The Accent - Issue 1 by Jana Lelek

Run the human race with John Carson on page 8.

September 22, 2008

www.theAccent.org

Volume 1, Issue 1 Hanlly Sam • Staff Photographer•

Inside

Helping Ike Evacuees

Explore the Texas Music Museum on page 7.

Alma Hernandez • Photo Editor

Dot Dearinger, an employee of the Office of Student Life at ACC, donated her time last weekend to volunteer with the American Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Ike after buildings closed early in preparation for the hurricane.

ACC staff member helps with Red Cross shelter efforts Elizabeth Carson Editor-in-Chief

Read about what’s happening with parking and transportation on page 5.

While many people planned to stay indoors on Sept. 12 due to hurricane preparations, Austin Community College Student Life Assistant Dot Dearinger risked highly congested roadways and sacrificed personal comfort to volunteer with the Red Cross, helping displaced Texas coastal residents. Dearinger, who works at the Rio Grande campus, took classes at ACC and participated in a work study with the office of Student Life in 2003. Now she’s a part of the full-time staff in the same office. Dearinger first started volunteering with the Red Cross during Hurricane Katrina. She picked up food and brought it to the Capital

Area Food Bank to help serve Hurricane Katrina victims who were taking refuge in Austin. At that time, Dearinger became a certified Red Cross volunteer. After a quick, on-the-spot training, she spent every night with the displaced families until they could return home. “Some of our dearest friends now are from Hurricane Katrina,” said Dearinger. “I know how important it is to be available, even if you can just talk to someone.” She explained that volunteers like herself are there to comfort the victims and provide companionship, laughter and maybe a respite from childcare by playing with the children. During Hurricane Katrina, Dearinger used her cell phone to call victims’ relatives in other

states, letting them know that their family members were safe. The relief she heard on the other end of the line was its own reward. “They didn’t realize that people just care,” she said. Dearinger knows what it means to live through a hurricane. Many times she evacuated and returned to assess the damage when she lived in Galveston. After Hurricane Charlie, Dearinger had enough, and it was one of the main reasons she moved to Austin. Extra hands are often needed. Hurricane victims need to be registered, school gyms need to be converted into temporary residences and services to victims need to be provided including taking care of medical needs and helping with babies. With a background in human

services, CPR training and suicide prevention classes under her belt, Dearinger is able to serve her community in a practical way. Dearinger was not able to return Saturday to help at the shelters and by Sunday most residents had left them. The Texas Department of Transportation has posted electronic signs along the highways that warn of gas shortages on roadways heading toward Beaumont and Houston. Area officials do not recommend anyone return to the area for awhile while recovery efforts continue.

Get Involved www.centex.redcross.org

Net Neutrality a democratic ideal threatened Trevor W. Goodchild Staff Writer

Internet access to the average student is essential, and unrestricted access to high speed data transfer is viewed as a right. This concept that anyone with a connection can transfer as much data as they want and do it at as high a speed as their connection will allow is known as Net Neutrality. However, it is currently being challenged by large telecommunication companies. Net Neutrality is, as University of Texas Professor Robert Jensen puts it, “A system of mass communication and democracy. That means we have to always be attentive to the need to ensure the most democratic access to the communication of this technology.” This unofficial tenet of the internet enables nondiscriminatory access, so that no service provider can block content based on their business

alliances or political persuasions. Yet, if some had their way, this could all change soon. Companies such as AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon have been spending tens of thousands of dollars lobbying Congress to make laws allowing them to provide fast internet only to those who pay higher fees, while the rest of internet users are limited to dial-up or slower connecting capabilities. They would intentionally slow down the current widely used internet bandwidth and reserve the normal speed the general populace is accustomed to for those who can afford the higher price. In 2006, the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Bill (C.O.P.E. Act) was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, but later did not make it through the Senate to become law. Essentially, it would have allowed telecom companies to eliminate Net

Neutrality. Save The Internet, one of the most organized groups taking action regarding the recent attacks on Net Neutrality, is made up of such diverse groups as Gun Owners of America, Moveon.org, the Christian Coalition of America and even the founder of Craigslist.org, Craig Newmark. Net Neutrality has also sparked the attention of several well-known bands such as Wilco, Aesop Rock, the Wu-Tang Clan, The Roots, and Pearl Jam, who have joined the group Rock the Net, a coalition of musicians and labels that support Net Neutrality. Musician Moby stated, “You will not be allowed to sell out the internet to companies like AT&T without a huge public backlash. If Congress guts Net Neutrality, independent music and news sites would be choked NEUTRALITY continued on pg. 3

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Forum

Redress of Grievances

September 22, 2008 • Accent

Bystanders are the missing youth vote

Jamie Carpenter Staff Writer

In two months, we will find out if this truly is a historic presidential election. Will the youth actually get out and vote? As a young voter myself, I certainly hope so. However, history has shown election after election, young voters typically tend not to vote. Just because you are young does not mean you don’t have a voice, but our voice is typically drown out by the votes of older generations because-surprise- they actually participate in politics. According to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, the largest demographic of people who do not vote are the “ bystanders” - who compromise ten percent of the population. Of these bystanders, 40 percent are under the age of 30. How much of a difference could all those votes make? The 2004 election showed that the race for presidency can be neck-in-neck. It is extremely disheartening to me that people, at such a young age, are not voting. There are significant correlations between a person’s quality of life and whether or not they vote. People under the age of 30 who do not vote are more likely than any other group to be among the poorest and least educated. In seeking to understand

