March 5, 2013 by Richland Student Media

Chronicle Richland

Vol. XXXVII, Issue 8, March 5, 2013

Richlandchronicle.com Official Chronicle Outlets #Chronicle DCCCD

A College of the Dallas County Community College District

Education facing budget cuts

Pg. 7

Also inside: ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’ Pg. 5

Samsung Galaxy S IV preview Pg. 2

Sports/Tech

Galaxy S IV a threat to A great season for Richland BLANCA REYES iPhone if rumors are true? Staff Writer

CHRISTIAN TANNER Staff Writer

Galaxy S III was an incredible release nine months ago. On March 14, it’s rumored that the Galaxy S IV will be announced with some exciting new features. This is from an Apple lover. Apple iPhone’s biggest competitor, Galaxy S III, has sold more than 40 million units. Each year Galaxy continues to oneup itself with incredible new features, and this year they seem to have done it again if the rumors are true. Some people will remember that the Galaxy S III topped Apple’s iPhone 4S for most units sold by an estimated 1.8 million units back in November for a huge breakthrough. Nine months after the release of the Galaxy S III, Samsung will announce the release of the Galaxy S IV equipped with a new combo chip, Eye Scroll and a few storage options along with a sleek design. It looks like Galaxy S IV will follow its same transition as the S II to the S III, making the screen bigger with more pixels while making the phone thinner. Galaxy S IV may come in three different storage options- 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB

along with the black or white casing option. The casing is going to be about the same, plastic casing with aluminum siding. Samsung is said to use its new Exynos 5 Octa CPU, first featured in their Chromebook model. The speed of the new phone is exciting. A new 5 GB Wi-Fi combo chip from Broadcom will increase the speed once again. My favorite features on smart phones are the ones I can see myself using daily, and Galaxy S IV may feature Eye Scroll and Eye Pause. Although we don’t know much about this new feature, it’s rumored that if you are watching a video, the sensor will capture your eye. As you look away, the video will pause. The sensor may also capture your eye while you’re reading on your phone so the phone may be able to scroll without you having to touch it. Hands-free answering has also been rumored. If someone calls you, there is no need to touch “Answer,” you simply put the phone to your ear and the call will automatically pick up. We’ll soon find out if the rumors are true and if there are some more amazing new features for Samsung’s Galaxy S IV.

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“We are proud of you guys. It was a positive season,” men’s basketball coach Bill Foy said after the Thunderducks were defeated by the Mountain View Lions 82-77 in the conference championship game Feb. 22. It was an excellent season where Richland fought to a winning record of 22-11. The T-ducks could not defeat the Lions for the third time this season to claim the conference title. “We knew that it was going to be a tough game because they (Lions) play good basketball,” Foy said. The defeat ended Richland’s chance of being invited to the national tournament this year. However, Foy said this year was hard for everyone on the team. “I thought the circumstances did not help us,” Foy added. He took over Richland’s team Sept. 1. “We have to work hard getting strong, developing skills, shooting, ball handling and defense,” Foy said. “The first year is always very challenging, so there are many things to learn. For example, how things work in your school.” Nevertheless, Foy is ready, excited and hopeful about next basketball season. Foy added that although this defeat was a hard blow - even some players cried when they lost - he is happy for the players’ efforts and is sure they can improve and do great things for the school next season.

Staff Photo Blanca Reyes

Richland players Chris Runnels, left, Qadash Williams, center, and Reggie Sonnier fight for the rebound against Eastfield players during the first game at the Conference Tournament.

After taking a well-deserved break of just one week, they are going to start practicing again. The coaches are using this time to recruit potential prospects for next season’s team. They are attending high school basketball games. According to Foy, the most valuable Richland players were guard Mister Carroll, forward Chris Runnels and guard/forward Reggie Sonnier. They play hard and got better throughout the season. Contact Foy at Guadalupe Hall, Room G120 or by visiting the web site www.richlandcollege/basketballteam.

