December 7, 2009
www.theAccent.org
Volume 12, Issue 6
BURNING DOWN
THE
HOUSE
Fire Academy celebrates its move to Austin location at open house demonstration Michael Needham
A
Staff Writer
fire cadet leapt off the top of the drill tower and rode a rope toward a crowd of spectators at the Austin Community College Fire Training Academy Open House. Meanwhile, another cadet secured himself to a victim impersonator and simulated a rescue as he repelled straight down the tower. Then, a simulation house beside the tower burst into flames. Two fire trucks pulled up to the house and the remaining cadets jumped out and started fighting the blaze.
Working in two teams, one group of cadets battled the flames while the others set up ventilation and began a search and rescue operation. By forming a master stream of water between the house and the tower, the cadets were able to contain the fire and keep it from spreading. Through ventilation, other cadets achieved visibility within the house. Upon entry into the flaming building, the cadets found mannequin victims. They could choose to either carry the fake victims out a window and down a ladder or out the main stairwell. One by one the cadets exited the flame engulfed building, rescuing the prop bodies, and wrapping up their 17 week training at the academy. The Fire Training Academy Open House, which took place on Dec. 2, celebrated the move of the academy from a few different locations, the main building being in Taylor, to one location in Austin. “This is a training facility all in one spot,” ACC President Stephen Kinslow said. “It has allowed us to expand our cadet program.” The open house included speeches by people closely associated with the program, a live fire fighting demonstration, and a tour of the three ACC buildings on the site. The site is located on the same training grounds that the Austin city fire academy uses. Austin Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez, who served as an Austin firefighter for 13 years and was president of the Austin Firefighters Association in 2003, promised that the academy would benefit the community. “This is truly the vision that many folks have,” Martinez said, “that this facility will not just be for the fire department, but for the community. This is just the beginning.” Austin Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr explained how the new facility would improve fire fighting in Austin.
ȩȩ See Jump pg. 3
Teodora Erbes Staff Photographer
FIRE DEPARTMENT — An ACC firefighter cadet watches how the flames and smoke spread before entering the heat-insulated building to put the fire out, at Austin’s Firefighter Training Facility on Tuesday Dec. 1. As part of the Firefighter certification training curriculum, the cadets go through a week of working with
SL, Orientation changes still being discussed Sarah Neve
Editor-in-Chief The original proposal for the expansion of The Orientation Program and the redesign of Student Life has changed. While Student Life will not look exactly the same as it did this semester, the changes being made appear, as of right now, to be much less drastic than originally predicted. The original proposal that was presented to the Student Life coordinators on Nov. 9 would have eliminated Diversity, Leadership,
and Intramurals as stand-alone clusters as well as cancel several annual events. In the Nov. 9 issue of The Accent Director of Student Life Cheryl Richard is quoted saying that these programs had to be eliminated to make the new orientation requirements work. “The good news, for me, is that I feel like we are moving towards keeping all our programming,” Richard said. While everything is still very much in the planning stages one very strong possibility is that
Diversity and Leadership will be combined into one cluster. One thing that will impact how these redesigns take place will be the deadline by which students must be oriented. At a meeting with the Student Services Council on Dec. 3 it was clarified that to be considered orientated; students would have to have attended orientation by the first day of class. The consequences, which are still being finalized, may be that students who fail to get oriented will have holds placed on their accounts, and be dropped from
their classes. Student Government Association Vice President Mike Reid and Secretary Brice Gump, on Nov. 19, at the Student Rights and Responsibilities Committee meeting, suggested that students should have their first semester to complete orientation before holds are placed on their account. “We felt like it was wrong, they should have a semester, and then place a hold on their account,” Reid said. SGA is looking into conducting a survey to gauge student opinion about the changes
before the end of the semester. The decision to expand orientation comes from the ACC’s established Student Success Initiative, and new involvement with Achieving the Dream, a community college student success program, that provides funding to select community colleges. Currently orientation is technically a requirement for students, but failing to attend will not keep them from attending classes. According to studies done by the Center for Community College Student Engagement
(CCSSE), student retention is increased by involvement with the school and with peers. “The goal is student engagement, and one of the ways we can do that is the orientation program,” Vice President of Student Support and Success Systems Kathleen Christensen said. “Going forward with a mandatory orientation that is monitored, one goal is to get students involved with each other, like how they where in high school, or how they are in other parts of their lives.”
Pilot program will provide students with free bus passes Passes part of sustainability effort Trevor Goodchild Staff Writer
Capitol Metro bus trips will be free to all students attending ACC next semester. Starting Jan. 5, students can pick up their Green Passes from the cashier’s office as part of a pilot program that will allow them free access to Capitol Metro services, including the Metro Rail, when it becomes operational. $250,000 of the money raised from the higher parking fee that went into effect this semester was used to get the pilot program started. Once that money is depleted, the Green Pass will be funded by the new sustainability fee that will go into effect next
semester. The sustainability fee will be $1 per credit hour and will cost students an average of $8 per semester. “The ACC Board of Trustees brought up the idea of having the Green Pass to reduce our carbon footprint and also ease our transportation problems or issues such as parking at all campuses. This year, the Board of Trustees approved an increase of the parking fee, so they increased a portion of the parking fee that will (initially) fund the Green Pass,” Director of Environmental Stewardship Andy Kim said. Other green options for students that are being considered include the possibility of making ACC more bike friendly by installing more bike racks, adding showers for student bikers, or establishing an ACC car pool system. “Because the increase of the parking fee is a limited fund, as the program expands, the
Sustainability Fee comes in to help extend the Green Pass program, and it will also fund various sustainability issues and projects,” Kim said. Sustainability was the focus when President Steve Kinslow signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, an initiative to reduce the carbon footprint of educational institutions across the country. The Green Pass is part of this initiative, and how long it lasts depends on how many ACC students use the bus passes during the pilot program. Capital Metro will be keeping track of the number of ACC students using the Green Pass. Every student enrolled in the 2010 spring semester, with the exception of Continuing Education students that do not pay the Sustainability Fee, can use the pass. Students can use the Green Pass the first day it’s issued for
the spring semester. If lost, there is a $25 replacement fee, whereas if it is damaged, it will be replaced at no cost as long as the original pass can be presented. The pass will cover the time between semesters as well as the semester itself. “The Green Pass works for even express buses; we wanted to make it an inclusive service to eliminate all confusion. Metro rail isn’t running at this time, but this pass will work for it as well once it is in commission,” Kim said. Whether or not having the
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Green Pass will make students use these Metro services versus driving a car was addressed by nursing major Eunbi Park. She drives to and from every campus now and rarely rides the bus.
“I think my friends that drive would be more likely now to ride the bus, I mean why not? I would be more likely to use the bus because I can save money on gas,” Park said.