Amarillo College's News Source Since 1930 acranger.com
Volume 92, Issue 7
February 3, 2022
Regents approve phone contract, Albertsons purchase By ANDREW TERRY Staff Reporter
SHAWN McCREA | The Ranger
Normally, Amarillo College’s two campus child cares centers has 138 spots but has had to limit the amount of children they accept to 78 because of shortages.
Desperately seeking staffers
Campus child care centers face worker shortage due to pandemic By KIM BLACK Student Reporter
The COVID-19 pandemic closed child care facilities nationwide, and many never reopened. “It’s created a child care desert,” Rochelle Fouts, Amarillo College education and early childhood instructor, said. One of the biggest challenges for AC’s child care facilities is “just finding people who want to work,” Fouts said. The pandemic brought new guidelines for classroom size, teacher-student ratios, cleaning and masking. This means more work, higher cost standards and more strain for everyone. “Our seasoned workforce is worn-out,” Fouts said. In a Dec. 15, 2021, article for “The Chronicle of Higher Education,” Kelly Field reported, “In 2004 roughly 60% of public colleges had campus child care centers. By 2019 only 45% did. The steepest losses have occurred at community colleges, which educate 42% of all student parents.” “The larger of Amarillo College’s two centers is licensed to serve 135 students but currently has only 78 because of staffing shortages,” Dennis Sarine, AC’s director of teacher preparation and early childhood
education, said in the same article. dealing with the virus itself. Many established workers left the New protocols require that when anyfield. Some became caregivers to others, one in the facility — child, teacher or their own family members and some left staff — tests positive for the virus or because “the new regulations made the becomes symptomatic, “we report it to job less fun,” Patricia Keith, AC child Amarillo College, to licensing and to the care coordinator, said. Extra work, along Health Department,” Keith said. with concerns over the effects of the viThe Health Department determines rus, has led to “caregiver exhaustion, and who stays and who quarantines, then noa mental health crisis,” she said. tifies the affected parents of the situation. “Scheduling staff The staff sends letters for the week is like to parents when a posa game of Tetris,” sible exposure occurs. ‘Scheduling staff for Keith said. When “Most parents are the week is like one worker is out, the understanding and others shift around see the staff worka game of Tetris.’ the facility to maining hard,” Keith said. PATRICIA KEITH tain the right teachFrustration does ocAC child care coordinator er-student balance. cur, but it’s usually be“We’re in this togethcause of “misunderer. We’re better tostandings, or a need gether. And we need for more information.” each other fiercely,” she said. The goal is to maintain communication Keith said because AC’s child care fawith parents “to assure them that the staff cilities have Texas Rising Star’s four-star is doing everything possible to keep kids certification, their teacher-student ratio safe and settle their fears.” Erica Cole, was already low, about two teachers for child care supervisor for AC, said. every eight children, so the new guideThe AC child care facilities have fulllines had minimal impact on that aspect. time positions with benefits available Another challenge facing the schools and part-time and student positions open is the continually updating guidelines for now, Fouts said.
Prepare for success in 2022 Students and staff discuss their expectations and worries for the upcoming school semester.
“The thing I am most worried about this semester is my finals and papers that’ll need to be turned in right at the end. My goals this semester are to stay on top of my busy schedule. Being able to balance school while staying motivated is easier said than done.”
ABBY SMITH
Business major
“I have nothing to worry about this semester. I feel confident and comfortable with my classes. My goals for the term are to finish the classes with good grades and get my certificate.”
DYLAN SOTO
Instrumentation major
“My hope for the new semester is that we will address the whole person — the heart and the mind. We are intellectual beings, but also social, physical, psychological, moral and spiritual beings.”
MURAL WORTHEY
Humanities instructor
“I hope to not get behind in my classwork. I’m taking four classes and still work 60 hours a week with my job, so it’s a challenge.”
