Oct 21, 2010 (42.1)

Multicultural dance PG. 2 Religion in politics PG. 4 Steroid testing PG. 10

Blue phones installed, not usable

Fall 2010 Enrollment Enrollment increased by 776 students from Fall 2009

Kaylie Brown

56 percent

The Communicator

of SFCC students received Financial Aid this quarter

The emergency blue light phones have been installed on campus but are not yet usable.

SFCC was allocated $20,000 from students and $45,000 from the SFCC Minor Capital Improvements last year for blue phones.

Over summer quarter, campus security installed a couple of emergency blue phones around campus as well as in parking lots. The phones will be used for emergency uses only.

“From what I gather, when they were installed, I think that there was a slight discrepancy on the ability for people with disabilities to reach where the phones are,” said SFCC Campus Security Officer Annette Mather to the Associated Student Senate on Sept. 30.

Since 2007 applications for financial aid have risen 103 percent SFCC has a record high of 580 Running Start students Nicole Denman | The Communicator

Enrollment and need for financial aid grows Enrollment at SFCC has increased dramatically this year.

Instead of financial aid shortages however, the state has awarded students more money than in the past three years.

Student Government considers further smoking restrictions Kirk Bayman

The Communicator A revised smoking policy that would restrict smoking on campus to a 25-foot radius surrounding smoking shelters and so-called “butt boxes” was recently submitted to SFCC administrators.

PERSPECTIVES...................4 SIDELINES........................10

The Communicator

Student aid applications up 46 percent

Enrollment increases to 6,464

Kirk Bayman

Lauren Miller

The Communicator

The Communicator This quarter SFCC welcomes more new students into the school year than ever before.

Enrollment has jumped from 5,454 students in Fall 2009 to 6,230 students in Fall 2010, according to this quarters’ head count.

“There are a number of reasons for the increase,” Steve Bays said, Dean of Student Services and Student Development. “One is the economy, and the other is people that are from the different agencies that have lost funding.”

With more students seeking higher education, it is difficult to find a decent paying job without some sort of degree beyond a high school diploma.

“Going to college is pretty much a standard now,” Bays said. “Since [community college] is a mixed bag

As enrollment increases at SFCC, more students than ever are applying for financial aid.

Jille Shankar, SFCC Associate Dean of Financial Aid and Student Employment, said that the financial aid office has received nearly 12,000 individual applications for student aid this year, up 46 percent from last year alone.

So far, 3,479 students received some type of financial aid this year.

Applications for financial aid at SFCC have risen 103 percent since the beginning of the sub-prime mortgage meltdown that kicked-off the recession in mid 2007, according to federal student aid metrics released by the U.S. Department of Education.

Last year, the office set May 14 as a priority fund-

ENROLLMENT | Page 2

Nicole Denman | The Communicator

NEWS................................2

of Education, Jillie Shankar, and Steve Bays.

BLUEPHONES | Page 3

INDEX

Source: U.S. Department

Currently, there are 32 of these areas on campus. Associated Student Government President Alec Stannard, who wrote the revised policy, said that number would be reduced to eight and that the designated smoking areas would be repositioned to allow smokers their vice without increasing the chance that they might be late for a class.

“We’re trying to keep everyone happy,” said Stannard.

“We can still make the smokers happy, and make sure they are able to get to class on time, but still have a cigarette between classes.”

The aim of the policy, said Stannard, is to eliminate what he calls “smoking gauntlets,” groups of smokers and accompanying clouds of secondhand smoke through

FINANCIAL AID | Page 2

which nonsmokers must walk, that crop up about campus. Under the new proposal, smoking areas would be moved away from the main walkways and thoroughfares to reduce student exposure to secondhand smoke.

“Once you get into campus, you’ll be able to work in a smoke-free environment,” Stannard said.

Currently, SFCC has no official policy on the use of electronic cigarettes in classrooms. Up to now, the decision of whether or not to allow e-cigarettes in class has been left entirely up to individual instructors. Stannard’s proposed legislation classifies e-cigarettes and all tobacco-related products—save nicotine gums and patches— SMOKING | Page 3

CULTURE

FOCUS Desperate Measures Mary Girard PG. 11

BYTES E-Cigarette Technology PG. 6

PG. 8

PG. 8 Magic Lantern

509.533.3602

Unique P.E. classes PG. 12

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Oct. 21 - Nov. 3, 2010

NEWS

The Communicator

Enrollment:

As SFCC enrollment rises, CCS numbers fall

Nicole Denman | The Communicator

Jill Shankar, Dean of Finacial Aid and Student Employment, warns to finish paperwork on time.

Financial Aid:

Students should not rely on a quick turnaround after filling out aid applications

From page 1 work by then were told that they would receive a decision and possibly their financial aid by the beginning of Fall 2010. According to Shankar, that goal was met.

“We did a killer job this year,” Shankar said. “I’m very proud of the staff.”

Shankar said that the office has worked to modify the bureaucratic system, increasing the speed at which student applications can be processed.

Clover Thompson, 22, a fourth-year student studying stagecraft who received $4,500 in student aid this fall, said that she began applying for this quarter’s financial aid in February and finished the process in April.

“The easiest way (to fill out the application forms) is to go to the financial aid office,” Thompson said.

Thompson went on to say that there are people in the office who can help translate the complicated legalese found on the application forms. Thompson also recommended that students have their tax returns and pay stubs on-hand when they fill out aid applications.

Shankar warns that students with bills to pay should not rely on a quick turnaround from a federal bureaucracy. The entire process, she said, takes at least a month on average.

“People who aren’t being funded are people who’ve just started the process right now,” Shankar said. “We see a large influx (of applications) after Labor Day.” In the 2009-2010 academic year, SFCC’s financial aid office awarded $34 million in student aid. For the 20102011 school year, the office has already issued $24 million in the first three months.

As enrollment at SFCC continues to trend upward, students are encouraged to apply early for their financial aid.

From page 1 AA transfer and technical, the people who want to return to work are in the certificate professional area, but it’s becoming almost a standard that high school students go through the two and four year college for AA/Bachelors degrees.

“What used to be a high school diploma is now a Bachelors degree.”

SFCC has welcomed more Running Start students to campus this fall as well.

“We have 580 Running Start students this Fall, which is a record for us,” Bays said. “It’s huge, so we’re up on fall enrollment about 276[Running Start students] from last fall.”

Students have also noticed how large the change is.

“Every class I’m in, the room is fully maxed out,” Hannah Beggs said, a second quarter music major. “The bigger classes are helpful sometimes, you get a lot more response from the class.”

Most teachers seem to be adjusting to the student population without difficulty.

“Smaller classes would of course be easier to manage, but the enrollment’s pretty reasonable as opposed to teaching at a four year university,” Kurt Kimbacher said, a history instructor at SFCC. “In some respects higher enrollments are healthy, better than the alternative of low enrollments.”

Most students are early risers. Classes between 7:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. are prime time for people trying to

fit school into their busy schedules, says bays.

“Students want the morning classes,” Bays said. “Until the new buildings open there’s only so much space so even if we had unlimited resources and could offer everything we wanted, we don’t have enough classrooms to put them in the morning sequence.”

Parking lots are located all around campus, but parking is still a problem certain times a day, Bays explains.

