Accent, December 1, 2008

Browse sculpture and art installments from the East Side on pg. 5

Sarah Vasquez • Staff Photographer

December 1, 2008

www.theAccent.org

Volume 1, Issue 6

College police dept. posts crime stats on updated website Sarah Neve

BURGLARY CYP EVC HBC NRG RGC RVS SAC SVC

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- Currently enrolled students and employees should receive annual reports automatically.

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- Prospective students, parents, the public and the media, can all request copies of the annual reports and the daily crime logs.

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- An institution can comply with their Clery Act online if direct notice with the exact URL is given to all required recipients. Paper copies have to be made available upon request.

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Note: Only crimes with seven or more total reports are included in this graphic. There are 22 reported crimes that are not shown.

SAC

Statistics include alleged crimes; any person that is accused of a crime portrayed in this graph is innocent until proven guilty. This graph includes crimes reported by the Austin Community College Police Department, and only crimes reported by the Austin Community College Police Department.

was different then,” Waller, who started in 2006, said.

According to the website, the last reported crime on campus was on Nov. 6, 2008, at the Pinnacle Campus.

Colleges have two business days to report crimes that fall into the categories that have to be reported or they can be fined up to $27,500 per offense by the U.S. Department of Education.

Under the Clery Act, seven major categories of crime need to be reported annually, and all reported crimes need to be listed in the daily logs. Criminal homicide, sex offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and arson should all be reported. Liquor law violations, drug-related offences, and illigel weapons need to be reported if there is an arrest.

Trevor Goodchild * Staff PHotographer

The tuition waver takes care of all the tuition for young adults leaving foster care and entering college between the ages of 18 and 21.

The tuition waiver is called the Education Training Voucher (ETV) and is awarded

by Texas, through the Texas Department of Family Protective Services (DFPS), for up to $5,000 per year.

“I actually started working with Child Protective Services in 1986, and at the time I started working, I saw a system that didn’t have a lot of services to assist young folk that were leaving foster care.

We still have a ways to go as far as getting services to young people, but we’re way ahead of where we were 20 years ago,” David Smith, a program specialist at DFPS, said.

Refreshments were provided and Dr. Christensen began the event by introducing Campus Champions, a few district judges that were in attendance, and students of the program that have succeeded ȩȩ foster continued on page 4

The act also states that the crimes should be broken down not only by campus, but by location on campus.

“The biggest concern I have with this new website is that the locations aren’t specific. It’s not enough to say that something happened somewhere on campus,” Daniel Carter, the Director of Public Policy for Security on Campus, Inc. said of the updates on the ACC

website.

Security on Campus, Inc. is a non-profit organization, founded by Jeanne Clery’s parents, that offers training on Clery Act compliance, and works to prevent campus crime from going unreported.

The new website will make information easier to obtain, and help the school become more compliant with the Clery Act.

Jana Lelek • Layout editor.

EVC HBC PIN RGC RVS SAC

Students receive second chance Fostering Support, an event hosted by the Foster Care Alumni Association of America (FCAA), took place at Eastview Campus, on Thursday, Nov. 20, . This event, created by Dr. Kathleen Christensen, vice president for Student Success and Support Systems, celebrated the creation of FCAA and the success of increasing awareness about higher education to Foster Care Alumni students. Since beginning in 2006, FCAA enrollment has increased by 33 percent.

“I’ve been advising for 13 years, and I like seeing students fulfill their dreams,” said Lee Reichardt, Campus Champion for Northridge campus.

A Campus Champion is a mentor that helps foster care alumni in getting their applications in, advising on courses, and assisting in completing the tuition waiver.

- It is a federal law that requires that colleges report crimes to the puplic

ASSAULT

Outreach Director of FCAA Loretta Edelen speaks with ACC Foster Care Alumni Matt BenComo at Fostering Support event.

Staff Writer

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ACC Fostering Support

Trevor W. Goodchild

facts students should know

Most commonly reported crimes by campus

Campus Editor Reports of crimes that occur on campus are easier to find than ever before. The campus police department is remodeling its website to include updated crime logs.

The newly updated and renamed section of the campus police website, the Clery link, formerly named Reports and Statistics, provides more transparent and obtainable information about criminal activity and crime statistics reported annually and by incident.

The Clery Act is a federal law that requires colleges to provide timely information about criminal activity to the public. It was passed in 1990.

The act is named after Jeanne Clery, a college student who was killed in her dorm at Lehigh University in 1986.

The ACC police department faces staffing and budgetary restraints that make it difficult to finish this project quickly. “It’s a work in progress,” ACC Police Chief Frankie Waller said. “We are working on it as we have time.”

The updated website includes information on crimes that have been reported on each campus, and when they occurred. It also includes annual reports that have always been available. In the past, the annual reports were posted back to 2000. Now they only go back to 2005.

“The police department

Clery Act

- Schools are required to make an effort to get statistics from the city policy agencies and include them in the annual report for all geographic areas that pertain to the campus.

