Issue 1 Volume 52

thecurrent the student newspaper of green river college

October 17, 2018

www.thegrcurrent.com

issue 1 volume52

Walk Through the Years of Green River’s Campus Culture

Page 7

Christina Praggastis | The Current

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Kaedyn Kashmir-Whitaker | Campus Editor kwhitaker3@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

Upcoming Fall Transfer Fair Promotes Four Year Degree

Career and College Advisors Encourage Students to Start Planning Ahead

Sgt. Jeff Walston | 913ag.mil

College students gather at a career fair sponsored by the 913 Arlift Group.

By: Danielle Kim Staff Writer With college application season coming into full bloom, the upcoming Fall Transfer Fair is soon approaching.

Samuel Bae is originally from South Korea and came to Green River College to pursue business.

After spending two years at a university in Russia, he arrived with a vision to become a diplomat.

Before college, he went to a high-ranking foreign language school back in Seoul, but he lost his drive due to the overwhelming competition of hardworking, intelligent students, and had trouble figuring out what schools

he wanted to go to.

Does this sound familiar? Most students face a similar experience at some point in their lives. The Fall Transfer Fair coming this Nov. 17 in the Student Union Building is designed to help students to get all the information they need.

At the transfer fair, students can speak with college representatives about what programs they offer to get the gist of which school is right for them. All the representatives are there to meet you, the student.

Here at Green River College, the students are a priority.

The Fall Transfer Fair was first established through collaboration between Washington Council for

High School-College Relations with the vision of making the tools for applying to four-year schools easily accessible for the students of Green River College.

According to Srey Crea, coordinator and Career & Advising Educational Planner, “Pick a place where you know you’ll get something out of it.” It is hard to determine whether something is right until experienced. By going to the Fall transfer fair, students can identify which school is a good fit for them by speaking to representatives in person.

Besides the transfer fair, students can meet with the advisors at Green River to ensure that they are on the right track to success. Students should not be afraid to ask for assistance—advisors are here to help, and they are always working to ensure the best for their students future plans.

The first thing done when determining how to transfer to a four-year-college most effectively is to start planning ahead.

“Identify your purpose here at Green River before you chose the school” Crea said. “If you haven’t figured that out, going to these events or talking with your advisors in order to get more of a direction towards your own purpose.”

There is a stigma with private schools that they are expensive, but in reality, plenty of private

schools offer scholarships to help with those costs. Those interested are not going to know what they can offer without contacting those representatives, and an easy way to do it is by meeting them at the upcoming Fall Transfer Fair.

However, Crea emphasized that the value of education should always outweigh financial costs, as he said: “In terms of education, students need to think they’re investing in themselves. If you see the value in the institution, even though it has a higher tuition sticker price, if it’s going to help you, if it’s going to benefit you to get you where you want to be—it’s going to be worth it.”

When Crea was planning on studying abroad, he utilized a variety of career advising services that aided him in finding a purposeful academic path along with his involvement with student senate: “I learned that I enjoyed representing people like me, so I looked for schools that had similar values and could make me grow further as a leader.”

The words of wisdom that Crea wanted to leave student readers with is the following: “If you have a dream school, if you’re able to make a decent storyline between your extracurricular activities, classes, GPA, and motivation, that is what makes a student most attractive to admission officers.”

Green River Evacuation Plan Prepares for a Natural Disaster By: Justice Etafo Staff Writer When Hurricane Florence bulldozed through the Carolinas, it resulted in extensive property damage.

Florence caused misplacement of thousands of families and halted the progression of educational development. Students’ curiosity piqued with Hurricane Florence’s arrival, which initiated the question: how would Green River College react to an immediate disaster?

Upon asking Rob Fitzgerald, the Campus Safety Contractor, if there was a campus-wide evacuation procedure; Fitzgerald referenced the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

The EOP is a 43-page protocol that contains a plethora of procedures specifically designed to tackle critical events, ranging from minor incidents to disasters.

At Green River College, evacuations fall into two categories: small-scale evacuation and largescale evacuation. According to the EOP, the small-scale evacuation refers to the “evacuation of a single grouping of buildings or a defined area,” while the large-scale evacu-

ation “automatically activates the Incident Command System.”

This arrangement—designed by the National Incident Management System—is meant to integrate campus resources, which emphasizes Green River’s devotion to safety.

According to Fitzgerald, in the event of a natural disaster, the campus—for the most part—would be fine. This can be attributed to the campus being situated on a hill and how “the buildings are up to modern building codes,” especially newer tructures, such as the Student Union building.

Recent buildings were created with robust materials, like concrete and steel, which allows them to be structurally sound.

But what would a campus disaster mean for students? Fitzgerald remarks that Deb Casey, the vice president of student affairs, is “resilient in keeping the campus running.” In fact, while discussing potential disasters, Fitzgerald emphasizes how much action is taken to keep classes going.

Fitzgerald said that classes would be relocated, given any property damages, and that “keeping the classes running is a priority.”

thecurrent Green River College 12401 SE 320th St., Mailstop: SU Auburn, WA 98092-3699 NEWSROOM DIRECT LINE 253-288-3457 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Margo Mead mmead6@mail.greenriver.edu 253-833-9111 ext. 2375 MANAGING EDITOR Mathew Belamaric mbelamaric@mail.greenriver.edu 253-833-9111 ext. 2376 CAMPUS EDITOR Kaedyn Kashmir-Whitaker kwhitaker3@mail.greenriver.edu A&E EDITOR William Baliton wbaliton@mail.greenriver.edu OPINION EDITOR Margo Mead mmead6@mail.greenriver.edu SPORTS EDITOR Mathew Belamaric mbelamaric@mail.greenriver.edu LAYOUT EDITOR Dee Senaga ksenaga@mail.greenriver.edu GRAPHIC DESIGNER Elsa Finkbeiner efinkbeiner@mail.greenriver.edu ADVERTISING MANAGER Taylor Robertson ads@thegrcurrent.com PHOTOGRAPHER Christina Praggastis cpraggastis@mail.greenriver.edu STAFF WRITERS: Hailey Bragg, Raelyn Clark, Justice Etafo, Dakota Farnsworth, Kent Gozum, Adele Guinn, Daichi Hodoshima, Aruan Kazkeyev, Danielle Kim, Gabriel Kindell, Rachel Knittle, Chatchai Mongkol, Mario Pimentel, Christina Praggastis, Sophia Smith, Jayden Valencia, Kaelyn Walls

Cotton Puryear | vanguard.mil

Virginia National Guard Soldiers deliver supplies to North Carolina shelters.

In the future, if there was a considerable delay for class scheduling, it could possibly affect the number of credits for courses received. This could prove calamitous for students doing Running Start, as they face a constrained graduation schedule.

Ultimately, it is a class by class basis and is essentially up to the professors, but there are policies in place to determine the number of absences allowed per quarter.

These scenarios, of course, are hypothetical, so such actions would

only have to be addressed in the event of an emergency. Despite that, it is still quite comforting to know that Green River has the mentality to plan and consistently address incidents that could affect students or the campus.

