessen the The Hutchinson Community College band hasn’t been able to perform due to no footamounts of aerosols in the air. ball games because of COVID-19, but they’re still working in preparation for the spring While this may not be ideal for

Stovall, he’s just happy he gets to play.

“It is a lot more straining to play,” Stovall said. It blocks a lot of sound, and it kind of hurts the quality of sound. But it is nice to be playing even with those things.”

The band’s seating has also changed.

“Normally, in rehearsal, we would have three or four arcs that we sit in to hear each other better,” sophomore Johnny Huggard said. “But with the precautions that come with COVID-19 to stay six feet apart, we have to sit in rows and spaced apart.”

As with every other class at HutchCC, the band members must wear their masks during practice.

“The percussionists wear their masks full time, and the wind players typically wear their masks in between songs, or during large measures of rest,” Huggard said.

The pandemic has devastated the country since March, and it isn’t slowing down. Despite this, there’s still positives Huggard can take from the situation.

“My favorite part about being in band has been making the friends that I’ve made, spending multiple hours on end with people that enjoy making music, and basically being a part of one big family,” Huggard said.

Blue Dragon sports schedules and results. All home games and events in caps.

Baseball (non conference)

Feb. 2, at Northern Oklahoma-Enid, 1 p.m.

Feb. 9, at Redlands, Oklahoma, 1 p.m.

Feb. 13, REDLANDS, Oklahoma, 1 p.m.

Feb. 18-20, at Juco Festival March 4, at Coffeyville, 1 p.m.

March 9, at State Fair, Missouri, 2:30 p.m.

April 20, at Rose State, Oklahoma, 2 p.m.

April 27, STATE FAIR, Missouri, 2:30 p.m.

Basketball

Jan. 22, BETHANY JV (women); SEMINOLE STATE (men), 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 27, COFFEYVILLE, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 30, NEOSHO COUNTY, 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 3, at Butler, 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 6, at CLOUD COUNTY, 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 10, at Independence, 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 13, ALLEN COUNTY, 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 17, at Cowley, 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 22, DODGE CITY, 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 24, at Northwest Kansas Tech, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 27, at Seward County, 6 p.m.

March 3, PRATT, 6:30 p.m.

March 6, at Garden City, 2 p.m.

March 9, BARTON, 5:30 p.m.

March 13, at Colby, 2 p.m.

March 15, at Dodge City, 5:30 p.m.

March 17, NORTHWEST KANSAS TECH, 5:30 p.m.

March 20, SEWARD COUNTY, 5:30 p.m.

March 24, at Pratt, 5:30 p.m.

March 27, GARDEN CITY, 5:30 p.m.

March 29, at Barton, 5:30 p.m.

March 31, COLBY, 5:30 p.m.

Cross country

Oct. 31, Region 6 Championships, at El Dorado, 10 a.m.

Nov. 14, at NJCAA Division 1 Championships, Fort Dodge, Iowa, TBA

Football

March 26, COFFEYVILLE, 7 p.m.

April 3, at Butler, 7 p.m.

April 11, ARKANSAS BAPTIST, 1 p.m.

April 18, at Fort Scott, 1 p.m.

April 25, GARDEN CITY, 1 p.m.

May 2, at Independence, 5 p.m.

May 9, HIGHLAND, 1 p.m.

May 16, DODGE CITY, 1 p.m.

Golf

Oct. 26-27, at Ryan Palmer Classic, Amarillo, Texas

Soccer

April 2, at Johnson County, 5 p.m.

April 5, at Barton, 2 p.m.

April 7, GARDEN CITY, 2 p.m.

April 10, BUTLER, 2 p.m.

April 14, at Cowley, 5 p.m.

April 17, COFFEYVILLE, 2 p.m.

April 19, DODGE CITY, 6 p.m.

April 28, BARTON, 6 p.m.

May 1, NEOSHO COUNTY, 2 p.m.

May 3, at Garden City, 6 p.m.

May 5, COWLEY, 6 p.m.

May 8, at Kansas City, 2 p.m.

May 12, at Dodge City, 1 p.m.

Softball (non conference)

Feb. 10, OKLAHOMA WESLEYAN JV, 2 p.m.

Feb. 13, HESSTON, 1 p.m.

Feb. 17, FRIENDS JV, 2 p.m.

Feb. 20, IOWA CENTRAL, 1 p.m.

Feb. 23, NORTHERN OKLAHOMA-ENID, 2 p.m.

Feb. 26, at North Central Texas, noon Feb. 27, at Murray State, Oklahoma, noon March 31, at Ottawa JV, 1 p.m.

Volleyball

Jan, 25, at Garden City, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 28, PRATT, 6 p.m.

Jan. 30, at Laramie Feb. 1, BARTON, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 4, at Independence, 5 p.m.

Feb. 5-6, at West Plains, Missouri Feb. 8, COLBY, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 11, DODGE CITY, 6 p.m.