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Play brings god of wine to ACC stage on page 5
November 17, 2008
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www.theAccent.org
Volume 1, Issue 5
Barack Obama wins election with promise of change
Ac c e n t
A n s w er s
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Questions about ACC recycling program answered
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Bus drivers union member David Bown on strike Nov 7, 2008 see page
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Barack Obama campaigns at Houston’s Toyota Center on Febuary 19, 2008 as part of his Stand For Change tour. While McCain won the majority vote in Texas, Obama won the major metropolitan areas and many counties in South Texas. Obama is the 44th president and the first African American to be elected President of the United States.
Texas moves toward true two party system
Sarah Neve
Campus Editor
Fun Fun Fun Fest highlights on page
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Promises of hope and change called to Americans, and on Election Day Nov. 4 America elected its 44th president, the first black man to hold the office, Barack Obama. Obama’s victory was met with crowds of supporters in Grant Park chanting his campaign slogan, “Yes we
can.” While here in Austin supporters packed the Driskill Hotel, chanting instead, “Yes we did” as the huge projection screen switched between images of national and foreign celebration, and an image of Barack Obama with the words “President of the United States” written next to it. One group of supporters carried a huge replica of the infamous Mission Accomplished sign
FCAA committed to making higher education accessible Jenessa Hernandez Trevor W. Goodchild Staff Writers
The Foster Care Alumni Program of America (FCAA) was created by the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), Lifeworks, and Austin Community College in the fall of 2006. It stemmed from House Bill 2292 and focuses on providing financial assistance to those that were in foster care and now seek to attend ACC. FCAA attempts to minimize any disadvantages foster children may have had and unite them with a real chance at academic success. The dual nature of their mission is represented in their tagline; “connecting today, transforming tomorrow,” according to their website. The coordinator, Loretta Edelen, is a trustee of Austin Independent School District, and also is the Austin Community Outreach Director. Austin Community Outreach takes on strategic efforts to make sure that students are assisted with any needs. “Foster students have troubles with housing, transportation, and employment so we try to help so that they can keep up with their studies,”
Teodora Erbes • Staff Photographer
Kathy James is the advising supervisor at Rio Grande for foster youth entering college. Advisors help with course selections guidance.
Edelen said. Currently FCAA has 116 students enrolled in their program and attending ACC this semester. “There is a Jump Start Orientation for incoming students to give a preview on what to expect when coming to college,” Edelen said. Kathleen Christensen, who is the Vice President of Student Support and Success Systems decided in the meeting of Fall 2006 that the Foster Care Alumni Program was something ACC needed. “Dr. Kinslow and Dr. Lynn Beaman brought issues to our
attention and they supported the program. That is why Dr. Beaman has been a part of it ever since. I brought people together and Lorretta is the Coordinator of the program,” Christensen said. David Taylor is a committee member of FCAA, Youth Worker Representative with Texas Network of Youth Services (TNOYS), and Lifeworks. “I am very impressed that they are taking the needs of the students seriously. More always can be done and they are looking for more that can be done,” Taylor said.
through the crowd. After the win, Austin supporters started pouring out of the hotel and the surrounding bars and nightclubs chanting, crying, hugging, and dancing, while cars drove by honking in support. “He (McCain) was a sacrificial lamb,” registered republican and Ron Paul supporter Sheli Harris said. Harris voted republican in 2000, but voted
for Obama this time around. “McCain said he wanted to keep the war going for 100 years. It’s scary,” she said, also citing Palin’s nomination as a “slap in the face to women.” At the end of the night, Obama had 338 electoral votes, McCain 155. Obama won by a landslide in the electoral college, but the popular vote was a narrow margin. Obama won by only a few points. He
still had a higher popular vote than any democrat in the last 32 years. The celebration of Obama’s victory crossed national lines. The entire world watched as America elected Obama, a black, Junior Senator from Illinois that promised to change America and end the war. Televisions showed ȩȩ democrats continued on page 3
Students spend Saturday at Build a Park Jonathan Sack Staff Writer Over 400 students converged at Country Club Creek Trail, located at Krieg Field, 515 S. Pleasant Valley Rd. on Nov. 8 to participate in the Student Life event Project: Build a Park. The annual event is a partnership between Student Life and the Austin Parks Foundation. Volunteers gathered in front of Krieg Field #4, a baseball field. There was a morning shift from 8 a.m.12 p.m., and an afternoon shift from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Volunteers were placed into three groups, one for trail building, one for trash collection, and one for invasive plant removal. “I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity for my daughter to do some service learning in the park,” said social work student Tonja West from Northridge Campus. “I’m not required to be here, I heard about it in my government class,” West said. Students were also given the opportunity to be team leaders in charge of guiding volunteers, and coordinating the efforts of the various work teams. The volunteers removed trash from the creek bed, pulling used tires, shopping carts, mattresses, and other
Hanlly Sam • Staff Photographer
Alonzo Campos helps clear plants for a trail volunteers laid down on November 8 at Krieg Field as part of their annual Build a Park clean-up.
