Apr 30, 2020 (51.7) by SFCC Communicator

The

Volume 51 Issue 7 April 30, 2020 - May 21, 2020

ommunicator Spokane Falls Community College

CORONAVIRUSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; AFFECT ON THE ARTS | PAGE 5 TECH, FOOD AND FINANCIAL HELP AVAILABLE TO YOU | PAGES 3-4

FROM OUT OF THE PARK TO OUT OF A SEASON | PAGE 8

CONTENTS

The Communicator · 04.29.2020

Page 2

SFCC INSTRUCTOR FEATURED IN FUNDRAISING MUSIC VIDEO NEWS 3 EMERGENCY AID & RESOURCES 4 TECHNOLOGY FOR CLASS

FEATURES 5 CARING ABOUT COVID-19 6 WORK-LIFE BALANCE

A&E

7 EFFECTS ON THE ARTS

SPORTS 8 BASEBALL, SPORTS PUT ON HOLD

Courtesy of YouTube

SFCC piano instructor Rosi Guerrero, with daughter Reanna, made a cameo in a music video for band Major Lazer that was just released globally last week. It showed people uniting all around the world through music to fight the coronavirus together. “Music therapy is incredibly important, especially now,” Guerrero said. “Lay Your Head On Me” by Major Lazer ft. Marcus Mumford is available on YouTube and is part of a fundraiser for COVID-19 relief.

Find us on Facebook at: TheFallsCommunicator

Visit our website at communicatoronline.org

Staff members may be contacted at: SFCC.firstname.lastname@gmail.com

OUR STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ollie Fisher MANAGING EDITOR Allison Manion Ollie Fisher

Jillian Rockford

Allison Manion

Johnathan Curley

Micah Thompson

Amber Gallagher

Lindsey Treffry

Parleen Kaur

This could be YOU!

ADVISER Lindsey Treffry REPORTERS Johnathan Curley Amber Gallagher Parleen Kaur Jillian Rockford Micah Thompson

WANT TO JOIN THE COMMUNICATOR STAFF? Any SFCC student is welcome to join our staff by enrolling in College Newspaper Production I (JOURN 101). No previous experience is required.

communicatoronline.org

News

04.30.2020

The Communicator

How student life is affected by COVID-19 Spring quarter’s all-online classes pose new challenges for students, teachers alike Parleen Kaur

The Communicator In compliance with the governor, the Community Colleges of Spokane have moved all the classes online this spring quarter 2020. Both sister colleges have been seen providing the utmost support to students with the resources to access this quarter online. Lorella Erriu, a student at SFCC, said, “We are facilitated by free laptops and hotspots, two times food pantry per month and free access to books.” The Global Education CCS team is trying their best to make overseas students feel home and safe here. Numerous international students went back home to be with their families in this harsh time and they are still continuing to study with CCS. Since the majority of the classes are online, the colleges decided to supply the provision of

Courtesy of CCS Global Education Team

Students line up for the open-air farmer’s market/food pantry at SFCC’s campus.

peer tutoring through Canvas. The CCS team is always available to the students during office hours. Teachers are playing a remarkable role by being available to students frequently and also by offering some of them free access to books. Certainly, the school is trying

their best by persistent interesting Zoom sessions with the students. “I miss going to school, as I wanted to join various clubs to have fun in spring quarter,” said Katiana Denis. Students also seem to worry about labs, however, SFCC is providing them with online access.

For more info about CCS services during COVID-19, follow the QR code link. Moreover, CCS is helping with financial emergency aid to in-need students. With this aid, students can focus on their academic performance. “We will get through this, and I can’t wait for summer,” said Erriu.

$35,000 donation aids students for spring CCS Foundation allots more money to be awarded Jillian Rockford The Communicator A business owner, who prefers to remain anonymous, has donated $35,000 to the Community Colleges of Spokane Foundation. The money that was donated went into the Project Finish Line fund. The Community Colleges of Spokane Foundation created the Project Finish Line in March of this year. The fund started out with $30,000 before the anonymous donation. Emergency aid is available for students who have gone through financial loss, illness, natural disaster, accidents, eviction, death of a family member or the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Emergency aid from the fund can help students pay for essential services and utilities as well as necessary supplies for school. Students are still able to apply for

