Issue 2 Volume 52

thecurrent the student newspaper of green river college

October 31, 2018

www.thegrcurrent.com

issue 2 volume 53

Confused and Alienated: Gen Z’s Absence in Voting pg. 3, 9, 10

Dee Senaga | The Current

campus

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thecurrent

October 31, 2018

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

Green River Violates Clery Act: $574,500 in Fines

President Johnson Comes Clean About the Failed 13 Violations of Cleary Act By: Christina Praggastis Staff Writer Green River has the potential of being fined half a million dollars due to the improper recordings of Clery Act regulations between 2008 and 2015.

The Clery Act requires higher education institutions that receive federal funding to report crime statistics, notify the campus community of threats, and distribute an annual security report to the campus community, prospective students, and employees.

Green River put in place a selfstudy to discover the weakness in Clery Act regulations, an action plan was brought together, and a Clery Compliance Committee (CCC) was formed. The CCC meet monthly and report the affairs of that month. They ultimately cover what needs to be done in response to those happenings. In additon to this, the staff that makes up the CCC have direct contact with the Clery Act officers in the Department of Education (DOE). Newly implemented policies and new national technology were put into use to record crime on campus and in the immediate area. Vice President of Student Affairs Deb Casey states that “Not that we didn’t report… [we] didn’t report in accurate classification code.”

One of the many monthly checkin topics that happen in the CCC meetings is Clery Geography. Clery Geography is any and all locations that have Green River students present. All the surrounding community of the Green River College campuses is included in Clery Geography. Anything on the campus and around the campus is also Clery Geography, and the Clery officers monitor those areas, especially where classes are being held.

Seattle Times reporter, Asia Fields, states that “The college, which has 18,755 enrolled students this year, received notice of

the DOE’s intent to fine on Sept.

27.” Following the notice, Green River College President Suzanne Johnson sent out a campus-wide email on Oct. 3 informing that the administrators would be appealing the amount, though they do not disagree with the DOE’s findings.

Although Johnson says “We have to be held accountable,” the college is in the appeal process, questioning the amount of money the fines state, which is $35,000 per fine.

There is a website dedicated to the Clery Act, which can be found by searching Clery Act on the Green River website, says Casey.

Included on the website are Annual Safety and Fire Reports (ASFR), Clery geography information and maps, daily crime logs, and related policies. An additional website that is linked to the Clery Act is the Clery Review Update page, which has communications with President Johnson as well as communications from the DOE. The Clery Act came about because in 1986, a 19-year-old student was raped and killed in her own college dormitory. This tragedy had severe repercussions on the college; campuses nationwide took a look at their unreported crimes and action was taken. Prior to this incident, numerous crimes were committed on and around the campus where the student attended, but none of them were reported to the DOE by the college. The act was named after Jeanne Clery, the 19-year-old who was murdered. The Act was signed in 1990 on federal status.

The United States Department of Education monitors colleges and has the right to inflict civil penalties up to $54,789 per violation.

The attack on Clery was one of 38 violent crimes unrecorded by the campus throughout three years.

Green River received a letter back in 2015 from the Department of Education saying they were going to be audited. The audit was issued on Green River’s safety violations of

Wikipedia Commons

Jeanne Clery, who was murdered in her campus dormitory in 1986.

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

Green River College

President Suzanne Johnson Posing for the Green River Welcome page.

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

Green River College

President Suzanne Johnson giving a speech at a scholarship conference. the Clery Act. This came as a shock to the president and vice president because safety was and still is the number one priority of the college.

Colleges get randomly audited for all different reasons, so the audit itself was not a shock, but to learn what Green River was being audited for was discouraging.

Green River was audited on Nov. 16, 2015, and received the findings of that audit nearly a year later.

The DOE found that Green River had failed in 13 instances to meet the Clery Act regulations. Some of those discrepancies had stated that the college failed to compile and disclose accurate and complete crime statistics on 61 accounts, that the college did not adequately develop and implement Clery Act programs, those programs lacked supervised training and oversight, the college failed to request crime statistics from local law enforcement, and that the college failed to properly disclose crime statistics by location. Green River is rectifying their mistakes by hiring new safety staff and modified policies to meet Clery regulations.

Johnson took office on July 1, 2017, and had no previous knowledge of the DOE’s audit on Green River College. The first thing she

inquired when she heard about the audit was, “Okay, and how are we now?” Johnson has taken the means to create a website dedicated to information about the Clery Act and makes sure it is updated monthly. Johnson is taking every necessary measure to keep the general public informed on everything going on in her office, including the progress and information regarding the Clery Act. Johnson further states that, “Even if I had known of the audit, [it] would not of deterred me [from taking office].”

Johnson feels the need to be completely transparent on the Clery Act issues and believes that having an article on a topic of this sort will make the public aware that she and her office have nothing to hide.

Johnson makes the comment that she will keep The Current newspaper informed of any and all changes that happen in the future, not just regarding the Clery Act: “We are collaboratively alliances,” she says.

Although Green River is potentially being fined, the Clery officers are doing everything in their power to improve their policies and further develop their safety standards.

“As the president, it is my responsibility to make sure this never happens again,” says Johnson.

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

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

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thecurrent

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

3 October 31, 2018

Millenials Not Registered to Vote for the Upcoming Election

Maybe you Should Vote for Once Information from ivn.us.

1. Democracy means “people-force.” When you don’t vote, ‘the People’ create a power vacuum.

2. People power is the only thing that can keep tyranny at bay, though it is no assurance.

3. As John Locke asserted, people are by nature, free. Voting is the natural right of the self-governed.

4. If you do not use your right to vote, you may lose your right to vote.

5. If you don’t use your right to vote, you may lose your right to vote.

6. 65,000 people died or were wounded in the American Revolution, the start of what has been a great experiment in democracy.

7. So you can complain with integrity.

8. Women suffragettes were jailed and force fed for three weeks for the right to vote.

9. To set a good example for younger generations.

10. Because you are 18.

You can vote! Youth votes from ages 18 to 25 declined in 2012 to just over 40 percent of eligible voters.

11. If you do not vote for your interests, who will?

12. To honor the 2,852,901 U.S. citizens who gave their lives or have been wounded to protect the constitution that protects your right to self-determine your community, state, and nation.

13. Your silence gives consent to be treated poorly.

14. The ballot is stronger than the bullet.

A Mere 38 Percent of Surveyed Green River Students are 2018 Registered Voters By: Hailey Braggs Staff Writer With the midterm election coming up quickly, many students at Green River are preparing to cast their vote.

Millennials are an important demographic who have an abundance of opinions that contribute to the political climate, however, based on a random survey of 50 students conducted across campus, the majority of Green River students are not registered to vote.

