Worth the hype? Pg. 5 Amarillo College's News Source Since 1930 acranger.com
Volume 92, Issue 11
Life after AC
April 21, 2022
By ANDREW TERRY Staff Reporter
Springtime may mean warmer days and pretty flowers for some people, but for graduating college students, spring comes with a pressure to find what they want to do with the rest of their lives. According to Jamie Perez, Amarillo College transfer success coordinator, students should complete financial aid applications and apply for scholarships at the same time as they apply for transfer admission in order to ensure a smooth transfer. There are upcoming opportunities for students to get help completing their transfer applications April 28 and May 4, in The Underground at 10 a.m. 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Students can also text 806-340-0047 with their transfer questions. “Some students have a perception they have to complete their last term at AC to begin the process. Rather, beginning early is key to a quality and timely transfer,” Perez said. Lorelei Sicks, a music major, plans to go to WTAMU to study music therapy in the See COLLEGE, page 4
Is the transfer process stresing you out? Stop it. Get some help. April 28 - May 4
10 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. in The Underground
Construction workers prepare to install new equipment as part of the HVAC upgrade that is going into Lot 8. There are three areas around AC’s Washington campus that are undergoing major construction.
Construction project is coming up roses By CASEY NICCOLI Student Reporter
Amarillo College officials say the ongoing bond-funded Master Plan construction project is starting to blossom. The completion of the Badger Central and bookstore are just a taste of things to come as AC’s phase one Master Plan continues to build. “Our main goal is to have state-of-the art facilities for students and faculty, and to attract 17 to 18-yearold students to drive by and see a cool modern campus and not a tired, old, rundown building,” said Chris Sharp, vice president of business affairs.
In 2019, the college was awarded a voter-approved $89 million bond with a goal to change the face of AC by adding six major renovation and remodeling projects to be completed by 2023. Rylee Glazner, a motion picture production major, says she’s looking forward to the completed makeover. “I feel that if the school looks modern it will communicate to myself and other students that what we learn here at AC will benefit us going forward, which is an attractive thing for younger students,” said Glazner. The remodel of Russell Hall is set to be completed by the end of this year. Blue and
gray alucobond panels will be added to the building’s façade to create a more contemporary look as it will soon serve as an entranceway to learning with new landscaping and a front door that’s visible from the street. The Student Services Center will be moving into Russell Hall and updating their name to the Enrollment Center. The building will also house academic advising, financial aid, tutoring and testing— all moving in together in one convenient place. “It’s kind of a one stop shopping for a new student,” said Danny Smith, Master Plan project manager. Another phase one project expected to be
completed over the summer is the gymnasium portion of the Carter Fitness Center, which will house the college’s new athletic teams in volleyball, baseball and in men’s and women’s cross-country running. While baseball games will be held at Hodgetown Ballpark, the women’s volleyball games will be held at the new Carter Fitness Center facility. “The gymnasium will be completed in late July, early August, so that we can have games,” said Smith. “The new part, the south end of it, See CONSTRUCTION, page 3
Police departments seek to increase number of female officers By ANDREW TERRY Staff Reporter
Illustration by SHAWN McCREA | The Ranger
In America, women make up less than 13% of full-time police officers according to research by Stateline published in 2021, and in Texas, 11.5% of licensed peace officers are women according to a Reporting Texas analysis. In 2020 in the city of Amarillo police department’s staff of 313 people, 28 of them were women. The amount of women in college police departments across the country is higher than the national average for all departments at 16%, according to the most recent study of campus law enforcement demographics by the Bureau of Justice statistics during the 2011-2012 school year.
The Amarillo College police department currently has one female officer who works at East Campus, but they did have a female chief of police from 2018 to 2020. According to Morice Jackson, ACPD community relations officer, the current chief of ACPD has been trying to recruit more female officers but has found difficulty in hiring and retaining them. “When female officers come on campus and they see exactly what we do, especially if they’re a lot younger, they want a little bit more excitement, so it’s kind of hard to retain female officers that want to be here, because it’s a different type of policing,” Jackson said. Jackson added that “part of the duty of a college police officer is to educate
students, staff and faculty about the law, and at the same time provide a safe, healthy environment.” Some students think that the lack of female officers on campus is a problem. “AC preaches about diversity and inclusion, but it doesn’t matter. There need to be female officers on campus,” Aliyah Chandler, a psychology major, said. “I think the lack of women in any field is problematic,” said Harper Adams, a general studies major. Other students say they aren’t that concerned about the absence of female officers. “I think having female officers on campus would be inspiring, but I do think that the officers we have at the moment are able to fulfill See OFFICERS page 3
April 21, 2022
WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED WAY OF COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR PROFESSORS? LEA DOMINGUEZ
Child development & psychology major “I think it’s good to go to their office during their business hours because I like more face-to-face interaction than getting all jumbled up with emails and forgetting something.”
