thecurrent the student newspaper of green river college
March 11, 2020
www.thegrcurrent.com
The 2020 Presidential Primaries Pg. 2
Wikipedia Commons
issue 8 volume 54
2020 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES BERNIE SANDERS DEMOCRATIC CANDITATE
JOE BIDEN DEMOCRATIC CANDITATE
TULSI GABBARD DEMOCRATIC CANDITATE
BILL WELD REPUBLICAN CANDITATE
DONALD TRUMP REPUBLICAN INCUMBENT
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Dakota Farnsworth| Campus Editor thecurrent.Campus@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com
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thecurrent
Campus Crime Blotter Campus Safety responded to the following incidents from January 24 to Febuary 6 among others. All information is from Campus Safety incident reports.
2/26/20 11:58 a.m. Parking Lot 13 Theft/Vandalism 2/27/20 7:45-11:45 a.m. Parking Lot 1 Hit and Run 2/27/20 12:40-4:10 p.m. Parking Lot 5 Auto Theft 2/29/20 1:48 a.m. Campus Corner Apartments Hit & Run 3/4/20 10:16 a.m. Student Union Theft
Scarff Ford reported that the fuel line leak in Van 9202, was the result of someone trying to siphon out gas from the van in parking lot P-13.
A student reported a hit and run in P-1 west entrance.
A student reported his vehicle missing from parking lot P-5.
A “Bike Lane Ends” sign was knocked down in a Hit & Run accident by Campus Corner Apartments.
Two (2) students were involved in a theft at the Paper Tree Bookstore in Student Union.
3/4/20 8:20 a.m. Human Resources Fire Alarm
A staff member inadvertently set off the fire alarm when she burned her toast in the Human Resources Building.
3/5/20 11:25 a.m. Salish Hall Theft
A student reported her backpack was taken from the locker in Salish Hall.
3 March 11, 2020
ELL Classes Assist Immigrants in Studies By: Hannah Yuzyuk Staff Writer
For many years, people came to the USA following their dreams. Some people ran away from suppression, which they faced in their native country. Some people wanted to make more money. One thing that united people into coming to the USA though was the desire to make their dreams come true. While following their dreams, people sometimes have no idea how many challenges are waiting for them in a new, attractive country. People leave their relatives at home, where everything was familiar. They leave native culture and jump into a completely new environment with different habits, lifestyles, and laws. The vast portion of these changes is an unfamiliar language. No doubts that language is a part of human society. We need it to communicate with people who are living around us. After coming to the USA, many immigrants faced problems as they are isolated and alone. Green River College has a fantastic platform to help people not just learn English, but also to understand and adapt to a new culture and a new environment. The college has a program, which includes English Language Learning(ELL) classes for people who need help with learning English. These classes are not only a tool for learning language, but it includes much more sophisticated advice for students-immigrants. “We start from level one literacy, and we also have community classes,” said Amanda Walsh, the ELL instructor at Green River College. “We spend a lot of time doing community building and making sure students know what resources are available on the campus.” It can be scary to come to class when your level of English is zero. Even if the person is at some English level, it is still challenging to overcome fear. An old Russian proverb says: Fear has large eyes. It means the person who
is suppressed by fear can see things more dramatically. People with minimum knowledge of English can feel that people will laugh at them if they open their mouths to talk. “I was afraid to talk to people before I came to this class,” said Komalpreet Kaur, an ELL student at Green River College. “I thought people would laugh at me because of my wrong pronunciation.” According to Walsh, students with any English level can join this program. They need to come and register for the CASAS exam, which is designed to determine the English level of students and identify them into appropriate classes. It helps people to feel more comfortable during the education process. “We start our classes by asking each other how the day was and talk to each other about different things,” said Van To, who is also taking ELL classes. Creating a lovely, family like environment helps people to grow with their skills better. An old Chinese proverb says: “A single beam cannot support a great house.” ELL classes are a great community to support each other and make new connections with people who have similar problems. “We study a lot about new cultures in this class because we have people from different cultures in the class,” said Appandeer Kaur, another ELL student. “We help each other and support each other, and it helps us to feel better outside the class.” People should be aware that this program does not include international students with visa F-1, M-1, and J-1. To join these classes, the student must follow three steps: 1. Register in RLC 125 and schedule the appointment 2. Pass CASAS test, bring ID and $35 3. Students are ready to start. If a student needs help to improve their English skills and become a part of a fantastic family, use the chance to join the ELL classes at Green River College in the Spring quarter.