Thirty-eight percent of students are registered to vote, including Careese Allen, Chanelle Allen, Evan Korn, and Tim Broninski.

“I think it’s important for our generation to vote, because as society changes, so do our values.

Think of the values people had 70 years ago, and now think of our values today,” Korn said. “Some are the same and some are different, but it’s important for the younger generation to vote so we can keep the values fresh and ethical.”

As history can support, values and ethics are certain to continually change as time passes. When an individual votes somebody into office, they are voting for the person they want to represent them. A

politician is a model of values, and they carry a great weight. “Electing politicians whose values you agree with is important,” Korn said.

“Our opinion on what’s going on matters. We have a say in who’s in charge,” Careese Allen said.

According to the Pew Research Center, Millennials and Generation Xers are “the clear majority of eligible voters,” coming in at 59 percent of all eligible voters.

Yet despite this landslide majority, Pew Research Center has also reported that the number of young adults voting has been surpassed by older generations every year beginning in 1996.

“I’m registered to vote, because why not?” Broninski said.

He raises an excellent question.

The largest contributor to students not registering to vote was a lack of interest or a lack of knowledge on how to register.

There are a multitude of reasons why voting is important for our generation, and Professor John Avery has offered insight into some of the changes that students could vote to enact and would directly benefit from.

“Financially, going to college is more difficult now than it ever was before. The affordability issue is

a serious one which cries out for correction. Thankfully, the State Legislature has put a brake on some of these increases, but it has not yet allocated more funding to community colleges,” Avery said. “This needs to happen and this is a good year for it to happen as revenue has increased state-wide. Vote and contact your legislators.”

Avery brings up thought-provoking points which paint a clear picture of how a student’s vote, or lack thereof, can have a positive or negative impact on their life.

According to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), “Because young adults have historically been much less reliable at the polls compared to older Americans, politicians tend to neglect topics younger generations care about, leaving student debt problems, among others, to mount.”

The midterm election will also have a great impact on healthcare.

After President Trump’s slow but sure deconstruction of Obamacare, health care is dominating most other issues as the largest concern for the 2018 election. Citizens wonder how to pay for hospital bills.

According to the US Census, 28.1 million United States citizens are

without health insurance, making medical bills almost impossible to afford for them. Young adults can remain on their parent’s insurance plans, but in most cases, they will only stay on until age 26.

This means that if an individual does not have their own health insurance plan by then, they will no longer be covered. Health care will see great reform over the coming years, but this reform depends on who citizens vote into office.

Encourage friends and family to do research and begin to care, and then register to vote. Registration is simple and takes less than five minutes. It can be done online at www.vote.gov if citizens have a valid driver’s license or ID. “I’m registered because every vote counts,” Chanelle Allen said.

Chanelle Allen is spot-on in her statement. As young adults right now, students have a real opportunity to enact serious change and shape the future of our government and the country we live in.

Time will only tell if this will be the year that the recurring trend of young adults not turning up at the polls continues, or if it will be broken. Regardless of political opinion, everyone should register to vote. As Broninski said: “Why not?”

Green River College Represents an All-Women Board of Trustees

Newley Appointed Board Members Promote Women in Positions of Power “Chu has over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, with a particular focus in youth development and education”

- Seattle Foundation

Green River College

Elaine Chu, a philanthropic advisor.

By: Margo Mead Editor-in-Chief Green River had its first official board meeting with newly appointed trustees, Elaine Chu and Arlene Pierini.

Chu and Pierini were first introduced at Green River’s board meeting, held at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Administration Building.

Green River is one of the 30 districts of technical and community colleges in Washington. According to the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, “Each of these “districts are governed by governor-appointed

boards of trustees.”

“Each community college district thus created is to be governed and directed by a board of five trustees appointed by the governor,” stated in Orig. Op. page 2. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Pierini this month after Claudia Kauffman’s retirement in February.

Inslee also appointed Chu October 2018, after Tim Clark’s term ended back in September of 2016.

Pierini retired from her position as the Auburn schools’ executive director, which she held for 16 years, on Oct. 13, five days before Pierini’s first meeting on Green River’s board of trustees. Before then, Pierini worked as an attorney, chaired the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce Education Committee, and acted as president of the Auburn Council of PTAs. Pierini started her education by

earning her associates of arts at Wenatchee Valley College, then transferring to Washington State University, to obtain her bachelor’s degree in political science before obtaining her Juris Doctor from the university of Idaho College of Law. Chu currently works for the Seattle Foundation as a philanthropic advisor, where she has worked since 2016. Chu previously worked for the Children’s Science Center and Casey family programs.

According to her Seattle Foundation Profile at seattlefoundation. org, Chu “has over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, with a particular focus in youth development and education.” Chu currently serves on the Executive Leadership Committee for Washington State Opportunity Scholarship and Techbridge Girls.

Chu has a Bachelor of Arts in

Green River College

Arlene Pierini, previously an attorney. business and political science as well as a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Washington.

Chu has been awarded both the National Women’s Political Caucus Heroine award as well as the Northwest Asian Weekly Foundation Community Award.

Green River’s Trustee Board now includes Sharonne Navas, Jackie Boschok, Linda Cowan, Arlene Pierini, and Eleine Chu. This gives Green River a full female Board of Trustees with President Suzanne Johnson as Green River’s president and Deb Casey as Green River’s top vice president.

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October 31, 2018

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

Green River’s Halloween Party Creates a Spooky Atmosphere By: Rachel Knittle Staff Writer

Rachel Knittle | The Current

Green River Dance Club showing off moves.

Valdemar Fishmen | torange.biz

An array of carved pumpkins lit by candlelight.

The Green River College Halloween Party offered many exciting activities for students and faculty.

Green River College’s event showcased on-stage performances, palm reading, face painting, multiple costume contests, as well as a photo booth. These activities supplied attendants a variety of holday amusement.

In the party’s on-stage entertainment, the first three performances were the Green River Dancing Club, followed by the Chinese Club and the Korean Club. All three of the performances included choreographed dancing to upbeat music that woke up the crowd and started the night. After these opening performances, the night continued with many more shows.

“I think the performances are one of the best parts about the party,” says Running Start student Djenica Ortiz. “The dance performances made the party very entertaining and fun,” Ortiz says she enjoyed the atmosphere that the party brought, including everything from activities to decorations. She feels that the gathering was a great way to bring friends and students together to dress up to have fun, especially

Thief Steals Valuables From College Faculty students and faculty have people who they can go to. The Auburn Police Department and Campus Security are reliable resources to utilize in events like theft.

