TCC The Collegian October 19, 2022

UPCOMING ELECTION CREATES CONFUSION

ALEX HOBEN editor-in-chief alexandra.hoben@my.tccd.edu

Some students are having difficul ties sifting through information and decisions regarding the approaching election.

The upcoming midterms, including the race for Texas governor between incumbent governor Greg Abbott and challenger Beto O’Rourke, are draw ing closer. With early voting starting in Tarrant County on Oct. 24 and sample ballots now available, many are prepar ing for the election season.

NE student Bryon Broadway has been keeping up with his research and said he is focused on two major things.

“Honestly, the most important thing about this election to me is about a woman’s right to choose,” he said. “And further basis on that would be voting freedoms here in the state of Texas.”

NE student Ty Coleman echoed that sentiment, saying it was embar rassing that the public still had to vote on the matter of abortion rights.

“Just the fact that it’s still going on is just ridiculous,” Coleman said.

Regarding the candidates, Broad way said that while O’Rourke is a good

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Democratic candidate, he may not be the right one for Texas.

“I think that Beto is an overtly emotional candidate, and he is unfit to run as a Democrat in the state of Texas,” Broadway said. “But I do think he is a very, very good Democratic can didate for a different state.”

For Abbott, Broadway expressed his frustration with how his attorney general, Ken Paxton, recently fled from being served a subpoena and has been under indictment for security fraud for seven years. Even though Abbott’s been in office for seven years, he has not seen much change.

“You’ve been in office too long, haven’t done too much and you need to get out now,” he said.

Both Broadway and Coleman agreed that they believed there wasn’t a good candidate in the pool for this election.

“The same seven years versus a man who’s just going to get emotional on a podium once not enough support happens in the state house,” Broadway said. “So we’re just going to end up with a governor who just yells at a po dium for four years.”

Not all share that viewpoint, South student Gary Jackson said he thinks there is a well-balanced selection of candidates this year.

“The reason is that each one of them has various positions and issues that they are standing by, and they all make good points,” Jackson said. “It is just the matter of what issues would you like to be addressed as a voter.”

He believes the main issue is gun control and monitoring who can pur chase them.

One of the major issues that should be addressed by the candidates is the immigration situation at the bor der, Broadway said. He’s gotten con flicting information that is incredibly confusing.

“The entirely opaque situation down at the border, and I mean that from both the liberal and from a con servative side of things,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going on at the border. I don’t think anybody really knows. Is it bad? Is it good? I don’t know.”

The death of democracy here isn’t corruption. It’s the fact that we’re giving these executives too much power and we believe that they have this power.

“Right now, how do we get control of 18-year-old kids purchasing guns of any kind and then using them for mass shootings?” Jackson said. “We must have tighter gun control over who is able to buy one.”

Broadway also said how he wished his peers would research more into Texas government so they can real ize it’s not just the governor’s election that’s important.

“I think that even if Beto wins, enough young people aren’t going to do the right thing and vote in Demo cratic or moderate Republicans into the House of Representatives here in the state of Texas,” he said. “And ulti mately just because you get a different governor — if you look at our constitu tion — the governor does not have any powers.”

He has been trying to keep talking about it and keep people informed, but he’s tempted to take out the sixth-grade government books again.

Election affects first-gen voters

Immigrant students speak about issues impacting their vote

immigration has increased.

As a border state, Texas is under constant debate over how immigration will be handled. The midterm elections are less than a month away, and with most of the TCC community eligible to vote, students are capable of influencing their future.

Many students at SE Campus are immigrants themselves, such as Bhavya Gireesh, and are concerned about how the candidates stances on immigration may affect them.

“I think immigrants should be treated with respect, and I don’t think they should be treated like aliens,” Gireesh said. “I don’t know what reso lution would be good since people are so against immigrants coming into the country [and saying] they are stealing jobs. Immigrants have the education to take that role.”

The history of the relation ship between the U.S. and immi grants has been in turmoil in re cent years. With xenophobic rhetoric as well as legislation being passed in the country, such as former president Donald Trump’s border wall, the dis course of what constitutes as legal

For History instructor Eric Salas, addressing topics such as immigration within the classroom is a tool to have an open dialogue.

“I hope with these discussions, my students feel comfortable to explore ideas and positions. Understanding that we are learning to create and challenge the system of things,” Salas said. “If I can demonstrate how history is relevant in our current political context, then I’ve armed my students with the potential to see the power of their collective effort.”

SE student Mahdi Hantouli immi grated from Jordan to the U.S. as a child. See Immigration, page 2

Bryon Broadway NE student

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NINA BANKS campus editor nina.banks@my.tccd.edu

President Biden announces marijuana pardon

feels the country is headed in the right direc tion in regards to marijuana, she questions the effectiveness of the pardon.

President Joe Biden fulfilled his 2020 campaign promise by pardoning people with simple federal marijuana charges.

On Oct. 6, Biden announced the pardon due to the many obstacles weed charges cre ate.

“Criminal records for marijuana pos session have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing and educational op portunities,” Biden said.

While this pardon doesn’t directly im pact those who have been charged at local and state levels, Biden urges governors to do the same in regards to state offenses.

“My action will help relieve the collat eral consequences arising from these convic tions,” he said.

Although SE student Anne Fitzgerald

“This is not realistic because he can only affect those on federal charges,” Fitzgerald said.

“Something would have to be done for those [with] state charges, and this should be done through Congress, not an executive action.”

On a similar note, SE associate profes sor Ehi Agboaye said he feels states should have the ultimate say when it comes to mari juana charges.