what makes some young people decide to vote and others not, I talked to a wide variety of people. Some were not going to vote because they were waiting on their citizenship to come through, others were not quite old enough and some just were plain fed-up with the system. Karry Evans, a Government teacher at ACC, believes that young people in general don’t vote because they feel like they have no control. I definitely can understand that but nothing in my life was ever made easier by my not doing something. The easiest way to significantly make a marked difference in your life is to make informed voting decisions. Student Boaz Buell believes that we have a responsibility as Americans to vote. He believes that not voting is taking for granted that half the world doesn’t have the rights that we do. In not voting, we take away a significant amount of our freedom that others have fought for. I absolutely agree with this sentiment. But I do realize that not everyone is not voting because they take democracy for granted. Some, like Psychology teacher Don Dydek, are not voting out of a form of protest. He is unhappy with the system and so, for one of the few times in 40 years, he will not be voting. Certainly I could see where he is coming from. The fallout from the 2004 election left a sour taste in many people’s minds about the accuracy of our voting system. However, Dydek also stated, I probably will re-register. I think young people could make a significant impact on this election. If you are a young voter, donít allow yourself to become just another bystander. Vote.

Notes from the campaign trail Lauren Reed Staff Writer

“ She understands the energy issues better than anybody I know in Washington, D.C., and she understands Alaska is right next to Russia. She understands that. Look, Sen. Obama’s never visited south of our border. I mean, please.” This was John McCain’s response to ABC’s Charles Gibson when questioned about Palin having not obtained a passport until last year, while America is dealing with an insurgent Russia and the current war on terror. Karl Rove, citing George Bush’s foreign policy experience in dealing with relations between Texas and Mexico, originally coined this idea. Are they honestly taking notes from the Bush campaign? Yet, even with her close proximity to Russia, Palin hasn’t visited the country, though she has traveled to Kuwait. Thanks for the geography lesson.

Lipstickgate ‘08

Lipstick has played a larger role in this year’s campaign than some might have expected. Conflict has erupted between both parties about two quotes taken completely out of context. “The only difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull is lipstick”- Sarah Palin “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig.”- Barack Obama Shortly after Obama made this statement, the Republican Party demanded an apology claiming the remark showed Obama’s sexism. It seems to be quite a stretch to relate these two comments to one another, but many in the GOP were quick to jump on the defensive. If you actually take the time to dissect this metaphor it is apparent that Palin would not be the pig, but the lipstick, and the Republican’s policy would be the pig. It was later reported that John McCain used the same adage in a speech about Hillary Clinton’s Health Care plan, without repercussion. This is just another attempt to distract from the issues at hand.

Our View Staff Editorial

In 2003, the Texas legislature deregulated tuition cost. Since then the cost has increased over 58 percent. This is a testament to the complete failure tuition deregulation turned out to be. It’s time Texas re-regulates the cost of public university tuition. Students are going deeper into debt while the economy is suffering at the hands of university bureaucrats. Meanwhile, it’s reasonable to assume that high tuition at universities is part of the reason community colleges like ACC are experiencing a growth boom that stretches them to their limits. This steady rise in community college attendance is creating new problems with congested traffic, parking, the need for new facilities, and increased demands on teachers. The pendulum of public comfort may now be swinging away from a fear of taxes and towards the need for affordable education. Many community college students,

struggling to make a living while taking classes, are understandably reluctant to take out the astronomically high loans needed to make the transition into a university. The risk of not being able to complete a course suddenly becomes much more costly. Public universities argue that they cannot compete with other state universities if they cannot put limits on how many and who attend. Exclusivity is what distinguishes them from any other accredited school. However, when the limits lie predominantly in financial exclusion, there is a problem. Competition is good, but forcing talented students out of their choice schools with ridiculously inflated tuition costs is unfair and should be stopped by the state legislature before more students suffer. It is true that the population in Austin (and many other Texas cities) is growing. Thus, the universities might argue that there is a greater need for expansion and

bringing in reputable faculty at a competitive pay rate. Such decisions, some would say, are best made by those deeply involved in the workings of the university. Obviously, this is not true. The universities had their chance to take control of their own tuition rate and they blew it. Re-regulation creates a whole new set of problems for the universities, but they can handle it. Students deserve an opportunity to pursue a four-year degree without the unnecessary strain of unbearable costs and the burden and fear of paying off debt in the future. Public universities ought to be forced to come up with better ways to finance themselves without gouging students. Public officials ought to make the major decisions concerning institutions that serve the public. The bottom line is that the legislature needs to do its job, and the universities should do the same.

A Welcome From Congressman Doggett I stand ready to assist you in matters of a federal nature. Have a safe, productive, and memorable year here at Austin Community College. U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett serves on the Ways and Means

This school year marks the 35th anniversary of Austin Community College. Later this week, a delegation of student leaders from ACC will visit my Washington office. For over a generation, ACC has benefited from a strong student government, and I am pleased to see students getting involved in making their school a better place. Higher education must remain affordable and accessible. One way to achieve this is by simplifying student assistance applications. The “Free Application for Federal Student Aid” – or FAFSA – is 11 pages long and has been compared to a federal tax form in its complexity. Cutting Red Tape Congress passed an amendment I authored to simplify FAFSA. The Doggett Amendment gives students and parents the power to instruct the Internal Revenue Service to provide their income

information directly to the Department of Education. This simplifies filing the FAFSA by reducing the number of questions on the form and the instructions necessary to complete it. Both my district office in Austin and my congressional office in Washington provide year-round internship opportunities for students who have an interest in government or want to help meet the needs of constituents on a broad range of federal issues. Internships should be coordinated through the office in which you wish to work. Want to Help? As your Congressman, please help me ensure that my priorities in Washington are your priorities by visiting my website at www.house.gov/ doggett where you can find helpful information about student aid, fill out a survey on federal issues, or subscribe to receive legislative updates.