On Oct. 4, two Green River faculty In case of other thefts, Green River attendmembers reported a burglary that ocees can file a report, and to avoid it, they may cured where their wallets and debit cards choose to be more cautious when leaving were stolen from their offices. possessions unattended.

Both faculty members found their belong“Well, as I said, I was angry. Now, however, ings taken from their offices in Salish Hall I feel that the whole episode was more or less after receiving notifications of purchases a temporary inconvenience. At this point I’ve being made off of campus while they were been issued new debit and credit cards and teaching. After the incident, Campus Safety have replaced my ID and other items that advised faculty member James Pyle to deacwere in my wallet,” stated Pyle. “There was tivate his cards that had been in his wallet, one item of personal value, which is irreas well as file a report with the Auburn Police placeable, but at this point, I’ve accepted that Department. Erin Fernandez Mommer, the item is probably gone for good.” another faculty member, reported the theft Derek Ronnfeldt of Campus Safety and to the Kent and Auburn Police Departments Security gives some advice on protecting and provided Campus Safety with the report personal belongings: If number made with the you have a car, keep any Auburn Police. and all valuables out of As the suspects still “I’ve accepted that the view. Make sure to lock remain unidentified, your car when you leave this leaves several peoitem is probably gone for it unattended no matter ple feeling uneasy. “It good” how long you might be does make me feel uneasy, - James Pyle away. Keep your offices it’s frustrating,” said Ouida locked at all times. Do not Bryson, the Secretary Lead carry large sums of money on the first floor of Salish or anything of value.

Hall. “I don’t like it at all.

Ronnfeldt says that Campus Safety is It’s very unsettling.” always looking for ways to better improve For most of the student and staff popthe security of Green River. Green River is ulation, the thought of someone getting working on a long-term plan to increase the into their private items and stealing it may overall safety of the college. Extra lighting just make us feel uncomfortable. “I don’t and cameras are two features currently being regret not protecting my stuff since it was discussed. “We just implemented last year a stolen from my desk within a designated maintenance plan that cuts down overgrowth faculty area. I think that there should be an throughout the main campus that signifiexpectation of some safety in such an area. cantly increases lighting at night and limits If anything, I’m angry that somebody stole places people can hide,” Ronnefeldt said. from me, but I do not feel responsible for the With so much to improve on regarding theft,” said Pyle. security, Green River attendees can look The good news is that there are ways to forward to new improvements on the safety protect personal items like locking office of the college campus. doors, and if they have been broken into,

with the stress of midterms approaching. All the scariest or the funniest costume, which in all, Ortiz feels the night was exciting and allowed for interested students to see each entertaining. She plans on attending with her other’s Halloween attire. friends again next year.

With plenty of activities to fill up the Along with performances, a long line Student Union building, a photo booth was stood outside the tarot cards and palm also available at the party. Students and reading room. This activity intrigued plenty faculty had the opportunity to take pictures of students and helped set the mood for the together and remember fun memories Halloween season. With people constantly they shared at this event. The photo booth lining up behind the door, allowed students to keep palm reading was a big hit a picture of the hard work with students and created a put into their costume, as “The party was a great spooky atmosphere. well as being a good way to idea to have some Many students came to remember a fun night in fun during the Halloween celebration of the spooky this party dressed up in their choice of costume, and mysterious holiday. season” but some wore a bare face “The party was a - Parmvir Singh into the event. Fortunately, great idea to have some face painting took place fun during the Halloween at the gathering. This allowed students to season,” Parmvir Singh, a student, says. have intricate designs painted on their face Singh believes the photo booth was a great to improve the look of their costume or make way for students to have fun and remember their night more lively. the night. He believes the party was filled With face painting adding depth to with many activities that fit well into the costumes, students also had a better chance event and helped set the mood for Halloween at winning costume contests held throughout coming up a few short days later. the night. Many different costume contests Singh says his favorite parts about the night were held to showcase Green River College’s were the dance performances and the tarot creativity and diverse costumes. There were cards and palm reading room. He describes several categories in the contests, such as the night as “worthwhile and very fun.”

Counseling Center Offers Assistance to Students

By: Adele Guinn Staff Writer

Wikipedia Creative Commons

The Counseling Center advisors, ready to help.

By: Dakota Farnsworth Staff Writer Green River College’s Counseling Center is available to all students who may find themselves stressed due to school, situations at home, their jobs, or plenty of other reasons.

Green River’s counseling service have counselors who are qualified to handle any problem that a student has. Whether it be anxiety, mental health issues, or other issues students may have, the counselors know how to help.

Some issues that students have come in for are stress and the variety of reasons that have caused stress. The counselors have seen students with major mental illnesses, like anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder, meaning they are prepared. Students will also come in because of adjustment issues, like adapting to college and homesickness that international students might have.

The counseling department works on supporting the students that come in with a unique treatment plan for each student. “It’s so personal,” said Devon Klein, a counselor for Green River. “Counseling is one of the most personal services that I think we have on this campus, so it’s going to look different for every individual.”

Additionally, the counselors also work with building students’ academic skills. “We can

work with students to improve their time management, study strategies, decrease any test anxiety they have, learn to advocate for themselves with their teachers and better use the support services on campus to be successful,” said Klein.

The Counseling Center gives students the benefit of referral information and navigating the systems of additional support. That could be on-campus help or in the community. “Sometimes we help students figure out how to get into Disability Support Services or use the learning centers on campus or we might work with them around homelessness issues and find a community shelter, or counseling in the community for when they finish their sessions here,” stated Klein.

The Counseling Center allows students to come in for a 75-minute intake session to discuss the current issue, then they offer seven 50-minute sessions after that. It is entirely free for students at Green River, but the services are only offered to those enrolled at the college.

The Counseling Center can be contacted by calling, emailing, or dropping by their office, which is in the Student Affairs building.

They are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each school day, and they have drop-in hours at noon on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

Those hours are first-come-first-serve.

While the counseling department mainly works with individual cases, they also serve groups of people. That could be a conflict between couples, roommates, or friends. As long as everyone in the group is an enrolled student at Green River, then the counseling department can help.

The Counseling Center is a useful resource to many students. “The Counseling Center is beneficial to students because they provide a support system for students who might not have one at home or outside of school.

They give an output for students and provide advice and coping mechanisms,” said Jenessa White, a student at Green River.

campus Cosplay Gives an Opportunity for Creativity to Flow

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

By: Savannah Shillam Staff Writer

Cosplay is a popular hobby for pop culture lovers all around the world, and brings characters to life through costume making.

Though many people are interested, they do not know how to start, or the challenge of it turns them away. So what are the steps to getting started?