debris from the park. Other teams removed non-native plants, including bamboo and vines. The trail building team spread gravel over 1.5 miles of the trail. Austin Parks Foundation is in charge of the trail
construction, and provided hundreds of hand tools including shovels, rakes, and wheelbarrows. “We want to keep this park in a natural state,” said Austin Parks Foundation Executive ȩȩ park continued on page 8
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Holiday Overkill Jamie Carpenter Columnist
Ahh, the holidays are just around the corner. And no, I’m not talking about Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I am, of course, referring to days like International Aura Awareness Day and National Name Your PC Day. According to Chase’s Calendar of Events (which many consider to be the utmost authority on holidays, celebrations, and anniversaries), these are holidays that many actually celebrate and look forward to. Because, God forbid, I am not aware of my Aura. At what point in society did we decide to make a whole day dedicated to the use of no good reason? I understand that these particular types of holidays are made to reflect the interests of people and society, and can sometimes be fun (National Play-doh Day? I’m sure mothers love that one) but really, making a holiday for the occasion might be overkill. It isn’t as if we don’t have enough legitimate holidays already. Every day could be cause for celebration, anguish, uproar, or excitement if we wanted it to. If the point of a holiday is to raise awareness of a particular problem, like World Orphans Day on Nov. 10, 2008, is caring for that one day really going to help? The people who make these holidays have to realize that there is a very slim chance people will actually 1) know
their holiday exists, or 2) care enough. The only reason holidays generally are successful is because they manage to feed the economy (eg, Mother’s Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving) or because they run themselves ragged tagging a certain color (the color pink comes to mind) in support of a problem. People should not have the mentality that the worldwide epidemic of orphans is only worth a day. It is a problem that exists everyday. They should not need to associate problems with colors in order to reinforce how important something is. What is this, kindergarten? Red is for heart awareness, pink is for breast cancer, blue is ovarian cancer. No, red is red, pink is pink, blue is blue. Things are what they are. Raising awareness is important. Having a name for your computer just for the hell of it is kind of funny. But we as Americans have a problem with overkill and excess on the wrong things. How about we not think of cute, funny holidays and just have fun? How about we spearhead legitimate discussions and educate people so that they realize that things like women’s history is important everyday and not just in the month of March. Days and months and colors accomplish nothing. That’s why I am declaring National Stop the Holiday Overkill today, Nov. 17. Hopefully, it’s a big hit.
Prematurity Awareness
Student Opinion Karissa Rodriguez Columnist
I went into early labor on the first Saturday of December, 2006. I was seven months pregnant and panicking that my second child would be born early. To stop my labor, I was given an IV of magnesium that left me extremely uncomfortable and hot. I was also given two painful steroid shots to increase the development of my baby’s lungs which are one of the last vital organs to develop. After over two weeks of bed rest, while at midnight Christmas Mass, I went into labor again. At the hospital, my obstetrician decided that it was best just to let the labor progress. I was terrified that my baby’s lungs were not developed enough. Eight and a half hours after labor began, Lily Isabella was born on Christmas morning, weighing four pounds, six ounces, and seemed like a healthy newborn. However, I immediately noticed that she was breathing strangely while I held her for the first time. Lily’s lungs were underdeveloped, but the steroid shots I had received earlier that month made her transition to the real world much easier than if she had not received them. It was heartbreaking to see my daughter in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with a CPAP tube in her nose, and I couldn’t even hold her again for four days. But Lily was a fighter and came home two weeks later. Today, Lily is a very active and healthy toddler who will
be turning two years old this Christmas. I am very thankful for the research and developments in modern medicine that have increased the chances for my daughter to be born healthy. However, I will always wonder what I did wrong. Was it my fault that my baby was born prematurely? The non-profit organization March of Dimes is working to find an answer to this question that I’m sure other women share. March of Dimes has declared the month of Nov. as National Prematurity Awareness Month in an effort to urge the federal government to increase support for prematurity-related research and data collection, among other efforts. Nationwide, more than 1,400 babies will be born prematurely every day and it is the number one reason for infant deaths, according to the March of Dimes website. They also say that in nearly 40 percent of premature births the cause is unknown. In Texas alone, 28 percent of pregnant women under 29 years old have delivered premature babies in 2005, according to Peristats, a perinatal statistics website. As not only a mother to a prematurely-born child, but also as a student of a college with a large population of women in this age group, I have felt that prematurity awareness is an important cause and signed an online petition on the March of Dimes website to show my support. I urge students to sign the petition as well. By signing it, you would be increasing the likelihood for not only your fellow classmates, but women around the country to deliver healthy, fullterm babies.