“The federal government has so much to do. They shouldn’t bother themselves with who smokes pot and who doesn’t,” Agboaye said.

While weed hasn’t been legalized, SE student Ian Powell is happy that a step has been taken at a federal level for those with simple weed charges to have a clean slate.

“I don’t see why it should impact you

over the entire tenure of your life,” Powell said. “It’s something that could be erased like bad credit.”

Fitzgerald also believes that this will significantly help those who have been con victed and have struggled in their daily lives.

“This would have a large impact for those convicted because many people take prior convictions into account in hiring de cisions, renting decisions, creditworthiness decisions and other decisions,” she said.

Among the many obstacles marijuana possession offenses pose, Biden also ex pressed concern for the ways Black Ameri cans are affected.

“Black people have been arrested, pros ecuted and convicted at disproportionate rates,” he said.

Fitzgerald said this pardon will help the way all convicted Americans are received.

“This will help everyone of all races and ethnicities to get rid of the stigma of being a convicted felon,” she said.

With midterm elections right around the corner, the question of whether or not this pardon will affect the voting turnout arises.

Fitzgerald thinks that the pardon won’t make too much of an impact on America’s votes due to potentially more pressing top ics. Such as abortion, gun control and taxes.

“I don’t think this will impact the elec tion,” she said. “There are too many other topics on which people will be deciding for whom they will cast their ballots.”

Biden said the pardon doesn’t apply to non-citizens or those who aren’t lawfully present in the U.S. at the time of their of fense.

Powell feels this makes sense and, as an immigrant, thinks it’s the right thing to enforce.

“I have to support people coming into the country legally, doing things legally, ‘’ he said. “If you want to be a part of that system, you have to get with what that sys tem is doing.”

Immigration

He acknowledged the impact xenophobic rhetoric has had.

“[The news] always manipulates the way they want [their message] to be. So they will be saying XYZ about these people being bad, but in reality it’s only 1% of them that are bad,” Hantouli said. “Whenever I see it on the news, I feel bad because why are you feeding us lies?”

Hantouli noted the difficulties he has observed through his experiences and his friends.

“There are some times where they would apply for a job and they would reject them and we would know why, because they would only hire a certain ethnicity. It limits opportunities for us to get hired and work,” Hantouli said. “Same thing for schools. Going into high end schools, they only take a certain ethnicity. You can’t just reject me because I am Arab.”

Students express transportation issues

Via Transport, a service that SE Cam pus has been offering from February 2020, has received mixed reactions from the stu dent population.

Some claim that it has been anything but pleasant. Others just see it as a blessing.

SE student Sev Lohse said he has ex pressed frustration with the system.

Lohse started attending SE in fall 2021 and has been using Via ever since he start ed. He explained his experience with it from the beginning and compared it to what it is now.

“The wait times have definitely be come a lot longer. It used to be about 10 or 15 minutes. Now you’re looking at upwards of an hour,” he said. “So you have to sched ule super in advance.”

Lohse expressed his discomfort with the wait and scheduling times with having early classes. He believes TCC and Via were not prepared for more people to use the service.

“It’s one of the worst things that’s hap pened,” he said. “More people have heard about it so more people are using it, but they haven’t adjusted to the change at all.”

Lohse also expressed discomfort to ward the way drivers pick up riders.

“Sometimes it’s dangerous. The stops

it picks seem completely random,” he said. “I was in the car when someone was getting picked up. She was stuck next to a transmission tower. There was a drop-off into the dirt and she was standing there. So the car had to go off road in the steep decline just to get to her.”

In response, the city of Arlington’s media inquiry communication coordina tor Susan Schrock explained how the wait times were averaged.

“On average it takes 12-15 minutes,” she said. “It gives a good idea of how far or close the van is. The wait times vary if the vehicle is nearby and how much demand is in the system. Especially if it’s between rush times, it’s a popular service.”

She also explained how the curb-tocurb service worked.

“If they [riders] require it, they have the ability to request a curb - to - curb ser vice on the accessibility tab at arlingtontx. com/via,” she said. “Via is not intended to be a door-to-door service and riders should expect to be picked up a block or two from where they are.”

Schrock said that if any of the students had any comments they should feel free to reach out for any feedback.

SE student Alexander Samuel ex pressed similar feelings toward Via as the wait times have also caused problems for him, but he also expressed gratitude toward it.

“Overall, my experience is mixed, al though it’s slightly positive given the fact that it is an affordable way for me to com mute from my home in north Arlington without a car,” he said.

He said he doesn’t like how unreliable the service can be, especially when he is in a rush.

“With long wait times, multiple pick ups and drop-offs and limited availability during rush hour, so many seats are booked to the point where you pretty much have to try again in 30 minutes or even an hour,” he said.

On the other hand, student Essi Kama sa-Quashie, who has been using Via since fall 2021, has noted that Via has been a blessing.

“I’m OK with it because it’s my only means of transportation,” she said. “Via has been really good to me so far because I don’t have to pay anything to do my gro cery shopping or pay my bills.”

Lohse said he believes it needs to be looked after more. With the students using it, there is a standard that the school should uphold.

“If this is what we’re going to be using as our public transportation, then it needs to be cared for in the same way public transportation is and in some ways more,” he said.

Salas discusses politics with his classes in relation to topics being taught. Many of his students are first generation or immi grants themselves. He believes in his stu dents’ ability to impact the world.

He said the president and governor po sitions have been given far too much atten tion to the point where they’re like figure heads.