1. Finding Your Character Discovering what character you want to portray is one of the most important steps in making a cosplay. The first question you need to ask yourself is: “is this realistic?” If you are a first-time cosplayer thinking of attempting a full set of armor, you might want to reconsider. If you are comfortable with particular skills, try attempting a character who would match those skills. “You can start small and work up to bigger costumes as you gain skills,” says Amber Pen-Roco from the Seattle area. “I started by assembling a bunch of items I bought from Amazon, and now I build armor, paint my weapons, and sew all my pieces from scratch.”

Your character should also be someone you enjoy, as you will be spending lots of time trying to be them. There are no limitations to character choice, even if your chosen character is not your skin tone, gender, or body shape—that doesn’t mean you cannot choose them. Cosplay is all about being creative.

thecurrent

2. Budgeting and Planning “Fast, good, cheap: pick two,” says Brianne Hawes, from Seattle who attended Emerald City Comic Con. How much do you think the costume is going to cost, and knowing if it is in your budget is a start. If you are only willing to invest about $150 into a costume, something large is out of the question. Price can vary depending on what your costume is and materials involved. Another thing coinciding with budgeting is a plan of execution for building the costume. This helps with budgeting; if your costume needs some expensive materials, you may need to expand your budget. This also helps prevent surprises along the way and being unprepared financially. Make sure you start planning your cosplay in advance, a couple weeks is not enough, even for experienced cosplayers.

3. Gathering Materials Finding materials can be difficult, but for someone getting started, starting with basic materials is recommended. This means staying away from harder-to-find textured-like fabrics and staying with easier fabrics like cotton, four-way stretch fabric, or spandex. If you are unsure in your ability to execute the costume, staying with more affordable materials is safe. That way, if you mess up, it costs less to redo it. There is also nothing stopping you from using materials like hot glue, caulk, cardboard and more. However, when purchasing your materials, keep in mind their durability, as crowds could be deadly to a fragile costume.

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Every Tuesday at Sykart is Gator Tuesday! Show your GRC student ID when you walk in and get $5 off every race.* Are you the fastest racer among your friends? Only one way to find out!

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Stella Curtis

A gathering of cosplayers with costumes of Steven Universe characters Rose Quartz and Greg.

Stella Curtis

Cosplayers dressed up as the Steven Universe character Sapphire, an alien geminoid.

4. Building the Cosplay This is the hardest step of cosplaying, and where all your other steps will benefit you in the long run. Try starting with the largest part of your costume and adding smaller details the closer your due date comes.

Cosplay is about being precise and working on the small details, so make sure you do not miss them by using reference pictures while you work. Sizing is rather important, as the costume should look tailored to you, so make sure you have measurements of yourself. A highly suggestive piece of advice is to get an experienced cosplayer to help you, so you have a second opinion and some fun while working. Make sure you try it on when finished and do what is referred to as a “house test.” If your costume cannot function to its expected capability just walking around your house, then it needs some reworking to survive a convention.

Cosplaying is meant to be fun and adventurous. Cosplay has no limitations and can be as simple or as difficult as you want it to be. Even for aspiring cosplayers not ready to commit their time, many Etsy sellers commission cosplays. Embrace your character, and maybe venture to your local convention for some recognition. Emerald City Comic Con happens every March in Seattle and attracts thousands of fans and cosplayers.

“ECCC is an incredible convention because so many people with common interests come together to enjoy each other’s company and share their nerdy hobbies,” says Mary-Katheryn Ford, a League of Legends cosplayer from Puyallup. If you are interested in joining the local cosplay community, the Facebook group “Cosplay Seattle” could be a great place to get started, aside from making a costume.

Cosplay can be for anyone.

Lacy | CosplayPNW

Cosplay of Chiaki Nanami from DanganRonpa.

Barb Hintze Curtis

Cosplayers performing in The Little Mermaid.

a&e

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thecurrent

October 31, 2018

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

Green River Alumnus Publishes New Sci-fi Thriller Novel By: William Baliton A&E Editor Green River alumnus, Kartik Sarda, has recently published a new sci-fi thriller novel about Sprachia, a mysterious world caught in power struggles and turmoil.

Titled “The Unconventional Winner: Spectre’s Rise” (TUW), the story is focused on the struggle between a brilliant scientist who revives the dead called The Necromancer and one of his many creations, a man named Spectre. “They both have one motive: to rule the planet Sprachia with their power and intellect,” Sarda said. There are several other characters throughout the story who play key roles in the struggle for control of Sprachia.

Covering a variety of different genres, TUW will be especially appealing to individuals interested in movies like “Inception” and “The Prestige”, or shows like “Agents of Shield” and “Black Mirror”. TUW possesses a style that showcases alternating timelines and chapters as well as shifts between the first and third person narrative styles., “In roughly 400 pages, it offers you sci-fi, thriller, fantasy, romance, action, adventure, poetry, violence, and even humor.” Sarda said.

It was during his time at Green River that Sarda began creating

TUW, and over the course of four years, he has applied several ideas he picked up from his lessons in neuroscience—especially the idea of uploading human minds into machines. With ideas from his years at Green River combined with a deep analysis of events, detailed world building, and a lineup of, original characters developed through his experiences and studies, Sarda invented the world of Sprachia and its story.

“The major strength of the book lies in its character development as you learn and relate more this the characters as the story progresses,” Sarda said.

“It has a unique style that you probably have never seen before” - Kartik Sarda

Coming to Green River from India in June of 2015, Sarda, at the age of 17 began pursuing neuroscience for an associates in science degree, which he then changed to physics. He later joined The Current where he worked for the next two years. In his time at Green River College, he became the president of three different clubs, had up to five job

titles at one given time, and was also an active member of the Phi Theta Kappa organization.

Sarda later received several scholarships among which were three $500 international student scholarships, one $1,500 scholarship from the Green River College Foundation, and one $20,000 scholarship for five semesters at Iowa State University where he currently studies.

Sarda is pursuing physics as an undergraduate at Iowa State University and plans on keeping his career as a novelist on the side.

When he is not working on any academic pursuits, he is typically writing, reading and watching television shows to draw more insiration, or playing sports.

While TUW offers an immersive story for readers of all genres to enjoy, Spectre’s Rise is only the first installment in what Sarda later plans to develop into a much larger series. “It ends on a cliffhanger, so it’s very apparent that there will be a sequel to this,” Sarda said. “In the book, I talk about an event called the ‘Science Revolution’, and I have a prequel planned based on that event.”

Sarda invites sci-fi enthusiats, readers of all genres, and individuals just looking for a good story to indulge themselves in to enjoy his newly published book: “It has a unique style that you probably have never seen before.”

