May 5, 2010
www.theAccent.org
First Copy free | Volume 12, Issue 12
Amador wins uncontested election
Jorge Amador is a 19 year-old sophomore Government major, and, as of April 30, Amador is the new student body president. Amador was unopposed in this year’s student government election. Before becoming president, Amador served as the Northridge Campus senator. Accent editor Christopher A. Smith sat down with Amador to talk about what Amador plans to focus on in his upcoming term as president. Christopher A. Smith
someone who is determined to make it happen. Like I said, that is more of a macro management from the Executive Council’s position.
Why do you want to be student body President?
I want to ask you about some of the big issues we’ve covered at the newspaper. This semester we’ve written a lot about the proposal to change late registration and the add/drop issue. There was a proposal to move late registration and the add/drop period back to the week before classes begins. So I want to see what your take on this issue is.
Assistant Editor
JA: I want to be Student Body President to embody the student body in all its shapes and forms. I want to be able to represent every single student that walks through these halls. I think I’d be a really good person for doing that. What do you think it is about you that qualifies you to have this position? JA: I’d like to start off first of all, my experience. I’ve been an ACC student for a while now and I think that since I’ve been involved in student government this year I know all the ins and outs, what it means to be the president. I worked very closely with the Executive Council for Student Government so I’m fairly aware of what everyone’s tasks are. Let’s talk a little bit about your specific plans. What are some of your goals? JA: I guess first of all I’d like to increase student involvement. That’s my main concern as far as major issues are concerned. I’d love to get more student input by internet and surveys, and talking to people. I think it would be vital for our success. As far as other things, I think more student involvement would help with everything including sponsoring major events or holding major events, like Black Out which is successful. Do you plan to continue Black Out?
JA: From the beginning I opposed this decision because I think a lot of students could benefit from the add/drop grace period. We made a special committee in Student Government to deal with adds and drops. The person in charge of that was our parliamentarian Brice Gump. We dealt with the details of the actual adds and drops system because it’s very complicated and you have to separate it into separate issues. You cannot fix it with a one-line authoritative rule. So we just worked really close with the administration and tried to find an even ground where it benefit both students and administration. I know the issue will come back up sometime next semester or next year. Now there is a proposal to move late registration but keep two days of add/drop. Would you be comfortable with that or would you want to keep late registration as it is now? JA: You know it is important to note that in other colleges, major colleges, though I have never attended one, they have registration up to a week or so after classes begin to add and drop and do
JA: You know it is a very big project. I would hope so we just need experienced hands on board and
ȩȩ See Involvement page 3
Karissa Rodriguez • Design Intern
CAMPAIGNING — SGA President Jorge Amador talks to cultural anthropology major, Melissa Black about the SGA election in the student lounge at Rio Grande campus. Amador met with students on April 22 to encourge them to vote on the elections.
SGA ELECTION RESULTS 2010-2011 PHOTO NOT AVAILABLE
PHOTO NOT AVAILABLE
President Jorge Amador
Vice-President Parliamentarian Sophia Dylan Pera Downing
CYP Senator Ashley King
CYP Senator NRG Senator Luisa Parodi Jason Haydon
RGC Senator Rita Mathis
RGC Senator Sarah Whatley
Distance Learning Student Senator Samantha Davis
Student w/ NonVeteran Student Minority Student Disabilities Traditional Senator Senator Senator Student Kyle Burns Blanca Gonzalez Anna Senator Aleman April Busby
Hartfield hopes to bring hard work ethic to Board of Trustee place 6
Reiter hopes business acumen will distinguish him from other candidates
mittee to annex Round Rock ISD into the ACC tax division. Staff Writer “As a result of that, there is a new campus being built up in Round Rock,” said Hartfield. “I Before Raymond Hartfield saw a strong support for Austin received his master’s degree in Community College in the science or his multiple bacheRound Rock area.” lor’s degrees, he graduated from For Hartfield there are Pearl River Community College. two ways to balance a budget: Now he’s running for place 6 reducing costs and increasing on Austin Community College’s revenue. Board of Trustees. While serving on the Round “I think it’s nice to have Rock school board for 14 someone who graduated from years, Hartfield did not have a community college to actually the option of raising tuition to be working with what’s best increase revenue. Because of that for a community college,” said Hartfield said he felt like there Hartfield. was a propensity to go in Hartfield has three priand cut programs, but orities for ACC: acceshe didn’t want to sibility, affordability, do that. Instead, and adequacy. he another way “Accessibility to increased has to do not revenue. only with when “We’d go out the classes are OARD and get people, scheduled, but OF and corporahow they are RUSTEES tions, to give us delivered to you,” grants,” Hartfield Hartfield said. said. “We set up a founVirtual, hybrid, and dation and raised money. We class options are three of the filed for federal grants. We got possible delivery systems Hartinnovative with our programs. field described. We started drawing in milAn education is adequate lions of dollars in a fairly well when a graduate can do what to do school district. We had to they went to school to do, Hartincrease revenues to balance the field said. budget, and we did.” Hartfield has been involved Hartfield said he feels ACC is with ACC for the last 10 years missing some of these opportuand recently chaired the comnities.
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Place 6 — Raymond Hartfield is making accessibility, adequacy, and affordability the focus of campaign for seat.
“Do I think we’re leaving money on the ground at ACC? Sure, there’s no question about it,” Hartfield said. Currently, Hartfield is working with ACC on a program to increase revenue. ȩȩ See Hartfield page 3
Editor’s Note
Candidates running for a seat on the ACC Board of Trustees can contact the Accent at editor3@austincc.edu or 2233111 for an interview.
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Raymond Hartfield
a lot about where graduates go after high school. Staff Writer “Higher education is out of reach for a lot of students. A growing number are going to “If managed well, ACC has community colleges like ACC,” the potential to become one of Reiter explained. the best community colleges in Increasing enrollment and the country because it has all the college’s growth is generof the resources to make that ally favored, but Reiter wants to happen,” David Reiter, who make sure that students aren’t is running for place 5 one the negatively affected by irresponAustin Community College sible growth. Board of Trustees, said. To begin, Reiter would like to Understanding management set up a financially sound expanrequirements of the board is sion plan. an important part of Reiter’s Without an expansion plan plans. He became interested in to provide facilities in the new the position through his work taxing districts, Reiter said with the Austin Chamber that the college would of Commerce where be forced to cut he spent three years services, raise on an Indepenfees, raise taxes dent School or request state District task funding. force assessing Reiter would progress reports also focus on for nine Central OARD OF what happens Texas school RUSTEES to students once districts. they leave ACC by Through this making sure jobs are work he thinks he available to graduates and understands what the role of the board should be: accessing tracking student exits. “ACC doesn’t have a good performance, ensuring compliunderstanding of where students ance and setting vision. Reiter go after leaving. They don’t track sees supporting students’ access to quality programs as a primary that,” Reiter said. “The students coming out of ACC are good responsibility of the Board of students. They perform better Trustees. than the ones who start at U.T. – While looking into the acaaccording to U.T.” demic performance of different school districts, he also learned
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Michael Needham
David Reiter
Place 5— Financially sound
expansion is one issue David Reiter would like to focus on if elected to ACC’s Board. Tracking exits applies to dropouts as well as graduates. According to Reiter, the reason for ACC’s high dropout rate isn’t known because there isn’t any follow-up. Reiter suggests putting together a quesȩȩ See Reiter page 3
Editor’s Note
Candidates running for a seat on the ACC Board of Trustees can contact the Accent at editor3@austincc.edu or 2233111 for an interview.