“I used to have a little hide away parking spot,” Jeff Beaulac said, a student in his 11th quarter at SFCC. “Now everything is so full and I have to park far away.”

“There are a lot more people than I expected,” said Morgan Soles, a first quarter student. “My first day of school it took me 25 minutes to find a parking spot. I have to get here early so I can find a spot.”

With the economy in trouble and tuition rising, community college is becoming a popular choice among students, Bays said.

“Cost factor is a lot of it especially if your parents are paying,” Bays said. “Even though tuition keeps increasing, we’re still the best bargain around for a community college.”

While enrollment at SFCC rises, SCC’s numbers are falling. This fall enrollment was 10.8 percent over what officials predicted for SFCCs full time equivalency(FTE), and SCC was 6 percent below the targeted FTEs. “Based on my calculations there will be another large winter population,” Bays said. “Some of our students when they saw that they didn’t have classes or financial aid available they changed their starting term to Winter instead of Fall.

“We have over five hundred new students for Winter and we do quite a bit of enrollment the later part of October and through December so Winter enrollment looks really strong.”

Full Time Equivelant (FTE) Enrollment Fall 2010

1518

4005.2

Fall 2009

1484.4

4102.1

SFCC Enrollment CCS Enrollment

Fall 2008

1494.18

0

1000

4036.02

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Multicultural Center offers help and guidance to students of all cultures Students who seek support can visit center for mentor services Mercedes Calkins The Communicator

Deby Dixon | The Communcator

Dancer Benito Vasquez-Ranyan performs cultural dances at SFCC.

2

On Oct. 7 the Multicultural Office held an event to help Multicultural students know where to get help with schooling and their personal life.

The Multicultural office and clubs such as the Asian club, Latino club, Red Nations club, and BSU put on this social event together in SUB C. The reasoning behind the social event was to let students know where the office is located, what it looks like, and meet the office staff. said Jane Gong, the Multicultural instructor.

The Center is located in Bldg. 17 Rm. 131, and the hours are Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Gong said there are about 800 students currently being helped in the Multicultural center.

Of those 800 students the different cultures range

from Asian American, African American, Hispanic American and Native American, Gong said.

The average age of students that are part of the center are between 20 - 25 according to Gong.

“They (the multicultural center) do everything they can to help the students that go to them,” Gong said.

One major thing they do is Impact lives of the students.

“To impact a life is not depending on one event or one time,” Gong said. “Today, we let students know they can get help from the multicultural office.”

Within the center the students who have been there longer than the rest are able to “meet the newer students and serve as a mentor for them as they begin their college career,” Pam Austin, multicultural instructor said.

“We hope to be there for them if they need us,” Austin said. “We are here to serve as a resource for all students if students choose to access us.”

Both Gong and Austin said the center is out there to help and to serve the multicultural community and assist the community members with financial, academic and personal issues.

By the Numbers: Washington’s community and technical colleges served a record 161,000 of full-time-equivalent students (FTE) last academic year. Source: sbctc.ctc.edu

Oct. 21 - Nov. 3, 2010

NEWS

The Communicator

Smoking:

All tobacco-related objects may be banned from campus From page 1 as “nicotine delivery systems” and would thus be banned from campus with the exception of the eight designated smoking areas.

The administration must review the new policy before it can be submitted to the Board of Trustees. Stannard said that he has no idea when that may happen.

“As far as the budget cuts and everything that the administration is dealing with, [smoking policy] is kind of a low priority right now,” Stannard said.

Deby Dixon | The Communicator

Construction workers on the site of the new science building to be open for use Fall Quarter 2011.

Construction of new science building still underway Mercedes Calkins

The Communicator

Construction has been happening all over the campus for the last few years now and it is behind schedule.

The expected date for the new science building to be open is next Fall and “not before that,” James Law said, the superintendent of the construction company.

“We are behind schedule because of the weather,” Law said.

The new building is going to be bigger than the buildings already on the campus and going to have bigger rooms, according to Law. One of the reasons why the new science building is going to be so large is because of the addition of the new

Planetarium. A planetarium is a large rounded theater that shows where the planets and stars are located. This is to help the students learn about outer space, the planets, and stars in a more effective matter than a book. It will also help students grasp the knowledge of outer space with hands on experience.

The structure of this building is being built to last a long time. According to Law, it is mostly made of concrete and brick.

Many of the original buildings at SFCC are very old and smaller than the new buildings on campus. The new buildings are not being built to replace the the old ones, according to the Admissions office.They are being built to expand the college; due to the high number of students currently attending, and wanting to attend the school.

Event offers early breast cancer detection tips Kaylie Brown The Communicator Surgical Oncologist Deborah Martinez presented information to SFCC students about the risks of breast cancer.

Every year one in eight women get breast cancer and it is the second cause of cancer death in the world, the first being lung cancer. The majority of women do survive breast cancer but are at greater risk at the increase of age, Martinez said.

The free event took place on Oct.13 in SFCC Sub lounges A/B. Women should have their first mammogram by the age of 35 un-

less they have a family history. Then they should be examined yearly at the age of 40 and above. Women who are premenopausal should do self-exams monthly between the fifth or sixth day of their cycle.

Women who are postmenopausal should do exams every month.

According to the rockwoodclinic.com website, this year about 182,460 women in the United States will be told they have breast cancer.

About 1,990 men will also be told.

There are two places where breast cancer can form: the duct, the lobule, or both. There are also two types of breast cancer: Situ cancer, which has no chance of spreading and an Invasive cancer which can

spread.

“One of my aunts had breast cancer, but she survived it. I wanted to learn more information on it so I would know what to look for,” said third quarter student Allison Cole.

Distributed at the event were pamphlets informing female students on ways to get checked for cancer. When you’re able to do self-exams and you notice anything strange, there are three ways to get checked from a professional: mammograms, ultra sounds, or MRI’s.

“The red flags of breast cancer: genetics, ovarian cancer, multiple cancers, Ashkenazi Jewish Heritage, and male breast cancer,” Martienez said.

Jennie Oliver | The Communicator

Willy Dowing, 20, an English and Drama major, would be one of the smokers affected by the ban.

Smoking costs $5.7 billion - estimated cost to state economy in medical expenses and lost worker productivity due to smoking.

136 percent - estimated return-on-investment for money spent on state-run smoking cessation programs.

$392.4 million - State tax revenue from cigarette sales in 2009.

SFCC currently offers smoking cessation programs for any student interested in quitting. For more information, contact Wellness Coordinator Sheri Staudinger at 509-533-3816. Staudinger’s office is located in Building 7, room 109D. Source: Taxpayer Services Division, Washington State Department of Revenue, Potential Costs and Benefits of Smoking Cessation for Washington, Pennsylvania State University study, released April 2010.

Blue phones:

Call system currently unavailable due to wheelchair inaccessiblity From page 1

Nicole Denman| The Communicator

Officials at the Breast Cancer Event demonstrate how women can examine themselves for signs of cancer.

The state building code states that public telephone must be usable by people with disabilities. Since the phones are inaccessible to people in wheelchairs, the devices have not been activated, otherwise the school may be subject to lawsuits.

“It would be nice to have the phones working for students who are taking night classes,” said second-quarter student Kellie Crow. “I think it would make them feel a lot safer.”