ADVERTISING 512.223.3166

Committee, the Budget Committee, and the Joint Economic Committee. For more information on ACC Student Government Association go to: www. austincc.edu/sga

EDITORIAL 512.223.3171

FAX 512.223.3086

OFFICE OF STUDENT LIFE

RGC, 1212 Rio Grande St., Room 101.1 Austin TX 78701

Editor................................................................................................................Elizabeth Carson Assistant Editor.............................................................................................. David Rodriguez Photo/Web Editor........................................................................................... Alma Hernandez Layout Editor............................................................................................................. Jana Lelek Campus Editor.........................................................................................................Sarah Neve Accent Adviser..............................................................................................Matthew Connolly Accent Coordinator................................................................................................ Lori Blewett Student Life Director......................................................................................... Cheryl Richard Writers Rebekka Puig, Jonathan Sack, Christina Chapman, Jamie Carpenter, Trevor W. Goodchild, Olivia Palmer, Tanya Brooke Roese, Shane Yount, Jenessa Hernandez, Sarah Saker, Rose Robinson, Lauren Reed Photographers Jonathan Sack, Hanlly Sam, Stephen Hooker, Esther Garcia, Teodora Erbes, Sarah Saker ACC President Dr. Steve Kinslow Board of Trustees Ms. Nan McRaven– Chair; Ms. Veronica Rivera—Vice Chair; Dr. James McGuffee—Secretary, Dr. Barbara P. Mink, Allen Kaplan, Mr. Jeffrey Richard, JOhn-Michael Cortez, Tim Mahoney, Raul Alvarez All rights reserved. All content is the property of Accent and may not be reproduced, published or retransmitted in any form without written permission from the Office of Student Life. Accent is the student newspaper of Austin Community College and is printed by the Texas Student Publications. Accent is published biweekly. ACC students may submit articles for publication in Accent to RGC’s Office of Student Life, Room 101.1; e-mail articles to accent@austincc. edu or fax submissions to 223-3086. ACC does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, political affiliation or disability. Accent offers ACC’s faculty, staff, students and surrounding community a complete source of information about student life. Accent welcomes your input, as well as information about errors. If you notice any information that warrants a correction, please e-mail accent@austincc.edu. Individual views, columns, letters to the editor and other opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of Accent.

news

September 22, 2008 • Accent

To be brief, Google partnership provides students with E-mail

Student email accounts are here. On September 15 2008 the Google based email address became available for students. To access new accounts log into the ACC online services and get the initial login information and password. Once in, students can customize there accounts, change their passwords, and learn about all the features available. Student will have access to Google’s, chat, web based word processor, and calendar. The accounts were created to help improve communication between students and their teachers, and with the college. All students will be issued an ACCmail account within 24 hours of becoming eligible to register for classes.

College President, Others Golf For Emergency Fund

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Student club promotes biking for fun, health, efficiency and a better environment Elizabeth Carson Editor-in-Chief

Students for Environmental Outreach, an Austin Community College club, put on a Bicycle Rodeo event Thursday, Sept. 18 in the Rio Grande student lounge to encourage students to “reduce their carbon footprint” in Austin. SEO gave away popcorn and free pizza donated by The Brick Oven. They brought in bikes and demonstrated bike maintenance. The goal was to help make it easier for students to ride their bicycles to school. They also had a raffle and gave away a free bicycle and helmet, a flat tire repair kit, and other

prizes. Addie Broussard, SEO President, said the group wants to “get students interested in greener, more efficient ways to get to school,” and hopefully stop the line of cars that wait for a parking spot in the Rio Grande campus parking lot. Southside Bikes, Brown’s Bikes on West 35th St. and Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop donated the prizes. Mellow Johnny’s will give a 10 percent discount on purchases to students with student ID. For more information on Students for Environmental Outreach or to get involved, visit www.sustainyourplanet. org.

Alma Hernandez • Photo Editor

Students for Environmental Outreach VP Bryce Ramsey demonstrates bike maintenance at the Bike Rodeo on Sept. 18 at the RGC student lounge to urge students to ride their bikes to school.

Reregulating tuition on state legislative agenda Sarah Neve

Campus Editor Students seeking a degree from a four year institution might not have to worry about raising tuition costs after this year’s legislative session. Tuition reregulation is shaping up to be a big issue in the upcoming legislative session. It’s been just over five years since the legislature passed House Bill 3015 which deregulated the cost of tuition and allowed colleges to set rates. Since then, the cost of tuition is up 58 percent statewide. On June 9, State Rep. Sylvester Turner accompanied by Sen. John Whitmire of Houston announced plans to propose legislation that would give control of tuition cost back

to legislators. “[Deregulation] was a bad experiment,” said Turner. Some believe that the high cost of tuition at universities is part of the reason community colleges in Texas have experienced so much growth. Community college students make up about 50 percent of all higher education students. Unlike university tuition, which some legislators want to put a cap on, community colleges have a floor, an amount that the institution cannot charge less than for a course. The average cost of Texas community colleges was $1,639 last year for full-time students, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. That’s 40 percent lower than the

national average for junior college tuition in other states. At Austin Community College, the average cost for a student taking 12 credit hours is $468 plus student fees. The average cost of tuition and fees at public Texas flagship universities is $1,031 higher than the national average, according to the THECB. Steven Johnson, a former ACC student, who now serves as the associate vice president for external relations at the Texas Association of Community Colleges said, “It is cheaper for the student, their families and the state for students to attend community colleges.” Gov. Rick Perry, according to spokeswoman Allison Castle, and Speaker Tom Craddick, in

a 2004 statement released by his office, have both been quoted as saying that Texas education is “still a bargain.” Some universities attribute new faculty and courses to the tuition increase. “We believe these modest increases in tuition and fee rates will go a long way toward furthering excellence at our campuses,” said H. Scott Caven Jr., the University of Texas Board Of Regents Chairman according to UTSA Today. Not everyone is convinced that deregulation has been successful. Rep. Coleman, also from Houston, said in 2007, “We must immediately end tuition deregulation so we can make college affordable for all Texas families.”

