CHRONICLE Richland
Vol. XLVI Issue 25 April 7, 2020
A weekly student publication
Spring classes remain online Pg. 2
• March • March brings record rainfall
Pg. 3
• ‘The • ‘The Hunt’ joins streaming trend
Pg. 4
• Resources • Resources for tutoring online RichlandStudentMedia.com
Richland Student Media
Pg. 6 @RLCStudentMedia
Richland Student Media
2 COVID-19
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April 7, 2020
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Staff Photo Dave Freeman
Campus vehicles block entrances into the Richland campus parking lot off of Walnut street.
Campus remains closed
Ceremonies canceled, online classes extended Jack Ramirez Bernal Managing Editor
The seven campuses that comprise the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) will remain physically closed through the spring semester and all spring commencements will be put on hold until further notice, Dr. Joe May, the district’s chancellor, announced in an April 3 email. The District also announced new policies to help students with their academic career. The district, which has not reopened its campuses since the week of March 16-20, shifted to what May called “virtual instruction” the week of March 30. Now, with the coronavirus continuing to grip North Texas, remote learning will remain in place to minimize “the risk of exposure on our campuses,” May said. May released his statement on the same day that Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins extended the county’s Disaster Declaration through May 20, a decision that also allowed Jenkins the flexibility to extend his shelter-inplace mandate from April 30 to May 20. The county reported 106 new COVID-19 cases at press time, raising the county’s total to 1,261, including 19 deaths. In his email to the DCCCD community, May explained the new realities caused by a pandemic that has forced institutions across the country to shut down or impose severe restrictions on public access. Many other colleges and universities have also shifted to online learning. “While it is not the return we anticipated, I trust your first week of virtual instruction was a success,” the chancellor wrote in his letter. “The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown us curve balls in every direction imaginable and I remain humbled by your resilience and determination to receive an education.” “As the severity of the coronavirus becomes increasingly clear, it is necessary that we make additional adjustments to ensure the safety of our DCCCD community,” May said. “With that in mind, we have made the decision to extend online learning at each of DCCCD’s seven colleges through the spring 2020
semester. All classes will continue to be delivered to you through eCampus. Your health, wellness, along with DCCCD’s mission to educate students were at the core of this decision. This shift is also based on new guidance from state and national health officials aimed at minimizing the risk of exposure on our campuses.” May said district officials are working to make sure the shift from on-site to remote instruction “continues to be as seamless as possible. The DCCCD website features a list of services and resources as well as information on DCCCD’s response to COVID-19. It’s available at www.dcccd.edu. Additionally, the district reassured students that while commencement exercises for all seven campuses were suspended indefinitely, the conferring of certificates and degrees will not be affected by the postponement. The district is offering a texting hotline to keep students and employees updated on COVID-19 developments and DCCCD announcements. Students, faculty and staff can access the hotline by texting “DCCCD” and submitting your first and last name to (972) 441-2896. May expressed confidence that, despite the abrupt shift to virtual learning, all seven campuses could pull through the crisis. “We are now in the home stretch of the semester. Although times are tough, I urge you not to lose focus on your educational goals,” he wrote in his April 3 email. “The survival of this crisis will take the strength and hard work of us all. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding as we all endure the wrath of this unprecedented event.” The district announced a full-tuition refund policy with a “W” grade for students who elect to drop courses between March 16 to May 13. Students must not reenroll for another course to qualify for the full refund. The announcement made it clear that students who choose to drop a class will not be penalized against the six course drop limit. For students who receive an incomplete grade, the completion deadline has been extended to Dec. 10. The refund will not apply in that situation.