Kartik Sarda

Cover of Kartik Sarda’s new sci-fi thriller, The Unconventional Winner.

Theater Events and Productions Hosted at Green River College By: Jayden Valencia Staff Writer Green River College performs several theater productions throughout the course of the year between two different theater companies, the Green River Theater Company (GRTC) and Heavier Than Air. Both groups technically fall under the umbrella of Student Life at Green River, but Robin Bowles, the director of GRTC’s productions, wants it to be known that

GRTC and Heavier Than Air are very much different. The GRTC is completely instructional and falls directly underneath Student Life.

Heavier than Air is a community-based company that rents out the space at Green River College for its productions.

Heavier Than Air is self-sufficient and most of its money comes from its summer programs, camps, and ticket sales. They receive little funding from Student Life, unlike GRTC which is mostly funded by Student Life. “Student Life does not

Matthew Belamaric | The Current

Front photo of the outside of the Bleha Center for the Performing Arts

fully support them. Not even close.

And in fact, they don’t even support us fully… but we are the academic part of the drama program and they are not. The two programs do not mix. Ever,” said Bowles.

The companies’ styles are also different. The GRTC does more classical plays like My Fair Lady, Much Ado About Nothing, and anything Shakespeare. GRTC also does modern plays like Death of a Salesman, J.B, and Bye-Bye Birdie.

Heavier Than Air are strictly musicals. “Shakespeare’s comedies are complicated, there’s always several stories going on,” said Bowles.

The GRTC have a play coming up in December called Twelfth Night.

Twelfth Night is a Shakespeare comedy that has to do with mistaken identity and cross dressing. The main story is about a brother and sister who are on a boat that sinks and they both think that the other is dead when in truth, neither of them are dead. The sister dresses

The only part of the dialogue that up as man to keep herself safe, but is being altered is small words that she ends up falling in love with a have since lost their meaning. “It’s man she begins working for, but never about place or time in his the man thinks that she too is a musicals, it’s man, and he about human falls in love behavior… with anoth“It’s never about place or time Remember… er woman in his musicals, it’s about human it’s our first instead. This behavior,” language, it woman, how- Robin Bowles, director of GRTC translates to ever, is in love anywhere just fine. The fact that with the sister who is disguised as people are speaking in a more a man, creating a big love triangle. formal way is really the only differThe brother’s story is a seperate ence,” said Bowles. narrative from the sister’s.

Heavier Than Air also has a It sounds like a lot going on, but show coming in December called it is very funny and interesting Scrooge. The story follows a with a number of other stories grumpy old man that is given one happening beyond the brother last redemption shot at life by and sister narratives. The story was three spirits who visit him at night. written in the 16th century, but in Twelfth Night will be open Dec. 7 this production, it will be set in and 8, and the tickets are free for a club at Greenwich Village, New Green River students. Scrooge will York around 1958 to 1959. Their be open from Dec. 14 to Dec. 22. costumes and setting will reflect Tickets are $20 at the door. Both that, but they will be keeping the shows will be held in the Performoriginal Shakespearian language.

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

a&e

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thecurrent

October 31, 2018

Helen S. Smith Art Gallery Showcases Artists Through the Years By: Gabriel Kindell & William Baliton Staff Writer & A&E Editor

According to the Helen S. Smith Gallery website, she is from Olympia, but studied in Spain throughout high school. Her time The Helen S. Smith Gallery in Spain prompted her to become a has been a place where artists Spanish major. The time she spent can come and display their in Spain also helped her garner a various works. love for Spanish literature, and how The gallery itself has been around they kept their native images and for about 50 years. Named the stories alive through the years.

Helen S. Smith gallery after the This was a big inspiration for first president and founder of the her art. Harrison’s art expresses Green River College Foundation, the handmade effort that is put the gallery has kept her legacy as into making personal imagery and an advocate symbolism. for artists alive This encourages “I want the gritty, spotted clay to for several others to use years. Annually refer to all the elements that come her art to tell displaying the together to make us who we are,” their stories in works of two to hidden and or - Aisha Harrison, Gallery Artist three artists, the overt ways. “I gallery is a place where art is open am interested in the experience of for public viewing power and privilege derived from Two artists have been highlighted an individual’s race, class, and or at the gallery this year. According gender identity,” Harrison said. to the Helen Smith Archives, one Each one of her pieces stands of them was Jason Sobottka who for something different and not highlighted the relationships one element in her art is the same. between art and science through There is a reason for everything several paintings capturing animals she does and she is deliberate in combined with a variety of colors. making that clear. With her clay The second artist was David sculptures, she uses the material Jaewon Oh who presented women and the surface metaphorically, in combat sports through several “At the most basic level, the brown photos of them in training gear. bare clay refers to my own brown The artist that is highlighted in body. The bare clay surface is never the gallery now is Aisha Harrison. extremely smooth or refined.

Study Break Facts from: softschools.com

1. In a democracy the people have a say in who

governs their society, which can be changed through elections. In dictatorships or monarchies, power is held by one person and there are several means to remove them from power.

2. In a representative democracy citizens elect representatives to act on their behalf in the government to vote on decisions.

3. A key element of democracy is that there is a separation of the institutions within, between government, parliament, and the courts of law.

4. Democracy is not a perfect form of government as it has many issues that make it difficult for proper representation of the people. These issues include the cost of running meaning the wealthy often find their way into office.

5. Athenians established the first democracy in 508-507 BC. The word ‘democracy’ meant ‘rule by the people’.

Instead of mimicking skin, I want the gritty, spotted clay to refer to all the elements that come together to make us who we are,” Harrison said.

In her most recent works, she has been utilizing salt as part of her art because salt is both beautiful and dangerous. Salt is a necessity for life, but in large quantities it is poisonous. “If you salt the Earth, nothing will grow. Tying into the history of salt as a marker of privilege,” Harrison said.

The goal with her art is to examine how her own privilege and how the privilege of others affects individuals with less privilege and she uses salt to express this. “The sculptures do not illustrate actual interactions; instead I place the figures in situations that get at the emotional impacts of privilege,” Harrison said on her website. Her art will be in the Helen S. Smith Gallery up until Nov. 8, so do not forget to check her selection of art. It is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday through Friday. There will also be a talk held with the artist on Nov. 8 from noon to 1 p.m. said the Helen S. Smith community page.

The gallery has been a pivotal element in the promotion of the arts here at GRC. As such, any artists or groups of artists are invited and welcome to showcase their artwork at the gallery. For

more information as to how to showcase work in the Helen Smith Gallery, please visit https://www. greenriver.edu/community/artgallery/call-for-artists/.

