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WORK STUDY/ QUARENTINE

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sfcc.eliza.matelich@gmail.com CHANGE IN WORK STUDY JOBS

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CHANGES IN WS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC.

MARISA WEST

COMMUNICATOR

Many students rely on a form of financial aid to pay for college tuition. While some just use grants and loans to pay for college, others use the Work study Program for additional funds. Work Study is part of the financial aid department, but it functions like a job for the different departments of the school.

“The Work Study Program (WS) provides the opportunity for students to earn money while gaining work experience,” the Spokane Falls Community College website said. “Students gain valuable job experience and an opportunity to evaluate their program of study and career goals. Work study is not a grant; you must work to earn it.”

It performs just like a traditional job and pay rates may vary between jobs. The most common job opportunities are available on campus, but because of COVID-19 some former restrictions and requirements have been adjusted to accommodate the ever changing campus.

One of the requirements, before early 2020, was that all work had to be completed on campus. With the pandemic shutting down the campus and later restricting it, work study jobs have had to accommodate regulations and allow students to work remotely.

“My degree is in the tech industry so the transition to online hasn’t been all that difficult,” Matt Evens said. “However meeting people online just doesn’t have that same human element as meeting them in person does.”

“Communication is much more difficult when not in-person,” Dane Washington, a philosophy tutor, said. While keeping COVID-19 from spreading through the campus, the restrictions have affected the feeling of the campus differently than before. Even the student jobs have taken a toll.

“I find it more fulfilling to sit next to somebody as we both brainstorm ideas on how to make a paper better or drag up all that Econ knowledge that I haven’t used in years to try and explain some principles that they’re confused on,” Evens said. “So while mechanically doing the job hasn’t really increased in difficulty, the barrier that COVID has erected between people has

COMMUNICATOR | MARISA WEST Central point for work study and admissions offices

sure seemed to drop morale.”

Some tutors feel that tutoring doesn’t feel different.

“I was in WS last year before COVID, the WS isn’t the different part, it is the tutoring techniques that are changing,” Washington said.

The pandemic has changed the campus in so many ways, but at its core the work study program is still in place to assist students with paying for college while getting experience. Work study jobs are available every quarter. Results from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, will inform you if you qualify.

PASSING TIME

NEW HOBBIES USED BY STUDENTS

CORBIN WILLMORTH

COMMUNICATOR

With all of the time that everyone now has, what are we doing with it?

The World Health Organization classified the COVID-19 virus as a pandemic in March of 2020. Soon after, multiple state governors across the US had declared state-wide quarantines. Everyone was required to stay indoors and not leave the house except for essential reasons such as work or getting groceries.

When the quarantine first started, most people around the nation and the world were unsure what to do. Looking at social media during this time, people either had their world turned upside down because they were always outside socializing or they practically lived indoors and this quarantine hadn’t affected their daily routine.

Once the trend of things such as ‘quarantine projects’ had begun, people suddenly realized that one thing they could do to pass the time was to pick up a hobby.

In the year that has passed since the quarantine began, people have ultimately found ways to spend that time. Video games, house plants, sourdough starts, binging the latest documentaries about murderous owners of tiger habitats, etc. We may know what activities are the most popular amongst the people at large, but what are some activities that are being favored by students?

“When it was still warm outside, I was doing a lot of bird watching,” said student

ILLUSTRATION | MARISA WEST

Rachel Douglas, “Now that it’s colder, I’ve started to really enjoy cooking.”

“Film photography,” said student Jarrett Hunt, “Been developing some film at home to pass the time.”

“I have started drawing, when not busy with school work,” said student Cerissa Leach.

“Playing a lot of chess,” student, Ilya Alekseevd said. “Writing a book on my daily life and realizing that it will take years to write [and] studying my human rights book a lot, this pandemic showed how corrupt the system really is!”

“Yoga and audiobooks,” said student Janae Carrothers, “Lots of self-development and reflection.”

Reading, cooking, art, and exercise appear to be the most notable quarantine activities amongst SFCC students.

DATING DURING COVID-19 CRISIS

HOW TO PLAN SAFE AND PRACTICAL DATES

Corbin Willmorth COMMUNICATOR

When it comes to dating in quarantine, it can be best summed up as some success, some shortcomings, and a lot of small victories. Prior to the pandemic, finding a date couldn’t have been any easier. In the last decade alone, the giant boom in dating apps has made finding a date as simple as a swipe right or left. Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid, Hinge, even Facebook now has their own dating program. In the year that has followed the beginning of the pandemic, finding a date is easy. It’s the act of dating itself that is the hard part. Many options for dates, such as movie theatres, restaurants, coffee shops, and museums to name a few, aren’t available anymore.