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Karen Kuhn • Staff Artist
R edress of Grievances
Accent • November 17, 2008
DPS insists on ridiculously unfair surcharges; allocation of funds misused, Gila profits
Our View Staff Editorial
Elizabeth Carson Editor-in-Chief • David Rodriguez Assistant Editor Sarah Neve Campus Editor • Alma Hernandez Photo/Web Editor • Jana Lelek Layout Editor
Texas drivers are now required to be more “responsible.” Sept. 1, 2003 Texans became subject to the Driver Responsibility Law (HB 3588), which established “a system which assigns points to moving violations classified as Class C misdemeanors and applies surcharges to offenders, based upon the type of offense and the time period in which the citation was received,” according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). The key word within this law is surcharge, which is a synonym for an excess or burdensome charge or tax. The surcharge exercises an absolute lack of protection, justice, and discernment into the state’s driving citizens’ overall wellbeing. Due to legislation passed prior to 2003, Texas made it legal for its government institutions to outsource any collections of dollars owed to be gathered by a third party (private corporation). Enter Gila Corp., the professional collections agency that manages and collects these surcharges with the muscle of the DPS looming as the front to enforce Gila Corp.’s bureaucratic mazes. Allowing companies such as Gila Corp. to inflate
state budgets is a blatant violation of Texas’ citizens’ trust and liberties, but it’s legal? Ninety-nine percent of the surcharge money allegedly goes to future Texas trauma care centers, the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (TETF), and the Texas Mobility Fund (TMF), amongst other funds, to allow an enhancement of emergency room services, recruit innovative scientists to better Texas’ surgical capabilities, and fund road projects, including toll roads. The remaining one percent goes to the DPS for allowing this aggrandized pilfering to take place. The shifting around of this appropriated money by Gov. Perry and Lt. Gov. Dewhurst is underhanded and opaque to say the least. For DPS to allow blood-sucking corpocrats such as Gila Corp. and its business units (Municipal Services Bureau) to piggyback behind a facade of justice and responsibility is completely unacceptable. The distribution of the surcharges so far will not enhance jobs for the majority of Texas’ citizens by pouring a significant percentage of them into boosting highly specialized fields. Why are Texans being overcharged to give bonds to toll road
companies to charge citizens for the rest of their lives for a piece of infrastructure that will continue to pay for itself? The only responsibility Texas and its leaders and legislators has taken with this law is the responsibility to line the pockets of specialists of very specific fields and offer up billions in future revenue to out of state agencies to build more roads so Texans may be subject to surcharges. Why not throw some of the surcharge money at the already existing, but antiquated, rail system that could efficiently connect rural and urban areas, allowing Texas citizens to move around in greater numbers with minimum fossil fuel use? Possibly DPS needs to reevaluate its driver license tests and requirements, plus raise the bar for the luxury of legally operating a personal vehicle. If this wholesale embezzlement must take place, why not place the funds into boosting public transportation systems in Texas’ heavily populated municipal districts to keep people from driving so often? If the urban citizens of Texas had better public transportation systems, then that might reduce the number of severe traumas due to personal vehicular use.
le t ter s to the editor Our View {Nov. 3}
Dear Editor, Your assertion that requiring legitimate identification to vote “will make minorities, and the elderly feel discriminated against” is erroneous. It is not necessary to drive in order to obtain an official ID. They are available to drivers and non drivers alike at the Department of Public Safety. Also, minorities excel in every area of American life and are as capable as any other citizen of obtaining an ID card. The extraordinary number of voters fraudulently registered by “ACORN” should by itself be enough to ring alarm bells for anyone truly interested in fair and honest election results. With millions of illegal aliens residing within our borders an honest law abiding citizen could only applaud efforts by our legislature to ensure legitimate elections. You also
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make the vague and misleading assertion that “almost no cases of voter fraud in Texas, or Indiana for that matter, could have been prevented by voters showing an ID.” The truth is you have no way to support that statement because you have no way of knowing how much fraud has actually been committed. Your position supposes that the minor inconvenience of obtaining an ID should be regarded as more important than the corruption of one of our most sacred rights. I suspect that the reasons for your position are more about a partisan political bias (which by the way has become comically predictable on this paper) than about a true concern for legitimate elections. We should all be grateful that the Supreme Court has ruled to seek to protect this sacred institution. - Richard Kirk
theaccent.org
Corrections Issue 1, “The Accent Guide - Riverside student friendly dining,” Pho
Tai is Pho Oanh #3 and their address is 21221 E. Oltorf St. #12B. Java Noodles’ phone number is 512-443-5282. Issue 2, “...The Dirty Sound” piece, their lineup is as follows: Andy Anderson plays bass, Michael Anthony Gibson plays lead guitar and Mike Harmeier is the correct spelling of the lap steel guitarist’s name. Issue 3, “Mike and the Moonpies...” piece, Steve Malone does not appear on “Catalina”; Burton Lee plays pedal steel not steel guitar and Mike Harmeier is the correct spelling of the name of lead vocalist and lap steel guitarist; “Repo!...” piece, Paul Sorvino does not appear in the Sopranos.
ADVERTISING 512.223.3166
EDITORIAL 512.223.3171
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512.223.3086
OFFICE OF STUDENT LIFE RGC, 1212 Rio Grande St., Room 101.1 Austin TX 78701 Editor-in-Chief................................................................................................ 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 Jamie Carpenter, Christina Chapman, Trevor W. Goodchild, Jenessa Hernandez, Shawn Hinojosa, Adam Oliphant, Tovah Olmo, Karissa Rodriguez, Jonathan Sack, Sarah Vasquez, Shane Yount Photographers Teodora Erbes, Trevor W. Goodchild, Shawn Hinojosa, Adam Oliphant, Hanlly Sam, Sarah Vasquez Artists Karen Kuhn, Anny Ibarra 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
November 17, 2008 • Accent
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To Be Brief
Incumbents stand strong
SGA partners with Mac Users Travis County and Texans go with what they know November Winners Club for voter education Austin Community College’s Student Government Association partnered with the Mac Users Club to educate students about the election on Nov. 4. Rio Grande Campus Senator Bri Minnis approached Kevin Haley, president of the Mac Users Club and Apple Campus Representative for the Austin area, with the idea of using Mac computers to offer information to student voters. Haley then approached his boss about the possibility of Apple Computers loaning some laptops to ACC for the day. Two Mac laptops were set up in the RGC student lounge with the Travis County website and election information displayed on them, and one other laptop displayed the website VoteSmart.org with information on the candidates’ stance on the issues. Through the Travis County website, and also the Williamson County website, students could type in their name, click on their address, and find the closest voting station in their area. About 75 people used the computers, although most had already voted early. Many people did not know they needed to vote in a certain precinct, said Haley. “[Loaning the computers] seemed like more of a community outreach.”