- There is whistle-blowers’ protection and anti retaliation laws that protect people from retaliation for insisting on compliance with the Clery Act. - View the updated ACC website www.austincc.edu/police/ crime/reports.htm

Choreography showcase, Informance highlight student dance moves Alma Hernandez Photo/Web Editor

Layne Tanner practices her solo dance.

The Department of Dance is having their annual choreographers’ showcase which combines the work of two faculty members and students Dec. 5-6.

Faculty members Darla Johnson and Allison Orr choreographed works for their Dance Workshop classes to perform, and six students were selected from Kathy Hamrick’s Choreography class to present original works.

The student choreographers are responsible for casting dancers, selecting costumes and music, and directing rehearsals throughout the semester.

Following the showcase on Dec. 9, the department will hold a dance Informance. All choreography students will be showing works they developed throughout the semester in an informal setting. Modern Dance II students will perform a piece based on the Alma Hernandez • Photo/Web Editor work on modern dance legend, Martha Graham.

Right: (Left to right) ACC students Christina Houle, Leigh Gaymon and Mel Watt work on routines to be featured in the showcase Dec. 5-6.

Fall Showcase Dec. 5-6 RGC Mainstage Theater 8PM $6 general, $3 students and seniors

Dance Informance Dec. 9

RGC Dance Studio Rm.130 7PM Free

Above: (Left to right) Annelize Machado, Kindora McHenry and Amanda Elliot rehearse a piece choreographed by their instructor Allison Orr.

Forum

page 2

Accent • December 1, 2008

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R edress of Grievances Jamie Carpenter Columnist

Recently, I have been hearing a lot of talk on the idea that the media and the government are corrupt.

It irritates me when people say that government officials never have good intentions, and it is such a simplistic view to say that politicians only look out for themselves. I have heard over and over that a person cannot rise to the top without being corrupt.

Certainly, there have been a ton of scandals in America’s history.

Well, I can cite some examples how politicians are not corrupt, but that isn’t the point.

Learn to think for yourself.

If your opinion can really be swayed by a few out of context examples written or spoken about Barack Obama, then realize that, yes, maybe Obama has done some things that contradict others, but who hasn’t? He may be the president-elect, but he is first a person and no person is without faults.

Unfortunately, the media is also commonly labeled as corrupt. Media is what it is because of the audience that it feeds. FOX is corrupt because it caters to the conservatives.

MSNBC is corrupt because it caters to the liberals.

How about taking the time to do your own research? How about realizing that the majority of things talking heads say on their shows are biased and are intentionally made that way. It is not news; it is their interpretation of the news.

As far as reporters not being fair in what they report, sometimes it is not up to them.

Sometimes it is up to the TV networks.

People don’t want their TV shows interrupted with the breaking news of yet another soldier who has died in the war. How many pictures and stories of dead people could you take, day in and day out, before you would demand a stop to it?

So, before people start in on how the media or the government is corrupt, they should ask themselves, what am I doing?

If you don’t vote or participate in government, you should not complain. Even if you do vote, you should not complain. There are people who dedicate their whole lives to civil service, so you giving one Tuesday every four years isn’t that hard.

If the media is so biased and horrible, why do people keep coming back for more?

The media exists because we allow it, because we want it.

The O’Reilly Factor and Countdown with Keith Olberman are not news shows, they are political shows and it is their prerogative to have their own opinions.

We elect our government officials and we can oust them.

We watch these shows and read these papers. We can stop, but we don’t. Certainly, you shouldn’t make a blanket statement that all politicians and media are corrupt.

Do not believe something absolutely, because you read one thing or heard one thing.

Consider the source.

Opportunities exist

Student

Opinion

Karissa Rodriguez Columnist

The Community College Survey of Student Engagement published their annual survey recently and found that student engagement is low among community college students.

The article “Helping Community Colleges Raise the Bar” published on Nov. 17 by Inside Higher Ed claims the reason for low student engagement is because professors and administrators over-empathize with students and have lower expectations of students.

I disagree with their findings.

I do not believe the reason for low student engagement is because the bar is set too low for students.

ACC offers many opportunities for students to become engaged with the college outside of classes.

However, I think that because the typical community college student has many other priorities, it makes it harder to achieve goals set by their colleges and themselves.

Professors and administrators recognize that there may be many more challenges for a community college student so, yes, I do admit that there are professors who are lenient about class assignments.

I do not believe, however, that they are being over-empathetic with students as the article states.

If a professor decides to

give a student a break, it is for a good reason, like a family emergency. By telling professors that they need to be stricter with students, you are potentially punishing them for having a life outside of school.

The article goes on and suggests that in order to raise the bar professors should require more outside class work and force students to work together more often.

This is not a solution to the problem. If professors force students to spend more time they may not have, on more class assignments, they risk alienating them.

I suggest that one way to raise student engagement is to utilize technology and offer more online services.

It’s too difficult to force students to spend more time doing outside class work, but online discussion boards are a great alternative. Students can participate at their leisure and still benefit from working together.

