Issue 3 Volume 54

thecurrent the student newspaper of green river college

November 20, 2019

www.thegrcurrent.com

issue 3 volume 54

The Diverse Ways GRC Students Celebrate Thanksgiving pg. 2

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2 November 20, 2019

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Students Give Thanks In Their Own Unique Ways By: Kylee Mcmanus Staff Writer

Green River College is home to a diverse body of students who all spend their Thanksgiving holiday in various ways.

Thanksgiving is an American holiday that is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every November. Its origin comes from a communal feast between the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians in 1691. President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.

While there is the typical tradition of gathering with family and feasting on turkey and pumpkin pie, not everyone spends their Thanksgiving in this way.

Akash Bhardwaj, a student at the college, takes the four-day weekend as an opportunity to travel to Eastern Washington with his immediate family for small vacation.

Bhaget Subedi, another student, plays flag football with his friend’s religious organization in the morning, then spends the rest of the day with his family.

David Ross-Lyons, yet another student at the college, follows a different schedule for the holiday in order to make sure his whole family is included. “Every year, my family has our Thanksgiving dinner

the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, because my mom works on Thanksgiving. My immediate family gets together and eats food,” Ross-Lyons said.

Not everyone follows the same Thanksgiving traditions, but this does not take away from the meaning and love the holiday is capable of when it is celebrated with loved ones of all kinds. Thanksgiving is not only a time for people to come together and share a filling meal. It is also a time to show gratitude towards what they have in their lives.

“I love Thanksgiving because it’s

a reason for all my family members to fly in and be together and appreciate the people in our lives,” said Mckenna Peters, yet another tudent at the collge. While some students celebrate Thanksgiving through a more sentimental lens, others simply enjoy the break. “I enjoy Thanksgiving because there’s no school,” Bhardwaj said.

While most domestic students are able spend time with their families over the break, not all international students get to go see their families during Thanksgiving since they are so far from home. To help

Elsa Finkbeiner | The Current

these students feel included, the Campus Corner Apartments holds an annul harvest festival, which is on Thursday Nov. 28 this year.

Daniel Arisa, the student leader in charge of the event, recognized that most of the students who stay on campus during the holiday are international students, and that they all have their own forms of celebrating Thanksgiving.

“The harvest festival is an event [that is] meant to give students in the Campus Corner Apartments the opportunity the celebrate Thanksgiving as the form of harvest festival,” Arisa said.

Due to Green River College’s food policies, Arisa explained that they will not be able to serve traditional Thanksgiving food, but there will be activities such as card making, plate painting, clay modeling, Chinese calligraphy, and more.

“We just want a space where the Campus Corner Apartment students can celebrate their local harvest festivals [and share] their culture with other students from other cultures,” Arisa said.

Green River College will be closed over the holiday so students and staff can celebrate with their loved ones. Evening classes are cancelled on Wednesday, Nov. 27, and there is no class on Thursday, Nov. 28, and Friday, Nov. 29.

The Campus Corner Apartments Makes Students Feel at Home By: Taylor Bailey Staff Writer

The Campus Corner Apartments at Green River College leave some residents satisfied, and others wanting more.

The college’s website has a lot of information available for those interested in student housing.

Plenty of amenities, furnishing and utilities come with the housing and all service fees are included in the quarterly charge of around $2,385.

There are two living options offered at the Campus Corner Apartments. Students can live in either a townhouse or in apartment units that can be shared by up to four students. With the chance of having up to three roommates, students take this opportunity to make more friends.

“I also got to meet a lot of new international students like myself,” said Sara Badirkhanova, a resident of CCA. According to the website, the people at CCA work to create a welcoming environment for the students who wish to live there.

However, some students have yet to feel that warm welcome they have been hearing so much about.

“If you make proper friends, I recommend moving somewhere else,” said Changmin Oh, another resident. “In fact, I’ve had one bad experience and there are quite a few constrictions here that sometimes make me uncomfortable.”

Connor O’Boyle | Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

thecurrent Green River College 12401 SE 320th St., Mailstop: SU Auburn, WA 98092-3699 NEWSROOM DIRECT LINE 253-288-3457 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dakota Farnsworth thecurrent.EditorinChief@ mail.greenriver.edu 253-508-2555 ext. 2375 MANAGING EDITOR ONLINE MANAGER Taylor Robertson thecurrent.SocialMediaManager@ mail.greenriver.edu CAMPUS EDITOR Connor O’Boyle thecurrent.Campus@ mail.greenriver.edu A&E EDITOR Amy Carpenter thecurrent.AE@mail.greenriver.edu OPINION EDITOR Maddie Farnsworth thecurrent.Opinion@mail. greenriver.edu SPORTS EDITOR Efrain Pardo thecurrent.Sports@mail.greenriver. edu PHOTOGRAPHER Rakesh Kommanagunta mkommanagumta2@mail. greenriver.edu LAYOUT EDITOR Dee Senaga thecurrent.PageLayout@mail. greenriver.edu GRAPHIC DESIGNER Elsa Finkbeiner efinkbeiner@mail.greenriver.edu

Dakota Farnsworth| The Current

A red car driving past the Campus Corner Apartments located across the street from the back side of the Student Union.

While the CCA does offer Wi-Fi to all residents, students have noted several issues. “Big con, the Wi-Fi often stops suddenly for 4 or 5 seconds,” said Tine Ebering, another resident. “[Very] inconvenient [for] when you want to phone or video chat someone.”

The CCA recognizes this issue.

They explained that by using their network, the student must share bandwidth with the other residents, which results in slow but free internet connection.

Students have also had other negative experiences while residing on campus. “We were in a friend’s apartment and a stranger knocked on the door to ask if he can hide from the police in our apartment,” said Bloemhof, another resident.

However, residents of the CCA have also had positive experiences

as well. Easy access to the campus and having friends close by are just a few of the perks all provided by student housing. The apartments are known to have a supportive community, and while some have had some bad experiences, lots of students feel right at home.

“It’s safe to walk around on CCA ground, even during the night,” said Bloemhof.

The CCA offers free events to all residents every Friday on campus.

They also ask that residents join the Student Leadership to make life more enjoyable for others living there. “There are many activities that Resident assistants set up on a weekly basis such as free meals, movie nights and game nights,” said Badirkhanova.

The CCA has a free cleaning service that ncludes a free technician

to help with repairs. “Our sink and dishwasher had to be fixed,” said Ebering. “But honestly a big pro is that we can place work orders and a technician fixes things for free.”

Green River College’s Student Housing, as with anything, comes with its positives and negatives to be weighed. It comes down to what is most important to the student.

STAFF WRITERS:

Abdi Sidali, Chris Sundet, Connor Upton, Emelia Songras-Rosales, Gianna Aubin Pinti, Halley Swindle, Jadelyn Castro, Jessi Zamorano-Saucedo, Kamea Primacio, Kylee McManus, Lance Simons, Macie Jean Walker, Marian Mohamed, Romeo Buckley, Samantha Olguin, Tatiana Vila-Ferreri, Taylor Bailey, Valentin Dreher

Corrections

If you find a factual error or simply a name spelled Macieincorrectly, Jean’s full name isplease actually MacieusJean contact at: Walker.