U.S. J r . S enate John Cornyn
R.R. C ommissioner Michael L. Williams
Republican Currently serving his third term
Republican
Currently serving his third term
U.S. R ep. D ist.10Michael T. McCaul Republican
Currently serving his second term
Registration starts early
Spring 2009 registration began Nov. 10 for current or former Austin Community College students and begins Nov. 17 for all ACC students, nearly a full month earlier than fall 2008 registration. Fall registration was five and a half weeks before the first day of classes while the new spring registration is more than nine weeks before classes begin. Registration for 16-week spring courses ends Jan. 14. Spring course schedules are now available online, and in printed form on all ACC campuses. Students may register for classes online at www.austincc.edu, by phone at (512) 454-3774, or in person on any campus. The registration system will be open from 9 a.m. Sat. until 5 p.m. Friday. The system will be closed at 5 p.m. Jan. 14 and 22, Feb. 11 and 18, and Mar. 11 and 25. Payment deadlines are published in the course schedule online and in printed forms. Students may sign up for the tuition installment plan at a cashier’s office before their payment deadline.
U.S. R ep. D ist.21Lamar Smith
Republican Currently serving his sixth term
U.S. R ep. D ist.25Lloyd Doggett Democrat
Currently serving
his fifth term
ACC gamers meet up online
Clubs honor incredible women
Students of the DEVR and Human Development Classes and the 50 Plus Club of Austin are hosting the Incredible Women Presentation at Eastview Campus on Nov. 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those attending are encouraged to bring a food dish to the potluck. For more information on this event and to RSVP, contact Vonnye Rice-Gardner at 223-5114 or vgardner@austincc.edu.
GED,ESL students experience “College for a Day” English as a Second Language (ESL) and GED students had the opportunity to find out more about college life during the second annual College for a Day event Fri., Nov. 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Eastview Campus. Presented by ACC’s Adult Education Division, College for a Day introduces GED and ESL students to the college environment, as well as to the tools necessary to succeed in the transition into college. Seventeen of the college’s departments offered hands on classes for the participants, the chance to meet faculty, students, and staff, and information about financial aid, the admissions process, and degree choices.
Park & Ride underused
Pinnacle Campus has expanded the “Park & Ride” shuttle service to Pinnacle Campus. Due to City of Austin code enforcement, the former unpaved dirt parking lots at Pinnacle were closed on Sept. 26, removing approximately 400 parking spaces on that campus. The “Park & Ride” system is serviced by two charter busses, and is free to ACC students. There are three stops on the route: Pinnacle Campus, the Oak Hill Shopping Center at Highway 290 at Highway 71, and the Tony Burger Activity Center at 3200 Jones Rd. The busses stop every 30 minutes at each stop from 7 a.m.- 6 p.m. MondayThursday. The service has been operating since Sept. 25, at the expense of the college. “It seems pretty ridiculous because nobody’s going to use it,” said Pinnacle student Vijay Isham. Pinnacle transfer student Megan Zimmerman said, “It’s too far away to park and ride,” adding that the service is “not time efficient if I have to wait half an hour before going to work.”
Democrats win US House, Texas gets close to same ȨȨ continued from page 1
reactions from all over the world, including Obama’s father’s native Kenya, where crowds erupted in applause as he was declared the winner. International opinion of America has declined as a result of the war in the Middle East and opinion of our current president. “I hate republicans,” Michel Turk, a 34 year-old that moved to America in 1996 from Jerusalem, Israel said. “They bled the economy, they made the world hate us. I visit friends in the Middle East and Europe and tell them I live in Texas; I have to explain that we aren’t all like him [Pres. Bush].” Election night was good to the democrats, not only in the presidential election, but in the congressional elections as well. They didn’t win the veto proof 60 percent majority, but they got close. They gained six
seats in the Senate and 21 in the House. Texas went expectedly republican, but it was closer that it has been in the past: 55 percent to 44 percent in the presidential election. Obama picked up several counties that Kerry couldn’t hold in 2004, including ones in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and, coincidently, Maverick County. In local elections, the GOP retained a slim majority in the house, 76-74. That could still be upset by a recount, turning Irving for the democrats. Bob Romano, a democrat, is only 20 votes behind republican Linda Harper-Brown. Now, the big question for Texas is whether or not the republican majority is strong enough to keep Speaker of the House Tom Craddick around for another session. Not only in Texas but
Photo courtesy of Sheli Harris
Austin Community College students in the Video Games Development programs have been attending monthly seminars to learn new skills not covered in their curriculum. Bob McGoldrick, Coordinator for Technical Certificate Programs has been hosting these seminars for the past four years. The seminars are free, and open to all students. McGoldrick founded a group on Meetup.com called the ACC Video Game Program Meetup Group “to help promote the seminars” in April this year. “Meetup.com is a nice place for like-minded individuals to schedule events,” said McGoldrick. “We generally have 30 to 40 students at the events.” The seminars provide students an “opportunity to learn from video game professionals, and include students, parents, and professionals,” said McGoldrick. The Video Game Program Meetup group currently has over 50 members.