Raising student engagement does not require raising a bar. It means that colleges need to reach out in multiple ways, offering various strategies for learning and connections to available college services.

The bottom line is that professors and administrators can only do so much to offer means of improvement. It is up to the individual student at the end of the day.

Karen Kuhn • Staff

Consider the source

Our View Staff Editorial

Elizabeth Carson Editor-in-Chief • David Rodriguez Assistant Editor Sarah Neve Campus Editor • Alma Hernandez Photo/Web Editor • Jana Lelek Layout Editor

Board of Education to consider boxing out electives and sacking the state’s educational standards Texas’ State Board of Education is considering lowering its educational standards by enacting a plan that would allow athletics such as football, basketball, or baseball to count as the two and a half minimum elective credits required to graduate from any accredited state high school.

Coach Craig Agnew of Brenham petitioned for this plan to be considered, and it will be up for a final vote in Jan. of the New Year.

Coach Agnew has made the case that other extra-curricular activities such as theater, dance, and band already allow high school students to meet the two and a half elective credit requirements, so why can’t athletics be included within this group of activities?

Currently, a minimum of one and a half physical education credits are required for high school students to graduate, and those students engaged in extra-curricular sports activities usually satisfy the requirement through athletics.

Within every graduation plan, the state also requires at least two and a half elective courses to be satisfied by electives of the student’s choosing. As of now, one credit equals one year of class in Texas high schools.

To allow high school athletics to go toward elective credits would be a drastic mistake by the board, and would limit the youths participating in those athletics options, and their exposure to realistic future fields and careers.

A majority of athletes, while coming of age, dreamed of playing at a higher level, but according to the NCAA (National Collegiate Association of Athletics) only 5.7 percent of high school football players make it to the collegiate level, 6.1 percent of high school baseball players step on a college diamond, and 3.3 percent of high school women basketball players go on to make a college team.

Making a professional career out of athletics straight from high school is even a tinier pond; 0.03 percent of high school men basketball players will get a chance to play professionally, 0.08 percent of high school football players will go pro, and 0.45 percent of high school baseball players will grace the inside of a professional stadium.

Obviously, not every coach expects his or her star athlete to play professionally, and every gifted athlete doesn’t expect to obtain the exclusive status of pro-athlete.

Public high school is available to instill and exercise certain general skills,

and to introduce students to and offer them exclusive experiences that could lead to an individual entering into a professional career of some sort.

Dreams and aspirations are necessary to progress, innovate, and continue to have a desire for enhancement physically and mentally, but strictly focusing on athletics as a potential career option is not realistic.

If schools want to allow this plan to be enacted, other facets of athletics need to be focused on.

Sports medicine introductory classes, coaching, and marketing classes should also be included as an option in the curriculum as other more accessible careers within the athletics field.

Texas does not have the funding or manpower to create such far-reaching programs as those listed, but they would be more useful and realistic skills.

If this plan is enacted, it will drastically set back the already low amount of high school students that go on to graduate college, and this plan will open the door for any extra-curricular activity leaders that draw up a significant petition to sway the educational standards of the whole state.

What’s next, four years of high school credit for chess club?

Corrections Issue 3, “New skate park...” story by Elizabeth Carson, not Christina Chapman Issue 4, “Cluboween...” photo shows Wendy Holder dressed in a fairy costume, not Sarah Cryar Issue 5, “Capital Metro strike...” story written by Sarah Neve, photo by Trevor W. Goodchild

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Editor-in-Chief................................................................................................ Elizabeth Carson Assistant Editor............................................................................................... David Rodriguez Photo/Web Editor...........................................................................................Alma Hernandez Layout Editor..............................................................................................................Jana Lelek Campus Editor.........................................................................................................Sarah Neve Accent Adviser............................................................................................. Matthew Connolly Accent Coordinator................................................................................................Lori Blewett Student Life Director......................................................................................... Cheryl Richard Writers Jamie Carpenter, Trevor W. Goodchild, Shawn Hinojosa, Adam Oliphant, Karissa Rodriguez, Jonathan Sack, Sarah Vasquez, Shane Yount Photographers Teodora Erbes, Trevor W. Goodchild, Shawn Hinojosa, Adam Oliphant, Hanlly Sam, Sarah Vasquez Artists Karen Kuhn, Anny Ibarra ACC President Dr. Steve Kinslow Board of Trustees Ms. Nan McRaven– Chair; Ms. Veronica Rivera—Vice Chair; Dr. James McGuffee—Secretary, Dr. Barbara P. Mink, Allen Kaplan, Mr. Jeffrey Richard, John-Michael Cortez, Tim Mahoney, Raul Alvarez

Anny Ibarra • Staff

All rights reserved. All content is the property of Accent and may not be reproduced, published or retransmitted in any form without written permission from the Office of Student Life. Accent is the student newspaper of Austin Community College and is printed by the Texas Student Publications.