- editor@thegrcurrent.com - 253-288-3457 - or find us OEB 17

Dakota Farnsworth| The Current

The wooden sign of Campus Corner.

Connor O’Boyle| Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

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Students Share How They Celebrate Veteran’s Day

3 November 20, 2019

My Fallen Hero

By: Anonymous Green River Student

My Fallen Hero As he puts on his shoes, he prepares to take the next big step in his life.

When sent to war he left his friends, family, and Fife.

He is a boy who is young and afraid, with life changing decisions that had to be made.

R. Nial Bradshaw

A man in a winter coat and hat sticks small American flags into the snowy ground of a veteran memorial. Other volunteers help him with the work.

By: Halley Swindle Staff Writer Last Monday marked Veterans Day, a time when the American people pay their respects to those who have sacrificed so much to serve our country.

Joshua Studeman, a Green River College student, was an active member of the Marine Corps for four years before he started going to school here. He explained that Veterans Day is celebrated differently while working on base in active duty.

“Our usual celebration is a unit get together officially dubbed Mess Nights, [where] the entire Battalion will meet in a specified uniform,” Studeman said. “There are hierarchical structures like the president of the mess,

vice president of the mess, plus honorable guests as special guest speakers.”

According to Studeman, the Mess Nights event has been a Veteran’s tradition for around 200 years now. Since he became an inactive soldier, Studeman started a new tradition of sorts. “I like to attend Veteran’s Day parades while wearing a red poppy in remembrance,” Studeman said. “I don’t see this as a day about me but instead [a day] for others around me.”

Ryan Weber, a student at GRC, is not a veteran himself but has many family members who are. His family traditions for this important day has been celebrated since he was a boy. “My parents didn’t serve but I definitely came from a military family,” Weber said.

Growing up, Weber was taught to recognize all the sacrifices our soldiers make for America to protect the rights we have today.

“To celebrate my family members who have served, all of my family members spend dinner together at one house,” Weber said.

“We spend all night discussing our favorite memories together and one freedom we are thankful to have because of our veterans.”

Both Weber and Studeman celebrate Veteran’s day in different ways, but still share the same values of respect and honor for those who have served.

The significance of remembering Veterans, and the sacrifices they made for our country, is expressed in in the following poem written by one of our fellow students:

Green River Shares its Love For Student and Staff Veterans By: Chris Sundet Staff Writer

Green River for two months but has previous experience in Veteran Services at the University of Washington Tacoma. She also served in the Air Force before coming to GRC. “I’ve seen students transform themselves from a military veteran to a student, with the potential to reshape their lives based on what they have learned from their programs of study,” Mason said. Mason also recently spoke with a student veteran with the primary goal of teaching urban sustainability.

Veteran services provide a Veteran Lounge, located in Student Affairs on the second floor. The Veteran Lounge can assist student and staff veterans to locate community resources and foster comradery through veteran events and service projects such as

Auburn’s Veterans Tribute Banner Program, Auburn’s Veterans Day Parade, and the annual Challenge Coin Ceremony.

Green River College is also home to many other staff members who have served. Manila Mercurio, a program specialist and school certifying official has spent 12 years with the college and served in the Navy prior to arriving at Green River College. Work-study students Dwayne Curtis and Tyler Parson at Veteran Services are also veterans.

The V.A. mission statement is to fulfill Lincoln’s promise: “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan”. This can be done by honoring and giving thanks to the men and women who have served our country.

Green River College and Veterans Affairs provide many benefits for student veterans such as education, vocational training, and an on-campus lounge.

On Monday of last week, the campus was closed in honor of Veterans Day, which to a lot of students is simply another excuse to sleep in. It is still important, however, to remember why students get Nov. 11 off in the first place. In fact, Green River has many of its own veterans that go to school here.

“V.A. Education Benefits Certifications were completed by 531 students for the 2018/19 school year,” said Jamie Hatleberg, the director of student support services.

She has been in charge of Veteran Services for around nine years under the leadership of Dr. Deborah Casey, the vice president of student affairs at the college.

The veterans that attend Green River College also receive benefits from Veteran Affairs. Some V.A. benefits include healthcare coverage and rehabilitation, disability compensation, education, vocational training, retirement pension, and more.

“Here at the college if [we are] talking about veteran services, our department focuses on that education benefit. We help eligible students understand these complicated regulations involved in receiving their funding,” Haleberg said.

Chris Sundet| The Current Kris Mason, a program specialist and Pictured from left to right: Dwayne Curtis, Manila Mercurio, Kris Mason, and Jamie Hatleberg. school certifying official, has been with

As the sun went down he would close his eyes, and enter a place free from screams and cries.

As he entered the room tears ran from my eye.

I treasured this moment, couldn’t imagine goodbye.

He told me things that clearly painted thoughts into my head.

He descriptively told me stories.

I listened to every word he said.

The sadness in his voice when he told me of his friends at war.

How his best friend was described, a man he would see no more.

Who knew the cost of freedom could be so terrible, the loss of loved ones is completely unbearable.

Only a week was spent with him until he left again.

Ready to continue serving our country with all the other men.

This time it didn’t end in the same way.

We got a message promptly saying he wasn’t coming home soon, let alone any day.

I hope I never forget, all those little things.

All those feelings within me, the thought of you brings.

The remembrance of my veteran is a thing I often do.

When it comes to all the veterans I have two words for them, Thank You!

Elsa Finkbeiner | The Current

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November 20, 2019

Campus Crime Blotter Campus Safety responded to the following incidents from October 15 to October 22 among others.

All information is from Campus Safety incident reports.

10/23/19 4 p.m.

Salish Hall Stalking

Stalking. A student reported that another student was being stalked on campus.

10/24/19 12:31 p.m.

Campus Corner Theft

A student reported money taken from a table at Campus Corner Apartments.

10/25/19 6:21 p.m.

Student Union Theft.

Weapon Possession. A student had a realistic replica weapon at Student Union.

10/28/19 9:27 a.m.

Gator Grill.

Theft.

Theft. A staff reported a student walking out of the Gator Grill without paying.

10/30/19 12:33 p.m. Holman Student Union Loitering

Disorderly Conduct. A non-student was being disruptive n the Student Union.

11/4/19 2:26 p.m.

Campus Corner.

Underage Drinking.

A staff member reported alcohol found in an apartment of (1) one underage student.

11/4/19 3:07 p.m.

Campus Corner.

Holman Library.

Dating Violence. A staff reported two (2) students involved in a domestic violence outside of Holman Library.

11/6/19 2:55 p.m.

Parking Lot 15.

Theft.

Attempted Burglary to Motor Vehicle. A student reported his vehicle was broken into in parking lot 15.

11/6/19 2:43 p.m.

Parking Lot 15.

Theft.

11/6/19 2:00 p.m.

Parking Lot 8.

Vandalism.

Connor O’Boyle | Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

Work Study Positions Help Students By: Lance Simons Staff Writer

Green River College provides an opportunity for students to work on campus in order to help pay for their tuition, financial aid, or other ammenities.