BREIGHANNA LAUB
Biochemical engineering major
The Amarillo College board of regents has approved a contract with TMobile to provide 400 phones with high-speed internet access for students. The regents voted on this decision at their regular board meeting Jan. 25. Students would have access to the phones and internet plan for as long as they are enrolled at AC. “The initial inventory is being used for our most inneed students who identified that they needed internet services,” Dr. Tamara Clunis, vice president of academic affairs, said. The program will be funded with $160,000 provided to AC by the federal government as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act or the CARES act. The regents also approved the $4 million purchase of the former Albertsons building at I-40 and Washington Street. They plan to relocate technical programs, such as machining technology and welding to the new building within the next three to five years. Currently, the building is leased to a furniture store. AC officials have no immediate plans for the building, but said they felt it was a good investment. “This is a very good deal at a very good price, that along with the opportunity it gives us to one day move some of our technical education programs to a more convenient location, one very near our largest campus on Washington street,” Chris Sharp, vice president of business, said. The board also approved a contract that will provide virtual lab software for science classes. The regents approved an agreement between AC and Labster Inc. for $75,000 to provide online labs to science classes. Clunis believes that the software will allow students to do more surfacelevel or preparatory work online and more advanced labs in-person. They also approved a $60,800 service agreement with Anatomage Inc. to purchase an anatomy visualization system that lets students examine digital cadavers. There are plans to have one system on the Washington Street Campus and one on West Campus. Along with this new technology, the regents heard a See REGENTS, page 3
February 3, 2022
DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH ADVISING AT AC? RAGEYA OMAR Education
“My adviser used to be a teacher in elementary school, so we have a good relationship. She also helps me work my classes around my work schedule, which is really helpful.”
BREANA BURTON Biology
“I haven’t talked to my adviser since the beginning of this school year. She’s very hard to get in contact with since she’s the only STEM adviser. She did help me change a class though." Illustration by ANTHONY KISER | The Ranger
HARPER ADAMS General Studies
“I’ve had trouble getting in touch with my adviser. It’s a constant issue. I had a meeting scheduled, but it was cancelled. I talked to a peer adviser. It was helpful, but meeting with my actual adviser would be better.”
Pissed off about parking aaap
OPINION
By RAYGAN LOPEZ Editor-In-Chief
If you haven’t complained about parking at least once in college, are you even really a college student? This is a recurring issue at Amarillo College as long as I have been a student. My first complaint is that the light posts in the STEM parking lot don’t work. How am I supposed to feel comfortable walking to my car after my evening classes? I cannot wrap my head around my college’s unnecessary expenditures, but yet we can’t seem to afford to turn on or fix the lights in Lot 6. Second, AC receives a little bit of bond money and begins these “upgrades” on campus. I understand that we are welcoming back sports since the 80s, but the construction near Carter Fitness is taking up nearly half of Lot 10. Also, let us not forget the
Editor-in-Chief Raygan Lopez
Design Manager Shawn McCrea
Online Editor Jo Early
Page Editors
John King, Rylee Moore, Jordan Nuner, Jostlin Turner
massive hole in the ground behind the Science Lab Building beside the Amarillo Museum of Art. Was anyone ever going to tell students, faculty and staff that Lot 8 was just going to be demolished, or were we going to show up on a random Tuesday and see a massive hole in the ground? Third, the parking lot across the street from Parcells (Lot 9) is always full. At this point, you have to get to school before the sun comes up to park there, and that’s known. But I do wonder why Amarillo College Police Department has been blocking off at least twelve parking spots in that lot, if not more. Fixing the lights in Lot 6 will make me feel a little better but I am still going to complain about parking. As for Lot 8 and Lot 10, we all have to wait until the construction is finished, but then another unnecessary project might come.
Staff Reporters
Arine Garin, DeMarea Hill, Andrew Terry
Columnists
Nick Bandy, Raygan Lopez
Graphic Designers
Anthony Kiser, Shawn McCrea
Photographers Shawn McCrea
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.