Anny Ibarra • Staff Artist
The crowd reacts to Obama’s win. Turn Texas Blue held their Election night victory party at the Driskill Hotel, November 4.
nationally, democrats are pulling forward, now controlling Congress, and the Oval Office, as well as several states that they once hadn’t, including 2000’s controversial Florida and Indiana, which hasn’t been democratic since LBJ.
Both parties would concede that the Obama victory is a defining moment in American history and a redefining moment in American politics.
Campus News
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Accent • November 17, 2008
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Capital Metro strike comes to an end Last week’s transit strike ended when Union workers and Capital Metro reached tentative agreements on a new contract. Union members have been without a contract for over a year. The problem union members have with the contracts that Capital Metro has proposed is that it would increase the deductible on their health car plans. Also, instead of a permanent raise, Capital Metro wants to give the drivers a one time $1000 bonus. At ACC, students felt the effect of the strike. The limited service routes only offered a few options, and stopped after 7:30 p.m..
“…Students in the tutoring lab couldn’t get home, and had to either walk home or walk to a UT shuttle bus stop, and it is kind of dangerous for the young women who had to walk alone at night,” Fin Gunter, a second year math student, said. The end of the strike is good news for students. ACC is already known for ongoing parking and transportation issues. Another strike could impede students getting to school altogether. The newest contract would give drivers a permanent raise, and raises the deductibles in the health care plan by significantly less. It will likely be approved.
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The Accent wants to help students debunk the mysteries about the foods and activities that commonly come up in college life. If there is an issue you would like the Accent to look into, email us, and we’ll help make sense of it.
This Issue: Recycling on campus Christina Chapman Staff Writer
Austin Community College is no exception to the environmental movement. ACC has strengthened their existing recycling program due to the concerns and encouragement of several students. The following is a list of common questions and simple answers to help students make the recycling program at ACC a true success.
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What can I recycle? Bins that have circular openings take beverage containers such as aluminum, tin or steel cans and plastic such as milk jugs, water and juice bottles. Bins with diagonal openings take paper products such as newspapers, computer paper, fliers/brochures, white/light envelopes, magazines, catalogs and corrugated cardboard.
How do I recycle? When recycling paper products, all materials must be clean and dry. Plastics and cans must be emptied prior to placing them in the recycling bin.
Why should I recycle? As founder of and current Administration Liaison for Students for Environmental Outreach, Elysia Morrison knows exactly why you should recycle. “We all know that waste management is one of the many environmental issues of today. With all the disheartening and complex environmental problems, why wouldn’t you do something as simple as recycling to help the earth? It’s easy, impactful and it gives you a sense of accomplishment. Recycling is something environmentally friendly you can do every day.”
Where can I take my recycling? ACC has made it simple to locate recycling bins on all campuses by using a uniform look for the recycling bins. All recycling bins on campus are blue and fashion the recycling symbol. The majority of the recycling bins are 50 gallon containers with lids that have either circular or diagonal openings, though some bins are smaller and don’t have lids.
Campus News
November 17, 2008 • Accent
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Modernized Greek tragedy comes to ACC Jenessa Hernandez Staff Writer
“Bacchae,” a play based on Greek mythology, is directed by Arthur Adair and put on by Austin Community College’s Drama Department at the Mainstage Theater on the second floor of the Rio Grande Campus. The play runs Nov. 14-16 and Nov. 21-23 at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sundays. “Bacchae” is a play based on the mythological story of King Pentheus of Thebes and his mother Agave who were both punished by the god Dionysus (who is Pentheus’ cousin) for refusing to worship him. “The play is about not fighting against the inevitable. It’s about people who have trouble with change. It is a contemporary tilt, take it as you will. It is about the nature of true wisdom,” said Ryan Manning, creative writer of Carnival Ah!. The main character, Agave, is played by Ashley Monical, the administrative assistant for Carnival Ah!
The cast consists of 15 students. There are two choruses called Bacchae and Dioneces. They help tell the story while creating emotion throughout the audience. The conventions of traditional Greek plays include masks, a chorus, and a few main characters who speak aloud by themselves. The choruses helped tell the story so that the audience could follow the important points. Along with these conventions, Adair utilizes a minimalist’s perspective to create a more modern, but still classical, performance. “I still kept the structure and conventions of the Greek tragedy while kind of tweaking them to modern day,” said Adair. Adair came to Austin from New York City in 2007 working with an off-broadway theatre called LaMaMa. He is now the Project Manager for Carnival Ah! at ACC. “I want to introduce the students to classical theater with also the idea of ritualistic and stylized staging. Also, to work with classical language.”
The ACC drama department brings to life Euripides’ Greek tragedy, “Bacchae.” Above: In the foreground the Dioneces played by John-Ryan Montoya, JR Zambrano and Patrick Byers (from left to right). In the background from left to right, Dani Miller, Ashley Monical and Roberto Riggio. Right: Patrick Byers during an emotional scene. Below: Left to right, Dani Miller, JR Zambrano and Thomas Moore. Below far left: Ashley Monical plays Agave.