Among the many extracurricular options at Green River, a large variety of on campus jobs are available to students. Natalya Bronitskiy, who specializes in Student Employment at the college, had a lot to stay about the WorkStudy program offered at the college.

A work-study is a college program that allows students to work a part or full time job as an option to help pay for financial aid or act as a source of income to cover some of their tuition, books, or other amenities. The process is student employment at the college has a few steps in order to complete.

Bronitskiy explained that a student can begin by creating a personal Gator Jobs account.

Once this is finished, the student would also have to have a FASFA account in order to apply for a work-study. “Once a work-study is applied for, the position would have a certain amount of funds available to the individual job,” Bronitskiy said.

In other words, the student can work a job until its funds run out. When the funds reach their limit, the student will have to wait typically until the next quarter for when more money is available. Bronitskiy stressed that a student should select a job that they could work for the necessary amount of time and not have the position reach its fund limit.

Green River offers a variety of jobs in multiple different settings. “A student can choose to work full time or part time,” Bronitskiy said. However, varying jobs may be restricted to only one of the two.

The requirements necessary to apply for a student job is to be enrolled at the college with six or more credits worth of classes. The students will receive King County minimum wage which equates to $12.60 an hour.

“Jobs are fairly flexible because the student’s main focus is education. The student jobs are built around the schedule of the student to better benefit them,” said Bronitsky.

Some of the positions students can choose from may include the front desk attendant, bookstore assistant, instructional aid, and office assistant. The field of study that a particular student is enrolled in may open opportunities for jobs unavailable to others who are not in a particular program.

For example, Bronitskiy explained that a student in a bachelor’s program may have more unique job opportunities since they are studying longer than a students that are in the associate’s program.

To go into detail of what a typical part time student job may entail, an office assistant is a popular example. An office assistant working in the financial aid department of the college would work Monday through Thursday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The job offers 11 to 16 hours per week and is based on campus.

The office assistant is in charge of tasks such as filing papers, and clerical support. The minimal qualifications for the job include basic computer skills, a knowledge of Microsoft office, and a good attention to detail This job and similar positions may be perfect for students in need of financial aid.

With nearly endless opportunities for student jobs at Green River, students are able to get the financial support they need with the convenient work-study program. Natalya Bronitskiy can be contacted in the Financial Aid department for further details.

The One Book Program Explores Immigration By: Melinda Enlow Staff Writer

Attemtped Burglary to Motor Vehicle. A student reported his vehicle was brroken into in parking lot 15.

Vandalism. A student initially reported an auto accident, on 11-082019 found to be a Vandalism- scratches found on the hood of vehicle.

11/7/19 3:33.

Parking Lot 2.

Hit and Run.

A student reported his vehicle was hit while parked in parking lot 2.

11/12/19 2:30 p.m.

SA. Assault.

Harassment/Assault. A student was reported for harassing and assaulting another student on campus.

One Book is a common-read program at Green River College that ties community, classroom and other world issues together to empower people.

All the books featured in the One Book Program reflect current social concerns with a different topic each year. “Can you imagine the conversations we could have with each other if we all read the same book?” said Jody Segal, faculty librarian who leads the One Book Program at the college.

The inspiration for One Book came from Nancy Pearl, the creator of the nationally recognized program “If All of Seattle Read the Same Book”. Katy Dichter brought One Book to life at Green River College in 2008 using a grant from the Washington State Library.

All One Book committees are made up by Green River College faculty members on a volunteer basis. Each year the committee thinks about what is happening in the world and what students can learn about together.

In previous years the college has covered topics like civil rights and homeland secure The Green River College mission statement is reflected in the themes chosen for the One Book topics. They work towards teaching current social concerns so students can be successful in a diverse community. Megan Rodrigues, a former student at University of Washington participated in a common-read program during her studies there.

Valentin Dreher| The Current

Guest Speakers talking at the One Book event.

She recalls the community encounter as “a a great way to dive into a good book and learn about pressing issues while combining the comprehension and insight of peers in the community,” Rodrigues said.

This year the One Book Program chose two books: “Stories by Undocumented Youth” and “Behold the Dreamers”, by Imbolo Mbue. Stories by Undocumented Youth is a collection of 30 stories sent in from undocumented youth and they describe the challenges they faced with turning 18.

Behold the Dreamers is a novel that provides a glimpse on the troubling hardships immigrants face to find a better life of opportunity. There will be a series of lectures and workshops on immigration, borders, and the power of telling one’s story at the college on Feb. 19 of next year.

Students can pick up free copies of One Book stories by Imbolo Mbue at the Holman Library while supplies last.

campus Undocumented Immigrants Share Their Stories With GRC

Connor O’Boyle | Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

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November 20, 2019

Valentin Dreher| The Current

Georgina Pacheco on the Green River College campus during her interview with Valentin Dreher.

By: Valentin Dreher This quarter, Pacheco enrolled at Green River for the first time. She says registering Staff Writer for the college was not easy. “I was first told Georgina Pacheco left her childhood home that because I am not a U.S. citizen, I would in Yucatan, Mexico, at age nine to pursue a have to pay the significantly higher out-ofbetter life in the United States. state tuition,” she said. “I had to explain Her parents decided that there was a better uncomfortably that I have been living in life for their family in the United States, so this state for almost three decades. I feel like they got on a Greyhound bus and crossed the some staff members could be more sensitive border with their three kids -- on a tourist towards people like me.” visa. “Leaving my old neighborhood and the Pacheco has big plans with her college friends of my childhood tore my heart apart,” degree. She is planning to go to law school Pacheco said. “Up to this day, I cannot ride a and study human rights to strengthen the Greyhound bus without feeling nauseous.”

Latino community. “If we do not know our Pacheco has never seen the town of her childhood again. For 28 years she has tried to rights, they will be taken away,” she said. “In my political science class, I have learned that build a life in the U.S. as an undocumented change is made by the oppressed. And Latiimmigrant. She is now 37 and lives in Kent nos are the scapegoats of the 21st Century.” with her three children.

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Before entering the law, however, Pacheco is determined to affect change at Green River.

She is advocating to establish new programs to help undocumented students thrive.

“Green River has a program to assist first-generation college students. But undocumented students are not eligible for this program because it is financed through federal funds,” Pacheco said.

Elizabeth Rangel, coordinator at the Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, speaks on her position in supporting undocumented students like Pacheco. “We have resources in my department to help assist our undocumented students,” said Rangel. By enrolling in a college, Pacheco is taking a step that only a few undocumented students are willing to take. According to the U.S. Department of Education, just 5 to 10 percent of undocumented high school graduates are able tp pursue higher education.

An undocumented immigrant who is yet to take this step is Claudia Flores. She attended a panel discussion at Green River, part of the college’s “One Book” series on undocumented immigration earlier this month. Flores explained that she understood what it meant to be undocumented when she graduated from high school.

“I just realized: ‘Oh, I can’t get this job, I can’t get into this university,’” she said. “I am not pursuing higher education right now because that would mean I would have to jump through another hoop to get enrolled.”