FORUM page 2
For
Devons ’ Sake
Devon Tincknell Life & Arts Editor
Normally, it’s a journalist’s job to use reasoned, rational arguments when they disagree with a person. A good editorial presents an opinion and then backs it up, but does not resort to harsh language or name calling. However, the world of journalism is changing and in a society where “Fair and Balanced” has become a cruel joke, etiquette sometimes gets thrown out the window. The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart has recently taken to doling out gospel chorus backed “Go (rhymes with duck) yourself ”s to ideological opponents who have stooped so low and behaved so poorly that they no long deserve polite rebuttals. I salute Jon Stewart in his refusal to engage those that are not playing by the rules. It’s a sad fact, but the game has changed and for many media institutions, integrity has become a casualty. So as an up and coming journalist myself, I’d like to join Mr. Stewart in handing out some PG Rated “words of advice.” Tea Party - Disguising bigotry, violent extremist rhetoric, and threats of domestic terrorism under a banner of flag waving “patriotism,” the Tea Party are the guiding light leading us into America’s dark decline. Whining about taxes, necessary health care reform, and a black president who they say they “just don’t like,” the Tea Party members bitch incessantly about everything wrong with America while offering no solutions of their own. Complaining about a Portland school teacher who campaigns against them, the Oregon Tea Party said, “As the targeted group, and therefore directed victims of Mr. Levin’s hate speech, attempted identity theft and even death threats, we feel that we are correct in demanding a response from the district on this issue.” As the group who hasn’t stopped making death threats and hate speech since Obama came into office, I’d like to tell the Tea Party to “go fly a kite.” Oklahoma and Arizona - I understand that Oklahoma and Arizona are not bad states populated exclusively by bigoted idiots. Both have contributed many fine things to our nation
like the Flaming Lips and cartoon style cacti, respectively. However, their recent legislative activities are inexcusable. Oklahoma, how does sending women on a massive guilt trip before they can receive an abortion accomplish anything positive? Arizona, is legalized racial profiling really going to do the world any good. The answer to both questions is a resounding “no,” which is why both states (or more specifically their laws) can “go soak their heads.” Sarah Palin and the Republican party - Oh hypocrisy, let me count the ways. While Republicans in D.C. are stonewalling every initiative brought to the table, simultaneously scolding the Democrats for not being bipartisan, Sarah Palin has been going rogue all over the country. Presenting herself as a folksy populist hero, Palin is charging admission for her rallies, flying first class, demanding bendy straws, and raising butt loads of campaign cash for 2012. Speaking of butts, Mrs. Palin and the Republican party, please “stick your head where the sun don’t shine.” FOX News - There is no “liberal news media.” It doesn’t exist anymore. You killed it with your spin crazy 24 hour propaganda machine you have the nerve to call “news.” And, unfortunately, none of the other media outlets have had the guts to do anything but play follow the leader into a world where gay rights protests get zero coverage while ten ill-informed Tea Partiers in a Walmart parking lot calls for live reporting. And when anyone critiques you or refuses to play your games, you play the victim and act innocent. I’m not buying it. Fox News, you can “sit on it.” Science - Not only are you guys lying and getting the members of Insane Clown Posse pissed, it’s 2010 and we don’t have any of the cool stuff the Jetsons promised us. Sure, we’ve got Google and the iPad. Big deal. Having humanity’s collective knowledge at our fingertips has only lead to cat photos and updates on what Ashton Kutcher ate for breakfast. I want a hover car. No wait, I want a hover board! At the very least, can please find some technology to solve the above problems? Until then, “go suck an egg.”
it ALL
Crackdown on illegal internships Design Intern
With the summer almost here, I’ve been looking for an internship to fill my free time and my resume. It’s difficult finding the right one though, let alone one that pays. Maybe I’ve set my standards too high, but I want an internship that is worth my time and doesn’t require me to only do grunt work for a company. Internships are a vital learning experience that every college student should experience in order to land a dream job upon graduation. However, more and more employers are not providing students with an internship that gives them a quality learning experience to further their skills in a their chosen career paths. Those employers are basically taking advantage of students who are willing to work for free. The Department of Labor (DOL) is doing the right thing by amending the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to include a “test” for employers to use to determine whether they can legally hire an unpaid intern. The Wages and Hours Division (WHD), a division of the DOL, announced in late April they are going to begin cracking down on employers who may be breaking the law by not paying interns who do not receive an
May 5, 2010
Not to be out done by Arizona, Texas hops on anti-immigrant crazy train
Rhymes with duck
Karissa Explains Karissa Rodriguez
w w w.the Accent.org
educational experience during the duration of their internship. WHD says that if an “internship program is structured around a classroom or academic experience as opposed to the employer’s actual operations, it is more likely the internship will be viewed as an extension of the individual’s educational experience,” according to a fact sheet released by the department. WHD will begin enforcing the changes to the law on employers who do not provide their interns with an educational experience will be required by law in accordance with FLSA, to pay interns $7.25 per hour, the current minimum wage. This is a monumental change for college students who have spent their days doing data entry, sorting packages or picking up dry cleaning and coffee for free because previously, internships were loosely regulated through the vague and outdated FSLA laws which meant they were essentially unenforced. Unpaid interns who perform meaningless tasks just to boost their resumes deserve compensation from employers because they are not learning anything that will help prepare them for their future careers. Additionally, there were many gaps in the FSLA laws that interns fell through, these actually hurt the employers who took advantage of them. These gaps lead to the
Chris Scott• Layout Editor
State lawmakers need to sit this one out Staff Editorial Arizona’s controversial, possibly unconstitutional, new immigration law has put a spotlight on the state, and frankly, Texas is sick of it. No one is going to out legislate the Lone Star State when it comes to excessively harsh and unnecessary laws that infringe on the rights of minorities. At least not while Rep. Leo Berman, and Rep. Debbie Riddle are in office. These two “patriots” are drafting their own “show us your papers” legislation that they plan to file in January. They specifically like the controversial provision that requires police officers to check the status of anyone they suspect to be an illegal immigrant. California representative Brian Bilbray defended Arizona’s new law, explaining on MSNBC that it’s not that hard to spot an illegal immigrant.
increase of unpaid internships available to students, making the choice to take an internship not only based on a student’s qualifications, but also their economic means. Students who cannot afford the cost of living without a paying job are forced to miss out on the learning experiences internships provide. Another gap interns fall through is that they are left unprotected by workplace discrimination and harassment statues such as the Civil Rights Act, Americans with Disability Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act because they are technically not employees. This is in reference to the 1997 U.S. Court of Appeals case, O’Connor v. Davis, where intern Meghan O’Connor sued Dr. James Davis, an employee of a hospital for the mentally disabled, for sexual harassment. The court dismissed her case because she was not being compensated by the hospital and therefore could not be considered an employee and receive protection under Title VII, Equal Employment Opportunities, of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These gaps will be solved by the addition of the intern “test” on the FSLA, however it may also have unintended consequences. Employers may begin hiring less interns because they do not want to risk facing legal action from the government. The WHD will need to simplify their test and further provide explanations for employers to discourage this kind of thinking. Overall, the intern “test” is a great stepping stone towards protecting college students while interning at companies. The actions taken by WHD tell me that my standards are not too
“There’s a different type of attire, there’s a different type of...right down to the shoes, right down to the clothes,” Bilbray said. That’s right; American citizens and illegal’s wear different shoes. This is going to lead to racial profiling. There is absolutely no way around it. It will happen in Arizona. If it passes here, it will happen in Texas. And, it will be a nightmare. Let’s assume that illegal immigrants will figure out the shoe thing, and then the police are going to have to start looking for more subtle signs, like being Hispanic. The first time an American citizen spends time in jail for having dark skin and not carrying around paperwork, we lose the right to call ourselves the land of the free, much less the land of opportunity. Whatever happened to, “Give us your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free?” It may seem like a silly concern, but it is very possible that some Texas legislators don’t realize that Texas
high when it comes to finding an internship, because the government has declared that all internships should be fulfilling and worthwhile. Students who are currently interning or looking for an internship like me should hold their employers to the government’s standards and speak up if they don’t. Don’t just complete meaningless work for employers if it won’t benefit you in the long run.
doesn’t always have to look like the craziest state in the union. Texas lawmakers, like Berman, who recently made headlines for calling President Barack Obama, “God’s Punishment on us” at the Glen Beck headlined Taking Back America Rally, make Texas look like the attention starved girl at a party, doing a keg stands in a dress; because lets face it, she doesn’t have anything interesting to say, and negative attention is better then no attention at all. Texas does not have to jump on board this anti-immigrant legislation. Besides the obvious racism, there is no reason to believe that it would be positive for our state. Sen. Harry Coates from OK, the only Republican to vote against Oklahoma’s tough on immigrant’s law from 2007, credits that law with destroying his state’s economy. “You really have to work hard at it to destroy our state’s economy, but we found a way. We ran off the workforce,” he said.
Corrections Meet the Candidate Corrections: The text in SGA Candidates Samantha L. Davis’ and Chesley Williams’ election platform appear differently in the last issue from the corrected version at the Accent’s website on the request of the writers. Photo Correction: A picture for the “In 2 the West” article in the last issue had the incorrect cutline. The correct cutline for this photo should have been “Donna Savell performs her monologue, ‘Drunk’ on Tuesday April 13, during rehearsals for the In 2 The West theater show.”