Accent is published biweekly. ACC students may submit articles for publication in Accent to RGC’s Office of Student Life Room 101.1; e-mail articles to accent@austincc.edu or fax submissions to 223‑3086. ACC does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, political affiliation or disability. Accent offers ACC’s faculty, staff, students and surrounding community a complete source of information about student life. Accent welcomes your input, as well as information about errors. If you notice any information that warrants a correction please e-mail accent@austincc.edu. Individual views, columns, letters to the editor and other opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of Accent.

News

December 1, 2008 • Accent

Students get ready for new emergency alerts by phone

The new emergency message system is now activated and all ACC students must provide the college with a current phone number, which in many cases may be the only way ACC can alert students of an emergency.

The new system will be used in conjunction with the recently installed emergency message boards and will send a voice message and text message to the phone number students provide.

To update your contact information, here’s what to do: 1. Log in under current students at ACC Online Services 2. Select Academic Profile 3. Click Student Change Requests 4. Select Designate Emergency Contact Information 5. Submit Note: Input the number or numbers you want to receive emergency notifications. (These can be cell phones, phones, pagers, PDAs, or other communication device where you would most likely be reached any time, any place.)

In case of an emergency, students will receive a voice mail or text message within minutes; e-mails will also be sent to student ACC g-mail accounts. The message and e-mail will tell them the nature of the emergency and what action they should take if any.

Transferring students get info at TACRAO recruitment fair

Austin Community College’s Office of Student Services is hosting the fifth annual Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (TACRAO) college transfer fair on Dec. 3 from 1-3 p.m. at Cypress Creek and on Dec. 4 from 1-3 p.m. at the Riverside Campus.

The fair, which is open to all students, brings together fouryear universities from around the state of Texas so that students can get information about various universities, meet recruiters, go over their transcripts, and get help in developing a transfer plan.

EVC cafe brings “A Touch of Class”

w w w.the Accent.org

Student journalists participate in BBC radio program “World Have Your Say” Elizabeth Carson Editor-in-Chief

The BBC radio program “World Have Your Say” broadcasts public opinion on current world issues to 170 million people worldwide, and Austin Community College was a part of this on Friday, Nov. 21.

Three student journalists and two college staff advisors attended the radio show recording at Austin’s KUT 90.5 Austin City Limits stage.

The ACL set was fitted with everything needed to record a lively public discussion on the most timely topic of the day. A U.S. intelligence report suggested that U.S. dominance worldwide could be on the decline, and that another nation, possibly China, Russia, or India, may be the greatest world power within a couple decades.

Bleacher seats and round tables seated hundreds, with people from several other nations represented.

The audience members shared their opinions on the question posed by “World Have Your Say” host, Ros Atkins: Do you agree with the report that there could soon be an end to U.S. world dominance, and if so, what are your thoughts on such a scenario?

Citizens from nations around the world called in and talked to the Austin audience live, while others e-mailed comments that audience members read over the air waves.

Atkins decided to relinquish his control of the hosting duties for the sake of adding legitimacy to the global discussion, as well as lively debate among the public.

While Atkins ran frantically from participant to participant, orchestrating the

Alma Hernandez • Photo/web Editor

To Be Brief

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Ros Atkins, host of BBC’s “World Have Your Say” pulls volunteers from the studio audience to help host the program. ACC student Trevor Goodchild (far right) reads for the opening monologue of the show.

hour-long show, one “World Have Your Say” producer, Shaimaa Khalil, monitored comments coming in over the Web. Khalil, who has been working with the show for a year, is responsible for writing a blog post every morning, getting people talking, and discussing ideas and topics for debate.

“It’s not an expert type of program. It’s very personal, and it’s more in touch with real people. It’s governed and directed by the callers that we get and the e-mails that you’ve just seen and the comments on the blog. We also get a lot of texts from Africa. When it ends on the radio, it doesn’t end online,” Khalil said.

According to Khalil, some topics are more “user-generating”. That day, there were 100-200 comments, but some topics generate more in-depth discussions. The show is not always based on the top news

stories and is not attached to a daily news agenda. If it’s what people are talking about, that’s what the show presents for discussion.

Some speakers on the show believed that the only way to do anything about world problems such as the global economy, world hunger, and global warming is for the U.S. to remain the world power.

Another caller stated that U.S. rule has been marked by selfishness, but Austinite, Mark, disagreed. He said that interdependence between nations is more important in today’s world than dominance, and many others agreed that cooperation and collaboration are the way of the future.

One Austinite, originally from Beijing, China, agreed that the U.S. is the best nation to remain the world power because of the nature of the governments in China, India, and Russia. Others agreed that

they have bad human rights records.

Shia, a caller from Afghanistan, despite his optimism about the future, expressed frustration with U.S. foreign policy, saying that a change in leadership every four years means a change in policy, which causes concern among citizens of other nations.

Yet, he said, people around the world are still looking toward America for leadership, help, and change.