Given a disaster—or any sort of quandary—it would be wise to make sure that students are still on track. At the very least, when facing an unfortunate situation, Green River students should be sure to consult their advisors.

Corrections

If you find a factual error or simply a name spelled If you find a factual error incorrectly, orplease simply contact a name us spelled at: incorrectly, - editor@thegrcurrent.com please contact us at: - 253-288-3457 - editor@thegrcurrent.com - or find us OEB 17 - 253-833-9111 ext. 2375 - or find us in SA218

Kaedyn Kashmir-Whitaker | Campus Editor kwhitaker3@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

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Campus Crime Blotter Campus Safety responded to the following incidents from October 1 to October 16, among others. All information is from Campus Safety incident reports.

10/01 9:30 a.m.

P-2 Drug Law Violation

A student was suspected of using marijuana on campus in the parking lot by a security officer. The student was referred to Judicial Affairs after the encounter.

10/02 10:55 a.m.

P-17 Disorderly Conduct

An unknown male threatened a Campus Safety Officer after refusing to comply with the smoking-on-campus policy. The case is administratively closed but the male in question is undetermined.

10/04 12:30 p.m.

Salish Hall Burglary/Theft

Two faculty members reported to Campus Safety that their wallets were stolen from their work areas in Salish Hall. The thief is still unknown.

10/04 7:50 p.m.

P-5 Auto Burglary

A student reported their vehicle was broken into while parked in Parking Lot 5. The auto burglary took place while the student was on campus from 7:30 a.m. to 7:40 p.m.

10/06 12:30 p.m.

Off-campus Robbery

A student reported her cellphone was stolen by an unknown male off campus while she was walking to her classes. The incident occured several blocks off of campus.

10/09 10:00 p.m.

Student Union Sexual Offense

Campus Safety received a report of a female student who was sexually harassed in the Student Union Building late at night. It was reported two hours after the incident and was referred to Judicial Affairs.

10/10 12:59 p.m.

P. E. Building Theft

A student reported that her backpack was stolen from her locker in the Physical Education Building while she was in her P. E. class. The thief still remains unknown but was referred to the Auburn Police.

10/11 9:00 a.m.

P-16 Drug Law Violation

A student was witnessed smoking marijuana on campus in Parking Lot 16. Campus Safety referred the incident to Judicial Affairs.

10/11 9:00 a.m.

P-14 Hit and Run

An uninvolved student reported seeing a vehicle collide with another parked vehicle on campus and promptly drove away. The owner of the running vehicle resolved the situation.

10/12 11:35 a.m.

Trades and Technologies Disorderly Conduct

A student was reported by a teacher for behaving aggressively with another classmate in the Trades and Technologies Building.

10/12 10:50 p.m.

Campus Corner Apartments Disorderly Conduct

A non-student was reported for displaying intoxicated behavior on campus by another student. The Auburn Police Department arrived on the scene to handle the disorderly student.

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Clubs and Organizations at Green River By: Dakota Farnsworth Staff Writer The clubs and organizations at Green River College are an important part in both education and student life. They give students a chance to be a part of the college community and feel like they belong at Green River.

There are many different clubs and organizations at Green River, such as the LatinX Student Union, Queer and Allies, Phi Theta Kappa, Japan Club, Peace Club, and Asiapedia and Game Development Club. A list of clubs and organizations can be found on the blackboard in the front of the Student Life office: “There will be a full list by the time of the club fair.” said Jennifer Gile, the current Clubs and Organizations Chair.

If none of the clubs are of interest, Green River students have the opportunity to create their own.

There are club start-up packets at the front desk of the Student Union building as well as in the Student Life office, also found in the Student Union building.

Clubs can meet anywhere around campus, but the most common place to meet up is at Club Corner, which is on the second floor of the Student Union building. Club Corner is specifically dedicated for clubs and organizations.

Clubs will typically meet up for an hour, but some get together for a shorter or longer period of time, depending on restrictions and flexibility of the club members.

Student Life | greenriver.edu

Dance Club shows off their moves at a lively performance.

Student Life | greenriver.edu

European Club displays their smiling faces in welcome of new club members.

The recurrent meeting time for clubs falls between noon and 3 p.m.

However, some clubs meet as early as 6a.m. and as late as 5p.m.

The best way to find out about club times would be to ask Gile, who can be found in the Student Life office or through Email.

If people are not sure what kind of club they want to join, they want to learn what a specific club will spend meetings doing, or they

just want to know about students’ experiences within the clubs, then attending the Club Fair is a good idea. The fair gives students a chance to discover new clubs.

The fair will be held at 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 18 in the Grand Hall of the Lindbloom Student Union building. Green River College students can get in for free as long as they have their student ID card to show upon entry.

Running Start Pays for Blossoming Students

High Schoolers May Earn up to 40 College Credits By: Raelyn Clark Staff Writer Green River College offers a variety of programs, the most popular being Running Start.

One of the very many perks of participating in this program is that it encourages students to earn 20-plus college credits before they graduate high school.

This program gives high school students the opportunity to pursue their associate’s degree before graduation. Running Start additionally pays for the tuition of high school students, making college more feasible for every student in need.

Morgan Collings, an Auburn High School junior participating in her first year of Running Start at Green River, expressed her opinion on the change in learning environments: “I enjoy college so far. It will take some getting used to, but I like how much more professional and mature of an environment this is compared to high school.”

Collings is also enrolled in an online English course, which she

described as “convenient” due to the constant accessibility of English resources and the ability to finish coursework on her own time.

“We’re treated more like adults compared to high school, and there are a lot fewer disruptions as well”

- Jared Cloud

Collings also enjoys the wide variety of options for classes available in a college setting. She says it is exciting to take classes, like sociology, that cover more than basic topics such as English and math.

However, online classes are not for everyone. Jared Cloud, a senior at Auburn High School, says he is “better at a classroom environment when it comes to learning.”

Cloud is beginning his second year of Running Start and believes

that the college learning environment is more suitable for him than the traditional high school classroom. He has tried different styles of offered courses, such as the choices between in-person, hybrid, and online classes.

“Hybrid classes are really cool,” he said when asked how he feels about the new learning style. Cloud also appreciates the maturity in a college setting, “We’re treated more like adults compared to high school, there are a lot fewer disruptions and distractions as well.”

Running Start students, despite participating in the same program, sometimes have different goals for the outcome of college.

For example, some students, like Collings, who plans on earning a Ph.D., join to earn their associate’s degree to complete their schooling earlier. Additionally, like Cloud, students participate to save money on tuition fees in the long run.

Other students may join to become serious about school and adjust to a professional environment.

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Kaedyn Kashmir-Whitaker | Campus Editor kwhitaker3@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

Blue Blocker Glasses Saving Students from Vision Damage By: Rachel Knittle Staff Writer

Students should consider investing in Blue Blocker glasses in order to better their eyesight and protect from longterm eye damage.