The intern “test” The following six criteria must be applied to determine whether an internship can legally be unpaid: 1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment. 2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern. 3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff. 4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded. 5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship. 6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship. Source: “Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under the Fair Standards Act,” Department Of Labor, Wages and Hour Division
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Editor-in-Chief..................................................................................................................... Sarah Neve Assistant Editor................................................................................................... Christopher A. Smith Photo Editor.................................................................................................................... Teodora Erbes Layout Editor.........................................................................................................................Chris Scott Design Intern............................................................................................................Karissa Rodriguez Life & Arts Editor ......................................................................................................Devon Tincknell Campus Editor................................................................................................................ Sarah Vasquez Web Editor...........................................................................................................................Hanlly Sam Accent Adviser........................................................................................................ Matthew Connolly Accent Coordinator.......................................................................................................... Lori Blewett Student Life Director................................................................................................... Cheryl Richard Writers Michael Needham, Diana Leite, Brynne Harder, Trevor Goodchild, Rob Cohen, Kevin Stockwell, Odin Amador, Jason Haydon, Macy Webster Ramirez Photographers Adrienne Sparks, Alma Hernandez ACC President Dr. Steve Kinslow Board of Trustees Nan McRaven– Chair; Dr. James McGuffee—Secretary, Dr. Barbara P. Mink, Allen Kaplan, Jeffrey Richard, John-Michael Cortez, Tim Mahoney, Raul Alvarez 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 Austin American-Statesman. 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 Briefs
Green Pass program will continue into the summer The Green Pass program at Austin Community College will be continuing its pilot run through the summer semester. The passes are good for all Capital Metro services, including the month-old MetroRail. All enrolled students, faculty and non-hourly staff are eligible to pick up a new pass from any campus cashier office starting on May 17 and they will be valid through August 22. However, students that drop all of their classes will have thier issued passes deactivated as the passes are linked to the student’s ID number. “That’s really good. I use it every day,” said Rio Grande student Noor Nahas. The program started in January as part of ongoing sustainability efforts to address parking and transportation issues and encourage more people to use Capital Metro services. “We actually ran out of passes this semester. So far the pilot has been a great success,” stated Brette Lea, Executive Director of Public Information and College Marketing. The program is being funded with the increase of parking fees that started in August 2009 and the sustainability fund. “I understand trying to be green, but I don’t like paying for other people to ride the bus. They should fund it some other way than through the parking fees. The bus doesn’t even come to my campus,” commented Josh Killmon, student at the Cypress Creek campus.
As semester ends bookstores prepare to buy back textbooks Finals Week is quickly approaching on May 10, and with it comes the time to sell back textbooks. Bookstores offer buybacks year round, but the week of finals is the recommended time to sell back books because they might actually be able to pay more during that week. “We can buy some books back at 50% of what was paid at time of purchase,” Jeanette Lien, manager for the official ACC Bookstores said. However, there are some book conditions that aren’t acceptable for buybacks. “We don’t buy back books that have water damage at all. The reason why is that they will grow mold and mildew, and it will spread to other books,” said Lien. They also do not buy back books with smoke damage. Additional items, like CD-roms, need to be included when the book is sold back if they were included when the book was initially sold Bevo’s ACC Bookstores, near Rio Grande and Northridge campuses, have the same basic policies for buybacks. Their website does tell how much students will receive for books with the book’s ISBN number. However, the price is just an estimate and may be lower because of the book’s condition. The Official ACC Bookstore website doesn’t let give you the price they are offering after you enter the ISBN number but will tell if they will purchase your textbook. The price will be given to you during the buyback process at the store.
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Involvement top priority ȨȨ continued from page 1
what they need to do, sometime even more. So I understand this is a community college and we work differently. I still really, really support having three days to add and drop. Everything else with send it back or moving it forward is just more of the details of how the program is run or the paper work. Another big issue is smoking on campus. I know they’ve tried in the past to make ACC campuses smoke free. Do you have an opinion on that? JA: I’ve talked a lot with my Campus Manager at Northridge about that subject in particular. She expressed the need to have designated smoking areas because some people do not like smoke whenever they are walking out of the college doors. My main concern would be that those students that are smokers are well taken care of so that they are not outside in the rain. I think there is room for compromise. We have been talking about it for the Master Planning of it for all campuses. I expressed that issue back when my meeting convened in Northridge about needing designated smoking areas because you can’t just be outside in the rain. In the last legislative session some pro-gun people were for letting people with concealed handgun licenses take their gun to campus. I wanted to get your take on that. JA: I’m a strong, strong advocate for our constitutional rights. I believe the United States Constitution is one of the most beautiful pieces of writing I have ever read. Allowing guns in schools is kind of dangerous for lack of a better word. I mean campus police would have a lot of keeping up with students from class to class who have a concealed handgun. So I think it would be an unnecessary problem for the police, but I’m a strong advocate for guns, and I would really hate if a tragedy were to happen because of proposed changes to the current rules. The SGA is usually at the forefront of talking to the ACC administration, working with president Kinslow and with the different committees. How do you see that relationship, and how do you see yourself working with the ACC administration? JA: Whenever we deal with the administration, we are trying to come to a consensus. We don’t want to, you know, have a tug-a-war mach where just one side is always winning. We want to have it toward something that we can both agree on and work together with. Student Government is not a tool to be used to have rampant rage against the people who are teaching you. And neither is the administration, you know, an oppressive authoritarian force on students. So it just needs to be a really good balance between the both, and that’s really what we try to keep as a Student Government. You talked earlier about student involvement, and I know that is important topic. What are your ideas, and how to you plan to increase student involvement? JA: We could use one of our great tools which is the internet. There is a lot of students that log into all kinds of networking sites. And I just feel that maybe our website isn’t up to par yet, but it can be. That
ACC high rollers win awards at annual Student Life celebration Assistant Editor Editor-in-Chief
Photo courtesy of Student Life
HIT ME — Students Avy Gonzalez (Left), Vicki Roy (Middle),
and instructor Gail Bayeta (Right) try their luck at one of the black jack tables. Students played for raffle tickets as part of the Vegas theme of the event.
Nite in the Life awards
Student Life presented the following awards to students, faculty, staff, and student organizations
JA: I credit that to the fact that people have busy schedules at community college. Many people have children. Some are working a 40 hour week. It is important to get SGA’s name out there, but it is also equally important to represent them in certain committees. Like I said, we don’t get paid to go to committees. We go because we really care about how students can benefit. I know you said before the interview that you didn’t want to talk about religion, but my question is, because it is so prominent in you bio available online and at the Accent, should religion have an influence on what you do as a politician and when you represent the student body? JA: To all the students that are worried about that, I just want to say one thing. I am willing to represent every single one of you. Because you don’t agree with me doesn’t mean that you’re not valid of representation. We are all equal. That’s what I believe. Is there a reason you don’t want to talk about religion? JA: I think it defers from the actual issues, and it just drags attention away from what the issues really are. And it just stands at a point of controversy really. I’m not for that kind of journalism. I like it to be fair, honest, and well versed. In all honesty, I am called to love on everyone. That’s all I do. That’s all I do. I don’t want to incite any anger, hate, or discernment. I just want to love all those individuals. You say you want to instead concentrate on your skills and qualifications to be president. Are you confident you have the experience and the capacity to do this job? JA: Yes. Can you give me some examples of you having the experience and capacity to be president? JA: You mean leadership skills? I’ve always been a leader, all throughout my life. I know when to listen and I know when to speak. The main most important thing of a leader, that I’ve come to find out, is the ability to listen. It’s not to speak. It’s to listen. So you definitely feel you can handle the position? JA: Yes. I don’t shy away from challenges and if being president is going to be a challenge then I welcome it.
“I went to ACC and told them we need to form a committee to go and sell the right to name some of the main rooms in the new college in Round Rock,” Hartfield said. He explained that people and corporations are willing to pay thousands of dollars to have parts of a campus named after them. “For the first time in ACC’s history we are actively doing this sort of thing,” Hartfield said. Hartfield got his start in politics as a student in high school. “It never even crossed my mind about putting my name on a ballot for anything until a friend of mine in high school and I decided to run for student council,” Hartfield said. He ran for president, abd his friend ran for vice president. To Hartfield’s amazement, they won. “I don’t know what happened,” said Hartfield. “It wasn’t like I’d ever run for anything before, and all of sudden I had
an opportunity to serve in a capacity where I was responsible to other people. I found that to be very personally satisfying.” In college Hartfield was elected to two positions, but after that he devoted his time making a living and raising children. Then, in 1994, he decided it was time to get back into politics. He said he thought long and hard about what to run for, and decided on the school board. “I’m about education,” said Hartfield. Hartfield said he doesn’t see the trustee position as a stepping stone to higher political offices. “Frankly, if I had political aspirations that ran very high I wouldn’t have stayed on a school board for 14 years,” Hartfield said. Citing his music degree, Hartfield likened the Board of Trustees to a part of a band. “The board is akin to the
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES percussion section in a band or an orchestra,” said Hartfield. “You feel their presence through the rhythmic change but you can’t necessarily hear them. You sense they’re there, but you can’t hear them by themselves. That’s a good board.” Hartfield said he didn’t think of himself as more than “just a guy.” “I don’t have any pearls of wisdom that are going to set the world on its ear,” said Hartfield. “I’m a hard worker; I’m highly focused.”