Net Neutrality attacked by monopolies, some say Continued for page 1

ACC teed off for the student emergency fund. On August 1 2008, 100 people, including ACC President Steve Kinslow, in 25 teams competed in the third annual ACC Golf Scramble. They raised $15,000 for the ACC student emergency fund. The Fund is used for students that suffer catastrophic events that might disrupt their study. Students can apply, or be sponsored by a faculty member. The funds will assist students with outstanding medical bills for themselves, spouses or children. It can also be used to help students who have lost their housing due to a natural disaster or fire.

Black carpet event draws record crowd

The Black Student Success committee hosted “Black Carpet”, its fourth annual mixer on September 17 2008. The mixer introduces students to resources, programs, co-curricular activities, available to them. According to Cheryl Richard, Director of Student Life, usually around 50 or 60 students attend this event. This year around 300 students attended. The event started at 5:30 pm in the Eastview multipurpose room. There was free food, prizes and entertainment for the students. To find out more about the event, or to get involved with the Black Student Success Committee contact Toni Haynes Robinson, Student Life Coordinator, who chaired the event.

off, consumer choice would be limited, and the Internet will be become a private toll road auctioned off by companies like AT&T.” In a world that has become increasingly more dependent on technology, freedom of expression, the ability of musicians to directly market to their fans without middlemen, small businesses that thrive on word-ofmouth advertising originating from their websites, and even an independent press are all heavily supported by an open internet. There is also a direct connection between the internet and education as Jensen said,

“The idea behind public education is, if you are going to strive for a democratic society, you need to strive for an educated public so they can use the information for democratic decisionmaking.” The Accent attempted to contact the sponsors of the C.O.P.E. Act for a view that supported eliminating Net Neutrality. The C.O.P.E Act sponsored by Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton, Rep. Fred Upton, and Rep.Charles Pickering and Rep. Bobby Rush. Barton, Upton and Pickering were unavailable for comment, and Barton’s aide notified the Accent that he couldn’t make a statement on this issue and that he deferred to another committee for that purpose. However, Ed Whitacre, the CEO of AT&T in a press release regarding this issue said, “Net

Neutrality, I’m not even sure what that means.” The U.S. Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG), is one of the groups leading the fight for Net Neutrality. “If you think about your opportunities as a college student going into a new company, where everyone has access to the full plate of the free internet, there are a lot more entrepreneurs. College students can start their own businesses and explore the world around them, and existing businesses can also start new endeavors and create jobs which are good for college students,” said Amina Fazlullah, U.S. PIRG media and telecommunications staff attourney. ìIf you have your information limited for college kids researching, then it hampers the ability of college students to receive the same quality of education or future opportunities.”

Fazlullah equates the current internet provider situation as very similar to the monopolies that have been broken up by anti-trust laws in the past. “Right now our net access comes from monopoly or duopoly providers, and if anyone wants to have any other types of other access, they’re out of luck… and when they have a monopoly over your access of info, then they can control… your experience online. So it’s critical the telecom barons aren’t given full control. We believe in competition capitalism spurred from everyone having more access, and if you put this into context of information, when everyone’s ideas get a chance to play in the game, then every viewpoint is heard and we can make an informed decision. Taking away Net Neutrality negates the very idea of democracy.”

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September 22, 2008 • Accent

Campus News

ACC celebrates Mexican Independence Day at Riverside Campus Sarah Neve

Campus Editor A Diez Y Seis celebration was hosted by several groups at the Riverside campus on Sept. 16. The ACC Center for Public Policy and Political Studies, The Latino/Latin American Studies Center, the Student Success Center, and former state Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos all helped to put on the event. For 28 years the celebration took place at the Capitol. Now it has been permanently relocated to ACC. This is the second annual celebration here on campus. The event included speeches from local historians, as well as entertainment from Mariachi Cocula, Roy Lozano’s Ballet Folklórico de Texas, Johnny Degollado y Su Conjunto, and ACC’s Boca Abajo. Boca Abajo’s website refers to the band as a pioneer in the Austin Latin alternative music scene. 300-350 students, faculty, and community members, as well as friends of the senator attended the event which was catered by Casa Chapala Grill Cantina. In an ACC press release, Peck Young, director of the Center for Public Policy and Political Studies said, “Diez y Seis is more than Mexican Independence Day. It is Texas history and the history of many people who are part of this community.”

Photo Courtesy of Scott Newton

Ballet Folklorico de Texas preformed at Riverside campus for the Diez Y Seis celebration commemorating Mexican Independence Day. Ballet Folklorico offers dance classes to all ages, and has performed a Diez Y Seis celebration for the last 13 years. The event, co -sponsored by the ACC Center for Public Policy and Political Studies was attended by over 300 students, faculty, and community members.