Problematic advising needs reform EDITORIAL Advising is an important aspect of college that can often be a frustrating experience for many students. The challenge of choosing what classes to take and attempting to make them fit into a busy schedule is already difficult and can be even more so at community schools like Amarillo College. With such a diverse demographic, many students live different lifestyles that require different needs in terms of scheduling and advising. To better fit the needs of students, AC needs advising support that places greater emphasis on student communication. One of the most common complaints among students is that it can be difficult to get in contact with their adviser when necessary. The option to schedule an appointment is always available, but appointments are often filled weeks in advance, which can be a long
time when considering how quickly college terms move. This can result in students not being able to sign up for classes until days before they begin, which is not a realistic option for many students as they have jobs and other responsibilities that they must balance with their education. A problem that is more unique to community colleges like AC is the challenge of handling returning students who have been removed from education for long periods of time, or individuals who are older and are pursuing higher education for the first time. For both of these common groups, the idea of figuring out where to start with going back to school can be an intimidating task. Someone who has never gone to college may not understand what a transcript or GPA is, and may need more communication than the
average student. What seems like normal issues that arise for most students during registration may be the hurdle that holds back those who want to attend college for the first time. Having the advising resources available to help individuals like these in a personal and timely manner can be a key to their academic success. Advising should be a top priority for AC. It is crucial to student success and leaves a huge impact on student’s academic experience. Students need to be able to access their advisers more easily, and advisors need the time to be able to develop those relationships with students. Advising at any school is a challenge and should be handled with plenty of attention. Ensuring that the advising department has the amount of staff and resources to properly help students with their needs should be a priority.
Declaring war on Learning Frameworks Students say class is unnecessary, annoying OPINION By JO EARLY Online Editor
Throughout college, students are required to take several mandatory “core” classes. Texas sets the core curriculum as they want us to have a basic knowledge of history, government, math and more. This is understandable even if certain subjects can cause anxiety when you didn’t enjoy them in high school. I’m personally dreading facing my challenger: college algebra. There is a certain required course that has been the cause of headaches and eye rolls for many students and teachers since it was mandated by the state. At Amarillo College, it’s known as Learning Framework. This core class is meant to introduce students to effective study habits, time
management and the college’s resources. In practice, however, it feels a bit like suddenly dropping into a kindergarten class as a student and being asked condescendingly if you can keep up. You’ll take a Meyers-Brigg personality test and have a lesson covering the shocking news that you can’t study and play video games at the same time. I’ve talked to fellow students who have suffered through the course as well as teachers cursed to take their turn instructing it and everyone had the same reaction: an eye roll and some encouragement just to slog through. There’s no choice. I don’t hold the class against the college nor the instructors; Texas is no stranger to imposing nonsensical mandates upon unenthusiastic constituents. But in a
semester where I’m rushing between clubs, labs and work, worrying about "How to College 101" is just an additional and unwelcome stress. One that I had the pleasure of paying for. To try to put a positive spin on the negative feelings around the course we could try to think of it as an initiation of sorts. It’s true that in the “real world” workers often must sit through pointless meetings and redundant training, and we come out the other side somewhat bonded by the boredom. Like the military instructing their boot-camp hopefuls to do such mindless work as sweeping outside while it’s raining or mandatory company bonding trips with trust falls, Learning Framework 101 is something we can all commiserate about upon completion.