Upcoming Events Wednesday – Saturday, March 6-9: 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Fannin Performance Hall, Room F-102 - The Richland Drama Department presents its 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. The musical includes a cast of eight Richland students and one academic adviser, Ryan Nelson. The cast includes: Caleb Packer, Kelsey Cabell, Kevin Dang, Sabino Garcia, Giselle Saucedo, Ashley Mullings, Gracie Gonzalez and Jimmy Jensen. It is directed by Ricco Fajardo. Monday – Thursday, March 4-7 Richland Library, lower floor - Richland Literary Arts Festival - Miroslav Penkov, assistant professor of creative writing at the University of North Texas, poet Farid Matuk, Texas Poet Laureate Karla K. Morton, Fred Curchack, theater professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, Richland professor Dr. Matthew Henry, author of “The Simpsons, Satire, and American Culture,” and Lori Ann Stephens, SMU lecturer, will take part in the festival. The Joe Stanco Faculty Readings will take place from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. March 7 and from 12:30 to 1:50 p.m. students will read some of their works. For a complete schedule of events, go to the Office of Student Life in El Paso Hall, Room E-040. Thursday, March 7: 6 to 8 p.m. Brazos Gallery - Group Exhibition, area artists: “To Exist and to Again Exist” Everyone is welcome to the reception featuring artists Marjorie Schwarz, Kendra Briscoe, Kate Helmes, Hannah Hudson and Pierre Krause. The exhibition will be on display from March 7 – April 5. - Taking its title from Krause’s artistic statement, “To Exist and to Again Exist,” the exhibition addresses the nature of artmaking and speaks to the nature of the work presented by each artist. The selection of this group centers not on gender specificity or gender-oriented work, but rather on the product of their making, which could be a painting, a found item or event.

OpinIOn

Boy Scouts under fire Peter A. Hearns Staff Writer

Image courtesy charities.org

Boy Scouts at one of their major rallies.

“A Scout is supposed to be brave, and the Boy Scouts failed to be brave today,” said Jennifer Tyrrell, an Ohio mother ousted as a den leader of her son’s Cub Scout pack because she’s a lesbian. Tyrrell was among several current and former Scouts and supporters who rallied outside the BSA national headquarters Feb. 6 and delivered petitions opposing the policy. About 70 percent of all Scout units are sponsored by religious denominations, many by conservative faiths that have supported the ban, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). The delay was welcomed by Southern Baptist leaders, some of whom had said they would urge their churches to seek alternatives to the Boy Scouts if the ban is eliminated. In comments to the Baptist Press, the denomination’s official news agency, SBC President Fred Luter suggested that “prayers of the righteous” played a role in the BSA‘s decision. The National Catholic Committee on Scouting said it would join in the BSA’s consultations over the coming months. Michael Purdy, a Mormon spokesman at church headquarters in Utah, said the BSA “acted wisely in delaying its decision until all voices can be heard on this important moral issue,” according to the Associated Press. Scoutmaster Darrel Russell of Weatherford, west of Fort Worth, took his wife and five of their seven children to the Feb. 6 rally. Russell said having gays in the scouting movement would be like mixing boys and girls. “The whole idea is to protect our boys at all costs,” Russell said, warning that if the ban is lifted, “we’re shutting down our troop.” U.S. voters favor eliminating the ban by 55 percent to 33 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Feb. 6. The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Richlandchronicle.com March 5, 2013

“I would suggest that the homosexual community, with or without assistance of people that have been in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and knows [sic] how the organization runs, they should start their own organization.” This is what Gregory Carboni, 24, a Richland College grad, proposes, “having all the same goals, all the same priorities, all the same lessons that the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) teaches. For example, how to build fires, how to tie knots and all that stuff. Keep it exactly the same. Just a different organization.” Carboni graduated last May with an associate degree of arts in advertising and public relations, but still currently takes classes. He joined the Cub Scouts in the second grade and went on to the Boy Scouts and finished as an Eagle Scout. On Feb. 6, the BSA, which seems caught in an ideological crossfire, delayed until May a vote on whether to ease its policy of excluding gays as Scouts and adult leaders. As much as the iconic youth organization has argued for the freedom to teach its own values to American boys, it is now deeply entangled in broader cultural and political conflicts over such issues as same-sex marriage and religious freedom. Gay-rights supporters contend that no Scout units anywhere should exclude gays and vowed to maintain pressure on BSA corporate donors to achieve that goal. Some conservatives, including religious leaders whose churches sponsor troops, warned of mass defections if the ban was even partially eased. “In the past two weeks, Scouting has received an outpouring of feedback from the American public,” said the BSA’s national spokesman, Deron Smith. “It reinforces how deeply people care about Scouting and how passionate they are about the organization,” Smith told the Associated Press. “The BSA needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy,” Smith added. He said the board would consult with sectors of the Scouting movement and prepare a resolution to be voted on by the 1,400 voting members of the BSA national council at a meeting during the week of May 20 in Grapevine. Learning that a decision would be deferred, gay-rights leaders assailed the BSA. “Every day that the Boy Scouts of America delay action is another day that discrimination prevails,” Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign told the Associated Press. “Young Americans, gay and straight, are hurt by the inaction associated with today’s news.” Instead of a total ban, Carboni thinks the decision to allow the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community into the Boy Scouts should be left to the leadership of each scouting troop.