Fall semester kicks off with campus Welcomepalooza celebration

Alma Hernandez •Photo Editor

Office of Student Life staff members lead Eastview students in the Cupid Shuffle as music played through the loudspeakers of the Red Bull DJ Van. Welcomepalooza offered fun and information to ACC students at all seven ACC campuses between Aug. 26 and Sep. 9.

Stephen Hooker •Staff Photographer

Audrey Lopata, a volunteer with the Fireseed Group, contributes her talents at the Northridge Welcomepalooza to a communal painting to be hung in the student lounge. School and community groups, as well as local businesses, offered information, products and activities to returning students.

Campus News

September 22, 2008 • Accent

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Voice, Identity, Dissent Carnival ah! seeks to connect Arts and Humanities disciplines seriously in the various Arts and Humanities programs and the city doesn’t know about it,” Carnival ah! is an event that said Lyman Grant, dean of the hopes to bring students from Arts and Humanities Division. the Arts and Humanities diviThe departments involved are sion together through student art, creative writing, dance, projects and discussions. Both drama, ESOL, foreign language, of these will focus on this year’s and philosophy. theme: Voice, Identity, Dissent. “The goal is to provide Student projects will be pre- a network and resource for sented at the carnival on Apr. artistic and academic collabora2-4 at the Rio Grande campus. tion within the growing ACC Projects that qualify will be community. It aims to benefit funded by the division. The all students, faculty, staff and discussions will be held every alumni. It was also created to Thursday at different campuses showcase and celebrate the from 7-9 p.m. work being done here at ACC “Carnival ah! is a celalready,” said Project Manager ebration of the Arts and Arthur Adair. Humanities that extends About 20 people from each beyond our divisional boundarea of Arts and Humanities aries. We have truly wonderful attended the introductory meetstudents here participating ing of Carnival ah! on Sept. 4.

Rebekka Puig Staff Writer

“It was great to meet everyone in a casual environment like that. I am very excited to get more students involved with Carnival ah!,” said Ashley Monical, president of the Experimental Student Performance Lab. Students aren’t the only ones excited about the event. “The faculty who are driving Carnival ah! are passionate about their field and their students. We spend an awful lot of time worrying about passing tests, and I think it’s important for students to have a chance to express themselves without that concern,” said Erika Domatti, associate professor of Deaf ESOL. Another aim of Carnival ah! is to give students within the department a chance to show what they can do, and give them

Esther Garcia •Staff Photographer

Ashley Monical, Carnival ah!’s student administrative assistant and Arthur Adair, the project manager, organize creative discussions and activities every Thursday at 7 p.m. To participate, go to www.austincc.edu/ carnival/.

a reason to stick with their passion. “We are learning how to engage and retain creative students. They are an individual

group, and have needs and interests that may not be the same as the typical student. We need to provide incentive for

creative people to stay and stick with it, and I hope that Carnival ah! is one of those incentives,” said Grant.

Parking and Transportation Update Dirt parking lot shut down, paved lot doesn’t fully make up for loss of spaces

Jon Sack

Rio Grande Parking Garage on Schedule

Staff Writer Pinnacle campus students who are used to hopping the curb to find parking in the non-paved parking area near the campus will have to start using the new parking lot addition instead. The dirt parking lots will be closed permanently beginning Sept. 26, eliminating 200-300 spaces. The addition adds 108 new parking spaces. City of Austin inspectors approved the new lot. The inspectors also noted that vehicles would no longer be allowed to park in the dirt lot because it was against city code. The net loss of over 100 spaces has left students wondering how Austin Community College will respond. “A parking garage might not be the logical choice, but the only choice now,” echocardiography student Hunter Leadford says. The parking problems are affecting the campus. Pinnacle’s Welcomepalooza event, organized by Student Life, was reduced compared to other campuses, since vendors’ cars took up potential student spots. As an alternative to parking on campus, ACC is now paying

Sarah Saker•Staff Photographer

The Rio Grande parking garage project is on schedule and in budget. The garage is scheduled to open in 2009 with 453 new parking spaces. Austin Community College is striving for a two star green rating from the city of Austin, and should be able to achieve it when the garage opens. The 12th St. ACC bookstore will occupy the ground floor of the new facility along with other ACC offices. Jon Sack •Staff Photographer

Starting Sept. 26, ACC’s Pinnacle campus will eliminate all of their dirt parking lots. The campus is currently promoting alternatives to onsite parking such as a park and ride located at AISD’s Tony Burger Activity Center.

for a free shuttle service for students from the Tony Burger Activity Center to Pinnacle and back every 30 minutes. The shuttle service is run by two charter buses. “While it is useful, it seems like a lot of cash,” said pre-med student Louis Goodman.

Campus officials are searching for a long term solution. “What we need is a college-wide parking and transportation master plan,” said Campus Manager Judy VanCleve. “Hopefully students will be able to come up with a solution.”

“Long range we want to work with Capitol Metro to come up with a solution,” said Ben Ferrell, Business Services VP for ACC. Ferrell is also working on a contract for parking space at the former Albertson’s store on Highway 71. “We have a lot of irons in the fire right now.”