April 7, 2020
WEATHER/COVID-19 3
Stormy weather brings ‘wettest year to date’ Alex Ortuno
Assistant Editor With temperatures rising and flowers blooming, signaling the end of winter, another sign of spring is emerging across North Texas: stormy weather. Several days of on-and-off rainstorms and thunderstorms produced new records for the region, including a small tornadic event. Sarah Barnes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, said recent heavy showers stemmed from dynamic weather patterns developing since the beginning of the year. Although spring has been here just a couple of weeks, Barnes predicts more rainy and thunderous days ahead. “We have seen some severe weather with tornado season kind of ramping up now. We’ll probably see more in the months to come but we have had a couple of events up until this point,” she said. The rainfall in March already has contributed to what is a record-setting year thus far. According to Barnes, 2020 has been the wettest year to date. “At DFW Airport,” she said, “we’ve seen 15.63 inches of rain so that actually ranks it the wettest year to date.” “We’re sitting at about 6.75 inches of rain for just March alone. The record for March is actually 7.39 inches so, if we hit just under another inch of rain or another three-quarter of an inch, that definitely could be the wettest March on record.” Minor flooding also was reported across the region, but much of the flooding was not at extreme levels. “We haven’t seen any
Staff Graphic Alex Ortuno
catastrophic flooding by any means but definitely some minor flooding in areas that are prone to flooding to begin with,” she said. A small tornado outbreak happened on March 18 in counties farther away from the heart of Dallas Fort Worth. “We did see several areas of damage, particularly in our northwest counties like Young County, Wise County and Jack County,” she said. The band of seven tornadoes in the outbreak was considered relatively weak, registering as an EF0 to EF1 category with wind speeds from 80 to 110 mph. Nobody was killed during the storm, but
three injuries were reported in Young County, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Barnes said more rain is in the forecast and, since spring is usually “the stormiest time of the year” in North Texas, heavier storms are likely, too. “Severe weather season is now through probably around mid-June so we could see severe weather. We will definitely see more rain, especially in the next few days,” Barnes said. Barnes advised residents of North Central Texas to stay alert as the storm season develops.
“We’re going into the more active severe weather months so you’re going to want to be on the lookout, stay up to date with weather information because typically when we see the most severe weather, including tornadoes, is the next couple of months.” Now, with many North Texans being ordered to stay in their homes to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the changing weather adds a new wrinkle. “It’s just the time to be aware of the weather,” Barnes said, “especially if we’re going to be at home.”
for the coronavirus. He is currently serving time in New York for rape and sexual assault dating back to 2013. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office is still trying to extradite Weinstein from New York and filed a formal request on
March 23 to take temporary custody of Weinstein, but there has been no indication it has happened yet, according to The Associated Press. Weinstein was previously imprisoned at New York’s notorious Rikers Island, which has had a plethora of coronavirus cases. He was moved to the Wende Correctional Facility in Eerie County, New York, where two inmates tested positive for COVID-19, AP reported. Due to the highly contagious nature of the virus, five officers and two supervisors were isolated due to possible exposure. Weinstein was once held in high esteem publicly for winning prestigious honors ranging from an Academy Award as co-producer of “Shakespeare in Love” (1998) to seven Tony Awards, However, the disgraced former film producer’s name is now synonymous with the #MeToo movement. Weinstein is serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in New York. More than 80 women have made sexual assault allegations against him. News that he tested positive for COVID-19 didn’t win him much sympathy among some Richland students.
“Harvey Weinstein is seen as one of the lowest of the low. No one has the right to say that he deserves to have COVID-19 regardless of what he is. However, we can say that this is more punishment for him to pay for his sins,” said Ritchie Manalastas, a Richland student studying journalism. Some said that if Weinstein indeed is stricken with the coronavirus, that may be punishment enough considering his age and health. “At this critical time, I see no reason why [a] 68-year-old man who is infected with the virus should be left in prison. It worsens the case. Like I would usually tell people, ‘Right now, it can only get worse,’” said Judith Onojeghuo, a Richland journalism student. An analysis compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 80% of coronavirus deaths involved people 65 and older. Weinstein turned 68 on March 19. Weinstein is no stranger to ailments. After receiving a guilty verdict on March 11, Weinstein left court complaining of chest pains and high blood pressure. He is also dealing with the aftermath of a back surgery and other reported conditions.