Pacheco knows these problems from her community. She said that a lot of well

educated but undocumented immigrants get discouraged by the United State’s strict employment laws. One of the most popular policies to try and mend this is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. “A friend of mine has a college degree as a medical assistant, but she does not qualify for DACA, so she is staying home all day, finds no purpose and therefore suffers from depression,” Pacheco said. Without being admitted to DACA, working in the US is illegal for undocumented immigrants.

Pacheco herself has experienced how hard it can be to succeed at a college as an immigrant without papers. “Getting a college degree has been hard for me,” she said. “In the past ten years, I tried to go back to college three times. At some point, there was just not enough money to pay for tuition.”

Pacheco took one step towards her academic success when she applied for DACA in 2016. She recounted that the financial aid department at Green River College has been extremely beneficial in providing funds for her to pay tuition as a DACA recipient.

She hopes that her children, who are all American citizens, will have easier access to higher education. Sure enough, her daughter is apart of the GRC running start program.

Pacheco believes that education can make society better. “Education can empower people to give back to society. It also decreases poverty and violence at the same time.” Pacheco is highly motivated to finish her degree at Green River, regardless of all the obstacles she faces as an undocumented immigrant.

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Amy Carpenter | A&E Editor thecurrent.ae@mail.greenriver.com www.thegrcurrent.com

Liya Khimochka Finds Love in Many Different Art Styles

Liya Khimochka A picture of the artist Liya Khimochka

“And today I am still exploring and trying to get better at capturing beautiful moments.”

Khimochka chose to attend Green River after one of her friends told her about the positive experiences she had at the school.

So far, Khimochka is also enjoying her experience at Green River.

In Art 111 Khimochka got to discover her love of painting and getting to experiment with different mediums for the first time.

“I have never used oil paints before, this is so much fun [for] me, learning how to mix the colors correctly and painting from life objects,” Khimochka said. “I would never have done this by myself, but now that I know the steps to take with painting I will want to try this on my own.”

Following this path of learning new ways to create art, Khimochka decided to take Art 114 this quarter, which deals with pottery.

By: Connor Upton Staff Writer Liya Khimochka is a 29-year-old student at Green River College who is studying for an Associate in Fine Arts Degree.

She is currently exploring design as an area of art to express herself, something which stemmed from taking Sarah Dillon Gillmartin’s 109 illustration class. The class focuses on digital design, which Khimochka is very excited about.

“The fact that I can design my drawings and make them digital and add my own unique style, it excites me,” Khimochka said. “I love designs with beautiful illustrations, this is something I would love to create myself.”

From a very young age, Khimochka has had a love of drawing which has stayed with her throughout her life. Her love of photography started when she was 15, where she took pictures with her sister’s camera.

“I would get so excited taking pictures of plants from the garden,” Khimochka said.

Liya Khimochka

“This is a lot of fun for me because I used to play around a lot with air clay and polymer clay at home, where I would create little charms and toys,” Khimochka said. “Being able to work with this clay is so much better than what I had at home because there was a lot more of it and the shapes that I would build would not fall apart.”

Khimochka does drawing, painting, photography, pottery, and design. It’s clear to that she has a love for many different types of art. Though Khimochka is not quite sure what she wants to do next, she does know that she wants to continue learning and improving her art skills.

One work that she was particularly proud of was her final drawing in the Art 105 class, which she took this past summer. The drawing depicted a miniature house during the Christmas season.

“I learned so much in that class and gained more confidence in my sketching,” Khimochka said.

Khimochka also talked about a 3D design class she once took, and how she found it both fun and challenging at the same time.

“It was not easy because I would have to search for objects that would fit to how I envisioned my design to look, but at the end I was amazed to come up with something so unique,” Khimochka said.

“What was really cool about this was looking at the sculptures that everyone created, you could see them come alive as an animation.” Khimochka said. This class really helped me visualize my own work, something that was always difficult for me.”

Some of Khimochka’s work will be on display in the new Helen S. Smith Gallery exhibition called Sin Título. The Gallery will have student artwork from the Art 180 class.

Ths class gives students the means to develop a rich portfolio of artwork, which will now be on display for people to go in and see.

“I am a little surprised that my work is in the gallery,” Khimochka said.

“When I took this class I knew that I was going to make a portfolio of my work but I never expected a gallery.” Khimochka said.

I am really grateful for this chance to learn how to make a professional portfolio and to be included in a gallery. This experience is really helping me grow as an artist.”

Khimocha uses her artwork to both express herself and to show the world her beautiful and creative side.

Liya Khimochka

Liya Khimochka

Green River College Students are Learning To Express Themselves Through Art By: Marian Mohamed Staff Writer

Dakota Farnsworth | The Current

Green River College gives students the opportunity to express themselves through their art classes by giving them a creative outlet to present their art.

At the Helen S. Smith Gallery in the Holman Library, there is an an exhibition that opened Nov. 14. This exhibition holds many pieces of creative artwork from art students at Green River College.

Each piece of art expresses a beautiful concept or moment through ceramics, paintings, drawings, and photography.

Jasmine RoseMary Bush is one of the photographers for the student exhibition.

Her goal was to get people to do more than just look at her image and move on to the next one in the gallery.

“If you just put an image on the wall, a person looks at it and their done looking at it,” Bush said. “I have it so people have to come up to it and they have to scroll through the images and see what’s on it like a scroll.”

Bush wants her work to have the viewer more invested in the colors and models of her photos. The images are on a conveyor [belt] in order to give the feeling of being on Instagram scrolling through images. She’s

showing her identity and creative process through her photos. Yet there are moments where Bush feels stuck with the demands of being a full-time student while also working.

“I’m a full time dental assistant and I’m going to school full time but I also work for creative services part time.” Bush said. “I’m surrounded by a lot of creative things but I also feel suffocated because I don’t have very much time to be creative. So my personality comes through in my photo shoots.”

Bush is able to put herself in these photos and even though they may seem like any other picture they are also apart of her identity. In the world that Bush would want her photos associated with, discovery wouldn’t be so difficult.

“I want somebody to see my work and see that I’m already established and I’m already a photographer and I’m already on my way.

That I’m just putting my images together for someone to view not really for somebody to find me.” Bush said.

Art classes here at Green River College have given a platform for students to showcase their identity and imagination.

Bush is among the many students who have freely expressed who they are without any judgement or negativity.

Dakota Farnsworth | The Current

Amy Carpenter | A&E Editor thecurrent.ae@mail.greenriver.com www.thegrcurrent.com

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7 November 20, 2019

The Helen S. Smith Gallery Presents the Sin Título Exhibition

Dakota Farnsworth | The Current

By: Tatiana Vila-Ferreri Staff Writer Sarah Dillon Gillmartin’s Art 180 students have come together to present their art in the new exhibition Sin Título.

Sin Título is a collection of the work that students have done for Art 180. This is the capstone visual arts class and is typically taken by students that are thinking about a serious career in art. Sin Título is a presentation of these student’s portfolios, as part of their course is learning how to prepare their art for public presentation.

Art 180 is also called The Artist’s Portfolio, and is specifically tailored to teach up and coming art students how to put together their best work into a portfolio This is done

at a professional level, as students are also taught what is needed to complete their portfolio. They learn the tools and tips they need to be able to show their art in a way that will make it the best it can look.