Emergency Blue Phones are located throughout the campus and can be identified by the blue tower. Open the blue box and press the red button located inside.

By touching the red button, the call is connected with security on campus. Security will be able to locate what phone you are using throughout campus.

“Yes, the phones are in and yes, there’s a bit of a delay.

I am unsure what administration is going to do alleviate the problem,” said Mather at the meeting.

For more News content visit faculty.spokanefalls.edu/communicator/sections/news/news.html

3

Oct 21 - Nov 3,

Perspectives

2010

KAITLIN ALLEN | Editor

Muslim community center proposed in Lower Manhattan Park51 is not about respect, not rights

T

olerance is such a useful word. It is, for example, very fashionable to say that anyone who opposes the building Joseph of a mosque two Engle blocks from ground zero is “Intolerant,” which is just a very nice way of calling them a bigot.

The building of Park 51 is not about rights. It’s not about bigotry.

Its not about intolerance, religious freedom, or Islamophobia. It is about respect.

Supporters of the mosque are suffering under the misguided assumption that they are protecting the right of Muslims to worship where they choose.

That right was never in question.

To be very clear, the only people who actually dispute the right to build a mosque two blocks from the site of the world trade center tragedy also probably believe that the world is 6000 years old.

The same rights that allow the Westboro Baptist Church to picket military funerals with their “God hates fags” signs, protects Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s right to build a mosque on private property.

When it comes to respect, there is a precedent for handling a delicate situation like this.

In 1993, Pope John Paul II ordered 14 Roman Catholic nuns to move out of a convent just outside the site of the

Auschwitz death camp.

This move followed increased unease among Jews, who saw the convent as an affront to the 1.5 million Jews who perished in the camp.

Pope John Paul II had no reason that those nuns had participated in, or even sympathised with the Holocaust, yet out of respect for the memory of those who had died, he did the right thing.

Rauf claims that he is trying to foster better relations between Islam and American culture. Assuming that is true, he is woefully inept. If Rauf actually wanted to improve relations between Islam and America, he could not have picked a worse way to do it.

The site he picked for his new mosque and community center is two blocks from the spot where Islamic extremists killed 2,752 innocent people.

In a perfect world, everyone would understand that Muslims in Manhattan simply need a place to congregate and worship.

This world in which we live is anything but perfect. The plan for the mosque has touched a nerve with a people who are still grieving over a tragedy. Expecting New Yorkers to be rational about the whole affair is like expecting AlQaeda to suddenly and miraculously have a change of heart about the West.

In this case, the right thing would be for Rauf to recognize that Park 51 in it’s current location is like an obnoxious protester at a funeral.

The protester would still have the same message if he moved a few blocks away, but instead chooses to heckle the mourners for maximum effect.

It is up to him to do the right thing.

“I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever in religion, in philosophy, in politics, or in anything else where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent.”

By The Numbers In the Spokane area there are an estimated

1,100

Muslims.

Source: Spokane Islamic Center

Of the 307

million

people in the U.S. today,

1,349,000 are Muslim.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Over 228

million

American adults identify themselves with one of 14 religions (including “no religion”).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Banning Park51 would infringe on religious rights

T

he Ground Zero Mosque, or more appropriately Park51 should be a place where New York Muslims can peacefully practice their Sarah religion without Radmer the interference of government. These are not radical extremists, they are American citizens.

America has repeatedly worked to free the people in countries that we felt were under persecution or oppression. And yet here on our own soil Americans are persecuting a large group of people for the acts of a few radicals.

The space is a community center more than it is a mosque. According to an August article published in the New Yorker, the area will have a prayer room but is not a mosque.

Most of the area will be devoted to “classrooms, an auditorium, galleries, a restaurant, a memorial to the victims of September 11, 2001 and a swimming pool and gym.”

The people who are trying to establish this center are trying to create relationships with their community in a very hostile environment.

The mission of the center is to “Encourage dialogue, harmony and respect amongst all people, regardless of race, faith, gender or cultural background,” according to its website park51. org.

“And I have no doubt that every new example will succeed, as every past one has done, in showing that religion and Government will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together.”

-James Madison

-Thomas Jefferson

4

Did You Know?:

It is important to keep in mind that the tragedy that took over 2,000 lives also took approximately 60 lives of innocent Muslim Americans, according to USA Today.

And of the approximately 307 million people living in America today there are 1,349,000 Muslim Americans, according to a 2008 statistic from the U.S. Census Bureau Sarah Palin has been posted versions of tweets like this repeatedly; “Peaceful New Yorkers, pls refute the Ground Zero mosque plan if you believe catastrophic pain caused @ Twin Towers site is too raw, too real.”

Palin asking Americans to take this negative stand on a religious building is more un-American than any mosque ever could be. It shows how this religious issue has become political.

If people are going to be skeptical of Park51, be skeptical of things other than what religion it represents.

Park51 is not a celebration for the terrorists who boarded those planes 9 years ago.

It is a community center that represents the Muslim portion of the U.S. population. The people drawing a correlation between this center and the nearby site of the September 11, 2001 attacks are looking for someone to hate and to blame, 9 years later.

The bottom line is, if this were a Christian church trying to put in a community center near ground zero not only would they not receive any sort of resistance that Park51 has but people like Sarah Palin would probably be there for the ribbon cutting. Unfortunately this is the climate we live in. And we still have a long way to go before we are a land of religious freedom.

“In religion and politics people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other nonexaminers, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing.”

One out of every five Americans failed to indicate a religious identity in 2008.

Source: American Religious Identification Survey 2008

-Mark Twain

Oct 21 - Nov 3,

Editor-in-Chief Sarah Radmer Managing Editor Lindsey Treffry Web Editor Wendy Gaskill News Editor Lauren Miller Focus Editor Kody Rapp Flavors Editor Allie Rollins Bytes Editor Allie Rollins Culture Editor Char Smith Sidelines Editor Clarissa Stoddard Perspectives Editor Kaitlin Allen Art Director Deby Dixon Graphics Geoff Lang Multimedia Editor Joseph Engle Marketing Director Kirk Bayman Advertising Director

Nicholas Newell Adviser Jason Nix Staff members can be reached via email with the following format: sfcc.firstname. lastname@gmail.com

Please Note The Communicator is an open forum for student coverage and opinion that is entirely student edited and produced, with absolutely no prior review from the faculty or administrators of Spokane Falls Community College.

The content in this publication is the responsibility of the student staff of The Communicator, and as such do not necessarily reflect the view of Spokane Falls Community College administrators, faculty, or the student body.

Individual student contributions to the opinion page or any other section of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board or the student staff of The Communicator.

The first copy of an issue is free, additional copies are 50 cents.

PERSPECTIVES

Religion in POLITICS

The Communicator

Should religion play

poll results

The Communicator, a student-run publication, provides students an opportunity to connect with their campus and enrich their time at SFCC. We hope to maintain a forum in which students are able to voice diverse opinions on campusrelated issues.

The Communicator also aims to inform students about topics relevant to their education.

a role in politics?

A) Yes - 3% B) No - 87% C) Sometimes - 10% Poll results from The Communicator Online are unscientific and current as of October 21.

Why do you take

Next Poll

The Communicator Staff

2010

Online classes?