JUSTINE PRIZ
General studies major “My preferred way of talking to my professors is through email because I feel like I’m more concise and I have time to actually think about what I want to say, and professionalism is important.”
Illustration by SHAWN McCREA | The Ranger
Per my last email
SCOTT ALVARADO Psychology major
“I think my preferred method is in person because they rarely answer emails and it’s just difficult. And I feel like texting them is weird. So, talking to them in person, being able to ask them right there, is usually faster and I get the best information from it.”
Attack of the cones aaap
OPINION
By KIM BLACK Student Reporter
You can’t go anywhere in Amarillo without running into road construction or maintenance crews. Orange cones. Orange barrels. Orange vests. Unfortunately, those terrible orange monsters are necessary. I’ll go so far as to say that I wish there were more of them as there are many ridiculous potholes in town. The problem is that Amarillo is growing, and the roads must be maintained. It’s cheaper and less trouble to keep something in shape than to let it go and then be forced to start all over. The city road crews do the regular and preventative maintenance, and they move around as needed to fill potholes and to micro surface neighborhood and arterial roads, according to Matt Thomas, city engineer. “But all this road work makes traffic worse.” I know, and I’ll restate that it’s necessary and a good thing. I’ve attended a lot of state
Editor-in-Chief Raygan Lopez
Design Manager Shawn McCrea
Online Editor Jo Early
Page Editors
John King, Andrew Terry, Rylee Moore, Jordan Nuner
conferences and conventions as a professional building designer and at every one I heard that once a city’s population hits 200,000 people, it will likely double over the next 10 years. According to the April 1, 2020, census, Amarillo hit 200,393. That means that by 2030, we could have a population of 400,000 residents. And all of those people—all of those drivers—will be crammed onto the streets that are already overloaded. On the bright side, hitting that 200K mark also means that Amarillo will see bigger names in concert, bigger employment opportunities and more dining and entertainment options. In the meantime, what can we do to cope with all this traffic? Be patient. Growing pains are real, but they don’t last forever. Experts advise to allow for extra driving time, drive defensively and stay focused. And I find it fun to imagine that every orange cone means another dollar landing in my bank account.
Staff Reporters Arine Garin, D Hill, Andrew Terry
Columnists Raygan Lopez
Graphic Designers Shawn McCrea
Photographers
Shawn McCrea, Andrew Terry
For a complete staff listing, visit The Ranger online at www.acranger.com Student Media exists to serve you — the students. The Ranger staff urges you to get involved by submitting ideas, photos, videos at therangereditor@gmail.com. The Ranger is an independent student publication. Material published in the Ranger does not necessarily reflect the views of Amarillo College administrators or employees.
EDITORIAL There are an estimated 4.2 million email users worldwide and, according to Statista, that number is constantly growing. As email users are increasing, email etiquette is decreasing. Email has many purposes, like communicating with supervisors and professors, staying up-to-date with campus events, applying for scholarships and jobs but, the only way to receive that information is to read emails. Etiquette can be known as the code of polite behavior, and the first rule in email etiquette is checking and reading them. The second rule is using a professional email, introducing yourself and using the recipient's correct title. Email is a form of formal communication in comparison to texting and direct messaging on Instagram.
Professors have between 45 and 150 students and won’t recognize the email from “partygorl420@gmail.com” with no clear subject line. The third rule is reading your email for punctuation, grammar and spelling issues. Not only because college students should proofread everything they write, but it's difficult to read tone via email. If it sounds rude out loud, there is a chance it will sound rude to professors. Like tone, jokes might get lost in translation. The fourth rule is responding, especially if the sender is expecting a response. Responding to emails even if they were mistakenly sent so the sender can send it to the correct person serves as polite email etiquette. There is no reasoning behind this, it is just having manners.