Each piece is accompanied by a journal or cards for the observers of the gallery to share their thoughts, opinions, and criticism with the artist, inviting everyone to comment on the art. This also helps students as another manner of professionalism in the student’s ability to take constructive criticism.

According to Gillmartin, the students voted on the title for the art gallery themselves. “[Sin Título] means ‘without a title’,” Gillmartin said. “Their show is very diverse as they are very diverse, they chose to not give themselves a label.”

Sin Título is a presentation of the artist’s work done for the school, organized for the audience of Green River students. However the students have created these portfolios not only for their presentation here but also for other colleges and university consideration.

“I like the creative presentation approach that Jasmine Bush took for the interactive display of her photography on the back wall,” Gillmartin said.

Jasmine Bush is just one of the 21 artists listed on the flyer for Sin Título, so there will be plenty of art to see, ranging from all media styles and coming from all walks of life. From photography to drawings and paintings, the Sin Título exhibition is a diverse showcasing of Green River’s art students and their wide range of talented creativity.

Sandra Bravo-Rodriguez is among the talented artists. Her artwork, including a

Fortnite Chapter 2 Has Arrived By: Isaiah Graham Staff Writer

An exciting new season of Fortnite starts, packed with new locations, mechanics, skins, and music.

Fortnite, a game released by Epic Games back in 2017, is a popular game where the main objective is to be the last man standing, while also avoiding the ever increasing storm.

The map has evolved over time, adding many locations, altering them, and in some cases, getting rid of them completely.

But in season 10, everything changed when a strange orb appeared in the middle of the map and exploded, causing both all the locations to come together within one map.

With all the locations being altered, the orb began to crumble under the pressure, while a rocket was being constructed nearby.

At the climax of season 10, the rocket was released, cracking the sky and causing meteors and debris to rain down, with the largest meteor destroying the orb and turning it into a black hole. Sucking in

literally everything, many players thought that the game was done.

But just two days later, it was revealed that players were going to an alternate dimension where stuff like swimming and riding boats was now possible. Many players saw this as a positive, but other players aren’t so sure they want to install the game in it’s new form.

“I started playing Fortnite during season 2,” Rodriguez said. “Honestly, this current season is really impressing with its completely new map.

“I like how you can carry downed teammates and ride boats to get around the map quicker” Rodriguez said.

“Honestly, this chapter is a lot better than previous entries,” said Miguel Gonzaga. “I haven’t played it much, but man, it looks so fun.” Gonzaga has played the earlier seasons off and on, due to them being “too boring.”

Gonzaga hopes that this season doesn’t add anything too game-breaking.

With chapter 2 just being released, many fans are theorizing about different story ideas. So, drop in and see the new map.

Flickr Fortnite Chapter 2 includes exciting new features that appeals to many players who enjoy the game.

squirrel made out of paper clips, marked by delicate, pink decorations.

Tavparsad Singh presents pieces demonstrating the darker side of the world, such as the art depicting trypophobia, which is the fear of holes and clusters of holes, and odontophobia, the fear of teeth. Jacob Menday’s pieces are delicately drawn, horroresque portraits and landscapes.

“I get inspiration everywhere,” Menday said, “From the latest video game, to my neighbor who spies on me.”

Menday’s pieces are among the many eyecatching parts of the gallery. This culminates

in a gallery where no two pieces look the same, even the ones that come from the same artist. Photography, sculpture, ceramics, and all forms of drawing and painting are represented in the Sin Título. Even the name reflects the diversity among the students.

To support the artists and their work, attend the Sin Título exhibition, at the Helen S. Smith gallery, located at the main entrance of the Holman Library. It is open from 7 a.m to 4 p.m, Monday through Friday. The exhibition begins on Nov. 14 and will end on Dec. 5 with a closing reception that will include refreshments.

Rakesh Kommanguta | The Current

KGRG Radio Show Brings Music to Students By: Macie Jean Walker Staff Writer

KGRG is Green River College’s radio station run by staff employees as well as students taking the courses offered by the station.

The courses seek to teach students everything they need to know to run a radio.

They also teach life skills and benefits to students and spotlight local artists.

Luke Seerden, music director at KGRG FM, said KGRG is modeled after a professional radio station which makes the knowledge students can gain who wish to go into this field invaluable. The equipment used can also be worthwhile to students.

Students at KGRG develop many valuable skills that transfer to both a traditional radio career as well as several other fields. In the broadcasting business, one’s experience is valued above all else so taking classes and working with the station is valuable when pursuing a career as a broadcasting presence.

KGRG definitely is a benefical experience for many, many students.

Through hands-on experience, students can learn how to operate a control board, microphones, learn the ins and outs of recording, editing software, music scheduling, automation software, and more.

“KGRG has become a respected name in the local radio market because of how many Green River students have gone on to do work in the industry,” Seerden said.

Students who get involved with KGRG can apply the skills they gain in the studio to many other professional radio stations and broadcasting services.

Autumn Reeves is in charge of running

KGRG’s social media accounts and connecting with the artists and bands that frequent the KGRG radio show.

“We’re present for a lot of things on campus,” Reeves said. The radio station has several events at which KGRG is present, such as advising/welcome day, as well as their Christmas event.

As far as music, the station’s most popular bands currently are Bring Me the Horizon, Pierce the Veil, and Sleeping with Sirens.

Pop-punk might be the most popular, but it’s far from all the genres the radio station plays.

“We try to play music that isn’t commonly heard on commercial radio, and there’s plenty to choose from because the number of new rock bands that get any kind of airplay these days is tragically few,” said Seerden.

KGRG is available on iHeart Radio, with its own app. This allows many more people all over the U.S to gain access to KGRG. For artists to get their music playing on the station, they need to submit two or three of what they consider to be their best songs that represent them well as a musician KGRG. “It helps also to establish some kind of relationship with the station,” Seerden said.

“You can offer to be part of the lineup for a benefit concert. We usually put on at least one of those a year to raise money for the station and spotlight local artists.”

Unfortunately, KGRG is low staffed and welcomes anyone interested in the classes.

“Students have a lot of freedom to direct their own learning. The station provides many opportunities to dive deeper into whatever aspect of it you’re most interested in,” Seerden said.

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Amy Carpenter | A&E Editor thecurrent.ae@mail.greenriver.com www.thegrcurrent.com

submission

November 20, 2019

Task

by Noah Stuckart Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. I want a man who will love me enough to drill a hole in my skull. Pour boiling bleach in my brain cavity. Make me one of the neverborn.

Eat my cold corpse. Stifle my screams with chloroform rags.

Soulless in the crawlspace.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. That cult of the Greeting sired its child. Four thousand year and they hath had their comely. And this G-d is woman. In one-piece bathing attire, raising and setting the sun on tortoises alike. This social experiment ends here.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. What pumpkin? Are we lurks?

This pilgrimage to an unholy land covets nonviolence like a vice and succors bastards in the begotten pride of primal failure. Who dares step out of tribal kine? What die dwells on that?

There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt.