3/5/20 A student reported that his bag was taken from his vehicle while 11:30 a.m. parked in parking lot P-12. Parking Lot 12 Burglary to Motor Vehicle 3/6/20 2:00 p.m. Campus Corner Apartments Vandalism 3/6/20 4:00 p.m. Student Union Theft/Mental Health 3/7/20 4:05 p.m. Student Union Theft 3/7/20 9:45-10:17 p.m. Physical Education Building Assault
A staff reported vandalism in the restroom of the Townsend Center in Campus Corner Apartments.
Staff reported a student behaving oddly and taking items from the Papertree bookstore without paying in the Student Union.
A non-student reported an Ipad was taken from the Student Union. Occurred in Student Union. 03-07-2020 between 13:15 and 16:05
Two (2) non-students were fighting in front of Physical Education building.
In response to community concerns regarding the current Corona Virus health issues, Green River College’s CTE Showcase is postponed until further notice.
4 March 11, 2020
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Dakota Farnsworth| Campus Editor thecurrent.Campus@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com
Green River College Journalism Program Expands
KGRG | Green River College
Tom Krause, the general manager of KGRG, with two students working behind him.
By: Nick Cresia Staff Writer
Green River College’s Journalism Department offers a wide variety of classes to students interested in the field. In the radio and audio technology industry, there is a lot that has changed throughout the years with equipment, programming, and production. There is no exception in how the campus adapts to those new changes as well. Green River College will be providing two new classes in the Journalism Department. The first one being Journalism 140: An Introduction to Audio Editing and Digital Recording. The course will be led by Jon Kasprick, who is the Chief Engineer for the school radio station, KGRG. Kasprick has taught this class numerous times and with technology always advancing, the lessons seem to adapt along with it.
Former Green River student and KGRG alumni Chris Leir has taken the class when it was previously available at the college and learned a lot from the curriculum. “It’s pretty dense with information and terminology for editing programs,” said Leir. “It can be overwhelming at first, but the class is very informative and fun. I would highly recommend it for anyone who wants to get into the realm of music editing, multi-tracking, radio production, or even voice-over work.” The introduction course will also cover proper audio production and editing techniques in the recording studio provided on campus at KGRG’s office in the Student Affairs building. Students will learn about basic technical principles and techniques related to broadcast audio systems, studio operations, and broadcast transmission.
“The best part of the class would be learning about multi-tracking and creating a production piece for a radio station like the one we have at school,” Leir said. “There are a lot of layers that go into a piece and the class helps make your work sound tighter and more professional,” they Leir. The introduction class will be meeting spring quarter Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 1 p.m. There are seats still open for students interested in registering. The other course to be added this spring is Journalism 157: Social Media and Broadcast Marketing. The lectures will be led by KGRG General Manager Tom Krause. This new class explores the role of social media, digital delivery, and other marketing tools that are utilized in the broadcasting field. Trends in television and other forms of new media platforms are also discussed.
