The Puyallup Post | Volume 21 | Issue 11 | May 31, 2016

Page 1

VOLUME 21 ISSUE 11

May 31, 2016

SErVIng thE StUDEntS Of PIErcE cOLLEgE PUyaLLUP

Pierce College to celebrate

50th anniversary with year full of events By Grace Amsden

F

estivities for Pierce College’s 50th anniversary will begin this fall. A 6-foot cake, viewable stories from former Pierce faculty and students and a homecoming are a few aspects of the 50th that can be expected, according to members of the 50th Anniversary Committee that met April 20 to discuss plans. Planning for the college’s 50th anniversary began about a year and a half ago, Director of Marketing and Communication Brian Benedetti said. But talk for this began about five years ago, when Pierce staff members started scanning photos from the history of the college and gathering ideas from other colleges who’ve had celebrations. “We started with so many ideas,” Benedetti said. “There are some real good examples from larger colleges (of) what they’ve done. But they had a budget that we couldn’t even dream of and a staff and resources to do it. So we started big and then we broke it down and said, ‘OK, what are those best ideas from what we’ve seen?’” Benedetti said. For example, Benedetti said that they looked at ideas from Portland Community College who had its 50th anniversary fundraiser gala, “An Evening for Opportunity,” with a 1961 theme, which is the year it was founded. About 500 guests attended and about $300,000 was raised toward the PCC Foundation, according to pcc.edu. The Pierce College 50th anniversary logo, created by MARCOM, will appear on all 50th anniversarytheme items such as t-shirts, mugs, water bottles and flag pendants. “We came up with the intertwining (in the design) because of unity and diversity (at the college),” Benedetti said. “And also, we have more than one campus, so we’re a team.” There’s also the Pierce College 50th anniversary cake which is made of wood, features Pierce’s school colors and lights up once plugged in, Benedetti said. The cake has four layers with images of Pierce College history and the 50th logo as the cake topper. Around each layer are platforms where cupcakes can be placed. The cake is currently displayed inside the Information Technology office, room 257, in the Cascade Building at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom. This cake previously belonged to Tacoma Community College who used it for their 50th anniversary in 2015. Benedetti had asked individuals at TCC what they were going to do with the cake after the celebration and offered to purchase it, but TCC donated it to Pierce. This ended up being an inexpensive project, Benedetti said. “They gave it to us and then we took it into the PRINT NW and had it resurfaced with our own brand and had their stuff taken off,” Benedetti said. Between the Puyallup and Fort Steilacoom campuses, the cake will be transferred to be used for display at events and serve as a symbol for the 50th. The cake may also be used for events that aren’t specifically for the 50th. “We’ll take the cake to the event so it becomes a 50th celebration just by default,” Benedetti said. “It’s just a reminder that our 50th is going on.” The first 50th event will be the Foundation Scholarship Scramble Golf Tournament on Aug. 11 at the High Cedars Golf Club in Orting. Tickets are currently available through the Pierce College ticketing system with different pricing packages. “It’s for people who golf,” Manager for Donor and Alumni Relations Nicole Ferris said. “It’s for donors. Our staff is going to be involved in planning it. It’s a huge fundraiser.” On Oct. 7, the 50th Anniversary Homecoming will be at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom’s gym for the volleyball game of Pierce vs. TCC. “The homecoming is going to be a way for us to start some traditions,” Ferris said. “There’s not a lot of opportunity that you get to do that, especially at a collegiate institution.” Continued on page 16

Commentary • News • Campus Life • Entertainment • Sports


commentscorner

The voice of the students of Pierce College Puyallup There should always be a safe place to do your business. Whether it be No. 1 or 2, everybody has the right to feel safe when they’re relieving themselves. We currently only have a couple of places where anybody can feel safe and they are viewed as “family restrooms.” What we need are bathrooms that are truly genderless and safe for everybody. At least one in each building would sufficient in making the campus feel safer for those who don’t. Many of us take for granted the fact that we can alleviate ourselves without the feeling that you don’t belong in one or the other. We may not know how many people are afflicted with this fear but even though they may be a silent minority, they have a voice that deserves to be heard. We need to start listening to those voices and work on making our campus and maybe in the future other places safer for everyone both in the shadows and in the sunlight. Let’s get together and bring our campus closer together by starting with changing restrooms from only male and female to male, female and gender neutral. A concerned student. n This e-mail was sent from a contact form on The Puyallup Post website www.puyalluppost.com

Harriet Tubman’s face replacing Jackson on $20 bill by 2020 Alex Heldrich Reporter

Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew announced on April 20 that Andrew Jackson’s face would no longer grace the $20. Instead Harriet Tubman would replace him by 2020. This is a major turning point in U.S. history as Tubman will be both the first black person and the first woman since former First Lady Martha Washington on U.S. currency. This milestone will hopefully be a new age for the amount of representation for black women in U.S. history, as their hard work and historical significance is often erased or boiled down to something less significant. This change should also aid in the end of U.S. history’s blind praise of the genocidal maniacs that “made this great country into what it is today.” Born in 1820, Tubman lived during the peak of slavery and racism in the South. As many may have learned in history classes, she escaped from slavery only to dedicate the rest of her life to helping other slaves escape from their owners by taking them on the Underground Railroad. While she was a slave, Tubman suffered extreme abuse which left her scarred and physically disabled. According to biography.com, when she was a teenager, a plantation overseer threw a 2-pound weight at her head, which resulted in a lifetime of seizures, severe headaches and narcoleptic episodes. In 1849, she finally escaped with her two brothers and returned back to the plantation in 1850 to help the rest of her family escape. 1850 was also the year the Fugitive Slave Law was passed as a part of the infamous Compromise of 1850. This law made the world an even more dangerous place for escaped slaves as it urged white citizens to capture any runaway slaves and return them to their owners for a reward. The law pretty much

Commentary

The Puyallup Post is produced by students attending Pierce College Puyallup. This publication is intended as a public forum. Published materials are the sole responsibility of the editors, reporters and photographers, and are not intended to represent the college’s policies. A person commits the offense of publication theft when he or she willfully or knowingly takes more than one copy of The Puyallup Post. The newspaper is distributed on the Puyallup campus. For information on advertising rates, or how to submit letters to the editor or story ideas, call (253) 840-8496, e-mail gamsden@pierce.ctc.edu or use the submission form on the The Puyallup Post website.

made any black person in the U.S., free or not, fair game for being captured and “returned” with no questions asked. According to harriettubman.org, she made about 19 trips on the Underground Railroad and saved an estimated 300 people from slavery, despite her disabilities and the danger of such acts. During the Civil War she worked as a cook, nurse, armed scout and spy. She was the first woman to ever lead an armed expedition, in which she liberated more than 700 slaves, according to biography.com. She lived out the rest of her life tending to her family and friends until she died in 1913 at 93. Tubman was an amazing person. Jackson on the other hand, not so much. Jackson’s reign of terror began in 1828 when he was elected as the seventh U.S. president. His election was significant in U.S. politics. An entire political party, the Whigs, was formed solely out of hatred for Jackson. He was often compared with King Andrew I because of his bold declaration of his absolute power as president. Jackson is most known for his heinous acts against Native Americans. According to history.com, “he claimed millions of acres of land that had been given to the Cherokee Indians under federal law.” The displaced 15,000 Native Americans were sent off to Arkansas on foot down the Trail of Tears. Thousands died during the relocation at the hands of Jackson. Jackson is an absolute menace to U.S. history. It’s amazing that his face made it onto the $20 bill in the first place. Putting a black woman’s face on U.S. currency is a very significant milestone. It preludes to a future of a better world for black women in America. It’s important that this country is represented by people who truly made a difference, such as Tubman.

Armani Jackson

Chase Charaba

Suzanne Buchholz

Lizzie Duke

Katie Fenton

Amber Gilliland

Alex Heldrich

Andrea Mendoza

How to contact us: Editor-in-Chief: Grace Amsden..........................Lync ext: 8881 ............gamsden@pierce.ctc.edu Managing Editor: Armani Jackson ....................................8630............ ajackson@pierce.ctc.edu Online and Social Media Manager: Chase Charaba..........8632 ............ccharaba@pierce.ctc.edu Reporter: Suzanne Buchholz ............................................8722 ..........sbuchholz@pierce.ctc.edu Reporter: Lizzie Duke........................................................8620 .................eduke@pierce.ctc.edu Senior Reporter: Amber Gilliland.......................................8624 .............agilliland@pierce.ctc.edu Reporter: Alex Heldrich .....................................................8622.............aheldrich@pierce.ctc.edu Reporter: Hannah Pederson .............................................8628 ..........hpederson@pierce.ctc.edu Reporter: CJ Robinson .....................................................8631 ...........crobinson@pierce.ctc.edu Online Reporter: Katie Fenton ..........................................8654 ...............kfenton@pierce.ctc.edu Office Manager/Reporter: Andrea Mendoza......................8651 ..........amendoza@pierce.ctc.edu

The student newspaper office is in room 218 in the College Center. Adviser: Teresa Josten Graphics/Production: Steve Heeb

Grace Amsden

www.puy alluppost.com

Newspaper racks are located throughout the Puyallup campus.

Hannah Pederson

CJ Robinson

Some images and information printed in this newspaper may be from Internet sources and are used under the fair use doctrine, which allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders for such uses as commentary, criticism, news reporting and scholarship. M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6

2

T h e

P u y a l l u P

P o s T


fightin’words

shoutout

Are children being negatively affected by technology and having a less meaningful childhood?

Lizzie Duke

How is technology impacting children of this generation?

Alex Heldrich

of this, people from all corners of the world can rally together to fight an unwanted government policy or send love to a person or country going through something horrific. In today’s day in age, technology is Technology and social media has been a platform for everywhere. It’s in pockets, homes, concepts such as feminism and the Black Lives Matter schools, businesses and streets. One simply movement to flourish. Online activism is changing this gencan’t escape technology’s grasp. Anyone in eration faster than any other activist movements in the past. American born in the ‘90s or later has Alex Heldrich Twelve year old girls are sticking up for themselves and the grown up with cellphones and computers way they’re been treated. Black people are fighting against within reach, something different from prethe daily hate that they face and exposing systemic racism vious generations. Of course, growing up with such revolutionary inven- for what it is. Confused teenagers are learning that the ‘unortions has impacted this generation’s children and teenagers dinary’ feelings that they experience regarding sexuality and gender are normal and that there’s a term way of life, but such change isn’t necesfor it. Before technology, it wasn’t until sarily negative. Most teenagers have some sort of “Before technology, college that most people became involved in these sorts of movements, social media. According to pewinternet.org, 95 percent of all teens age 12- it wasn’t until college but now it’s reaching kids who are only in middle school. 17 use the Internet and 81 percent of that most people Another thing that’s made possible teens use social media. Many adults perbecame involved in by this generation’s use of technology is ceive teens as constantly being glued to the new medium for artists to spread their phones, which isn’t necessarily these sorts of their work. Musicians can now rack up wrong. However, they aren’t just mindlessly playing Angry Birds. Social movements, but now thousands of views on their videos, graphic artists can create digital artwork media allows people to connect with it’s reaching kids using computer programs and even traothers from all around the world. who are only in ditional artists can jumpstart their Because of social media, people can careers by posting and selling their art stay in close contact with friends who middle school.” online. Up and coming writers can post have moved away. Few anti-technology their work on heavy traffic websites like adults can say that they’ve actually been sending letters back and forth with their old friends for more wattpad.com or archiveofourown.org. Fewer kids may go outside to play from dawn to dusk as than a couple years. Technology has taken ‘pen-pals’ to the next level. By just logging onto Twitter or Instagram, some- they used to, but that doesn’t mean that kids aren’t being one can instantly see what someone from across the world is active anymore. The world is very different from how it was up to and what their culture is like. It takes weeks for a let- 30 years ago. The world 30 years ago is very different from ter to be sent from Puyallup to New Zealand, but one can how it was 30 years previous. All generations have their pros and cons, and one isn’t necessarily better than the other. Kids slide into a New Zealand hottie’s DM’s in seconds. Technology has also revolutionized the way that news and teens from this generation are simply thriving with and activism is spread. One can learn about what’s happen- what’s presented to them, just like adults did when they were ing in the world like no other generation ever has. Because young.

Reporter

Suzanne Buchholz

videos and checking social media accounts rather than paying attention to the lesson. The result of this behavior is the instructor having to pause the class in order to conIn this modern age, it’s incredibly rare fiscate the device or give a lecture on the importance of to see anyone who doesn’t have some putting away these devices during class, which not only sort of technological device with them at takes valuable class time away but also distracts other all times, sometimes more than one. students. This causes students to miss out on crucial These devices range from cellphones to information, which could ultimately alter their grades. even smartwatches that have all the same Suzanne Buchholz According to the same report, students who always functions as an iPhone. Lately, even young children have their own cellphones and similar turn to technology to find material for school projects or homework answers are becoming too reliant on it, as it devices that they use almost constantly. These devices are capable of incredible things and can often hinders their ability to seek out answers for themselves. It causes them to believe help kids in a variety of ways, that they can find anything they from allowing them to keep in close contact with their parents “there are certain benefits need with a few quick keystrokes and that all of the information to aiding them with homework of technology among they’re finding is valid, a situaassignments. But as more kids family, such as parents tion that’s often referred to as the become increasingly attached to problem.” This the tiny screens in their hands being able to keep in touch “Wikipedia might lead them to using incorand spend less time in the real world around them, someone with their children outside rect information without realizing it, as they’re either too trustmight wonder if technology is of the home. But when ing of these sources or simply actually detrimental to their quality of life. families are together, many don’t feel like looking for additional sources to support it. The In today’s society, it’s virtualchildren seem to prefer result would be lower grades on ly impossible to complete assignments as well as a lack of schoolwork without technology, playing on their digital accomplishment because they with teachers and professors devices rather than took the easiest route they could requiring students to completely find to get their work done. type out assignments, use online interacting with their Technology hasn’t only resources to find material for parents or siblings.” impeded on school, but on the research projects and even subfamily life of many kids as well. mit homework and take tests on the Internet instead of in a classroom. But when students There are certain benefits of technology among family, have these devices with them in the classroom when they such as parents being able to keep in touch with their need to be focused and listen to their instructors, it can children outside of the home. But when families are create a problem. According to a report by The Washing- together, many children seem to prefer playing on their ton Post, many students are caught using their cellphones digital devices rather than interacting with their parents and laptops on frivolous tasks such as watching YouTube Continued on page 4 Reporter

w w w . P u y a l l u P P o s T . c o M

3

Algela Madrid: “We’re just

becoming more separated from each other.”