February 3, 2022
Museum marks 50 years of art By JORDAN NUNER Page Editor
The Amarillo Museum of Art is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is having a special exhibit that started Jan. 15 and runs through March 27. The exhibit features work by artists including Salvador Dali, Louise Nevelson, Larry Bell, Elaine de Kooning, Ed Ruscha, Leon Polk Smith, Gabriel Dawe and Dorothea Lange. “I feel very honored to be part of the staff during this monumental year and I am excited for the public to come and see it,” said Claire Ekas, the director of marketing and community engagement specialist at the museum. “I don’t think a lot of people realize the amazing pieces we have in our collection,” she said. Ekas said that the community began raising money to start an art museum in Amarillo in 1967. Betty Bivins Childers is credited as the founder, opening the doors of the museum to the public in 1972. According to Alex Gregory, museum curator, AMoA has always had a close relationship with
Amarillo College. “They were in the process of raising money, finding the architect, approving the plans, working with Amarillo College because there was a real exchange between the people that were founding the museum and Amarillo College,” Gregory said. “The museum operates separately from the college but the college maintains the building while the museum raises their own funds to do all of what they do,” he said. Gregory said the museum is an asset for AC and its students. “One of the great things about the museum is that a student could just be walking by, see that there is an exhibit and be like, ‘oh, OK that seems neat,’ but a lot of students are unaware that the college even has a museum, and that it’s free for anyone to attend,” Gregory said. The featured piece of the exhibit is Georgia O’Keefe’s “Train Coming in—Canyon, Texas” from 1916. Gregory described this piece as “the real treasure of the museum” out of over 3000 pieces that they have acquired over the years. There are so many pieces in the museum “they
JORDAN NUNER | The Ranger
Alex Gregory, museum curator, says AMoA is open Wed.- Sat. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday hours vary
can only show the highlights of their collection for the show,” Gregory said. “We acquire our works in various different ways,” Ekas said. “Some pieces are gifted to us by patrons, other museums or organizations, while others are museum purchas-
es.” Ekas said her favorite is an oil painting called “Out of the Coop” by Melissa Miller.“It depicts a mass of chickens, roosters, and farm dogs as they appear to be walking around in the dirt. I like this painting because of the texture created by the large brush strokes. I love
animals and I admire the way Miller creates allegorical pieces surrounding animals.” The museum is located at Amarillo College’s Washington Street Campus and the hours are listed on the website amoa.org along with all of the upcoming exhibits and events.
Art classes adapt to new space By SILAS MIRANDA Student Reporter
RAYGAN LOPEZ | The Ranger
This semester, the Student Life office in Byrd 413 from 8 A.M. - 5 P.M. Monday - Friday.
Student Life makes plans for fun By CAMERON PLUMLEY Student Reporter
As a fresh semester begins, new and returning students say they are eager to see what the campus has to offer for student activities. From a Badger Banquet to a Club Clash event, the Student Life division has big plans. “There is a lot happening in Student Life this semester,” Jenna Welch, student life coordinator, said. “Some big events are the Badger Banquet, Club Clash and Badgerama — all annual events that clubs were unable to hold last year due to the
pandemic,” Welch said. COVID-19 continues to impact the Student Life division. “It’s impacted us a lot, especially Student Life,” Jose Pedroza, student government association vice president, said. “Over COVID when we were online not many students were involved and a lot of clubs went inactive,” he said. SGA President Carmen Nava said the Student Life division has recovered from the pandemic. “We have over 20 clubs that are active and are getting many students involved,” Nava said. “There are three
clubs that are fairly new, which is Black Student Union (BSU), Hispanic Student Association (HSA) and Students Who Are Parents (SWAP),” Nava added. Some COVID precautions have been lifted. “We are able to hold events on campus at this time,” Welch said. “We ask that students take the precautions they deem necessary to ensure their personal health,” she said. For more information regarding events or activities or clubs, you can check out the Weekly Dig newsletter, the AC website and the AC social media pages.
REGENTS: CUB nears completion on recent facelift Continued from page 1 presentation about plans to expand online programs. “The overall goal is to create a whole program that’s offered online,” said Becky Burton, associate vice president of academic services. “We have a few programs that students can take 100% online but we don’t have a robust offering of those
programs,” Burton said. A task force has been looking into different ways to engage students in online classes including virtual reality and augmented reality to provide students with hands-on learning in an online environment, Burton said. She added that they have
also been looking into delivering classes in a format known as massively open online courses or MOOCs, which would allow students living in any part of the United States to be able to take classes online at AC. Burton said the MOOCs would allow students to complete required courses.