“The death of democracy here isn’t cor ruption. It’s the fact that we’re giving these executives too much power and we believe that they have this power,” he said. “At the end of the day, the legislative branch is sup posed to have more power than the presi dent, and then the governor.”

Broadway believes many people are going to vote independently this year but says that unless it looks like that candidate will actually win, they shouldn’t vote for that person.

“The biggest lie here in the United States in general is just the idea that you can’t waste your vote, and you definitely can,” he said.

Broadway compared elections to horse races. Anyone can pick whatever horse they

choose, but only two horses run on that track: Republican and Democrat.

“Independent voters really want to make a difference in the world? They need to actually rally around one candidate, and they actually need to help them succeed at the local level and then up to the state level,” he said.

Coleman said he wishes the information provided in politics was more straightfor ward so that students and those with not as much time to read articles could still partici pate.

“We have a system where it highlights freedom and you should want to learn about your system that is different than any other place in the world, but I just get over whelmed and honestly quite pissed off at how everything is run,” he said. “Just give it to me straight. What’s going on? And I’ll decide which one I like worst.”

“Many of my students are young vot ers or first-time voters, and I hope that these elections demonstrate the importance and impact of the youth vote,” Salas said. “When young people understand the issues, organize and vote in block, they can exact the change they hope to see.”

Gireesh said she hopes for people to share more compassion with one another in regards to immigrant relations and xenopho bia.

“What if somebody said that to my par ents? I wouldn’t be here and I wouldn’t have the life I have. I think people lose the idea that they are people too,” Gireesh said.

OLLA

I think immigrants should be treated with respect, and I don’t think they should be treated like aliens.

Bhavya Gireesh SE student

Joel Solis/The Collegian

SE student Salma Saleh getting into a van that is part of the Via Arlington transportation system at SE Campus.

Courtesy of Beto O’Rourke Campaign

Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

Beto O’Rourke is the Democratic candidate for the Texas governor race.

Governor Greg Abbott is the Republican candidate for the Texas governor race.

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South Campus unveils new veterans center

IRENE DOMINGUEZ campus editor

The Veterans Resource Center has a new home at South Campus.

This is a bigger location than their previ ous offices in business services. In addition to staff offices, the new resource center has a kitchenette, a study room, a lounge and several computers for student veterans to use. South president Daniel Lufkin gave a speech detailing the significance of the center’s loca tion in the Jenkins Garrett library.

Chris Hunt, a former NE veterans coun selor, was there to cut the ribbon to officially dedicate SLIB 2215A to Jewish war veterans as part of the opening of the new offices.

The Jewish war veterans in attendance were representatives from Martin Hochster Post 755. Post Commander Phil Kabakoff, Sr. Vice Commander department of TALO Ron Sivernell and post member Barry Schneider.

They are part of the Jewish War Veter ans of the U.S.. JWV is the longest running veteran service organization in the country. It was founded in 1896 by 63 Jewish war Civil War veterans.

“We [JWV] started after the Civil War as a result of antisemitism,” Silvernell said. “They said we didn’t do anything. We were there too.”

There was no credit given to Jewish war veterans, he said. One of the missions of the organization is to inform people of Jew ish war veterans’ contributions to landmark events.

Another mission of the organization is to

Universities collaborate on NE Campus for transfer event

combat prejudice against Jewish war veter ans, he said.

”Holocaust deniers are out there, and some people are antisemitic,” he said. “Our mission is to make more people know we’re just like the rest.”

“We provide services to the vets, and provide the benefits they deserve,” Silvernell said.

JWV prioritizes veterans support and at times it has been difficult to get things going on different campuses. South Campus has been fortunate to have Valerie Groll as a champion of veterans support, he said.

“She’s been very dynamic in building this and getting the right people in,” Sivernell said.

Valerie Groll is a veterans counselor at South veterans resource center and has helped create the support network for veterans at South.

She wants to create a familiar place for veterans to hang out with their brothers and sisters and get the support they need, she said.

“We talk to them and ask them about their goals, what they did in the military, find out what support services they’re gonna need so we can provide those resources to them,” Groll said.

Part of the onboarding process at the resource center is getting to know the veteran student as possible about veteran students so they can be proactive about assisting them,

SOUTHEAST

Groll said. One way they do that is through their partnership with Boots to Business.

“Veterans and military connected can learn how to own, operate, manage or expand a small business,” Groll said.

She wants to have the community re sources meet the veterans where they are. It’s important that veteran students feel comfort able in the resource center and can feel at home among other students that understand what it is like to serve their country.

”One of the things that’s important for the vet centers is – I staff vet workers here, they provide that camaraderie,” Groll said.

Justin Dearick is a veteran student at South who said he is grateful to be getting such a nice big space and to have support there.

“Transitioning from military to civilian lifestyle is very difficult, and Valarie makes a very good environment for people that are dealing with that”, Dearick said

The resource center provides him a haven and a counselor who has guided him through to find a career path that feels right for him, he said

“I can come in here as a frustrated vet eran and get my frustrations out. She is just the solution to whatever problem I can come up with, she’s like that for everybody,” Dear ick said.

“I have a 4.0 right now…I’m on track to rise to the top,” Dearick said.

Fashion designer gives new career outlook to SE students

NINA BANKS campus editor nina.banks@my.tccd.edu

Fashion designer Minnie Sevikul gives presentation on her career in the industry Fashion designer Minnie Sevikul dis cussed her career in the fashion industry at an event that the SE Fine Arts department hosted on Oct. 12.

is that you can get away with a lot,” Sevikul said. “I love color and exploring different techniques. I liked the optimism, colorful ness, fabrication and texture you can use.”