Alana Perez:

“Nothing’s personal anymore. When you’re face to face you can see emotion. I still think it’s necessary for today’s society. We can’t all be face-to-face.”

Ian Despars: “I believe there are positive benefits as well as negative. Things do get sped up. You can communicate over long distances (but) it does deter face to face interaction. Growing up, I didn’t have technology. Well, I had a Game Boy, but I played outside.” Stevie Benton: “It has both good and bad implications. It makes communication easier, helps with learning math and science, even entirely different languages. But people aren’t communicating or connecting enough.”

Robert Stewart: “It’s a resource for many and it’s a different social environment for others.”

Taylor Pennington: “I feel like it’s helping because there’s a lot of words I come across while reading a book and it’s easy to look them up on Google. It’s also good for communication.”

Olivia Smith: “It’s taking over. When we grew up as kids, we grew up outdoors. These kids are staying inside, missing out on that childhood experience.”

Christina Yi: “It takes up a lot of time. I think social media affects the younger people, in certain ways they should look, like expectations. They look a lot older than they should.”

M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6


or siblings. According to a report by Psychology Today, children are often so engrossed in their technology that they don’t even notice when their parents return home from work 50 percent of the time and only greet them about 30 percent of the time. It’s also noteworthy to observe that many parents don’t understand as much about technology as their children do, which creates a divide between them in that they can’t properly use technology to communicate with them. Parents who do understand technology and are involved in social media are just as likely to be snubbed by their children, however, as many children have reported that they don’t want to be “friended” by their parents on websites like Twitter. This rift in communication can lead to families growing apart. Without having a connection to their parents, children might grow up without the proper support and guidance they need to become well-rounded and educated adults. An obsession with technology coupled with a lack of communication with parents could lead to behavioral issues in children, as well. Children who spend their days playing video games or watching TV might become more withdrawn and have fewer social interactions with others. This behavior could carry on outside of their homes as well, as children use their cellphones and other devices instead of socializing with their peers in school and other places. This might cause them to have fewer friends and thus less motivation to spend time outside of the house and away from their gadgets. They might develop better relationships with friends they meet online through various media, but could also pose a risk as someone doesn’t know exactly who’s on the other side of the screen. Children could become secretive, which could cause them to not trust their parents and have strained relationships with family and friends. One other major area of a child’s life that can be affected by technology is their self-image. When children go online or watch TV, they’re constantly bombarded with advertisements that promote new items that children might want because they feel material possessions will make them fit in with their peers or make them feel jealous of things others have that they be unable to afford. These ads might also suggest a so-called “perfect” image that they should try to live up to, like wearing certain clothing or having a certain weight or hair style. Children might see these images and believe that they’re inadequate if they don’t live up to such standards, which could cause their selfesteem to plummet and lead to problems in other areas of their life. They might even resort to desperate means of achieving this glamorized sense of perfection, such as stealing if they want something so badly or developing an eating disorder just so they look like their favorite celebrity. Self-confidence issues could prevent children from taking chances and participating in some events and could potentially damage career prospects in the long run. Children can benefit from technology in many ways, but should be limited to stop them from suffering these drawbacks. Much like with junk food, the key is moderation to maintaining a good balance of using technology and connecting with the real world. If children took more time to hang out with friends and bond with their family instead of keeping their eyes glued to their gadgets, they might learn to appreciate an unplugged life like their parents might have had. M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6

newsflash

What’s going on at Pierce College Puyallup

Lead findings in Tacoma water leads to concern Grace Amsden Editor-in-Chief

If there’s a hazard with a basic necessity such as portable water, most people will grow concerned, especially after the water crisis in Flint, Mich. There have been concerns regarding pipes installed in the early 1900s in Tacoma, according to Tacoma Public Utilities on mytpu.org, who stated that the situation in Flint has “sharpened the focus on lead in drinking water across the country and prompted Tacoma Water to re-examine any remaining lead materials we may still have in our system.” In Tacoma, there’s an estimated 1,200 goosenecks pipes from the 1900s which contain lead, according to TPU’s update May 18. The company stated on April 29 that after testing the water quality and collecting samples at four customers’ homes from the service lines, some of the lead levels were higher than 15 parts per billion, “the federally acceptable limit of lead in drinking water” which is “in no more than 10 percent of collected samples” according to cityofpuyallup.org. This occurred for “at least 90 percent of homes tested,” according to mytpu.org. “I’d be mad,” student Donovan Fuselier said when questioned about his reaction if he found out he had high amounts of lead in his drinking water. “(I) probably wouldn’t be able to do much, because I’m just one person. (I’d) probably get a petition or something signed.” Drinking water contaminated with lead usually doesn’t result from the water source, according to TPU, but “from the plumbing that serves or is inside customers’ homes, from corrosion of lead-containing plumbing or fixtures or the solder that connects copper pipes.” As for Puyallup, there isn’t a concern regarding high amounts of lead in drinking water due to the lack of lead pipes and goosenecks, but tests are conducted every three years for homes with copper pipes and lead, according to cityofpuyallup.org. The more recent test conducted for Puyallup was in 2014, according to cityof puyallup.org. The results show that the average level of lead found was 8 ppb. A high majority of results from the homes included in the testing had levels of 3 ppb or less, reported by The City of Puyallup. As for the possibility of high amounts of lead in the water at either Pierce campus, there isn’t much of a concern for this, Director of Campus Safety and Security Chris MacKersie said. Pierce College Puyallup water is supplied by the City of Puyallup Water Division and the Fort Steilacoom campus water by the Lakewood Water District. The college isn’t in charge of testing its water because it’s already tested by the companies, MacKersie said, who doesn’t recall an incident with the water at Pierce regarding lead or hazardous materials in the 20 years he’s been at the college. “We understand that the people or systems that would be at risk, or buildings or infrastructures that would be at risk, are things that were constructed well before the late 1960s,” MacKersie said. “Our very oldest building in the district was built in 1973.

High amounts of lead in the water can cause it to turn another color when it comes out of the faucet.This is an effect of Flint water.

www.mytpu.org

Continued from page 3

thefiscaltimes.com

Fighting Words

So as we understand it, we’re well outside of the window of any possibility of them using lead fittings.” Copper’s a significant pipe material at Pierce, Mackersie said. “At (the) Puyallup (campus), the buildings are all so new,” MacKersie said. “If we were to have an issue, the issue would have to really come from the water system and water supplier and they’re required to test the water all the time.” If there was an issue with the water at Pierce College, the actions for what would happen are situationally dependent, such as transitioning the college into suspended operation or closing the campus until appropriate mitigation was underway, MacKersie said. “Based on the information that we have, we have no reason for the concern of the

4

quality of water at either of our campuses,” MacKersie said. On May 18, water samples were collected from 12 Tacoma homes believed to have goosenecks with lead in them, according to TPU. The company states that water is safe, as “all 464 samples collected from within the homes are well below the EPA action level for lead.” For the potential 1,200 homes with goosenecks, TPU will contact the homeowners about a water test kit obtainable July 1. In the meantime, TPU states that “Tacoma Water will remove lead goosenecks as expediently and efficiently as possible from its system. We anticipate it will take about five years to replace all of them.” Visit www.mytpu.org/, cdc.gov/nceh/ lead/tips/water.htm or waterquality@cityof tacoma.org for more information. T h e

P u y a l l u P

P o s T


American Honors plant trees Courtesy of Sarah Henry

American Honors teamed up with Forterra to replant along Cedar River Hannah Pederson Reporter

Six American Honors students, led by the program’s Service Chair Sarah Henry, volunteered on May 14 with the environmental organization Forterra along the banks of the Cedar River. The group worked from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. to place mulch over newly-planted native shrubs and trees in an effort to help the saplings fend off weeds and retain moisture in the event of another hot summer. Stewardship Coordinator Michelle Quast has worked to restore the Cedar River for seven years now, most recently through Forterra, a non-profit organization in Washington. Most of the river is within the boundaries of the Cedar Grove Natural Area owned by King County, which Quast explains is like a park without the amenities. Quast partners with King County Parks through Forterra and their stewardship in action program, which works to get the community that relies on the river involved in taking care of it. The program hosts numerous events like the one American Honors participates in every month.

Sarah Henry and Honors students volunteer along the Cedar River. “We volunteered with Forterra back in March and everyone seemed to like it, so we decided to work with them again,” Henry said. “It was pretty nice, but it would’ve been better if more people had read the email and come with us.” Henry chose this event not only because it was another way to get in

community service hours but because it’d leave a positive lasting impact on the community. “The Cedar River provides drinking water to more than a million people in Seattle, and at the same time it’s home to salmon,” Quast said. “It’s a great example of how people and the environment

thrive together.” Sockeye salmon are the primary species that pass through the river. They’ve suffered over the past years because rising temperatures have left water levels too low and water temperatures too high for the fish’s delicate systems. The trees and shrubs planted along the banks are native species like western red cedar and Douglas fir, plants that thrived on the river’s bank up until knotweed, an invasive plant native to Japan that thrives in volcanic soil (which is pretty much everywhere), forced all other plant life out. “Because knotweed is such a strong invasive plant, it’d taken over the area to the point that there was nothing else growing there but knotweed,” Quast said. “It’d outcompeted all the native plants.” The stewardship program volunteers have been working to eradicate knotweed since 2009 and replanting the area is one of the last steps in the process. The salmon need the trees and shrubs to provide shade and cool down the water, plus the roots anchor the dirt to the banks, preventing soil erosion. Henry looks forward to volunteering with Forterra again and urges other American Honors students to join in. “They were just thankful that people were volunteering,” Henry said. “It was good to just go help people in the community.”

The dish on Lancer Lizzie Duke, Suzanne Buchholz and CJ Robinson Reporters

Lancer Hospitality has been supplying food on campus for students and employees for the past five years and recently launched its new line of food. The company’s rebranding of many of its burgers and grill menu items with the “Aldo’s” name is raising health concerns. Many of the menu items have nutritional information that’s higher than those set by the Food and Drug Administration. For example, Aldo’s Bacon Cheeseburger contains 72 grams of total fat, which is 111 percent of the recommended daily consumption, and 24.4 grams of saturated fat, which is 122 percent of the recommended daily consumption. The burger has 919.5 calories. Its Flatbread Gourmet Chicken Ranch has 69.6 grams of total fat, which is 107 percent of the recommended daily consumption, 28.5 grams of saturated fat, which is 143 percent of the recommended daily consumption and 996 calories. Compared to local food chains, the college’s burger has 8 more grams of fat than its counterpart at Red Robin. McDonald’s Bacon Clubhouse burger has 30 less grams of fat than the bacon cheeseburger supplied by Lancer. That’s almost 50 percent more than McDonald’s. Lancer sells other options including cups of vegetables, fruit and yogurt. Some students say that it’s a choice as to whether or not they eat these foods. “I’m not concerned,” student Curtis English said. “They sell salads, there’s tomatoes on the burgers, I think that’s enough.” Others have problems with the nutritional facts. “It makes everyone a lot less healthy,” student Ashley Felice said. “What they should be serving is healthy food if we’re stuck here and need to eat.” Biology Instructor Joseph Cates-Carney said a healthy meal is one that provides the macronutrients needed to sustain a body for a given amount of time. Macronutrients are proteins, carbohydrates, fats and water. “You wouldn’t look at it one meal at a time,” Carney w w w . P u y a l l u P P o s T . c o M

said. “You’d look at it over the course of a day or longer, because it varies. Maybe you had more carbohydrates for breakfast, more fats for lunch.” The nutrition facts for an Aldo’s Cheeseburger 1/4 pound bacon, from Lancer, were shown to Carney. “The challenge is when we use that word healthy, we can spin it all sorts of ways,” Carney said. “I could say if I had four of those cheeseburgers I’d have 100 percent of my iron. (But) that’s a lot of fat, there’s no question.” Carney said that Lancer sells food that people buy as they’re a business and strive to meet the needs of their customers. In other words, as soon as the people quit buying it, they’re going to quit selling it. As for the effects on a student’s body after eating this meal daily, Carney said it can be compared to Supersize Me, a movie about a man who only eats McDonald’s for a year. Consequences can include liver damage, weight gain, lethargy and a decrease in overall health. “The question I would ask the individual is, ‘so why are you doing this?’” Carney said. “We can demonstrate it isn’t healthy, so why is this a choice you’re making?” The nutritional facts themselves may be difficult to find. When looking of the Pierce College website under Food Services, the user is given two links - one to a website called create-a-balance.com and the other Lancer Catering’s Pierce website, pierce.lancerhospitality.com. These two websites give various menu items different nutritional information, so students are left to choose which website they consider correct. Lancer Catering’s regional director, Susan Smith, declined to comment on multiple attempts at interviews and is the only source for information in the company. Additionally, ingredient information wasn’t available for some menu items, including the Aldo’s Bacon Cheese Burger. “I should be able to know what to put in my body,” student Athena Fey said. “I should be able to (know) whether or not I’m eating shitty genetically modified food.” Lancer was originally chosen to provide food services to Pierce in 2011 by the previous request for proposal

5

committee, Procurement Officer Curtis Lee said. An RFP is a solicitation in which institutions seek out potential suppliers for specific services, in this case for a food service to provide for Pierce’s cafeteria on both campuses. Potential services interested in supplying for Pierce are required to fill out a detailed form indicating their plans for prices, portion sizes and type of foods they’d be selling, as well as promising to adhere to certain requirements involving sanitation, food quality and equipment maintenance. The committee then begins a process of interviewing bidders, visiting current establishments where they provide their services and performing a taste test of the food. The committee uses this information to decide which bidder would best fit the needs of Pierce College. The 2011 committee picked Lancer as it best matched the criteria of its evaluation. “I believe five vendors provided bids in that RFP process and the committee selected Lancer on a whole range of issues including a food tasting,” Lee said. According to the RFP bidder form, the food that a service provides must meet certain standards in terms of quality and nutrition content. Fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products must be high grade and foods containing trans fat needs to be limited, if not avoided completely. Additionally, all fresh and packaged products must be labeled for identification purposes. Lee said there have been few complaints during Lancer’s time servicing Pierce. “There haven’t been many questions or concerns expressed that I’ve been told about,” Lee said. “I’ve checked with both the managers numerous time over the last five years in regards to feedback and questions.” Lee said students who are concerned about health content of the food can submit a comment card to Lancer voicing these concerns or ask to speak to a manager. They can also send their comments to Lee at CLee@pierce.ctc.edu or submit them through the Office of Student Life on either campus. The decision will be made before the next quarter starts. M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6


campuslife

Plenty of cool stuff at Pierce College Puyallup

Marijuana city Suzanne Buchholz Reporter

“I-502 legalized the possession of marijuana for anyone at least 21 years old. It also allowed the distribution of marijuana, but only by licensed farmers at specific marijuana stores.”