Matthew Belamaric | The Current

Clay sculpture by Aisha Harrison

Matthew Belamaric | The Current

Wire face made by Aisha Harrison

Matthew Belamaric | The Current

Photo of the Helen S. Smith Gallery displaying several works of art inside.

8

thecurrent

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

submisson

October 31, 2018

By: Christina Praggastis Staff Writer My son Jack is scared because he thinks he’s going to see the Halloween Knight tonight. He wants me to go with him, but I just told him he’ll be fine. What?

You’ve never heard of the Halloween Knight? Oh man, listen to this.

So was this kid I knew who lived just down that road on the farm, and from the moment I met him, he had always wanted to be a knight. Now, it’s the 21st century so making a knight costume would be super difficult, but he’d always been determined to be knight for Halloween.

He didn’t sew, and his mom was too busy all the time to show him how, so ho took matters into his own hands. He looked up some photos in the old children books his mom used to read him so he had a better understanding of how everything was supposed to look.

He used an old plastic jug for a

“He was proud of his work though and couldn’t really change anything because Halloween was just a day away.”

- Halloween Knight helmet, an old moldy sack as a vest, black long-sleeved shirt, and blue jeans with holes in the knees as his costume. He cut slits into the jug for his eyes and mouth and painted it black with red details. He cut holes in the sack for his arms and head, dyed it black and painted on—what he called a family crest he saw once in a children’s book.

But all I ever saw was a red blob.

He covered an old pair of sneakers with black fabric and strapped it together with red yarn.

Halloween Knight Once his own costume was finished he decided to make a decorative blanket for his horse using the same colors. His horse was a red-brown stallion, big and strong — perfect for a knight, he said.

He even made a lance, which was made up of fabric, cardboard, and red and black paint. When he had everything done he showed it to me — after I’d sworn to keep his secret, of course. He was a sight to see, for sure. He looked like a knight from a low budget film. He was proud of his work, though, and couldn’t really change anything because Halloween was just a day away.

When it had come time to go trick-or-treating on October 31, I went over to his house and knocked on the door. I heard a scurry of footsteps, and cat hissing, and then a thud followed by the soft sound of something falling. The door opened wide and I almost screamed. My friend was covered head to toe in white flour; his body was oddly disproportionate, so I figured he already had his costume on. I asked what happened, but he just choked out the word ‘cat’ and then came outside with me.

He slowly shut the door, and we hurried over to his barn. His horse was already wearing the blanket he’d made and his lance was resting in a corner of the stall.

It had been an ordeal getting him up with his costume on and he kept knocking flour off of himself onto his horse; the pair were both white by the time my friend was situated on his steed. We left his barn and started off down the street.

My friend kept his horse at a walk so I could keep up. The night had been misty, which added to the already spooky feel of the evening.

Everything was fine for the first few minutes, but then a car alarm went off and it spooked my friend’s horse. It reared up on its hind legs, and my friend thrust his lance into the air so it wouldn’t fall. He had

to cling to the horses neck so he wouldn’t fall off either. Just then a group of witches came into the street and all the girls screamed so loud they nearly made me jump out of my skin.

Everyone started coming out of there houses one by one, and they were all looking around trying to figure out what was going on.

My friend’s horse went berserk and started running around everywhere, weaving in and out of houses, trampling over lawns, and almost running over several groups of terrified trick-or-treaters.

that became stories and the stories became myths, but everyone who lived in the neighborhood at the time knew the story as quite real.

The first name he was known as was Ghost Rider, but a week after Halloween a girl referred to him as the Halloween Knight, and the name just stuck from then on.

And that’s the story behind the Halloween Knight. Super silly once you hear it, right? My eyes roll

when I hear the kids now-a-days getting all worried about seeing the knight. I’ve tried to explain the real origin of the knight story to Jack, but he just thinks I’m making it up.

I guess the truth is kind of ridiculous, but is it more so than a ghost story? I don’t know… Oh great. Excuse me, I have to go tear Jack away from my wife’s legs. Good seeing you, though. Tell the family I say hi.

“His parents were so mad that they grounded him for a year, but the look on his face rivaled that of the Cheshire cat when he heard everyone at lunch talking about him and his ride.”

-Halloween Knight What we all saw was a person white as a ghost riding an equally white horse. The mist had pooled around them, which made them seem to appear and disappear at random. Everyone thought my friend was a ghost rider.

I didn’t see him until the next day at school because we got separated, but he told me he made it home ok. His parents were so mad that they grounded him for a year, but the look on his face rivaled that of the Cheshire cat when he heard everyone at lunch talking about him and his ride. He was so happy that everyone was talking about how he’d nearly terrified everyone, that he didn’t care he’d been grounded.

Through the following years everyone became too scared to go trick-or-treating because of the ghost rider, though no one ever saw him again. There were rumors

Elsa Finkbeiner | The Current

The Halloween Knight with a low budget costume atop a horse.

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

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

opinion

thecurrent

9 October 31, 2018

Generation Z has a Lower Voter Turnout Than Older Generations By: Margo Mead Opinion Editor

These percentages show that the younger generations make up the majority of voters, making their The majority of young Amerdemographic a significant one. But icans have lower voting rates do they vote? than their predecessors and do The Phew Research Center not understand the importance also found that in 2014 that these of voting. younger generations accounted for Generation Z is defined by Ox53 percent of voters, yet the polls ford Dictionaries showed that they as “The gener“For our generation, it’s casted 21 million ation reaching votes than really important for us to fewer adulthood in the older generations. participate, and there’s not These numbers second decade of enough of us participating” express the signifthe 21st century, perceived as being icant number of - Mariam Heart, GRC Student generation X, Y, familiar with the internet from a and Z’s who do not very young age.” vote.

With generation Z are the millenWhy are younger generations not nials, or generation Y whose birth voting? It may be that generation Z year ranges from 1977 to 1995, and simply has a dislike for politics. those in generation X which have a In 2015 only 19 percent of birth range from 1995 to 1976.

Americans stated to have trust in According to the Phew Research their government and 55 percent Center, “59% of adults who are believed that ordinary Americans eligible to vote are gen Xers, Milcould do a better job according to lennials or ‘post-Millennials.’” Post the Phew Research Center.

Millennials being generation X, With a mindset like that, it is perthose born in 1996 or younger. haps hard for the younger genera-

tions to find politicians to willingly vote for and trust.

But what does Green River think about voting? Cameron Stewart, a student at Green River college, stresses the importance of voting in the upcoming midterm elections.

“Every vote counts in this election and in the next election, every vote just represents the people.” Stewart said on the topic .

Mariam Heart believes that “for our generation it’s really important for us to participate, and there’s not enough of us participating.”