Smitten with ungracious beauty, no light but boot prints visible. Check your attitude at the door, we watch the PBS News hour, microdosing on the icon of love.

The idolatry of love seemed too boastful.

Every man and woman is a star.

Within Find You Yourself Will

by Cathy Oh

William Carlos Williams

by Skyla Thomas

Trembles with a warmhand glow despite the awareness of eyes stop it she says tell her nobut you can’t Quiet now let me be Why do you cry? I cry I leave you behind taken at will but try you can try tobe happy be happy be happeace is mine interrupted “Won’t you tell me again?” make it clear I am not lonely You are she cries hot tears but even by herself she is finding True happiness can always be hers when she cries and learns as school children do Be happy Be happy Be Happy

“Pain” Roses are red, Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet, but perhaps so are you, Your beauty’s unreal, your smile the sun, But the roses have wilted, the violets are dead, The sugar bowl is empty, your wrists stained red, The sun is not shinning, the sky is not clear, There is no silver lining, because you are no longer here, Rain keeps on pouring, there is no end in sight But time cannot be turned, not actions undone The words you wrote inside your mind, Have no end till the end of time “I love you, please don’t cry when I’m gone”

Emily Beals’ English 236 Poetry Students

January

by Amelia Harrison A forgotten whisper floods my ears Of a person I’d long lost.

A person whom I’d loved Born in mid-October.

Her dark hair and tanned skin Almond shaped eyes that used to kindly gleam Now burnt ablaze in fire and flame With a distinct absence of caring.

October no longer recognizes me.

I’ve become a ghost Invisible and non-existent.

October had convinced me that I never mattered.

That I was nothing.

But I know now that I’m not nothing.

I know that October Isn’t the only month.

For February is twice as sweet And December has kind eyes.

July has a vibrant spirit And April is a wild child.

Now January, who is me, Has a new beginning.

Free from that toxic grip.

The one that Was October.

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

Not guaranteed to be published.

Must be sent to the TheCurrent.AE@mail.greenriver.edu We encourage students to submit whatever they wish and to use this as a creative space.

Deadlines: [December 1st, January 24th]

Madison Farnsworth| Opinion Editor TheCurrent.Opinion@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

opinion

thecurrent

9 November 20, 2019

The Cause and Effect of Social Media on Today’s Youth

Peakpx

By: Jadelyn Castro Staff Writer Teenagers lives today largely revolve around social media and the idea of fitting in. Our generation craves the feeling of admiration and seeks approval from others.

People are able to post pictures, share videos, comment on friends’ posts and double tap images to like them on majority of the social media platforms of this time era. Some people might say that the amount of likes someone gets is just a number, but among all groups that are targeted by social media, teenage girls are the most affected by the number of likes they receive.

The way social media is used and portrayed raises thoughts to users worldwide about body image. Girls nowadays seem to be infatuated with their numbers and fixated on the thought of receiving comments and hearts on their profiles which is truly saddening because everyone should be able to feel comfortable in their own skin without being pressured by society.

Now individuals are hesitant to post an image that they like just because they fear that their audience won’t like it back. It is in human nature to compare ourselves to others, but it gets to the point where users feel challenged and feel as if they don’t fit in which is when some tend to lean closer to making hazardous choices.

Some women will feel that it is necessary to go on harmful diets to drastically drop weight to change their image while others will outright starve themselves. Or in other words become obsessed with unhealthily managing weight.

Another route women will go is to get plastic surgery such as liposuction, lip fillers, nose jobs and more which can be very expensive and

potentially be dangerous if not performed properly.

Madi Wachtler, a 16-year-old full time Running Start student says that modern social media has an overall negative impact on teenage girls self-esteem, because in her view, “They are constantly comparing themselves to other girls and there’s stuff like face tune and photoshop that make body standards very unrealistic.”

Wachtler mentions that social media sometimes makes her feel like she’s not good enough and she feels like all her friends and girls around her are prettier than her.

Wachtler mentions that this has had an effect on her friends as well.

“When we are together, they’ll be on Instagram and see this really pretty girl and say something along the lines of I wish I looked like this or imagine looking this pretty,” Wachtler said.

Sophia Doumanov, a 16-year-old full time Running Start student says, “We have this illusion of what we are ‘supposed’ to look like but it can have a really detrimental effect on a person’s self-esteem and even lead to mental disorders.” Dou-

manov says she sometimes feels self-conscious when viewing other girls’ posts on social media.

Social media only shows what people view as the best version of themselves and can often times be fixed with the use of various editing apps to make the image look more attractive. When the public sees images of either stick thin to curvy models or celebrities there’s a high chance they’ve been looked over, edited and Photoshopped.

When comparing the before and after results of those images there is a clear difference which just adds to show how mainstream media showcases unrealistic beauty standards. The more an individu-

$12.99 per month but it can be streamed from two devices. The third payment is premium and that costs $15.99 per month and streams from four different devices.

Hulu plus is $7.99 per month and premium takes the ads away for 11.99 per month, but with basic service, not all of the shows are available to watch. ‘’I likes how Netflix has a wide variety of movies and I also like that Netflix works wherever I go,’’ said Ariel Otton. ‘’Netflix has more genre and has original shows,’’ said Shane Ames, another student at Green River.

Netflix started out focusing hard on movies, then over time became more TV oriented releasing its original shows and becoming popular for posting their show’s seasons all at once for people to binge-watch.

Hulu has over 25 million streaming subscribers in the U.S. which puts Hulu subscriptions at less than half of what Netflix has. Hulu’s content budget estimated by analysts at less than $3 billion per year. Netflix has 158 million subscribers, in which about 60 million subscribers are located in the U.S. Netflix says that it will make about 90 original movies per year, some with budgets up to $200 million.

Netflix has spent over 12 billion dollars on content and planning on spending 15 billion on content.

Netflix is making sure that their customers are satisfied with what they have paid for. They try to find a mix between the new and the old with original programs, like Stranger Things and The Office.

Netflix uses HD for their great quality and for the fast speed. Hulu

doesn’t run on HD so the quality is more blurry and the graphics are bad at times especially if there is no Wi-Fi connection at all.

The way Netflix set up they are giving the customers what they want by helping the binge-watchers by dropping the seasons in a row so a person that like to binge watch they won’t have to wait for the next episode. Netflix also has a lot of old movies and TV shows that they are streaming that a lot of people enjoy watching and re-watching.

Netflix has it all. Anything a person would want to watch, they have on their service. From binge-watching to just enjoying a late-night movie. Netflix has the best pick of movies and TV shows. Netflix has over thousands of movies and TV shows to pick from. Netflix is the best streaming service because

al repeatedly views social media platforms, the more the individual starts to care about their appearance throughout the day and what others think of them.

Therefore, making it so that people feel scared that they’ll be looked down upon and rejected by society if they don’t meet standards that are set by social norms.

Whether they are realistic or not.

If people are not seen as by as ‘perfect’, it can lead to the individual feeling self-conscious and dissatisfied about their body image.

It’s an issue that can not be solved with a phone or camera.

Nobody is perfect and it is time we start living that way.

Flickr An iPhone screen showcasing different social media apps.