Green River student and KGRG alumni Leslie Fenn explains why it is important now more than ever to have an understanding of social media in the field of broadcasting. “We started using social media more and more as time went by at KGRG,” said Fenn. “The platforms most people look up these days are Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. We seemed to get the biggest response from Instagram.” Many former students at Green River College have excelled from their start at KGRG taking these same classes. Just recently, Curtis Rogers, who now works for 710 ESPN Seattle, attended this most recent Super Bowl in Miami working for the John Clayton Show. Many KGRG staff, including Krause, managed to discover that through social media postings on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Krause also provides classes that have already been implemented at school with Journalism 115: Digital Radio, where you can practice your on-air skills with KGRG. In addition to Journalism 125: Podcasting Lab, led by KOMO News Reporter Charlie Harger. This class allows you to host and create your own podcast with guests of your choice. “All the classes provide a great stepping stone to finding your passion in radio or the media industry,” Fenn said. “It’s all about the opportunities at KGRG and what you’re able to do with them. Taking Journalism 157 will help students learn how to get their media product out to people that fit their market.” With open seats available for registration, Journalism 157 will be meeting this spring quarter on weekdays at 12 p.m.
Studies Show That Vaping is Just as Harmful as Smoking a Cigarette
By: Hanna Yuzyuk Staff Writer
Vaping can hurt immune system cells and may be more harmful than thought before. The last studies discover many new negative things about vaping. Professor David Thickett at the University of Birmingham published online the research papers about the effect of vaping on human health. Based on this research, vaping is harmful to the alveolar macrophages, which are a part of the immune system. Those
Elsa Finkbeiner | The Current
immune cells are located in the region of lungs. For a long time, some people believed that vaping is not harmful because it does not contain nicotine. The main argument is that e-cigarette contains no tobacco. “I think it is less harmful because it does not have the same amount of tobacco in it, and it helps people to quit smoking,” said Steve Clark, a student from Colorado University. The truth based on the research that e-cigarettes contain mostly the same amount of nicotine as
cigarettes. The difference between them is that cigarettes contain nicotine that is not separated from tobacco, but in the e-cigarette, it is separated, and also some aromatic chemicals are added. It is a good sign that most students said that they recognize e-cigarettes as harmful as other tobacco products. “I think that it is the same harmful to smoke e-cigarettes like other tobacco products, and it also leads to addiction with time,” said Zilin Huang, a computer science student at Green River College. “I do not think that there exists any difference between tobacco and vape products,” said Aria Freilwadt, a student at Green River College. In the study of professor Thickett, researchers created the mechanical device to mimic vaping in the laboratory. They used lung tissue samples, which they got from eight non-smokers. The researchers found that vapor causes inflammation and inhibits the activity of alveolar macrophages. These cells
remove potentially damaging dust particles, bacteria, and allergens. Some of the effects were similar to those seen in regular smokers and people with chronic lung disease. This experiment demonstrated that vaping is more harmful than people thought before. This news should make people who use vaping as alternatives for smoking other tobacco products know that they are not safe. Also, it should make aware students at Green River College not use vaping on the territory of the campus with the excuse that e-cigarette does not contain tobacco products. It still contains nicotine, which is harmful to human health. Regarding the new virus, which is now present in the USA with many cases, it is better to have healthy lungs and macrophages to fight with infection more efficiently. According to the Center for Disease Control, Coronavirus affects the lungs of the human body. Being healthy is a huge portion of being successful in life and study.
