February 26, 2013 by Richland Student Media

Chronicle Richland

Vol. XXXVII, Issue 7, February 26, 2013 A College of the Dallas County Community College District

Black History Month: Remembering historical accomplishments Pgs. 4 and 7

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Sports

T-ducks almost impossible to stop BLANCA REYES Staff Writer

The Thunderducks did it again and are heading to the conference championship game! The Richland men’s basketball team claimed its fourth victory in a row by defeating the Brookhaven College Bears 82-74 Wednesday night at the Richland gym. Brookhaven played well, but the Thunderducks demonstrated why they keep on winning. Wednesday night’s home game, the first one of the postseason tournament, showcased improved strategies as Richland prepares for the national tournament in New York in less than a month. Although the Thunderducks took the early lead, at the end of the first period the teams were almost tied. With just two minutes and 42 seconds left in the first half, the T-ducks only led 33-28. Richland’s players showed a big improvement on defense and offense, which was a priority for coach Bill Foy and the players. A great effort by the Thunderducks allowed Richland to prevail and come away with the victory. The Thunderducks earned their fifth win in a row by beating the Cedar Valley College team 75-67 Thursday night at Eastfield College.

The Thunderducks were scheduled at press time to take on the Mountain View team at home Friday night for the conference championship. The game marks the end of the regular season and the beginning of the journey to the national tournament.

Staff Photos Blanca Reyes

Left: Richland players Chris Runnels, Ed Williams and Reggie Sonnier positioning to claim the rebound from Brookhaven. Above: Chancellor Lewis prepares to pass the ball down the court.

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Upcoming Events Each week, the Division of Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts at Richland College presents its Recital Series. All performances are on Tuesdays at 12:30 p.m. in the Fannin Performance Hall and are free to the general public. For more information about this series, contact Dr. Michael Crawford, associate dean of performing arts. Today (Feb. 26): 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Fannin Performance Hall, Room F-102 The Quentin Hope Band will perform today.

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Today: 2 to 5 p.m. Sabine Hall, Room S-118 John Head will speak on “Breaking the Silence on Depression.” Head is a former mental health reporter and features writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and a former reporter for USA Today and the Detroit Free Press. His first book, “We Were the Land’s: The Biography of a Homeplace,” was named best memoir by the Georgia Writer’s Association in 1999. Twenty-five people attending the seminar will receive a copy of Head’s book, “Black Men and Depression.” The event is sponsored by the Office of Student Life. Thursday, March 7: 6 to 8 p.m. Brazos Gallery Group Exhibition featuring Dallas/Fort Worth area artists Everyone is welcome to the reception.

OpinIOn

No child left behind: More harm than good? J.D. STOCKMAN Staff Writer

The United States education system faces problems never seen before: schools collectively cheating on tests for their students, laws designed to keep students in school being directly used to get them out of school and diminishing educational standards. While the nation has been paying attention to the cacophony of misery that pours from the television and Internet, the cracks in the educational system deepen and spread. In January 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This program aimed to provide aid for disadvantaged students improve the educational system with higher standards to achieve and shift focus toward technical academia such as math and reading. NCLB moved through the legislative processes with overwhelming bipartisan support. In the beginning, the primary goals of NCLB were school improvements, school and student accountability, equitable educational opportunities and focus on reading and mathematics. These qualities would be monitored in part by “adequate yearly progress”(AYP) - a government report meant to monitor school advancements. According to NCLB, every child in the U.S. is projected to be “proficient” by 2014. NCLB was set to expire in September 2007, a common practice for some kinds of policy making. The expiration date acts more as an open marker that requires Congress to prioritize the act, policy or bill by a certain time. This gives officials a chance to re-evaluate, revise and amend the policy as needed based

on observations made through the years it was active. If there is no need to change anything in the policy, then Congress can reauthorize. Unfortunately, NCLB has a provision that if Congress doesn’t address the policy, then it is