Sevikul has since left Old Navy and discussed the pros and cons of working in a corporation.

XAVIER BOATNER campus editor xavier.boatner@my.tccd.edu

NE Campus partnered with universities from across the state to help inform students of transfer opportunities.

NE special services coordinator Traci Head hosted the Road Trip Fair event on Oct. 12. Representatives from multiple universities came together to offer students information about the transfer process.

“The Road Trip Fair, hosted by NE, was created to provide information and build con nections for students who hope to transfer to institutions outside the DFW area,” Head said.

She said the goal of the fair was to help students learn about the opportunities pre sented to them by different universities, and motivate them to learn more about the trans fer process.

“I hope students who attend the Road Trip Fair are able to learn about universities and programs,” Head said. “We want to en courage students to dream big, gain practical knowledge and build relationships that will be essential as they start the transfer process.”

Head said the event could provide stu dents with the information needed to pursue future educational endeavors.

“Many students plan to continue their education beyond TCC in pursuit of bach elor’s, master’s and other professional de grees,” she said. “This event provides the type of information and resources students need to be successful.”

NE transfer center coordinator Alicia Thomas said she hoped that the event helped students become aware of the transfer process and start thinking about what resources to use.

“It’s important for students to start think ing about the transfer process and possibly connect with the transfer center or the advis ing office,” Thomas said. “It gives students a chance to meet a university representative that is out of state and start that connection and conversation.”

University of Arkansas transfer admis sions counselor Natthaphat Watthanaphuti said his goal was to make sure students felt comfortable learning about the transfer pro cess.

“If they’re looking to transfer to a par ticular place, we want to make sure they feel

at home and understand all the information and scholarships and stuff like that given to them,” Watthanaphuti said. “We want to set information straight and give you all the in formation we have. We want to give informa tion that can be beneficial to students here in Texas.”

Watthanaphuti said he’d appreciate see ing more events like the Road Trip Fair for students to engage with in the future.

“I’d like to see more fun events,” Wat thanaphuti said. “When we talk about trans fer, it’s put on the back burner for many school events. I’d like to see things that are more interactive when it comes to transfers. This way, more students can attend and un derstand the importance of learning about op portunities elsewhere.”

NE student Alexander Nowroodi enjoyed the atmosphere of the event and said TCC should host more events.

“I like how open it is and how every one’s kind of just out in front of you,” Now roodi said. “It’s down the hall so you have to go through it and it makes it easier to talk to people. They’re all very open and ready to talk to you, so you can learn a lot of things just like that.”

Grand Canyon University event repre sentative Shawn Smith said it’s important for students to know what their options are and why they matter in the long term.

“Not every university is right for every student,” Smith said. “It’s important for stu dents to be well-informed about what their options are in terms of degree plans to get them to a point where they can achieve their career goals long term.”

Smith said there should be more events for students to attend and that it’s important for students to get help as they progress in their education.

“I think it would be helpful to have an event for students that are very close to grad uation,” Smith said. “That is when you’re really getting ready to take that next step, and so I think it would be important to help them through that process.”

Arizona State University marketing op erations manager Elizabeth McCuller said she hoped the fair allowed students to see what’s available to them.

“No matter what they choose to study, what their background is, what they’re look ing to do in the future, there are always op tions,” McCuller said.

Instructor assistant Penelope Bis bee and associate professor of Art Jessica Battes-Grabowski organized Sevikul’s ap pearance at campus. Bisbee was glad to host events such as these to give students information about a wide range of career opportunities.

“I always think it’s just some good in formation about how your college career leads you, so that kind of practicalness,” Bisbee said. “When students can meet with someone who is doing it, that can be some sort of inspiration like ‘I was thinking about this, here is this person doing it, it’s doable, I can do it.’”

The presentation consisted of a time line of Sevikul’s career within the fashion industry.

She immigrated from Thailand to Texas at 10 years old. As a young girl, she was very petite and had few choices of clothing. Paired with her interest in drawing, Sevi kul began creating fashion designs from a young age.

Sevikul majored in fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, specializing in childrenswear.

“Everyone [was] so talented there. You really have to compete and put your best foot forward,” Sevikul said.

After graduation, she began a career at Old Navy designing clothes in the child renswear department. Sevikul described the responsibilities of her job and the process of getting a design to stores.

“One thing I like about childrenswear

“One of the reasons why I left was be cause I didn’t feel I was moving forward in my career as fast as I could,” Sevikul said. “I left fall of 2019 and took a little break because I felt a little burnt out as well. As a designer you’re always asked to be produc ing, and sometimes you get a creative burn out. I took a break and at the end of the day, I just felt like I don’t know if I can work in a corporate world again.”

She now works as a Visual Merchan dising Manager for Kate Spade in Dallas.

“I am now the one that leads the floor,” Sevikul said. “Designers work with visual merchandising to know how products will be displayed in the store. I analyze what sells well and what doesn’t. I’m somewhat on the opposite end of design right now.”

SE student Isabelle Rico attended the presentation and felt fortunate to have ac cess to diverse career resources.

“I’m glad TCC has these sorts of events because it gives those who are in terested in the career a personal outlook on how to get into the field,” Rico said. “The presentation was very informative. I really like that she told us the reality of working in a big corporation and how difficult and intricate it can be.”

Sevikul noted how she wished she had resources and presentations such as these when she was in school and was glad to serve as a resource to students.

“I love being able to give information to a younger audience, especially when some people don’t know what they want to major in,” Sevikul said. “I just want to shed some light on what it’s like. I find that very helpful.”