The fifth rule is allowing the recipient time to respond. Both professors and students have busy schedules so allowing 24-hours for a response before sending additional emails is being considerate of the person's time, but if it is important then it should be included in the subject line. Don’t expect a response from a professor at 1:50 a.m. and don’t send an email at that time anyway. I’m sure students would be unappreciative of their phone going off before they have to wake up so email during business hours. If professors want students to respond to their email over the weekend then professors should respond over the weekend too, especially if assignments are due over the weekend.
Student says America should stay out of Ukraine aaap By RYAN HERSHEY Student Reporter
America should not get involved in the Ukraine/ Russia crisis. This statement alone has the unfortunate power to imply a certain degree of immorality or sociopathy to any individual uttering it. However, one glance at the state of our union can shed light on why any reluctance to get involved in this conflict. For instance, it is no secret that political polarization is at an all-time high with hardliners from both sides of the spectrum typically dominating the discourse as opposed to the cooler heads of the moderates and independents that reside in the middle. This alarming trend would be bad enough on its own, but
OPINION
it just so happens to be coinciding with a similar problem within our economy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation has hit a 40-year high; and when coupled with relatively stagnate wages and abysmal gross domestic product growth rates over the past 20 years, the impression is given that the middle class is becoming increasingly starved for room to breathe. The dire straits that our economy is in can be measured in other ways as well. The Pew Research Center shows that the percentage of young adults aged 18-29 years old that are having to live with their parents is at an all-time high. If none of those facts are cause for concern, then perhaps neither is the fact that our national debt is more than $30
trillion and rising. Nothing to see here, folks. We’re looking at an American population that is rife with anger and distrust toward itself, lackluster wage growth, increasing dependency parents, increasing debt and an overall decline in overall hope for the future. I, for one, am still optimistic and truly believe that these are problems that can be solved if we can find a way to come together as a country. My sympathies truly go out to the people of Ukraine, but there’s a reason why it’s said that you need to secure your own oxygen mask before trying to secure the masks of others. And it’s the same reason why we literally JUST left Afghanistan after 20 years of war. Are we ready for another 20?
CORRECTION: In the March 3, 2022 issue of The Ranger's story 'AC seeks feedback from faculty with survey,' quotes from Renee Stovall should have read: "Colleges cannot afford to be Blockbuster in a Netflix world, and Amarillo College has had the vision of trying to be more like the Meta Verse.” and “A lot has changed in the classroom over the last 20-30 years, and we need to communicate that to leadership so they understand what is going on.” The Ranger regrets the error.
April 21, 2022
AC to host job fairs, many job opportunies for students By SILAS MIRANDA Student Reporter
April is going to be a month of employment opportunities for students as Amarillo College is hosting numerous job fairs. Job fairs provide opportunities for students to meet local employers within their majors and begin the process of finding employment within their interests. AC hosts various job fairs for students of all majors over the course of the year. AC job fairs don’t just prvide jobs, but also allow the opportunity for students to get other forms of employment such as internships. “Job fairs are mutually beneficial because it helps the employers connect with students who are looking for work, and it helps students who are looking for jobs or internships to grow in their skills and experience,” Taylor Bingham, AC’s career and employment services coordinator, said. Four job fairs will be held over the course of April and May. “April 20 was our All
Majors Job Fair,” Bingham said. “We had companies like BSA Health System, Pantex, JBS, Ceta Canyon Camp and Retreat Center and more in attendance to chat with students and share the jobs that they have open. On April 26, our LVN job fair is over at West Campus. May 12 is our Transportation Career Fair over at East Campus. The last fair in development is for our Aviation and MEC students at East Campus. We are still working on a date for those areas,” Taylor said. Job fairs intended to be both an effective and a valuable tool for employers and a place of opportunity for AC students. “The employer is on your turf here at AC therefore you will be more comfortable interacting with them,” Denese Skinner, vice president of student affairs, said. “It is convenient to participate and you can meet many employers in a short amount of time. It is a casual environment where you can learn about employers that you might not have otherwise considered. Typically, the employer will bring items to give
COURTESY PHOTO
Amarillo College will be hosting four job fairs througout April and May. Many local companies like Pantex, Ceta Canyon Camp and BSA Hospital will be in attendance to chat with students about open job positions.
away to students who stop by and talk to them. I refer to the giveaways as adult trick-ortreating. The giveaways range from something that is helpful for you to those that are just fun,” she said. Taylor said students should prepare before attending a job fair. “The only things I’d rec-
ommend you have when going to any of the job fairs is a couple copies of your resume and dress in business professional or business casual. It’s also beneficial to do some research on the companies involved on collegecentral.com/ amarillocollege,” Taylor said. AC students say they are
looking forward to the opportunities the job fairs provide for them. “I’m excited to see if they have a job for me because if Amarillo College makes it easier on me to find a job, they will have made my life like 10 times easier,” Abigail Hawthorne, a nursing major, said.