“Stricter policies accompanying the accountability system for attendance and behavior led to the alienation of certain students that pushed many of them away.” left intact and continues in effect until it can be replaced- projected to be in 2015. This begs the question: What happens to the children who have traveled the full length of NCLB’s crumbling education system? On Feb. 9; an American Association of University Professors article titled “Warning from the Trenches” drew the attention of The Washington Post. In the article, retired high school teacher Kenneth Bernstein addressed college educators about the inadequacies brought into the public school system by implementing NCLB a decade prior. Bernstein warned colleges of a wave of high school graduates coming in bereft of dynamic learning skills. Richland sociology professor Kay Coder said she has noticed a serious change in the preparedness of entering students. Many that are fresh out of high school have displayed deficiencies in cognitive thinking and resourcefulness. She explained that new students are not equipped with the learning skills they need. “They aren’t learning, they are being taught to give the correct answer. And they come to col-

lege thinking that getting the right answer is what they are supposed to do. Education is supposed to be a transformative experience, not passing a test,” Coder said. The longest recurring problem with NCLB is actually older than the policy that relies so heavily on it: teaching to the test. With teachers’ jobs on the line, an unfortunately common trend is drilling the students on the test material. A 2007 University of Maryland study revealed that it leads to a decline in teaching higher-order thinking and the actual amount of high cognitive content in a curriculum. The late Gerald W. Bracey, Ph.D., maintained that standardized testing measures only “a portion of the qualities that makes education meaningful” while neglecting creativity, critical thinking, self-discipline, empathy, integrity, and so on. Researchers at Rice University and the University of Texas conducted a study on the impact of NCLB and the accountability system in 2008. Their observation of highstakes, test-based accountability revealed that integrate the performance of the student into the welfare of the school’s standing as a whole altered the school personnel’s view of the students. The longer the accountability system is active in the school, the more teachers would stop viewing students as individuals to educate and more as assets or liabilities to the school. Additionally, the accountability system wagers the school’s welfare on the student’s performance. The principal must then comply with the performance demands of the accountability system or suffer the consequenc-

es. Many schools suffered scandal upon the discovery of teachers collectively answering tests for the student to project a higher grade average for the school. School officials would manipulate the appearance of climbing test score through the strategic removal of certain students. Stricter policies accompanying the accountability system for attendance and behavior led to the alienation of certain students that pushed many of them away. The latest problem to be addressed started as soon as NCLB took action. The AYP reports have both been completely invalidated or ignored by school and state. In NCLB, the progress scores were derived from the educational standards of each state. Each state is able to set whatever standards it feels is appropriate for its state education. This rendered all but a few of the AYP results undefinable. As one state after another has been allowed a waiver from NCLB since 2011 (34 approved to date), the Common Core State Standards looks to be one of the few positive steps toward a stable education system. The Common Core was re-initiated in 2010 once it became clear the AYP reports were not salvageable. Without the AYP reports, there isn’t any way of knowing for certain how many students really did graduate since NCLB began. The United States grade-school population spent the last 10 years being undereducated, overcriticized, manipulated, used, bartered, cast out, cheated for, cheated against and intellectually robbed. Coder summarized this best: “That’s not No Child Left Behind, that’s leaving every child behind.”

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So you’ve made it past the first few stings of exams, repurchased that stupid little card you lost for your “MyLab,” checked in with the lady you were supposed to see about a workshop only to find they locked the door a second before you got there and AREN’T GOING TO OPEN IT SO YOU GOTTA--Hey ... chill. Be cool, man. College Survivalist (Survival Guide)? Tip 2. Sometimes, things just don’t go your way. We all have that one really bad day ... and some more than others. Counselors are on stand-by waiting to see you. Just pop in at the Lakeside Resource Center, or call and set an appointment. These fine people are not only trained professionals, but also very familiar with college stress and dealing with it. I’ve even been to see them myself. Sometimes you need a hand. The nice lady there

