First Copy Free
Feb. 14, 2012
Volume 14, Issue 3
theAccent.org
NEWS Carnaval Brasileiro celebrates CAMPUS ACC Gospel Choir 35 years in Austin | Page 4 concert extravagant | Page 6
CAMPUS Bus 3 moves from Rio Grande | Page 7
Campus → Community
LIFE & ARTS Cisco’s Restaurant, Bakery & Bar’s migas taste phenomenal | Page 8
LIFE & ARTS “Chronicle” film fun, unique superhero story | Page 9
LIFE & ARTS Dallas indie electro-funk band Ishi to play SXSW | Page 10
LIFE & ARTS Deleted scenes deliver solid indie rock performance at Mohawk | Page 11
Involvement Fairs spark interest
chaired
Alejandro Alvarado Staff Writer
A variety of clubs, organizations and services offered Austin Community College students an opportunity to be more engaged in their school’s activities at the Involvement Fairs held Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at several campuses. The Office of Student Life hosted the fairs, giving students a live overview of many different student clubs and organizations that are available to them. Some of the groups presented at the Northridge Campus Jan. 31 were The Creative Incubator, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK), Circle K International (CKI), the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), the Emerging Leadership Challenge (ELC), the Men of Distinction (MOD) program, the Multicultural Awareness Coalition (MAC) and the National Society for Leadership Success (NSLS). Adjunct professor of business Dawn Haley was at the event assisting students who were signing up for the NSLS. She said the nationwide group is devoted to teaching students to achieve their goals and enhance leadership skills through motivational lectures and connections with like-minded individuals looking to maximize their success. Haley said she believes involvement fairs are a great way to connect students with organizations and clubs they may not have known about otherwise, and she encourages any student to stay “plugged in” with all campus happenings through such events. “A lot of students don’t know what is offered, so they don’t know where they can fit in until they start asking ‘what’s going on?’,” Haley said. “So don’t be afraid to ask questions.” ACC student Lashavia Moreman signed up with the ELC, a seven-week leadership training program that offers a chance for students to develop teamwork and leadership skills through exploring weekly topics and service projects that include peer-to-peer teamwork. Moreman said the Involvement
Skylar Bonilla Staff Writer
Walter Challapa • Senior Staff Photographer
MONEY FOR SCHOOL — Students get information regarding financial aid during the Involvement Fair on Feb. 1 at South Campus.
Fair appeared more active this year than the previous fair held at Northridge Campus in 2011. “I guess it was something like this,” Moreman said, “but there weren’t as many people involved like today.” When student Victoria Alvarez came to the fair, she said she signed up with the ACC Creative Incubator, which is a network of students from different areas of creative arts including music, film, dance, photography and more. She said she heard of the club over
winter break and was very excited to hear it was offering sign-ups at the fair. “I’m in music but it [offers] so many other things to learn that I like about it,” Alvarez said. In addition to the sign-up tables, a karaoke machine was set up at the event where students sang along to their favorite tunes. ACC student Ren Floresca sang a karaoke sing-along with many other students joining in. He said making new connections was
the best part of the event. “Getting to meet new students, actually going out of my way to inform them of upcoming events is always a good thing for me,” Floresca said. Students who missed the fair are still able to sign up for the many organizations and services offered by contacting the Student Life office at any ACC campus or visiting the My SL website at austincc. collegiatelink.net.