A child’s

GAME REVIEW

twisted MARY CHANNELL

tale

Richlandchronicle.com March 5, 2013

Gaming Editor

Just when you thought video games couldn’t get any better, “Ni Nu Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch” brings a new style of gameplay to the console. If you’re familiar with Hayo Miyazaki, writer and director of animated films such as “Spirited Away” and “Howl’s Moving Castle,” then you will have an idea that this game offers an epic adventure and a compelling story that immerses players into an incredible parallel world. Players take on the role of Oliver, a young boy who has lost his mother and is searching to bring her back to life. He ventures through this journey of hardships to become a master wizard to not only save his mother but to save this majestic hidden world from evil and powerful enemies, Shardar and the White Witch herself. In the midst of chaos, players will learn magic, make allies and serenade familiars to fight with you in this tale of a twisted adventure. It has a mixture of darkness and despair, but also light and love and comedy that is the essence of the story. Mr. Drippy, a fairy, will be there to guide players and to encourage them throughout this adventure and path of self-discovery. I know you are probably thinking, “Isn’t

this a kid’s game?” Not exactly. Do not let the cartoon and children fool you. This is not a game for children. I’m not saying there is blood spewing all over the place; there is not any blood at all. But the context of the story is more grown up and mature rather than for ages 10 and under. Plus it says “dammit.” But if you move past all of that, it’s such a powerful and engaging story that it’s hard not to fall in love with this game. You should except nothing less from Miyazaki. “Ni Nu Kuni’s” gameplay just flows; no glitches, nothing to disturb you and take you away from the story. You are constantly battling enemies throughout the whole game and helping people who have a broken heart. It is your job to find out what they need and to give back a piece of their heart that Shadar has taken away from them. You have side quests to achieve and are able to use your completed merit cards to upgrade yourself. “Ni Nu Kuni” is breathtaking and is truly a stunning game. You have to buy this game. It is the least you can do because you can tell how much hard work and talent has been put into it. They should be rewarded for it. Normally I do not thoroughly enjoy JRPG’s, but this was done in a way that you can not resist. Check it out or you’ll be missing out.

Images courtesy Blog.us.playstation.com, Inthegame.nl, Game2gether.de, Examiner.com

Movie Review

‘Giant Slayer’: Fe fi fo fun

Staff Writer

“Jack the Giant Slayer” is another holdover from last year that gets the coveted late winter spark that made director Zack Snyder’s “300” a box-office sensation in 2006. They tried the same magic with Snyder’s all-female vendetta troupe in “Sucker Punch,” but that disjointed mess ran out of steam just north of $36 million. With slightly less fanfare than either “300” or “Sucker Punch,” Warner Bros. is tossing Bryan Singer’s “Jack the Giant Slayer” to the wolves as a sacrifice of

sorts because the marketing department did not really know how to make this one a must for the masses. Also amusing is the Bad Hat Harry logo at the beginning of the flick. Normally, it is the cast from one of the four-star flicks Bryan Singer did called “The Usual Suspoects,” but instead filmgoers are treated to the giants from the movie they are about to watch. They did the same thing with another Snyder entry, “Legend of the Guardians: the Owls of Ga’Hoole,” because they were not sure of the audience for that fantastic, fun flick.

I am disappointed Warner Bros. let this one sit on the back shelf of, because “Jack the Giant Slayer” is actually an entertaining family flick. The pacing on “Jack” is fun and fast, only pausing intermittently for story setup and exposition. Nicholas Hoult (“A Single Man,” “Warm Bodies”) has fun in the title role of Jack, a young adult thrust into the land of giants. Jack volunteers to help in the search for Princess Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson). They form a posse for King Brahwell (Ian McShane, HBO’s “Deadwood,” Paul Anderson’s “Death Race”).