Blue Blocker glasses block blue light and provide maximum UV coverage to protect eyesight from strain. The glasses’ appearance generally consists of an orange or red tint to block harmful blue light wavelengths from the eye.

Elsa Finkbiener | The Current These non-prescription-required glasses range in price and can be found starting A pair of Blue Blocker glasses looking at a screen. fewer than $10. They can be shopped for online from websites that specialize in Blue Blocker glasses or can be purchased at a lower cost from sites such as Amazon or eBay. Blue Blocker glasses are not currently available for purchase at Green River College.

A pair of Blue Blocker glasses is a wise purchase due to its ability to shield one’s eyes from harmful effects caused by blue light.

Too much blue light exposure can cause tired eyes, headaches, and blurred vision. Longterm exposure to this type of light risks a increased of loss of vision.

Military Health System | health.mil Many people today find themselves An arrangement of vermillion-tinted glasses. in front of screens, big or small,

to finish work, school, or to simply pass the With such a busy day, many students do time. Unfortunately, blue light negatively not have time to do homework until affects the sleep-inducing hormone known as the evening. Jensen says that when she melatonin. This hormone helps bodies know is finishing online assignments, she when it is time to sleep and when to wake consistently finds that it takes her a long time up. Blue light significantly lowers melatonin to fall asleep at night. levels, causing insomnia.

Aside from school, blue light can At Green River College, much of learning is be found in day-to-day life. The light done through looking at a computer screen. can be found shining through LED Students use a computer, and fluorescent lighting, which has blue light, to as well as computer, cell check Canvas grades, phone, television, and assignments, emails, and “I am on my computer for the majority of other further their studies with electronic screens. a very long time to finish online classes.

With digital A student on the Green technology constantly all of my homework” River campus, Haley - Haley Jensen surrounding people’s lives, Jensen, says that with they are being exposed her online class, comes a to more sources of blue large amount of reading, “I light over longer periods am on my computer for a of time, leaving several very long time to finish all of my homework,” people at risk of damaging their eyesight.

Jensen says. The fact that Jensen spends so Unfortunately, due to a constant blue-light much time on homework means an extended exposure, the average amount of sleep a amount of blue light exposure. This can be teenager gets per night is approximately six detrimental for students’ health long-term. and a half hours, instead of the reccomended Jensen goes on to say that with so much nine hours of sleep. time on the computer, her eyes “get tired” and With Blue Blocker glasses, students can her “head will hurt” after being in front of the continue to use digital technology and avoid screen for too long. diminishing their health.

Green River Global Talk Series: a Push for an Inclusive Campus Community By: Princess Nandyu Kollie Staff Writer Green River College has embarked on a “Global Talk Series” program aimed at creating an inclusive, diverse campus community through national dialogue.

In an interview with the Global Talk Series organizer, long time Spanish and Humanities Professor Erin Fernández-Mommer said that the series is intended to connect people from different places with different cultures, “Through this Global Talk Series, both local and international students will physically connect with different cultures and languages,” Mommer said.

She noted that the incentive of the project was put forward by the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Languages (UISFL) Grant that was awarded to Green River College two years ago in an effort to strengthen International Studies and Foreign Languages here at the college.

Furthermore, the Global Talk Series flyer posted across campus named the topics to be covered through the Global Talk Series as: (1) Intersectionality in Francophone World (2) Gender Equality and the Yin Yang Symbol: Problems with Traditional Feminist Interpretations and a Potential Solution (3) Israel/Palestine: Current Predicaments and Future Prospects (4) Modern Manifestations of Historical Cultural Influences in Spain (5) Holy Catalonia According to the flyers, speakers of the Global Talk includes, Green River Philosophy faculty Rebeka Feriera, Ceramics faculty Paul Metivier, Political Science faculty Yoav Duman, English faculty Dr. Michael Moreno and Japanese faculty Josh Kessler among other faculty members.

Mommer also described, the Global Talk Series as an enactment of the Global Studies Concentration degree, something she said

is a pathway that students can take through their AA degree to focus on intercultural competency, career-oriented skills, Foreign Language Proficiency and Professional Skills and Service Leadership.

The Spanish and Humanities professor further said, the Global Talk is being supported by the College Council with funding from the Innovation Fund budget.

The Innovation Fund is a budget set aside by the College Council for the sole propose of supporting any project or effort that is directly related to increasing enrollment, improving completion and/or diversity and equity issues on campus.

According to Professor Mommer, over 90 people comprising of students and faculty, attended the first series on October 2, 2018 which was focused on intersectionalities in the Francophone world.

Meanwhile, the second Global Talk series which is expected to take place on November 6, 2018 will be covering the topic of Gender Equality and the Yin Yang Symbol: Problems with Traditional Feminist Interpretations and a Potential Solution and will be presented and explored by Green River philosophy faculty professor Rebeka Feriera.

Fragment of the Global Talk Series poster.

Kaedyn Kashmir-Whitaker | Campus Editor kwhitaker3@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

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Ocean Acidification Forcing Endless Marine Species to Exinction By: Kaelyn Walls Staff Writer While the term “global warming” is familiar to the vast majority of Americans today, ocean acidification is a lesser-known, but equally important, environmental blight.

Ocean acidification is caused by carbon dioxide emissions that seep into the ocean water, changing the overall chemistry of the sea water on a fundamental level. Seawater is naturally a basic substance (it has a pH greater than 7). However, the permeation of human carbon dioxide emissions—which have continued to grow, reaching a record high this year—has caused seawater to shift toward a neutral pH value.

The decreasing pH is causing a negative impact on marine life, especially those that are calcium-dependent. This not only jeopardizes industries throughout the world—it pushes countless species to the brink of endangerment, both through danger to the animals themselves. Through the potential destruction of habitats, such as coral reefs, that hosts millions of species.

Taking all of this into consideration, a pressing question comes to mind: what can be done to stop it?

College students are notoriously low on cash. Between tuition, the astronomically high costs of textbooks, and the challenging economic climate, they can hardly be expected to have extra money lying around to donate to environmental causes. So, rather than spend money, students can utilize some of the following cheap and easy ways to reduce ocean acidification:

Reduce meat intake, especially red meat.

That is not to say that people have to go fully vegetarian; simply reducing meat consumption to a few days a week massively reduces the greenhouse gases produced. Agribusiness creates more emissions on an annual basis than even fossil fuels. The average American eats roughly 200 pounds of meat in a year, a figure which continues to grow. Even a small decrease in consumption has the power to create huge change. With meat being one of the more expensive groceries available, cutting down can also help save money.

Line-dry clothes. Though it may sound old-fashioned, one cycle of the dryer uses five times more energy than one cycle of the washer, which is the equivalent of powering 225 light bulbs for an hour.

Eating local, organic foods. The transportation of food, particularly international produce, causes carbon emissions from various modes of transport, from gas-guzzling trucks to massive freight liners. Small local, organic farms also tend to use fewer pesticides.

Invest in a garden. It does not have to be a large one, growing a few small plants helps scrub carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Drive less. Using public transportation, biking, or walking quickly and effectively cuts down on carbon emissions produced by vehicles or other pollutants.