thecurrent Green River College 12401 SE 320th St., Mailstop: SU Auburn, WA 98092-3699 NEWSROOM DIRECT LINE 253-288-3457 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CAMPUS EDITOR Dakota Farnsworth thecurrent.EditorinChief@ mail.greenriver.edu thecurrent.Campus@ mail.greenriver.edu 253-508-2555 ext. 2375 MANAGING EDITOR ONLINE MANAGER Taylor Robertson thecurrent.SocialMediaManager@ mail.greenriver.edu A&E EDITOR Connor O’Boyle 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 STAFF WRITERS:
Alini Daniel, Hanna Yuzyuk, Jackie Nguyen, Jase Wanlass, Josh Jazmati, Madi Trepus, Mustafe Abdulahi, Nick Cresia, Riley Cottingham
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
Green River College Closure and Resources For more information, go to: https://greenriver.edu/campus/campussafety/emergency-preparedness/covid19/
COVID-19 Protection & Avoidance Check with your professors to see if your classes have been cancelled or adjusted If you feel sick, regardless of relation to COVID-19 or otherwise, please stay home Keep yourself clean (though be careful not to overwash or oversanitize to avoid creating superbugs)
a&e Honey San Pedro Tells Stories Through Art and Design 6
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Connor O’Boyle | A&E Editor thecurrent.ae@mail.greenriver.com www.thegrcurrent.com
March 11, 2020
Close up portrait of the artist Honey San Pedro
By: Connor O’Boyle A&E Editor Green River student Honey San Pedro brings the loving aura of collectivist culture to the states with her vibrant perspective of the people she encounters. Being a student from the Philippines, Pedro had to adjust quickly to the individualist culture of the American school system since her arrival in 2018. Over time, Pedro felt more accepted by the community at Green River, and received immense support from her parents to support her during this difficult social road block. Pedro’s art is entirely interpretive, but each piece she creates has a specific meaning to her. She finds that different perspectives of the same image results in entirely different pieces of artwork. She describes her works as the expression of her mental state at the time they were created. She says that her self-portraits, for example, represent the different versions of her super ego. This is why none of the final results look exactly like her. “Regarding its representation, I let my hand, the pencil, and my eyes focus on the moment as I draw each of the self-portraits, and then later look at the whole piece,” Pedro said. This process allows Pedro to explore the sides of herself that she never knew existed, and she ends up surprised at what the final products become. This meditative and experimental aspect of her work is part of what makes her continue this hobby, despite its many challenges. “As I [worked on] my self-portraits, I faced the mirror, for four days in the mirror about the say time of the day, and [drew] myself. Those are just how I saw myself during those times,” Pedro said. Pedro believes that she inherited her skill in art from her biological father, who is an artist himself. She said that he once drew an elaborate portrait of her mother, which she never got to see since her parents were separated when she was a child. She became serious with art when she attempted to recreate this portrait of her mother herself back in 2014. Since then, she has developed her own technical skill and
fascinating techniques that make her work stand out among others. She also shared that she would not have developed her abilities as an artist if it was not for her loving mother and step father, who encouraged her to keep drawing ever since she started becoming serious with it. “[they] encourage me and believed in me and the value of my art. Them, letting me be creative, is one big positive influence they have on me,” she said. When it comes to her other portraits and design works, she finds the inspiration for them in the actions of both the people she knows and the artists who influence her. Her first portrait work, “Devan” is based the work Devan key, an up and coming painter from California. His colorful and close-up portraiture inspired her to paint a watercolor portrait of him herself. “Even if I can’t understand what I feel at the moment, that inspires me to make art that would relate to anyone who will appreciate it. Art will describe the indescribable,” Pedro said. While she views art as a meditative and rewarding hobby, she wishes to get her degree in architecture and design buildings with a focus in environmental conservation. She argues that while this field is very different from art as an entertainment medium, it still follows the same principals and suits her talents well. “My goal is to be consistent in using sustainable materials in architecture. It is a timely manner, that more than just the beauty of architecture, the contribution to the world is wide, but the impact to the environment is less,” Pedro said. While Pedro has a good idea of her future career, she still cannot help but feel a little homesick. The individualist ideologies that dictates American culture was a complication that took a lot of time and energy for her to feel accepted within. “I am a family-oriented person, and that’s something I don’t usually encounter here. It’s almost like a 180 degree turn,” she said. Her family had decided to move here after her mother married her step-dad, who lives somewhere in Washington. While this initially was a difficult time, she felt less isolated after becoming a part of the art subculture at Green River, where she continues to thrive as a college student of both art and architecture.