Netflix Beats out Hulu as the Best Streaming Service Across Platforms By: Romeo Buckley Staff Writer

The question of which streaming service is better between Netflix and Hulu has been asked since the two streaming giants went head to head.

Hulu came out on March 12, 2008 and Netflix came out on April 14, 1998. Netflix and Hulu are both streaming services that have a wide variety of TV shows, movies, anime, documentaries and more.

A lot of people say they would choose Netflix over Hulu. Even though Netflix costs more, it does give users three different price ranges. The first one is the basic Netflix, which costs $8.99 per month and only streams from one device. The second payment offered allows users to use the standard streaming that costs

you will never get bored with the content that it has.

Netflix out beats its competition in many ways, It makes billions of dollars and it has a better pick of TV shows and movies. The quality of the shows and movies are also better because they are all in HD. Netflix loads and connect to Wi-Fi much faster than Hulu.

They also know how to keep their customers happy by putting shows and movies that they believe the customers will watch and enjoy.

Netflix is the best way to go if you want your money worth when it comes to all the streaming services.

There will always be something to watch on Netflix for everyone to watch and enjoy. It’s just a matter of whatever appeals the audience.

Whether its animation, dramas, or horror, everything is good.

Photo by pxhere

opinion

thecurrent

10 November 20, 2019

Madison Farnsworth| Opinion Editor TheCurrent.Opinion@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

The Trump Adminstration’s Final Chapter By: Madison Farnsworth Opinion Editor

Editorial

The Trump Adminstration has been a disappointing whirlwind of a presidency that thankfully is almost over, however it might be sooner than orginally thought.

The investigation into the impeachment has turned whole country on it’s head. The American people are not sure what to make of this whole ordeal. Some saying that it’s about time and others saying that this is unnecessarily wrong to do.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much point in impeaching Trump. The majority of the House are Democrats so there is a chance that they will be able to impeach him. The majority of the Senate happens to be Republicans and there is no way in hell they will convict him.

But impeaching is only the first step in the process. Next the Senate has to convict him. Which could easily turn into a nighmare.

The Republicans could not care less what the Democrats think about Trump. Impeaching him will only fuel their fire that he is a great president by breaking down the beliefs of

the Democrats that they so vehemently disagree with.

Perhaps Trump should not have been elected in the first place. It is a thought that some Americans have had during these past three years of hardship.

Trump blatantly cheated during the election should be good enough reason to get him impeached. The fact the he’s still in office after three years is incredibly worrying for our country as a whole.

Trump should not have been in office in the first place. He had horrible policies that negatively affected many people and went with older generations ideals and beliefs. Once he got into office, he began enacting these policies.

Many were horrible and caused us to realize that us, American’s let this happen to our beloved country.

It feels a little late to impeach him seeing all the shit he has done and the fact that election is coming up, but this is the starting point needed to keep him out of office.

At this point in the presidency it can be said that the entirety of the government is unsure of what to do to in order solve the pressing issues that have been slowly boiling over at the very start of Trump’s presidency.

It does seem like both the Democrats and the Republicans have made up their mind when it comes to what to do about Trump’s impeachment. However when it comes to the House and the Senate, things might get out of hand and become more complicated.

Trump has been accused of several impeachable offenses including but not limited to: obstructing justice, profiting from the presidency, collusion, advocating political and police violence, abuse of power, engaging in reckless conduct, persecuting political opponents, violating immigrants right to due process, violating campaign finance laws, and last but not least, attacking the free press.

Hopefully these hearings bring a better understanding to the American people of how reckless and ignorant their president is.

This whole impeachment should act as a reminder, especially as the next presidental election coming up, to vote for candidates who will end up helping the country, not hurt it.

It should be stated that this is the first impeachment of an American president in over two decades. It could play out in one of two ways.

The first way could be like the Nixon impeachment, where before getting the boot Trump could resign from office. (Every American knows that Trump’s ego is too big to do something like that though.)

The second way could be like the Clinton impeachment, where only the House was able to impeach him, but the Senate was unable to get him put out of office, which seems to be the most likely way for Trump’s own impeachment.

The Trump presidency is seen as an embarrassment and a failure in many American’s and non-American’s eyes. It will no doubt become a stain in America’s presidential history as a whole.

This whole impeachment scandal has unfortunately caused our country to carry weights on its shoulders.

However when this is all over Americans across the country can finally let out heavy sigh of relief.

It is upsetting that our country has stooped so low once again, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, we just need to hold on for just a little bit longer. Hopefully nothing takes a turn for the worse.

Editorials reflect the opinions of the entire editing staff of The Current.

Blizzard Cancels Professional Player’s Account and Causing an Uproar By: Gianna Aubin-Pinti Staff Writer For the past few weeks, Blizzard, an international gaming company, has been at the center of a large controversy surrounding the Hong Kong protests.

After the deletion of professional Hong Kong player Chung Ng Wai’s account for his comment that supported the protests occurring in Hong Kong, people all over the globe have been on a rampage on both sides of the argument.

Ever since June 2019, when an extradition bill that allowed criminals in Hong Kong to be sent to China was created, a series of peaceful protests have been organized.

Protestors ask for the government to listen and take actions to meet their five demands.

Their goal has been to persuade their government to create a more demographic environment for their citizens, very much unlike the Chinese Communist party.

A large gaming company known as Blizzard, the creator and owner of popular computer games, such as World of Warcraft and Hearthstone, has a very popular reputation across the globe.

One of these players, known as Chung Ng Wai, is a very popular Hearthstone player. During a post tournament interview, his account was banned after he said the

statment, “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our age.”

After this happened many people were led to believe that due to Blizzard’s relationship with China, and the money they make through that relationship, the company was coerced to deactivate Wai’s account.

If Blizzard earned China’s respect and alliance, they could gain an increase in money.

Since the events happening in Hong Kong is a huge issue and news on this topic has spread through various media outlets, the response to this matter was very negative. People were enraged and many decided to boycott the company altogether.

An international Hong Kong student named Chok Ho Chan said, “I feel very thankful for the boycotter’s support.”

Some employees responded negatively as well, and the media has revealed the anger people carry over this subject matter. This shows how many people support Hong Kong and their goal to find freedom and spread equality.

When international Hong Kong student Benny Chan Ho Ngai was asked about his thoughts on Blizzard, he said, “Blizzard should not do this because the world is looking upon this event.”

A major problem that we face in the 21st world century today is the

greediness companies and powerful people have, and the decisions they make because of it. Many companies do morally incorrect things for their own benefit, and what Blizzard did is no exception.

The people in Hong Kong face many dangers when protesting, and their freedom is limited. Although their protests are supposed to be peaceful, the police have been shown to use excessive force against participants with some being reported as being injured, killed, or even gone missing.

The actions that Blizzard took to deactivate Wai’s account encouraged this behavior. This is just one reason why conflicts in Hong Kong should not be a strategy for any company or person to gain money.

After days of controversy, boycotting, and angry comments, a leader at Blizzard, J. Allen Brack, publicly apologized and explained what had happened, and why. He claims that Blizzard’s decision to ban Wai’s account was based only on the fact that he led the conversation away from the subject matter, which was seen as an direct attack against the Chinese Government.