Ocean acidification is a pressing issue that must be addressed, but that does not mean it has to be expensive. Simple tactics such as these can be easily employed to reduce carbon footprints. If there’s enough help, the effects of ocean acidification might be fixed and the environment will thank you for it.

NOAA PIFSC | ifsc.noaa.gov

“Coral reef bleaching” occurs when coral polyps expel their algae that live inside of their tissues.

Wikipedia Commons | wikipedia.org

Beached whales, who have died from dehydration, collapsing under their own weight.

Auburn Educational Series Hosts Student-Led Discussions on Diversity By: Lauren Turner Staff Writer

AUBURN, Wash. - Green River College will be hosting a Diversity Educational Series.

The series which was created three years ago, will host forums, workshops, films, student-led discussions, and social justice and other activities in the lens of diversity.

Marwa Almusawi, director of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, said, “The Diversity Educational Series will create awareness, help enter conversations regarding diversity and help grow knowledge

on the subject of diversity.”

There are two entities that are involved with the Diversity Educational Series here on campus: the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, known as ODEI, which is located on campus and the Green River Diversity and Equity Council, known as GDEC, which is located off the Green River campus.

According to the Charter of the Green River Diversity & Equity Council, “GDEC envisions a college that strives for excellence in providing equitable access and opportunities for success to all students, staff and faculty.”

Its mission is to provide expertise, education,

collaboration, innovation and community building. Vik Bahl, co-chair GDEC and part of the English faculty, said “We consider any urgent issues that may need to be addressed as well as any other priorities around institutional diversity, equity and inclusion and we develop our calendar accordingly.”

The events are to be chosen by workshop communities, faculty staff and Green River students outside of GDEC. Every event will have a number of speakers from both on and off campus. These events will be hosted by community organizations from among various backgrounds and

populations. There will be student-led events with representatives from GDEC and several sub communities. “Some faculty members are very supportive of the Diversity Educational Series; they will pass out flyers and give extra credit to students who attend!”

Said Almusawi. For information on extra credit opportunities, ask professors.

Topics for the first quarter will include indigenous movements, decolonizing Thanksgiving and safe zones. There will be a Diversity Educational Series every quarter moving forward all with new and different topics along with a number of speakers.

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October 17, 2018

William Baliton | A&E Editor ae@thecurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

October’s Artist Spotlight: Gabe Fletcher Presents Photography

Gabe Fletcher | Artist

The featured artist, Gabe Fletcher.

By: Chistina Praggastis Photographer Gabe Fletcher is a photographer who graduated from Green River College this past June.

Fletcher does photography to take a break from the rest of theworld and says that “doing photography is like looking at the world a different way; you look through a lens and see things in a perspective you have never seen before.”

Fletcher volunteers in the dark room at Green River and continues to take photos when he is not working. He is currently using black and white film in his 35mm Vivitar camera as well as his point and shoot camera. He prefers black and white, but will occasionally use color, which is what his Sun 600 Polaroid camera uses.

Fletcher enjoys film versus digital because he has to go through the process of developing each photograph before he can see results. He says that the photo can either turn out great, or really bad, but then he learns from those mistakes and grows as a photographer. Fletcher states that “In digital [photography], you can take a picture, decide you don’t like it and delete it right

away. The process of learning from your mistakes takes much longer in film than in digital.” Yet, Fletcher says he loves that process of growth and attainment of new knowledge.

Fletcher appreciates photographs more when taking them in black and white as opposed to color. He says that when taking a photo in color, viewers see the different shades of red and orange of a leaf in the fall, and maybe some green in the stem. In black and white, however, they see the same color—just in different shades—and viewers come to appreciate and understand the contrast between light and dark. He says that color photography is straightforward and simple to understand, while in black and white, viewers need to interpret the shadows and lighter hues since they are not as obvious.

Another thing Fletcher likes about photography is the ability to fiddle with double exposure. Double exposure is a photography trick that happens when photographers take one photo on top of another photo while using the same frame the in film. When it has developed, the photo has a mash-up of the two photographs taken.

“I’ve essentially been doing photography on and off throughout my life, and I just continue to develop my style. At first I was more in to landscape photography, but lately I’ve been doing portrait and candid photography,” says Fletcher.

When Fletcher was little, he found an old fashioned Polaroid camera in his grandparents basement, and his love for film sparked.

He appreciates the anticipation that comes with waiting and watching a photograph develop.

Fletcher’s knowledge in photography started off small. He began working with an old Polaroid One-Step camera when he was

four. When Gabe turned seven, his parents got him a point-and-shoot T-808 camera. He received a digital Kodak EasyShare M530 camera when he was 13 for tourism when he went to Washington D.C. on a school field trip. He traveled to Australia when he was 16, and after he got back, he was asked to show some samples of his photography at his grandparents’ church. It was not until the Christmas of 2017 did Fletcher get his prized 35mm Vivitar v3200 SLR camera.

He has lived in Auburn, Washington his entire life. He lives with his parents near Lake Taps, and has three older siblings: a half brother and two sisters. His mom is a stayat-home-mom and his dad works for Boeing as a mechanical engineer. Before going into first grade, Fletcher’s mom home-schooled him so he was prepared for the transition into in-class learning.

Fletcher graduated from Auburn Riverside High School in 2015 and started attending Green River College in the winter of 2016. He took his first film photography class in the fall of 2017, his fourth quarter at Green River, and his second class during spring quarter of this year. For his final project in his second film class he chose to focus on identity. He depicted images of himself with various emotional feelings in each image.

He is taking a year off of school and is working as a barista for Starbucks, but plans on going to Western Oregon University in the fall of 2019. His planned major is Sign Language Interpretation and would like to minor or double major in photography.

Fletcher says “you can aspire to do any kind [of photography]... anyone can take pictures. The way you see the world on a deeper level affects your photos.”

Gabe Fletcher | Artist

A representation of Gabe Fletcher’s Photography style.

Gabe Fletcher | Artist

A black and white photo of a skull with ear mufflers placed over a collection of Edgar Allen Poe’s writing.

Green River’s 2018 Espial Book Wins A Number of Awards By: Stephenie Gunn Staff Writer Green River’s Espial Visual and Literary Art Journal recently received the 2018 Print Rocks Award for best of division and first place in student works.

Print Rocks is an organization that showcases print from companies in Washington, Hawaii, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Alaska. Awards are given for a variety of different formats, from business cards to magazines. Every year, the winning pieces are entered in at no extra cost into the Printing Industries of America Premier

Print Awards.

Green River competed against 35 other companies for these awards.

The 2018 edition of the journal was released on June 7, 2018. The Espial official Facebook page announced the official winning of the awards on October 4, 2018.