sfcc.parleen.kaur@gmail.com

emergency aid through the CCS Foundation’s website, as well as through SFCC’s own emergency funding request form. The requirements to apply include the following: Complete at least one quarter of classes, be in good academic standing, be a current student and fill out the budget form within the application. No back balances will be paid, and all awards are processed by Financial Aid. Project Finish Line has allocated $150 per student. If awarded, students can use this money to purchase laptops for online classes. When applying, students should note that they need to reference a specific need for a computer to finish their classes in the application. Preference is given to students who are in their second year of school. A letter of recommendation from a faculty member is encouraged, but it is not

required. Students can also use this money to receive a laptop through Xfinity’s Internet Essentials plan. The Internet Essentials plan does require students to have no outstanding debt with Comcast. The plan also requires students to be on any form of public assistance. Students who are eligible for the Essentials plan must live in an area where Comcast internet is available. Students must have no existing internet access for the past 90 days. Xfinity’s Internet Essentials plan costs $10 a month minimum. Most students have had no issues with applying for emergency funding. “I applied with a super easy application that I accessed from an email,” said Amanda Tomatich, a Spokane Falls Community College student who applied for emergency funding. “The communication between the school and the program was very fast and informative. I re-

sfcc.jillian.rockford1@gmail.com

ceived money the next week when I received my financial aid.”

Links to both CCS Foundation and SFCC emergency funding applications

www.communicatoronline.org

News

04.30.2020

The Communicator

Accessing technology during COVID-19 WiFi, computers more important now than ever; here’s how to get them Ollie Fisher The Communicator With all of the student body confined to their homes due to COVID-19, it is imperative to have access to technology in order to do classwork and access websites like Canvas and ctcLink. For those lacking access to WiFi, printing services, or technology such as laptops, The Communicator is here to help. The ASG at SFCC has allocated funds to buy more laptops to rent out to students for the duration of this quarter. Sharon Brown, a library staff member, said SFCC had 99 laptops available, with 60 more on their way from ASG. At a cost of about $70,000, the laptops are being expedited to get into the hands of students, said Kevin Robinson, ASG’s director of Outdoor Programming. The specifications of this new laptop fleet are intended to be just as good, if not a bit better, than the available laptops, Robinson said. These new laptops should now be available for renting, if the timeline Robinson gave wasn’t delayed at all. Robinson said the funding for the laptops came out of ASG’s budget, divided up between the technology fee charged as part of tuition and ASG’s own programming and contingency funds. Currently, there isn’t another plan to buy more laptops if this fleet is completely rented out, as ASG has exhausted their available funds, Robinson said. If they were to pull together more funds, it would have to go through another process and most likely would take longer to acquire. There are, however, other options if students aren’t able to rent a laptop from the library. Something to use to get by this quarter would be the HP Chromebook 14, available at Best Buy for $249. It has built-in cloud support, meaning files will be automatically uploaded to Google Drive for easy access, and it is also incredibly light and slim at just 3.4 pounds

sfcc.ollie.fisher@gmail.com

Courtesy of CCS Global Education Team

Students pick up laptops and WiFi hotspots from the lobby of SCC’s library for online classes during spring quarter.

and 0.7 inches thin, according to Best Buy’s website. At this price, however, it only comes with 32 gigabytes of memory (equivalent to that of current generation smartphones), and runs on Chrome’s operating system, which may not be compatible with other programs. Another good option is the Microsoft Surface Go, priced at $549 at Best Buy. Though it’s not a traditional laptop, this tablet is able to connect to any wireless keyboards through Bluetooth. Its specs are more akin to a laptop than the Chromebook, with this price range offering 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of total storage capacity, according to Best Buy. It’s also even smaller than the Chromebook, as it’s only 1.15 pounds and 10 inches wide, as advertised on Best Buy’s website. It also runs on Windows 10, making program compatibility not an issue. However, the battery life is

only around nine hours and does not come with a keyboard or a stylus, so those costs wouldn’t be factored into the tablet. In addition to these deals, if you’re in need of reliable internet access, Comcast is currently offering new customers 60 days of free internet access for households affected by COVID-19. Though SFCC’s library was offering WiFi hotspots to check out, according to their website, they have all been checked out for spring quarter. It seems like students have plenty of access to technology this quarter, as the results of a survey of 13 students conducted by The Communicator show, 100% of students who answered have reliable internet access and 92.3% of these students have access to technology, with only one respondent saying they didn’t have access to a printer. Office Depot remains open and does offer printing services

for those who need to print out assignments or reading material for classes, with the cost for black and white printing being nine cents per page on regular paper and color printing being 13 cents per page. Despite the hefty sum given to SFCC for laptops, Robinson said that he “sees (the money) as all student funds, and (ASG and CCS) are happy to allocate it and give it to students.”