Freedom of speech is a basic human right that every single person should be entitled to no matter what country they live in. People like Wai with a large platform of any kind should be able to use their

voice to stand up for their beliefs and actions.

It is clear to see where exactly Blizzard stands when it comes to the issue surrounding Hong Kong.

The company shows that they care more about China’s respect, power, and money over the Hong Kong.

Blizzard’s actions did not only support China and the violence in Hong Kong, but it also supported censorship and a lack of human rights. History will not let this event be swept under the rug like many other similar events that occured in the past.

Elsa Finkbeiner | The Current

Efrain Pardo | Sports Editor TheCurrent.sports@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

sports

thecurrent

11 November 20, 2019

Talent Finds New Leadership In Two Sports

Allison Schacher

Allison Schacher is a natural player in this sport.

By: Emilia Songras-Rosales Staff Writer Green River College student Allison Schacher, 19, is a member of the women’s basketball and soccer teams.

Schacher is a recent graduate from Mount Rainier High School and a freshman at Green River College. She played for her high school soccer team all four years and basketball for the first two.

While she was playing for her high school soccer team, she played for a soccer club during her last two years of high school because she wanted to upgrade her game skills so she could be recruited by a upper level immediately after high school.

Her future to play for the Green River College’s basketball team, was not as planned as it was for the soccer team as she only played basketball for the first two years of high school team and she never joined a external club other than her high school.

Schacher just started playing basketball for our college this season and she is going to play simultaneously as a shooting guard while playing as a point guard. “I am also doing basketball this season. So, I just ended up talking to the coach and he said that there was a spot open so I figured that would be fun too,” Schacher said.

Karim McDonald has been head coach of the women’s basketball team for eight years and believes that the team is going to do quite well this year because everyone on the team is so competitive and close to eachother. ”I moved her [Schacher] to the two basketball positions because of how fast and athletic she is and she has a really great finishing ability going to the right and a pretty good jump shot, so she is best fit running the lanes and getting us those easy buckets and transitions,” McDonald said.

As for the soccer team, Schacher finished her first season at Green River College mostly as a defensive midfielder but also played as a center outer forward and outer defender. At times, she has played different soccer posi-

tions to fill in for girls that have been injured during the season.

Kelvin Galvez is the head coach of the women’s soccer team. “I thought that all of these positions were a good position for her because of her technical abilities with the ball, specially in the midfield,” Galvez said.

“You want players that have good technique and they can cover a lot of ground on the midfield, but most important, they can distribute the ball and set up the attack.

Schacher has does things.”

She began playing soccer since she was four years old, mostly because her father was a good soccer player and brought her along to the games so she could learn how to play the sport. She is very good and the main reason is that she has been playing soccer. Also, she finds it fun and a as good way to meet many new people from other parts of town.

Even when Schacher has found the soccer exciting, during her high school years she experienced that playing soccer could be overwhelming and difficult at times when combined with her classes. “I think it’s definitely hard balancing school and sports.

Especially in high school when you have a six-hour school day and then you need to go to [practice] a sport,” Schacher said.

“I really like the coach because he focuses a lot on family and culture within the team,”

- Allison Schacher

During college Schacher had less hours of class each day and figured out a way to balance more her education and sports. Also, this schedule format helps her stay motivated to play the basketball season for Green

Allison Schacher

Soccer is a sport that requires skill and Schacher always shows her “A” game during the matches.

River College Gators. “So, I have an 8 a.m. and a 9 a.m. [class] and I have an online class and my practice for basketball starts at 2:30 p.m. I try to get all my homework done by the time basketball starts,” Schacher said.

Schacher gets her homework done before going to play sports, is sure to eat something healthy, and drink plenty of water before practice. Also, before games she makes sure to stretch, hydrate well and eat a banana as well as a sandwich.

Schacher likes to prepare physically and mentally for basketball just as she used to prepare for soccer season. This mindset al-

lowed Schacher to score a total of seven goals with a few assists. “It went good, we didn’t end up making it to play offs, which was kind of disappointing, but I think that we as a team bonded really well,” Schacher said.

For the basketball season, she seems to be enjoying the team and the coach’s training style, “I really like the coach because he focuses a lot on family and culture within the team,” Schacher said.

Schacher is enjoying basketball and soccer while playing at Green River College and she invites any girls who want to play soccer or basketball to come and join the team.

Allison Schacher

Green River College women’s soccer team players promise a great season and exciting games that will keep you thrilled until the end of the match.

sports Lack of Athletic Trainer Causes Concerns for Athletes

Efrain Pardo | Sports Editor TheCurrent.sports@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com

By: Neil Mae Bumanglag Staff Writer What does Green River provide with the athletic training program?

There are a lot of thoughts about the Green River College athletic training program and why there has not been any trainer available on campus for athletes. Current athletic trainer, Howie Humbyrd, has done his best to be present at all athletic events, but some say that it is still not enough.

The Green River athletic training program has done its best to provide student athletes with the best care they need for their injuries. Humbyrd has been a part of the program for a year and half now and when asked about his experience here at Green River, Humbyrd said, “It has been fantastic. The athletes, coaches and staff involved are all great to work with.”

Humbyrd is a well experienced and certified athletic trainer. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in sports medicine,

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November 20, 2019

a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science, a minor in Heath, and a minor in Psychology. He also says he is working on a Masters in Kinesiology. Before becoming an athletic trainer, Humbyrd worked as a personal trainer while going to college and he says he “has a desire to help athletes.”

Thus far, Rob Pedicone, the Recreations and Athletics Coordinator, has had valid points as to why Green River does not have a permanent trainer at all times, present on campus.

“The biggest reason why we don’t have one always available is because it’s very expensive to have that service and to always have it,” Pedicone said. “We do not have any kind of athletic training program on campus or through our PE Department that would support that type of service as well.”

There are athletes on campus who worry about their wellbeing while playing sports because of the fact that we do not have a trainer on campus at all times. Tanner Nygren, 6’4 guard on the Green River Men’s Basketball team says, “It’s hard not to have one, it’s kind of difficult and it affects us negatively at times.”

Athletes have an overwhelming fear of playing to their fullest ability because they don’t want to get injured, and then not have immediate attention from a trainer.

“It’s nice to be able to help prevent injury and help us before practice, not just before games, Nygren said.”As far as like getting taped, and like injury prevention, icing, ice baths, just like having someone that’s on you and able to be there for you on campus [helps a lot].”

Another Green River Men’s Basketball player, 6’8 Guard Derek Cox, thinks having a trainer present would be quite helpful even for the simplest of things such as stretching.

“I think it would benefit in a lot of ways you know, for games you always make sure you’d be ready for the games and take the right procedures to be stretched out,” Cox said.

“And then after the games, icing, he could help us do the right stretches and taping would help a lot too.”

In the upcoming years, Green River is hopeful in regard to having a trainer on campus at all times. Pedicone considers this to be on the top of Green River’s priority.

Neil Mae Bumanglag |The Current Tanner Nygren-GRC’S basketball guard.