On April 26, a vote occurred in Pierce County that could effectively ban the purchase of marijuana and shut down any establishments that sell the recreational and medical drug. Out of 64,776 voters, about 52 percent voted against the legal production and selling of marijuana, according to the official Pierce County website. The vote was conducted in unincorporated Pierce County, which refers to the regions outside the limits of Pierce County such as Puyallup, Tacoma and Lakewood. These areas include South Hill, Graham, Spanaway and Parkland, as well as areas surrounding Puyallup, Bonney Lake, Eatonville and Roy. After the votes were tallied, the issue was handed over to the Pierce County Council for consideration. The sevenmember council would then take a vote to decide whether the ban on marijuana-selling business should be applied or if such businesses should be permitted to keep operating. Five votes are needed to approve or veto the vote. The decision must be made before the ban expires July 1. The current ban is considered temporary for the time being, meaning that these businesses aren’t outlawed but must meet a federal law that prohibits them from marijuana sales, according to a report on The News Tribune. If the vote is passed, it’ll reverse the effects of Initiative 502, which was initial-

New law might prevent marijuana businesses from running

ly passed in November 2012. I-502 legalized the possession of marijuana for anyone at least 21 years old. It also allowed the distribution of marijuana, but only by licensed farmers at specific marijuana stores. In addition, a 25 percent sales tax was put on marijuana, with the revenue being put toward the state general fund, local budget and facilities specializing in the prevention and awareness of substance abuse. Certain Pierce County citizens are already protesting for the closure of marijuana businesses, including those selling marijuana to chronically ill people for medical purposes. On April 22, complaints were filed to shut down at least three such businesses including Green Meds Collective, Chronic Solutions Cooperative and New Millennium that have reportedly been violating ordinances in the city of Pacific. Seattle attorney Doug Hiatt said in an article by The News Tribune that this could have a negative effect on patients who rely on medical marijuana to ease pain. Some students might wonder if this change will have any effect on them at Pierce, as smoking marijuana on campus is prohibited. Some students have said that they know people who use marijuana but haven’t witnessed this activity happening at school. Others reported that they haven’t witnessed this activity themselves but have smelled marijuana on campus, particularly on April 20, which is recognized by many as a day when people smoke pot and protest for its legalization.

Student Samantha Fournier believes marijuana-selling businesses should be able to stay open. She’s in favor of using marijuana for medicinal and recreational purposes and said that marijuana has helped people medicinally, while alcohol is legal yet can cause health problems and car accidents. “I think marijuana is far less of a problem compared to alcohol in the war on drugs,” Fournier said. “I advocate for an alternative medicine as compared to narcotics, amphetamines and opiates as well considering the aforementioned are addictive and habit-forming and have also killed over 25,000 people who overdosed.” Student Ashyr Clairé said they thought people who use marijuana should do so responsibly and educate themselves on the repercussions that might occur. They didn’t see any reason to shut down marijuanaselling businesses as long as they were run in a way that abided by the law. “I think they should follow all procedures and laws, but they are a business just like any liquor store or vape store,” Clairé said.

Pick your poison: A look at the Republican primary Hannah Pederson Reporter

On May 24, Washington state closed the polls for its Republican presidential primary after an 18-day-voting period, an opportunity for voters to go out and support their candidate of choice in the hopes that they’ll receive the official nomination of their party in the 2016 presidential election. After the results of the May 3 Indiana primary poured in and everyone saw Trump washed away his political adversaries with 53.3 percent of the vote, the GOP left with one choice, even though many voters sent in their ballots before every other candidate dropped out of the race. Texas senator and the biggest threat to Trump’s monopoly, Ted Cruz, suspended his campaign that same day, followed by the only other remaining candidate, John Kasich, the next morning. Their defeat came after weeks of trying a variety of strategies in order to take the spotlight off of Trump and attempt to persuade voters to consider them and their policies. For belonging to a party that’s generally unified when a threat arises, Cruz and Kasich had difficulty working together in one of their last ditch efforts to thwart Trump, Political Science Professor John Lucas said.

M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6

“One thing they agree on is that Trump shouldn’t be the nominee,” Lucas said. “One thing they don’t agree on is who should be the nominee instead. Basically, it fell apart because they both didn’t want to help the other win.” A few days after declaring a quasi alliance between himself and Kasich, Donald Trump Cruz announced that former Republican presidential candidate and Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina would be his running mate if he received the party’s nomination. This move came off as desperate to many people, but they could appreciate the thought process behind it. “Normally people don’t pick a running mate until they’re declared the nominee, but Cruz needed something dramatic to turn voters heads, so I think it was a smart move on his part,” Lucas said. “Having said what a great idea that was, it looks like it hasn’t helped him very much.” It didn’t help him enough to even come close to Trump’s number of declared delegates, which at the time was a little more than 100 away from 1,237, the GOP’s “magic number” of delegates needed for nomination. “The polls have been moving in Trump’s direction because the party thinks he’ll be the nominee,” Lucas

6

said. “Once they’ve decided on the prospective nominee, then people within the party start to gravitate towards that candidate.” After the results of the Indiana primary, Cruz and Kasich faced pressure from within the GOP to bow out of the race to avoid division within the party, which they did. When Washington voters went to the polls on May 24, they saw more than one name on the ballot. Cruz and Kasich were listed, since they dropped out of the race after the ballots and voters pamphlets had been printed. Voters also saw Ben Carson, who suspended his campaign on March 4, since he didn’t submit a formal Withdrawal of Candidacy. If votes are placed for candidates no longer in the running, they still count for something. They won’t help decide who gets how many of Washington state’s 44 delegates, but it tells the leaders of the GOP that not everyone has accepted Trump as their nominee. “The thing about votes is that although one person’s vote by itself doesn’t make a difference, it allows that person to express their view,” Lucas said. “One way to think about it is not necessarily who’s going to win, but what are my values and the values I look for in a president, and throw that choice in so it’s considered with everyone else’s.”

T h e

P u y a l l u P

P o s T


Shining a light on facilities

Andrea Mendoza

Have you used your textbooks this quarter? Jon Oman: “No, I haven’t used

By CJ Robinson In a previous story, The Puyallup Post printed a story that investigated the number of malfunctioning lights in the campus parking lots. A number of lights weren’t working properly, and the story described a new system called Megamation would help with work orders to the facilities department. Chris MacKersie, director of safety and security/assistant director of facilities, said this system would be implemented after the winter. In a follow-up interview, Building and Grounds Manager of the Puyallup campus Daniel Timmons said the college has used the system since about 2008. The facilities department recently started using the system on a more regular basis, but it doesn’t apply to lights on campus. A number of lights still haven’t been replaced. “There’s a ton of data entry in this program,” Timmons said. “Naming the equipment correctly, even really at this point I’m going through, finetuning and changing things. It’s always been working but I’d say probably in the last six months we’ve really been trying to pay attention and make it better.” Timmons attributes this increase in attention to the addition of two maintenance managers, one for each campus. He said that this gives the facilities department the ability to focus on their work. “It’s a great tool for us to not only track our own work, but you can do a ton of stuff with this pro-

shoutout

gram,” Timmons said. “It’s also a great tool for the community to submit work orders.” Even though Megamation currently doesn’t create work orders for the lights around campus, MacKersie said in the earlier interview the facilities department “regularly goes through the lights to ensure they are functioning properly,” and Timmons said that the facilities department checks the lights about two weeks before the quarter. The informal investigation by The Puyallup Post showed that on Jan. 26, 14 lights weren’t functioning. Areas that weren’t lit included two lights in a row on the wooded path from the Arts and Allied Health Building to the Brouillet Library/Science Building, one covering a crosswalk from the AAH to Parking Lot B, two at the entrance of the path that connects Parking Lot B with the Health Education Center and two lights on the West Access Road. An updated report shows that at least 16 exterior lights were out as of April 28 and many locations were the same as the previous report. Although the lights covering the crosswalk from the AAH to Parking Lot B and the entrance of the paths that connects the HEC and Parking Lot B were fixed, the two consecutive lights on the wooded path and two consecutive lights on the West Access Road were still malfunctioning. Other unlit areas included two lights in Parking Lot C and one on the path behind the AAH.

any of my textbooks since fall quarter. We have to use these codes to get things online and that’s the only portion I use. They make us get the textbook, but we don’t use it.”

Jaiden Silver: “Yes, for most of my classes. I haven’t used it for my sociology class because we talk about everything in class.”

Katherine Valle: “Yes, I’ve used my accounting book. I haven’t used the one for my oceanography class.”

Shakita Etheridge: “I have, but in only one of my classes. We don’t use one for sociology. I still haven’t read the one for my human sexuality class.”

Victoria Miles: “I actually don’t have any textbooks. I’m taking SOC&211, two fitness classes and an online bio class, which I don’t really need textbooks for.”

Keanu Bais: “Not at all. Basically, I use the computer for everything for all of the three classes I’m taking.”

Madison Branch: “I have for

English and that’s about it. I haven’t used my math textbook and we don’t have one for College Success.

Stephanie Warner: “Yes,

actually I have. I’ve used my chemistry textbook. Most of my textbooks are online. So I don’t really use a textbook, I just do it all online.”

w w w . P u y a l l u P P o s T . c o M

7

M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6


The HEC depends on students Alexis Salcedo Contributing writer

For nearly a decade, Pierce College Puyallup’s Health Education Center has provided opportunities for students and employees to exercise on campus or take physical education classes. When the HEC was constructed near the West Access Road entrance, money wasn’t available to add the gym that was in the original design plans. Administrators eventually planned to add that gym and an outdoor facility, which would include a combination soccer/baseball and softball field. “I think we’ll eventually see a gym on this campus, like a court space as well as an outdoor facility,” Health Education Center Manager Brian Kovacevich said. “The possibilities would be endless with those two things. It’s just finding the money (to do this).” Buildings such as the HEC aren’t state funded, so in order to construct them on college campuses, they must be paid for by students, Kovacevich said. In 2002, student leaders from the Office of Student Life started a campaign to raise money to construct the HEC. Once the plan was created, which included ideas of the building layout, it was put to a student vote. A bank of windows that was supposed to be the door into the gym is near the women’s locker room to the right at the bottom of the stairs, Kovacevich said. Funding for the HEC comes from three sources: $85,000 a year from the college budget, student & activity fees and the $15 HEC usage fee students pay for a membership. When students voted to approve construction of the HEC, they also affirmed that part of their support included fees to that future students also would pay. Of a student’s fee, $63.75 goes to a separate account

this building,” Joy said. “The goal when that pays off the debt of the Brian and I first decided to put nutrition Puyallup’s HEC. As of now, the down here was to get them in the door Puyallup campus is ahead of schedule and then it’d sell itself, and it seems to in paying off the debt. “the goal when work.” Not only do the funds help to Brian and I first From Monday-Thursday, the other decrease the amount of debt, the 100 students come for the purpose of takusage fees and S&A fees also go decided to put ing either physical education classes or toward operating costs and paying nutrition down here kinesiology classes. employees. The HEC has had many effects on stuThese fees go toward the cost of was to get them in dents from additional fees to providing operation such as buying laundry the door and then opportunities. One group of beneficiaries detergent, equipment repairs and making sure the building is operating it’d sell itself, and it of the HEC are Running Start students. Sonya Black, a junior at Graham smoothly, such as keeping up with the seems to work.” Kapowsin High School, is in the Running bathrooms and shower maintenance. Start Program. Black takes two physical Kovacevich mainly uses the S&A —Stephanie Joy education classes at the HEC to earn fees for salaries and paying his these credits required for high school employees. graduation. Getting students and employees to “If there were no place at Pierce to get the HEC increases membership purchases and allows the HEC more money to operate effi- P.E. credits, I’d have to go to high school and take an extra ciently. Currently, about 300-330 people come in Mon- P.E. class,” Black said. Running Start student and HEC front desk employee day-Thursday. On Friday, about 100 individuals stop in. Of those who Griffin Mead started to spend his spare time working out come in Monday-Thursday, about 200 just work out. As at the gym and eventually got a job. “The HEC has really been a place for me to escape,” for Friday, people can only come to workout since no physical education or kinesiology classes are taught this Mead said. “I have met so many great people who have helped me in my journey.” day. Black and Mead said that if a gym were added, it could One of the ways students come to the HEC is through benefit students. Black thinks it’d help by adding more the physical education and kinesiology classes offered. When the building first opened, biology instructor space to workout. Mead feels that a gym would attract Stephanie Joy and Kovacevich decided to move nutrition more people who don’t necessarily want to lift weights. “People need to know it’s not an intimidating place to classes into the HEC. “Teaching a five-credit science class down here brings be,” Mead said. “We’re all open and accepting people students to this building that might not ever experience over at the HEC.”