Rio Grande students say goodbye to Dillos Campus Editor Students who used the Dillos to get to school have had to seek out alternate routes. On Aug. 24, the day before classes started, Capital Metro redesigned the Dillo system, eliminating the stops at ACC. The Dillos will cover a smaller area and service downtown Austin. “This is how the Dillos where originally designed to work,” said Matt Curtis, Capital Metro director for community involvement. The Dillos now run every five minutes instead of every 15. They run north and south on Congress, and east and west on Fifth and Sixth Streets. As of right now, they are free,but starting Oct. 13 they will cost 50 cents for a two hour pass, or

five dollars for a monthly pass. The fees for the fixed route buses will also increase 25 cents to 75 cents. Initially, students were concerned about the new system, which Capital Metro expected. “I imagine that Rio Grande students will see this as detrimental, but the No.3 is being redesigned to provide them better, more frequent service,” said Curtis before the changes went into effect. The No. 3 is running closer and more frequently to Rio Grande. There have been problems with overcrowding. Capital Metro sends out queue buses to help with extra passengers. These buses are dispatched when normal fixed route buses get full beyond the point of standing room. “We don’t want to leave

Students spend a lot of time traveling. They drive, walk, take the bus, and bike to class. These tips will help keep commuters safe while on the go: •Always lock your car and leave your windows up •Have your key ready before you reach your car •Remove valuable belongings from your car

Sarah Neve

Commuter safety

•Park in a well-lit area •Let someone know where you are •If you see something, call campus police at 223-7999 Photo Courtesy of Pete Perreault

Regular fixed rate buses have been redesigned to better serve Rio Grande. The Enfeild bus has a new stop near the University of Texas

anyone behind,” said Meredith Highsmith from the Capital Metro Planning Department. One of the biggest concerns was the connection between the University of Texas and the Rio Grande campus. “We were conscious of the

connectivity between those campuses,” said Highsmith. There are two UT shuttles servicing Rio Grande. The No. 3 goes into West campus, and a stop was added to the ER (Enfield Rd.) route on 15th St.

•Have bus fare ready to avoid displaying excess cash •Sit at the front of the bus in an aisle seat if possible •Take the bus rather than walk alone •Try to keep your route in a populated well-lit area

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September 22, 2008 • Accent

Entertainment

Book Review

Bayonets Aren’t Much Good Against Tanks David Rodriguez Assistant Editor

For those who grew up with and are familiar with Kurt Vonnegut’s witty banter, unyielding cynicism, and succinct metaphorical prose, “Armageddon In Retrospect” is not just a collection of previously unpublished short stories, a speech that he never delivered, and the letter he wrote and sent to his family informing them of his “missing in action” status. It is closure. For those who are unfamiliar with Vonnegut and his works, this posthumous collection is a proper and pertinent introduction to his pessimistic and humorous world. Vonnegut would probably strongly disagree that this collection gives his literary endeavors closure. As his son stated in the introduction, “He wanted to get things right, but never thought that his writing

was going to have much effect on the course of things.” Vonnegut was horribly wrong. His writing has a tremendous effect on people and will continue to affect readers as long as publishers buy ink by the barrel. Vonnegut died on April 11, 2007 while America was involved in an armed conflict with Iraq and was indirectly in the midst of other clandestine conflicts around the globe. War was an intrinsic part of Vonnegut’s life. He was born four years after the end of World War I, fought and was a prisoner of war during World War II, and then died while his country was still fighting oversees. Vonnegut’s stories in this collection reflect his disdain for perpetual war and his darkly comical opinions concerning the unforgiving war machine. Of the 11 short stories, all but one is set in an active

warlike setting. The title story, the only exception, comments on the feverish warlike mentality in an exaggerated manner. “The Commandants Desk” and “Happy Birthday 1951” had the most resonance. The latter is a testament to how youth will never fully understand the gravity of what they are immersed in. If all one knows is war, then one does not know when it is peaceful. The former is a chilling story of a furniture maker and his daughter who have always lived with the hazards of war and occupation. The story focuses on the small ways a man with limited options may choose to retaliate to injustice. Historically fascinating to Vonnegut’s fans and students of history is the original letter Vonnegut wrote to his father, explaining his prisoner of war experience. Within its three pages are volumes of life

experience. “On about February 14 the Americans came over, followed by the R.A.F. Their combined labors killed 250,000 people in 24 hours and destroyed all of Dresden – possibly the world’s most beautiful city. But not me,” Vonnegut wrote this in his letter, describing one of his more infamous experiences. Autobiographical feelings and experiences within “Armageddon In Retrospect” allow its readers to vicariously experience Vonnegut’s empathy. Included in the collection, is Vonnegut’s last written speech that was given by his son in his stead. In it he offers something to aspiring writers, “My advice to writers just starting out? Don’t use semicolons! They are transvestite hermaphrodites, representing exactly nothing. All they do is suggest you might have gone to college.”

Movie Review

“The Lucky Ones” takes a gamble in theaters Sarah Saker Staff Writer

“The Lucky Ones,” directed by Neil Burger and set to be released in theaters Sept. 26, is a portrayal of what it is like to be a soldier coming home after serving in the Iraq War. Colee (Rachel McAdams), Cheever (Tim Robbins) and TK (Michael Peña) must face the harsh reality of being wounded, public opinion of the war, and how much life their life has changed in a few years. Colee, Cheever, and TK were on their way home, when all flights were canceled out of New York, and the last rental car available brought them together for the road trip of a lifetime. Colee has been holding on to her boyfriend’s guitar after he was killed in combat, in hopes of returning this expensive family heirloom to its rightful home in Las Vegas. When she returns the guitar she finds out all he had told her was a lie.

Photo Courtesy of James Eck Rippie

John Wesley Coleman is putting skills learned at Austin Community College to use by performing comedy skits, poetry readings and musical shows..

TK was wounded in the genitals by flying shrapnel and is going to Las Vegas to see if a prostitute can fix him before his is reunited with his fiancee. If TK cannot perform in bed then he will not go through with his marriage. Cheever, the oldest of the three, came home to St. Louis to find a wife who loved being on her own so much she wants a divorce and his son needs $20,000 to attend Stanford University.