All photos by Teodora Erbes • Staff Photographer
St u d e nt s CO2 inventory involves students in research
b ut t - ou t Elizabeth Carson
Editor-in-Chief
College students across the nation are encouraged to throw away their cigarettes and quit smoking for a day, possibly more, on the Great American Smokeout day, Thurs., Nov. 20. This marks the 32nd annual event put on by the American Cancer Society (ACS). One in four adults and one in five teenagers in the U.S. are currently smokers, according to a press release from the ACS. In the U.S., tobacco is responsible for nearly one in five deaths. According to the press release, “smoking accounts for at least 30 percent of all cancer Anny Ibarra • Staff Artist deaths and 87 percent of lung cancer deaths.” This year, approximately 13,840 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in Texas residents and unfortunately an estimated 9,890 will die from the disease. Despite overall smoking rates declining in the past 30 years, there is still cause for concern, especially among young adults. “Nationwide, approximately 30 percent of college students have smoked in the past month. According to CDC research, 32 percent of young smokers will die prematurely of a smoking-related illness, or roughly 1.53 million current students,” reported a press release from the non-profit BACCHUS Network. “Quitting smoking is not easy,” stated BACCHUS. “Those going through the quit process are more likely to succeed if they receive assistance from a counselor or cessation specialist and utilize nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), such as the patch or gum.” The Great American Smokeout was initiated by Lynn R. Smith, editor of the “Monticello Times” in Minnesota, in 1974. Smith originally titled it D-Day, or Don’t Smoke Day. In Nov. 1976, the California Division of ACS took on Smith’s idea and engaged nearly one million smokers to quit for the day. The event went nationwide in 1977.
Adam Oliphant Staff Writer
Students are becoming increasingly concerned about global warming’s impact on the earth’s future climate. The first step to improve the situation is to quantify humans’ impact by conducting a CO2 inventory. Some Austin Community College students are doing just that, starting at the South Austin Campus, to see how much carbon ACC campuses produce. ACC is one of the few institutions in Texas that is conducting a CO2 inventory along with the University of Texas at Austin. However, unlike UT, ACC’s inventory is being compiled and led by its students. The Recycling and Sustainability committee is supporting this effort by creating a subcommittee headed by students with the support of the ACC Facilities Department and Bonnie Blam, a consultant from Zephyr Environmental Corp. The subcommittee will collect trash, sewage, chemical, electricical, paper, water, and natural gas usages at the South Austin Campus, since it was constructed in 2006. They will also calculate the energy used by ACC’s vehicle fleet and campus police cars. An ACC Transportation Survey, which is on the ACC homepage under “News and Announcements” will be used
Adam Oliphant * Staff Photographer
Clockwise from left: Danillo Castillo, Duane Membhard, Justin Gadd, and Bonnie Blam discuss task assignments at the CO2 inventory subcommittee meeting at the South Austin Campus on October 31.
to estimate student’s and staff’s energy usages commuting to and from campuses. After the data is collected, the subcommittee will then present its findings, along with an action plan to lower ACC’s carbon footprint, in a presentation and report at an ACC Board of Trustees meeting at the end of the spring semester, according to Justin Gadd, the chair of the CO2 subcommittee. Christine Chapman, Riverside Campus vice president of the ACC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa said, “As a child, my family was not concerned with their impact on the environment. When I was a teenager, I loaded up our flatbed truck full of paper I was going to recycle. My mother
ordered me to throw the paper in the trash, not to recycle it. Ever since then, I have tried to live sustainably whenever possible.” As a whole, the CO2 inventory subcommittee is a research group that will make recommendations on how ACC can reduce its carbon output. Recommendations may include changing soaps and cleaners, to ways that trash and electrical usages could be reduced. However, the individual members have more ambitious goals. “This is a great opportunity for students to learn how to make and present a carbon inventory. [ACC’s students] are fortunate that ACC’s administration is interested in creating a carbon inventory. This gives
students the ability to learn a marketable skill that will be very important in the future,” said Justin Gadd. Gadd hopes that the “CO2 inventory persuades ACC’s President Dr. Kinslow to sign the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment.” The ACUPCC sets a plan for higher education institutions to reduce carbon emissions. Signing institutions include HustonTillotson University and Alamo Community Colleges System, as well as 512 colleges and universities nationwide. Dr. Kinslow, ACC’s president stated in a meeting that “several ACC students approached me last year to sign the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. I told them to come back with some more information and data. I’m very interested to see the results of the CO2 carbon inventory.” There are still openings for interested students to participate in the subcommittee. Meetings will be held in the multipurpose room at South Austin Campus on Fridays until the end of the fall semester. “ACC’s administration is giving students lots of support to promote recycling and sustainability on ACC campuses,” said Christine Chapman. “Everyone I talked to is excited about the project It’s progressing full-steam ahead.”
Life&Arts
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Accent • November 17, 2008
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Fun Fun Fun Fest brings out city’s best Shawn Hinojosa Staff Writer
Headliner, The National, led by singer Matt Berninger, close out the brisk night with the songs from their f 2007 release, “Boxer.”