AC organizations end with festivities for all to enjoy before summer Clubs plan fun upcoming events for all students, staff, faculty, family, friends By CAMERON PLUMLEY Student Reporter
At Amarillo College, spring is the time for outdoor activities. This semester, AC will be hosting some new and returning spring activities to help students get the most out of their college experience. Student Life Coordinator Jenna Welch said this year they added an event to celebrate Easter. “We had a
family-friendly Easter egg hunt April 14 that students could bring their children or family to. Later that night we held ‘Capture the Egg’ for our students. This is an Easter spin on Capture the Flag.” Welch said. Another big spring activity Badgerama, which will be Tuesday, April 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. “This is an annual event where we give students a catered meal, have
music and clubs will host various games. And it is all free for current AC students,” Welch added “Badgerama is a past event that we haven’t been able to hold due to the pandemic. We are excited to be able to host it again!” Welch said. Carmen Nava, AC Student Government president, said she encourages students to attend these events. “I would highly recommend
that people participate in the biggest event this time of year, which is going to be Badgerama,” she said, adding, “All of the activities we do will not last longer than an hour and a half. We try to keep it at a good length so people will come out and not feel they have to stay for hours at a time.” Emma Webb, a graphic design major, said she is looking forward to spring events
and activities. “I think it’s really exciting that the college offers these activities to students, because it allows us to take a break from class and enjoy the college experience,” Webb said. “For me this is the best way to have a good time during the school year. It takes away from the hectic school schedule that all students inevitably have to face,” Webb added.
CONSTRUCTION: New buildings to be finished soon
OFFICERS: Where are the women
Continued from page 1
Continued from page 1
Carter Fitness Center facility. “The gymnasium will be completed in late July, early August, so that we can have games,” said Smith. “The new part, the south end of it, will be completed in probably October or November.” This facility will include four basketball courts, two volleyball courts, spectator stands, new locker rooms, larger restroom facilities, a spin class and a fitness area enclosed in glass that overlooks Memorial Park to the south, according to Smith. Parking will get a little bit better for students once the Carter Fitness Center is completed as the architects have added 45-50 more
spaces to run along the back of the building. “I miss having more parking near Parcells Hall where my classes are. As of now I tend to park in Lot 6 which is a fairly long walk,” said Glazner. Another remodel in process is the Innovation Outpost, an adult learning center located on the downtown campus. “It’s an adult school for all ages, which will house six or seven sprint classes and part of the facility will be used for helping current businesses grow and develop new products,” said Sharp. Other construction in process are the new restroom facilities on the east
and west campuses, as well as installing a new HVAC system on the Washington Street Campus. The First Responders Center should start construction in mid to late summer. “It’s still in the design phase so we’re looking at a little bit of time before it gets underway,” said Smith. Smith added that factors such as COVID-19 and rising costs of materials have made it harder to keep within that original budget, but there are plans to generate more funds, including an ongoing fundraising campaign with naming opportunities for both the Innovation Outpost and Carter Fitness Center.
their positions just fine,” Jaydin Jones, a nursing major, said. “I can say it’s a little disheartening to see the lack of female officers, but on the other hand they just aren’t as physically capable, so it’s annoying but understandable,” Kamden Slough, a graphic design major, said. Some groups are trying to push for more women in policing, like the 30x30 Initiative, an organization that has a goal to increase the amount of women in police recruit classes to 30% by 2030. The organization says, “The 30×30 Initiative is based on the importance of achieving at least 30% representation to empower a group to influence an
organization’s culture.” “One of several challenges I faced when I first began my career in my early twenties was feeling scrutinized at times by my male colleagues. I felt the need to prove I could do the job mentally and physically just like them,” Sharon Yoon, a detective in the San Diego police department, told the 30x30 Initiative. Major city police departments like the Dallas, Austin and Fort Worth police departments have joined the initiative, as well as university and college departments, but the city of Amarillo department and ACPD are not currently members.