The Espial Visual and Literary Art Journal have been showcasing Green River student visual and literary artworks starting in the 1960’s as the Green River Review. In 2002 the English division partnered with the Fine Arts Division to form Espial. Ever since then, the journal has won various awards, including the first place award in the 2016 American Scholastic Press Associa-

From Sarah Dillon Gilmartin

Espial artists smiling after learning about their award winning work. theme of the human journey of tion magazine competition. self-acceptance and discovery. The The journal features multiple journal explores the steps towards artistic mediums such as photograself contentment through two secphy, paintings, poetry, and several tions labeled Dissonance and anmore. The 2018 edition follows the

other one named Transformation.

Despite having several awards of recognition, however, there are still several Green River students who are not even aware of the existence of the Espial Visual and Literary Art Journal or its awards.

Upon learning about the journal and its significance here on campus, Green River student Hannah Lee said, “I haven’t heard of it until now, but I am interested in learning more”. Similarly, another student, Reanna King said, “I have never heard of Espial before, but I think it is a great opportunity for the aspiring writers of Green River to showcase their talents.” The Journal will have several works to come.

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October 17, 2018

Evolution of Green River Campus Culture: Then and Now By: Hailey Bragg Staff Writer

From legwarmers to leggings, blue eye shadow to winged liner, and pagers to smartphones, society has seen many changes over the last few decades. Green River has witnessed numerous changes since opening its doors in 1963.

There are staff members who have been around to see the shifts in the cultural environment of Green River with their own eyes, including Shirlyn ZenoBassard, who has been a program coordinator for the workforce education program for almost 25 years, and Professor John Avery, who has a unique perspective gained from teaching the English for Speakers of Other Languages course for 26 years.

Zeno-Bassard said that students were quite different from when she first started at Green River.

“They listened to rap and heavy metal. They had bell bottom pants, bouffant hair, different colored hair. Today I see a lot of jeans, jeans have always been a constant. I still see hair coloring, but everything is more casual,” said Zeno-Bassard.

“Terms like ‘psych’ or ‘not’, as in not really, were in Vogue,” said Avery.

When asked about the changes that occurred as a result of

technological advances, Avery said that when the school got the new library in the late ‘90s, they had to manage students playing games like “Halo” on the computers, as that ate up all the bandwidth and took over the available computers.

“What I see is more of them being on their cell phones, I don’t see the interaction that I used to and would like to see again,” ZenoBassard stated.

“We have created a space of respect, where we allow individuals to be respected as individuals. To me, this is a very good thing”

- Zeno Bassard | GRC Faculty Member

“When people, and not just students, are walking around or waiting for something, they don’t interact directly, so casual conversations occur much less, which I think is regrettable,” Avery said. While Avery agrees that students are far too attached to their smartphones, he also believes that technology can be

a great help for communication and learning. He recalls the major technological changes that Green River encountered.

“Email itself was just becoming widespread and there was no texting. Imagine! Fax machines were still in use. There were no attachments. I clearly remember that our IT department had one employee and there were just a few desktops in the old library, which is now the Rutowski Learning Center.

We didn’t have Canvas or any online capability in the dark ages of 1993. The college implemented phone registration and was very proud that it had upgraded ahead of other colleges,” Avery said.

This was a turning point for the college, as students no longer had to wait in long lines to register.

Another major transformation for Green River was when we made the change to being a tobacco free campus. Zeno-Bassard mentioned that the no smoking policy caused a definite change in the culture of students walking and sitting around campus.

“Smoking around the college used to be acceptable, and now we don’t allow it,” Zeno-Bassard said.

Aside from these changes, Avery said that the student body is much more diverse and we are doing a better job of serving students from

a variety of backgrounds, beliefs, and orientations.

“There is much greater acceptance of the LGBTQ community whereas it was still on the fringes when I started at the college. In 1993 we were still 22 years away from marriage equality as decided by the Supreme Court in June of 2015. That was a watershed change coming from a vast cultural shift,” Avery said.

“We have created a space of

respect, where we allow individuals to be respected as individuals. To me, this is a very good thing,” ZenoBassard said.

Change is inevitable, and Green River is no exception. Lucky for us, positivity seems to be ever on the rise. Through the eyes of Avery and Zeno-Bassard, we have caught a glimpse into the past and gained a unique perspective on the cultural changes the college has encountered.

Christina Praggastis Mya Rivera | Photographer | The Current

Photo of the pond arch behind the Tech Center.

Green River Partners With the King County Library System

Wiki Commons | Wikipedia.org

A photo of the information desk in Holman Library

By: Margo Mead Editor-In-Chief Green River College has created a new partnership with the King County Library System (KCLS) allowing each Green River student to have an online KCLS library card.

This will give Green River students access to everything KCLS offers electronically.

In 2017, KCLS had a service area of 1.41 million people and 2,049-square-miles, operating in 36 cities, seven unincorporated areas and 18 school districts, according to kcls.org. That reach will now expand to Green River College.

According to Jennifer Dysart, the dean of library and media services at Green River, Green River’s resources “aren’t necessarily for your leisure pleasure.” The

library has a focused selection that supports classes offered at the school. Due to this, Holman Library has directed many students towards the electronic resources that the KCLS offers.

With most of the Green River population living within Peirce or King County, many students have already signed up to use a traditional library card.

“What we find as we’re helping students in the library is that they have a KCLS library card, but they don’t have it with them and they don’t know the number.” The college’s new agreement with KCLS will help to combat this problem as students can now easily access the information using their Green River College email address.

KCLS is one of the top circulating libraries in North America for

electronic books, while also offering the books in multiple languages. This agreement will give students the freedom to explore information outside of the courses and resources at Green River.

The agreement will also give students access to KCLS language-learning resource Mango Languages, in addition to the current resource, Rosetta Stone, which is offered at the college.

Each Green River student’s email will now serve as an account to access all the resources on the KCLS website kcls.org. The login for these accounts is GRC followed by the first part of the student’s email before the domain name for the username and the last four letters of that username for the password.

“This account only supplements a traditional library card,” said Business Analysis Manager for KCLS, Jennifer Wiseman. If a student wants to check out a physical item in person at one of the KCLS libraries, or use the library’s public computers, the library staff can help them to sign up for a traditional card if they would like to do so.

“The nice thing about this is that students don’t have to worry about a fine,” Dysart said. Electronic items are automatically checked back in when they’re due.

The conversation between Green River and King County Library Services was started by John Knowlton, a member of the KCLS library advisory board in Enumclaw and head of the journalism department at Green River.

The first meeting between Knowlton, Dysart, and KCLS was held in January 2018. Since then both have been working on the project preparing it to be ready by the first day of fall quarter.

KCLS first launched these school partnerships in 2015, piloting them at the Bellevue School District and eventually offering them to all

public school districts K-12 in the King County region.

Since then, KCLS has expanded the program to include the Lake Washington Institute of Technology, with Green River launching soon after. Bellevue College is also working with KCLS to launch this type of partnership arrangement.

KCLS states that its focus is to “create opportunity through meaningful connections.” That seems to be the case with this agreement as it will open more opportunity and resources for Green River students.