Angela Ly
Staff Writer Harvey Weinstein’s L.A. trial is up in the air after the fallen movie mogul tested positive
Photo The Associated Press
Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan court for jury deliberations in his New York trial on Feb. 21.
RichlandStudentMedia.com
Harvey Weinstein indictment on hold during COVID-19
4 ENTERTAINMENT
April 7, 2020
‘The Hunt’ doesn’t deliver Ricky Miller Entertainment Editor I saw “The Hunt” at a press screening earlier this year before the COVID-19 epidemic took hold of our country. “The Hunt” is the latest from the Universal Pictures assembly line that is Blumhouse Productions. They were involved with “The Purge” franchise. They also did the surprisingly well-told “Happy Death Day” movies and last year’s awesome “Glass,” which finished the trilogy director M. Night Shyamalan started with “Unbreakable” in 2000. Usually, I do not like horror movies, but this one falls into the category of something I do like: sardonic tales that are very tongue-incheek and not to be taken too seriously. When it comes down to it, this is just an old-fashioned update of “The Most Dangerous Game,” wherein human beings are hunted down as the ultimate prey. It was a short story originally written by Richard Connell. It ran in Collier’s magazine in 1924. The main stars in “The Hunt,” are Betty Gilpin (“Stuber,” “Isn’t It Romantic”) as well as two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank (“Million Dollar Baby”). The duo engage in a plethora of witty banter and fisticuffs aplenty.
The top-billed stars of “The Hunt,” are Emma Roberts and Ike Barinholtz, but (spoiler alert) the duo exits stage left even before the end of the first act. Also enjoyable is Ethan Suplee from director Kevin Smith’s underrated “Mallrats” (1995). His character has a tough time with a “Magic Eye” painting and can’t find the hidden object in the portrait. Everyone sees the hidden image but him. Suplee looks slimmer and healthier in this movie. Also supporting is Amy Madigan from Walter Hill’s “Streets of Fire” (1984). In this one she co-owns a small store with her husband off of the beaten path. On a side note, but not to give anything away, there are a lot of dead bodies in “The Hunt,” but most of the deaths are interpreted as tongue in cheek. “The Hunt” should not be taken too seriously since the people in the flick are not people you would like to know in real life. They are evil personas you would not like to hang around with, hence just passers-by in the everyday world. “The Hunt” serves as a solid 90-minute time-waster that almost delivers. It’s available for digital download on Amazon. Grade C+
Hilary Swank in “The Hunt”.
Photo courtesy IMDb
“Overboard” (1987) – The great Garry
Marshall helmed this tale about a spoiled heiress, Joanna Stayton (Goldie Hawn), and her relationship with dad Dean Proffitt (Kurt Russell) and his brood of children.
B+
K.J. Apa, left, and Britt Robertson star in “I Still Believe.”
Photo courtesy IMDb
‘Believe’- chemistry without originality Sara Snyder
Staff Writer “I Still Believe” is a heartfelt love story that is lukewarm but mildly enjoyable. The film is a romantic-drama that follows the life of a young Christian music star, Jeremy Camp, played by K. J. Apa, and his love story with the girl of his dreams, Melissa Roxburgh (Britt Robertson). On his rise to a career as a Christian music superstar, Camp faces trouble at home with his beautiful new love. The movie opens with Camp leaving his house as he moves away to college. His disabled little brother is upset by him moving, and the way Camp comforts him immediately endears him to the audience. We see that he is the guy to root for as he settles into college life. One night he runs into Roxburgh at a concert and is immediately entranced. Camp then begins to emerge as a popular Christian musician, all the while building his romantic relationship with Roxburgh. Eventually she gets a grim diagnosis and the strength of their bond, and Camp’s faith, is tested. Co-directors Andrew and Jon Erwin did a fine job calling the shots. It was well edited. The directors didn’t take any big risks with this project but instead chose to go a safe route with a safer script. “I Still Believe” was written by Jon Erwin and Jon Gunn. It feels predictable but still
“The Hurt Locker” (2008) – Kathryn Bigelow
“Private Benjamin” (1980) – Goldie Hawn
A+
B-
is the only woman to ever receive an Academy Award for directing. She took the golden statuette home for the tale of a soldier (Jeremy Renner) who has an affinity for dismantling bombs in a war zone. Anthony Mackie and Guy Pearce co-star.