The SFCC library currently has laptops available for rent through request. Email Julia.Messina@sfcc. spokane.edu for availability www.communicatoronline.org

Arts

The Communicator

04.30.2020

SFCC arts programs manage online How traditionally hands-on learning has adapted amid COVID-19 Allison Manion The Communicator During these hard times many businesses, venues, events and stores are closing or struggling to stay open. With social distancing rules being put into place many schools of all ages and grades have closed and moved completely online. Spokane Falls Community College is no exception, as this quarter, students have moved online. Where most classes can manage pretty easily, the SFCC arts, music and drama programs are going through some tough times trying to rebuild their curriculum to keep students learning. The drama program is no exception. Drama director Ashley DeMoville said that with all the new regulations about social distancing coming through, the drama program did its best to adjust accordingly. They moved the curriculum online and canceled the last showings of the winter performance of “Fire Melt Stone.” This quarter, the biggest change was on the production of “The Witch.” “Faculty member Kemuel DeMoville dropped everything to rewrite the script, so that we could produce it completely online while adhering to all social distancing rules,” DeMoville said. He adapted the script to be filmed in segments that will be released. “The script even comments on the COVID-19 crisis and social distancing,” DeMoville said. Even with the struggles COVID-19 has brought the drama department, there is a brighter side to this pandemic. “This has given students an opportunity to work on a style of film acting they normally don’t experience,” DeMoville said. The photography classes on campus have been struggling because students lack the ability to check out the equipment usually

sfcc.allison.manion@gmail.com

Photo courtesy of Rosi Guerrero | The Communicator Spokane Falls professor Rosi Guerrero talks with students via Zoom from her home with cameras near her piano, set to teach her online five levels of piano courses.

“We really are trying to teach our students creative thinking, which comes from overcoming barriers.”

-Ira Gardner

available for their assignments. Photography and multimedia journalism instructor Ira Gardner has had to reshape his curriculum to fit the equipment students have available to them like their iPhones. “We really are trying to teach our students creative thinking which comes from overcoming barriers,” Gardner said. “For example, using smartphones for assignments which requires more editing and creative thinking.” He also had an interesting point to make on professors and how recording lessons and hearing themselves speak through the students’ perspective has been

beneficial in helping him realize what information is most important to get across, and the way he’s giving and saying this information to his students. Piano instructor Rosi Guerrero is doing her best in these times to keep her students learning, and is absolutely amazed at the lengths her students will go to learn. “Some students are on keyboards in closets, basements, grandma’s house, aunt’s houses, anywhere they can get one,” Guerreros said. t’s interesting to see their lives outside of the classroom and it’s honestly inspired me.”

She teaches five piano classes all at different levels and has had to adjust on how exactly to teach piano and show her students what she’s doing. “I’ve been using Panopto; it allows me to record myself and upload it to my students, and how I assess and hear them is through zoom,” Guerrero said. While most programs seem to be struggling, Greg Stiles, the graphic design instructor, has had a bit of luck. “Students now have the opportunity to use Zoom nationally with other graphic designers,” Stiles said. For this field, most of their work is online and they commonly teleconference anyways. Each professor always had the same thing to say, how impressed, surprised, inspired and proud of their students they were for how hard they are working, and still providing excellent work.

www.communicatoronline.org

Features

The Communicator

04.30.2020

Area students’ coronavirus concern intensifies In recent weeks, weight of virus shifts actions of low-risk populations

Tips for social distancing

Micah Thompson

-Follow guidance from authorities where you live. If you need to shop for food or medicine at the grocery store or pharmacy, stay at least 6 feet away from others.