Ballots are in and the last day to vote in this next midterm election will be Nov. 2.

“I’d say that the education on voting and who you’re voting for and where you really stand is more important than getting your ballot and just filling it out.” Heart said Hopefully generation Z will have higher voting numbers in the 2018 midterms than the past election.

The final day to vote is right around the corner. So spread the word on campus to paricipate in these upcoming midterms.

Graphic by Carolyn Belefski

Graphic encouraging citizens to vote in English and Sign Language..

Green River has a Number of Four Year Degrees, But Needs More By: Mario Pimentel Staff Writer

Green River College has started to obtain a number of four-year year degrees, but what is the plan moving forward?

As of this year, there are nine bachelor’s degrees at Green River, while many of these are in the technology department. There are a few that are in different departments, including one in the early childhood development and for forest resource management.

Now, of course, the college is planning to get more four-year degrees soon, but which ones will be next. Barry Robinson the Dean of Instruction for the Career and Technical Education, explains

that the way that a program gets a four-year degree is decided by the faculty and by the state.

The faculty has a meeting and a state representative, and they decide which is most important at that time. “At the last meeting, I said that nursing should be next.

They have been trying to get a fouryear for their students since spring,” Robinson said.

As of right now, nursing students at the college have three options.

They can get an AA in pre-nursing which is for transferring, an AAS in Practical Nursing, as well as a certificate for nursing assistant.

With no four year, if a student wants to go farther with their education they must transfer.

Even though this is the case the

state is unpredictable and things to a different school or university are always changing so there is no will be more expensive than Green way in know what program will be River College. They might have next in the list. the best program that a student is That is not the aiming for. Would only factor that “As of right now, we don’t that be worth it to will stop some student? have that many four de- the programs from “I would rather grees for students,” being chosen. stay here than go “We do have to the best school - Barry Robinson, Dean of limitations that because of that Instruction for the Career and one program, if would stop us Technical Education from getting a they had it. It is four-year for a more convenient certain program, we have to think and cheaper here,” Said Thomas about our budget and also who will Knowles a first year student here at teach that class,” Robinson said.

Green River.

Even if Green River did have There are many that would every four-year degree imaginable answer like this and would jump would students stay for it, there is at the chance to save thousands of that thought of status. While going dollars, but there are people that

are really set on going to the best school they can find.

“As of right now, we don’t have that many four degrees for students, most students that come here transfer to a four year. So, we try to help as much as we can, and we make articulations for each student depending on their plan,” Robinson said.

While it would be very convenient for students to have the option to stay and get their degrees here. The college is just not there yet, and this kind of stuff takes time and it was not too long ago that Green River was a community college. Hopefully there will be more improvements to come for the four year degree programs here at Green River College.

Photo by Pixabay

Picture of college graduates throwing their graduation caps at graduation.

10 October 31, 2018

opinion

thecurrent

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

Students and Instructors Give Perspectives on International Program Classes By: Chatwan Mong Staff Writer

participation, working in a group, critical thinking, and academic honesty. FFS is more like a menInternational students and tor-mentee system which has a instructors share completely different learning outcomes from it different perspectives on Intereach week. national Program classes.

Changes in students can be Every quarter, there are hundreds seen as the classes go by. “Stuof new international students and dents become more confident in all of them are required to take Inspeaking up over the course of the ternational Program classes, which quarter,” Carter said. The students include International Students themselves could also see those College Experience (ISCE) and changes, as Sakaya Kobayashi said Foundation for Success (FFS). she became friendlier through FFS. Green River ISCE gave ideas College’s interabout how to national program “There was a concern on cam- make plans for has been providing pus that international students transferring. these two classes weren’t well prepared to study in “FFS helps for six years. All the U.S., so this was designed to students with their new internationsecond quarter help them,” al students are class registration,” - Jamaica Moor, GRC Instructor said Seunggi Kang. required to take the classes. Several Despite stustudents say these dents’ opinions classes are unnecessary, but most that these classes are helpful, they teachers think that they should still think that they should be remain required. optional. “It is good to take but I When speaking to the instructors feel like it is better not to. It’s just of these classes, Mary Butcher, for making new friends if you want Beth Carter, and Jamaica Moor, friends,” said Migyeong Shim, who they say that preparing interhas been in the U.S. for seven years. national students for academic These two classes are to prepare success, acculturating them to the international students to be ready campus and the community are the for American educational system main purposes of those classes. but many of them have already “There was a concern on campus been in the system themselves. that international students weren’t Chang Hwi Kim said, “They don’t well prepared to study in the U.S., need to know stuff that they also this was designed to help them,” ready knew.” said Moor.

In response to those statements, ISCE provides concepts of class teachers make a point that gradu-

ating from high school in America does not mean that students know how to be successful in college because the high school environment and college environment are two completely different things.

“If you make something like a mentoring’ program optional, you’re going to have a very low engagement rate because a problem with mentoring is that people just assume right away that they don’t need anybody,” Butcher said.

It is hard to make a class that beneficial to everybody. “It’s like you have a big net and you’re catching a lot of fish in that net. Maybe not all of them are getting the same benefit but I think there are some benefits for everybody in there,” Butcher said, on the topic of the International Program classes.

International Program | Green River

International students taking a selfie

International Program | Green River

Photo of International students jumping in unison.

International Program | Green River

Photo of International students eating at a restaurant.

Student Opinions of the Difference Between Uncomfortable vs Unsafe Discussion By: Danielle Kim Staff Writer

As means of communication becomes more easily accessible, students are more aware of various social issues than ever before. With that privilege, many other things come along as well--both progressive and toxic for people.

What is free speech? How do we define it? The first amendment of our nation’s government gives us the right to voice our opinions as long as it does not harm others or cause a public disturbance.

Humans are social creatures, so intercommunication is vital for our society to thrive successfully. This means we need to hear from all perspectives, including the ones we don’t agree with.

The real questions of the matter come to the table when we are faced with opinions that may repulse us or find an issue with: are the words we’re hearing making us feel unsafe or uncomfortable? How can we judge when a conversation becomes too dangerous and remove ourselves from any harm? Is having a discussion with the other side even worth it in the first place?

The first step we can take into

consideration is the definition of another person. said Jenna Malone, a student at the two words, unsafe and uncomThese conversations can often be Green River College and secretary fortable, in order to truly underuncomfortable and feel reluctant to of the Queers and Allies Club. She stand the differences between these even engage in respectful, two-sidrecounted that the person who had said those words to her, also told two deciding qualities. ed discussions with one another Merriam-Webster’s dictionary because it can often feel meaningher that he loved her regardless in defines the word unsafe as “able or less. However, it is imperative for the eyes of his god. “In that discussion, I asked him why he would be likely to cause harm, damage, or people to have the ability to listen loss,” while uncomfortable is deto various perspectives in order to condemning people to hell on a campus when he could be out truly fined officially as “causing discombe an effective member of society. fort or annoyance.”