“I, for sure, will not forget Sarah Dillon Gilmartin and Steven Black. They are very inspiring, enthusiastic, and constructive as instructors,” she said. Despite the fact that Pedro has been through significant changes throughout her life, she finds that art is a way for her to express her anxieties rather than keeping them bottled up inside.
Pedro said that one of her most proud works represents this part of herself. She titled it “Fragile” and explained that it helped her work through a difficult time in her life. She advocates for others to find their passions in order to reinforce their mental health, which can lead them toward a fulfilling career path for their future lives upon entering the work force.
Connor O’Boyle | A&E Editor thecurrent.ae@mail.greenriver.com www.thegrcurrent.com
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March 11 2020
Chris Gildow Sculpts Wood Inspired By Nature’s Beauty
Connor O’Boyle
By: Makaya Warren Student Writer Chris Gildow, a professor at Cascadia College, shares his surreal woodwork with the Helen S. Smith Gallery this winter. An artist talk and reception was held on Feb. 18 for Gildow at the gallery on campus which displays his work that primarily consists of abstract wooden sculptures of animals in their respective habitats. The exhibit will be available to students and visitors until March 12. Upon entering his exhibition, students became enveloped by the walls covered in the green foliage of nature. Pedestals scattered around the room display sculpted birds and other creatures made out of wooden shapes. Each animal looks as if they could break their frozen tension at any moment and fly off into the light shining through the delicately crafted branches which surround them. Gildow’s expression of nature helps his audience perceive the wild and dangerous parts of the world that are commonly hidden by the boundaries of society. “This is the time of year when folks have a tendency to stay indoors, so the idea of
bringing the outside in was an intriguing way of addressing cabin fever,” said Sarah Dillon Gilmartin, a Green River art teacher who leads the Helen S. Smith Gallery. It is no surprise that Gildow finds his inspiration from the true scenes of nature that he witnesses, and he would not be able to do this if he did not explore woods, rivers, and resivoirs by hiking and camping whenever he gets the chance. “Art is like the blues, you cannot sing them unless you’ve lived them. I hike, bird watch, and engage the outdoors. These are the things I have seen and experienced. Thus, I can incorporate them into my images,” Gildow said. He also enjoys experimenting with the abstractions that are found within nature. One of Gildow’s sculptures mimics a fish’s tail stuck out of the water it recently dived within. This mindset of the animal’s primal instincts is seen throughout the entire collection. For instance, the slight crook in the woodpecker’s neck, or the tilt in the blue jay anticipating to fly away. Gildow uses many mediums including watercolor, reduction woodcuts, prints, metal, and wood. His favorite of these is the wood in
Connor O’Boyle
his three-dimensional sculptures. “I am so aggressive in my drawings. Pushing and pulling things in and out to get a certain image. I had height and width but no depth. I think that’s the reason I love sawing and sanding wood. My arms are starting to hurt now, but I keep doing it because that’s my process,” Gildow said. Gildow has been sculpting for 10 years but his career in art goes far beyond that. His passion initially began when he was a child. Gildow’s influence early on was his father, an architect and painter. He challenged his dad’s symmetrical perfectionism with his own thoughtful experimentation. “I was the one to spill the ink, not draw the straight line. I added asymmetry,” he said. After discovering his talents, he decided to get his Bachelors of arts at the University of Washington. He then spent two years in Boston, going on to receive his masters in fine arts from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. “I went to Boston because I wanted to leave Seattle, it was all I’d ever known,” Gildow said, “[when] I got off the plane [I] thought, ‘what have I done?’” However, the artist now believes that he benefited from continuing his education in this new environment. Not only did this experience help him learn new methods and refine his technical skill in art, but getting his degree also allowed him to become a teacher. Gildow is currently an art teacher and gallery director at Cascadia College in