April 21, 2022
Hitting high notes with AC’s vocal jazz club By JORDAN NUNER Staff Reporter
Members of Amarillo College’s vocal jazz club say they are excited about their springtime activities. “The vocal jazz club is a group of students who have an interest in jazz as one subset of music, but also anything that pertains to vocal acapella music,” Dr. Nathaniel Fryml, director of choral activities, said. He explained that the club’s four student members go out to various places around town to sing, which includes certain school events and even senior homes. The club will perform at the Greeley Jazz Festival in Colorado at the end of April and will hold practices and concerts to prepare for the upcoming trip. Fryml said that being a member of this club requires commitment. “This is very challenging music to sing,” Fryml said. “So it’s not for the faint of heart. But the students that
ANDREW TERRY | The Ranger
From left: Bekah Klopfenstine, music major, Pebbles Guest, music major, and Lorelei Sicks, a psychology major, practice in the Music Building.
tend to gravitate toward this club tend to be active, funloving hard workers, with great personalities,” he said. Lorelei Sicks, a music major, said the club has helped her develop her skills. “The vocal jazz club is just a group of immensely talented singers coming together to create music, whether it be jazz, or sometimes even
pop songs,” Sicks said. “It’s unique compared to concert choir or concert band because about 95% of our repertoire is done acapella, so it’s all voice. We don’t use any other instrumentation other than ourselves,” she said. To join the club there is a rigorous audtion process. “It’s a two-stage audition process,” said Fryml. “We test,
Student achieves graduation goal By KIM BLACK
Student Reporter
Joshua Brown will graduate from Amarillo College this semester with an associate degree in special needs education. AC faculty and staff say his graduation is remarkable because Brown is 36 years old and has attended AC for 17 years. Brown is a special needs student. He said his perseverance — along with the support of his instructors — has led to his success. While at AC, Brown has taken classes in several different fields of study. This semester, his favorite class is child psychology, he said. “But my favorite class of all has been meteorology — the study of weather. I really enjoyed that one,” Brown said. Not only is Brown busy with his schoolwork, but he also works part-time as a stacker for Shelby Cold Storage since 2017. “It’s a good job. They work with my schedule, so I can attend class two days a week,” Brown said.
KIM BLACK | The Ranger
Trent Oneal, intramural sports coordinator and career coach, has worked with Brown on a few occasions. “I first met him for a field day event,” Oneal said. “He came ready to assist in set-up, but when we didn’t need much help, he easily switched gears and was ready to participate. He had fun and added to the enjoyment of the other participants,” Oneal said. Ian Holacka, who works in AC’s career services department, has helped Brown access the computers and has assisted him with some formatting on his resume. “He’s fun to work with — even more so than most. He
always has a smile and a positive attitude,” Holacka said. Along with school and work, Brown also sings bass in his church choir. “Josh is a joy to have as part of the music ministry,” Stephen Jones, music minister at Arden Road Baptist Church, said. “You can tell he genuinely loves the Lord, and he is an encouragement to many with his participation in the choir,” Jones said. Brown is preparing for life after AC by getting his resume in order and considering the next steps in his career. “I helped Josh with just a few things on his resume, which was very well put together. I know he’ll be successful wherever he goes and whatever he does,” Oneal said. Brown says he hopes to work as a special needs assistant in a local or area high school. He said he wants to help other students the same way he’s been helped over the years. “The best thing about AC is all the nice people who work here,” Brown said.
COLLEGE: Students voice transfer struggles Continued from page 1
fall. “I finished my audition and got accepted, so now I’m filling out FAFSA and scholarship forms and looking positively toward new experiences,” she said. However, according to her, the transfer process has been difficult. “There were some people in advising that were helpful, but my adviser was hard to get a hold of and it was a hassle to get them to understand what I needed,” Sicks said. According to her, she tried using AC’s transfer resources but found that they weren’t
helpful and did not support her decision to transfer before she graduated from AC. “As far as transfer resources go, I mainly just spoke with advising,” Daniel Antillon, a general studies major said. “A lot of thinking and planning went into this on my part, so the process of transferring isn’t this mind-boggling thing for me to grasp.” Despite his confidence with transferring, Antillon still isn’t sure if he actually used any of AC’s transfer resources, “I can’t say with confidence I have properly utilized, if I even used it at
all, this indescribable buzzword construct that is AC Transfer Resources.” Not all students at Amarillo College plan to transfer however, some graduates plan to start their careers after they walk the stage. For these students, AC offers career and employment services provide resources for students looking for jobs. They have resources available for resume building, job searching and interview preparation. Students can make appointments with career and employment services by calling 806 - 371-5147.