Included are a knight named Elmont, (Ewan McGregor, “Trainspotrting,” “Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace”), Crawe (Eddie Marsen, “Hancock”), Wicke (Ewen Brewmer, “Trainspotting,” “The Rundown”) and Mingus Johnston as Bald all go searching for Queen Isabelle. The visual effects are a joy to watch, especially when the giants come from skies above and hit Earth. They come in droves and attack the castle. I hate to say it, but the 3-D is actually necessary to enjoy the antics that occur in this one. Grade: B-

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OPiNIon/News

Santa Obama’s $9 minimum wage: Good propaganda, bad economics

RAYMOND THOMAS PRONK

Richlandchronicle.com March 5, 2013

Staff Writer

Presidential economic policies, like the proverbial “road to hell,” are often paved with good intentions. In his 2013 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama said: “Even with the tax relief we’ve put in place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. That’s wrong. Tonight, let’s declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full time should have to live in poverty and raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour. This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families. It could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead. For businesses across the country, it would mean customers with more money in their pockets.” Why not increase the minimum wage to $18 per hour and win America’s war on poverty? What are the economic consequences of a $9 minimum wage on young high school and college students seeking employment? A decidedly negative impact, if economic history is any guide. The large increase in teenage unemployment is partly driven by the increase in the minimum wage. When the minimum wage was increased in July 2008 from $5.85 to $6.55 there was an upward spike in the teenage unemployment rate exceeding the 20 percent level. When the minimum wage was again increased in July 2009 from $6.55 to its current rate of $7.25, there was another upward spike in the teenage unemployment rate to more than 25 percent.

30 percent. Furthermore, young American citizens, especially blacks and Hispanics, will face stiff competition from the more than 11 million illegal immigrants who predominantly seek low-skilled jobs. Obama and progressives in both the Democratic and Republican parties want to grant these illegal immigrants immediate legal status to work in the United States. Obama is repeating the past economic policy mistakes of progressive presidents from both political parties such as Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, Johnson, Nixon, Carter and the Bushes in mandating higher than free-market wage rates. These well-intentioned but massive government interventionist economic policies lead to prolonged depressions and recessions with high unemployment rates, especially for young, inexperienced, low skilled and minority workers. Thirty years ago, black economist Walter E. Williams explored the effects of federal and state government Staff illustration David Lucio intervention in the economy, including Obama proposed to increase the current fed- minimum wage laws, in the PBS documeneral minimum wage from $7.25 to $9. tary, “Good Intentions,” based upon his 1982 book, “The State Against Blacks.” Those favoring a rise in the federal minimum wage effects of minimum wage laws. They would be well advised to view this video concluded that such laws reduce employment together with “Milton Friedman on the opportunities for less-skilled workers, tend Minimum Wage” on YouTube before to reduce their earnings and are not very advocating an increase in the minimum wage. For young American citizens, an entry-level effective in reducing poverty. job paying a lower competitive market wage If Congress passes an increase in the rate is preferable to no job at a higher minimum wage to $9, as proposed by Obama, government mandated minimum wage. young, inexperienced, low-skilled workGood intentions are not enough. Results ers, especially blacks and Hispanics, will measured in jobs created count. again be hurt, for they will not be hired by Raymond Thomas Pronk is host of the Pronk businesses that cannot afford to pay them the Pops Show on KDUX web radio from 3-5 p.m. Frihigher mandated minimum wage. This will be days and author of the companion blog http://www. reflected in yet another spike upward in the pronkpops.wordpress.com/ teenage unemployment rate that might exceed David Neumark, professor of economics at the University of California-Irvine, and William L. Wascher, deputy director in the Division of Research and Statistics at the Federal Reserve Board, in their book, “Minimum Wages,” provide a comprehensive review of the evidence on the economic

Bomb scare closes Collin College

KISTEN S. CHETTY Managing Editor

Collin College students were forced to evacuate the Spring Creek campus after a bomb threat was received early Friday morning. According to the college’s website, the CougarAlert was issued at 9:55 a.m. The warning asked students to “Please evacuate the entire campus immediately.” That was soon followed by an announcement at 10:20 a.m. that Collin College classes at the Spring Creek campus were canceled until 5 p.m. Collin then released more information via it’s CougarAlert system. The college confirmed that it had received a call from a male

just before 10 a.m. This male caller threatened that there were multiple bombs hidden on and around the Spring Creek campus. The police first conducted a ground search of the entire campus and found no trace of explosives. The police called in a bomb-sniffing canine unit to make sure that the campus was, in fact, safe for students. The canine unit completed its search and gave the all-clear at 2:46 p.m. Collin used its CougarAlert system to tell students that the campus would reopen at 4:30 p.m. School officials said any students who abandoned their possessions during the evacuation should check with the Office of Student Life, as many belongings were collected by the Collin College Police Department.

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ON THE COVER Texas education facing budget cuts due low ranking in No Child Left Behind.

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The Collin College Spring Creek campus that students evacuatued.