A) Scheduling B) Convenience C) Less demanding D) Don’t take them

Visit spokanefalls.edu/communicator to vote.

Geoff Lang | The Communicator

Christians influence legality of gay marriage

Gay marriage laws should be based on constitutional right, not religious morals

R

ight now there is a debate raging in America over the legality of gay marriage. It is not really a question of whether or not it is constituKaitlin tional, but rather a Allen question of whether or not the laws of our country will be governed by one religious institution...namely, Christianity.

Leviticus 18:22 says “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.”

The fourteenth amendment of the U.S. Constitution says “...No

P

olitics and religion are two of the major foundations of America and its culture. However, there is a time and a place for each of them, and religion should play a limited role in politics.

According to statistics from the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau, over 228 million American adults identify themselves with one of 14 religions (including “no religion”). With such diversity in our culture, it is impossible for government to properly represent every individual religion and thus should not give preference to any one religion. The government, and politicians in general, needs to represent America as a whole, not just the beliefs from one religious group.

In the current debate over legalization of gay marriage, a majority of the campaigns opposed to gay marriage uses its religious beliefs as a basis for its political stance. According to an article by the San Francisco

state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

This is to say that no state in our country has the constitutional right to single out any one person or group and make laws against that person or group. But what about marriage? Straight people are allowed to wed and gay people are not.

The religious population of our country is banding together in order to push their personal beliefs and morals upon our legal system and it is infringing on the rights of American citizens.

In the recent debaucle over Cali-

fornia’s Proposition 8 which banned name of Vaughn R. Walker declared gay marriage, Mormons and Catho- the California’s ban on gay marriage lics rallied their members in order to unconstitutional. According to the Los Angeles Times, Walker said the pass it. The basis for their argument ban violated was that to “...nor shall any state deprive the federal legalize gay any person of life, liberty, or constitutional marriage was to destroy the property, without due process guarantees of very meaning of law; nor deny to any person equal protection and of of marriage. A within its jurisdiction the equal due process. meaning that

“The was based on protection of the laws.”

-U.S. Constitution evidence their religious shows conclubeliefs. “(The) alliance was part of a broad sively that moral and religious views form the only basis for a belief that pattern that underscored a critical same-sex couples are different from difference between the rival camopposite-sex couples,” Walker wrote paigns: Yes on 8 sought to marshal in his ruling. support among many religions, When it comes to making laws for while the No on 8 campaign often our country, they need to look out put religion on the sidelines,” for the best interest and equal treataccording to the San Francisco ment of all American citizens, not Chronicle. just Christians.

Recently a federal judge by the

Chronicle, there was a major Catholic-Mormon alliance in the state of Calif. to pass Prop 8 to ban gay marriage.

“This Catholic-Mormon alliance was part of a broad pattern that underscored a critical difference between the rival campaigns: “Yes on 8” sought to marshal support among many religions, while the “No on 8” campaign often put religion on the sidelines,” the article said.

Who is to say that the morals of one specific religion should determine the laws of our country?

When religion becomes the basis of political platforms, the rights of individuals who do not subscribe to that religion become infringed upon.

Politicians need to stop using religion as a platform; voters need to stop voting for politicians and propositions religiously and start voting politically. Religion is an important part of our culture, but we are a long way from separating it from politics.

For more Perspectives content visit spokanefalls.edu/communicator/sections/perspectives/perspectives.html

5

BYTES

oct. 21 - nov. 3, 2010

Consoles evolve beyond just gaming Aaron Emery

The Communicator The latest gaming consoles such as The Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, and the X-Box 360 are more then just video games; they’re multi media devices.

“The X-Box 360 and Playstation 3 are very much alike in comparison and compete with one another, while the Nintendo Wii is kind of in it’s own category,” Steven Reynolds, 20, a Game Stop employee said.

“The Wii is not worried about having High Definition quality and awesome graphics.

“They’re more about innovation and being family friendly.”

All three gaming consoles allow the user to access and browse the Internet. Netflix is available on all three consoles, but unlike the X-Box and Playstation, the Wii does not support playing dvds, and the Playstation is the only gaming device that plays Blue Ray dvds, and is considered the highest quality of the Blue

Geoffrey Lang | The Communicator

Ray players.

Besides movies, music can be played by either on a compact disc, by download, or with the Playstation, be streamed right from your computer, and even wireless.

Twitter and Facebook are also available on the network’s browsers.

Not only can gamers play games individually or with friends at home, but they can play with people from all around the world online. The Playstation Network and the Nintendo Wii Online have free access to this accommodation while X-Box Live users have to pay for this service.

“The X-Box Live customers pay for their service because in my opinion, X Box Live is the best online gaming and they get what they’re paying for. Also XBox chargers for this service in order to provide many new features to the X-Box Live and the price is going from $50.00 a month to $60.00,” Reynolds said.

The Nintendo Wii was the first console to come up with motion controls. Meaning the user, instead of just using the joy-stick and buttons, can actually motion the controller with their hands in correlation to what is on the TV screen. Whether it be a game character bowling or wielding a sword. Now, like the Wii, the X-Box and Playstation have came up with something similar called the Kinect, for the X-Box, and the Move,

for the Playstation. Instead of using infrared technology, the Playstation and the X-Box 360 use a camera tracking 60 frames per second for the Move and 30 frames per second Kinect.

“The Wii needs to figure something out. With the graphics better in the X-Box and Playstation and now the motion controls better too, they need to step up their competition,” Reynolds said.

“Growing up I used to be big on Nintendo, by I have converted to playing the Playstation instead because it’s for a more mature audience,” Scott Olfs, 21, an avid gamer said.

“I mean the Nintendo has sold more consoles then any other system because for one, it’s cheaper and more for family friendly, but also because the Nintendo is where you can find your Donkey Kong, Mario, Metroid Prime, and other games most gamers grew up playing,” Olfs said.

There are a few games and hand held systems coming out exclusively for the game consoles. The X-Box 360 will be coming out with Fable 3. The Playstation 3 is presenting its new 3D gaming in which you have to have a 3D T.V. to to play these games. Also, the Playstation will be coming out with Killzone 3 and Little Big Planet 2. The Nintendo Wii is bringing back a new Donkey Kong as well as a new Kirby game.

FDA research has shown that two out of 16 samples contained carcinogens that contained nitrosimine, an ingredient found in regular cigarettes. Also, research has shown that the E cigarette is 1400 percent less dangerous then an actual cigarette.

“I think this product has been a success so far,” Bryce Peterson, 32, an E Cigarette salesman said.

“I used to smoke up to a pack a day of Newports then wanted to try this new technology,” Peterson said. “ After using the E cigarette for one day, I quit smoking my Newports.

Patty Mcbride, 38, uses an ECigarette.

“I have saved a lot of money since using the E cigarette,” Mcbride said. “10 drops is about equal to a half of a pack and it seems to last longer then if I as using real cigarettes again.

“The best thing is, I could just take a few drags and not have to put a cigarette out and half that burnt smell lingering on me all day.”

In some states this product is illegal to purchase online. Some companies stands where this

product is being sold has been E-Cigs banned because dealers have either stats sold to minors or have sold erectile dysfunction and weight loss drugs as well.