Common Book bust

Alex Heldrich

The Common Book program denied funding for next year

Alex Heldrich

According to an email by Garrido, the reason the program was denied funding was “because the committee agreed that the comStudents who have been attending Pierce mon book appeared to serve as more of an College since 2012 may be familiar with the instructional program rather than a student Common Book program, but those who startservice.” ed within the past two years have most likely Pierce College wasn’t able to support the never heard of it. program’s costs of $7,500, which include buyEnglish professor Beth Stevens is in ing the materials for the students, hosting the charge of organizing the program. Common Book events on campus and paying “A common book is one which all meman employee to organize the program. bers of a college community come together The program has received mixed results around through discussions, events, activities, from students when it was available. coursework and outside lecturers,” Stevens “It was quite well-received and vibrant in said. A surplus of past common books in the OSL. the beginning, but interest has waned over the This means that an additional book (not a years,” Stevens said. “It did the best when it had funding through S&A so textbook) would be incorporated into all English classes which students that we could subsidize the cost of the books for Pierce College students, would then have to read. Other colleges such as the University of Washprovide refreshments at book discussions, support enrichment events surington also have a common book that’s introduced into all freshman Engrounding the themes of the book and so forth.” lish classes. When the Common Book program was being funded by S&A, students The Common Book program was intended to last for one year, but had to pay $4 to buy the book, no matter what the original price of the book Stevens decided to continue the program; however, it’s hit roadblocks in the was, without being subsidized. past years. There’ll be no Common Book program for the 2016-2017 Stevens had big plans for the program, had it been funded. school year. “Essentially, we wanted to make a more robust program with the sup“Unfortunately, the reason that Pierce College’s common book program port of both Student Life and instruction,” Stevens said, “which is what all was denied (was because of the) Services and Activities funding,” Stevens the national data and best practices of successful Common Book programs said. show is necessary for a thriving, impactful program.” Because Common Book is a district program, the S&A committees from Stevens said that she won’t be putting any more energy into trying to get Pierce College Puyallup and Fort Steilacoom campuses met to discuss funding for the program during the 2017-2018 school year. whether to fund it or not. The program was denied by both committees.

Reporter

M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6

8

T h e

P u y a l l u P

P o s T


Courtesy Skookum Archers Club and Range

Bows on toes

Pierce sponsors archery event

Amber Gilliland Senior Reporter

The sounds of arrows thumping into targets could be heard resounding across a section of Skookum Archers Club and Range May 18 when 13 Pierce students were given a free archery lesson. Recreation and Entertainment Coordinator Jesse Hamelin put together the event. He’d driven by the range on occasion and thought it’d be a fun experience for students. The event was led by five instructors and began with a safety presentation. The students ate pizza while discussing parts of the bows, how to properly load and shoot arrows, how to safely carry the arrows, correct arm placements and whistle commands. Two whistle blows meant that students could pick up their bows from the holding racks, one whistle meant that it was OK to load and shoot the arrows and three whistles meant that it was safe to retrieve the arrows from the targets. After finishing the safety presentation, students were fitted for arrows to determine whether their arm length required them to use long or short arrows. Arrows were then handed out and placed in each student’s holding container called a quiver. The students stood in a straight line and once the arrows were placed in the quiver, the signal rang out to grab a bow. The instructors asked that students keep their bows rested on the tops of their shoes while they waited to load them, in order to not scrape the bottoms of the bows. Director of Student Life Sean Cooke could be heard yelling, “Bows on toes” each time the whistle sounded for students to grab their bows. The targets were placed at varying distances and included bullseyes, and targets with different animal pic-

Thirteen students and Director of Student Life Sean Cooke (center) participate in the archery event. tures such as a turtle, beaver, duck and monkey. With focused looks on their faces and bow strings pulled back to their noses, the line of students released their arrows. Each student was given three arrows at a time. After everyone had fired, the group was given the signal to retrieve their arrows and the process started over again. This cycle repeated itself for about an hour and a half. After a few cycles, students began to feel more comfortable using the equipment. To make the event more interesting, one instructor walked onto the range with bright yellow balloons which he attached to the targets. Cooke participated in the shooting and was able to shoot two balloons.

Food pantry Serving students at Pierce

Suzanne Buchholz Reporter

The Pierce College Puyallup food pantry continues to provide quick, free meals and snacks to students in need on campus. The food pantry was opened by members of the Office of Student Life in November 2015 as a project corresponding with Thanksgiving. They wanted to do something that’d help students at Pierce who might not be able to buy food easily and decided that a food pantry was their best option, Student Legislative Senator Lubov Marchenko said. “We knew that every campus has people that go hungry, and we wanted to bring something to our campus (to help them),” Marchenko said. “So we thought ‘food pantry,’ that’s the best thing.” Students who aren’t familiar with the food pantry don’t have to look hard to find it. It’s the big gray cabinet in the lounge area across from the OSL in the Connection Café, decorated with drawings by students. Some of the artwork is food related, while others range from colorful doodles to pictures of cartoon characters. Marchenko said they had a specific purpose for letting students decorate the pantry themselves, aside from making it stand out. “It was a way to advertise the pantry,” Marchenko said. “It was just kind of there, this gray pantry, so we said ‘why not?’ So we put up the white paper and it was actually a pretty fun day when we did that. We had free food as well and we had lots of students come and draw.” All members of the OSL monitor the food pantry

w w w . P u y a l l u P P o s T . c o M

9

“I feel proud,” Cooke said. “I feel a little bit deadly. I feel more like Katniss Everdeen than I did a minute ago.” When there was one balloon remaining, a contest was held between the shooters who had shot down the most balloons. Those who had shot three or more balloons competed to see who could eliminate the last balloon. In the end, students left the event with smiles and a few sore arms. “Next time, I’m wearing a hoodie,” student Brittany Wolfe said after her bow string hit her arm while shooting. Bruises aside, the students still had fun. “My favorite part was seeing how horrible I was,” Equity and Diversity Coordinator TJ Estes said.

daily. This includes restocking the pantry with donations from students, checking that none of the food items are expired and generally ensuring the pantry is kept in good condition. Marchenko estimates that 20 to 30 students use the food pantry every day, and that the OSL often has to restock the pantry each day to make sure it never becomes empty. She said this might be because all students may have different needs, with some grabbing food for lunch while others take food to bring home with them later. One item that tends to be the most popular is Cup-a-Soup. “We have those (Cup-a-Soup) all the time, and they disappear all the time,” Marchenko said. “That’s what we get the most of.” Currently, students can take donations for the food pantry directly to the OSL. Members of the OSL are also planning on setting up donation boxes in different buildings on campus for students to drop off food in various locations to be picked up. This will be similar to the boxes they set out during events on campus, such as Pi Day organized by Phi Theta Kappa. OSL members are now organizing a project to expand the food pantry and keep it continuing through the summer as the end of spring quarter approaches. They’ve been contacting different stores in the area such as Wal-Mart and Safeway to see if they can work from their stores to spread awareness of the Pierce food pantry and the students’ need for food. “It’s kind of a way to keep the pantry going even after our team leaves and a new team comes in,” Marchenko said. “What we’re hoping is to maybe go out there to the stores and give out fliers to people who are coming in and asking them to donate their food if they can, kind of like a food drive to keep the pantry going.” Marchenko hopes that students will continue to donate to the food pantry, as there have been a few times when it’s has been less full than usual. “We never know when we will have donations,” Marchenko said. “It’s not like (a) constant flow. But definitely give whenever you can.”

M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6


Battle of the Budgets Armani Jackson Managing Editor

The Washington state legislature is estimated to provide Pierce College with $25.1 million for the next fiscal year. A budget committee, comprised of 18-24 members from all represented groups (e.g. faculty, classified staff, the executive team, etc.), decides where the money is spent after a series of smaller committees present regarding individual department budgets. During the next fiscal year, three percent more money of the annual budget is going to salaries because of a 1.8 percent cost of living adjustment in Washington. Also, $615,000 has to go to the settlement of the Moore vs HCA lawsuit. “It’s not like someone has just said ‘we’re cutting your budget by X,’ so we’d have to adapt,’” Vice President of Student Success Matthew Campbell said. “It’s an interesting process because it can seem like a good thing at the start, and you’re like ‘oh, it’s actually a cut.’” This means that more money can go to salaires, health care or benefits. If more money isn’t coming in from the state, however, it can actually be a net decrease, Campbell said. A similar situation occurred with the cost of tuition. Last year, tuition was reduced for students, but the legislature didn’t fully supplement Pierce for the cut. “By not adding (more money to the budget), whenever things like the cost of electricity or health care goes up that the institution has to pay additional (money) for, but we don’t get (an increase) from the legislature, our budget we have to function with is effectively cut,” Campbell said. “We can’t not pay the energy bill or health care so those funds now have to come from somewhere else in the institution.” The process starts in December or January of each year when the Board of Trustees approves a set of core values for the committee. They then look at where the state funds are going and how departments work together. Each department has a budget planning group, and each present to the budget committee about additional requests and/or cuts to their area.

Pierce won’t know the actual budget until the first week of June. One hundred seventy-one items were being asked to be added to the budget and 132 items were suggested to be partially or fully cut, Vice President of Administra-

tion Choi Halladay said. Up to 85 percent of the budget is spent on salaries and benefits, the most expensive being health insurance. Halladay estimates that by next year, $250,000 more will have to be given to

pay for increases in health care. Another major portion of the budget is delegated to Achieving the Dream, which will help equalize a variety of demographics in terms of completing a degree or certificate while at Pierce, Campbell said. Halladay said the college will also be phasing in new Enterprise Resource Planning software, which controls finances, registration and everything Pierce tracks online. This is planned to be phased in October. Since money has to be shifted, not everything can be funded in the same way. For example, if more money has to go to salaries, there’s less money that can be used for other areas. When something like that occurs, one of the first aspects the committee looks at is if there’s something that was once funded but may no longer be needed. At the base level, they start examining little things that can quickly add up, like printing. Departments may start to rely more heavily on emails rather than letters, consequently cutting the use of paper. As a result, the committee can cut the printing budget without hugely impacting the way a department functions. In an extreme circumstance a program may have to be cut, but that’s rarely the case, Campbell said. The budget changes each year depend on industry, community and the college’s need. It’s likely that the legislature will spend more of the tax base on K-12 education and less on higher education in coming years, Halladay said. It’s the committee’s and Halladay’s job to look at what that’ll mean for the college. Structurally, the budget could also change as long time employees retire and new ones are hired as replacements, Halladay said. “We want to be really effective in what we do,” Campbell said. “We also want to be really cognitive that a budget conversation is often impacting people’s lives and their livelihoods. We don’t want to fund things that don’t make sense so we’re often looking at ‘how do we restructure this?’ It’s always looked at as this balancing act of trying to be as compassionate as we can because we really care about everyone who works here and the work they do.”

Holocaust survivor talks to students Jaycee Johanneck Contributing writer

A survivor of the Holocaust, Peter Metzelaar, shared his experience on May 11 at Pierce College Puyallup on how he lived through the tragedy as a young child. Metzelaar was seven years old when he had to go into hiding, and he explained how lucky he was to be able to survive and have a happier ending than Anne Frank. There were about 16 million people in Holland at the time, and 91 percent of the Jewish population were murdered by Hitler. Metzelaar said that’s equal to about 90 percent of Washington’s population. During that drastic time period, Jews couldn’t go out after 8 p.m., use radios, boats, participate in athletic activities or have political rights. They also had to wear a yellow star on their outer garments so that they could be identified and dehumanized. Metzelaar remembers trucks pulling up, yelling for Jews to get out of their homes. As time passed, friends M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6

of Metzelaar were disappearing, and family members were arrested. “What do you mean? How do you explain that to a 7-year-old?” said Metzelaar, who recalls not knowing why the people close to him were being taken away. Metzelaar’s mother sought out underground resistance force people, Klaas and Roelfina Post, who let the mother and son hide out in their farmhouse. If the Posts got caught they would be sent to a death camp, so when “The Final Solution” was decided upon with in 80 minutes, allowing German soldiers to ransack the farms to find hiders, the Posts built an area under the closet floor for Metzelaar and his mother to hide in. “We were packed in their like a couple of sardine,” Metzelaar said. “One cough, one sneeze, one hiccup— It’d be all over.” Eventually, they built a hole in the woods about 150 feet away from the barn where Metzelaar and his mom would run to and hide in whenever they heard the trucks coming down the road. They stayed on the farm with the Posts for two and a half years, and could never

10

go outside during daylight. “We became a non-entity. We didn’t exist,” Metzelaar said. When they left the Posts, they started staying with women who let them hide in a bedroom. Unlike the Posts, these women did not share their food, so Metzelaar and his mother were always hungry. Metzelaar recalls the stay with these women as much different from the two and a half years on the farm. Three weeks later, Metzelaar’s mom decided it was time for him to be sent to school, for he hadn’t been in a long time. He went by the name “Peter Pelt.” He shares pictures of shrapnel, which were pieces of Boeing B-17 bombers that were flown in to attack the Jews. Metzelaar says he and others would collect those pieces of steel and trade with other kids. Having an activity like that which was similar to the trading of sports cards in more recent times gave Metzelaar and his classmates something they could finally participate in, and shed some light on the dark times that they were experiencing. T h e

P u y a l l u P

P o s T


Patrick Carter

Left to right: students Sadie Culver, Payton Tarver, Kirsten Davison, Coreen Tarrell, Tyler Vo n d e r h a a r, Morgan Pasquier, Connor Staffen, Andrew Bottcher, Grace Amsden and Otis Kafiar outside the Rocky Reach Dam.