was Best Actress Oscarnominated as Judy Benjamin, who enlists in the Army. Supporter Eileen Brennan was also nominated for an Academy Award.
has convincing dialogue. The soundtrack was enjoyable and really added to the story. Apa and Robertson had good onscreen chemistry. That helped to sell the love story. They both did fine jobs with their performances. Apa showed his talent in singing and playing the guitar and was pretty impressive. It was also great to watch Gary Sinise, in the role of Camp’s father, and Shania Twain as his mother. One of the places where the movie fell flat for me was the pacing. Although it’s by no means a long movie, with a runtime of an hour and 53 minutes, it felt like it dragged. The pacing felt so slow that it was hard to stay interested in what was going on. While Camp and Roxburgh’s relationship seemed decent enough, their characters were very generic with little originality. None of the early scenes together were particularly memorable and didn’t feel unique to the characters. They’re both pretty flawless and not very relatable. While “I Still Believe” is a decent romanticdrama, it still did not have an emotional hold over me, which is vital to storytelling. I appreciated it, but wasn’t particularly moved by the story at any given time. Maybe the book the film was adapted from was able to go more in-depth into the story to really make the characters come to life, but the film lacked in that respect. “I Still Believe” is a well-made film that failed to tug at my heartstrings. It’s available for download at Amazon. Grade C
“The First Wives “From Prada to Nada” Club” (1996) – A group (2011) – This modern-day of friends (Diane Keaton, Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn) all bond over their cheating spouses. Directed by Hugh Wilson.
B-
update was inspired by Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility.” Two sisters (Camilla Belle and Alexa Vega) are forced to move from overseas to their aunt’s house. This was not necessarily a great movie, but it did not offend me in the very least.
—Ricky Miller
C+
April 7, 2020
CAMPUS 5
Professors Davenport a dynamic digging duo Dara Jones Staff Writer
Photos courtesy Daniel and Miranda Davenport
Daniel and Miranda Davenport deploy a drone to map the Richland-sponsored Little Egypt project located in Lake Highlands.
Reunion Colony,” Davenport said, referring to a short-lived settlement of French artisans founded in 1855 for which the Reunion area is named. The couple, who are both archaeologists, worked together on locating the trench network at the World War I Camp Bowie airfields, not to be confused with the street of the same name. The actual location of the trench network was not known but thought to be in the area of Benbrook, in Tarrant County near Fort Worth. Miranda used historic aerial photographs taken from the wing of a plane and was able to see that the trench network was near a railroad, a road and a river. The river had changed quite a bit since then, so she also used maps made by the Army Corps of Engineers, importing them as layers into her (GIS) software. After lining everything up, she discovered that there was
Camp Bowie World War I training camp circa 1917 near Benbrook southwest of modern-day Fort Worth.
only one place where the trenches could have been located. The area had been built up but borders on a golf course. “So, you can golf right off of the trench network. But the interesting thing about that is if, you know, heaven forbid, that if we ever had a tornado or anything come through, you could actually excavate that trench network and I’m certain you would be finding artifacts of buttons from uniforms and things like that,” she said. Daniel discovered that the camp was also used as a training area for the Canadian military, which came to make use of Texas’ warmer winter climate. He also found that in 1917/18, an Army mortar team had a training accident that killed seven people. “What they did was they double fed a mortar. They had one that was a dud when they dropped it in the tube, and they dropped
Soldiers stand outside the medical supply depot at Camp Bowie circa 1917.