Joel Solis/

The Collegian

Chris Hunt cuts the ribbon to unveil the new veterans resource center at South Campus.

Ariel Desantiago/The Collegian NE student Alfonso Quiroz at the University of Arkansas at the Road Trip fair.

KJ Means/The Collegian

Presenter Minnie Sevikul shows off different fashion designs at the Art and Design Lecture at SE.

ABORTION

O’Rourke is pro-choice and says he trusts Texas women to make their own health care decisions. O’Rourke also plans to veto any future legislation to “further control women.”

LGBTQ RIGHTS

O’Rourke said he believes in equality, for all regardless of orientation or identity. O’Rourke wants to pass the state’s first comprehensive nondiscrimination law to protect fundamental rights and freedoms.

BORDER AND IMMIGRATION

O’Rourke said he supports an immigration system that is “safe, legal and orderly.” He believes the safety of the border is a top priority. O’Rourke wants to deter illegal immigration by guaranteeing legal pathways for migrants. He said he believes that we should listen first to the communities along the border. He said he believes in “bipartisan solutions, not counterproductive political stunts.”

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

O’Rourke said he believes in climate change and clean energy and supported the Green New Deal, which was a bill directed at climate change that would move the U.S. away from oil and gas. O’Rourke wants to redesign the power grid to prevent outages due to weather.

GUN CONTROL

O’Rourke said he supports both the second Amendment and gun control. O’Rourke said he wants to enact solutions to prevent mass shootings. He said he does not believe any citizen should own assault weapons.

MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION

O’Rourke said he is for the legalization of marijuana and wants to expunge the records of those arrested for marijuana possession. O’Rourke is in favor of President Joe Biden’s pardoning of individuals charged with simple marijuana possession on a federal level.

HEALTH CARE

O’Rourke said he supports expanding Medicaid and wants to improve Texas’ last-place rank in mental health care access in the nation.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I still register to vote?

Unfortunately no, the deadline to register to vote was Oct. 11. Registration is required to vote.

How do I check if I’m registered to vote? You can go to www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/ and fill out the form to confirm. You can also go to the Texas Secretary of State’s website to check your status.

What kind of identification is required to vote in-person? You will be required to have an approved photo ID to show at the polling place.

When does early voting start? Early voting starts in Tarrant County on Oct. 24 and goes until Nov. 4.

Where can I go for early voting? Someone can vote anywhere in the county they are registered in. To find polling places near you, go to vote.org and enter your address.

Where can I look at a sample ballot? You can view a sample ballot by going to the Tarrant County Elections Office website. You can also go on Ballotpedia.com after entering your information.

ABORTION

Abbott is pro-life and wants to prevent any and all abortions in Texas. Abbott signed into law the Heartbeat Act in 2021, which bans abortions after six weeks including in cases of rape and incest.

LGBTQ RIGHTS

Abbott issued a directive to Texas residents to report parents of transgender minors to authorities for child abuse if there are suspicions that the child is receiving gender-affirming medical care.

BORDER AND IMMIGRATION

Abbott is against illegal immigration and launched Operation Lone Star, a joint mission between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department along the southern border between Texas and Mexico, in 2021. Abbott has been busing migrants to different cities across the country to show his disapproval of the Biden administration’s immigration policies.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Abbott supports the oil and gas industry in Texas. Abbott has not publicly acknowledged climate change and instead uses the term “extreme weather.” Abbott signed Senate Bills 2 and 3, which require the weatherization of energy facilities.

GUN CONTROL

Abbott supports gun rights and believes in the second Amendment. He expanded it by signing the “campus carry” and “open carry” bills into legislation. Abbott is a member of the Texas State Rifle Association and the National Rifle Association.

MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION

Abbott is against the legalization of mari juana and disagrees with Biden’s pardon. But he has previously remarked on lower ing the possession to a Class C misde meanor. A spokesperson for Abbott, Renae Eze, released a statement criticizing Biden.

HEALTH CARE

Abbott moved funding from the Health and Human Services Commission to Operation Lone Star and opposed the Affordable Care Act.

WHEN AND WHERE TO EARLY VOTE

CAMPUS LOCATIONS

South Campus: Student Center SSTU 1112 NE Campus: Galley NSTU 1506 NW Campus: WFSC 1403A SE Campus: Portable Building EMBC TR Campus: The Tarrant County Plaza Building at 201 Burnett St., Fort Worth

WHEN

Oct. 24-28 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 29 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. Oct. 30 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 31 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. Nov. 1-4 7 a.m.- 7 p.m.

Illustrations by Tj Favela/The Collegian

Upcoming midterms will be interesting

The midterm elections will be on Nov. 8, and their results will play a huge role in Texas’ political future.

The past few years have brought a wave of change in Texas politics due to the rise in issues that people face on a day-to-day basis.

The candidates for governor this year include current Gov. Greg Abbott and longtime candidate Beto O’Rourke.

Abbott being a Republican has always upheld the same conservative views regarding hot political topics. O’Rourke, a Democrat, on the other hand, always strongly opposes them.

Recently though, many people have felt like instead of respectfully stating their issues with the other’s opinion, the two seem to just bicker like children and spend their time trying to defame each other.

Their on-screen tiffs have at this point caused a disconnect between them and their intended audience. From passive-aggressive political ads to arguing during televised debates, their behavior has been truly immature.

Perhaps if they put the same amount of effort into proposing solutions as they do into arguing, we could finally make some progress as a state.