Power

people

Grace Amsden

On May 14, ten students and Custodial Services Manager Patrick Carter, adviser for the trip, left Pierce College Puyallup for a weekend to learn about power sources. Going inside a wind turbine, receiving a beaded salmon necklace and learning about dams were all part of the overnight Office of Student Life Power Plant Trip organized by Sustainability Coordinator Morgan Pasquier. “I really wanted students to learn a little bit more about where their power comes from in terms of how much of their power is actually sustainable and not damaging to the environment,” Pasquier said. “I know for me, I turn on the light and I don’t really think about where that power

Wild Horse Wind Facility guide Ricky Carr talks about the wind turbines. w w w . P u y a l l u P P o s T . c o M

originated from (or) what kind of damage it might have made getting from the plant.” The first stop on the trip was to the Wild Horse Wind Facility in Kittitas County for an informational tour led by Ricky Carr. The first portion was a presentation inside the visitors center about the facility and wind turbines; for example, the Wild Horse Wind Facility has 149 turbines and powers 60,000-70,000 homes. The next portion of this tour was outside where Carr talked about the plant life around the area. The Hedgehog cactus is one example. The facility utilizes a 190-acre footprint, he said. The group then got to step inside a wind turbine once it was shut off. “It surprised me with how in-depth they got, actually letting us walk into the windmill itself,” Pasquier said. “That was really cool.” After this tour, the group checked in at The Red Lion Hotel Wenatchee and then went to the Wenatchee Valley Farmers Market to look around and perhaps purchase fruit, gelato or jewelry. “The website (for the farmers market) advertised it as the biggest farmers market in the state and then I went there and it was kind of lackluster,” Pasquier said. “I like the one in Puyallup better.” After the market was free time at the hotel until the group went to dinner at Godfather’s Pizza. The rest of the evening was free time. The following day, the group went on a tour of the Rocky Reach Dam led by guide Rigo Mendoza, who talked about the life of a salmon, the dam’s dive team and the facility. The group also got to look into the warehouse with the 11 generators before exploring the museum which included information about igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, local petroglyphs, steamboats, ferries and wood types among many other topics. The group then drove back to Wenatchee for lunch and then to the Puyallup campus. “I would like for there to be more engaging ways to involve students in seeing and being a part of the experience of understanding what makes our state as sustainable as it can possibly be, which regards our energy consumption and our energy production,” student Andrew Bottcher said, “but also in other aspects, I felt like going to the plants gave me a good perspectives of how much energy is produced.”

11

Above: student Connor Staffen testing the generator at the Rocky Reach Dam. Middle and below: at the Rocky Reach Dam.

Grace Amsden

Editor in Chief

Grace Amsden

Grace Amsden

Grace Amsden

to the Ten students, one adviser travel across Washington to learn about power sources

M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6


Anthropology, Armenia and Academia Anthropology professor Kathryn Keith shares her story CJ Robinson Reporter

In her office, many objects jump out at once; a binder labeled “gender,” a monkey mug, books on a shelf including Neolithic Revolution in the Near East, a woven map of Kyrgyzstan, jungle party hats and a group of archeological artifacts underneath the window. Anthropology professor Kathryn Keith explains that the artifacts come from Armenia. “What you see here are replicas of ancient pottery from Armenia,” Keith said. “I was on a dig there one summer. It’s not an actual second millennium pot because that’d be illegal and I’d now be in jail, but these are both replicas.” Keith spent a large part of her graduate education on digs before she achieved her doctorate in anthropology and Near Eastern studies with an archaeology focus, specializing in old Babylonian Mesopotamia for her dissertation. Many of her passions may have stemmed from her childhood, Keith said. She grew up in Southern Idaho near labor camps with Hispanic children. She recounts how her love for language and archeology may have come from this era of her childhood. “I always liked languages,” Keith said. “They came easy to me and I was around Spanish a lot. What our family would do for fun is pile in a Jeep and go driving out in the boonies. One of the places we really liked to go were ghost towns and pioneer cemeteries.” Keith and her family would analyze tombstone and odd inscriptions, similar to a field research project she conducts for her archaeology class. Although she had a passion for these fields going into college, she majored in bilingual multicultural elementary education with

“I really like working with students who are just interested in stuff. It’s kind of fun when they get into an anthropology class and go ‘ooh!’ It’s fun to explore that new field with them.” —Kathryn Keith

endorsments in early childhod, Spanish and English as a Second Language at Boise State University instead. Keith comes from a family of teachers. Her stepdad was a junior high art teacher and her mother was an early reading specialist. Keith’s grandparents were also teachers. “It’s a definite family tradition,” Keith said. “It was like ‘you shall be a teacher’, and at the time I really didn’t want to, but that’s the direction I was herded in. I actually enjoyed it quite a lot.” After she completed her undergraduate degree, she taught 3rd and 4th grade in Wilder, Idaho. “They’re a lot like college students,” Keith said. “College students are a little more sophisticated but they’re very similar in their enthusiasm. It was fun.” To carry on her passion for language, Keith took a community Japanese class. Through a connection with her instructor, she was able to teach English in Japan. Keith said she didn’t accomplish her original intent of learning Japanese as well as she wanted to. Although she lived in Japan for four years, most of the people she interacted with wanted to practice their English with her. She was also living in a complex with all the other English teachers for that particular school, making it even harder to engage with the language. “Mostly, I just kept to myself so I didn’t go out much, so it took me a while to get past that fear of being in a new place,” Keith said. “I did study a bit of Japanese, but I never got to use it, oddly enough.” After her second two-year contract with the school, Keith decided to travel back to the United States. She realized that she didn’t have to go back into teaching elementary and could pursue her passions, go to graduate school and become a linguist and anthro-

pologist. She realized she’d saved up enough money for this and because of the timing of the Graduate Record Exam, she had to take the standardized test to attend school in Japan. She was nervous to go back and encountered a bit of a problem when it came time to take the test, Keith said. “After one section of the test, we all received a break.” Keith said. “I actually ended up locking myself in the bathroom and practically had to kick the door to get it open. I got to the test a few minutes after the test had started, but it turned out to be an experimental math section that I was going to crash and burn on anyway, so it worked out.” From that point, she received a fellowship from the college of her choice to receive compensation for attending that school. Keith said the majority of students receive some type of funding if accepted into graduate school. “I was pretty terrified when I started grad school because I’d been out of it for a while,” Keith said. “And you know, ‘ew, grad school’, but I kind of gritted my teeth and got on with it.” Before her graduate education, Keith went to a small field school aimed at teachers and got accustomed to being on digs. She went on many more throughout her time at the college and played many different roles on trips, but the conditions weren’t always favorable. “They (the conditions) change all the time,” Keith said. “In one trip we ended up getting our water from this pipe in the side of a hill, which wasn’t good because the earthquakes in that area had broken the pipe and (the water) was contaminated. A lot of people got sick. “ To complete her PhD, Keith completed a project looking at Babylonian cities and how they were structured. She lived in Berlin for a year completing dissertation research to examine sites and inscriptions regarding property. After completing her PhD, Keith received a postdoctoral fellowship at Dartmouth to teach classes, writing a dissertation into a book format and interviewing for positions at universities. “I was told at a couple of them that ‘we don’t want you to put too much energy into your teaching, because this is a research institute so if you want tenure you’re gonna have to publish research,’” Keith said. “I come from a family of teachers so I didn’t think I could do that.” Keith discovered the community college system and decided to come to Pierce because she enjoys teaching introductory courses and the emphasis on teaching. Keith now teaches anthropology courses at the college and enjoys birdwatching and knitting in her pastime. She’s also known for her wigs, which she attributed to being lazy and wanting blue hair, both of which pointed towards wigs. “I really like working with students who’re just interested in stuff,” Keith said. “It’s kind of fun when they get into an anthropology class and go ‘ooh!’ It’s fun to explore that new field with them.”

Kate Keith holds one of her favorite skulls, Paranthropus Boisei. M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6

12

T h e

P u y a l l u P

P o s T


CJ Robinson

Celebrating release of SLAM 2016 edition CJ Robinson Reporter

CJ Robinson

Students Jake Shaw (above), Harper Chinn (left) and Sydney Paulsen (right) present their pieces. CJ Robinson

The Student Literary Arts Magazine reception, including student presentation and official release of the book, was held at noon May 5 in the Arts and Allied Health Building of Pierce College Puyallup. A concurrent event was held on the Fort Steilacoom campus. SLAM is an annual publication featuring student artwork, prose and poetry. This was SLAM’s 18th edition. During the reception, the editorial board and art jurors of SLAM were recognized, who were responsible for voting for selections and proofreading the collection. Michael Darcher was the editor-in-chief of this year’s publication. The rest of the board is made up of students and faculty members at the college. All their work was voluntary and the members received no compensation. From there, student presenters read aloud their pieces. Sydney Paulsen, Kelsey Short, Jake Shaw, Ellie Degoede (whose piece was read by Zoe Fisher), Laura Richardson and Harper Chinn spoke before the awards were handed out. Lori Brock won the Cherry Tinker Art award and received a cash prize. The Elizabeth Brings Prose was awarded to Breanna Harris. Other entries were given out at the Fort Steilacoom campus. An annual scholarship given to students with a financial need and a passion for creative writing and is donated by the VP for Strategic Advancement Deidre Soileau. It’s presented in memory of her husband, Rick, who was a writer diagnosed with cancer. It was awarded to Sara Bridges, who didn’t contribute for the 18th edition but wrote a piece in the 17th edition and has already submitted another for the 19th edition.

SLAM into Lori Brock Lizzie Duke Reporter

Student Lori Brock had four paintings published in this year’s issue of the Student Literary Arts Magazine and was one of the two people to receive the Best In Art award of $100, usually given to one person per issue. Jeunesse, her first painting in the SLAM (page 84), is a self-portrait based off a photo taken in her youth. Brock, who’s been painting since she was able to hold a paintbrush, decided to create a piece of herself at a younger age when assigned to create a selfportrait in an art class. Her next piece is Afghan Innocence (page 85). The painting is based off a photograph taken by an American editorial photographer Steve McCurry, who gave Brock Afghan Innocence permission to use the photograph as inspiration for free. All McCurry wanted was credit for the original photograph. “When I called it Afghan Innocence, it’s a question about ‘where is the innocence that the children have?’ In a war torn country, there isn’t any,” Brock said. “It’s a statement against war, I guess - and terrorism.” Brock said she has lots of empathy when she sees faces like the one of the girl in McCurry’s photo. “I hurt for those people, the little children who never get to have a childhood because of the horror all around them,” Brock said. “I’ve lost a child, so I know what it’s (like) to experience tremendous sadness. So in my paintings, I feel Uncommon Affection w w w . P u y a l l u P P o s T . c o M

Jeunesse

A Message from Vincent

13

like it honors those people who are hurting when I try to tell just a bit of their story by painting their picture. I wish I could make a difference in people’s lives with my art, maybe help someone to be a little kinder, more understanding of others and perhaps help some to see the beauty of what God has made, which, to me, is a representation of the beauty of God Himself.” The next painting of Brock’s in SLAM is A Message From Vincent, a portrait of Vincent Van Gogh (page 88). This painting was a tribute to the artist, incorporating pieces of his work such as the bird on his knee into the portrait. “I was struck by how sad he was all the time,” Brock said. “I didn’t want him to be too happy because he was so sad all the time, but he does have a little bit of a smile in his eyes, as if he’s saying to the world, ‘hey it’s OK.’” Uncommon Affection, her next painting, is on page 89. This painting is of a statue of a woman reaching out to a brightly colored bird and won the President’s’ award. Brock received $300 for this painting, which now hangs in the Gaspard Administration Building. Brock wants to encourage people to take art classes, as well as thank her professors and the Dean for offering the classes she’s asked for. “I asked Dr. Ken Owen if we could have the watercolors class, and they actually offered it,” Brock said. “Then, the next quarter, I asked about having a more advanced painting class, and they offered that this quarter. Can you believe it? I was so happy when they offered the watercolors, but I didn’t even think that they’d consider the advanced painting. Yet, here I am in it.” M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6


Eric De Sart Chase Charaba Online and Social Media Manager

Alex Ross Lizzie Duke Reporter

“I’m going to Pierce for a total of three years to get my associates of science to transfer to the University of Washington Seattle, (to) get into the mechanical engineering program. (I’ll) hopefully take that for two years (and) get a bachelor’s. I haven’t decided if I’m going to get a doctorate. I’ve just always been fascinated with physics and mathematics. Not knowing it and then taking the classes, I was like ‘this is the stuff I’m into.’ Playing around with dirt bikes and LEGOs probably started it. I started liking cars (and) then I started taking advanced math classes in high school and it kind of progressed from there. I’m in Calculus 152 right now (and am) going to take it up to Calc 6 - that’s the highest it goes. I have physics, chemistry and calculus this quarter so I don’t really have time for myself. I still take photos, I still tinker on cars, dirt bikes (and) still collect LEGOs. Pierce College doesn’t need to know about my LEGO collection. It’s just like a natural pleasing satisfaction, building things (and) collecting things. It’s fun to see the result but a lot of times it’s fun along the way seeing it transpire, but I think it’s nice seeing it when it’s all done.”

“I went down to Tucson, Ariz. to get a change of pace and scenery (as well as) opportunities. It was hard to find a job down there, and one thing led to another and the money that we did make we were paying to one of our friends. There were three of us living in this house, and he had his name on the lease and all the bills. Well, he wasn’t around for a week and it was the first of the month, and he ended up pocketing all that money, so none of the bills were being paid and the rent wasn’t being paid, and everyone came on the same day and we had to be out that day. So, like, what do you pack? I grabbed a duffel bag full of clothes with my other friend and we lived on the streets of Tucson. So, we just got by with community handouts, slept under bridges, behind storefronts and basically got by. After that, we moved to Mexico and lived in Mexico for three months. We took a Greyhound down to the Mexican village of Puerto Peñasco and lived down there. It was quite fun. Puerto Peñasco has dirt streets, very different class systems. I see it more now that I’m taking sociology, and I took anthropology last quarter, so it really opened my eyes to how others see Americans. I came back up here (to Puyallup) because my grandpa actually was in the hospital, so I wanted to be closer to him. Also, my nieces and nephews were young and I wanted to watch them grow up because I don’t have any kids of my own. I knew that I needed to do something because I’m also a high school dropout, so I came to Pierce College initially to do high school completion, and I finished that last August. They were advising me to continue to pursue a degree, so I was able to see what I could do and I ended up coming back, so I started here last summer. I want to work with the oncology team in dosimetry. I’m working on an associate of biology here at Pierce and hopefully transferring to the University of Texas to earn a degree in biology.”

Catie Farley Grace Amsden Editor-in-Chief

“In the future, I’d preferably like to be a special education teacher through kindergarten to third grade - the younger years. I definitely enjoy the more creative tasks (to work on with children), like art. That’s why I’m focusing on (working with) younger children; they enjoy art. I also enjoy just getting to know the kid and helping them figure out something that’s been really difficult for them that they’ve been struggling with. For example, math is sometimes really hard for children. Once we start getting into the basic algebra and then finally helping them understand it is so great because they get so happy. They want to show everyone and tell everyone how to do it and then they help each other. It’s just so great.”