Amarillo College recently relocated its fine art classes to remodeled facilities in the basement of the College Union Building. During fall 2021, the fine arts faculty made the move from Russell Hall. All three of the AC fine arts professors had to move their things halfway across campus and set up what Steve Cost, a drawing and painting professor, referred to as “30 years of accumulated materials.” AC officials worked closely with the faculty to fabricate an environment suited to their specific needs. “It was a challenge for the architects to replicate the space to fit the parameters they had to work with,” Dennis Olson, the ceramics professor, said. “They went through a lot of trouble to dig out the outdoor area for the kilns and the sculpture yard,” he added. Cost said one of his favorite parts of the new location is his office. “I love my office. Each of our offices are in combina-
tion with a studio space so we artists can work in our office slash studios with ease.” As anyone who has ever moved knows, there are always struggles and issues getting used to a new location. Cost and Olson noted that they have had problems with internet service and cellphone reception, misplaced teaching materials and getting everything moved. “I’m still missing two kilns, which haven’t been brought over from Russell Hall, which are an important part of the ceramics program,” Olson said, adding that the kilns are heavy, fragile and difficult to move. Even with the issues that come with moving to a new location, students and staff say the CUB basement is slowly growing on them. “Class down here pretty much has all the reference material and stuff we need to do what we do. It gets the job done,” Charlie Black, a graphic design major, said. Cost pointed out that being just underneath the AC Bookstore allows access to needed supplies.
February 3, 2022
ANDREW TERRY | The Ranger
Construction on Lot 8 is due to end in August 2022, but the campus chilling system will take up most of the spaces.
AC officials say students can take a hike By JOHN KING Page Editor
There are currently two parking lots under construction on Amarillo College’s Washington Street Campus, resulting in fewer places for students and staff to park. “We don’t have a parking problem, we have a walking problem,” Danny Smith, the Master Plan program manager, said. Smith, who oversees all of the new bond-related construction at AC, also said there are regularly many spots open next to his office on the far side of campus, but students say they prefer to park closer to
their classes. “People are unwilling to walk. They just want to park up front,” Alex Spencer, a psychology major, said. The parking is “anxiety inducing,” according to Spencer, to the point where “I hit a curb because I was so nervous.” The construction for Parking Lot 10, behind the Carter Fitness Center, Byrd Business Building and Parcells Hall, is set to be finished by August 2022, adding about 40 spots in time for the volleyball season. Lot 8, behind Warren Hall off South Van Buren Street, is under construction as well and will soon be the
site of the water chillers currently located under Parcells Hall. The move will make them “more efficient,” Smith said, adding that the chillers, which air-condition the entire campus, are currently inconvenient to repair or replace. The chiller move will occur in the summer 2023. Smith said after the construction of Lot 10 is completed, Lot 9, on Jackson Street between 24th and 25th Avenues, will be rearranged and restriped to make it safer. After the completion of Lot 9, “there will be no more projects on this campus,” at least not that will affect students, he said.
Spencer said he feels hopeful that parking will improve someday. “When construction clears, it will get better,” he said. Ariana Tiroff, AC’s Blackboard support manager, said that may be wishful thinking. “When I was a student three years ago, I had parking issues,” she said. Even if parking lots specifically aren’t under construction, other parts of campus are and will be in the future. The current buildings under construction on the Washington Street Campus are the Carter Fitness Center, being renovated to accommodate for future
sports and make the facility more appealing, and Russell Hall, set to be the future enrollment center that most enrollment related departments are moving to making the building a “one stop shop,” said Smith. The space between the present Russell Hall and the Ware Student Commons will be turned into a patio similar to the one between the Ware building and bookstore. Smith said although some students may dislike the construction, the end result will be worth the inconvenience. “We have to keep going to make it better,” he said.
Coffee, community create connections By ANDREW TERRY Staff Reporter
RYLEE MOORE | The Ranger
The Badger Esports lab has brought Josiah Raab, a fire technician; Vincent Inthavong, a computer information systems major; and Sina Aria, a computer science major, together.