According to writer Sophie St. Thomas, when one considers a potential partner for compatibility, people tend to look at their hobbies, common interests, and politics.

“A new item to add to that list would be you and your partner’s approach to COVID-19 safety,” Thomas said. It used to be that typical conversation starters were along the lines of ‘What do you like to do in your free time,’ Now, typical conversation starters are along the lines of ‘Do you always wear a mask,’ and ‘Do you think this is all a hoax, or do you trust in science?’

As far as dates go, people have found ways to work around meeting in person. Texting, streaming a movie over a screen-sharing program such as Discord, and preparing similar meals over video chat are just to name a few. As far as meeting in person, some popular ideas include a socially distant walk in the park, picnics, hikes, kayaking/ canoeing, and going to a flea/farmers’ market.

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health says that dating in the pandemic is safe, provided people follow certain guidelines:

Ask yourself “Which protocols are non-negotiable?” (mask-wearing and safe distance). Consider outside activities vs. an indoor date and contact level you want to have. Consider getting tested prior to meeting in person.

Let’s say that after video chatting and going on walks for so long, you feel ready to get intimate with said partner. Are there ways of making sure you and your partner stay safe? Dr. Abraar Karan of Harvard Medical School told NPR that you should approach COVID the same way you would approach a sexually transmitted disease.

“Nothing can guarantee that you are fully safe, but this is the best way to think about risk reduction,” said Karan.

Other doctors such as Theresa Tham, Canada’s chief public health officer, recommend that you should always wear a mask and avoid kissing, which one primary mode of passing on any illness is via mouth-to-mouth activities.

Though wearing masks does reduce the risk of inhaling viral particles, it’s hard to measure effectiveness. That said, it may be best to avoid intimate activities for now at least.

ASHLEY JACOBSON | ILLUSTRATION Social distanced dates are popularduring the pandemic, away to lower risk of exposure.

GROCERY STORES

THE ESSENTIAL WORKERS WE DON’T TALK ABOUT

Eliza Matelich COMMUNICATOR

Grocery stores have been proven to be vital during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they have had to make some major changes to how they operate during these times.

Some people may argue that grocery store workers deserve the vaccine sooner because they work around so many people and because they are vital to helping people get the food they need. In an interview with a local Safeway employee, Olivia Joslyn who has worked there for six and a half months gave her thoughts on the vaccine rollout and change in hours. “My hours have increased a lot and I have gotten a lot of overtime,” Joslyn said. “I am signed up to get the vaccine through Safeway in the near future. I think I should get the vaccine before most people because I come in contact with hundreds of people a day and not only would it protect me it would protect all of the people I come in contact with each day.”

There are three main phases for the vaccine, phase 1a which gives vaccine access to healthcare personnel, phase 1b (see below), and phase 1c which includes people aged 65-74 years and people aged 16-64 years with underlying medical conditions .

Grocery store workers are in phase 1b to get the vaccine along with these workers according to the CDC website discussing the vaccine rollout. “Fire fighters, police officers, corrections officers, food and agricultural workers, United States Postal Service workers, manufacturing workers... public transit workers, and those who work in the educational sector,” The CDC website said.

Joslyn also mentioned the changes Safeway has had to make to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“We cannot bag groceries for customers with reusable bags, we must clean our check stands every two hours, we have to get our temperature checked before each shift,” Joslyn said. “And during the peak of covid we had to limit items per customer... each customer was only allowed two packages of disinfecting wipes.”

On Safeway’s website, they discuss the vaccine, its price and how soon it is coming to their stores.

“We are currently immunizing based on state and local health department direction,” Safeway’s website said. “Immunizations will be available at no costs to patients.”

Grocery stores are very important to our lives, and following state mandated guidelines will help everyone to keep safe and allow more people to have access to groceries at the same time.

CORBIN WILLMORTH | COMMUNICATOR A Safeway employee walks to collect carts outside the storefront.

NEWS

PHOTO | Marisa West SUB building offers many differenet student services including jobs and scholarships for students.

INTERNSHIPS

CURRENT STEM OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE LOCALLY

Shyla Jensen COMMUNICATOR

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) students have many opportunities for internships in Spokane and the surrounding areas. There are lots of different ways to find internships.

Internships available in the area can be found online, a few websites that we found include jobilize.com, joblift. com, glassdoor.com and talent.com.

“SpokaneSTEM might be a good place to reach out to,” Asa Bradley of the physics department said. “They work mostly with K-12 schools, but they may know some good college programs.”

Other places to look are the WA Department of Transportation and the National Park Services who often have summer opportunities.