The Communicator We are in clearly unprecedented times. With Gov. Jay Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” initiative being strongly suggested as opposed to enforced, the moral obligation posed to us as individuals by society and our governments puts us in a unique position. While many aspects of this pandemic remain unclear, one constant piece of information that we’ve all been collectively fed is that people under the age of 40, unless with exceptional medical circumstances, are less at risk for the virus than most individuals. This leaves the youth of the state of Washington with a potentially alarming and perhaps immoral dilemma: Do I care about this? Andy Johnson is a senior at Gonzaga University who is currently trying to finish his last semester online. Johnson is 22 years old, and thus fits squarely into the demographic who has been deemed low risk. When asked about his level of concern regarding the current ongoings, Johnson said he’s “hanging in there, trying to stay positive and stay as busy as possible.” The conversation then turned to the social distancing guidelines imposed by Gov. Inslee. “I’m trying to follow as closely as possible,” Johnson said. … “When this all first started, I didn’t particularly care, I actually went out on St. Patrick’s Day. But as things progressed in the following weeks it became clear that I needed to follow the stay at home order as much as possible.” He did admit that his neighboring classmates and himself have continued some level of interaction, typically centered around studying, but otherwise is essentially only interacting with his roommates in a face-to-face manner. Kyler Knight, 22, is working on getting a business management degree from Spokane Falls Community College. When asked how he’s dealing with COVID-19 emosfcc.micah.thompson@gmail.com

-Use mail-order for medications, if possible. -Consider a grocery delivery service. -Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others, including when you have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store. Stay at least 6 feet between yourself and others, even when you wear a face covering.

Courtesy of Kyler Knight As concerns over COVID-19 intensify, SFCC student Kyler Knight, 22, sports a face mask to protect himself from the virus.

tionally, Knight said, “I’m getting more and more worried about my grandma as things progress. It’s tough, too, because it’s not like I can just go over and check on her.” His grandmother is 70 years old, smack dab in the middle of precisely the demographic in danger. When asked about how seriously he’s been following social distancing guidelines, Knight said “I didn’t really think much of what

the news or government had said (about COVID-19),” until he lost his job at a local Subway that was shut down. Now, he says, “I don’t leave the house without my mask on.” Whether it’s confirmation of how dangerous a time we’re in or reassurance that we’re headed in the right direction, it would seem the local youth has begun to take social distancing a lot more seriously.

-Avoid large and small gatherings in private places and public spaces, such a friend’s house, parks, restaurants, shops, or any other place. This advice applies to people of any age, including teens and younger adults. Children should not have in-person playdates while school is out. To help maintain social connections while social distancing, learn tips to keep children healthy while school’s out. -Work from home when possible. -If possible, avoid using any kind of public transportation, ridesharing, or taxis. If you are a student or parent, talk to your school about options for digital/distance learning. -CDC.gov

www.communicatoronline.org

Features

04.30.2020

The Communicator

Balancing work, school hours as a student Essential employees give advice on daily routines to help manage stress Amber Gallagher The Communicator We all know that work life and school life are entirely different, but balancing both at the same time is very difficult. With the recent COVID-19 epidemic, many students work part time are now working full time because of the virus. Many college students work to pay off expenses, but going from 15 hours a week to 40 has become an issue for many. Although numerous businesses have closed, grocery stores and restaurants are still serving the community. College students are dealing with a confusing time, trying to find out what they want to study, paying off student loans, and now working full time. Since social distancing is in effect, students cant meet with their friends, instructors, or fellow classmates. During this isolated time, students are even more stressed than before. Colleges have resorted to teaching online classes, which is the same workload, just not hands-on. Many students have not taken an online class before, and this sudden new way of learning has many students stressed. Minimal oneon-one speaking with instructers, more work-load, and often times more independent. Not to mention, professors are working hard to make learning easier for students. Many professors have never taught an online class either. Since many grocery stores, fast food, agriculture and many other industries have been extremely busy, they have to make their employees work more. Because of employees being in high demand, many students who did not have a job before decided to apply to new jobs. Since more students are working, it is important to find out how to balance work and school. Full-time students and workers are trying hard to keep up with the homework load along with work duties. SFCC students gave us their advice in dealing with the extra workload. Patty Rison, who takes care of two young children, from Spokane sfcc.amber.gallagher@gmail.com

Micah Thompson | The Communicator

Masked essential workers stand behind the register at City Fuel on Northwest Boulevard up the TJ Meenach hill from Spokane Falls Community College in north Spokane.