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A Chance in the Sewage By: Adele Guinn

By: Adele Guinn Staff Writer It was dark and cold, of course it was! What’d you expect it to be in these tunnels? My thoughts were messed up and constantly I’d be talking to myself in my head. You might as well have just said that I was nuts. Mostly because I am, nuts. Some say that if you talk to yourself like this than you most likely are. Either that or I’m wrong, in which case, I must be mad!

Anyway, like I said before it was dark. Cold, I am almost certain the stinking sewer beside me is the cause. What am I doing here?

It’d been days since I came down here and all my food mysteriously

“On and on I went. Any and every grate I saw was blocked.

No one came in either. I spent the entire day making myself a mental map of the place when entering a new part. My mask made my mouth and nose sweat.”

-A Chance in the Sewage vanished! I think I ate it all...or the darkness did.

Normally, as a sewage worker, I’d be able to leave, but the exits were all blocked. Nothing going in or out. Now as for my water bottle, well let’s just that too is running out.

It had just occurred to me that maybe part of the reason I haven’t been found or rescued is because my family hasn’t said anything.

Why though? My beloved wife, Isabell and the kids, are they safe?

It had also just occurred to me that maybe another reason is because something is going on up there that prevents my rescue, but what?

“Samuel!” A voice was heard all the way from just ahead. Excited, I jumped up.

“Yes, it’s me, I’m over here!” I shout back but no answer. I waited, there was no answer and no rescuers. I wait several minutes then I sink to the floor.

No one. No one was actually there. I must be hallucinating, dying even. One more day and both the food and clean water would be gone.

Tired and exhausted from all the walking around I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to drain me.

The next day, or at least I think it was. I get up and turn to see light coming through the holes of the sewage entrance. Slowly and painfully I walked toward it all while rubbing my sore, aching back. No one was there but I knew it was morning. The sun could be seen peering inside the grate.

The man in the sewers gazing out into the world from beneath the grate.

Still tired but not willing to sleep I began walking ahead to see if any other grates weren’t blocked.

On and on I went. Any and every grate I saw was blocked. No one came in either. I spent the entire day making myself a mental map of the place when entering a new part.

My mask made my mouth and nose sweat. My clothes were starting to stink of sewage.

As I walked I came across a door at the end of the sewage. It occurred to me that a door in a place like this was quite abnormal.

My hands hovered over the handle, hesitating to open it. Should I? What if I’m not supposed to? If I did, would I get in trouble? I then started to count down the reasons I think I should. 1# Its new so it might have something inside. 2# There might be a way out. 3# It could have things that might help me survive. 4# There could be a phone or something to contact the outside or rather upper level.

Convinced that my pros outweighed the cons I turned the handle and opened it. Inside it was filled with empty shelves and a... ladder? The ladder was standing upright. I looked up and saw another grate. Climbing the ladder, I reached up and pushed the grate out of the way and it moved. I was

“I woke to this strange feeling

and a sense of sadness at the realization that I may never see my family again. Then again, how am I alive, I thought I was dead!?”

-A Chance in the Sewage

free!

Excited I began climbing out but as I got out and my foot touched

the ground, I was hit. A large truck came barreling towards me, it was so fast, I didn’t feel a thing. The truck driver drove right over me and everything was blank.

I woke to this strange feeling and a sense of sadness at the realization that I may never see my family again. Then again, how am I alive, I thought I was dead!?

Then I heard a voice, it was calm and strong. “Samuel” I got up and waited. “Who are you an-?” I paused looking around the white

room. “where am I?” Just then a flash of light a man appeared sitting on a white chair.

The man looked to be an elderly with a long beard and a round belly that surprisingly reminded me of Santa. “Who are you?”

The man smiled” I suppose I owe you an explanation”. I nodded and he continued “I am the one who’s name has been spoken every Christmas”.

“Santa” I breathed in disbelief.

“Samuel”. He interrupted. I looked at him.

“Samuel” he repeated. I nodded to tell him.

“Good, now listen carefully this is very important” he began again urgently and I nodded.

“Samuel, tell me, is a sewage worker really what you wanted to do with your life?”

“What!?” I exclaimed.

“No!” He shouted interrupting me. My eyes widened.

He continued “while it’s great that you have a family but, what about your career, your job? I’ve been watching you Samuel”.

He’s been watching me?

“Samuel tell, me what have you ever dreamed of becoming?”

“Um” I paused to think about it. He waited patiently expecting an answer. I thought back to my childhood. As a child I had many aspirations of things but an engineer was my all-time dream job.

“Well, I’ve always wanted to be an engineer” I answered feeling good that I remembered.

He smiled genuinely at me. “well, my boy, have you ever heard of reincarnation?” He asked me.

I nodded and he continued “well, I’m going to give you a second chance at this dream of yours”.

“What do you mean by second chance?” I ask in disbelief. “you’ll see” he smiled knowingly and everything was black.

studentsubmissions Students may submit short stories, graphics, photos, drawings, poems, etc.

Not guaranteed to be published.

Must be sent to the editor@thegrcurrent.com We encourage students to submit whatever they wish and to use this as a creative space.

Deadlines: Oct. 12, Oct. 26, Nov. 9, Nov. 30

Margo Mead | Opinion Editor mmead6@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

opinion

thecurrent

9 October 17, 2018

Green River Takes Action to Help Students Feel Safe on Campus By: Mario Pimentel & Harrison Nguyen Staff Writer Students can feel safe at Green River thanks to all the work Campus Safety does.

At Green River, I think that all students should feel safe, and I would say that most students do feel safe here. I also personally feel that I am in no danger on campus.

Still, this does not mean that some may feel in danger at times.That is where Campus Safety comes in to help those in need.

The very first thing to note is that whenever anything happens, Campus Safety will notify students either through the timely warnings, sent by emails, or by the safety alerts through phones. Students can sign up for alerts through the Green River website, but the timely warnings will be sent to everyone on campus so that no one is left wondering what is happening.

Not only do these alerts tell you what has happened, it will also give you tips to avoid being in the same situation. “We want students to be aware of the situations going on in the campus so that students can form a defensive plan for themselves,” said Campus Safety Director, Derek Ronnfeldt.

Warnings and alerts are not only for crimes that happen on campus, they also include weather notifications, accident reports, campus status updates and other potential emergencies. One of Campus Safety’s goals is to make every student aware of any situation that could affect or harm them.

Green River’s Civility Statement

Christina Praggastis | Photographer

Green River security guard walking across campus.

This is not the only thing they do; in the past year they have also started to clear up foliage and branches from the trails and other harder to see areas of the campus. Last year on campus, there were a series of car break-ins. Campus safety acted to prevent further thefts.

Another improvement that safety has made is the training of their officers that patrol around the campus. Safety now has six months of active training for all its officers.

Another part of the new training is active shooter training. Sadly, local schools have experienced active shooter situations, so campus safety has taken precautions to prepare Green River College.

These officers do not just walk around. They are there to help you, if you have a problem, you can

report it to any officer. They also are part of the escort service that Green River has. If for any reason you do not feel safe walking to your car, they will personally escort you to your car and see to it that you are safe. They can also drive you to your car, if it is a far trip and you do not feel safe going alone. This is something that a student could need in the future if they feel unsafe.