Keira Pryor Grace Amsden Editor-in-Chief

“I love the technical side and the acting side (of theater). I’ve done both. I’ve been in the light room. I’ve been in the sound room. I’ve done the makeup, I’ve done the hair, I’ve been acting on the stage. I love being a part of something huge that nobody really knows how much really goes into it and then it all comes together one night on stage into a huge, wonderful production. I’m very much an idea person when it comes to anything. I get a lot of my ideas from images I’ve seen (and) artwork of possible characters. From there, I build a world around the character that fits the character I want. I start small and work big on my world. Some authors start with a world and then they create characters to fit in that world. I fit my worlds around my characters, which I haven’t seen a lot of people do when they write.”

Joseph Wilson Andrea Mendoza Reporter/Office Manager

“I came to Pierce because I want to get my business DTA. I probably want to be a banker when I grow up, but I’ll almost likely end up helping my mom and family take over a real estate firm. I want to be rich because it’ll bring a ton of material objects. I’m a materialistic person to a certain extent, but who isn’t? I want to go into real estate with my mom to keep a business within the family. I think it’d be cool to pass down a business to my kids if they want to keep the business going. I’d either go into real estate or maybe insurance because they make a ton of money and my mom is already into real state is trying to start her own business, so I want to help her.”

M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6

14

T h e

P u y a l l u P

P o s T


Photo courtesy of Kaylee Olson

Majoring in Motherhood Mothers at Pierce College Puyallup share experiences, offer advice to other moms Kaylee Olson and her son, Clayton. Alex Heldrich Reporter

Photo courtesy of Samantha Pettit

As the clock ticks and it gets later and later in the day, a crowd of older students start to fill the classrooms of Pierce College Puyallup. Among these people are many mothers. They range from single to married, old to young and having one child to many. However, they all have one thing in common: pursuit of a degree. The idea of attending class, doing homework, working and then raising a child on top of all of that may terrify students who aren’t in this position. Mothers at Pierce won’t say that it’s easy, but that it’s definitely possible. Nursing major Kaylee Olson knows

the reality of the life of a student and mother as she has a two year old son at home. “When I first got pregnant, I was scared to death,” Olson said. “I was young and we were just getting life started so my son was definitely a surprise. I was wanting to get my degree and wanting to be married first, but that didn’t happen.” During the day, Olson works at the Multicare Health Center and at nights attends class at the Puyallup campus. She spends time with her son in between. “It’s definitely a juggling act,” Olson said. “There are days where I work and have class so I don’t get to see my son for

Samantha Pettit and her son, Charlie. w w w . P u y a l l u P P o s t . c o m

a whole 24 hours. It’s definitely hard to wrap around, but I think so far I’ve got the balls juggling pretty well.” Student and mother Samantha Pettit also has a busy schedule between being a stay-at-home mom and getting her associate degree in English. “I was originally married so I was able to get help, but I’ve been a single mom for a while now, so it’s been pretty difficult navigating that while trying to be in school,” Pettit said. Having the full schedule of a student mother and work means that those in this position are forced to make sacrifices. “My fianće watches him during the days so he’s able to see him,” Olson said. “I get pictures of him during the day, but it’s still really hard. Not seeing him learning new things is probably the hardest part. I missed out on the first time he walked and his first words because I was working and it’s just really hard to miss those key learning milestones.” An average day for Olson involves waking up at 6 a.m., going to work from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., attending class and then going home to spend time with her son and do homework. “I get to spend time with my son on the weekends since I devote them only to him,” Olson said. “On days that I don’t have class, I try to spend time with him after work.” As a single mother, Pettit must keep a strict schedule for studying and spending time with her son. “My son gets up at about 6, if not earlier,” Pettit said. “Then we eat breakfast and do our morning ritual. From 9 a.m. to noon, I’ll put on Mickey Mouse for my son or set him up with some books so at that time I’m devoted to my school work, other than basic needs for my son. And then before and after that, I’m completely devoted to my son.” Pettit compares her study time with going to work, as it’s a time for her to step away and concentrate on getting homework done. Because of her devotion to school work, she’ll be graduating from Pierce this summer with honors and will then transfer to Pacific Lutheran University. “It’s hard to have a full course load and also be a stay at home mom while trying to get homework done and then on top of that, I have a few clients that I tutor,” Pettit said. “So it’s not easy, but it’s doable.” Olson recently started working towards her degree in nursing at Pierce, so she has four more years before she

15

graduates. “I feel prepared to go to school for four more years, but I also don’t,” Olson said. “I have doubts if I’ll be able to complete my degree, if it’s something for me or if it’s feasible. But you just have to keep doing it. It’s only four years to better our lives and that makes it worth it.” Currently Olson’s son is learning how to hug and kiss. She said that the best thing in the world is going home to him waiting at the door to give her a kiss. “He’s just learning so many different things and I’m so amazed at what a child can learn and how he learns,” Olson said. “I just love it.” Pettit defines her parenting style as very hands-on. She likes him to constantly have books to read and crafts to do so that he’s never idle. “The struggle for me is trying to find time to do both school and be a hands on parent,” Pettit said. “I have a very rigorous course load, so it was tough trying to do everything at once while being a single parent.” With the help of her parents, Pettit has been able to dedicate time to school and managed to keep a GPA that got her on the Dean’s list and admission to PLU with multiple scholarships. “Having my parents watch him at night helped a lot,” Pettit said. “It’s been tough, but with my parent’s help I’ve been able to manage it.” Both Pettit and Olson strongly encourage mothers to get their degrees. “To mothers thinking about going back to school, I say go for it,” Pettit said. “It’s going to be hard and it’s going to be tough and sometimes you don’t have the resources to do it. As hard as it’s going to be, it’s so worth it. It’s important to be a good example to your child and show them that even if you didn’t do well in high school or you went off of your path, that you can still go back and make things better for yourself.” Olson understands the fears and doubts that mothers may have about returning to school. “It’s hard at first but the outcome is worth it,” Olson said. “The fact that you may not see your child for 24 hours, but at least you’re able to finish your degree and give them the life that they deserve, is worth it to me. I’ve been there. I have doubts of continuing, but I just keep going. You’ve got to think of your little one while you’re doing it and know that you’re bettering them and not just yourself.” m a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6


Pierce College archives

Kate Burrows provided vintage photos of the school’s history, including the first graduation class at Clover Park Community College in 1968. Pierce College archives

50 Years of Pierce Continued from page 1

Pierce College held its first dance in 1968. sport they participated in, Stevenson said. He’s also looking into holding alumni recognition events, as this would allow past Raider athletes to come together, meet the current team and share stories. There’s also a possibility that the Raider mascot design will be rebranded, Stevenson said. “Right now, it’s a two-dimensional outline,” Stevenson said. “It’s a nice graphic and we love it and it took a long time for us to get that, but we’re interested in developing some personality to it. It’s not unusual for athletic programs to go through a rebranding process every 10-15 years and try to do something a little different.” This idea of rebranding the mascot isn’t directly coordinated with the 50th, but Stevenson said this might be a good time to do it. “The 50th is an opportune time,” Stevenson said. “Maybe this is the time to do it when we’re getting more attention drawn to the college as a whole.” April 22 will be the 50th Anniversary Gala at the Fort

Steilacoom campus. This event will be an elevated version of the distinguished alumni dinner and distinguished alumni celebration, Ferris said. “It’s going to be a time where we open the doors to the donors who have made these things possible over the year,” Ferris said, “and the alumni who have been with Pierce and have gotten to represent Pierce in the community and gone on to accomplish amazing things - and to cultivate new relationships with prospective donors, as well.” Music, dancing, dinner and an opportunity to dress up might be a part of this, she said. The final 50th event will be the 50th Anniversary Capstone Event at the Puyallup campus June 10, 2017 in the Arts and Allied Health Building theater. This may include a video of activities throughout the year for te 50th, a speaker and a performance of musical numbers. This is still being finalized, Benedetti said. Another part of the 50th is that MARCOM employees have been interviewing and creating video footage of past employees and students to gather their experiences and share them. “One person is 90 years old, so we’re

Pierce College archives

Pierce College archives

Grace Amsden

Examples of traditions made at this game could include having a faculty vs. student volleyball match during the break or the audience voting for the most spirited individual, Ferris said. Homecoming festivities will be held Oct. 8 at the Fort Steilacoom campus. Departments will be showcased and reunions, such as nursing, dental hygiene and early childhood education, will be held. Visitors will also have an opportunity to learn about the campus, Ferris said. Ten-minute plays and bringing back former students who submitted work to SLAM to share their work are other ideas for festivities, Ferris said. “Not only is it a way for people to come back, reunite and go see new parts of the campus that weren’t there when they were in attendance, or see former professors and instructors,” Ferris said. “It’s going to be a really great time to have people who have never been campus to come and educate them about everything that’s offered at Pierce.” Raiders Athletics will also participate in the 50th. On March 25, the Pierce College Athletics Hall of Fame Dinner will be at the Fort Steilacoom campus. The college has had three previous hall of fame inductions in 2009, 2012 and 2014 with about 175-200 people attending each time, Stevenson said. “The way we’ve held it in the past, it’s been a dinner banquet,” Stevenson said. “We usually try to have a keynote speaker. It lasts a couple of hours. A lot of it is just a time to get those former teams and individuals with their coaches together. You hear lots of great old stories.” The list of individuals being inducted will likely be announced in the summer, and the goal is to bring in at least one team and five to six coaches, Stevenson said. In addition to being added to the wall of fame plaque at the Fort Steilacoom campus Health Education Center, the athletes will be awarded with an acrylic plaque engraved with the 50th logo, their name, year and

getting the history of the college,” Benedetti said. “Some of them were the first teachers for the first graduating class, or some were the first students. We’re trying to get their stories and we’re promoting that, and will be promoting that, throughout the whole year.” Originally, MARCOM wanted to collect 50 stories of experiences but now the goal is to get even more than 50, Benedetti said. With these stories, a Web page created by MARCOM will appear on the Pierce College 50th anniversary page through the Pierce website and be launched in the summer, Benedetti said. Currently, individuals can go to pierce.ctc.edu/campaign/alumni/ and provide their contact information as well as years of attendance at Pierce, areas of study, favorite memory at the college and what they’re doing now. They can also sign up for details about the 50th. The process is being created so past and present Pierce students and staff can videotape themselves to share their experiences of Pierce and send it to MARCOM, who may edit the video and then put it onto the Web page. For those who have something to say, they should submit it, Benedetti said. He added that the goal is to have this ready by fall quarter. “A lot of these people - especially the past employees - they’re only going to be around so long and then the story is gone,” Benedetti said. “We want to hear what is it that you have to say.” Many of the projects for the 50th are currently in the final planning stages, Benedetti said. The goal is to have all of the 50th plans finalized by June, though some of the details will be made throughout the year. For those who want to get involved with the 50th to share their ideas, send them to Ferris at NFerris@pierce.ctc.edu. “There’ll be opportunities throughout the whole year for them to get involved in things if they’d like to,” Benedetti said. “If they have other ideas on how to celebrate 50 years with us, we’re all ears. We want to hear it and we encourage it. We’d love to have their involvement and their input.”

Classes at McChord Airforce Base in 1963. M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6

The Student Activities Commission in 1968-1969.

16

T h e

P u y a l l u P

P o s T


Social media is ruining our generation...right? CJ Robinson Reporter

In the video Can We Auto-Correct Humanity, Prince Ea, Founder/CEO of Make Smart Cool LLC, shows his distaste towards social media, technology and this generation’s gravitation toward communication over the Internet through dramatic scenes of him looking over water and reciting a poem. This information can be readily found on his Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or website. Over the past 24 hours, he’s tweeted six times and posted on Facebook nine times, one of the links being the video mentioned in the first place. He’s obviously embracing his real life social interactions. This generation has a hypocritical problem, plain and simple: millennial hating millennials. There’s nothing edgier than being different and criticizing the very age group one lies in. Poems and posts just like Ea’s have arisen in the past few years showing the apparent flaws contained within society today- mainly dealing with issues pertaining to selfies, communication and attention spans of the newest generation. These claims, substantiated by rhythms and modern graphics on poem performance videos, is widespread. People preach about a few main topics including selfishness, self-worth, emotional connections, not fully appreciating moments and so-called “digital insanity.” Ea even goes so far to cite a study that says the average adult has an attention span one second less than a goldfish. First of all, this study conducted by the Microsoft Corporation is one that news agencies love to cite with very little backing. It showed that a survey of nearly 2,000 Canadians and MRI scans of about 170 demonstrated that the average attention span lowered from 12

Commentary

to eight seconds since 2000. This study has some biases and isn’t truly representative of the population, but even if proven true, this would have no impact on society as a whole. Also, it’s not possible to quantify that impact as solely negative. These questions need to be answered before the population can start panicking about losing their ability to communicate. “So many selfies, not enough us’s and we’s,” Ea said. “See, technology has made us more selfish and separate than ever.” The selfish millennial is one of the most overused tropes in the last decade and the same could be said about any previous generation. Look toward historical complaints of young people. “Our sires’ age was worse than our grandsires’,” Greek philosopher and writer Horace said, according to Mental Floss. “We, their sons, are more worthless than they; so in our turn we shall give the world a progeny yet more corrupt.” This may sound familiar because it’s the same overused concern, only 2000 years prior to Ea’s performance. This is nothing original; generation after generation has hated and been discouraged by each other, it’s nothing new. Get over it. The most commonly cited argument made against technology in general is probably its discouragement of “actual” communication. At one point in the video, Ea says “Cause while it (technology) claims to connect us, the connection has gotten no better.” Sure, it makes for a cool line, but Ea immediately changes the subject to another complaint before fully explaining this one. He gives no evidence that a connection over the Internet differs from one in real life. If someone can possess the ability to communicate with someone they love across the planet, there’s nothing to

say it’s “bad” communication, it’s just different. The newest generations don’t need to change. Later generations need to embrace it. Additionally, communication has constantly been evolving throughout human history and will continue to evolve, like it or not. FaceTime and Skype have allowed face-to-face communication from wherever and whenever, increasing communication capabilities greatly. Finally, the subject of losing a special moment because someone is recording or posting about it is ridiculous. Of course there are extreme moments where recording a two-hour concert will probably make the person attending miss out on its experience, but taking a few videos for memories isn’t a problem. This method still gives a person an experience and better chance to remember it more accurately than someone who’s just recording or experiencing it. Ever since the discovery of the ability to record history, the human populace has jumped at every chance to document their memories. This is in no way a bad thing in moderation and certainly not a reason to criticize people. The most ironic thing about this whole situation is the method of sharing these messages- the very form of mass communication that its critiquers are attacking. If they think that these social media platforms are so toxic, there’s no justification if they use it to share their message. Perhaps because it can effectively reach a large audience unlike anything in history. Crazy how that works. There are a few things one does to address these social media hypocrites; embrace the benefits that technology provides, but don’t over do it. Call people out when they start bashing a generation (they aren’t original, #Horacesaiditbetter). Take some selfies. And don’t let anyone say one form of communication is better than another, especially in a overly produced, poem format.