Oregon This device turns the liquid into was the first vapor making it not only less harmstate to ban ful to the lungs, but legal to use in them most public places. The E liquid is generally sold in a three milliliter $40 to $170 bottle. After the temperature has is the average reached 115 degrees for 5 seconds, cost range for the E cigarette will turn it self off. In an E-Cigarette. addition to the electronic cigarette, there is a cigar and a pipe model.

As of July the There are over 40 flavors the user U.S. market may choose from such as menthol, has prohibtobacco, apple, and root beer. ited the laMichael Manley, a sociology beling of cigamajor at SFCC began using the Erettes as ‘light,’ Cigarette in June. He gets all of his ‘low,’ ‘mild’ in supplies from Smart Smoke. reference to The E cigarette costs from 40 milligrams of to 170 dollars depending on the features and if the user smoked one tar. or more packs a day. More then one pack means the user is recom20 percent mended two devices. of U.S. high “I wouldn’t say the product school stuis safe because it does contain dents smoke nicotine, but it is defiantly a better cigarettes alternative to cigarettes leaving less Source: tobaccostrain on the lungs,” Peterson said. facts.net, cdc.gov

Jennie Oliver | The Communicator

Student Michael Manley has been using the E-Cigarette since June.

E-Cigarettes gain popularity Aaron Emery

The Communicator New technology is not only found in our cars, computers, and homes, but in tobacco smoking as well.

The electronic cigarette also known as the “E cigarette” hit the

6

Allie Rollins | Editor

United States 19 months ago and was originated in China.

The E cigarette is a three part device: a battery, that lasts up to six hours, atomizer, or heating device, and the cartridge, where the the E liquid is contained. The E liquid only has four elements: water, nicotine, flavoring, and dipropylene gryco (thickener). The liquid produces a vapor that is also found in ice cream and asthma inhalers.

Did You Know? In 2009, the Wii game console sold more than 9 million units.

Source: digital-digest.com

oct. 21 - nov 3, 2010

Bytes

The Communicator

SFCC awaits Spokane’s first planetarium Aaron Emery

Deby Dixon | The Communicator

Brandon Wallace prepares to put the caulking in a window of the new Planetarium building.

planetarium started five or six years ago because of the strong astronomy The Communicator program here at the Falls,” Whitmer said. “My classes are packed every A new planetarium is being built quarter. at SFCC and not only is this the first “This project will be great for the planetarium in Spokane, but it is the community as well.” biggest among the other planetariThis new feature has cost around ums located at EWU and WSU being the estimate of $500,000 more 30 feet in diameter and seating 50 than a regular classroom in which students. $200,000 was doThe planetarium nated from fundraiswill stand as a “This project will be ing by students here cylinder shape in the south east side great for the community at the college. as well.”

The project will of the campus in be finished this the new science -John Whitmer Winter quarter and building. Students Astronomy Instructor will open in Spring won’t be the only quarter 2011. people to have ac“Everything went as planned,” cess; the new addition to the school will be open to K-12 students as well Brian Belgarde, the foreman of construction, said. as the public.

“We started laying block in “Fees are not yet determined, but December, finished the interior four the administration is looking at five dollars to the public, three dollars to weeks ago, and then adding the audio and seating in a few weeks. college students, and free to grades “The neatest thing about this K-12 when on tours,” John Whitmer, project is that we needed contractors the astronomy instructor, said. from England that specialized in the “The inspiration behind the

‘Medal of Honor’ sparks controversy Allie Rollins

The Communicator The war game ‘Medal of Honor’ has been highly anticipated by gamers, but scrutinized by others due to one word: the Taliban.

The video game, which is available for PS3, Xbox 360, and Windows, is set in modern day Afghanistan and showcases the ongoing combat between The United States and the Taliban.

Electronic Arts (EA) games initially named the Taliban as the enemy in this new installment of the ‘Medal of Honor’ saga. Not only could the player fight against the Taliban, but also choose to be the Taliban and fight in a virtual combat against American troops.

The video game was co-produced

by Tier 1 operators, the most highly trained special operations force in Afghanistan, whom were also the inspiration for the game.

After much criticism and negative feedback from families of fallen soldiers, EA had decided to remove the Taliban and rename it the “opposing force”.

Greg Goodrich, the games executive producer said, “Medal of honor is a big thank-you letter to the troops and if this one word caused some troops to not be able to receive that... let’s change it and hopefully people will get that,” Goodrich said.

Despite EA’s efforts to reconcile by changing the name, air force and army exchanges will still not carry or sell the game.

“Out of respect to those touched by the ongoing, real-life events presented as a game, Exchange will not be carrying this product,” U.S. Army & Air Force Exchange service commander General Bruce Casella said.

Even though the Taliban has been removed, they will still dress in Afghan clothing, and speak the same Pashtun dialect.

Valerie Ostrom, 50, has a son who is in the air force and he is currently deployed.

“It really bothered me about them putting the Taliban in the game. Our soldiers work very hard, putting their life on the line daily to protect us and our freedoms.I was therefore relieved when I heard it was removed,” Ostrom said.

“It is a free country and it was not illegal for the game to come out that way but I feel it was a morally poor choice.”

‘Medal of Honor’, which has its full musical score available on itunes, will also be debuting Linkin Park’s new single, ‘The Catalyst’.

“No one complained about earlier games like call of duty, germans killing americans,” Keith Jalbert, 36, an Army veteran said. “They (EA) should have stood their ground due to military pressure.”

The video game also went on sale in the UK despite the defense secretary’s calls to ban it.

“The Taliban is just a buzz word in our media, made to strike fear into Americans as something both dangerous and taboo, Drew Spilker, 24, the president and founder of the SFCC gamers club said.

“I doubt EA’s portrayal was a heroic or flattering one, or even much more than just a skin set for a multi player”,Spilker said.

The popular video game store Game stop is currently selling ‘Medal of Honor’ according to employee Jake Bolinger,23.

“I don’t think the Taliban should have been taken out,” Bolinger said.

“Its just a video game and that’s crazy, Bolinger said.

‘Medal of Honor’s release date in the US was Oct. 12.

“Games have come out before with ‘bad guys’ incuded-even Nazis have been represented. The Taliban option might not be so sensitive five years down the road,” Ostrom said.

certain screens we needed for the construction.”

The planetarium will recreate the night sky projecting the sun, stars, planets, and moons onto the ceiling using two video projectors, as well as showing movies.

“Astronomy is not just about the stars and constellations in the sky,” Whitmer said. “It’s about how solar systems are formed, how the planets and sun changes over time.

“It’s more about the physical nature of the universe.”

The Solar System The milky way has over 200 billion stars The sun makes up 99.86 percent of the Solar Systems mass

The Solar System is 4.6 billion years old It takes about 1.25 seconds for moonlight to reach the Earth.

Source: wisdomquotes.org/facts_ universe.php

Video games

The

Sega Dreamcast was the first console to implement online game play.

The

Atari football

game was the first that utilized page scrolling.

PS2 was the first system to use dvd technology.

Nintendo Gameboy

was the most succesful game system ever with more than 100 million units sold worldwide.