Reiter hopes grass-roots campaign will carry him to seat on ACC Board ȨȨ continued from page 1
tionnaire or contacting students by phone in order to understand what could be done to prevent a person from stopping their education. Reiter would also like to coordinate with other local boards so that ACC curriculum, both workforce training and associate degrees, trains students in needed industries. This cooperation will make certain that a student will become an employee in the same field they trained in. If successful, Reiter foresees a healthy relationship beneficial to ACC students and the local economy. “This will give [students] a higher standard of living and make the Central Texas economy grow,” Reiter said. This focus on business ties in with Reiter’s background that could give him an advantage over the other candidates. “All of the candidates are
passionate about education. I bring a unique set of qualifications. I’m the only business person running,” Reiter explained. In his professional life, Reiter is Vice President of Luminex, a biotech company that, as he happily points out, Forbes recently named one of the 25 fastest growing technology companies. He also has degrees in government from Notre Dame, law and international relations from the University of Southern California and business from the University of Sheffield. Though his education took him across the world, Reiter is originally from Texas. Reiter and his family fell in love with Austin’s culture and natural beauty and, at his wife’s urging, they moved to the area about 10 years ago. He has also been involved
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Servant Leader Award Avelino Gonzalez Best Club Program/Event of the Year Cultural Nite, African Students Association Best Club Marketing Center for Student Political Studies Recruitment Outstanding Club Contribution to Campus African Students Association Outstanding Club Contribution to Community Hispanic Student Association Outstanding Club Contribution to Diversity East Asian Culture Society Club of the Year Physical Therapist Assistant Club Best Organization Program/Event of the Year SGA – Dream Act Resolution Organization of the Year Phi Theta Kappa – Alpha Gamma Pi Chapter Rising Star Award David Lauderback Guiding Star Award Karen Jacobs Extra Mile Award Brandon Stephens
In the last issue of the Accent we asked students if they knew what SGA does and many either didn’t know or had a wrong idea of the role of SGA.
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Sarah Neve
is something that can always be resolved. There’s always the issue of maybe sponsoring probably more events or having our logo out there, have it recognizable to students, whether that be a pencil or an umbrella or whatever it is. So we just really want to let the students know that we are here for them. And, we volunteer. We are doing this for them. We don’t get paid. We’re just volunteers, and we really try to represent their best interest… this isn’t an organization where we each try to strive for more and more power. That’s childish, and we are really out here just for students.
Hartfield likens Board to percussion section in a band, hopes to sit in ȨȨ continued from page 1
Christopher A. Smith
Approximately 400 students and guests attended the Vegas themed Nite in the Life. Nite in the Life is Student Life’s annual awards ceremony and celebration. Student Life, intramurals, student publications, and Student Government Association presented awards to honor student, faculty and staff involvement. “I think students really enjoyed it. I was surprised how many stayed until the very end. We stayed until about 12:30 a.m.,” Student Life Assistant Dot Dearinger said. Besides the awards, Nite in the Life was also used to announce the winners of the SGA elections, and introduce the incoming administration. The winner of the ACC music Showcase, The Baker Family band, was also announced at the event, Servant Leader Award Winner Avy Gonzalez enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with his friends outside of class. “All the event’s and all the things going on made it that much more fun,” Gonzalez said. Attendees were given chips with which they could “gamble”. The chips could be cashed in for raffle tickets. Student Life gave away a number of prizes including an Xbox 360, an Ipod touch, and $200 cash donated by the Rio Grande Simon’s Cafe. “I lost like $20,000, I just gave what I had left to someone else,” 2009-2010 SGA parliamentarian Brice Gump said. Gump, despite his bad luck, thought the gambling was the best part of the evening. He won the Sportsmanship award from Intramural Sports and Recreation. Dearinger was pleased with this year’s event and hopes students enjoyed themselves. “It worked out really well because everyone had an opportunity to win,” Dearinger said.
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES with other community efforts including Mobile Loaves and Fishes and the campaigns of Jack McDonald and Mark Strama. Running for Board of Trustees is Reiter’s first personal campaign. “This campaign has been a good experience, very grassroots. There’s not a lot of money involved; it’s all about meeting people,” Reiter said. “It’s very refreshing in terms of how the democratic process should work. Most elections aren’t like this.”
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Anita Howard says goodbye after 37 years Devon Tincknell Life & Arts Editor
The Austin Community College that Anita Howard started at 37 years ago looked a lot different from the one she is retiring from today. Working as a public information officer, Howard was one of the original staff members employed at ACC when it first opened its doors. Back then, the campuses were mainly old high schools, the tuition was $8 per credit hour for Texas residents, and Austin wasn’t too sure this whole community college idea would work out. “The idea that Austin needed another college was kind of foreign to people. And especially foreign to them was the idea of having a tax,” Howard said. Before working at ACC, first as public information officer and then later as a journalism professor, Howard wrote for the Austin-American Statesman. Under her maiden name, Anita Brewer, Howard wrote features, columns, and covered education for the paper. When ACC was still just an idea being tossed around, Howard argued in its favor. She recalls writing in one of her columns, “Austin is like the chorus girl who told her boyfriend that she had a book when he attempted to give her a book. Austin was like that chorus girl because Austin said, ‘We have a college.’” People couldn’t understand why they’d need another one. Not so long ago, attending college was a much rarer thing, especially for women and minorities. “We had so many students who were the first in their families to go to school.” Howard said, “At the beginning, we had a lot of middle-aged women who came to the college. It was
Courtesy of Anita Howard
Trevor Goodchild • Staff Photographer
GRADING PAPERS — Journalism professor Anita Howard grades papers as she wraps up her
final semester at ACC. Howard has worked at ACC since 1973 and was part of the original staff that opened the college. almost as if this was their first opportunity. They had gotten married young or had children and missed out on going to school.” In 1981, Howard took a leave of absence from ACC and moved to Washington, D.C. to work for Rep. Bill Patman. When she returned to Austin, she began teaching journalism, using her first-hand experiences in the newspaper business and politics to inform her curriculum. Texas Government professor Mike Harris met Howard
through his father Buck Harris who worked with her at the Statesman and considered her one of his favorite people at the paper. Mike Harris calls Howard the “Helen Thomas of Austin.” “She’s an icon. She asks all the wrong right questions.” Harris said, “I tell all of my students taking journalism, take one class with Anita Howard. She teaches as an example and a role model. She is what journalism is and should be.” In the years that Howard has been teaching it, the world
Calendar of Events
of journalism has undergone profound changes. Howard recalls when a journalism class taught students how to write a news story, gather information, and focus on the who, what, where, when, why and how. Now, journalists have to think about more than a single daily print edition. Websites and other media require constant updating throughout the day. “Before, you could write a story, and it was written. Now it doesn’t stay written,” Howard said. Though she was reluctant
OLD NEWS — A clipping from Anita Howard’s archives, this insert from the Austin American-Statesman advertised the newly opened community college. to take too much credit for herself, Howard passed along a compliment that a student had told her several years ago. The student told her, “I’ve taken a lot of writing classes, but you were the one who really taught me how to write.” Howard said she told the student she was just teaching them the basics, but the student insisted, “You taught us not to say ‘The man was tall,’ but to say ‘The man was 6 feet 2.’ That’s writing.” Though she partially retired in 1993, Howard has continued to teach part-time at ACC
for almost two decades. Now 86, Howard is going into full retirement at the end of this semester. Though the ACC she helped usher in was different from the one opening campuses in Round Rock today, Howard is incredibly proud of how the school has grown. “I’m thrilled that it’s become such a great insitution. It really has. 40,000 students and so many campuses. It’s better than we ever dreamed it could be.”
Non-academic notes light up campus
The 2nd Annual CPPPS Luncheon with Keynote Speaker Richard Wolffe May 7, 11:30 a.m. AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center ACC’s Center for Public Policy and Political Studies (CPPPS) is holding their second annual luncheon for “Building Tomorrow’s Leaders.” Award-winning journalist Richard Wolffe will be the special guest speaker. Wolffe is a political analyst who has covered President George W. Bush’s two terms and President Obama in his more than two decades experience. For those interested in attending can go to policyaustin.eventbrite.com to register for a ticket.
Spring Choreographers’ Showcase
May 7-8, 8 p.m. Rio Grande Campus Mainstage Theater ACC Dance students will perform at the ACC Department of Dance’s annual Spring Choreographers’ Showcase. The price of admission will be $5 for students and $10 for general admission. Proceeds from the sales will benefit the Drama and Dance Scholarship Fund.
Phi Theta Kappa Induction
May 8, 1:00 p.m. Rio Grande Campus Main Theater ACC’s Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society are celebrating the induction of the newest 310 students into their Alpha Gammi Pi Chapter. Inductees’ family and friends are invited to attend.
Student Literary Gathering
May 10, 7 p.m. Austin Java The monthly Literary Gathering is organized by ACC’s Creative Writing Department. Students and the public are invited to share anything from poems to non-fiction to songwriting.
Buyback at ACC Bookstores
May 10 through May 14, Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. All ACC Bookstore locations Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Rio Grande Campus Remote May 10 through 16, Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Both Bevo’s ACC Bookstore locations With finals approaching on May 10, students can sell their textbooks back to surrounding bookstores around campus. Bring your student ID and state-issued ID or Driver’s License with your good condition textbooks to get some extra cash. Bookstores can not accept water damaged textbooks.
Veterans Appreciation and Open House
May 15, 10:30 a.m. Riverside Campus In celebration of Armed Forces Day, ACC will open its door for veterans to learn about the ACC and community resources available to help with academic success. Information will be given out about educational benefits, GI bills, tuition assistance and much more. Food and entertainment for adults and children will be provided.