Blue Or Destroy, Born to Lose, Brownout!, the Ugly Beats, and Grupo Fantasma also played throughout the day. Fun Fun Fun Fest differs from other festivals in many ways. Coined the “anti-festival” because of its intimate stages, cool weather, smaller crowds, and emphasis on independent talent, the festival also hosted some of the best local businesses including Spider House and Rudy’s BBQ, and fans were able to get haircuts from Bird’s Barbershop. Sumo-wrestling and a skate ramp provided other
forms of entertainment, and local art and clothing boutiques in addition to inexpensive band merchandise filled the center of the park. Two tiers of ticket prices targeted students, as attendees with a valid student ID paid $9 less than the regular ticket price. The extra money was advantageous as drinks, food, water, and snowies became essential in the daytime heat, but as the sun set at around 6 p.m., the close proximity to downtown parking was even more beneficial. Wristbands guaranteed in-and-out access, and festival-goers could walk to their cars to retrieve sweaters as the weather cooled down.
All photos by Shawn Hinojosa • Staff Photographer
Music flooded the heart of downtown Austin on Nov. 8-9 as nearly 100 of the world’s premiere independent rock, punk, hip hop, DJ, and comic acts performed in the third annual Fun Fun Fun Fest at Waterloo Park. The Northeast was well represented as Brooklyn’s The National and Connecticut’s Clap Your Hands Say Yeah headlined the main stage, while Philadelphia’s satirical punk band Dead Milkmen reunited to play their first show in four years. West-coast flavor was the soundtrack to some of the dance parties as California’s DJ Z-Trip, Frankie Chan, and Hawnay Troof electrified the north end of Waterloo Park. But what local promoter Transmission Entertainment set out to accomplish was to bring some of the best music, food, and businesses out of Austin to the festival. Octopus Project performed a boldly experimental set with a number of different instruments including synthesizers and a theremin, cutting tracks off of their entire catalogue including their most recent LP, “Hello, Avalanche.” Garage-soul band Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears played a blistering midday set on the main stage without being negatively affected in any way by the unrelenting sun. Austin’s Ume, Till We’re
Above: More showman than substance, Oakland’s Hawnay Troof incorporates the entire stage to get the crowd dancing. Left: Scott Hutchinson mellows out the main stage with the soft indie rock of Glasgow’s Frightened Rabbit.
Below: PLUG’s 2008 Female Artist of the Year Annie Clark, singer of St. Vincent, serenades the crowd with songs off of their debut, “Marry Me.”
Below: Yvonne Lambert, Octopus Project’s quirky multi-instrumentalist with trademark hair, giggles while she plays a theramin.
Life& Arts
November 17, 2008 • Accent
e n te r tai n m e n t music
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r e v ie w s v ideo g a m e
MATBB’s lo-fi garage rock echoes Fellini with haunting vocals
Phantasy Star Portable expands PSP’s repertoire
Tovah Olmo
Shane Yount
Rock/indie/hyphy Low Red Land’s tour lands them at Trophys
Early in 2009, Sega plans to expand the Play Station Portable’s slim pickings of role playing games by releasing Phantasy Star Portable. This game will allow gamers to go on vast adventures with local friends via the Ad Hoc Mode of the PSP, which enables players to connect to another PSP without having to set up a wireless access point. Players simply insert the disc, select the Network Mode, and then join others who are within range. Phantasy Star Portable takes place in the same game galaxy as the previous series installment, Phantasy Star Universe. The game largely focuses on some interstellar chaos that must be stopped. The plot is barely there, but the Story Mode is merely one aspect of the game. Where Phantasy Star Portable stands out is within the Network Mode. Players can create their own characters; race, gender, proportion, clothing, and various facial features are all fair game to be tweaked accordingly. Gamers are also encouraged to experiment with the wide variety of different jobs available within the game. A player can be a Fortefighter that specializes in inflicting heavy damage with close combat weaponry such as laser swords. A Guntecher is another job option, whose skills include expertise with magic spells as
Sarah M. Vasquez Staff Writer
San Francisco-based Low Red Land who have described themselves as “rock/indie/ hyphy,” are currently on an American tour behind their new album “Dog’s Hymns,” which was put out by Thinker Thought Records on Sept. 23. When first listening to Low Red Land’s debut self-released album “Weight of Nations,” they definitely stood out as a rock band. But what type of rock band? Low Red Land has some folksy characteristics, but with more intensity. They also
have some hard in-your-face moments in the songs, but not enough to be considered hard-core. Americana undertones are also present in the songs, but with more force. The question posed, “What genre do you all place yourselves in?” educed some moans while chatting with them at their Nov. 5 show at Trophy’s. “I think that we’re a rock band,” said Mark DeVito, drummer. “After we play a lot, people say ‘Hey, that rocked.’” “For as much as any one word could work, it doesn’t work,” said Ben Thorne, bassist and vocalist. A band doesn’t need to be
Staff Writer
Courtesy of Moses and the Burning Bush
haunting voice. MATBB plans to go on tour after the new record is pressed.