not only your ear and your vocal ability, but also your ability to adjust to other voices around you. It requires a lot of vocal independence,” he said. Although the audition process is demanding, Sicks said that interested students should not be afraid. “It seems intimidating to audition at first, but as soon as you get in there, you realize
everyone else has nerves too, and if singing is something that you love to do, and you think it’s fun, and you have the time to commit to it, all you have to do is try,” Sicks said. Students from any major can audition. Peyton Miles is a psychology major and a member of the club. “It definitely has helped me because I’m obviously not a music major so I don’t work with music every day and specifically it has helped me to grow my love for music and my musical abilities,” Miles said. “I have to learn how to hold my own part, which is difficult, but I view it as a sense of community. Even though there are only four of us, we are a group of people just sharing their love for music and working together to make something beautiful,” she added. Sicks said that being part of the club has also brought her new friendships and a deeper love of music. “I have a deeper respect for music after being a part of this club, and it’s just been really inspiring and fun,” she said.
April 21, 2022
Crumbl offers many cookie options, but no vegan or gluten free options.
RAYGAN LOPEZ | The Ranger
That’s just how the cookie Crumbls REVIEW By RAYGAN LOPEZ Editor-in-Chief
There is a new sweet treat in town and I don’t know if the treat is worth the hype it’s receiving. Crumbl Cookie has made its way to Amarillo all the way from Utah, so I decided to try it. I will be rating the new hot topic on four things: taste and texture, wait time and cost. I suppose I will start with the good. If you have an extra sweet tooth then Crumbl Cookie is for you. I ordered the six pack box with the flavors classic pink sugar, caramel cake, snickerdoodle, milk chocolate chip and red velvet white chocolate. To start, the
classic pink sugar was the right amount of sweet. The frosting was creamy and the dough was too soft in the middle but it added to the frosting. This cookie to me is the ol’ reliable and is the safest option. This cookie is ranked #2 on the list. The caramel cake was delicious from the texture to the taste. The caramel didn’t have the consistency and stickiness of caramel and felt like regular frosting in my mouth. I do think the caramel could be distributed a little more since it’s not too sweet. This cookie is for the caramel lovers and is also another safe option. For me this cookie is 1 out of 5. Snickerdoodle was messy
but still yummy. It wasn’t too much cinnamon where you can directly taste it. The sugar and cinnamon was the right amount because otherwise the cookie would have been bland without it. It was not my favorite and if I’m ever there again I would not order it. It’s ranked 3 out of 5. The milk chocolate was overbearingly sweet. With one bite I was sick of the cookie. The chocolate was melted inside the cookie and stuck to my mouth. It was a lot of chocolate for one cookie. The dough was also too doughy to the point it felt like raw cookie dough. I don’t know how they managed to mess up an alltime favorite. This cookie for
AMoA gives students public spotlight By IZZY GOMEZ Student Reporter
Amarillo Museum of Art on Amarillo College’s Washington Street Campus is hosting the 50th annual student and faculty art exhibit from April 8-24. “The AC and WT Show is an exhibition that features artwork from the students and faculty of both AC and WT,” Claire Ekas, the AMoA director of marketing and community engagement specialist, said. Ekas said that the artwork displayed ranges from graphic design, animation, photography, fine arts, ceramics and more. Ekas said that the main purpose of the art show is for the students to get the experience of what it’s like to hang artwork in a professional setting.
She also said it’s a chance for the students and professors to see the artwork. “It’s very comforting to see your work that you’ve worked so hard on appreciated by other artists,” Marian Padgett, an art major, said. Padgett said that she thinks the art show is a great opportunity for artists and it also allows the opportunity for people to see their work and be able to make their own interpretations. “It’s really important for the art community to pull together as much as we can to foster communication and cross pollination of ideas,” Stephanie Jung, a visual arts instructor, said. Jung said that creating those connections is important especially in the art community and that everyone sees the importance of getting together, sharing ideas and enjoying
each other’s company. Jung also said that in order for students’ work to be displayed in the show the artwork has to be judged by a jury of AC professors. She said that the professors don’t have any specific requirements, but they always make sure that they have chosen more than one style of art. Ekas said that students are able to submit the work from the previous year, as long as it was created after the last show. Ekas also said that aside from the AC and WT exhibition AMoA is planning to hold events all year long in order to celebrate the 50th anniversary. She said they have the “Art after Dark” event coming up in June and it will be 70s themed since the museum opened in 1972.