Harvey Milk Day Conference
May 22, 8:00 a.m. Eastview Campus, Room 8111 Equality Now and Texas Conference of the Equality Across America Network invite everyone to join them as they debate and discuss with other activists on how Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trangender can fight for equality.
photo courtesy of The Baker Family
The Baker Family, featuring two ACC students, took home the grand prize Macy Webster Ramirez Staff Writer
Students were greeted with local tunes, snacks, drinks, and lawn blankets at the South Austin Campus for the April 21 ACC Music Showcase. The event featured eight competing bands, each of which had at least one member that was a current ACC student. The Baker Family band took home the prize, an invitation to perform at a Student Life event next semester. The performers were judged on creativity, originality, audience interaction and overall quality of performance by a panel of three students, and three faculty members. From Asheville, NC, The Baker Family decided to relocate to Austin after completing a national tour during the summer of 2009. They have received press from various news outlets for their indie folk band. “You know, I think we did pretty well. We had a lot of fun, like its weird. We only played two songs and after the two songs are done, it was like man, I wish we could keep playing,” Band member and ACC student Elizabeth Baker Said. Baker and fellow band member Darryl Schomberg are both students. “We really like it a lot, and just saw that you guys (ACC) were doing a showcase. I mean, I just thought that was awesome. I wish more campuses and colleges would do that, but we were excited,” Baker said.
Student and music enthusiast Wendy Ruiz and SAC Student Life Assistant Jessica Burkemper worked since Feb to bring the showcase together. “I hope to engage different groups of students and have more interaction on campus,” Ruiz said. Ruiz also hoped students got to relax and enjoy the shows. A selection committee made up of two students and a staff member picked the eight bands out of 21 bands that submitted the required demo CDs. There was a range of music, from the soft and whimsical sounds of student Lady Bell to the enthused screaming and head-banging beats of Barry Whitesnake. Each artist played a two song set. Lady Bell, ACC pre-nursing student and musician of six years, sang a lullaby of beach-rock blues. Bell said the message of her music is to focus on “peace and love and unity,”... As well as “drinking and having fun,” Ruiz wants her event to be remembered and hopefully inspire students to follow her footsteps in the future. Ruiz acknowledged the help of Student life and ACC Media Technology; the equipment, two stages, along with the incredible acoustics of the courtyard all helped “set the stage” for the showcase. While watching “IaMHer” play, ACC student Ash Blaize commented, “This is a good opportunity to showcase the musicians that go to school here.”
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Rio Grande campus Student Opinions “Did you vote for the SGA elections? What do you think about the low voter turnout?”
“Most students really don’t care because they are busy with classes, and they really don’t know what SGA does. They would vote more if the students saw more results or if the SGA came to talk to them.” -Heather McMaster, a creative writing major who didn’t vote.
“I think that’s bad, but since people don’t plan to go to community colleges for a long time, they don’t care who is in charge.” -Samantha Zelade, an international relations major who didn’t vote.
“I think the SGA should make people more aware. I didn’t even know about the elections.” -Leeza Henderson, a Spanish major who didn’t vote.
“That’s horrible! They [the SGA] represent us. They should have more votes. But ACC has many campuses. That makes it difficult for them to spread the word.” -Omar Lopez, a hospitality management who did vote.
“More people should vote and should care. But I do understand why not a lot of people did. They have too much going on to keep up with it, especially with more important elections going on.” -Kayla Riell, a liberal arts major who didn’t vote.
All interviews and photos by Diana Leite
Campus News | page 5
ACC students pitch in for Peru Brynne Harder Staff Writer
For seven years students participating in the Anthropology study abroad program have proved that small gestures can have a big impact. Since this program started, students have packed pencils, erasers and the odd notebook in with their own converse and jeans for the school children of Lima, Peru. “All these kids are so poor that even a pencil is a need. It’s hard to decide who should get these,” Anthropology Adjunct Professor, Carol Hayman said. Hayman has been with the program since the beginning and is also chair of the AustinLima Sister Committee. The program takes place during the first summer session, this year from May 27 – June 25. During their time in Peru, students study archaeological anthropology and Peruvian culture steps away from pyramids and mummies. Though the supplies are taken in May, they aren’t distributed until Christmas. All of the supplies are taken to the neighborhood comedor – a communal dining room serving lunch for a $1/day subscription. At Christmas organizations sponsor a Chocolatada in order to give residents hot chocolate, cake and so children can receive their present. Hayman explained that while the government provides at least elementary school they are poorly funded, and students must bring their own supplies. The program’s goal is for each child to receive at least one pencil. This may seem small, but Peru’s poverty levels make even a pencil a luxury.
“Their poverty levels are completely extreme. As far as I know in America I’ve never seen extreme poverty like this,” Emma Colombo, a former program student, said. Colombo initially went because of her interest in archaeological anthropology. The people of Peru led her to return two more times. She has also become involved in the Austin-Lima Sister Committee and started working on a documentary about the comedors. “The people there kept asking me if I would come back. In my life I’ve dealt with wishywashy people. It touched me that these people wanted me to come back,” Colombo said. The class has become more popular over the years, quickly overflowing into a waiting list, but taking the supplies has become harder. When ACC students were given lockers, all the end-of-year leftovers were donated to the program, however that’s no longer a possibility. “Now I’m completely dependent on word of mouth,” Hayman said. “Student Government has been really helpful. They’ve supported me through the years.” Getting the supplies to Peru has also become more difficult. Airlines’ weight and baggage restrictions have made some less willing to take as much. It’s also caused the supplies to become more limited to small light-weight items. During the first years of the program students could take up to two suitcases of 75 pounds each, but that has decreased significantly. Colombo understands a student spending at least six weeks in another country will need that weight for their own belongings.
Hanlly Sam • Web Editor
HELPING ABROAD — Carol
Hayman takes anthropology students to Lima, Peru every year. Students study archaeology and take supplies to give to local school children. However, she added that several years spent traveling between the U.S. and Peru has taught her to pack lightly, “I don’t really need anything more than a few days of clothes and basic hygiene items. You don’t really want to take expensive items.” The program is intended to help the community, but the warmth of the people means it also builds friendships between travelers and residents. “Everybody’s really helpful there,” Colombo said. “People in Lima really did want us to understand their culture. They wanted us to look at them as individuals and not see just the negative things.”If you are traveling to Peru and willing to take supplies or would like to donate supplies contact Hayman at chayman@austincc.edu. Donation boxes are also set up around campuses and at several campus events.
River Bats swoop in and win spot as ACC’s official mascot Sarah Vasquez Campus Editor
Austin Community College is now home to the River Bats. After several months of gathering suggestions, research, focus group input and community voting, the Mascot Search Committee revealed the winner at 12 p.m. April 28 on every ACC campus. At all seven campuses, Highland Business Center and the ACC Service Center, students and staff gathered around a big screen with free pizza in hand to watch the video of the Pink Bunny unveiling the winner. ACC President and CEO Steve Kinslow removed his Pink Bunny mask as he announced our new mascot by holding up the sign with the words “River Bats” written across it. Some of the crowd at the Rio Grande Campus cheered as their mascot choice won while others groaned as their’s lost. “Seeing a guy in a pink bunny suit holding up ‘River Bats,’ my life’s complete now. I’ve seen it all,” said ACC student Travis Turk. It was down to the four finalists, Starblazers, Blazers, River
Bats, and Bbhoggawacts, during the voting process in late March. River Bats won by a large margin with a total of 1,554 votes. Bbhoggawacts and Starblazers closely battled it out for second place, but Bbhoggawacts won the position with its 1,162 votes. Bbhoggawacts, which was created to represent all eight ACC service counties, was pushed to the “Keep Austin Weird” crowd to win with efforts including the creation of Facebook groups. It was because of these efforts that the committee decided to incorporate Bbhoggawacts as a part of the mascot name. “There was such a concerted effort behind Bbhoogawacts that it was heartwarming,” said Brette Lea, Executive Director of Public Information and College Marketing. “So we thought that it would be kind of neat to have a visual representation in the River Bat that depicts Austin certainty, and Round Rock and the other counties that we serve but then to have a name that seals the deal and it sounds good together. Bbhoggwact the River Bat. So in the end we had the top two choices in there,” However, now that the mascot
Sarah Vasquez • Campus Editor
RIVER BATS — ACC students celebrate the winner of the Mascot Search on the front steps of Rio Grande campus. After the River Bat mascot was revealed, several students immediately adopted a hand sign shown above to reflect the new mascot. has been chosen, there is still work that needs to be done. Now that there is a name, Bbhoggawact the River Bat now needs a face to go with it’s name. The next step
for the Mascot Search Committee will include involving the community in the design of the mascot. “The process next is to engage
the community and to engage our student body and to start working on what this River Bat the Bbhoggawact is gonna look like. so that’s the next stage. We’re
gonna engage over the summer and we hope to have the reveal for the design in the fall.” said Mascot Search Committee Chair Avy Gonzalez.