Hitting the beach in Seaside From May 6-8, 44 students went to Seaside, Ore. through an OSL trip.

w w w . P u y a l l u P P o s T . c o M

17

Photos by

Armani Jackson

M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6


firstlooK

We test the waters so you don’t have to

Chase Charaba Prayers for the Damned, Vol. 1 Sixx:A.M.

At the announcement of Sixx:A.M.’s fourth studio album, Prayers For the Damned, Vol. 1, fans wondered if the band would finally deliver a proper follow-up to their first two albums after the disastrous Modern Vintage alienated fans with its straight pop content and proved unsuccessful. Released April 29 and debuting at number 19 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and number seven on the Digital Albums chart, Prayers for the Damned, Vol. 1 puts Sixx:A.M. back on top. This is the band’s first album where all three members have made Sixx:A.M. a priority. Nikki Sixx seems refreshed following the end of his other band, the legendary glam metal act Motley Crue, and guitarist DJ Ashba quit Guns N’ Roses so that he could focus on his work with Sixx:A.M. This new dedication shows. The album starts with its lead single, Rise, the best track on the album. It’s a very typical Sixx:A.M. song with big choruses, easy lyrics and an attitude that really makes listeners want to rise up. It also contains one of Sixx:A.M.’s best guitar solos. The song has more in common with the band’s second album, This is Gonna Hurt, from 2011. You Have Come to the Right Place sounds like James Durbin’s (of American Idol fame) Higher Than Heaven from his 2011 debut album Memories of a Beautiful Disaster. After some research, it makes sense. Sixx:A.M. vocalist James Michael wrote the Durbin song. While Durbin’s song takes on a hard rock approach, Sixx:A.M. takes the middle ground between a hard rock anthem and a pop ballad, making it better than the song Michael wrote for Durbin. The album’s title track, Prayers for the Damned, is ballad-esque but not quite traditional. It’s much slower and darker than the rest of the album, but very pleasing to listen to. It may take more than a single run-through, but this is one of Sixx:A.M.’s finest songs. Better Man is reminiscent of the band’s first two releases, incorporating acoustic elements and straight pop-rock vocals from Michael that sound haunting at times. Along with Sixx’s stellar songwriting and Ashba’s clean guitar work, this is a standout track. Can’t Stop tries hard to be a hit, but ultimately fails. The chanting choruses don’t mix well with the heavy orchestral background and Michael’s vocals seem weak and drowned out. This song doesn’t stand out from today’s watered-down mainstream rock. When We Were Gods is the worst song on the album. The song’s first minute gives listeners the chills, but when the chorus breaks in, the song derails. It would’ve been better without the heavy guitar parts in the chorus and the shouting that leads into the guitar solo, much like the opening to Bon Jovi’s Lay Your Hands on Me. Belly of the Beast is intense with a dance beat, heavy bass lines and wailing vocals. However, the song is out of place and it makes listeners wonder, “What is this?” It sounds like an outtake from Modern Vintage in 2014, and that’s where it should have stayed. This song may be catchy, but it isn’t Sixx:A.M. Rise of the Melancholy Empire starts with a simple piano and guitar intro for nearly a minute until Michael’s voice joins in softly. The backing vocals throughout the song can best be described as a possessed church choir. This is a powerful end for the album and it leaves the listener feeling satisfied, but also longing for more. Luckily, there’s only a few months to go until Prayers of the Damned, Vol. 2 is out. I give this album:

M a y

3 1 ,

HHHHI

2 0 1 6

Game of Thrones:

Season 6 Episode 1 www.makingofgameofthrones.com

musicreview

Hannah Pederson Reporter

For those who haven’t seen season six of Game of Thrones, don’t be a masochist and stop reading. For those who have and want to torture themselves with another analysis, welcome. For the past five seasons, viewers of one of the most critically acclaimed shows of all time have been guided through episode after episode of epic drama by George R.R. Martin and his excessively huge tomes. But the end of season five shoved everything readers knew over the precipice and into the void. How can they squabble over discrepancies between the series and the novels if the sixth book hasn’t even been written. They just have to sit back and let it happen, and happen it did. The episode opens by picking up the frayed threads of Jon Snow’s plotline, which places him dead on a slab surrounded by his best friend Scraggly Hair McCreepyashell, Ser Davos (someone he barely knows) and Melisandre (honestly she’s not even a real priestess to the lord of light canonically but whatever, let’s just address why the hell she’s even there). There aren’t a lot of directions a writer can take with a character that’s been stabbed seven times and left to bleed out into the snow overnight in subzero temperatures. OK, not a lot of directions that’ll maintain the integrity of the plot that’s been so impeccable up until now. They’re going to resurrect Jon Snow, it’s just an accepted fact at this point. They need Jon to stick around until Daenerys shows up to kick ass because R+L=J, and tradition is tradition. The fact that Kit Harrington has a butt that’s good for ratings doesn’t hurt, either. But just because it’s what they need to do, doesn’t mean it’s what they should do. In order for the plot to move forward naturally, Jon has to get lit up on a funeral pyre and the wildlings have to fight off the horrors beyond the wall without the Night’s Watch (which by now is pretty much 100 scraggly, poorly trained and armed old men and young boys who would hinder more than help anyway). But Jon’s fate wasn’t determined in this episode. Instead, they turn to Winterfell where surprise surprise, Sansa and Theon/Reek successfully escaped from the biggest gaping asshole of all time, Ramsey might be the next Lord Bolton. Apparently they survived jumping off a stories high outer wall into a huge snowbank, weren’t immediately spotted by the guards and were able to walk all that off and go run through the woods and a freezing river. All the complexities of Theon’s psyche post abuse are hurriedly shoved aside by his devotion to protect Sansa and prevent her from experiencing the full extent of Ramsey’s wrath. Their conflict was artificially resolved because the writers needed to get Sansa out of Winterfell somehow, and they thought it was either Theon or maybe some dragons, who knows. Then, Brienne comes charging out of the woodwork to save the daughter of the woman who saved her from being killed by the other knights that served her lord at that time. Her undying loyalty is really great for the series and for Sansa, who seemed to have outgrown the need for a large misunderstood protector, but oh well. Meanwhile in King’s Landing, Cersei tries to put her life back together, which is about as easy as glueing her hair back on her sad, narcissistic and underappreciated head. Everyone knows the Lannister’s time as benchwarmers on the Iron Throne for Daenerys is nearing its end, it’s just a matter of who’s accepted it yet. One of three Lannisters has, and it’s definitely not Cersei, ex-queen of Westeros and current queen of denial.

18

She’s losing it, and she was the only one left in King’s Landing with any political smarts whatsoever, so Westeros is a bigger mess than Jeb Bush ever was. Cersei 2.0, Maid Margaery, is still being imprisoned by the High Sparrow, a man that looks kind of like the current pope, but without all the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. His role in the future of King’s Landing is bigger than anyone living in the Red Keep, because everyone outside the Keep loves him more than they fear the Lannisters. Viewers can look forward to seeing totally not the Mountain risen from the dead to take on a bunch of holy rollers sometime before mid-season. Keeping to the theme of totally clueless wannabe leaders, why the hell did the Sand Snakes kill Doran Martell. What do they have to gain from taking out the only person keeping their province from falling into the fray besides exacting some form of petty misguided vengeance. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense, and it was just uncomfortable to watch. Finally the episode turns to the only story people really care about, Daenerys. Everyone’s two favorite political geniuses, whose only downfall is speaking pretty much entirely in metaphor, team up to bring Meereen back from the brink of disaster, which satisfied those viewers who had just closed their eyes all the way through the Westeros scenes because they’re all just so painful. They’re unrestrained by the cunning and overly just Mother of Dragons, etc. etc. because she was abducted by some B level Khal, oops. All widows of fallen Khals end up in Vaes Dothrak, it is known. But not all widows of fallen Khals are blonde white women born into power, so anything could happen. No one really cares about Arya anymore because they’re put off by the death-is-the-only-power-in-thisworld-nothing-matters vibe, but it’s worth noting that she’s the only Stark who’s made it out of Westeros alive and mostly on her own. But whatever, that’s fine. The writers decided to end the season premiere by showing everyone what Melisandre’s actually about, and suddenly her character is more than just perky boobs and the witchy aesthetic, she’s a complex entity with multiple layers that can be peeled off one by one all the way up until the finale. Mad props to David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the people who wrote this episode without any book to rely on while trying to satisfy a huge fan base ready to riot. Episode one didn’t really satisfy anyone, and it didn’t have to. A season premiere addresses all the plot lines left hanging from the last season’s finale and then everyone starts dying again. Or living again, if your butt is cute enough. I give this:

HHHHI

T h e

P u y a l l u P

P o s T


Where to buy the best Italian cream soda For any Italian soda lover, this experience would’ve been a dream come true. However, not every soda is created equally. Four local coffee shops were put head-to-head in a battle to see which strawberry Italian cream soda could stand the test of a college student’s taste buds.

Gravity

BigFoot Java

Anthem

Lancer

925 S Meridian

12305 Meridian Ave E

210 W Pioneer Ave

Pierce College Puyallup

Gravity’s soda was the second most expensive at $3.45 for 16 oz. There wasn’t anything spectacular about this version, it was just like drinking strawberry cream straight out of the carton. There wasn’t enough fizz and someone could easily drink it without having remembered what they drank. On top of that, it makes people feel sick to their stomach. The strawberry flavor was more prevalent than that of Anthem, but it still isn’t the best it could be.

This is one of the cheaper drinks at $3.01. However, it was disappointing because the soda separated right away. No matter how much it was stirred, the texture was forever going to be like a powder. That doesn’t necessarily deter one from drinking it - but, it doesn’t make for the best beverage drinking experience. This drink is best represented by a strawberry-filled donut. The frosting and sprinkles are inviting and are delicious on the first bite, but the more that’s eaten, the worse someone feels. Once the filling is reached, one may feel like throwing up because they remember they religiously hate filled donuts. Time after time, this individual gives filled donuts a second chance, hoping that maybe this will be the instance something clicks and they see what they’ve been missing out on. However, this was not that time. This was tried multiple times to see if the flavors would shift, but they never did. On the bright side, the soda was nearly perfect in concept, but the ratios were a bit off. Maybe if the drink was made by a different barista in a different way, it’d be a lot better.

This Italian cream soda was the most expensive of the four at $3.83 and was the actual worst. For someone who doesn’t live in Puyallup, Anthem seems to have a reputation in the community of being the go-to hang out spot for college and junior high schoolers alike. It’s supposed to have the same basic atmosphere as any Starbucks, but is home to the hipsters and indie wannabes. Anthem makes heavenly frappes, so surely it’d be nearly impossible to ruin this experience. Those very high expectations will set someone up for failure because this Italian cream soda was nothing more than glorified sugar water. There was too much strawberry syrup and not enough cream to supplement it. The club soda feels like it was poured in as an afterthought as if the barista remembered how to make one just as the drink was given to the customer. Strawberry is a traditional flavor that’s really difficult to mess up, but somehow they did.

This cream soda was pleasantly surprizing. It was the cheapest at $2.95 and best tasting by far. At first, it seemed like it had too much club soda but once the ice melted a little, each sip is almost a perfect combination of cream, syrup and soda. Even after drinking multiple cream sodas in one sitting, it was enjoyable. It didn’t cause a stomachache like the others and wasn’t addictive. It’s good for a hot summer day or the freezing depths of winter. Either way, it’ll taste nice. Don’t be deterred by it’s unsettling shade of pink because Lancer’s version is the perfect versatile beverage for any college student.

I give this :

HHHII

This is not recommended for the wallet or stomach. Drinking this many cream sodas in a short period of time wasn’t as good of an idea as it sounded. It may even cause a sugar coma or intense hatred of strawberry Italian cream sodas. The best suggestion is to mix Bigfoot’s, Gravity’s and Lancer’s versions for the tastiest Italian soda experience. That power trio contained the perfect ratio of three simple ingredients. Warning: that combination may cause severe happiness.

I give this :

HHHII

I give this :

HHIII

I give this :

HHHHI

By

Armani Jackson

A walk through the Puyallup Farmers’ market Andrea Mendoza Reporter/Office Manager

Passengers traveling to downtown Puyallup have probably noticed the cascade of white tents set up in the Pioneer Park and Pavilion. Starting in April, the Puyallup Farmers’ Market brings its clients eclectic products, food and entertainment every Saturday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. through midOctober. According to puyallupmainstreet.com, the Puyallup Farmers’ Market has been a downtown Puyallup tradition for more than 30 years. It’s sponsored by Sound Family Medicine. From hanging gardens to elephant ears, the Puyallup Farmers’ Market has something to offer everyone. “There’s so many things to see and buy here,” market attendee Melody West said. “I’m going broke just seeing all the things I want to buy.” Fresh produce is mainly sold at the market. These vegw w w . P u y a l l u P P o s T . c o M

etables and fruits travel from all over the Puget Sound area to partake in this event. Many of the vegetables and fruits being sold have special deals if bought in large quantities. Puyallup Main Street Association has its own Pinterest account where any vendors and market goers can share recipes using products from the market. “I buy everything here to make homemade pasta for my family,” Puyallup Farmers’ Market attendee Hope Keels said. Beside produce, there are hygiene products as well as hand-crafted items. Objects includes wooden plaques with the Seattle Seahawks logo, hand-drawn pictures of the Pacific Northwest, windchimes, bath bombs, soaps and body oils. Flower bouquets are a popular item among market goers. Starting at $5, these bouquets often include a dozen or more flowers depending on the preference of the customer. There’s also flower pots and bulbs available for those who want to grow their own.