Common requirements for an internship in these industries are for students that are currently enrolled in a technical discipline at a 4-year college. Common requirements are an immense knowledge in methodologies for the specific area of study, and targeted towards students approaching their junior year and students with availability within those certain time frames. However, these requirements vary between internships.

“With STEM internships students should be aware of a few things: Necessity for personal transportation, sometimes not paid, housing if outside of where a person lives (Pullman), if with the government, may need a background check and proof of citizenship or permanent residency, may need a few quarters of 100+ level college education in math or other skills for the internship (lab work, English, etc), STEM can also include health – may need background check if working with patients/elders/ children,” Janae Carrothers, MESA director at Spokane Falls Community College said.

SFCC FOOD PANTRY

AVAILABLE TO ANY STUDENTS IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE

Ashley Jacobson COMMUNICATOR

The life of a college student is already stressful. After the difficulties of the past year, the last thing most students need is to go hungry. Students dealing with food insecurity or struggling to feed their families can apply to the food pantry at SFCC. Students can find the sign up form under the For Our Students > Student Resources tab on the school website.

“The food pantry assists over 1,000 students per quarter,” according to the SFCC website.

In order to sign up, candidates must be currently enrolled at SFCC and provide two forms of ID (student ID and an additional ID that verifies the student’s address). The food pantry is located in Building 17, Room 139, and is currently open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Due to Covid-19, changes have been made in order to optimize safety while still helping those in need. First of all, students no longer need to enter the building to collect their orders.

“While orders are being handled, we always wear masks and clean gloves,” said Sarah Knowles, the Food Pantry Director. “All [students] have to do is fill out a form by Sunday night to pick up their order the following Tuesday.”

All pickups are done on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Other changes ensure that students are having their needs met.

“Due to Covid, we no longer have a weight limit for orders,” said Knowles. “Under normal circumstances there is a 15 pound weight limit, and students can only pick up three times per quarter. Now students can pick up twice per month with no weight limit.

Unfortunately, the food pantry is not currently taking any volunteers per Covid protocols, however, anyone wishing to donate is welcome at any time. To set up a donation drop off, students can park in Parking Lot 1 on the SFCC campus on any Tuesday between 10 am and 5 pm and call 509.533.4198 to notify the food pantry

There are plenty of other resources in Spokane for food, shelter, and clothing. On the SFCC website, students can find plenty of shelters, food pantries, and organizations that help people in need. Some of these include Our Sister’s Closet, an organization that provides professional clothing and personal hygiene products to women entering the workforce. The City Gate is a church that provides food and clothing, as well as physical and spiritual aid. No one is required to attend services in order to receive help. For more resources, students can check out the Community Resource Directory on the SFCC website.

PHOTO | Corbin Willmorth SFCC food pantry prepares for orders to be picked up Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Place your order online if you are a student in need of assistance.

SFCC STREET NAME CHANGE

HEROINE OF TODAY FINALLY RECIEVES HONOR.

Marisa West COMMUNICATOR

Fort George Wright Drive was changed after a street name application was sent to the Spokane City council. The name change was approved by city council in early February, 2021.

The former street name was named after Col. George Wright of the United States Army. He was stationed at Fort Walla Walla in 1858 and served in the eastern Washington and northern Idaho regions.

“Fort George Wright was named for the Colonel as a reminder of the ‘pacification’ of the Inland Empire,” Lee Nilsson said in their article for Spokane Historical. “In the 1990s an unsuccessful effort was made to re-name Fort George Wright Drive, the road the fort sits upon, to a more culturally sensitive Native American name. The fort itself has escaped these efforts.”

His mission was to conquer the native people of the area, which earned him his title of Colonel. He destroyed crops and killed horses during attacks causing a shortage of food and starvation for the Native people. At a Latah Creek camp Wright allowed Qualchan, the sub Chief of a Yakama territory, his two sons and his wife, Whist-alks.

Qualchan entered the camp on the belief that there would be peace talks, but instead he was placed in a mock like trial and later hung in front of his wife. Qualchan was the first of many who were hung by Wright in what was later called Hangman Valley.

The street name change application was submitted to rename the street and remember the lives that were taken and effected, and remove the name of a man who killed so many in the name of hate.

“We want to honor the Spokane tribal women of our families today,” said in an article for Whist-alks Way Women Warrior Then and Now. “We honor the female warriors who fight daily to protect and preserve our culture, our lifeways, our families, our lands, our environment, and our Tribe.”

The city of Spokane has changed this road to Whistalks Way in honor of Whist-alks and for the woman warriors who went into battle for their people, and preservation of their land and culture. COMMUNICATOR | DEREK TRESNER Fort George Wright drive changes to Whistalks Way as history rights a wrong.

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