“I will still bid my last dollar on America because they really have provided a great leadership. There’s no doubt that America is still a super power. It still has a great opportunity there.” podcast:

www.bbc.co.uk/radio/ podcasts/whys download the live episode from nov. 21

Spotlight on Trustee John-Michael Cortez Adam Oliphant Shawn Hinojosa • Staff Photographer

Sugar Willams, ACC student, performs with her band A Touch of Class.

Students mingle in interactive lounge Shawn Hinojosa Staff Writer

On Nov. 25, Eastview Campus Senator Arnold Perez organized a Student Life event called the EVC Meet and Greet, where the campus cafe transformed itself into an interactive lounge featuring inexpensive food, promotional student housing booths, and live music from current Northridge student Sugar Williams and her band, A Touch of Class.

Students enjoying their

lunch were joined by others strolling in as Ms. Williams performed some notable classics like “Lady Marmalade” and “My Funny Valentine.”

Perez wanted to appeal to all students by inviting apartment complexes like the Longhorn Landing and Landry Place to promote their specials, and said the attendees should contact Student Government with questions, concerns, and feedback regarding the Student Life events.

Staff Writer

John-Michael Cortez was elected to place two of the Austin Community College Board of Trustees this May and has many plans for ACC, including improvements to the transportation and parking issues students face. He stated that he ran for the board because he realized that ACC provides an essential and accessible higher education and workforce training for the central Texas area.

Cortez has a deep connection with the Austin area in which he lives. “My younger brother goes to ACC. My other brother is an ACC graduate, so ACC is an important part of my family and life.”

Cortez’s goal is to keep ACC’s high quality education while making it more

You tell and ACC listens

Student satisfaction results are in Adam Oliphant Staff Writer

Last April, 4,977 students took the Noel Levitz student satisfaction survey administered by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

Over 26,000 students were invited to take the online survey via students’ e-mail addresses. The survey compares the students’ perceived importance of 54 benchmark items to their satisfaction with those items.

On most programs, Austin Community College scored better then the national benchmark composed of over 230,000 students from hundreds of institutions.

In many areas, ACC scored exceptionally well, particularly in having accessible faculty, available Internet use, value of education, and changing coursework.

Some items were identified

as having an obvious gap between students’ perceived importance and satisfaction.

Of particular note are the limited course offerings within a student’s major of study and courses that were scheduled at inconvenient times, making early registration increasingly more important to keep classes from being dropped.

“When courses are full, department chairs work on creating additional sections,” stated Mike McCarthy who was in charge of the Noel Levitz survey.

Advising, counseling, and career placement services were also identified as being lower than students’ satisfaction levels.

For new students, ACC 101 is an online tool that walks students through the steps for admission into ACC. Quereau also encourages students to speak with the department chair in their area

of study to get paired with an academic advisor who can help students succeed in their coursework and in their future careers by providing real world experience.

ACC has many advisors, including specialty advisors on career exploration and university transfers plus counselors who can also assist students concerning personal issues. There is also a career center on each campus with a variety of tools, including a career library and the Discover online career center.

For students that are struggling, Magdalena de la Teja, Dean of Student Services, urges students to seek help, “the advisors and counselors are really friendly people who care about students. It is shown that students who use academic support systems like the learning labs, advisors, and counselors are more likely to succeed in their classes.”

accessible to the community.

“As a board member we set policy and work to expand ACC to accommodate the projected 10,000 additional students we will have in ten years. The board is fortunate that Dr. Kinslow and his staff operate ACC which allows the board to look to the future and not apply Band-Aids to current problems.”

Cortez is employed by Capital Metro and uses the bus system as his means of transit. “I understand that the ACC student bus rate tripled, but the fare increase was necessary to provide Metro’s current level of service and fund future Metro expansions that are in progress.”

He hopes to make transportation more accessible to students by offering students, faculty, and staff free bus fairs. Cortez believed that a rational parking permit fee could cover the cost of the additional parking areas ACC has recently built, as well as providing some funds for Metro

passes.

“One issue ACC has is transportation. I do not support subsidizing the cost of building student parking lots at the expense of building and maintaining classrooms,” said Cortez.

“I grew up in the restaurant industry,” said Cortez about what made him choose a life of civic support. “That gave me the ability to be able to relate and talk to just about anybody.”

In high school, Cortez was a member of the National Hispanic Institute, a leadership and scholarship society.

“NHI gave me skills and confidence to work in the community. I have been given a lot of opportunity in my life, including becoming a student of UT Austin, because people before me worked to create those opportunities. What kind of person would I be if I did not work to create those opportunities for others.

Campus News

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Accent • December 1, 2008

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Student art available for viewing

Jewelry program needs precious space to teach

Alma Hernandez * Photo/Web Editor

Jewlery can be found year round at Highland Business Center.

Jonathan Sack Staff Writer

Foster Care Alumni links students with services ȨȨ continued from page 1

above and beyond the obstacles of foster care life.

“I found there was always more to do, more to plan.

We’re spreading the word in Texas and also nationally. Our program has been recognized,” said Dr. Christensen from the podium.