another live one on top of it,” Daniel said. Hazards weren’t limited to the training battlefield. Airplanes during that time were made from delicate, painted canvas which could be ripped. “Yes, in fact it was just as dangerous just to fly and land in peace time as it was to fly during wartime at that point because of the way that the aircrafts were constructed,” he said. The two documented their research in a paper called “Cowboys to Doughboys.” Closer to home, Daniel began teaching at Richland and started working with Drs. Siegle and Sullivan on the Little Egypt Project which entailed excavating a historic AfricanAmerican community in Lake Highlands. The team needed expensive survey equipment to map the finds but had a limited budget and were using pen and paper instead. He suggested Miranda bring her expertise in (GIS) to the project. “Oh yeah, of course, I can do that. That would be very easy to do, and I could even expand on it,” she said. She soon met with Tim Sullivan and volunteered to join the project. She and Daniel borrowed a friend’s drone and nailed colored paper plates into the ground to take aerial photos of the dig which Miranda aligned with the team’s other research to map their finds. Due to advances in drone technology, they were able to get results comparable to expensive archeological survey equipment for a fraction of the cost. “When I’m not doing the (GIS) I have the fun of digging because you know there’s nothing more fun than being able to dig a hole in the ground, in my opinion,” she said. Students who’d like to join the Davenports on the Little Egypt Project or sign up for their history or geography classes, can contact danieldavenport@dcccd.edu for details. The Davenports’ entire interview is available at richlandstudentmedia.com/davenport.
RichlandStudentMedia.com
Some couples take cruises together. Some ride their bikes. Miranda and Daniel Davenport use research, drones, photographs and maps to find vanished communities. When the Richland College professors met at the gym, Miranda, an adjunct geology professor, was a licensed paramedic and Daniel, an adjunct history professor was professional military. He attended the fire academy and was certified as an emergency medical technician. “If you do meet in the gym, you automatically know that you’re not going to look worse than that when you have no makeup on and are hot and sweaty and have been working out,” Miranda said. After they married, an injury cut short Daniel’s career. “I decided I wanted to go back to school and get a bachelor’s degree, so I could teach history, the one thing I really kind of like,” he said. He attended UTA and went on to get his Master of Arts in History. Miranda joined him there to get her Master of Science in Geospatial Information Sciences (GIS). Daniel worked at a local community resource management (CRM) firm for two years. CRM firms help locate and preserve historic archaeological assets affected by construction projects. He worked on a project called “Reinternment of the Scott Family Cemetery,” which was located near the Trinity River. The forgotten cemetery was discovered in an area slated for development that had been previously owned by the Scott family in 1903. More recently, the area had fallen into neglect as a dumping place. For the project, ground penetrating radar, ground plats and old maps were used to locate the individuals, then excavate and reintern them with relatives at a local Dallas cemetery. “Coincidentally, one of the daughters of Jack Scott married into the Santerre family, which is one of the original families of the La
6 CAMPUS/GAMES
April 7, 2020
Succeed in classes with online tutoring CHRONICLE Richland
STUDENT MEDIA LEADERS
Emeritus Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Design Editor Assistant Editor Copy Editor Entertainment Editor Layout Editor Photo Editor Sports Photo Editor Online/Special Projects Online/Special Projects
Adrienne Aguilar Jack Ramirez Bernal Barbara Gandica Martinez Alex Ortuno Joyce Jackson Ricky Miller Dara Jones Jonathan Lin M. Daniel Mbega Ndoumou Damon Craig Ryan Bingham Duff
ON THE COVER Electronic sign in front of Richland College off of Abrams Rd. and Flickering Shadow Dr. entrance. Photo courtesy: Jack Fletcher
BACK COVER Staff Illustration: Barbara Gandica Martinez
COVER AND FONTS Certain cover fonts are provided by the following www.nymfont.com – www.bvfonts.com
STUDENT MEDIA STAFF
Barbara Gandica Martinez