The film’s storyline looks good on paper, but with a low budget and not enough time to fully develop each character, the movie progresses to a dull climax. There is no action and an ending that makes little sense. The movie does give a good laugh, but it’s not worth the drive to the movie theater.

Coleman takes lessons learned in Herndon’s class to the stage Jenessa Hernandez Staff Writer

John Wesley Coleman, a former Austin Community College student, is a man of many talents. Wesley, one of Austin’s commonly seen faces and well-known for performing while inebriated, has expanded his talents by exploring the art of comedy. Wesley performed at Antone’s Records during their 21st anniversary party Aug. 23, and he stirred up the crowd by interjecting jokes in between melodies and incorporating his comedic skills. Recent events and art projects have come together for Wesley, such as paintings that are embellished with collected objects. The paintings will be on displayed Oct. 25-26 at Domy Books, located on East Cesar Chavez Street. He is also going on an east coast tour with his local indie/ punk band, “The Golden Boys.” Wesley has shown his art at Domy Books in the past. Over the summer he performed a poetry reading promoting his new book, “American Trashcan.” The book is filled with absurd, beat influenced poetry containing descriptions of cats and dogs. Wesley stated that his influences for his art in general were, “neighborhood cats and dogs, as well as, old punk rock music.” To develop his writing

techniques, Wesley took a creative writing class taught by Professor John Herndon at Austin Community Colleges’ Rio Grande Campus. Herndon is involved in organizing ACC Poetry Nights, which is where Wesley did his first reading from “American Trashcan.” The upcoming readings showcased by ACC poetry nights this season by other artists will be on Sept. 22, Oct. 20, Nov. 10, and Dec. 1. The event is held at Austin Java, located at Lamar and 12th Street. ACC student are encouraged to share their work.

Herndon was a bit uncertain about Wesley upon first impression. “Wes always seemed to not be paying attention until he would say something that was very clever,” Herndon said Herndon is also a multifaceted artist. He is currently working on an album that he will release independently. Herndon writes, plays guitar, and sings on the forthcoming album. The group he plays with is “The Pound Dogs” and Herndon stated that his music will be “a reflection of my current interest.”

ACC Poetry Nights Austin Java

Lamar and 12th Street

Upcoming readings by ACC Poetry September 22nd October 20th November 10th December 1st.

September 22, 2008 • Accent

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Life

Gamers Flock to NRG, SAC Students get real-world education in new video-game design institute Shane Yount Staff Writer

Austin Community College at the Northridge and South Austin campuses has begun offering core curriculum and three associate degrees in Video Game Development: Game Design, Game Art, and Game and Visualization Programming. Most students remember Mario, the chubby plumber with a penchant for crawling through pipes to save his girlfriend, the helpless Princess Peach. Video games have come a long way since the original Nintendo, with consoles that are powerful enough to support Blu-Ray technology and other powerful features. The video game industry is making a mark at ACC in a big way. “We are currently at a very exciting time in the games industry,” Kalani Streicher, a video game design professor at NRG explained. Streicher has been in the industry for over 20 years. He works with other video game development leaders in Austin, such as Rich Vogel of Bioware, Richard Garriott of NCSoft, and Denise Fulton of Midway, to contribute to ACC’s new endeavor. Streicher has held various positions in various companies including Lead Designer,

Executive Producer, Studio Director, and CEO. His career began at LucasFilm Games/ Lucas Arts Entertainment Company as a designer/programmer. He has worked on many games, including Armor Command, Star Wars: Force Commander, and Bruce Lee: Quest. “A lot of great, new and innovative games are being designed and developed on various programs,” Streicher said. “The quality bar of games is very high, and we are approaching movie-like visuals on consoles and PC’s.” ACC’s Video Game Development program is designed with the gamer in mind. Austin being the third-largest center for video game development in the country, according to authors Robert McGoldrick and Spencer Zuzolo, NRG and SAC welcomes all creative individuals with a passion for gaming. “Our goal is to give the students a more real-world education and productionoriented skills,” Streicher said. “We want them to have an edge Teodora Erbes • Staff Photographer and succeed as they venture out, landing a new job with Instructor Garry Gaber and his Video Game Art class work on projects at the Northridge campus Thursday Sept. 11. The new video game development associate degree is comprised of fundamental skill classes such as this class as well as specialized classes such as Quality Assurance and game publishing or development companies. We are using Business Video Games. the latest and greatest game tools and systems and we work with game industry veterans and companies to ensure that connection.”

Curriculum Connection- Video Game Development http://www.austincc.edu/techcert/gaming/

Museum offers history, tunes, internships Lauren Reed

halls of the museum. Currently, the Museum is featuring an exhibit on the most influential musicians of Country and Western music. It focuses on many genres of Texas Music, including Blues, Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, and Gospel. Due to their space limitations, the museum is not able to showcase all of their items. According to Shorkey, they have quite a few original recordings, Victrolas, and preWW2 radios that they do not have the capacity to display. The volunteers that run the museum are dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and presentation of over a 100 years worth of artifacts and memorabilia. The time of the staff and the location are all donated, shows and tours are

Staff Writer

Teodora Erbes • Staff Photographer

The Texas Country Classics Exhibit opened on Sunday, September 14th and runs through October. To get a taste of the exhibit and the rest of the museum, visit the online gallery at www.texasmusicmuseum.org

University of Texas professor and museum employee, Clay Shorkey, lead a tour and played the original 1915 Edison Phonograph while he sang along to a tune from the legendary Texas artist Vernon Dalhart. Shorkey said, “The Texas Music Museum is about the history and culture of Texas through its music.” Throughout the halls of the Old Anderson High School building located at 1009 East 11 lays an important part of local history: the Texas Music Museum, incorporated in 1985. There are amazing biographies and photographs of Texas greats such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and the Dixie Chicks lining the

free of charge. It is no surprise that a town hailed by many in the industry as the “Live Music Capital of the World” contains an archive of the greatest songwriters and musicians this state has ever seen, but it is curious that this archive is struggling with a lack of community support The Texas Music Museum accepts donations, and they have a fund set up through Randall’s grocers that gives a part of sales, upon customer request, to the museum. They are presently taking applications for internships and they have staffed many local students, including those studying commercial music at Austin Community College.