Many different issues come to mind when one thinks of the midterms, but some of the most pressing issues have been abortion, gun control and education. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade earlier this year as well as the Uvalde shooting, these topics hit close to home for many people.

For O’Rourke, these issues have become the base of his

campaign, focusing on the families of the Uvalde victims and openly being pro-choice in a notoriously red state has brought much support for him this time around.

For Abbott, on the other hand, funding from the NRA took

precedence above the victims of Uvalde. Even though he was given every opportunity to make a difference on gun violence issues, he chose to turn a blind eye with the label of “thoughts and prayers” every time.

Markus Meneses/The Collegian

As for abortions, Abbott’s response to the outrage from people on the nation’s most restrictive abortion ban was to state that he plans to eliminate all rapists from Texas, effectively proving he doesn’t understand the issue at hand in

the slightest.

The responses, or lack thereof, by the current governor have prompted record voter registration. A new generation of voters has emerged and for them, the issues are no longer about party affiliation.

Along with the rise of newly eligible voters, there has also been a spike in new Texas residents coming from primarily blue states. This has caused a shift in the political landscape of the state.

The days of voting based on the sole reason they side with a particular political party are long gone. Voters are looking for change and are willing to hold their candidates accountable for the promises they make. This includes working on pressing issues like the education crisis.

Time and time again, funding for schools has been cut, and Texas teachers have paid the price, being forced to pull from their already limited funds to try and get together the basics needed to run their classrooms.

Teachers need a livable wage, and the state needs to provide for its classrooms the same way it provides for its law enforcement.

These are not political issues. They are fundamental rights issues. Children deserve the right to be safe at school, people deserve the right to have bodily autonomy, and teachers deserve the right to live comfortably with fully stocked classrooms.

The future of Texas has been up in the air for long enough. It’s time to make a change, starting with who’s in charge.

The entertainment industry is a detrimental environment for the development of child actors.

People have made memories out of countless films and television series. These moments are usually elevated by talented, self-assured actors.

For many children growing up in the late 2000s and early 2010s, reverence is felt for shows like “iCarly” and “That’s So Raven.” Child actors like Jeanette McCurdy and Raven Symone were admired by 2000s kids. Lots of children wanted to be like them.

However, as those actors have aged, they’ve become increasingly vocal about what they dealt with during their time acting. Not every child actor has opened up about their childhood experiences but enough of them have for it to become concerning.

On Aug. 8, “iCarly” actress Jeanette McCurdy released her memoir titled “I’m Glad My Mom Died.” The book explored her traumatic experiences working under Nickelodeon as a child.

She opened up about what happened behind the scenes on the show, and she detailed the destructive conditions she worked under. It’s an eye-opening read for those who grew up watching her work and are interested in how children can be treated

in the industry.

McCurdy’s memoir has shed light on the industry’s harmful treatment of child actors and started discussions about the ethics of allowing children to act in the business.

They run the risk of their entire childhood and youth being exploited, damaging their mental health at an early age and being harassed or violated by greedy or perverted executives, directors, co-stars or paparazzi.

That’s not to say they will, but it can and has happened. It’s risky to allow children to work alongside adults in such a self-destructive setting.

Child stars are exposed to sex, drugs, alcohol and the overwhelming expectations of appearing perfect, bubbly and flawless. It’s too much for most adults, let alone children. It’s a lot for a child to absorb, and they’re expected to adapt to it which leads to years of mental instability and insecurity.

They develop anxiety disorders, eating disorders and self-image problems that stick with many of them into adulthood. Many child actors such as the Olsen twins or Mara Wilson have stopped acting because of mental health issues.

Child stars have to juggle multiple responsibilities and use up a lot of their time. Their childhood should be taken care of. Instead, it’s ripped away.

In an excerpt from “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” Jeanette McCurdy wrote, “They’re giving you $300,000, and the only thing they want you to do is never talk publicly about your experience at Nickelodeon.”

In an interview with PEOPLE Now, “That’s So Raven” actress Raven-Symoné said in regard to her childhood acting career, “I wish I was living now as a younger person. I probably wouldn’t have so many mental issues.”

“To each their own” is something that many people say in the light of various subjects such as food, hobbies and even dark humor.

Dark humor is subjective. Where one would find something exceedingly hilarious, another person would find it deeply offensive. Ironically, it’s hilarious that people don’t understand that others perceive things differently and that people who get offended don’t understand people who make dark jokes.

Dark humor is unique and obviously not everyone understands another person’s humor. However, is it really fair to call someone sensitive because that person doesn’t appreciate a joke considered offensive? Or is it a bit much to put a trigger warning on a dark joke? Will it take away the laughter?

If we put trigger warnings on jokes then do we put trigger warnings on everything? Mentioning a specific ice-cream shop, singing a song or using a laptop could trigger someone, but it’s a bit far-fetched to put a trigger warning on that because it’s something that people experience everyday.

People’s trauma is a serious and daunting aspect, and they must be validated when they express their discomfort. But discomfort is subjective and almost impossible to detect. Insensitivity is also a

problem for dark humor because it’s not like people are saying they’re uncomfortable for no reason.

The solution to shielding people’s feelings is for people to have a warning sign somewhere in the tweet, video or message.

I know that many people have disagreements on what to do, but that is only because it would avoid a person getting hurt or retraumatised. It will probably kill the joke and some people may think it’s over the top, but it’s necessary.

For the people who think that the warning sign is tacky and makes the joke less funny, I understand. It’s meant to be in the moment. Is it really that serious if they just scroll away or focus on something else when it is said spontaneously? In this case, yes.