Saturday, April 23 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
me was 5 out of 5. The last cookie I tried was red velvet with white chocolate. It was plain and nothing was special about it. It wasn’t sweet but it wasn’t bitter either. I will say it was better than the chocolate chip cookie. Since I disliked the chocolate chip so much the red velvet earned its spot as 4 out of 5. It took 20 minutes to even get inside the building and once inside I waited 10 more minutes until I could order. My cookies were handed to me within three minutes of ordering. The kitchen was filled with about 12 workers who attempted to make the ambiance welcoming, but it was so busy to the point
where people wanted to just get their cookies and go. I waited 33 minutes overall for six cookies but at least the size of the cookie was a little bit bigger than the palm of my hand. Spending about $19 for six big cookies isn’t too costly and is cheaper than most bakeries in Amarillo. The product doesn’t outweigh the cost but I think Crumbl Cookie provides an average cookie. From 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. Friday and Saturday you can try the cookies for yourself and see if they’re worth the hype, but for me Crumbl Cookie was simply alright.
April 21, 2022
Badger Bot has entered the chat By SILAS MIRANDA Student Reporter
Amarillo College has its own artificial intelligence (AI) called Badger Bot which, judging by its intelligence, may or may not be controlled by an actual badger. Badger Bot is an AI programed onto the Amarillo College website to answer students’ questions with responses to questions such as, “What are the hours of operation for the admissions office?” or, “Who do I call to talk about the clubs on campus?” to make AC more easily accessible. “We are constantly working to find ways to meet students where they are — and we know that students don’t always have questions only during business hours and we wanted to find a way to be super responsive and timely no matter when a question is asked,” Sadie Newsome, AC’s media director, said. The problem with the Badger Bot is, while it can answer some questions, it fails to respond to some general questions that a student may ask. “Where do I find the communications department?” and “Is there a place where I can get help for math?” are just two questions tested to see what it is capable of answering.
Where do I find the communications department?
Is there a place where I can get help for math?
Badger Bot Sorry, I’m not sure what you’re trying to ask me. Try rephrasing your question, and I’ll do my best to answer or ask to speak to a human!
“Sorry, I’m not sure what you are trying to ask me. Could you try rephrasing your question, and I’ll do my best to try to answer or ask to speak to a human,” Badger Bot said. This comment is the most common statement used by Badger Bot, which led to the working theory that Badger Bot may be controlled by an actual badger. This response may prompt questions about whether AC is realizing the benefits of investing in artificial intelligence. How much does it cost to have a badger operate a complex AI? “The Badger Bot is part of a larger solution that is providing multiple services and solutions for several departments,” Maria Juarez, director of enrollment services, said. “It will help us to serve more students during extended times without increasing personnel and for that reason it is priceless, but the actual price is approximately $15,000 per year.” Juarez said the Bot is already improving communication between AC and potential students. “We have always had a chat feature to allow students to speak to a live agent, but we were limited in the number of students we could serve at once. This was particularly challenging during peak times when all traffic goes up but number of personnel available on chat does not. The Badger Bot will be able to address many of the chats without ever involving a live agent. This has three important benefits. First, it reduces the amount of wait time for many students by providing answers in real time for common, simple questions; second, we can focus our staff on those more complicated questions; lastly we expect to reduce the number of lost opportunities to serve students during high traffic times,” Juarez said. AC officials also noted that, like any technology, Badger Bot will improve over time. “So far, we have received a great reaction from students, faculty and staff. On top of that, this is an advanced AI technology that will learn and improve over time — so it will continue to get even better,” Newsome said. So far, it appears there is room for improvement. “The Ranger” asked Badger Bot two final questions: “Are you a real badger?” and “Will it continue to improve to help AC?” “Sorry, I’m not sure what you are trying to ask me. Could you try rephrasing your question, and I’ll do my best to try to answer or ask to speak to a human,” Badger Bot said.
Illustrations by SHAWN McCREA | The Ranger