Source: howstuffworks.com

Should your business be advertised in The Communicator?

a z z i P Rita

Cheap Carryout Special

Contact our advertising department By email: advertising@ spokanefalls.edu Or by phone: 509.533.3602

For more Bytes content visit spokanefalls.edu/communicator/sections/bytes/bytes.html

Large 1 Topping $9.98 Medium 1 Topping $6.98 Includes 2 Free Pops Carry out only Only 2.5 miles from the SFCC campus 502 W. Indiana 509.325.3284

7

Culture

Oct. 21 - Nov. 3, 2010

Char smith | Editor

Magic Lantern offers unrivaled independent films and affordability THE MAGIC LANTERN Address 25 W Main Ave #150 Spokane, WA 99201 Contact (509) 209-2211 Website magiclanternspokane.com Current Films: “Mademoiselle Chambon” France, 2009 Directed by Stéphane Brizé Genre: Drama, Romance “Kisses” Ireland, 2008 Directed by Lance Daly Genre: Drama “American Grindhouse” USA, 2010 Directed by Elijah Drenner Genre: Documentary “A Film Unfinished” Germany, 2010 Directed by Yael Hersonski Genre: Documentary

Brianna Rollins

Deby Dixon | The Communicator

For $7, you can watch films at the Magic Lantern Theatre that are not shown anywhere else in Spokane cinemas. The facility also offers low-cost concessions.

getting married.”

“We have virtually no competition in the sense of another theater showing the same things,” owner The Magic Lantern is the only Joe Davis said. theater in Spokane that specializes The Magic Lantern has been in in foreign films, documentaries and Spokane since the 1970s but under independent films.

Davis’ management for about 14 Indie films like “Mademoiselle months. Davis ended up with the Chambon”, “Kisses”, “American Magic Lantern theater after reading Grindhouse” and “A Film Unfinished”, which are currently playing. about a movie they were playing that he wanted to see, and found “My favorite movie is called 8: out they were shut down.

Mormon Proposition,” avid movie The Magic Lantern is a small goer Victoria Lehinger Morlin said.

“It showed how the Mormon Church coffee and dessert house, as well as was beating, torturing, and causing a theater. Customers are allowed to bring his or her purchased beverage gays to commit suicide all because they did not believe gays should be or dessert in the theater.

The Communicator

“We are selling classic bulk candy for 50 cents a scoop, cookies are $1, bottomless popcorn is $2.50,” employee Carrissa Armstrong said.

They also sell Doma french press coffee and espressos and will soon sell local pies and cakes.

“My favorite thing to get there is a half frosted cookie and a large mocha,” Lehinger Morlin said.

The theater has two screens.

The theater is filled with old theater chairs to sit in. The room could approximately fit 50-70 people.

“I love that the theater is so cozy and small, it’s much more intimate,” Lehinger Morlin said. “The AMC is too big and it is always dirty.”

The Magic Lantern also allows local cinematographers to show off their work and can be used by the community as well.

“The theater is available for rent, for a really low flat rate,” Davis said. “This is that place where people feel community.

The price for a Magic Lantern ticket is $7. There are a few ways to find out what is playing at the Lantern; on line at their web site (magiclanternspokane.com), their facebook or myspace pages, or visit the theater.

Times for currently playing and upcoming films are available on their website.

Large popcorn at AMC is

$6.50

The Magic Lantern sells the same product for

$2.50

AMC Theater has locations in 91 cities. The Magic Lantern has one.

Source: amctheaters.com, magiclanternspokane. com

Art gallery hosts fire-breathing robots Release forms required for viewing

SRL has put on 45 mechanized performances since 1978.

8

Tom O’Day | Contributor

mechanized warfar as robots battle each other. With monikers like Sparkshooter, Inchworm, and Mr. Satan, the pieces of living art will be open Travis DeFelippo for viewing starting in November.

The Communicator Pauline’s lecture is being hosted by the SFCC Art Gallery as part of an Artist Mark Pauline makes his living annual tradition.

“Every year we come up with by building flame-throwing robots a theme with a well known artand detonating cannons.

Pauline is an inventor and founder ist around the world,” O’Day said.

“When students see these type of of Survival Research Labs (SRL), a San Francisco-based group of artists, artist they just take off.”

The theme for the 2010-11 acamechanics and technicians using industrial technology usually associ- demic year is Arts of Action. Pauline’s ated with war and destruction to pro- pyro-technological show will be the mote a message of peace, according first of three artists the gallery will host. to the srl.org.

The gallery encourages students to SRL claims to perform the most arrive early for the event, as seating dangerous shows on earth. and space are limited.

“People have to sign a release Students unable to attend Pauline’s form,” SFCC Art Gallery Director Tom performance at SFCC can see other O’Day said about Pauline’s shows. viewings at the Museum of Arts and “He travels all over the world and Culture and Eastern Washington does these types of performances.”

University.

Audience members can expect

Mark Pauline SFCC Gallery Nov. 17 7 p.m.

Eastern Washington University 526 5th Street Cheney Nov. 18 1 p.m.

Museum of Arts and Culture 2316 W 1st Ave Spokane Nov.18 6:30 p.m.

Source: northwestmuseum.org, ewu.edu

Did You Know?: The first movie theater - called The Nickolodeon - opened in 1905 in Pittsburgh, PA.

Source: www.infoplease.com

Oct. 21 - Nov. 3, 2010

Culture

The Communicator

Rock Steady Music | Contributor

A Halloween night with Best Coast

ian Girls’ drummer Ali Koehler.

Where Cosentino wasn’t ready for her ripe material of a broken heart, which Stage54 she is using now with Best Coast.

California band Best Coast is the 25 E. Lincoln St. “I had never really written music unlocked musings of a girl and her before, so I was really excited to journal with the lo-fi sound of Sonic When Youth (a band who they have opened share it with people, but once people started to pay attention to it, I sort of for) mixed with the vocals of the Oct. 31, 7 p.m. freaked out,” Cosentino said in an 1950s. interview with Pop Sense.

22-year-old singer, guitarist and How Much The material found in their debut front of the band, Bethany Cosentino album Crazy For You awarded them isn’t new to the spotlight. Cosentino Tickets are $12 with a “Best New Music” label on first started receiving recognition in advance, $15 Pitchfork, a track with Weezer’s Rivwhen she was 17 and offered conat the door and ers Cuomo as well as seeing their tracts by major music labels. She is are available at joined with former babysitter and lead indie album reach number 36 on the all TicketsWest Billboard Charts. guitarist Bobb Bruno and former Vivlocations

Tucker Clarry

The Communicator

For more Culture content visit spokanefalls.edu/communicator/sections/culture/culture.html

9

Sidelines

Oct. 21 - Nov. 3, 2010

Cutler Rickel | The Communicator

Coaches confident that conditioning instructor covers the illegality of enhancing drugs.

CCS athletes not tested for steroids

Cutler Rickel

The Communicator Performance enhancing drugs have been an issue in sports over the past decade, with the biggest sports stars such as Mark McGwire and Alex Rodriguez being caught with the use of steroids, and more recently human growth hormones (HGH).

Coach Bobby Lee is confident with the team’s outlook on illegal drugs, both on and off the field. “The athletes don’t use steroids, mostly protein and creatine supplements,” Lee said. “We have a strength and

The NWAACC doesn’t test athletes conditioning instructor to cover info for steroids or HGH. “We recognize about performance enhancing drugs someone taking them,” Lee said. and how it’s illegal.”

“We then treat it individually.”