took the time to go over my concerns and help me organize some stress relief exercises and even a few tips for dealing with some of the antagonists in my life. Richland is already paying for them. If something is really bothering you, get it off your chest. Sometimes just talking helps. Among the services offered: Counseling for adjustment issues, relationship and family concern, death, loss, chemical dependency, tough life choices, stress and time management and my favorite: anger management. The office is in El Paso Hall, room E-082, in that hallway on the way to Thunderduck from the cafeteria. Call (972-238-3771) or walk in for an appointment or go to www.richlandcollege.edu/ counseling Hours of operation Monday - Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. -J.D. Stockman

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Movies

Films that capture the essence of Black History Month

RICKY MILLER Staff Writer

Richlandchronicle.com February 26, 2013

“Fresh” is an amazing and stirring urban drama sans rap music. Instead, we have the former drummer of The Police, Stewart Copeland, composing a fluid and smooth symphonic score. Released in 1994, “Fresh” stands out as a diamond in the rough. Easily one of the most overlooked offerings in the genre, writer-director Boaz Yakin’s film contains an amazing performance from Sean Nelson as the title character, who only sees his father (Samuel L. Jackson) in the park to play chess. Those chess lessons double as a metaphor for life and what our title character has to do. Besides going to school full time, he spends his days dealing illegal drugs. He sees an opportunity to turn the tables on the rival gangs, à la Akira Kurosawa’s “Yojimbo” or Sergio Leone’s “A Fistful of Dollars.” Grade: A

‘Glory’

This amazing 1989 war movie from Edward Zwick garnered Denzel Washington his first Oscar® win as best supporting actor. The stunning flick traced the first all-black regiment in the Civil War. The epic also starred Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman (“The Shawshank Redemption,” “Driving Miss Daisy”) as well as Cary Elwes (“The Princess Bride,” “Saw”). Grade: A

‘In the Heat of the Night’

This 1967 Oscar winner for Best Picture also earned a Best Actor statuette for lead Rod Steiger. I should note that co-star Sidney Poitier starred in two follow-ups with “They Call Me Mr. Tibbs!” and “The Organization.” Grade: A-

‘Cooley High’

A more subtle blaxploitation flick, “Cooley High” (1975) was a slice-of-life story about inner city kids starving to get out of the urban playground and move on with their lives. Grade: B

Images courtesy Kidfrom1987.wordpress.com, Dbcovers.com, staredobrekino.blogspot.com, torrentbutler.eu

Yippee Ki-Yay Mother Russia

RICKY MILLER Staff Writer

See a bald Bruce blow up a lot of stuff. That is what essentially happens in “A Good Day to Die Hard,” the fifth entry in a seemingly never-ending paycheck for action star extraordinaire Bruce Willis. In interviews, Willis has said he would like to continue the series just as long as the stories and scenarios are decent. In an ironic twist, Willis’ John McClane enters a cab where the driver is listening to a Frank Sinatra song. Willis’ first movie role was in “The First Deadly Sin,” a 1980 SinatraFaye Dunaway drama. Making what amounts to just a glorified cameo is Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who starred as Willis’ daughter Lucy McClane in “Live Free or Die Hard,” the fourth installment in the franchise. The plot for the latest entry finds Willis’ McClane venturing to the Soviet Union to mop up some damage left by his son, Jack (Jai

Courtney (“Jack Reacher,” “Spartacus: War of the Damned”). In the illogical far-fetched twists department, part of the storyline delves into the Chernobyl disaster that happened in the mid1980s. One of our supposed “heroes” of the tale was actually blackmailing an upper level manager in the Russian government. Another reconnection from Willis’ past comes in with the appearance of Cole Hauser. He supported Willis with minor roles in “Hart’s War” and Antoine Fuqua’s “Tears of the Sun.” Also tossed in for the Y “chromosomers” is Yuilya Snigir as Irina, one of the henchman’s significant others. Snigir’s appearance amounts to nothing more than some sweet eye candy. Director John Moore, who did an adequate job with the mediocre Gene Hackman-led “Behind Enemy Lines” and a decent update with “Flight of the Phoenix,” knows how to make the over-the-top action sequences work. Although this entry in the series does not improve on any of the previous chapters, it still makes for a fun night out. Grade: B