Design Editor Many students would rather be in sitting in their classrooms than at home in their pajamas trying to keep up with their studies online. “A lot of students prefer on-campus courses because it’s [where] they learn the best – in a physical place interacting with real live people,” said John Daniels, senior manager of instructional support at Richland. But now, due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has forced tens of millions of Americans to stay home away from their jobs and schools, students “are kind of pushed into this environment of remote instruction and that is disorienting for them” Daniels said. “We want to encourage them to persist, to be patient. We are here to help them, and we are on this steep learning curve together,” he said. As Richland shifts to an online teaching
environment for the foreseeable future and students adjust to the new system, some might feel lost in their courses. But Daniels said students should realize that the tutoring services that were available before the campus shut down remain available online. Daniels began creating an online support environment for students before the local and state officials started taking measures to fight the spread of COVID-19, as part of the one-college transition that will unite all the campuses of the district. “We’ve been moving slowly in the direction of getting online support in place for students,” Daniels said, noting that the online services will remain in place once the public health crisis ends. “But this new reality really required us to accelerate that." The Richland Online Tutoring Lab simulates, through eCampus, the same one-onone tutoring available in person at Richland. The platform is divided into the same core
Staff Illustration Barbara Gandica Martinez
subjects. The Online Tutoring Lab gives students access to the flexible Collaborate Ultra rooms where tutors are available to answer academic questions. Here’s how it works:how it works: Openhours for tutoring services are listed within the tab of each core subject. Students are asked for their student ID number and the course they need help with when entering the online Collaborate Ultra rooms. There, tutors will be available to answer academic questions through voice callswhile their Blackboard rooms are open. To access tutoring services, students should go to the Community tab at the top of the eCampus webpage. There, they can search for Richland Online Tutoring on the Organization Search box on the left of the screen. After pressing Go, students can enroll in Tutoring Services, which will be available within the student’s Community tab after that.
New horizons for ‘Animal Crossing’ RichlandStudentMedia.com
Fernanda Pargas
Staff Writer Nintendo released “Animal Crossing: New Horizons,” the latest version of its “Animal Crossing” social simulation video game series on March 20. As a fan of the franchise, I anxiously awaited the release since it was first announced in June 2019. On the day of the release, I was not completely sure what to expect. Nintendo had been teasing the fans with little clips of gameplay highlighting new features. The clips let me know it would be different from the rest of the franchise. In the opening scene, Tom Nook, a business-savvy Tanuki, welcomes players to the beach of a deserted island. Nook, owner of Nook Inc., powers the island’s economy and his connections bring different businesses to the island as well as new villagers. He is everyone’s landlord. It is important to mention that he does not charge interest for mortgage payments in the game. As a gamer, you spend your first day picking
a place for your tent, introducing yourself to the two other villagers and learning how to craft tools, such as a fishing rod or an ax. Crafting is a new feature in the franchise. In the earlier games, your world was limited to the items that other villagers and shops brought to your town. In “New Horizons,” however, there is much more customization and freedom in what you can do with the game items. You can build your own furniture with the island’s resources and design your own clothing. The island is yours for customization. You can also explore Mystery Islands with Dodo Airlines, run by Orville and Wilbur, cleverly named after the Wright Brothers. Mystery Islands allow you to take unlimited resources for crafting. Every island that you explore has different resources. On some islands, you might come across a villager who can be convinced to move to your island after a couple of conversations. Be careful, though, because once you leave the island, Wilbur will trash the flight plans so that you may never return.