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Campuses accommodate all students Odin Amador Staff Writer
Elissa Ray was temporarily disabled when she first started taking American Sign Language (ASL) classes at ACC. Due to a car accident which caused her serious back injuries, she could barely walk. After an arduous yet successful recovery, the experience of being temporarily disabled left her with an insider’s respect for the courage and perseverance of people with disabilities. Ray is one of many students enrolled in Rio Grande’s Interpreter Preparation Program who is learning to sign and interpret ASL. In addition to promoting deaf culture by offering ASL classes to students like Ray and welcoming deaf students, ACC works with all of its students with disabilities. The school’s Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) helps to provide academic support and physical accommodations to students who are deaf, blind, physically disabled, or have a learning disability. Judy Hay-Mullen is the Disability Services Coordinator at Rio Grande. She works with ACC students as well as local high schools and Austin’s Texas School for the Blind. “Riverside has the largest population of deaf students. We have the ASL program here at Rio Grande, but we’re teaching hearing students, for the most part, to sign,” she said in a recent interview. “This campus also has the largest population of blind students.” ACC is working to make Rio Grande more accessible to everyone. “Rio Grande campus, in particular, is problematic as far as accessibility,” said HayMullen. “For example, we don’t have an elevator in this building. (the Annex) The current remodeling that’s going on will address all that”. “I had a lot of problems when I started taking classes at Rio Grande. The campus isn’t very accessible, with all the hills and steep ramps. And initially the restroom was inaccessible to me. I came to OSD about that, and since then they’ve converted restrooms on the second floor. I think they’re going to fix some restrooms on the ground floor soon,” Students with Disabilities Senator Anna Aleman said. Aleman has a mobility disability and uses a wheelchair. The entire Rio Grande campus remodel, which includes neighboring buildings, is predicted to be completed by 2025.
“We’ve increased disability parking spaces this year,” she said. “Other than that, [at Rio Grande] we have made sure that we have some accessible bathrooms, plus some pushbutton doors.” When Austin High’s former gym reopens as Rio Grande’s newest office building for the summer 2010 semester, it will bring the campus one step closer to realizing universal access. Remodeling an older, historic campus like Rio Grande has its challenges. “We have a lot of issues to deal with, plus there’s the Historical Society. We have to make sure we’re following all the rules in that regard.” ACC’s new Round Rock campus, opening in fall 2010, was built with a universal design in mind, meaning it will be accessible to everyone, including students with disabilities. Deaf and non-deaf students can get involved by taking ASL classes. OSD doesn’t just help students reach their goals. “It’s usually the instructors that have more problems,” she said. “A lot of our job is to educate everyone, not just the student, but make sure the instructor knows, no, you really don’t have to spend a whole extra hour helping this student, we’ll provide the accommodations and everything will work out fine, for the most part.” “Students with disabilities value their independence. Especially if you’re dealing with a disability where you might not be as capable later in life, you want to make the most of things now. Things other people might take for granted are a big deal,” Aleman said. Students are encouraged to get to know one another. “One of the most common opportunities [for student interaction] is note-sharing in a classroom situation,” says Hay-Mullen. “Students can take notes for another individual in the classroom who may be blind or learning disabled. They’ll be providing a service to that student, plus they get to know them.” Students interested in taking notes for a classmate should contact their campus OSD for more information. Emily Anderson teaches interpreting classes at Rio Grande. “I first got interested in interpreting at my college,” Anderson said in and e-mail. “I distinctly remember watching an interpreter in one of my Anatomy and Physiology classes. I almost always paid
Karissa Rodriguez • Design Intern
REACHING OUT — Students with Disabilities Senator Anna Aleman meets Rep. Lloyd Doggett and discusses hers and other
students with disabilities needs that need to be addressed at ACC campuses. Doggett held a rally at the Rio Grande campus to celebrate the passing of the student aid bill in early April and congratulated Aleman on her efforts to improve disabled students experiences at ACC. more attention to what the interpreter was doing instead of the teacher.” “Later on I took ASL classes and was completely fascinated by ASL and deaf culture,” she recalled. “This led to me entering an interpreting program.” Terrylene, a renowned poet in the deaf community, will perform at the main stage theater at Rio Grande on Friday, May 14 at 7:00 PM. Advanced tickets are $15 and $20 at the door. The production, titled “I Wonder Why,” is a fundraising event for the National ASL and English Bilingual Early Childhood Education and ACC’s Interpreter Program Scholarship. Ray is nearing the end of her ASL degree program at ACC. She recently attended a state certification workshop for ASL interpreters at Rio Grande. The classroom where the workshop was held was almost full with prospective interpreters. Aleman was just re-elected to her position as OSD senator for the spring 2010 semester
Macy Webster Ramirez • Staff Photographer
Hands on — Student Danielle Caren signs to a classmate during a break during instructor’s Lisa Gelineau’ class on April 22, 2010.
South Austin
Northridge Extra Extra!
Northridge is a true contender. After pummeling Pinnacle campus out of the first round, Northridge edged past Eastview to make it here. They’ve got size on their side, but could that be their downfall?
South Austin Campus has seceded from the Austin Community College system to become its own confederate set of classrooms. Northridge Campus is outraged and has declared war on the smaller school. Okay, not really, but like the Civil War, we have the north against the south. It’s Northridge Campus versus South Austin Campus in the final battle for best school. Which school will be dubbed the college king? Alma Hernandez
Programs Offered: Northridge has a vast array of classes. With its towering figure of 84 different programs, Northridge commands this category. They truly meet the needs of the students. Parking Capacity: At the beginning of the semester, the 1,340 parking spots get filled up. Students find it necessary to arrive 15 minutes early to make sure they get a spot before class. So, while Northridge appears to crush the competition, it might be a little more complicated than that. Class Sizes Northridge has many more classes than South Austin Campus, but they also have a lot more students to fill those classes. Still, the students are quick to say that the rooms fit their needs. The classes are not overcrowded. Why NRG? The commercial music department is a unique feature to the Northridge campus, but not everybody is a commercial music major. All students can enjoy the open spaces found throughout the campus. Student can find a spot in the grass where people are congregating and playing music, or find a place of solitude. Why not NRG? On rainy days it might be hard to stay dry. The cafeteria is a good size when most of the students are eating and studying outside, but there just isn’t enough personal space for everyone inside. Also, the smoking zones blur and leave the campus in a bubble of smoke; on the other hand, this might be a positive thing for some students.
Winner
It’s really no surprise that South Austin Campus made it to the final round. It’s the newest campus, and everything is just shinier there. The students love the campus. It looks like they have a special bond with the Karissa Rodriguez school, like it’s their little secret campus where they can go to school and be happy.
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Programs Offered: Okay, 50 programs just doesn’t cut it. Clearly, SAC is crushed in this category. Parking Capacity: There are 467 total parking spots. This is almost 1000 spots less than Northridge. Still, the parking garage at SAC is almost as big as the campus itself. It’s hard to tell if people are parking to go to class, or going to class to park. Class Sizes: There will be no clear winner in this category. The class sizes are pretty even at the two schools.
We’re at the end of the end. Which school should stand as our best? South Austin Campus fits their students better, but Northridge offers more. According to the criteria we have been following, Northridge is the clear winner. It offers the most to its students.
All hail Northridge, our college king!
Why SAC? If it was raining all the students might comfortably fit inside the school. The computer lab will usually have computers open. The school was built for how many students go to it. Until Round Rock Campus opens, SAC is the newest campus. Unlike other ACC campuses, SAC was built for the number of students going to community college right now. Six years ago there were 20,000 students at ACC. Now there are 40,000. SAC can keep up with the influx for now, but if they win this thing they might not be able to handle all the people who’ll flock there. Why Not SAC? Students’ desired program might not be at the school. This is a pretty big problem. Its close proximity to a high school might annoy some, and traffic can get bad throughout the day.
Michael Needham Staff Writer
! h a l a v i n r a c Carnival ah! all art under one tent Sarah Vasquez Campus Editor
Dancing. Theatre. Spoken word. Live art. These were some of the activities students got to witness at this year’s Carnival ah! ACC’s Arts and Humanities Departments featured many dancers, writers, actors, musicians and more of the various mediums from ACC students and faculty as well as from the general community at this week-long festival. Carnival ah! was started by the Arts and Humanities Division last year as a way to bring the Austin community and the arts together with free performances, classes and discussions during the three-days event. Theater productions of “B-Sides from the A-List: 6 Short Plays from the Theatre of the Absurd” and “In 2 the West” as well as art exhibits were shown inside the main campus building while the rest of festivities were located on the Rio Grande campus lawn. Short films created by students, faculty and community were screened in the film tent while ACC dance classes performed on the outside stage. “It was a lot of fun performing outside,” said ACC Advance Jazz student Gabby Markwardt. “I love performing out in front of people.” The Spring 2010 edition of the Rio Review, ACC’s literary magazine, was released on Thursday as part of the literary day during Carnival ah! which also included 2008 Texas Poet Laureate, Larry D. Thomas’ craft talk titled “The Poet’s Dilemma: A Beautiful Curse?”