Esports rated E for everyone By MARCOS RUBIO Student Reporter
Amarillo College offers a wide variety of clubs and organizations for its students to get involved and meet new people. Some of the clubs that are offered to the students are Vocal Jazz, Student Media and Biology, but there is one club that is growing in popularity and size on campus. Esports is a club that offers students the opportunity to play video games with their fellow students and compete against other schools nationwide. “With this club we have created a new community for
gaming students and supporting students to learn leadership skills,” Chris George, a computer science instructor and Esports sponsor, said. In the first year, Esports started out with 20 students and four years later has over 100 members. The club originally met off campus at The Vault, but with the growing demand of students interested in this club, it has been moved to the Washington Street Campus in Parcells Hall room 415. They meet on Mondays at 5 p.m. Esports competes nationwide in “League of Legends,” “Rocket League” and “Overwatch” and many more. The competitive team
has won many awards, such as the 2021 GGLeagues Division Championship and players say they plan on winning many more in the future. “The atmosphere is a lot of fun and it’s nice to go to school to play video games instead of doing homework all the time,” Josiah Raab, a fire technician, said. Raab is in charge of helping new students sign up for the club and helping them with their games. The easiest way to sign up for Esports is to go online to the AC website, look up clubs and organizations and find the Esports discord. They’re always looking for new students to join.
Amarillo College hosted the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s “Café con Nosotros,” which means ‘Coffee with Us’ in English, in collaboration with the Hispanic Student Association in the Oak Room Jan. 27. The theme for the event was “success is careers and connections,” with the purpose of giving AC students opportunities to network with professionals from the Hispanic community. Jamie Perez, AC director of transfer services and co-sponsor of the Hispanic Student Association (HSA), said that the goal of the collaboration is to “help our Hispanic students get connected with the workforce.” The event featured prominent members of Amarillo’s Hispanic community; Paola Albarran, a news anchor and executive producer at KEYU Telemundo, Ana Ramirez, a senior business consultant at America’s small business development center at WTAMU and Liz Rascón Alaniz, the executive director of Wes-
ley Community Center. “I hope students feel like they’re not alone and feel connected to their culture by the end of our discussion,” Alaniz said. Eli Marquez, HSA vice president, agreed, saying that he hopes the event gave students the chance to interact with community. “As students, it’s pretty hard to stand out and this is an opportunity to really put themselves out there,” he said. The HSA has previously collaborated with Los Barrios de Amarillo and they hope to continue working with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “Café con Nosotros” is part of the partnership between AC and Excelencia in Education, a group that focuses on improving Latino student success in higher education. Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart is part of their Presidents for Latino Student Success program, which describes itself as “a diverse group of college and university presidents and chancellors who have committed to making their institutions learning environments where Latino students thrive.”
February 3, 2022
Fun Noodle, not so fun on wallet REVIEW
By RAYGAN LOPEZ Editor-in-Chief
Amarillo gets a new restaurant and of course, it gets a lot of hype on social media. Call me basic, but I decided to try Fun Noodle Bar. The noodle bar is located in Wolflin Village on Georgia St. There’s another location in Lubbock which receives a lot of love in their reviews. I rated Fun Noodle on several things; cost, portion, taste, ambiance and presentation. For starters, I ordered a New York Roll which was $6.95 for six pieces of sushi. The sushi tasted so fresh and you could taste every single ingredient used. However, it didn’t even remotely make a
dent in my hunger. Go to your local United Supermarket and you can get 12 pieces of sushi for the same price and taste. For my entree, I ordered chow mein with shrimp, beef and chicken. It smelled, looked and tasted good. It was $10.99 plus an extra $4 for making it a combination plate. My only complaint is that the almost $15 portion size wasn’t filling. Nothing on the menu from Taste of Thai on 34th near Osage costs over $15 and their portion sizes could feed two people. Although both dishes were presented neatly and are picture-worthy, the portion to cost ratio isn’t worth a photo for your Snapchat story.
The ambiance was a little crowded and loud. There was music playing and you could hear the chefs preparing the food. The restaurant was filled to the brim with people. I waited 20 minutes for a table for two where I was sat in a booth in a heavy-traffic zone for waiters. If I wanted to hear the communication between waiters and chefs I would have gone to Waffle House. I would rate Fun Noodle Bar a 6 out of 10. The ambiance was not it for me, I left hungry. The cost was fine; however, I can go to the Boulevard for a bigger portion for less money that will probably taste better. I don’t think Fun Noodle Bar is worth the hype.