“There are no small issues; we treat every issue as a big issue,” Ronnfeldt said. “What seems small to others isn’t small to the person it happened to, so we treat every issue as if it happened to us personally.”

Even if you feel that it is a waste of time to delve any deeper into the issue, you should inform safety so that other students are aware of the situation. Safety will not know un-

less you inform them, no one in the world can be everywhere at once, and you should report the situation no matter how small.

One last thing safety is doing to help students stay safe is releasing a module that goes over all the services that the Campus Safety Office offers in great detail.

Every Green River student can access this module on Canvas. Safety is always trying to improve the campus and is constantly working towards something. Currently, safety is working to place more lights and cameras around campus.

Campus safety wants you to be safe; they provide all these resources to you so that you can be prepared for anything that might happen. All students should feel safe at Green River, and Campus Safety does everything it can to ensure your safety.

Safety states that its first priority is student safety, but do students agree with that claim?

Are student and staff members cars and valuables at Green River College actually safe while we attend class? Even with security constantly patrolling the parking lots and campus.

When students head to Green River College during class hours, they are typically in a rush to find a parking space so that they can make it to class on time. While students are in class, they all worry if their cars are actually kept safe while in the parking lot.

Since recently there have been multiple car break-ins and car accidents on campus. While we are in class, we have no idea until we get out there as to what the state of our cars might be in.

“The school makes it seem like our cars and belongings are safe with the security patrolling around campus, but knowing from recent issues in the past anything can happen while we’re in class,” said Green River Student, Darby Deaton.

Once students are done with classes and head towards their cars and realize it has a broken window or damage from a hit and run, they are extremely upset.

The Green River Auburn Campus currently has a big issue with available parking for the number of students who attend here. Deaton also states that “they should stop worrying about giving out parking tickets and begin protecting our cars from being broken into.”

There are many days where cars have parking violations when there should be more security patrolling to watch out for any crimes that are being committed in the parking lots and on campus.

On Oct. 15, according to Green River’s College Main Campus Incident and Fire Log, a staff member at Green River College reported that their car was damaged while parked on campus, assuming that it was a hit and run, it was referred to the Washington State Patrol.

The college should begin installing multiple cameras around the campus parking lot to assist security with finding and reporting the culprits of these crimes.

In addition, on Oct. 10 a student reported that his car was in a collision with another student’s vehicle while leaving campus.

There are many things that can occur while students are in class.

Everyone can be affected or harmed by these incidents that occur on campus even if they were not the ones to cause the incident.

“I’m personally afraid of parking my car on campus because there isn’t enough cameras nor security to watch my car while I attend class, so I park my car at a friend’s house nearby the campus and walk to class,” said Maryann Paholio, a student who attends Green River.

Safety is a big concern to members of the campus community and Campus Safety is taking steps to adress those concerns

opinion

thecurrent

10 October 17, 2018

Margo Mead | Opinion Editor mmead6@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

Mixed Opinions on Brett Kavanaugh vs. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford By: Kira Braun Staff Writer Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford are all over the news. With opinions ranging drastically, everyone desperately wants answers to the question. Did our newest Supreme Court justice sexually assault Dr. Ford 30 years ago at a party?

“I believe Dr. Ford. She not only told her husband but also her therapist back in 2012 about what had happened to her,”

-Karly Faulkner, GRC student

For those unfamiliar with the case, Dr. Ford recently accused Brett Kavanaugh who was soon to be elected into the Supreme Court justice system of sexually assaulting her at a party 30 years ago.

The common question many people are asking is, “where’s the proof?” asked Dylan Bye, a college student at Green River. People on both sides argue that there is no proof that Kavanaugh did assault Dr. Ford. However,

calendars there’s no proof which have that he did not. been used in Students all court, showing over Washwhere he was ington have and what he questions was doing on and opinions the day when regarding this he supposedly subject. assaulted Dr. After interviewing Ford. However, who is to say students who he didn’t just differ in their recently make opinions, it’s those calendars clear that no to use as an one really has a definitive alibi in court.

“I believe answer. Bye, Dr. Ford. She who airs a Law and justice scale by pixabay not only told her podcast with husband but also her therapist back in 2012 his friends. Recently he uploaded a segment regarding this controversial subject. about what had happened to her,” said Green River student, Karly Faulkner.

“Why did Dr. Ford wait 30 years to come Fellow student Grifin Evens who was also forward?” Bye asked. This question strikes involved in the same podcast as Bye, stated some interest because it’s a valid point. Why that there was no reason to believe she had come out right before Kavanaugh is about to just contacted a therapist to speak on her have such power?

Leading people to believe she made it up behalf and say she had come to her all those years ago when it occured. to keep him from becoming a member of the As in most rape or sexual assault cases, it’s Supreme Court. what we call a “he said she said situation,” It’s known that Kavanaugh did keep

said Jordan Muehlbauer, “Party alliance means nothing to me when it comes to supporting Kavanaugh. No evidence was presented, and I don’t believe in damaging a man’s reputation without a reason.”

“Why did Dr. Ford wait 30 years to come forward?”

- Dylan Bye, GRC student

“As a woman growing up in a time rampant with rape culture and being taught I had to be on guard at all times because I might be attacked at any moment, I find it easy to believe a woman or anyone says they’ve been assaulted because of just how common it is.” said Green River student, Trinity Cook, when asked about what facts had lead her to her opinion on the subject.

With no definitive answer given, it’s clear people are still very much invested in the case.

With the potential FBI investigation happening sometime soon, hopefully, more information will come into light and give answers to the many questions that several Green River students have.

Social Media: An Excellent Tool of Communication that Students use and Abuse By: Jayden Valencia Staff Writer In this day and age, social media is an excellent tool to have to keep in touch with friends and to stay up to date with individual interests.

The whole concept of social media is great; being able to connect to relatives, friends, and just anybody around the world almost instantly while also keeping up with not only local news, but worldwide news is incredible.

The way people use it, however, this is what is

wrong with social media.

“It’s not the technology that’s good or bad.

It’s the way people are using it and the social conventions we’ve learned,” said communication studies professor, Carl Neffenger.

We always hear how social media is wrong, or how it is ruining society and taking over people’s lives. The prevailing narrative is that social media is destroying the ability to communicate with people, but social media itself is not bad.

Social media has been around for a long time. Neffenger provided an example about

the ancient Romans and how they would a reaction. This is just another different form leave messages for each other in the bath of communication. houses, and with the Victorian Internet, As was mentioned earlier, social media is people would send Morse code messages to a great tool, but often used poorly. There are each other through cable telegrams. These some who get addicted to it and let it control were forms of their life. Again, communication, that comes down and that is esto not knowing sentially all that how to use social social media is, media properly. communication.