Image courtesy thefilmstage.com

TECHNOLOGY

The reveal that wasn’t CHRISTIAN TANNER Staff Writer

Last Wednesday, Sony announced its long anticipated PS4 with features for more interactive play. Sony’s 1994 release of the playstation was a breakthrough for all gamers. Then in 2000, Playstation 2 dominated Microsoft’s Xbox, Nintendo’s GameCube and Sega’s Dreamcast. But in 2005, Microsoft released its Xbox 360, which topped Sony. The following year Sony released the PS3 to contend Nintendo’s Wii, which captivated everyone from gamers to stay-at-home moms. Sony fell into third place behind Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360 in units sold. When it comes to the PS2, PS3 sold fewer than half the units. Now, Sony has announced it will release the PS4 during the holiday season but didn’t give an exact date. Sony announced some exciting features for PS4. Although they didn’t show the console itself, they did show the controller equipped with a touchscreen pad much like the Playstation Vita. The controller also comes equipped with a built-in speaker and a “share” button. We

can most likely expect the speaker to add more sound effects and in-game chat. It appears that Sony will extend its own social network as they featured the share button with the ability to share videos and pictures throughout the network. The L2 and R2 buttons look more like triggers on the new PS4 controller. The motion sensor is much like Xbox 360’s Kinect, so I think it’s safe to say we know what will come of that. The new Cloud-based function allows you to stream games from your console to your Playstation Vita. It doesn’t stop there. It also allows you to stream to your Sony phone and tablet. Sony is also working to get more than 3,000 titles into digital form. There are rumors that say they are also working on PS2 titles as well. There are still plenty of questions to be asked. Sony has yet to release an image of the console itself. The price is a toss-up and some are saying it doesn’t necessarily have to be a rock-bottom price. There are no details on the exact game lineup so, it’s hard to determine how well the console will do. Most likely, Sony will announce the game lineup along with the actual console this summer at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Images courtesy Jootix.com, News.cnet.com, Newsrisingmedia.com

GREATNESS is... Through UNT’s merchandising program, I’ve had experiences I wouldn’t have anywhere else. Interaction with fashion industry leaders and opportunities to experience the business firsthand have given me new insights to support my dream of opening a couture boutique.

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CampuS

‘Putnam’ musical spells e-n-t-e-r-t-a-i-n-m-e-n-t

STUDENT MEDIA LEADERS Editor in Chief Managing Editor Radio News Director Copy Editor Gaming Editor

ON THE COVER Collage honoring Black History Month First row left to right: Frederick Douglass, Jesse Jackson, Dorothy Height, Martin Luther King, Jr. Second row left to right: Madam Walker, Oprah Winfrey, President Obama, Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks

JOYCE JACKSON

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Copy Editor

Doesn’t everyone love a spelling bee? Richland has six wannabe winners who will battle it out every night at 7:30 p.m. March 6-9 on the Fannin Performance Hall stage. The competition will be stiff, the words will be challenging and there will definitely be a $200 winner. The whole fiasco is part of the drama department’s spring musical, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” conceived by Rebecca Feldman and based on a book by Rachel Sheinkin. The music and lyrics are by William Finn. Director and adjunct faculty member Ricco Fajardo describes “Putnam” as “a musical improv funfest.” As a local actor, he works in commercials and industrials. It’s his first time directing after getting his master’s degree from Southern Methodist University last year. Fajardo said “Putnam” is unique because the musical originated with a New York improv group. Having seen it in California and at SMU, he was inspired by the show because it was developed in improvisational theater. “It’s a testament to improv,” Fajardo said. “We bring in audience members. I trust my actors to select who would be capable to participate in improv.” “Putnam” includes a cast of nine, all Richland students except one. The play is set at a school and all of the adolescents in the bee are trying to achieve something. That is why the bee is so important to them. “Spelling is a different thing to each character,” Fajardo said. “Each one of them has something to win or lose. By the end, they tell their own epilogue.” Fajardo said the musical will depend largely on two key characters, the adults who moderate the show – Rona Lisa Perretti, played by Gracie Gonzalez, Putnam’s longtime spelling bee hostess and local realtor. Jimmy Jensen plays vice principal Douglas Panch of Lake Hemingway Dos Passos Junior High.. He’s in a dead-end job and frustrated because he was called in as a substitute for the bee. The third adult, Mitch Mahoney, plays the

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CORRECTION In last week’s Chronicle, Richland basketball player Quintin Lowe was incorrectly identified.

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role of the comfort counselor. Academic adviser Ryan Nelson, who plays Mitch, is the only actor who isn’t a student. He has worked in theater since he was 7 and has been in six other plays, including musicals. Nelson said Mitch is the only “down-toearth character. He doesn’t want to be there. He’s doing this as part of community service because he’s an ex-convict.” Nelson said he thinks “Putnam” is hilarious and tried out for his role because he missed being involved in theater. He has two other minor roles as well. The six eccentric adolescent contestants and the actors are: Chip Tolentino, (played by Caleb Packer) who’s the reigning spelling champion of Putnam County; Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere (Kelsey Cabell), who has two fathers; Leaf Coneybear (Kevin Dang), who wears a protective helmet to the bee; William Barfée (Sabino Garcia), who’s chubby and spells words on the floor with his feet; Marcy Park (Giselle Saucedo), an overachiever who plays piano, dances, does martial arts and twirls a baton, and Olive Ostrovsky (Ashley Mullings), an only child who reads the dictionary to pass time.

“There will be singing, dancing and improv,” Fajardo said. “In this show, there may be some wonderful cathartic moments. I have some very young actors.” Fajardo said he likes “Putnam” because it’s “all about change and growth.” In the opening sequence, it’s emblematic of what happens to all of the characters. “They all experience some sort of change from beginning to end,” he said. “It’s issues of sexuality, dealing with family, friendships, bullying – things that we still do on a daily basis. I think there’s something delightful in having some younger players playing these roles. They can identify.” “Good improv is always above the belt,” Fajardo said. “But, good improvers are good listeners. It’s up to my cast to move and shake with what’s going on. The public will enjoy this production because it’s going to be a living, breathing piece where anything could happen, and it probably will.” “Putnam” is free and open to the public, and is not recommended for anyone under 18 due to some possible strong language. No reservations are necessary. For further information call 972-238-6256.

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MEETINGS & POLICIES Staff meetings: Monday and Wednesday 3:15 p.m. in E-020 ------Letter Policy Letters to the editor may be edited for space. They will be edited for spelling, grammar and malicious or libelous statements. Letters must be the work of the writer and must be signed. For identification and verification purposes, letters also must include the writer’s classification (grade level), full name, address and telephone number, although address and telephone number will not be published. Editorial Policy The Chronicle is the official student-produced newspaper of Richland College. Editorials, cartoons, columns and letters are the opinions of individual students and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other individual student writers, editors, advisers or the college administration. © Richland Chronicle 2013

OPINION

Black History Month, a reflection What are your thoughts about Black History Month?

Curtis Thomas, history professor: “Well, I think it is necessary because it is an aspect of history that has been neglected that people need to know and the beautiful thing is the complexity of AfricanAmerican history.”

Ravan Hamirton: “It is our culture and if even just for one month, the young people of black American heritage are encouraged to learn about the history of their own people.”