Supplements, like protein and cre Travis Warner is atine are com“It’s just having to decide the wellness direcpletely normal if it’s worth getting tor at SFCC, he is for enhanced surrounded by stumuscle strength caught or damaging dents in the weight at the high yourself later in life.” room everyday. school, college “I’ve heard conand pro level.

-Derek Carley versations about “The short term Sasquatch baseball player steroids, but mostly gain of steroids students and not doesn’t come close to the long term ramifications,” athletes,” Warner said. “Athletes at SFCC just want to have fun.”

Lee said. “It will haunt you for the “Steroids are obviously very bad rest of your life.”

Student athelete financial aid still unreviewed Cutler Rickel

The Communicator

So many community college student athletes rely on financial aid to give them the chance to play their favorite sports. In many instances, a student isn’t awarded their aid, this includes athletes.

From soccer to basketball, baseball to track and cross country, every season yields financial problems.

The fall is the one that brings the most panic, as it is the start of the school year. Every student knows this is when the most pressure is on, especially an athlete, to find the right classes and to receive that ‘golden’ check that will give them easy entry to classes. Over 7000 students applied by May of this year. 3479, 56 percent of students, received some type of financial aid.

Some students’ forms haven’t been reviewed, though, due to being turned in the first month of Fall quarter. 433 students are still waiting to be reviewed.

10

Jille Shankar, Associate Dean of financial aid, says she holds no bias when it comes to reviewing financial aid.

“We review students in the order that their applications were completed,” Shankar said. “We do not specifically identify athletes.”

Casey Casillas moved up from Richland, Washington to run cross country for CCS. All financial aid was signed up for. Then something came up, school was just about to start and no check was received.

“I had to go to the financial aid office three days in a row to find out what was going on and then the day before school,” Casillas said. “I found out that I didn’t get it.

“So I tried to pay for it but my parents didn’t have money.”

Casillas was forced to move back to where he started.

“I’m pissed about it,” Casillas said. “I have been wanting to get out of the Richland and start over, but this whole thing came up and made me come back.”

By The Numbers:

Bobby Lee is the baseball coach and assistant athletic director has never had lasting problems with financial aid on the team.

“Most students wait too long to file or omit certain sections of the forms,” Lee said. “We make a serious point of financial aid deadlines.”

Lee educates his athletes about financial aid.

“We talk to the team about financial aid,” Lee said. “Community College is one of the best, cost effective opportunities for an athlete.”

Not all students are in need of financial aid, but the problem still exists. A previous baseball player at SFCC, Justin Murphy, knew of the problem from experience.

“There were many kids that received financial aid and many did not,” Murphy said. “However, receiving financial aid or not, did not affect them playing baseball.”

Derek Carley also played baseball for SFCC and had a roommate who had several problems with the financial aid process.

“My roommate has had a lot of trouble with it in his time at the Falls,” Carley said. “His financial aid is usually very late and is in the pending state until almost a month into school and he almost had to

CLarissa Stoddard | Editor

for you,” Warner said. “I also feel strongly about the cheating aspect, no one should be taking them.”

Justin Murphy, a recent Baseball player at SFCC, is confident about drugs not being used on the team.

“This is more of a problem at higher level sports due to the fact there is more on the line at a given time,” Murphy said. “Whether or not you use performance drugs, you still have to be able to compete like a true athlete should.”

Derek Carley enjoyed a drug free baseball team at SFCC. “I know of athletes that have used steroids, but I wasn’t exposed to any of this at the falls,” Carley said.

The testing strategies of the community colleges don’t make total sure that steroids are not in use, though.

“NWAACC and National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), I believe, are the few schools that don’t test for steroids, drugs, or any kind of HGH,” Carley said.

Carley said he believes that to be truly good at what they do, athletes need to do it naturally. “Performance wise and short term, obviously any enhancing drug is going to be amazing,” Carley said.

Chris Allen of the Sasquatch baseball team has encountered users.

“I’ve played with several people who were using, or have used performance enhancing drugs,” Allen said.

“I haven’t seen or heard of anyone from the Falls doing that.”

Baseball is a sport of statistics, Allen said he disagrees with steroids and HGH because of the unfair advantage.

“I think it’s unfair to the rest of the team,” Allen said. “They’re going against someone who has an unfair advantage.”

Steroid Facts Used:

Taken orally or injected from a pill or liquid

Time: Taken in weeks or month with a break and started again

Positive effects: In-

crease muscle mass, stamina, and overall strength

Negative effects:

Acne, excess hair growth, deeper voice, higher risk of cancer, risk of heart and liver disease, agressive behavior, paranoia, extreme irritability, delusions

Long-term effects: Stunted growth, puberty changes, severe acne, permanent infertility Source: drugfree. org

Cutler Rickel | The Communicator

Financial aid is critical to some student athletes. quit last year because he was relying on the help.”

Chris Allen plays baseball for SFCC. “I have had friends who went to other colleges who had to quit sports because of that whole issue,” Allen said.

Chris continued to mention how skill and love for a sport shouldn’t be put on the line because of financial aid issues.

“I think it’s wrong that a student athlete should have to quit playing a sport due to not receiving financial aid,” Allen said. “Talent shouldn’t be taken away due to money issues.”

There are 35 community colleges that are a part of NWAACC. Source: NWAACC.org

Financial Aid How to apply:

Go to financial aid office in SUB or on the Spokane Falls Community College website. Also visit fafsa.ed.gov.

Source: spokanefalls.edu

FOCUS

Oct. 21 - Nov. 3, 2010

Kody Rapp | Editor

Alliance center open to provide ‘safe zone’ for members Dominick Martinez The Communicator

The SFCC Alliance club opened their new LGBT center with a ribbon cutting ceremony and cake. The center is located in Building 24 and is open to any LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered) students looking for a place where the “minority becomes the majority” according to Barbara Williamson, director of the Alliance club.

Referring to Williamson, SFCC’s LGBT center is a newly renovated space that is designated to be a place where students can go to access resources and seek help.

“It’s also a place where students can come together to socialize and surround themselves with students similar to them,” Williamson said.

The center includes two full length couches, informational books, a TV, Wii and food.

Brandon Pellet, the new Alliance President has been working on the center for some time now.

“The LGBT center came together by anonymous donations around the community,” Pellet said. “We were also funded by organizations and the student government.

“We also had to dip into our club money that we got from past fundraisers which made it all the more important for us.”

A future plan for the center is to move the center into the SUB lounge but that isn’t going to be for some time, according to Pellet.

The center is a place for students to gather but there is another program on campus that is similar where students can find help.

Deby Dixon | The Communicator

Alliance members and faculty enjoyed cake as part of the ribbion cutting ceremony for the new LGBT center.

The safe zone program is a program where students can consult a staff member who is trained in our faculty member’s workplaces.

To begin, certain faculty members go through training to aid those students of the LGBT community in certain situations and are then on certified to help. The safe zone program is self enrolled so teachers that have gone through the necessary training can decide if being a safe zone advocate is what they want or if it’s going to be overwhelming down the road.

According to the SFCC website, in and around the campus

are over 60 teachers that have gone through the training and there locations are shown on the map provided. Jess Acevedo, a student and active member in Alliance feels the idea is working.

“Knowing that even some of the faculty are driven to help students and give them a place to be comfortable and open up feels comforting,” Acevedo said.