RAYGAN LOPEZ | THE RANGER
The Weeknd wows REVIEW By ANTHONY KISER Editorial Cartoonist
COURTESY PHOTO
Netflix’s “Ripper” angers viewer REVIEW By DEE HILL Columnist
As a lover of all things true crime, I jumped for joy when I saw that Netflix dropped more true crime documentaries recently. Netflix just released their documentary “The Ripper.” I know what you are thinking - No, this is not about the original Jack the Ripper. This is about the case of a copycat, The Yorkshire Ripper; Britain’s most notorious serial killer. Although, this documentary wasn’t about the original Ripper, I was still excited to learn about a case I didn’t know much about. It was irritating to watch how disgustingly the police handled this case. The police created the narrative that the Ripper only killed sex workers because the majority of the women he killed were, but this is not completely true. The police assumed this because of the area in which the women were last seen or found in. Furthermore, saying they were sex workers gave an excuse for them to not care. The cases were considered NHI (no human involved) and weren’t important to the police or the public. Wilma McCann, the first victim, was last seen in the red light district, so when it came to investigat-
ing her murder, it was not the top priority for police. The case only became important when 16-year-old Jayne MacDonald was killed. She was not a known sex worker so the police and public were more willing to help. Even journalists did not want to write about this case until the McDonald’s death. Police barely even took the live victims seriously. Two of the women were laughed at after coming to the police and explaining what happened. Because the police didn’t listen to everyone, valuable information that might have led to the conviction of the killer went undisclosed. I believe the reason why the Ripper was able to kill for as long as he did was because of how poorly the police handled this case. Instead of the police waiting for someone that they considered human (Macdonald), they should have tried harder to solve the murders of McCann and Emily Jackson. With proper police work, the Ripper wouldn’t have killed as many people as he did, leaving 13 bodies, 13 lives that mattered, 13 family members are all gone because police and the public believed that these women didn’t matter. Instead of police and the public remembering the man who was behind it all, they
should’ve remembered the women who suffered at the hands of that man. The murders were crimes against women, not just sex workers. Women had finally freed themselves from the shackles men put them in, but because of the Ripper, they were put right back into those shackles. Women were told not to dress a certain way, not to be in a certain area and not to go out at night. Most women felt vulnerable again because men were once again saying what women could and couldn’t do. I would only recommend this documentary if you need something to be mad at. I rate this documentary a two out of five stars because the cinematography was good and you see the story from many different points of view. This documentary gives people who are victims, less fortunate people and people who didn’t live a picture-perfect lifestyle every reason not to go to the police. This documentary shows just how disgusting the public and police can be when dealing with cases that involve people who they consider unimportant. If things like this interest you, I highly recommend this, but if not, it’s not worth the anger you will feel after watching this.
In January, Canadian singer/songwriter The Weeknd released his latest studio album “Dawn FM.” With a radio format and narration by Jim Carrey, the album is truly an experience from start to finish. In this release, The Weeknd somehow manages to make you feel submerged in this world he has created. You can’t help but feel the emotions that are worked in each lyric. It’s hard to listen and not find yourself dancing to each track. One of my favorite tracks is “Less than Zero.” It’s the second to last song on this album and by the time you come to it, it’s a song filled with self-realization. Besides the upbeat nature of the song, the soft melody is a nice touch to wrap up the last full song on this album. As the song slowly fades out “Phantom Regret by Jim” starts to play and it is honestly the best outro to an album I’ve ever heard. Carrey does a phenomenal job as the narrator to further submerge us in this world. During the song, Carrey narrates, “You gotta unwind your mind, train your soul to align and dance till you find that divine boogaloo” and this whole song is filled with
lines just like this. While he narrates, The Weeknd vocalizes in the background of the track, which makes this song so much better. Another thing that I really love about this album is that The Weeknd makes it seem as if it was a radio show. Throughout this album there’s this narration by Carrey saying, “Here’s 30 minutes of easy listening to some slow tracks on 103.5 Dawn Fm” and it’s just a small detail that shows The Weeknd really cares about the content he’s putting out, again really selling the idea that this is a different world we’re trying to experience. Something to pay attention to while listening to this album are the transitions from one song to the next. The transitions are seamless. To start a new year with an album that does so many new things and produces on a whole other level is such a comforting feeling considering what we’ve all been through the past two years. So, if you have some free time or are at work, get some headphones, put this album on and really zone in and experience this for yourself. The more you listen to it, the more you notice different things each time. This album is well-written and put together and worth listening to.