Ancient cultures come to life through architectural exploration During the summer, Austin Community College offers nine study abroad programs, which cover interests ranging from anthropology and language immersion to literature and film history. This semester, the Accent will spotlight different study abroad programs in each issue. This summer, as part of ACC’s study abroad program, students will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in Peruvian culture and study anthropology in Peru’s capital and largest city, Lima. Dr. Karen Bell, an adjunct professor of anthropology, will lead the trip. Students will spend
The Student Government Association (SGA) found itself in a controversial situation regarding the legitimacy of their last meeting Jan. 20 at Highland Business Center. Fall SGA president Dylan Pera chaired the meeting as the acting president. Acting SGA parliamentarian Bretton Johnson said in doing so, Pera was in violation of the SGA constitution because he was not yet registered for classes at ACC for the spring semester. In light of this fact, the Jan. 20 meeting may be deemed null and void because technically it was never called to order. “In reality, the senate chair David Wedel should have been chairing that meeting in order to make it official,” Johnson said. In the meeting, Johnson assumed the role of vice president through a nomination by Pera and a vote backed by the senators. However, he said after the meeting Pera informed him about chairing the meeting even though he was not enrolled in classes. Johnson said this is a huge conflict of interest for the SGA. He values the merit of parliamentary procedure and said he wants to obtain more responsibility with the executive committee, but on the right terms. Stacy Moreno was also voted into the Eastview Campus senator position at the Jan. 20 meeting. She and many other new senators and executive officers who were sworn into office were forced to wait until the Feb. 10 meeting to go through the election process again. “The events that took place on [Jan.] 20 were a shock to us all,” Moreno said in an email. “But this will not hold SGA back in anyway. I respect the recall and acknowledge the meeting as unconstitutional, due to fact that the meeting was never ‘technically’ called to order.” SGA now has an opportunity to grow from this
See Government, pg. 5
Study abroad spotlights anthropology in Peru Staff Writer
Elections null, void?
Student Life hosts annual recruitment drives, clubs, organizations reveal opportunities for active student SGA meeting unofficially participation
Campus → Culture
Aaron Davis
Campus → Sga
three weeks in Peru visiting sites of archaeological and anthropological importance around Lima, all the while earning six credit hours in ANTH 2302 – Introduction to Anthropology and ANTH 2373 – Field Methods in Archaeology. Bell said Peru holds great importance in the field of anthropology. “Peru is one of the two seats of high civilization in the new world,” Bell said. “What we call Mesoamerica is one, [which is] Mexico and Guatemala essentially. Peru is the other.” Students will also have the option of traveling to Machu Picchu, Peru, which is host to a famous site and monument of Incan culture. The cost of this excursion is separate from that of the main program and
participation is not mandatory. “I try to show students the archaeology of Peru that is not Machu Picchu,” Bell said. “Americans ... tend to fly into Lima and the next step is to fly to Cuzco and go to Machu Picchu.” She said that while students will have the opportunity to go to Machu Picchu, there is so much spectacular archaeology outside of the city. Her favorite part of Peru is the north coast. “We’re going to go to a little town of Huanchaco, and that is where the great Moche civilization was,” Bell said. “The huge sights of Chan Chan, Huaca de la Luna, El Brujo — I’m just amazed at how big they are and we know virtually little about them.” She said Americans aren’t tuned into those huge sights in Peru,
especially along the north coast. Bell, who has led the summer Peru program since 2008, said she is excited to teach students about other civilizations in Peru besides the Incas. Very few of the sights the class will visit outside of Machu Picchu are Incan sights, she said. “The Incans were mountain based, up in the Andes, and we’re going to be primarily along the coast,” Bell said. “[Most of] the sites we’ll be seeing will be of other cultures, especially the Moche.” Although students will not be studying in a classroom while in Peru, there will be two weeks of class time in Austin associated with the program. Students will be responsible for two major projects during the length of the program, one for each course taught. “In one case, each
student will become an expert on each of the archaeological sites we see,” Bell said. “In Peru, the student will brief us on the site and what to be especially aware of. At the end, the student will give us a verbal report on the site he or she has become an expert on.” The trip itself is an excellent opportunity for students, Bell said, and last year one student got a little extra from the program.
“Two of our young ladies fell in love with Peruvian men,” Bell said. “One of [them] came back to this country, but the other came back, divorced her husband, went back down there and hasn’t been heard from since.” Shannon Smith is a student who participated in the 2010 Study Abroad program in Peru. “There’s one [site] called the Armament Museum... it was amazing, I’ve never seen more weapons in my life!” Smith said. Whether a student’s major is anthropology or something completely unrelated, students can find many opportunities for educational and cultural enrichment in Peru this summer with this study abroad program.
Kristen Sauls • Layout Editor