A short video was then shown of the Raise Me Up campaign that attempts to

raise public awareness of foster care through commercials that highlight the differences a person can make in the life of a child.

Outreach Coordinator Loretta Edelen then brought FCAA students Sharon Phillips, Zarina Aripova, and John Mathis-Howard on stage in order to “share a glimpse of their world with us.”

Phillips spoke first. “What

do you see when you look at me? I see a young student that has finally gotten her stuff together...I see a young women on a mission and nothing is going to stop her...two years ago it wasn’t like this at all, it was a lot of unpieced together puzzle pieces.”

Zarina Aripova spoke next and talked about coming to America from another country and entering foster care

Going out with a bang

EVC’s Bistro 3158 season finale inspired by immigrant Giuseppe Adam Oliphant An Italian pilgrims feast was served Nov. 20 at Bistro 3158 by Austin Community College’s Culinary Academy.

The meal continued their tradition of serving an elaborate eight-course meal as the climatic event to their five previous ethnic themed meals that began Oct. 9.

On most nights, dinner is made to order. Each student in the International Cuisine class chooses a small ethnic community and is responsible for creating a menu that highlights that region’s flavor.

In contrast, this night’s menu was inspired by history.

An Italian pilgrim named Giuseppe stole onto a ship heading to New York. Halfway through the voyage, he was discovered by the crew and was brought before the captain to be punished. Giuseppe offered to cook for the crew in exchange for the trip.

The day before the ship got to New York City, he cooked an intricate eightcourse dinner to thank the crew, according to Culinary Institute of America alumni, Chef Brian McCormick, who chose the menu and is the instructor of the International Cuisine class.

Accompanying the International student chefs was the Dining Room Service class, which was responsible for serving as busboys and cashiers, and refilling water glasses. The Dining Room Service class is a required course for students seeking an Associates degree from the program and prepares students for what they will face in the industry. “[The dining room service class] did really well tonight. I was confident enough in them to help out in the kitchen, and that says a lot,” said Chef

Karissa Rodriguez • Staff Photographer

Staff Writer

Student Patrick Smith prepares a grilled vegetable wrap. Diners selected entrees from an Italian Pilgrim Thanksgiving-themed menu.

Brian Hay, instructor of the Dining Room Service class and founder of the culinary program at ACC, after dinner was served.

This night also serves as an informal exit finale for the culinary students who will be graduating soon after they finish their internships in the restaurant industry, which explained the stress that many of the students felt before the dinner was served.

“It’s a little sad being over.

I’m going to miss working with my classmates, said Bill Frost, a student in the International Cuisine class.

Greg Maze, like most of the students in the culinary program, already works in the culinary field, but benefits from the skills he is receiving in the culinary program.

“I’ve heard from a lot of chefs in the area that ACC culinary school graduates are preferred to other students who graduate from other programs in the area. Students from other programs have to specialize in one area while at ACC we do a little bit of everything. We are more wellrounded students,” said Arnold Perez, a student in the Dining Room Service class.

“I hope to start my own restaurant, so I’m particularly

in the business side,” said student Shavonne Felix.

After the meal, the students were very pleased, which is remarkable considering the time and effort that the students put into the dinner.

Many students were up cooking since seven in the morning and it was well after eight in the evening. The chefs and students took time outside class to prepare food for the feast from the previous three days.

“A lot of people don’t realize the work involved in cooking your plate of food. I wish everyone could work in the industry for six months so they could understand why they have to wait ten minutes for their food when the restaurant is full,” said Chef Hay. The chefs seemed sad to see the students go, but were also looking forward to the next bunch. “It’s fun being able to shape the students and correct them of their bad habits. I love to see their eyes light up when I show them something new,” said Chef McCormick.

Bistro 3158 will re-open service around Valentine’s Day. Dinner runs from 6-8 p.m, and on Thursdays their sister restaurant located in the same space, Le´ Bistrett, serves lunch to ACC and the greater Austin community.

immediately.

“I did go through some obstacles. I lived in El Paso... from Russia to El Paso,” said Aripova.

John Mathis-Howard was the last alumni to speak, and he shared his experiences of being incarcerated for a long time in his youth, then stabilizing after he became the father of a little girl whose mother walked out on him.

The Jewelry Department, located at the Riverside Campus, has been operating with 98-100 percent enrollment in all classes for the past five years.

The department, which formed two years ago when it separated from the welding department, is in the same building with other metal working courses offered at Austin Community College.

“Working here is like operating in a hailstorm,” said Jewelry Professor James Lynn.

“We do the best we can to keep this place from falling apart.”

Multiple classes are taught in the one jewelry classroom simultaneously, sometimes placing four subjects at a time in the same cramped room.

All six jewelry professors share one small office.

Despite the lack of space at Riverside, Professor Lynn operates a display case at the Highland Business Center to

show students’ work. There are typically three shows each semester.

“In class, we have high standards, but nothing is like putting work on display in public,” said Lynn.

The display features work from different disciplines of jewelry making. “We teach a full spectrum of jewelry metals,” said Lynn.