After reviewing a campus climate survey, Williamson indicated that there was a high number in the “no value towards the LGBT community” at the school, signifying that almost half of the

school feels similar to this.

“The safe zones are a way to educate people and make everybody feel more at ease in the way that they can make a place for these students instead of secluding them altogether,” Williamson said.

“So far, the program has had a positive result and continues to be a big part of the acceptance factor here at SFCC,” said Pellet.

“These safe zones were in part made to give more visibility to the invisible minority and in that light, we are succeeding,” Williamson said.

LGBT Center

24: Building where LGBT center is located 60: Number

of teachers that have gone through safe zone training

Source: Barbara Williamson

Wellness Club provides students with tips on college stress management

Nicole Denman | The Communicator

Wellness members focus on breathing while learning to meditate.

Carol Thompson-Hazen The Communicator

30.2 percent of college freshman feel stressed and frequently overwhelmed by everything they have to do, according to a recent study at (UCLA) University of California Los Angeles.

Learning how to deal with your

stress is important, according to Shari Staudinger the Wellness Club coordinator at SFCC. “We don’t have to give into the stress of our lives,” Staudinger says.

“We can combat it.”

The wellness club is welcome to anyone interested in fitness, eating healthy and learning to relieve their stress. They are offering a free yoga

Did You Know?: 60 percent of Americans are obese.

Source: USA Today

and ti chi class once a month for students and staff.

“The class focuses on warming the body, breathing, relaxation and different techniques to deal with stress,” Staudinger said.

The wellness club benefits students at SFCC by helping them with time management and stress management. Students watch awareness films that help them become more aware of healthier habits. Staudinger is currently working on teaching students how to use an OMRON fat loss monitor. This helps you monitor progress in achieving a healthier, more active lifestyle by helping you keep track of fat loss.

“If you are healthy you are happy and successful,” she says.

The club meets weekly and also meets once a month to discuss and bring new wellness ideas to the student body and staff.

“We want to bring in programs and people who can talk to students about how to be healthier in many different areas,” Staudinger says.

Staudinger’s duties as the wellness

club coordinator are to help administer to the members of the club, oversee actions, activities and info that is out there, and be available to those who are interested in being healthy and discovering how to achieve that.

“I want students to walk away with a knowledge of being healthier and how exactly to achieve that,” she says. “Basically having life style tools that they can apply to everyday life.”

The club is approaching a number of different types of advertisement, in order to get themselves out there.

This includes posters around the campus, club day and also Staudinger wants to set up an account with facebook and twitter in order to recruit more students.

“We are open to suggestions,” she says. “Each person can help.”

Staudinger says the best advice she can give students about wellness is learning to breath properly, drink lots of water, relax and be physically fit. She says it’s something you have to do on your own but the wellness club is here to educate you about the right steps to take.

Wellness: 30.2: Per-

cent of college freshman feel stressed

0: Cost of once a month yoga and ti chi classes at SFCC 1.19: Liters of water recommended per day 30: Amount

of recommended excercise per day

Source: UCLA study

11

Oct. 21 - Nov. 3, 2010

FOCUS

The Communicator

Desperate Measures

Students go to extremes to pay for college

Ashley Hiruko

The Communicator With college tuition rising, some students are falling to desperate measures to further their education.

A student at SFCC, who goes by the stage name “Candy Rose”, meets all of her financial needs by erotically dancing three nights a week for four hours.

Rose started dancing back in 2008 after being laid off from her job.

“I needed a way to put food in my children's mouths and pay my tuition,” Rose said. “I believe that the end justifies the means.”

On average, tuition tends to increase about 8 percent per year according to finaid.org. The average full time yearly tuition and fees are $2,544 at a public two-year college and $7,020 at a public four-year college according to collegeboard. com.

Rose is studying to be an elementary teacher and lives alone with her two children.

“My dad has offered to take care of me and my kids as long as I remain in school but that's not who I am as a person,” Rose said. “ At 23, I should not be counting on Daddy to take care of me.”

According to Rose, she makes $11 dollars an hour plus tips, averaging about $500 on a good day and $1500 a week.

“Being on stage is a rush, but I’m certainly not looking forward

to telling my children,” Rose said.

“I would never let my daughter do this.”

According to Rose, she plans on continuing to dance until she graduates and can find a stable job.

“I am fortunate to have found something that I like doing and (can) make a really good living from.”

Vincent Guerrero, a SCC student studying network design and administration, donates plasma on a regular basis, at the CSL plasma facility located at West 104 3rd Avenue, to help pay for expenses.

Guerrero makes roughly $55 a week and has been donating plasma since he moved to Spokane late last summer.

"I couldn't pay to move into my new apartment because I used up all my money moving to Spokane to start school," Guerrero said. "I had no money for books for school or even food."

According to Guerrero, he spends, on average, six hours a week donating plasma and continues to donate despite his fear of needles.

“I am deathly afraid of needles and after I donate plasma I tend to feel light headed,” said Guerrero. “I don’t know when I’ll stop donating, maybe after I’m done with school.”

Kamie McCoul, a student at SFCC studying education, received financial aid during her first year of college but barely enough to cover tuition. McCoul did not receive enough financial aid so she turned to other methods to help pay for books.

McCoul sold the horse she raised and took care of for six years. After

Tuition and Fee Statistics $2,544:

The average full time yearly tuition and fee cost at a twoyear college

$7,020:

The average full time yearly tuition and free cost for a public four-year college

$26,544

The average fulltime yearly tuitiion and fee cost for a private four-year college

$8.55:

Washington’s average minimum wage

Deby Dixon | The Communicator

Kamie McCoul sold her Breeding Stock Paint horse Roxy, who she took care of for six years, to assist in paying for her books in her first year. selling her horse, Roxy, a Breeding Stock Paint, McCoul also pawned off tacks, saddles, and other accessories.

“It was a hard decision because you have a common bond, a connection when you raise them,” McCoul said. “I can always get a different horse once I graduate, but it wont be the same.”

McCoul now works at the Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute teach-

ing cultural differences and English to the Japanese students. She also works in the international office on campus here at SFCC and attends classes full-time.

"Riding was something I was into my whole life and as a grown up I had to make that decision,” McCoul said. “Is it worth it to go to school or work? Do I get educated or stay in a minimum wage job the rest of my life?"

8 percent: The amount tution tends to increase per year

$900:

The average amount students spend on textbooks each year Source: finaid.org, collegeboard,com, uspirg.org

Red Nations Student Association Red Nations Coat Drive

All quarter Deposit all gently used coats in the labeled bins throughout campus

Native Voices

Nov. 10 11:30 Building 24 Auditorium Nov. 10 5 p.m. SUB (along with Indian Taco sale)

Native Arts and Crafts Sale Nov. 15 - 18 all day SUB

Indian Taco Sale

Oct. 21 11:30 - 1:30 p.m. SUB Nov. 10 5 p.m. SUB Nov. 17 11:30 - 1:30 p.m. SUB Tacos are $6 and fry bread is $3

Contact: rednationsclub@gmail.com

For more information on the club and our events friend us on facebook under SFCC Red Nations Club.

For more Focus content visit faculty.spokanefalls.edu/communicator/sections/focus/focus.html

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