David Acosta Bernard Cheatham Dave Freeman Nabeela Iqbal Angela Ly Marcellus Martinez Natalia Pineda Fernanda Pargas
Bryan Pham Thinh Pham Glen Pierre Adina Ramirez Orlando Silva Sara Snyder Mubeena Wahaj Jerry Weiss
STUDENT MEDIA ADVISERS Erica Edwards
Tim Jones
Jack Fletcher
Larry Ratliff
Meg Fullwood
Karin Matz
James Ragland
ISSUE DATES April 14
April 28
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April 21
STUDENT MEDIA AWARDS Student Organization Community Service Award, 2019 Student Organization ofMEDIA the Year, 2019 STUDENT AWARDS CMA Pinnacle Two-Year TV Station Award, 2018 Student Organization Community Service Award, 2019 CMA Two-Year Radio Station Award, 2018 Student Organization of the Year, 2019 ACP Newspaper Pacemaker Winner Award, 2016 CMA Pinnacle Two-Year TV Station Award, 2018 ACP Best of Show Award, 2015 CMA Two-Year Radio Station Award, 2018 ACP Photo Excellence Award, 2015 ACP Newspaper Pacemaker Winner Award, 2016 CMA Newspaper of the Year Finalist, 2014 ACP Best of Show Award, 2015 1st Place – TCCJA Overall General Excellence, 2014 ACP Photo Excellence Award, 2015 2nd Place – Pinnacle College Media Award, 2014 CMA Newspaper of the Year Finalist, 2014 1st Place – TIPA Sweepstakes, 2005 1st Place – TCCJA Overall General Excellence, 2014 3rd Place – TIPA Online, 2005 & 2006 2nd Place – Pinnacle College Media Award, 2014 Over 270 Texas college journalism awards since 2000 1st Place – TIPA Sweepstakes, 2005 3rd Place – TIPA Online, 2005 & 2006 Over CONTACT 270 Texas collegeINFORMATION journalism awards since 2000 El PasoCONTACT Hall, Room E020,INFORMATION 12800 Abrams Rd., Dallas 75243 Newsroom: 972-238-6079; richlandchronicle@gmail.com El Paso Hall, Room E020, 12800 Abrams Rd., Dallas 75243 Advertising: 972-238-6068 Email: Advertise@dcccd.edu Newsroom: 972-238-6079; richlandchronicle@gmail.com Advertising: 972-238-6068 Email: Advertise@dcccd.edu
Image Courtesy Nintendo
Fernanda Pargas’ islanders created for her game file in “Animal Crossings: New Horizons.”
These new features make gameplay more dynamic and it truly feels like you’re enjoying life on a peaceful island. This game is perfect for those who like to indulge in escapism. The game is not driven by plot or action, but by the player’s own imagination. From talking to the friendly villagers to angling a fish, you will always be captivated by what the island has to offer. Grade: A
Staff meetings: Monday and Wednesday at 2 p.m. in E020 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 2020
April 7, 2020
MUSIC/SPORTS 7
KDUX Unplugged is looking to feature local musicians
Damon Craig Online/Special Projects Richland’s KDUX Web Radio is issuing a call for entries to all musicians, students and local talent alike, to submit videos of their performances for inclusion in “KDUX Unplugged: The Quaransessions.” The series is the idea of Student Media adviser Jack B. Fletcher, who hopes to bring a little fun to those sheltering in place. Originally an in-studio radio series in which students and local musicians could showcase their talents, “KDUX Unplugged” has been adapted to meet new demands as students,
Photo Courtsey KDUX WebRadio
faculty and staff transition to an online-only format. “This is totally informal,” Fletcher said. “It’s meant to be a fun way for others to share their craft – to share some joy in a time of uncertainty.” The best part? Musicians don’t have to be professional recording artists or even have an elaborate set-up to participate. “There are no guidelines. I am not going to require any kind of equipment. All they would need is a smartphone or camcorder to record a video of themselves,” Fletcher said. The only criteria is that the video must have been shot since Dallas County began sheltering in place on March 16.