Karissa Rodriguez • Design Intern
MODERN DANCE — Students from instructor Jose Bustamante’s Modern 2 dance class rehearse a dance routine. Bustamante was one of several dance instructors who taught their classes on a stage in front of the Rio Grande campus and gave attendees a first-hand view on how dance classes are instructed.
Karissa Rodriguez • Design Intern
GETTING CREATIVE — Student Beth Sanford draws a bunny in chalk on the
sidewalk in front of the Rio Grande campus main steps. Carnival ah! attendees drew chalk drawings throughout all the sidewalks in front of the campus.
Karissa Rodriguez • Design Intern
PORTRAITS — A Carnival ah! attendee has his portrait drawn by an ACC art instructor. Attendees had their portraits drawn from noon to 5 p.m. on April 22 during the festivities.
FOLK THIS — Ryan
Adrienne Sparks • Staff Photographer
Manning, guitarist of the band Folk This, interprets one of their songs during Carnival ah! The attending crowd was about six students but they were all enthusiastically listening to the songs and jokes from the lead singer Josh McGlasson.
ARTISITC EXPERIENCE — Students get a Pollock-esque
experience as they chip in to make artistic masterpieces during Carnival ah! at Rio Grande campus April 21, 2010.
WARMING UP — Dance students warm-up before performing for Carnival ah! at Rio Grande Campus April 21, 2010.
Adrienne Sparks • Staff Photographer
Hanlly Sam •Web Editor Graphics courtesy of Dreux Carpenter page design by Chris Scott • Layout Editor
LIFE & ARTS page 8
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May 5, 2010
Art Yard tour looks at lawns Devon Tincknell Life & Arts Editor
It would be impossible to write about the Austin Art Yard tour without mentioning everyone’s favorite ubiquitous slogan. Yes, the gardeners, junk collectors, artists, sculptors and other eccentrics who opened up their yards to the public on April 17 and 18 are keeping Austin weird. Sometimes we forget what that “weird” really refers to, which is why the tour was such an important reminder of Austin’s vibrant culture. Organized by Robert Mace and Scott Stevens, the tour was a self lead exploration of Austin yards where the owners have crafted them into something mor exciting than grass and lawn gnomes. Calling themselves “yardists,” the various homeowners have decorated landscapes that ranged from the blue bottle lined labyrinth of Mano Poderosa to Sharon Smith’s impressive collection of ironing boards, rakes, bird cages, and whatever other items had inspired her collecting mania. The tour was well attended with some houses getting a couple of hundred visitors on each day. Half of the yards welcomed tour participants onto the grounds to walk around and meet the homeowners. Others asked that you drive by but respective the privacy of the artists by not coming on to the property. Unfortunately, the grandaddy of Austin’s art yards had to cancel their spot on the tour at the last minute. The legendary Cathedral of Junk has been declared a “hazardous place” by the city of Austin and though they were in negotiations to get it up to code, the tour’s organizers were informed last minute that it could not be included. Hoping to become an annual event, Austin’s artsy yardists still work on their lawns year round, helping to make Austin’s favorite phrase more than empty words.
Hanlly Sam • Web Editor
JAPANESE ART —This piece of art is a japanese statue made out of
porcelain. It was exhibited at Super Bonn Bonn during the Art Yard Tour.
Sarah Vasquez • Campus Editor
HANGING OUT — A lizard made of clay brightly stands out in the yard of Bonnie Ramsey during the Austin Art Yard tour.
Hanlly Sam • Web Editor
Hanlly Sam • Web Editor
THE KING — Artist Bonnie Ramsey made a screen
out of plastic simulating a TV, inside of it a fake skull represents Elvis the King.
EYES STARING — Among a bunch of glass bottles, a worn
mannequin head stands with two tiny hands representing a lost soul.
Sarah Vasquez • Campus Editor
BLUE MAZE — Blue bottles styled in the shape of a mano poderosa, which means “powerful hand” in spanish, formed a labyrinth in Mary Kraemer’s backyard in East Austin.
WHEELBARROW — A wall of wheelbarrows and bicycle wheels provide a metallic wallpaper
in Sharon Smith’s walkway to her backyard. This was a just a small glimpse of the collections of random items that dominated Smith’s front and backyard.
Sarah Vasquez • Campus Editor
Chris Trew makes Austin laugh Kevin Stockwell Staff Writer
Usually when people think of Austin two things come to mind: live music and UT football. There is, however, another form of entertainment that’s gaining attention in town Austin has long been the last kid picked on the comedy kickball team when compared to entertainment meccas like Los Angeles and New York. In recent years, Austin’s ability to compete with the major metropolises has increased at a rapid pace. Film companies, studios, producers and directors are recognizing Austin as the new (and cheaper) Hollywood. As a result, the Austin comedy scene has also started attracting attention. The most common forms of comedy are stand-up and sketch. Nearly everyone has seen a stand-up comedian perform, and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn’t at least heard of Saturday Night Live. The grandfather to these forms of comedy however, is improv.
If you’ve ever been to an improv show, you might not have gotten what you were expecting. That’s because most improv performers tend to focus on the feeling and flow of the act rather than it’s humor. As the saying goes, all comedy is improv, but not all improv is comedy. Luckily, Austin has a local comedian that is helping to serve up a top shelf blend of improv comedy. His name is Chris Trew. Trew’s comedy is different from most comedians. For one, he’s not interested in a ten minute stand-up act about blonde pop singers. He’d rather dress up as an Egyptian Pharaoh, surround himself with adoring servants who praise his comedic genius, and demand the audience to do the same. Although the Pharaoh’s jokes aren’t exactly, monumental, it’s the act of not being funny, that makes it funny. Get it? Chris Trew is a productive guy. On his website you’ll find a slew of performances, videos, and even music videos. Yes, Trew also has his own hip hop group entitled Terp 2 It. Aside
from hosting Open Screen Night at the Alamo and freestyle rap battles, Trew’s main attraction is his partnership in a new comedy theatre located right here in Austin. The New Movement Theater is Trew’s answer to conventional comedy clubs and improv theaters. He and the other members purposely blend improv and comedy into a show that will leave audiences roaring and not yawning. Trew says. “We don’t shy away from comedy. We’re not trying to do a theatre piece. We’re trying to be funny.” The New Movement boasts a variety of shows from Wednesday through Saturday nights. They even offer a free improv class which is open to the public for anyone who wants to learn or just try their hand at improv comedy. The theatre’s biggest impact is that it gives audiences another opportunity to see live comedy.
photo courtesy of Chris Trew
For years Capitol City Comedy Club and The Velveeta Room were the champions of comedy in Austin. Now, The New Movement Theater is challenging these heavyweights for the title. If Austin’s influence on the entertainment industry is to keep growing, it must be fueled by what has always made this city great-people attending live shows. We’re unbeatable in supporting live music, so it will be interesting to see if we can do the same for local comedians by getting out there and guffawing.
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Top 5 hot summer albums Rob Cohen & Devon Tincknell Staff Writer & Life & Arts Editor
M.I.A
TBA June 29 Outspoken Sri-Lankan rapper MIA went from underground sensation with her 2005 debut Arular, to Grammy performances with hip-hop royalty, worldwide acclaim. Listed as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential people when her second album, the critical and commercial success Kala, came out, MIA reached maximum cultural saturation thanks to her number one banger, “Paper Planes.” Her sound is a modern, politically minded mix of hip hop, electro, and world music perfect for sweaty dancefloors. Announced via blimp during at Coachella, MIA returns with her third still untitled album, which she describes as “Gucci Mane Meets Animal Collective.” The teaser video “Theres Space For Ol Dat I See” sounds pretty much just like that and the Suicide sampling single “Born Free” has already spawned controversy over its violent, in-your-face video.
Christina Aguilera
Bionic June 4 Christina Aquilera does a 180 from her last album’s jazzy throwback sound, returning with a futuristic new album with help from indie dance acts like Le Tigre, Ladytron and M.I.A. It should be interesting to see where Xtina stands in the post-Gaga pop landscape. This will definitely be one of most inescapable releases of the summer.
LCD Soundsystem
This Is Happening May 18 Grammy nominated LCD Soundsystem and their label DFA were a key part of the post punk/dance rock revival scene in New York in the early 2000s. While most of the music of that scene sounds dated (cough cough, The Bravery), LCD still sounds fresh due to their wittier, more elcectic and less glossy sound. James Murphy and company return with another set of ironic, punk informed disco tunes on their third album, featuring the silly first single “Drunk Girls.” LCD Soundsystem will be dropping by Stubbs on June 8, just in time to kick off summer.
Delorean
Subiza June 8 Virtually unknown stateside until “love it or hate it” tastemakers Pitchfork recommended their Ayrton Senna EP, Spanish trance pop band Delorean find themselves in the spotlight with their third album. Their summery mix of glo fi (or chill-wave or whatever new genre label some blogger invented last week) and cheezy Ibiza club music evokes the beach perfectly, and makes this a perfect chill-out soundtrack.
Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles June 8 Electro punk duo Crystal Castles burst on the scene in 2008 with their confrontational self-titled debut. The icy duo returns with their second self-titled album (confusing is cool apparently), a fun mix of riotgrrl, nintendo music, and electroclash. Perfect for goth kids to get crunk to, check out Crystal Castles when they hit Stubbs August 11 headlining the HARD tour.