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OPINION/Campus

Budget cuts vs. Texas education the North. Would the more modern method not get in the way of Texas’s reputation for grooming students to the prolific higher education that the state possesses? Also, could it be that the snags and cracks from the last federally mandated system might have Texas in a mild state of distrust? As for the cut in spending, historically this does not turn out well in the long run. Gov. Rick Perry has been slowly culling the school budget over the years and perhaps he has finally taken the budget cuts too far. Texas has a certain reputation to maintain and cutting funding from the teachers and the students in a time that should be focused on building the education system back up from the damages caused in the past decade is certainly the paramount cause. Perhaps if this leads to more colleges taking on high school students and preparing them directly for college, budget cuts might not be such a bad move. Though the idea seems nice, it is hardly a realistic or even logical outcome to plan around. Teachers are still losing the improved pay that has been fought for over the years and less funding in education is widely accepted as a step in a wrong direction. Do you know anyone who would actually say the education system is doing too well? If we are to move ahead, more funding is always a good thing. If Texas stays separate from the nation, the education system might even be able to advance to a new standard: high schools reinforced by the state’s higher education system.

J.D. STOCKMAN Staff Writer

You’ve been breaking your neck trying to stay ahead of the curve, or perhaps you have been on top of it all and hit a road bump. One wrong turn and you end up with a few important grades going sour that you really could not afford to go south. What do you do? Fortunately, most of your instructors or professors have some ways to get around this, or are even willing to help you out. Before you get to that point, first you want to have yourself as protected as possible: keep up with what is next to come with your syllabus and class calender. Secondly, if you know you are barreling toward a bad grade, talk to the instructor or get tutoring. Once you hit a point of no chance of getting around a bad grade, look for the extra credit or opportunity to do a makeup exam. Most of the instructors will not just offer these benefits because it means more work for them and possibly others or they want to know you care how well you do by asking in the first place. One thing one of my instructors, Dr. Owens, told me, “I’d rather you do the extra credit work and not need it than not do it and wish you had.”

Richlandchronicle.com March 5, 2013

school diploma, along with California’s rank of 49th. While Texas has last place with adult high school graduates, the state ranks a modStaff Writer est 22nd for students attending college. Not Texas is home to the revitalized NASA, everything can be clearly defined by statistics Texas Instruments, Dell Computers, a broad alone. In regard to Texas school’s ranking in sweeping count of geological conditions, diverse environments, and robust paleon- No Child Left Behind, between 2010 and tological discoveries. Texas has four of the 2011, the number of unacceptable schools most academically desirable and four of the rose from 104 to 569. These numbers seem to express failure on Big 12 universities. the Texas education In an announcedepartment — until ment recently by the you recall that each National Education state was responsible Association, Texas for judging the quality is ranked 49th in of its school standards. school spending. When taking that detail In the wake of into consideration, the No Child Left Bebenchmark for Texas hind (NCLB), you education isn’t waning; might be wondering it is growing stricter. what the future of Following this, education in Texas Texas applied for might be. There are the waiver from No a few considerations Staff courtesy ed.gov Child Left Behind in that must first be September 2012. The observed before coming to a solid Does Texas’ ranking in No Child Left Behind crippling actions of cutting away schools conclusion if you pose a threat to future budget cuts? that did not perform can make any conwell as if they were clusion at all. In 2009, the policies of NCLB wreaked a cancer instead of trying to improve them havoc on the Texas school system by discred- set a principle that would not have bode well iting some 30,000 teachers due to a miscom- for Texas in the long run. Despite the best munication about the nature of their certi- intentions of NCLB in making the school fication and the tests they needed to take to system more equality driven, this also has not be verified by federal standards. Since NCLB happened up until the latest years after most had already left so much to the state, it was of the states began ignoring a number of the widely assumed that if the teachers needed to act’s policies. Texas hasn’t been the fairest in take any particular test to further prove their treating minorities in the past, but the most credentials, the state would have informed recent years have shown vast improvement. The biggest concern now is whether or not them. This, naturally, was not the case and many of the state’s teachers were in a sort of Texas is going to adopt the Common Core State Standard and then why would Texas employment limbo. Texas is, much like California, one of the cut funding immediately after breaking from primary immigration states. This means that NCLB? Many teachers are concerned with a number of statistics may appear to be con- the somewhat archaic method of teaching by tradictory. For example, in 2010, Texas was grade level and not by the student- a method ranked last in the nation for adults with a high recently embraced more enthusiastically in

J.D. STOCKMAN

Richlandchronicle.com March 5, 2013

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.

WWW.TAMUC.EDU • 903.886.5000 or 888.868.2682 A Member of The Texas A&M University System