In addition to teaching traditional jewelry methods, the department is also utilizing modern technology to supplement the curriculum. Jewelry students can learn to use computer-aided drafting software and a three-axis milling machine to create wax models for casting metal jewelry.

Professors have recently begun giving demonstrations in class using a high definition video camera positioned over the instructor’s workbench so students can watch the demonstration on three large monitors without crowding each other.

Life&Arts

December 1, 2008 • Accent

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Von Iva rocks equipment off the stage

Art Tour offers plethora of culture

Sarah Vasquez

Sarah Vasquez

Von Iva’s show at Beauty Bar on Nov. 21 was what every live show should be: full of energy, entertaining, and fun.

No one was able to restrain themselves from shaking their rump along to the gritty disco tunes by this trio. Bands need to learn and take notes on Von Iva. Von Iva did experience some technical difficulties.

During the first song, one of the keyboards fell off the stand, and during the third song “Lala,” the wall of amps came toppling off of the small stage before the first chorus.

“I think we basically rocked every piece of equipment we own off the stage,” said bassist Becky Kupersmith.

Normally, there’s an awkwardness or silence during this type of situation, but vocalist Jillian Iva immediately took charge and entertained the crowd while everything was set back up. The rest of the show went on flawlessly with song after song of catchiness.

The band is currently on tour promoting their Oct. ‘08 self-released EP “Girls on Film.” The songs showcase the songwriting chemistry between Kupersmith, Iva, and drummer Kelly Harris.

Along with the simple elements such as danceable drum beats and melodic synthesizer lines, Iva adds her soulful voice to give listeners that distinct dance pop addictiveness

Over 200 artists participated in the seventh Annual East Austin Studio Tour, which took place Nov. 22 and the 23, to invite art aficionados into their homes and studios.

Due to the closeness of the galleries, visitors from all over the city rode their bikes or carpooled from stop to stop to witness where the pieces were inspired and created. Some attendees from surrounding areas even coordinated field trips to Austin to enjoy the festivities.

“The first day there was a bus here of 50 people from Georgetown and they all rushed in,” said Chris Novella, one of the participating artists.

Various mediums such as photography, sculpture and painting were showcased during the two day event.

One artist that stuck out was Barbara Lugge, who does hand-stitched portraits. She uses standard embroidery thread and ribbon on canvases prepared for painting and creates portraits of various individuals and landscapes.

One of the installments she presented at the tour was her peace portraits.

“I wanted to do recognizable public figures to help me demonstrate to people the quality of their work,” said Lugge. “I settled on doing portraits of people that have worked for peace, Nobel Peace Prize recipients and things like that.”

Staff Writer

Sarah Vasquez * Staff Photographer

Staff Writer

Von Iva performs at the Beauty Bar Nov. 21. Von Iva will be featured in Jim Carrey’s new film Yes Man as the fictional band Munchausen.

no one can resist.

Coming up for Von Iva is Yes Man, a comedy film featuring Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel to be released Dec. 19 of this year.

Von Iva is featured as the fictional band Munchausen by Proxy alongside of Deschanel, where they perform a few original songs as well as a new

one written for the film called “Yes Man.” “Our CD (Our Own Island) was at Amoeba Records in Hollywood and the music supervisor saw it and he thought it was a good fit,” said Kupersmith. “We met with the director and hit it off and the rest is history.”

album

People responded favorably to the portraits, because of her attention to detail. Lugge will spend 100 to 200 hours creating one portrait.

Her Bob Marley portrait took 300 hours to put together because of Marley’s signature dreadlocks.

Barbara Irwin, another participating artist, forms sculptures and collages with found objects from thrift stores and antique shops.

Irwin uses the knowledge she learned in her Austin Community College welding courses and incorporates those skills into metal sculptures for homes and gardens.

“Coming to my house is like a visual feast for the eyes,” said Irwin. “There’s so much to look at and to see.”

Walking into her home is a welcoming party of 20 years of her work as well as collections of antique objects sorted by themes throughout the house.

Some galleries offered classes and workshops for people to enjoy as they gained

inspiration from the amazing creations on the tour.

Some of the workshops and demonstrations consisted of screen-printing president-elect Barack Obama’s image on an article of clothing or making a pair of earrings out of metal circles.

Studio 1408 featured artists Kathleen McTee, Theresa Noyes, and Christine Terrell.

McTee is a textile artist working with dye techniques, silk screenings, and image transfers. She currently teaches workshops with Studio 1408.

Noyes uses raw unrefined materials such as hog’s gut and jute in a three- dimensional medium.

Terrell owns Adapted Reuse which uses contemporary tins found in thrift stores and up cycles them into jewelry and accessories.

“The new term is up cycled tin, and it is basically taking something that supposedly doesn’t have any value like an old tin and giving it value,” said Terrell.

The Killers are ready for homicide on the dance floor Shane Yount Staff Writer

“Day & Age,” the new Killers album will assure their fans that they are ready to head back to the dance floor.