Michael Cornute: “It is of great value. It is important to know where you come from and it is also important to know what happened in the past.”

history and celebrate their often-overlooked feats. No matter one’s stand in this debate, one Staff Writer cannot reject the relevance of history as a compass for the future and that the recognition You may write me down in history of ancestors’ roles ensures contemporaries With your bitter, twisted lies, vigor. If this is accepted, then, celebrating You may trod me in the very dirt black Americans in the history of America is But still, like dust, I’ll rise. relevant. However, new reflections should be This verse from Maya Angelou in her poem made to cater to new realities. Future of African-Americans “Still I Rise” is a typical description of what The story of African-Americans is black Americans faced, from rejection to misrepresentation, incarceration to aggression. changing every year since the first Africans found themselves in America. While AfricanName it, black Americans have witnessed all. To address this issue, the late Carter G. Americans are so proud to have heroes in Woodson and other conscious African- America’s history, illiteracy, drug consumption, Americans chose the second week of February and crime rates in neighborhoods mostly to celebrate the accomplishments of African- densely populated by African-Americans, Americans whose impacts cannot be left out in among others, are major concerns. That is not to say that America’s history. This year marks the 87th year “A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n racism has ended in America. And it is most since its declaration. likely not to end as even minds should be cured Many things have changed during the of hatred caused by African-Americans are now course of those years - rejection and its resultant being racist to Africans. It has, however, reduced more recognitions. The over the years. “There will aggression; hatred will name has changed from be racism,” Curtis Negro History Week to always create more always Thomas, professor of Black History Month, hatred.” history at Richland College, and new perspectives declared. have evolved regarding With these problems its celebration. in mind, Black History Month should be a What is worth celebrating in the month? Celebrating Black History Month is now moment of reflection among blacks and a being questioned, surprisingly, by some black time to think about continuing to play key Americans. Some of their arguments are that roles in America’s history. African-American minds should be cured the month is racist and that the choice of a of hatred caused by rejection and its resultant month means celebrating black Americans for aggression; hatred will always create more “just only a month.” For the supporters of the hatred. Another fundamental panacea is to month, they believe that the month is to mark the accomplishments of blacks in America’s sanitize the basic unit of African-American

society, which is the family. Volunteerism and more campaigns should be made to educate many black Americans facing the aforementioned problems and to make them realize the role they need to play in the yet-to-

be-written American history. These are the ways African-Americans can show their allegiance to their heroes, and indeed, American heroes.

Abolaji Adekunle

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Damarcus Wade: “I understand the purpose of it being a month to celebrate the history of blacks in America, but other than that, I don’t see any purpose for it.”

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Class of 2013

MeeT Chris

hris, a music major and graduate of Celina High School, chose to attend A&M-Commerce after being admitted to the Honors College and hearing the wind ensemble play at the Evening at the Eisemann.

“I was blown away by the quality of music I heard, and by the scholarship I was offered,” Chris said. Two of Chris’ favorite classes, The 1960s: A Nation Divided and Cinema, Philosophy and the Political, complemented his music studies by delving into the human experience, something that Chris feels is at the root of music appreciation. “Most everything that is a part of American culture today finds its roots (or at least influences) in the turbulence of the 1960s, and many of the issues aroused during that time are still issues today, issues which demand not only solutions, but a better knowledge of their origins to find those solutions.” It’s Steinway Artist, Dr. Luis Sanchez, an internationally acclaimed pianist and Chris’ piano professor, however, that inspires him to excel in music. “I have had (and hopefully will continue to have) the privilege of studying piano with Dr. Luis Sanchez over the past few years,” Chris said. “Dr. Sanchez is genuinely concerned for the educational, physical, and emotional welfare of his students. He is everpatient in teaching us what it means to be a musician.

SCAN thiS QR CODE to learn more about Chris, see his video profile and learn how Texas A&M University-Commerce can change your future.

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