Above photo courtesy of: N.E.E.T. Records, RCA Records, DFA Records, True Panther Records and Crystal Castles.
Top 5 hot summer movies
Jason Haydon & Devon Tincknell
wait, it’s based on a video game. For fans of CGI, mindless action, and a shirtless Jake Gyllenhall, this should be good summer popcorn fun. Besides, it’s not like it can be any worse than Super Mario Bros, Street Fighter: The Movie, Mortal Kombat, Double Dragon, House of the Dead, Doom, Max Payne...
Survival of the Dead
Inception
Dir. George Romero May 28 Romero is back again. This time around, the master of zombies is bringing us to an island where survivors of the apocalypse search for a cure for family and friends who have become zombies. Romero single-handedly created the zombie genre with his original Night/Dawn/Day of the Dead trilogy, but in recent years his return to zombie cinema has been mixed at best. Luckily, “Survival of the Dead” looks to match an interesting premise to the standard “shoot-em-in-the-brains” action.
Dir. Christopher Nolan July 16 Taking a breather from his bread and butter Batman franchise, Christopher Nolan’s Inception looks to be a mindbending and visually stunning sci-fi flick. Science fiction on the big screen has had plenty of misses, but Inception’s promising plot about agents inflitrating dreams, combined with an impressive cast lead by Leonardo DiCaprio, makes this seem like it might be more Bladerunner than Johnny Mnemonic.
The Last Airbender
SALT
Staff Writer & Life & Arts Editor
Dir. M. Night Shymalan June 2 M. Night Shyamalan directs the live action adaptation of this children’s animated series. Seeing M. Night do a kid’s movie should be interesting if nothing else, and hopefully, he won’t try to treat us to another of his all too predictable plot twists. Maybe the fact that this is the first film of a planned trilogy will keep the director in check. With both 2D and 3D versions of this story of martial arts mysticism epic coming out simultaneously, kid friendly action is all but guaranteed.
Dir. Phillip Noyce July 23 Angelina Jolie is back in another action flick. This time she plays a CIA agent who gets fingered as a Russian sleeper spy. She goes on the run to prove her innocence. Although Jolie isn’t the best actress out there, she is very good at turning out mindless violence and mayhem, and making stuff go boom. SALT looks to be a late summer action flick to go see if you like her, if you like the genre, or if you just want some mindless fun. Hopefully this one will match Wanted’s fun and energy and avoid the pitfall of taking itself too seriously.
The Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time
Dir. Mike Newell May 28 In a summer of remakes and sequels, it’s nice to finally see a film hit theaters with an original idea. Oh
Below photo courtesy of: Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Artfire Films and Colombia Pictures.
page design by Hanlly Sam • Web Editor
page 10 | Life & Arts
www.theAccent.org
May 5, 2010
Psych Fest gets its freak on Devon Tincknell Life & Arts Editor
Music fans and revelers of all ages, from infants to elderly, gathered at the Mohawk from April 23-26 for the third annual Austin Psych Fest. Though the definition of “psych” music is as loose as the musicians flowing, paisley shirts, the general theme was unusual and experimental, with an added emphasis on reverb. Bands came from across the country, or as far away as Denmark in the Raveonettes case, to perform. Joining the Raveonettes as headliners were the Warlocks, Silver Apples, and festival founders the Black Angels. In addition to the bigger names, many Austin acts and other less known artists filled out the three day weekend with an eclectic mix of performances. For a festival whose genre came out of the drug mired sixties, Psych Fest surprisingly ran like clock work. Splitting the bands between the Mohawk’s indoor and outdoor stages allowed fans to catch the majority of almost every set, never having to those tough calls the plauge festivals where overlap is unavoidable. Sunday was sparser than the preceding days, but considering the action packed Saturday line up, as well as the late night after party, it’s probably safe to assume some attendees were just too tired to tough out the final day. Those that stuck around however, were rewarded with free crawfish. In its three year exist Psych Fest has grown exponetially. Expect next year to be even bigger, better, and more psychedelic.
DRONE JAMS— Headling act the Warlocks rocked the Mohawk on the festival’s closing night.
SWAN SONG — One man band GULL surprised the crowd by
playing on top of the merch table. GULL drums with one hand and his feet while playing guitar with the other.
THE TUNNELS— The sixties rock attire of the Tunnels re-
ceived an updated sound thanks to the band’s reverb soaked sound. all photos courtesy of Devaki Knowles
NIGHT BEATS — The guitarist for Seattle’s Night Beats gets down and fiddles with his effects pedals. Night Beats were just one of many, many artists at Psych Fest who made liberal use of guitar effects.
May 5, 2010
www.theAccent.org
Life & Arts | page 11
Hip hop underground in Austin Local rap scene gathers at cypher Trevor Goodchild Staff Writer
Austin’s live music scene is dominated by rock groups and crooning cowboys, but bubbling beneath the surface is a small, but fertile, hip hop scene ready to burst. Justin Henry, who raps under the pseudonym Doc Deuce, grew up in San Antonio and moved to Austin to go to a producer school called Media Tech. Once here, his cousin Yoggie took him under his wing and introduced him to the local scene. “He was able to link me up to those that had been part of the Austin urban music scene for decades, like Carlos Sosa or Overlord. MC Overlord at that time was with Boombox which is a full band. That’s why I get up on stage with a full band, I was influenced by him,” Henry said. Unlike the bustling Sixth Street and Red River scenes, there aren’t many places in Austin that those who perform hip hop can call home. However, those that are in the scene are extremely motivated and have managed to form a community. “Hip hop is my daily life, not just a part of it, everything I do is motivated by my hip hop goals,” said Henry. Every Tuesday at around 9:30p.m., Henry and other Austin rappers gather at the Texas State Capitol steps for a cypher started by Greg Levin. A cypher is an informal gathering where rappers come together to freestyle, sometimes acapella or in Austin’s case,
over a beat provided by Dan Bailey, aka Zy Yung. “It’s great for folks to flex their creativity and sharpen the blade,” Henry said. “The good thing about the cypher is that it’s a place for people to network. Chicago and New York City have places that are home to hip hop, and the cypher is becoming that,” Bailey added. Terrany Johnson, whose handle is Tee Double, has performed hip hop in Austin for the past twenty plus years and also attends the cypher. “I think the cypher is awesome. I love it when an artist can come and be creative. It’s where you can come and be yourself and do your thing,” Johnson said. Tee Double won the Austin Music Awards Best Performing Band for Hip Hop this year. He sees the cypher as being an important arena for rappers to build their skills. “I’m cool with Aceyalone who is part of Project Blowed. He’s doing a workshop where he’ll teach you to count bars and hear all the elements of music besides the kick and the snare. I think the cypher is kind of like that,” Johnson said. Although most go to the cypher to get better at freestyling, hip hop isn’t limited to rapping. The traditional four elements of hip hop include breakdancing, DJing, and graffiti, as well as the rapping that has become synonymous with hip hop in mainstream culture. “I’m actually starting what I hope to be a collaboration of the elements of hip hop called Run This Town,” Henry said. Collaborating seems to be at the heart of how the hip hop scene in Austin will either grow or diminish. “When you look at most of the mainstream hip hop artists they have a whole crew behind them like Ludicrus had Disturbing the Peace, Outcast had the Dungeon Family. It’s everybody doing their part to
support each other at their shows,” Henry said. Valin Zamarron, who raps as Zeale and used to be part of Boombox, shared how he thought hip hop in Austin could get bigger. “I think what stops Austin hip hop from getting larger is the lack of infrastructure. It would grow if Warner Records, or Rock Nation or any label went to establish themselves here,” Zamarron said. Offering another perspective, Bailey speaks of where the Austin hip hop scene might be in the next five years. “It depends on the people that make it up, like Mos Def says if you want to know where hip hop is going, ask yourself where you’re going.” Glitterbillies, a hip hop group Trevor Goodchild • Staff Photographer made up of Gadi Gaster and FRESH BEATS —Justin Henry, on stage as Doc Deuce, raps on Tuesday April 27th at the Austin cypher near the Dylan Cameron state capitol steps. Every Tuesday the cypher is a place for performers to improvise lyrics to a beat. performed a benefit for Haiti this year at East potential but there’s always others’ shows instead of some called the live music capitol of View Campus. Gaster, who been less of a scene than I people who will go to your the world. raps as Spider Brown, had his would like,” Gaster said. show but pass out all their fliers “My advice to up and own thoughts on hip hop in Johnson also had some ideas there or leave after they percoming emcees in Austin is this town. on what might be done to help form instead of staying for the don’t be average, study market“With all due respect the genre of hip hop gain more whole show,” Johnson said. ing and link up with the rest anyone that has done anything of a market in Austin. Henry had some final of us.” from here hasn’t been that “We need to sincerely supthoughts on developing the huge. I think there’s a lot of port each other and go to each future of hip hop in the city