COURTESY PHOTO
February 3, 2022
By KATIE SPARLING Student Reporter Dating apps have changed the way people get to know each other. The key is to find if those connections are successful or not. Some Amarillo College students say they have found this technology is indeed a good way to meet people, while others say the opposite. Most students advise people to just put themselves out there and find out if online connection is right for them. “You’ll make better connections with people face to - face instead of online,” Nick Davis, a computer science engineering major, said. Davis’ dating endeavors were through Bumble, an app founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd. According to their website, Bumble started in 2014 and is commonly known for letting the female users make the first contact. Davis also said he realized “that there are a lot of fake accounts” and to just be careful through the online dating world. Cierra Bragg, an interior design major, said, “I think there is potential to meet someone with common interests and values and there are also possibilities of making new friendships, however an overwhelming response right away can be off putting.” Bragg, who admits to browsing Bumble and Hinge, said she didn’t think they were successful overall for her. “Both of the apps also withheld information about other potential matches unless you paid, which I found bothersome,” she said. Bragg added that the connections she’s made in person have been more “fruitful and genuine.” Other students say they have had positive experiences with online dating. Selena, a nursing major who did not give her last name, said that using Tinder “is a good way to get to know people.” Tinder is the number one dating app with 55 billion matches to date, according to their site. Selena said using the app helped her with “learning how to talk to people, because I’m pretty shy.” She admits that you should always be careful and watch out for red flags. Autumn Logan, a wildlife biology major, found an app called Monet through TikTok. It’s an app that lets people make first connections through “doodles and you can draw back and forth to each other.” Lo-
gan said that she has met some really good friends through Monet and “there are people from all over the world and from different cultures on there.” Some AC professors have a unique perspective on how dating apps affect our interpersonal communication. Beth Rodriguez, a psychology professor, said, “Different apps use different things to make matches. Tinder is based on physical attractiveness and what we call the HALO effect.” Rodriguez explained that the HALO effect leads people to think that if a prospective date is attractive then they must have other good qualities about them. Other apps may use “personality tests to match people through common interests and personality traits.” Rodriguez also said that apps have changed the dating world in the way that “it’s less work trying to find single people who want to date because they’re on the app.” The apps make it easier to contact one another for sure, but it’s the matter of a how truthful and genuine the person wants to be online that is a major concern, she said. Lesley Ingham, Honors Program Coordinator and interpersonal communication professor, agreed, saying, “Dating apps have greatly changed the dating process, both good and bad. One recurring theme that I hear and read about is ‘ghosting,’ where an individual decides to no longer participate in the dating process with someone, and rather than give the person any information on why they’re exiting the process, they stop responding to communication,” Ingham said. According to the studies of interpersonal communication this is called “disconfirmation.” Ingham said that disregarding a persons’ value or existence is “the most hurtful act of communication and is, unfortunately, commonplace.” Ingham added that people should live by the “golden rule,” which means respect, and, even though some situations might be awkward, they should always explain their dating decisions. Now, the question still remains, are dating apps good or bad? Well, maybe that depends on an individual’s outlook and goals. Both students and professors say daters should be themselves and be respectful of others. Put yourself out there if you’re comfortable with it. You be the one to decide.
Illustration by JOSTLIN TURNER | The Ranger