This is especially Every generaa problem for tion thinks that children whose the generation parents buy following them them a phone is dealing with at a young age social media and let them run incorrectly. In free with it, not the 50’s, when knowing how to every house had use it properly. a telephone, you Another probwould hear that lem with social all the kids were media is while going to get fat it is great that and ugly, sitting everyone has a around all day Graphic symbolizing the world of social media by pixabay voice on social doing nothing media, it has also but talking on the phone. opened a whole new world for trolls. Trolls Now, the present equivalent of talking on are people who post deliberately provocative the phone in the 50s is texting. Previous genmessages to a newsgroup or message board. erations claim that since texting has become This gives rise to a substantial amount of the more popular medium of socializing, our toxicity occurring on social media. Individkids are not going to learn how to talk and uals use social media platforms to slander communicate in person. others without reason and to find entertainWhat previous generations misunderstand, ment at the expense of others; increasing the however, is that it’s just another form for problem of toxicity on social media. individuals to communicate; a form that they The concept of social media is not in itself have not yet adapted to. a bad thing. It helps individuals stay in touch Emoji’s are good examples of a change in with friends and family around the world and communication. Instead of text abbreviakeeps them connected to events happening tions, people are sending emojis to each otharound the world. er that symbolize a meaning or an emotion Ultimately, the problems with social media like, the angry face, smiley face and or sad are rooted with those who operate it, not face. Gifs are also used quite often, mostly as with the concept of social media itself.

Mathew Belamaric | Sports Editor sports@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

sports

thecurrent

11 October 17, 2018

Women’s Volleyball Team Struggles with Lineup of Rookies

The Young Women’s Volleyball Team has a Disappointing 0-17 Start to the Season

By Chatwan Mongkol Staff Writer

Despite their best efforts, the Green River College women’s volleyball team has not won a single match so far this season.

It’s been a tough season for the Gators this year with an entire lineup of rookies and one returning player, their overall record this season is 0-17 and 0-4 for the Western Region Conference record.

Their biggest weakness is lack of familiarity as the only two people that have any familiarity at all are Maysen Tinney and Cedies Tootoo who played on the same team back in high school.

The Northwest Athletic Conference Championship match is coming up in mid-November and in order to get into the championship match; they cannot lose six games

in the conference. As Coach Kyle Densley, who has been coaching the team for 13 years, mentioned the team’s cohesive issues that might be the source of their recent losses, “they are young in the game as far as for college-level play, so it’s a building in a growth process for most of them which are escalating and getting better and better as the weeks go by”.

Even though it’s not easy for them to deal with the emotional effects from all the games they have played and lost, they have found a way to handle it. “We’re supposed to cheer each other up, or like flush it, just stop thinking about it. We encourage each other,” said Tootoo Although they are lacking in the win column, they are a great practice team, “they’re probably the best practice team I have ever had,” said Densley. Good chemistry could

be building around the team.

Coach Densely believes that they have developed great team working skills, that they work hard during practice and they dedicate themselves to their teammates. Basically, the team is still learning and developing bonds with fellow players.

It’s not about the win and the loss, it’s about their growth in the process and getting better as students and getting better as volleyball players on the courts, as long as they’re showing good progress and they are playing volleyball along the way and getting better at it, that’s the success,” said Densley.

The Northwest Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship is played Nov. 15 – 18, at the Tacoma Convention Center. Ticket prices and further information from around the league can be found at www.nwacsports.org.

Talented Auburn Riverside Faces Adversity

By Jakolby Wright Staff Writer

AUBURN, Washington—The Auburn Riverside Ravens High School football team has been in a bit of struggle this football season due to an abundance of injuries and mishaps during the first six games of the season.

As of now, the Auburn Riverside football team is 3-3 and have lost three straight games since their last win in a 55-19 rout over Thomas Jefferson high School. The Ravens average only 96.0 passing yards, and 251.8 rushing yards per game offensively. Defensively however, on average, the Ravens make about 56.2 tackles, 8 sacks, and five interceptions per game. In their last three games, Auburn Riverside has lost to Enumclaw 21-7, Kentwood 49-27, and Tahoma 3-0. In these losses, the Ravens have been outscored a total of 73-34. However, things are only going to get tougher as the Ravens finish the season against 4-2 Kennedy Catholic and a 4-2 Todd Beamer team in which

both teams have mostly dominated the teams on their schedule.

Being without star player, Javon Forward has been another key factor that has set this football team back. Forward was ranked second in the state at the running back position. Forward has rushed for 722 yards this season, averaging about 144.4 yards per game, 8.1 yards per carry, and had a total of 10 touchdowns before going down with a high ankle sprain in week four. On the defensive side of the ball, Forward plays free safety and averages 4.6 tackles per game and has 1 interception on the year.

On a positive note, the Ravens rushing game is still hard to slow down even with Forward injured.

Riverside still has some lethal weapons at the running back position in Jayden Solis and Henry Igwala who are capable of getting huge chunks of yardages every play.

“If the coaches would givemore people opportunities to play it would reduce injuries on this team, people are tired and need time to

rejuvenate during games,” said Igwala after giving his thoughts about the season thus far. Igwala has a valid point, this season varsity starters have had to play both sides of the ball due to not playing all their players and not having enough people for each individual player to play one side of the ball.

The injuries on this team has been the downfall of the season. When key players start to go down, then coaches have had to call on junior varsity players to step in and step up which cause a lot friction due to junior varsity players not knowing their assignments.

“I think the team needs to do their job, and compete and be humble and get back to Raven football in order to finish the season strong,” said first year head coach Marcus Yzaguirre. The Ravens may not be where they should be right now, but the coaching staff has faith and believes that their players still got some fight left in them to finish off the season stronger than ever before.

Green River Volleyball Team | Greenriver.edu

New Kent YMCA Opening in 2019

By Diamond Savusa Staff Writer

KENT/AUBURN Community – The Kent YMCA will be opening in Summer/Fall of 2019 right on East Hill’s Morrill Meadow Park.

The nonprofit organization and the City of Kent have chosen this location because of its large population of youth in this area. With one in four people being under the age of 18, the YMCA will be able to offer many different programs and activities to promote healthy living for people of all ages, including college students Green River student and Black Diamond resident, Jacqueline Heric, is especially excited for the new YMCA facility to open. “I live closer to Auburn,” Heric shares, “but spend more time in Kent, so it’s super exciting the park I always drive by is becoming a positive place for the community.”

The City of Kent and nonprofit organization YMCA have put in a lot of dedication and money to make this project possible for the

community. With an estimated total project cost of $36 million, the facility is set to include an aquatic center, gym, space for group fitness classes, basketball courts, and child care services. However they are without the local leaders and members of the community and volunteers to helped with the fundraising and events. For many young students who require volunteer work or experience for their courses, the YMCA offers many opportunities.

Another Green River College student and Kent local, Adriana Mottola, is familiar with the YMCA’s volunteer opportunities, “I work near the Matt Griffin YMCA in SeaTac and was recommended by a friend to do volunteer work there and had a lot of fun. I’m excited there’ll be a new Y opening up near where I live and work.”

Mottola would recommend others to volunteer at the YMCA so they can be apart of the positive movement of the Kent YMCA grand opening.