It’s like remembering something you’ve tried a long time to forget, but as soon as someone jokes about it you crawl back into the mindset you were once in and remember everything.

It may take them a few minutes to a few hours to adjust, but the point is that someone got hurt again. This doesn’t mean putting a warning on every joke that exists, because that’s just not feasible. But for something that could obviously trigger someone like domestic assault, rape, death or anything serious that some people like to joke about as a coping mechanism, considering a warning signal is important.

I like dark humor too. In fact, I say multiple things about my life and trauma as well. However, I am careful about who I’m saying it to. I only say it to close friends and even if I wanted to post a video about it, I’ll have a yellow triangle emoji with an exclamation point on it.

Does it kill the joke a bit, yes. But it’s better than a triangle of arguments with the people that disagreed with you and thought that it was offensive.

MANAGING EDITOR Rabbia Molai LEAD DESIGNER Hannah Seese

ILLUSTRATORS

ProfeSSional Staff ADVISER Chris Whitley PRODUCTION MANAGER Stacy Luecker

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Alex Hoben

DESIGN & WEBSITE

Shelby Gatewood Amanda Tello

Tj Favela Markus Meneses

CAMPUS EDITOR Xavier Boatner Hope Smith Olla Mokhtar Irene Dominguez Keyla Holmes Nina Banks

PHOTO EDITOR Joel Solis

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ariel Desantiago Kj Means

COORDINATOR Nathan Hailu

The terrible, no good, very bad reality of child actors

Is dark humor all that serious or are we just too sensitive?

@tccthecollegian • collegian.tccd.edu

XAVIER BOATNER

editor

OLLA MOKHTAR campus editor olla.mokhtar@my.tccd.edu

‘Smile’: beautifully scary cinema experience

HOPE SMITH campus editor

A dead empty theater aside from my two friends and myself was exactly the ambi ence necessary for the horror movie “Smile.” Without them, I would have been too para noid to finish it completely.

The scariest thing in this movie was see ing things that weren’t there to every other character.

Because of that, the inclination is to say it was a scary movie. It was acceptable as the scare factor was consistent. There is much to celebrate about it, and some things should have gone differently.

To begin, Parker Finn, the director of “Smile,” should be congratulated for put ting together a scary movie with classy jump scares — an odd sounding way to classify jump scares, but humor me for a moment. Most horror movies contain loud and aggres sive, one after the other jump scares that re ally don’t do anything except supply a cardiac arrest.

The scene of Joel, the ex-boyfriend of the main character, who actually wasn’t Joel in that scene toward the end of the movie? That was classy. Him standing there before cutting into a dead sprint at Rose was a classy jump scare. So, it was as a horror movie should be.

The cat scene was something else. That was scary on a sad level, and Mustache the cat was the real victim. Not only this, but, the consistency of the smile was everywhere, and so the theme never really strayed.

Something that should be brought up is the placement of the beginning credits. They actually began after the big moment between Rose and Laura Weaver, which is around seven or so minutes after the start of the movie. While this is a stylistic choice and can work well in a lot of indie films, it made it confusing.

The cinematography was one of the movie’s strongest points, though.

Specific scenes of a beautiful country landscape full of trees created less of a hor ror movie ambience, truthfully, but it was still appreciated. The camera at one moment flips completely upside down, and the whole landscape was hanging from the ceiling of the screen in a really artistic way. While not

scary, it was lovely to see.

It was creative, and it was clear the peo ple filming had a lot of fun with transitioning scenes.

Something happening time and time again is the way in which serious setting movies throw in jokes to disrupt the flow. It looks like this movie mimicked that concept. The nurse hitting on Rose’s ex, especially, was just not good.

The joke had just followed Rose pushing Joel away, which was sort of off-putting be cause it was one of the first steps in her slow spiral downward. The way trauma is repre sented in the movie is similar to how people

cope in real life which was strong in that scene, yet cheapened by the joke. Up until that point, the movie was doing fine. In short, it was hard watching the movie shove in that insignificant interaction.

It was great watching the idea of a curse attaching itself to trauma, hopping from one person to the next. Rose really can represent a lot of watchers because trauma is so vast and complicated. Her journey is relatable, and it can show what happens when you let it consume you.

So, this movie can be summed up as being scary enough to be a horror movie, but beautiful enough to easily come outside

MOVIE REVIEW

horror standards. Jokes thrown in between intense scenes bring down the quality of the scare. Consider it a party foul. It is made up by creating seriously scary scenes with the hallucinations, so brownie points are brought back.

This movie is great for people who like horror movies with a deeper theme. Watch it on a busy theater day. A room full of people is going to feel a lot better when things start hit ting the fan in the movie. It gets real.

‘The Redeem Team’ features friendship on- and off-court

RABBIA MOLAI managing editor rabbia.molai@my.tccd.edu

Netflix’s “The Redeem Team” sheds light on not only a great Olympic basketball team, but also a lifelong friendship.

“The Redeem Team,” was the U.S. Olympic basketball team for the 2008 Sum mer Olympics. They made history by win ning the U.S. a gold medal and effectively breaking their losing streak.

The documentary follows the team as they suffer through their first couple losses and move towards a more cohesive future. Along with footage from the early 2000s, the documentary included confessional-like interviews of the players and coaches from present day reflecting on the experience.

Some of the well-known faces seen in the documentary included Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Coach K and Carmelo An thony. Seeing these legendary players re flect on a time when some of them were just rookies coming into the game, trying to learn how to play together gave such an interesting insight into what their internal process looked like at the time.