The Accent Guide - Riverside student friendly dining 1

El Jacalito

Pizza by the slice!!

Pho Oanh 35

Riverside

Baby A’s

1 ie!

Hai Ky

Riv er s ide

2 7

Java Noodles

6 r to Ol

Free!

Click’s Billiards

Mabel Davis

n Rd

Skate Park

nt studeals i c spe !!!

Veg g

Golf Course

ACC RV S

Best Pho’s in town!

Al John’s 71

Dr.

Mo nto pol is D

san t Va lley R

Drink Specials!

Ple a

India Kitchen

Burleso

India Kitchen- 2410 E Riverside Dr, Ste D4, (512) 448-7773 10% off with student ID El Jacalito- 2030 E Oltorf St, (512) 445-4109 Student special plate- Once crispy taco, I cheese enchilada, rice and beans $5.99 Pho Tai- 2121 E Oltorf St Ste 12B, (512) 443-4232 Reg. $6.25, house specials and vegetarian options Java Noodles- 2400 E Oltorf St (512) 445-4109 Java special- stir-fried veggies, tofu and red curry, daily lunch specials Baby Acapulco -1705 S Lakeshore Blvd (512) 447-1339 Great happy hour Hai Ky- 1931 E Oltorf St (512) 693-2464 Java Noodles- 2400 E Oltorf St # 14, (512) 443-5282 Check out the Sunday brunch Clicks Billiard’s Inc 2121 E Oltorf St (512) 448.4945 Draft specials for month of September Al John’s Pizza-1945 E Oltorf, (512) 447-6677 Gooey, cheesy goodness

news

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September 22, 2008 • Accent

Austin Nike run unites the “human race” worldwide for charity Olivia Palmer and Tanya Brooke Roese Staff Writers

On Sunday, Aug. 31, Nike hosted the world’s largest race and Austin residents participated in record numbers. From Vancouver, Canada all the way to Shanghai, China people gathered together to run ten kilometers and to raise money for charity. For every mile ran, money went to one of three major charities selected by Nike. Some ran for the Lance Armstrong Charity, which has supported cancer research since 1997. Others ran for the UN Refugee Agency, which supports the education of refugee children. Still others ran for the WWF, an organization that lobbies to stop pollution and has protected the environment for more than 45 years. The rest of the runners picked their own charity, made pledges and were signed by sponsors. Not only did Nike organize races in 25 major cities worldwide, such as London, Paris, Madrid, and Rome, but they also allowed individual runners in smaller cities to participate. Austin Community College student John Carson was a local participant. “This event was very appealing to me because of its worldwide scope

and the chance to involve and represent Austin on an international scale,” said John. “There is a great sense of accomplishment in completing a long run. 10k was just the right size, any bigger and you’d exclude too many and any smaller and you’d under-challenge too many.” Over a million runners participated from the 25 cities, four of them in the U.S.: New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and Austin. “It’s largely because of Lance [Armstrong] that we had it here,” said Carson. “But despite our size, Austin really showed everyone up.” Approximately 14,000 runners participated in the Austin run. At the end of the race, Lance Armstrong gave a speech from a stage set up at the Capitol building and congratulated Austin on having more participants than Chicago and New York City. Austin also finished second in the world for average time - a notable accomplishment considering, as Carson stated, “We probably had the hardest run. It was hot, humid and hilly, and it was not a day for personal bests.” “I didn’t go out there to kill myself, but with the tough first half – uphill away from the river – it turned out to be much harder than I had

expected. Anyone can show up and complete a 10k, but to my surprise, there was a very high percentage of fit and well trained runners there.” Among those runners were other students from ACC. “There was a mix of people running, but I would say it was mostly 20-30 year olds. I’m sure there were a number of ACC students running it, but most people were running it independently or in small groups.” The top three medalists in the 10K run were Günther Weildlinger (Munich), José Manuel Martínez R (Madrid), and Julius Keter (Mexico City) who all completed the race in under 30 minutes. Austin’s medalists were Bernard Manirakiza, Gilbert Tuhabonye and Koby Styles, all running in under 35 minutes. Considering the global scale of this event, the Nike Human Race was aptly named because, says Carson, “Running is the most universal sport [and] athletic activity.” The race irritated some locals by blocking traffic, but by waiting for runners to safely cross, Austinites had a part in helping support cancer research, educating refugee youth and – even while idling their cars at the crosswalk – helping the environment as well.

Bernard Manirakiza sprints past the crowd to win the Nike + Human Race in Austin, TX.

All photos by Hanlly Sam • Staff Photographer

13, 800 runners gathered in Austin to participate in the world’s largest one day running event. Runners competed together in 25 cities around the globe including New York, Paris, London, Madrid, Istanbul, Melbourne, Shanghai and Sao Paulo.