NASCAR races go virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic
Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead sang the national anthem from a remote location. Troy Aikman, borrowing Matthew McConaughey›s trademark phrase “All right, all right, all right,” commanded drivers to start their, uh, simulators. NASCAR’s new normal resumed March 29 with another virtual event, the second in an iRacing series thrown together after the coronavirus pandemic stopped nearly all sports. NASCAR’s 36-race season was suspended four events into the year. Timmy Hill won the virtual race at Texas Motor Speedway, where a highlight came when Daniel Suarez was parked by iRacing officials for intentionally trying — but failing — to crash Ty Dillon. Hill is considered among the top competitors in iRacing, a subscriptionbased gaming platform. His virtual victory was his 674th in the game. Fox Sports again used its team of Mike Joy and Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon to call the race, which was aired both on Fox in some markets and nationwide on its cable channel. The first iRacing event, March 19, drew 903,000 viewers to Fox Sports One and was the most-watched eSports event in U.S. history, bettering the 770,000 viewers Mortal Combat drew to The CW in 2016. That led Fox to offer affiliates the option to air the Texas virtual race on broadcast. Those who tuned in watched a live video game of 35 NASCAR racers competing at an
exact replica of Texas Motor Speedway, where the series was scheduled to be held before the coronavirus shutdown. Fox was able to obtain feeds of drivers racing on simulators everywhere from their bedrooms, basements, garages and, in the case of last week›s winner, Denny Hamlin›s living room. Clint Bowyer was the in-race reporter again, but when the booth cut to him to ask about an early race incident, he gave a quick update and shooed Joy and Gordon away. “You guys are bothering me, sorry,”Bowyer said. Alex Bowman again entertained fans via social media with commentary, including his tweet, “I just virtually drove through somebody,” after a wreck. Bowman also missed his pit stall, was speeding on pit road, bemoaned his need for a snack and ultimately declared,“I’m a disaster.” Chase Elliott, racing in striped socks, posted a video during a commercial break of his feet working the pedals. Michael McDowell talked fans through his pit decisions. With racing on hold and drivers desperate to give exposure to their teams and sponsors, Hill’s virtual victory gave the NASCAR journeyman a rare live opportunity to thank his sponsors, the staple speech of any successful racer. The Texas event was done with a fixed setup. Drivers used varying levels of rigs. Hamlin’s, at more than $40,000, is one of the most
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North Texas Food Bank For food assitance call 1-855-719-7627 or 214-269-0906 https://ntfb.org/the-north-texasfood-banks-response-to-covid-19/ Find a food pantry near youhttps://ntfb.org/our-programs/getfood-assistance/find-a-food-pantry/ SNAP benefits- not everyone qualifies and benefits do not begin immediately https://yourtexasbenefits.hhsc. texas.gov/programs/snap
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Photo Courtesy Texas Motor Speedway
Timmy Hill wins O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series at Texas Motor Speedway on March 29.
advanced in the field, with motion sensors and premium technology. Alternatively, Fox showed Garrett Smithley racing with a wheel and a computer at a desk, under a framed poster of Richard Petty, in what appeared to be Smithley›s bedroom. With nothing else to do, Texas track President Eddie Gossage tweeted live during the race, joking he was going to bill Christopher Bell for virtually tearing up the grass and paint with a spin through the infield. Gossage also continued Texas’ tradition of awarding mid-race prizes to fans — even though his speedway is currently closed. -The Associated Press
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline- 1-800-273-8255 Stress and coping- https:// www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019ncov/prepare/managingstress-anxiety.html Mental Health Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic- https://www. activeminds.org/about-mentalhealth/be-there/coronavirus/
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Issac Riley singing “Fusion Candle” during “KDUX Unplugged.”
While the program is titled “KDUX Unplugged,” don’t be thrown by the name. Submissions are open to “all genres, all styles, all instruments; whatever. It can be one song, or five,” Fletcher said. Electronic instruments can be submitted along with band videos produced since March 16. While original work is encouraged, most submissions are fair game. “If they want to do a cover, or a pianist wants to do a standard piece, that’s cool,” Fletcher said. The only restriction is lipsynched submissions, which will not be considered. “[I] don’t think it needs to be said, but no lip-synched studio-produced songs,” he said. The submission process is reasonably straightforward and can be done either through email, with a Google Docs link, or uploaded through YouTube with a link provided. Understanding that people will be working with different types of technology and varying degrees of experience, Fletcher wants to make the submission process convenient for everyone. “File format doesn’t matter. I am aiming for the simplest way,” he said. Submissions are open to performers with all degrees of talent. There are no restrictions – just an interest in providing a little entertainment for the folks at home. Submit videos to jfletcher@dcccd.edu. To view “KDUX Unplugged” performances and other KDUX Web Radio and Chronicle TV productions, visit RichlandStudentMedia.com
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April 7, 2020
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