Just because someone respectfully making a difference by helping Unfortunately, with the rapid listens, doese not mean they have those in need.” integration of political advocacy to agree with the other side.

During their interviews, many within the commonplace of our “I can remember being told to students agreed that having conworld, the public sphere is becommy face that I’d go to hell because versations with an individual who ing more and more intolerant of of the people I love, on campus,” has opposing views was important what we would usually and shared different call ‘the other side’. perspectives on what point they We’ve become more divided as a public, and thought speech seems to become that’s not necessarily a good thing for social harmful. progression.

Seryna Kittelson, Generation Z or another student who attends Green anyone born after 1995 and Millennials River College, said that she thinks it’s are all about accepting individuality, but best to trust your conflicting ideologies gut even if you and differing perspecknow the person. “If you feel unsafe then tives make it inevitable for people to find the conversation themselves in a heated Max Pixel is unsafe. The moPhoto symbolizing communication between many people. ment anyone starts conversations with

threatening you or being overwhelmingly rude is when I believe the conversation becomes unsafe not only physically but mentally and emotionally.”

Green River College student and previous employee, Krishna Srini, also had valuable insight on the fine line between an unsafe conversation versus a productive, but an uncomfortable one.

“Free action and free speech actually go hand in hand,” he said.

“The Constitution says that any American has the right to act freely, so long as it doesn’t inhibit another American’s right to act freely. The same concept can be applied to free speech, you may speak freely so long as it does not inhibit another’s right to their free speech.”

It is imperative for, not only students, but society to encourage the act of respectful and safe conversations with the other side and to be aware of when a conversation escalates into something that could become harmful.

Even when something seems so concrete through reason, the ability to acknowledge other perspectives is a skill that is not only valuable to your academic life but the progression of society

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

sports

thecurrent

11 October 31, 2018

Impressive Green River Mens Cross Country Team Prepares for Regionals By: Kaelyn Walls Staff Writer This year’s Green River College (GRC) Cross Country team has had a good season so far, and Coach Robert Bartholomew expects that trend to continue.

GRC’s cross-country program restarted in 2009 and has since looked to recruit talented student athletes to compete with them on an intercollegiate varsity level.

With six meets listed on the schedule for the 2018 season, the team is hard at work, with the important upcoming meets in mind.

The team has attended several meets so far, and is currently preparing for regionals. With one remaining meet, the team is focusing on the approaching Northwest Athlestic Conference (NWAC) championships. Coach Robert Bartholomew anticipates that the Men’s team could be regional

for us currently is winning regionchampions, as long as they continals, and being a contender in the ue to work hard and focus on their NWAC championships.” upcoming races.

The season has gone well up to For the past three years, the Men’s this point, with runners improvteam has taken second place in ing their times in every race. The regional championships. They have team has built up a good bond as been working for the whole season they’ve worked together in previous so far to improve and possinly take practices and meets, Bartholomew first. The women’s team, however, reported, and is short in numhas learned to bers this year, and rely on and feed because of the lack of runners, off each other “Any given day there could be rather than the women’s team someone different. The team is a placing emphahave yet to earn a pack and they have learned over sis on specific team score. the course of the year that they are individuals.

Meets over the as strong as the weakest link,” The team’s course of the -Coach Robert Bartholomew season so far have biggest fault to this point has not been particbeen the lack of ularly notable. numbers in the women’s team.

On those meets and the upcoming Bartholomew also said that repchampionships, Bartholomew said, resenting Green River in a positive “There were no notable meets, we use the meets as a practice to way is a big focus with the team; they do their best to represent the prepare for the ultimate goal which

Green River Cross Country Team | Greenriver.edu

Coach Robert Barholomew (back right corner) with Cross Country Team. college and team “the Gator Way.” “Any given day there could be someone different. The team is a pack and they have learned over the course of the year that they are as strong as the weakest link,”

Bartholomew said.

The NWAC Championship is on Nov. 10 at St. Martins University in Lacey, Washington. More information about the event can be found at nwacsports.org.

Classes and Opportunites at the Recreational and Athletic Center By: Justice Eftafo Staff Writer

The Recreational and Athletic Center (RAC) is a non-academic means to exercise on campus; offering an open gym along with a wide variety of recreational sports and group fitness classes.

Located in the Mel Lindbloom Student Union building, everything that the RAC provides is free to all students. “You have to be a Green River student… and affiliated with Green River College in order to utilize their programs and partake in all their events.” RAC coordinator Rob Pedicone said. The only exception would be the faculty and staff members. Faculty and staff are eligible to purchase a $50 quarterly pass that is made available to them.

The schedule for the classes and events available throughout the

year can be found online in the RAC section of the Green River College (GRC) website. But the general hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

The recreational team sports and group fitness classes happen in between this allotted time frame.

“Every single day throughout the week the RAC has one or two classes,” said Pedicone.

The recreational sports and the gym are available all quarter long, but the group fitness classes as stated by Pedicone “typically start the second week of the quarter and will go till the week before finals.” There are no requirements or registration needed to participate in these physical classes, so there’s nothing that

students must do in advance.

There is a selection of gym equipOver at the RAC they believe ment, from weights to machines, in the holistic wellness and pride even including a punching bag. themselves as being a commuThe RAC is funded through nity. There student fees are plenty as well as of games the student “It’s a way to meet other students of pickup government basketball, through and learn good technique through volleyball, budget certified trainers, especially with badminton, allocation. the high intensity training and ping pong, The RAC’s weightlifting programs,” and soccer. purpose -Rob Pedicone There are also is to serve tournaments students and leagues by making for teams that physical are made available to all students. activity openly accessible while also Even though the RAC provides supplying them with more opporGRC with non-league sports there tunities to participate in a number are other recreational activities that of physical programs. become more prominent given the “It’s a way to meet other students popular demand. and learn good technique through

certified trainers, especially with the high intensity training and weightlifting programs,” said Pedicone when describing the benifits of the RAC. A wide variety of classes are hosted in order to meet the demands of the student population. And the RAC has classes like intro to hip hop dance, yoga, high intensity training, and other classes that are taught by certified instructors.

It promotes a healthy culture and could be used to manage stress.

This enables students to participate in some of their favorite sports or something new.

The RAC offers many services, exercise equipment, fitness instructors and full-service locker rooms.

The RAC is closed during most federal holidays. Visit Greenriver. edu for more details.