This most recent release from the Las Vegas group is a pop album that is neither apologetic, nor cliché; every song offers something new that fans will surely rejoice over.

The Killers first marked their territory on the charts in 2004 with their smash hit album “Hot Fuss.”

“Hot Fuss” was loaded to the brim with energetic electro-rock, so it was something of a disappointment that in 2006 with their sophomore endeavor “Sam’s Town” they exchanged their British electronic glam rock style for a bourbon-soaked gritty rock vogue.

Photo courtesy of Island Records

The lead single “Human,” off of “Day and Age,” is a sheer dance romp full of synthesizers that is sure to be a major hit on the club circuit.

“Neon Tiger” is a midtempo rocker with a beat that you can’t help but bob your head to. “Goodnight, Travel Well” is unbelievably raw and packed with so much emotion that it is nearly unbearable.

From a lyrical perspective, “Day & Age” is surprisingly diverse and is The Killers at their finest.

The lyrics on “Day and Age” range from the philosophical, “are we human, or are we dancer,” to the whimsical, “saw Cinderella in her party dress, she was looking for her night gown.”

Vocalist and synthesizer player, Brandon Flowers, lets his singing convey the emotions of the songs well enough, whereas the music itself has plenty of meat to keep the album going strong for countless listens.

The album should stay in your CD or MP3 player for months.

“Day & Age” is undoubtedly one of the best albums of the year.

Top photos by Hanlly Sam • Staff Photographer

Top left: “Does a smile light up your face?” metal sculpture

by Barry George. Above: A mixed media work by Fisterra Studio.They create works for homes and businesses. Below: “Beware of Putting Life Into Other People’s Hands” is in response to cloning by Barbara Irwin. Left: Promoting her sculptures is Mary Thrasher-Griffin with Atelier 3-D studios.

Left/below photos by Sarah Vasquez • Staff Photographer

v i d e o game

UFO lands in West Campus, is accepting quarters Shane Yount Staff Writer

Matisyahu illuminates fans with a glimpse of “Light” Sarah Vasquez Staff Writer

Teodora Erbes • Staff Photographer

Coin operated Arcade UFO, which opened Aug. 29, is a humble abode with a lot of heart, and was founded

by Ryan Harvey and Crissy Knape who were former regulars of the late Einstein’s Arcade, which closed Jan. 1 of this year.

Employees of the new arcade are also former patrons and employees of the late Einstein’s.

Located at 3101 Speedway and 31st St., UFO’s is there “for your recreational and digressive needs,” according to their web site.

In the past, visiting a traditional arcade has probably led to disappointment, due to poor game variety or poor service.

Arcade UFO defies the odds with a huge variety of games and great employees with an intrinsic interest in gaming.

Unlike other arcades, Arcade UFO gets new games on a regular basis and repairs

album

John Ramirez, employee at Arcade UFO, plays BlazBlue. Arcade UFO at 3101 Speedway and 31st st. has over 30 games in their rotation.

any that are defective.

The arcade houses a rotating selection of over 30 games.

Fans of fighter games will surely enjoy Street Fighter IV. Those that prefer shooter games can have fun with Tim Crisis IV, and old-school aficionados can take a trip down memory lane with Super Mario Brothers.

Hard-core gamers, casual gamers, and anyone just

looking for something different will surely find something entertaining.

In recent years, traditional arcades have been closing across the country, so UFO is a welcome addition.

Arcade UFO is out of this world. on the web:

www.arcadeufo.com

Hassidic rapper Matisyahu returned to Stubb’s Nov. 11 since recording his 2005 “Live at Stubbs,” album.

He performed old favorites as well as the new songs that were featured in the October 20 EP “Shattered” (Epic Records).

“Shattered” gives listeners a sneak peek into the 2009 upcoming full-length album “Light,” which includes many special guests such as Sly & Robbie, Norwood Fisher (Fishbone) and Ooah (Glitch Mob). The four songs on the EP (produced by David Kahne) showcases the eclectic styles this hip hop artist felt would represent what to expect on the upcoming “Light.”

The first track on the EP, “Smash Lies,” was co-produced

by one of the youngest producers, Stephen McGregor (Sean Paul), in Jamaica. The reggae style lyrics flow with the hip hop beats to shape into a powerful introduction.

A favorite is the second track “So Hi So Lo” which has an indie rock appeal to it. The song was originated by guitarist Aaron Dugan, and features more of a melodic rock feel, with the lyrics sung smoothly rather than having a spoken word rhythm.

The song “Two Child One Drop” starts off by calming the perky mood, and then slowing down into an entrancing ambiance. Throughout the song, the beat starts building up to a return into a more uplifting, but still bewitching rhythm.

Wrapping up the 18 minute EP is “I Will Be Light,” the song is a continuance of

Photo courtesy of Sony BMG

the mellowness of “Two Child One Drop.”

“I Will Be Light” would be better suited in the middle of the EP, but “Shattered” is still a great way to satisfy the fans until “Light” is released.