Many players on the redeem team were used to being considered the best of the best. But being thrown into a group of players and being expected to be a cohesive team in 2-weeks is unfeasible for even the greatest players.

In present-day, Lebron James is often spoken of as the best basketball player in the world so hearing about his rookie years and seeing his mental and physical development peeled back the layers and showed just how much work went into the journey.

However, one great player does not make a great team.

For the rookies like James, Anthony and Wade being thrown into a group of vet erans with the pressure of having to play as a cohesive team in two weeks was just a recipe for disaster.

The main struggle seen through the

documentary was how these individually amazing players were somehow unsuccess ful at being able to play together on the court. In their first match-up with the Argen tinian team, the flaws in teamwork can be seen plain as day.

In the words of James, “they kicked our asses.”

The evolution of the team began slowly with the addition of some very key players. Beginning with the installment of the wellknown and slightly controversial Coach Mike Krzyzewski and later on the legendary Lakers all-star Kobe Bryant.

With the new additions and a kick in the rear from Kobe’s work ethic, the team began to mesh and the rewards were more than worth the wait.

The structure of the team’s evolution was done incredibly well, it allowed the audience to truly feel every emotion felt by the team. From the devastating losses to the long-awaited victories. Every aspect of the film was exceptionally well-thought-out.

One of the best examples of this can be seen in the way they presented Kobe Bry ant’s part in the team. Since Bryant tragi cally passed in 2018 there obviously weren’t any confessionals from him but with the inclusion of different footage from the 90s and early 2000s the impact of his love for the game and admirable work ethic was felt in full force throughout the film.

The redeem team represented a lot for the U.S. in the 2000s, it was more than bas ketball. They represented an ideology of American greatness and the willingness to get back up after being pushed down.

This group of all-stars may have so lidified their place in athletic history by winning a gold medal but they established their place in the hearts and minds of the American people by forming a brotherhood that spans past their life spans.

Photo courtesy of Paramount

“Smile” released on Sept. 30. The movie features actor Sosie Bacon as Dr. Rose Cotter and her descent into horror.

Abrazando el éxito en la diversidad

TR celebrates Hispanic heritage

cannot fight with music in our heart, ” Rojas said.

The 13th annual Abrazando al Éxito event was hosted by TR Campus’s student activities on Oct. 12. The event was part of TCC’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage month. The 2022 year theme for the event was Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation.

The event opened with a buffet of food for guests including taquitos, beans, rice and Jarritos. Students mingled with interim chancellor Dr. Elva LeBlanc, and some campus presidents who were present.

Carlin Johnston, the coordinator of student activities at South, opened the night with a reminder of what the event was all about.

“Abrazando al Éxito means embracing success, something we strive to do here at TCC, especially during National Hispanic Heritage month,” she said.

Students introduced the new TR club, Dreamers Alliance, which began summer of 2022.

“We want to accomplish greatness, get out there, get the community involved,” Danielle Mares of TR Campus said.

Dreamers Alliance, created by TR students Emely Macias, Fatima Perez, Anabel Medina and Dani Mares, is a club with a mission to celebrate cultural diversity and give back to the community.

The first performance of the night was virtuoso pianist Eduardo Rojas, a native of Colombia and a classical music performer. He began playing piano at age four, and has since played with multiple orchestras in Colombia and the U.S..

Rojas founded Rojas School of Music in 2014, and said he is passionate about teaching music.

“We are united by music, we

He teaches 500 students from all cultures and backgrounds, but everyone’s the same when they are playing music, he said.

Rojas played three complete pieces, Ernesto Lecuona’s “Malaguena,” Consuelo Velsaquez’s “Besame Mucho” and Piazzolla’s “Oblivion.”

The second performer of the night was Debra L. Sherman, an award winning actress and playwright who has done voice work and even worked as a clown in a children’s hospital for 10 years.

Sherman performed her one woman show, “Frida: Unmasked about the life of Frida Kahlo,” which is about a Mexican painter known for her selfportraits.

The play goes into the accident that left Kahlo crippled for the rest of her life, how difficult it was for her to recover and how it changed her.

The performance also depicted Kahlo’s first meeting with painter Diego Rivera, and how he inspired her to keep painting. Her marriage with Rivera was fraught with infidelity and complications which ultimately led to their divorce.

Sherman’s performance highlighted Kahlo’s pain and how it was constant in her life. She dealt with alcoholism, miscarriages and her misgivings with the art world.

After her performance Sherman answered questions from the audience. An audience member asked her how she thought Kahlo would have felt about the appropriation of her image into pop culture.

“The one thing I can say that would make her insane is this prettifying. These paintings and murals make her look so lovely and soft. That’s not who she was,” Sherman said.

She said it shows how far removed we are from her physical

form.

Sherman also said that cultural appropriation creates fear in the Latin community that the culture will be diluted.

“The dilution takes place from the disbursement of the conversation,” Sherman said. “So you lose a little bit

of that intense energy.”

Sherman said what is important for the Hispanic community to remember is that no one can take away the meaning of Hispanic from them.

“You want to own who you are and where you’re from.” Sherman said.

Presenter Adria D. Riojas talks about the Abrazando al Éxito event at TR Campus.

Musician Eduardo Rojas opens the show with a collection of three pieces played on the piano. The pieces he played payed homage to Hispanic heritage month.

IRENE DOMINGUEZ

Photos by Joel Solis/The Collegian Debra Sherman performing her one woman show “Frida: Unmasked about the life of Frida Kahlo” at the Abrazando al Éxito event at TR.