placed in one specific genre. A band can just simply rock. “Yeah, I think the two most consistent things that I hear... people say that we rock, which is great and, ‘That was really intense’,” said Neil Thompson, guitarist and vocalist. Sarah Vasquez • Staff Photographer
garage rock with well thoughtStaff Writer out lyrics. Their music has a hard to achieve catchiness, but with great depth. The new Moses and the When asked what makes Burning Bush (MATBB) E.P. MATBB a unique band in titled Moses 111, recorded at Cargel Studios in South Austin Austin, their reply was, “well, we’re the only band in Austin will be available early in 2009. The album has been a work handsome across the board.” The three have a sense of in progress for a surprising humor and a wide range of four and a half years. influences including, The Austin-based “Pavement, Marcel trio consists of drumUpcoming Duchamp, Neutral mer Wes Cargel, lead Shows: Milk Hotel, Ennio singer/guitarist Paul Beauty Bar Morricone, The Clash, Van Zeppelin, and Dec. 20 and Fedrico Fellini,” bassist Andy Anderson. Mohawk: according to MATBB. The band formed Jan. 10 In the song “Your originally in 2007 with Empire” you can actujust Cargel and Van ally hear a Fellini dream influZeppelin. Anderson joined ence, but overall their sound before their most recent has an organic garage-like record. feel intensified by Zeppelin’s Moses 111 is modern, lo-fi
Songwriter makes Austin his home, Cory Branan wants to get a feel for the citys “anything goes” music scene Tovah Olmo Staff Writer
Singer/Songwriter Cory Branan just moved to Austin after completing his two month tour, hitting the southern, mid-west, and east coast states playing songs from his two previously celebrated albums, “The Hell You Say” and “12 Songs.” Both of his previous albums were recorded in Memphis, and he plans to record his third, “Midtown,” in Feb. in Memphis as well. It would be easy to criticize someone who Rolling Stone magazine has compared to Ryan Adams, and Bright Eyes, but Cory Branan has carved his own niche and attracted a loyal following. There is definitely a Buddy Holly influence present in the songs “I Met a Girl Named GO” and “She’s My Rock’ n’ Roll”, but mostly the songs on both albums are modern,
Courtesy of Hideous Kinky Photography
southern anthems birthed from mid-life angst. Branan is notorious for his songwriting, and his lyrics are smart. His writing is sincere and straight to the point, with a dark sense of humor. “Need her like a crackbaby/ I can see her in the dark/ Came together so hard we broke each other’s hearts,” these are lyrics from “Love Song #8” off his album “The
Hell You Say.” Branan was born in Southaven, Mississippi, but is well-traveled and he is anxious to get a feel for, in his words, the “anything goes” Austin music scene. He cited Tom Waits and Robert Blye as writing influences but said, “really my influences change daily.” The singer/songwriter is charming, talkative, and carries his stage confidence with him, but he is still quite modest. “Playing alone is easier to pay the bills. It’s a weird time for music, everyone’s touring and it’s really competitive, but I love to play with other musicians. I get carried away,” according to Branan when we spoke at Bouldin Creek coffeeshop. see cory’s touring schedule and more:
www.lastchancediner.com www.myspace.com/corybranan
Graphic courtesy of Sega Corporation
well as ranged weapons like dual handguns. Hardcore fans of the Phantasy Star series may think that Phantasy Star Portable is merely a rehash of Phantasy Star Universe due to the same graphics and interface, but that is not the case. Phantasy Star Portable is filled to the brim with new features, particularly the Milestone Achievements, which are granted to gamers
upon meeting certain requests. In the end, Phantasy Star Portable is a deceptively addictive RPG that allows gamers to travel with their friends across an exciting futuristic galaxy. It may not go boldly where no other game has gone before, but it is still a must-have for PSP users looking for something worth playing.
Accent • November 17, 2008
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Park becomes clean, landscaped with help of hundreds of volunteers ȨȨ continued from page 1
Director Charlie McCabe. “Right now there is about one and a half miles of trail. When it’s finished it will be about two and a half miles,” McCabe concluded. The South East Austin Trails and Greenway Alliance, or SEATAG Alliance, also volunteered under the Austin Parks Foundation to help trail construction. “We have been working for about four years on neighborhood planning. We are working on getting additional easements through private property to extend the trail to about five miles,” said Jim Temple of SEATAG Alliance. “The trails have really opened up the park to the public and the police,” according to Malcolm Yeatts of SEATAG Alliance. Many student clubs and organizations participated in the event. “This turned out to be pretty fun,” said business student Hunter Sahs from Riverside Campus. “The Leadership Program can help me in the future and as a student with projects like this.” Sahs was representing the Leadership Development Program. “I came here to work,” said Roman Burstall, president of the Cypress Creek Campus Gamers Club. “I broke my wrist two weeks ago, but I still wanted to be here.” Burstall continued, “There’s not enough time to complete all the work. If I’m still at ACC next year, I’ll be back.” “There are two elements to this event, the opportunity for leaders to step up and take the lead, and helping out the community which should
be everybody’s top priority,” said Dot Dearinger, Student Life assistant and coordinator for Project: Build a Park. “It turned out really well. Students are really involved,” Dearinger continued. “If we don’t clean it, who will?” Student Life provided breakfast tacos, pizza, juice, snacks, and water for all volunteers. There was also music from DJ Lil Ron, United States Army Recruiters, and a contest for the most unique piece of trash found.
All photos by Hanlly Sam * Staff Photographer
All photos by Hanlly Sam • Staff Photographer
Clockwise from top left : Saturday November 8, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. students gathered trash and other debris at Krieg Fields in Southeast Austin. Above: Clockwise from left, Students Adrian Gonzalez, Andre Gonzalez, Elysia Morrison, and Richard Floresca were just a few of almost 300 students who volunteered for project Build a Park. Left: Grocery carts were found in the park among other trash. Far Left: Jennifer Akanoh and Alie Koromi clear non native plants for Build a Park.