19

People attending the event can also find themselves surrounded by many food stands similar to the Washington State Fair. Stands such as elephant ears, Fisher scones and mini doughnuts make it so people don’t have to wait for the fair for this type of food. “I’m so glad they have elephant ears here because I just can’t live without them,” Matthew Silver said. Pioneer Park also has playgrounds for children and live entertainment for a more lively atmosphere. The Puyallup Farmers’ Market is a must visit for anyone living around the area. The atmosphere is full of energy and great smells to get someone’s taste buds and creativity flowing. For more information, visit puyallupmainstreet.com.

M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6


Campus events calendar Compiled by Andrea Mendoza

May 31 Former student registration begins

June 1

New student registration begins

2-4 Ten-minute play festival at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom in CAS Studio 320/Black Box Theatre 7 p.m. 2:

Sports Game Night 5-9 p.m. in MPR

3

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows released

3

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping released

3

Me Before You release

4

Hug Your Cat Day

4

OSL Paddle Boarding Trip. Depart by bus at 10:30 a.m., meet in OSL.

5

World Environment Day

7

Financial Aid workshop in CTR 270 from 6-7 p.m.

7

Hunger Banquet 11 a.m. - noon in MPR

8

Last Day of instruction for WOAL online courses

10 The Conjuring 2 release 10 Now You See Me 2 release 14 Last day of instruction for spring quarter

M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6

20

T h e

P u y a l l u P

P o s T


raidersports

Courtesy of Duncan Stevenson

Athletics and activities of Pierce College Puyallup

Students and coaches from a past camp in the Pierce College Fort Steilacoom gymnasium.

Courtesy of Duncan Stevenson

Pierce volleyball team makes changes to annual children’s camp Amber Gilliland Senior Reporter

Students listen to their coach at a past volleyball camp. Finel said. Breaking up the camp allows Finel and his team to focus more directly on the needs that each age group will have. “The camps are geared toward increasing individual skills,” Finel said. This is why there are fewer slots avail-

able in the youth clinic. This will cause a lower coach to player ratio, allowing more personal attention to younger players who may need extra assistance. To further increase the specialized attention, the court will be broken up into differ-

Courtesy of Duncan Stevenson

The Raider volleyball team is serving up some changes to their annual summer youth camp. The camp was previously one camp for interested players. This summer, the volleyball team will be hosting two different camps divided by age. The first camp, the Raider Advanced Volleyball Skills Camp, is for girls ages 14 and up. It’ll be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., July 11-14. The event is limited to 60 campers and requires a $100 registration fee per person. If spaces are still available the day of the camp, the registration price increases to $110. The second camp is the Raider Youth Volleyball Skills Clinic. This camp, held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on July 16, is open to boys and girls ages eight to 13. Thirty spaces are available and registration is $35 per camper. The price increases to $40 the day of the camp. Both camps will be held in the Health Education Center at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom. The camp is being split into two separate events this year in order to give more specialized support to the participants, Women’s Head Volleyball Coach Gregory

Students and coaches from past volleyball camps.

w w w . P u y a l l u P P o s T . c o M

21

ent sections based on the player’s skill levels. No prior experience with volleyball is required to participate in the camps. Running the camps is a group effort among Finel, his assistant coaches, along with current and incoming players. Activities at the camps will cover aspects of the game such as setting skills, team bonding drills, footwork and body mechanics. Finel said the work that goes into planning these camps has been extensive. “It’s hours of planning because I take it very personal,” Finel said. “I invest a lot of time into it.” Director of District Athletics Duncan Stevenson said that one of the biggest resources for promoting the events has been ParentMap, a monthly publication and website for parents in the Puget Sound area that discusses a wide variety of topics, including events for kids. Stevenson said the college used to print and post flyers for the camp but found that it used a lot of resources. He said that most parents looking for summer activities for their kids now tend to search online and has found that ParentMap has been effective. The camps are a positive thing for parents, the Pierce players and participants, Stevenson said. Keeping kids away from the TV can be hard for parents during the summer and the camps help keep the players active. “Getting them enrolled in activities is always a parent’s challenge,” Stevenson said. “I’d love to build a whole summer of sports related activities and camps.” The camps are also a way for the Raiders players to bond and work together as a team. “I want the Pierce players to have an opportunity to give back,” Finel said. Stevenson said one of the best things about the camp is getting to see the kids having fun and the bonding that occurs between the team. “It puts it back in our students mindset what it was like when they were eight, nine and 10,” Stevenson said. Parents may register their children for the camp via the registration form on the athletics page of the Pierce College website.

M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6


Playing hard to catch Raiders softball players from Hawaii Kailey Nobriga

ley #2 Kai

Pukalani, Maui is a small, rural town 31 miles from the tourist hub Lahaina and the childhood home of Pierce College Raiders softball player Kailey Nobriga. When she was five (maybe 6), she joined her first tee-ball team after watching her cousins play. When she grew out of her tee-ball uniform she moved onto softball, the sport that quickly became her passion. “Softball isn’t as popular in Hawaii as it is here I think,” Nobriga said. “Not a lot of people there coach or watch.” Despite not being the most sought-after sport with everyone in her town, softball was still a big deal to Nobriga and her family. When it came time for her cousin Kierson Perry to start looking for schools, Raiders Softball Coach Mark Edmonston took interest right away. Perry ended up being the first Hawaiian female to play for Pierce, paving the way for Nobriga, who followed her to Washington a few years later.

ga Nobri p

to : Shorts Position wn: hometo awaii Kula, h

5-4 height: re ophomo class: S

Kaile

y Nob riga

SS

Kailie Alama

ilie #21 Ka

When Kailie Alama was in elementary school, fate decided to throw her for a loop. She started off her athletic career playing basketball, before her best friend at the time opened her eyes to the marvels of softball. She started playing with her friend’s hometown team when she was nine years old and hasn’t stopped since. In high school, she played for Aiea High where she often faced off with her current roommate, Halsey. Much like Halsey, Alama found that the prospect of going to school in Washington was too good to turn down. “For some reason, I’ve always wanted to go to a school in Washington,” Alama said. “If there was a chance to play softball there out of the heat, then there was no question. I’d wanted to kind of get away from home and see how it went, so as soon as I got an offer from Pierce I wanted to go but it wasn’t an easy transition.” It was hard for Alama to leave her family behind in Hawaii, but it was important to her that she pave the way for her younger siblings and she’s not all alone in Washington. “If it wasn’t for softball or my team, I don’t think I’d honestly be here,” Alama said. “They’re like my family up here.”

alama

/Util : center n io it s o P wn: aii hometo ity, haw Pearl c 5-4 height: n reshma class: f

Kaili

e ala ma

C

Sierra Halsey Eighteen-year-old Sierra Halsey has spent more than half her life dedicating ey a HalS r r most of her free time to softball. e i S #22 It all started when she was five, when she joined Manoa Sports Club in Honolulu, Hawaii, which exposed her to pretty much every sport there is. r/Util : Pitche “(For) every other sport I played, I didn’t like as much as softball,” Halsey said. n io it s o P “I’ve really liked it ever since I started playing it.” wn: hometo Over the next few years Halsey moved around, living in Kalihi, Milani and finallu, hi honolu ly ending up attending Radford High School where she played softball. 5-0 In high school she competed against teams like Aiea and Roosevelt High and height: n players like Kailie Alama, who’s now a teammate at Pierce. reshma class: f “We were big rivals in high school, and now in Washington we’re roommates,” Halsey said. “At first it was weird. We were always competitive and I’d tease her, like, ‘How’s it feel to not win state?’ It was all fun and games and now we’re really good friends.” Halsey’s mom attended Pierce for a couple quarters right after high school, which isn’t that uncommon, Halsey said. “Washington and Oregon are the two most popular states for Hawaiians going to college, even though we still pay out of state tuition,” Halsey said. It didn’t take Halsey long to decide where she wanted to go after high school either. “I guess everyone knows how good Pierce is and you’re like, ‘Hey I wanna go there, it seems popular’,” Halsey said. “They have a good education system and sports system and I have family in Washington.”

M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6

22

Sierr

a Hal Sey

P

By Hannah Pederson

T h e

P u y a l l u P

P o s T


The sound of soccer Lizzie Duke Reporter

As the sky turned from clouds to sun, students dressed in Seattle Sounders gear grouped together, excitedly shifting in their seats in anticipation. On April 30, 20 students, Recreation and Entertainment Coordinator Jesse Hamelin and Activities Board and Clubs Assistant Christi Grohs attended the Sounders game at CenturyLink Field. “It was a lot of fun,” Grohs said. “I’d never gone to a Sounders game before.” The trip was planned by Hamelin. The Office of Student Life leaders hadn’t offered a sports game trip yet, and

Hamelin figured there were many students at Pierce College Puyallup who liked soccer. The trip was free for students but cost $40 per person for the OSL. The bus left at 11 a.m., so the students could arrive at the game an hour early to purchase food and explore the stadium. Many students went together as a group of friends and everyone seemed to have a buddy, Grohs said. “I wanted a lot more people,” Hamelin said. The trip was completed with the Sounders winning in the last 2 minutes, making the final score 1-0 against Columbus Crew.

Raiders Athletics

PIERCE COLLEGE MUSIC DEPARTMENT presents

Puyallup Concert Choir

A non-stop concert of eclectic music presented with creative staging

Standings and recent results Northwest Athletic Conference - West Region Compiled by Chase Charaba

Raiders Baseball

19-6 Conference / 31-14 Overall

May May May May May May May May May May May

6 - Pierce defeated Centralia 8-6 6 - Pierce defeated Centralia 11-4 7 - Pierce defeated Centralia 2-0 7 - Pierce defeated Centralia 3-1 14 - Pierce defeated Green River 11-1 14 - Pierce defeated Green River 1-0 15 - Pierce defeated Green River 11-2 15 - Pierce defeated Green River 5-2 20 - Pierce defeated Edmonds 4-3 in NWAC West Super Regionals 22 - Pierce lost to Columbia Basin 4-5 in NWAC West Super Regionals 22 - Pierce defeated Columbia Basin 13-4 in NWAC West Super Regionals*

*Win advanced Pierce to NWAC Baseball Championship. Pierce plays May 26 in the first playoff round of the championship.

Raiders Softball 12-8 Conference / 22-23 Overall May May May May May May

7 - Pierce defeated Grays Harbor 13-2 7 - Pierce defeated Grays Harbor 10-1 10 - Pierce lost to Centralia 11-22 13 - Pierce lost to Olympic 7-8 13 - Pierce lost to Olympic 3-5 14 - Pierce lost to Centralia 2-9

The Puyallup Post

Pierce College Puyallup’s student newspaper is accepting applications for the 2016-17 school year.

PaID POSItIOnS IncLUDE:

Sat., June 3-4, 7:30 p.m. Pierce College Puyallup campus Arts and Allied Health Bldg. Theater

Online/Social Media Designer l reporters l graphic Designer l Photographer l advertising Manager l

ApplicAtions Are due MAy 31

$3 general admission, students with ID free Tickets available online at PierceCollegeEvents.com

Information and applications are available in the student newspaper office (c-218) or Student Programs office (c-210).

For disability accommodations, contact the college 10 days prior to an event. Fort Steilacoom: (253) 964-6468 or FSADS@pierce.ctc.edu. Puyallup: (253) 840-8335 or PYADS@pierce.ctc.edu. Relay callers, dial 711 to place your call.

for more information, call teresa Josten at (253) 840-8496 or e-mail at tjosten@pierce.ctc.edu. w w w . P u y a l l u P P o s T . c o M

23

M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6


Race of the Dragon Boats International Club slays in Dragon Boat races

Twenty-four teams competed in the annual Dragon Boat race.

T

he Pierce College International Club competed in two races during the 2016 Dragon Boat Festival on April 30 at the Port Plaza in Olympia. According to the St. Martin’s Dragon Boat Festival page, the festival is a celebration of diversity and culture. This is the college’s second year in a row participating. “We’re pretty much just working together as a team to conquer the Dragon Boat challenge and defeat everyone else,” student Mackenzie Shepherd said. “We’re gonna conquer it together.” The “Dragon Boat challenge” Shepherd is referring to is actually a series of races. This year, 24 teams competed. Each heat consists of four teams racing and a certain amount of teams move on to final heats depending on their times, much like traditional rowing teams. New competitors, like the college, are supplied with an instructor to guide them through the event and give them feedback after every race. The college’s team had one day to practice their rowing since they were in the noncompetitive league. “This event is in my country,” student Neil Chen said. “I’m from Taiwan, and we do it every year. Our country is pretty

good at it, but this was my first time doing it. It’s fun but hard.” Although Dragon Boating is a part of many Asian cultures, it’s deeply rooted in Chinese history and has a deep symbolic value. The boats each have a carving of a dragon at its head and painted scales run down the sides. The paddles represent claws. A drum seated at the head of the boat creates a beat that competitors can synchronize their rowing to. Breanna Baker, adviser of the International Club, helps the students decide what types of activities they would like to do. “The college had done this annually a few years before, and someone mentioned it to me and I thought ‘oh, this is a really good idea’,” Baker said. Baker brought up the activity and the members were very enthusiastic about it. The only challenge Baker mentioned was the language barrier and difficulty understanding the different types of signals, but ended up working out in the end. The festival included cultural performances, an awards ceremony and the races themselves. Surrounding the festival was a farmer’s market and many booths hosted by local businesses and colleges. The performances included traditional lion dances, music and martial arts.

The Pierce College International Club’s racing team.

Story and photos by CJ Robinson M a y

3 1 ,

2 0 1 6

24

T h e

P u y a l l u P

P o s T


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.