Falls Community College, said, “I think the best way to handle both workers and students is to get into a routine, for every day.” Rison also shared that getting into a routine relieved a lot of stress. For example, waking up at the same time each day, setting aside time for studying and Zoom classes, and taking each day one at a time. Brittney Cline, a worker at Yokes and senior at Eastern Washington University, said: “My internship is very stressful because it has been moved to all online and I have to make time for that. “Online has been worse for me, especially being a senior.” Brittney has gone from working 25-30 hours a week to 32-40 hours a week all while balancing school, work and an internship. These two individuals both have completely different lifestyles, but both agree that routines can improve how these times affect you. If you are a student and currently work full time, try to make a routine. Write down how your day will go on a piece of paper and keep it in an area you will see each day. You can also write reminders on your phone to keep track of time and what you should be doing.

WHY STOP NOW? Finish your bachelor’s degree online at the UW.

SOCIALSCIENCESONLINE.UW.EDU

www.communicatoronline.org

Sports

04.30.2020

The Communicator

Edwards, athletes endure virus cancellations CCS outfielder’s story resonates with campus athletes Johnathan Curley

The Communicator Thomas Edwards can’t remember the last time he started off a season so hot in all of his baseball career. In 12 games, the Spokane Falls Community College outfielder led the Northwest Athletic Conference in batting average (.553), hits (21) and was tied for first in RBIs (18) and total bases (29). The only benchmark the sophomore’s success could be compared to was himself, dating back to his junior year campaign playing at Central Valley High School. “That was one of my best years, and I think this year I even beat that to start the season,” said the 20-year-old Edwards, who was born and raised in Spokane. And the kind of impression Edwards left wasn’t limited to the box score. Bryan Winston, who was slated to complete his third full season as the baseball team’s head coach, explained the more intangible values of leadership Edwards has. “He just simply leads by example and he shows up everyday with a smile on his face, ready to work and work hard,” said Winston, who led the team to a 9-3 record. In these ways, Edwards is the prototypical athlete that comes to define the promise and excitement that spring sports is so welcome to. And in the same way, Edwards and his story, and every athlete with one like his, has been subjected to the impossible: losing an entire season. Ever since the spring season was pulled from under the collective feet of the sporting world when SFCC athletics were cancelled on March 16 due to the coronavirus, players and coaches have been left to come to terms with the abrupt end. “I think everybody’s disappointed in that sense,” said Win-

sfcc.johnathan. curley@gmail.com

Courtesy of Joshua Randolph Thomas Edwards (#24) hits against Lower Columbia Community College in a Northwest Athletic Conference matchup.

ston. “It’s going to be one of those things of, ‘Man, how good could we have been?’ “ Those enduring “what-ifs” will likely ring right into the 2021 season and remain a blemish on an unrealized campaign that boasted a Sasquatch squad that was voted No.1 in the NWAC by the other coaches in the league in October. Couple that with the players who are departing after this year to continue their playing careers at a four-year college, and the frustrations mount into disappointment. “We all knew that we were definitely going to be the topranked team in the league. We all thought that we were going to win rings and win that championship,” said sophomore TJ Trepanier. “It really stinks, because we knew we were going to have a great season. We knew we were just going to make everybody proud at the Falls - make

our coaches proud, our families proud, ourselves proud.” These feelings resonate across the college’s teams, where reflections of the sobering cancellation have muted promising seasons for the softball team (4-0) and women’s golf squad. Still, while the world of sports is put on pause for a season, it also stands as a once-in-alifetime opportunity for athletes to use it how they want to. For someone like Edwards, this means his mind falling back on the weight room and the captivating potential of next season, especially with all SFCC athletes being granted another year of eligibility. “I’m lucky enough to have a gym in my basement. I’ve been working out every day. I’m very motivated for next season,” said Edwards. “At first, it was kind of rough thinking that some of these players I’ll never get to play with and

this was our year to win it all,” said Edwards. “Next year, with all of the guys coming back, we’re going to be well-motivated and have a bigger goal and be way more competitive next year.” These sentiments are shared by Winston, who knows his players enough to know that they’ll take this historic moment as it is and focus on the next sunny, safe day where baseball can be played. “They’re also mature young men that understand that it’s just baseball,” said Winston. “It’s just a game and that there’s other things in life that are more important. The nice thing for us is nobody’s really hanging it up and saying, ‘Well, my last year of baseball got taken from me.’ They get their year back, and they’re not done. Whenever this lifts and we can go back to playing baseball, I think everybody’s going to take it not as for granted as we did before.”