Bothell, WA. In 2009, he received a grant to create an online textbook he titled “Introduction to Art”. Gildow used his style as a visual artist to make the readings more engaging. It is now a free, worldwide available, open-source curriculum to reduce class costs for students. “I shepherd the success of my students,” Gildow said, “I’d never want to be an art teacher that didn’t make much art. I know the process, so I’ve become better at teaching it.” With his dedication to this passion, Gildow has to keep up with designing and producing his personal projects, while also working full time as an art teacher. “Right now I’m working with some cedar sculptures. They’re larger than I’ve worked with before. Constantin Brâncuși did a sculpture, Bird in Space, in 1928 and that’s
an example of what I’m after. Not to copy him but to create the feeling and movement,” Gildow said. Despite some unsuccessful attempts in his work, he keeps trying. One student at the gallery raised his hand from the back of the room, and asked, “How do you suggest we stay motivated?” Gildow clasped his hands together, raised his eyes to the ceiling and paused for a few moments. He then continued, “We’re all human. Keep working at it, even subtracting is work. I tell my students, ‘You’ve got an eraser, use it.’ Look for those small successes. If the head is wrong, take pleasure in the arms and body. You can see ghost images in the drawings now erased, even those have value.” This is why Gildow works to capture the depth, value, and process of art. He attempts to sculpt nature in its truest form in order to inspire his audience to take time out of their busy lives to explore the haunting and complex world they may otherwise ignore.
Dakota Farnsworth
Connor O’Boyle
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Connor O’Boyle | A&E Editor thecurrent.ae@mail.greenriver.com www.thegrcurrent.com
submission
March 11, 2020
Emily Beals’ Poetry Class By Dylan Valdezthat which whas “Golden” By Dylan Valdez
your blossoming eyes mesmerise me. the precious golden hue, one look and i’m hooked. i am a honeybee captured by your essence. suspended in globes of amber i find myself comfortably lost.
Flckr
Spilled
“Graveyard”
ru in ed
fallen o v e r
Letters carved in stone Flowers placed on well-kept grass Everybody leaves
in a Puddle Piqsels
of
But not worthy Tears
“Milk”
By Hayden Day
Pixabay
“Night Sky” The stars are out now. They shine ever so brightly Making me smile.
Goodfreephotos
By Gracie Martinez
f(q u i e t b u t f u l l o f l i fe)orest
By Ryan Gourley
I Wi sh To Rust To be Return Ed to Lady Lake Please Fling Me in To the Endless Blue Sea Though I Dread the eventual end Of being Caught By Another Hand
“F(q”
By Aria Estigoy
Pexels
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: [February 7th, February 21st, March 6th]
Needpix
Photo by pxhere
opinion
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10 March 11, 2020
Madison Farnsworth| Opinion Editor TheCurrent.Opinion@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com
Internment Camps in China are Commiting Atrocities By: Madison Farnsworth Opinion Editor
Editorial
The Chinese prison camps that are detaining thousands of Uyghurs, Kazaks, Kyrgyz, and other ethnic Muslim groups are unethical and dehumanizing. It started back in 2017 with the Chinese government insisting that all Uyghurs be put into what they call a “re-education camp.” However other countries quickly caught on to what was really happening and have called out the Chinese government. The Chinese government claims that they are imprisoning these people for protection against terrorism, but if the world has learned anything from history, it is that putting ethnic and religious minorities in prison camps is legally and morally wrong in more ways than one. The camps are officially called “Vocational Education and Training Centers.” The Chinese government is labeling these camps as “Re-education camps” and its aim is to “re-educate” the ethnic Muslims of official Chinese customs, like speaking and writing Mandarin.
In reality the camps are only trying to erase the millennia of culture that the ethnic Muslims have and replace it with what is seen as the acceptable culture, the Chinese culture. The prison camps should be seen as major red flags rose from the Chinese government. If this is how they end up treating people whose own separate culture is different than the traditional Chinese culture then that obviously says something about how China regards basic human rights. This should be taken as a major human rights violation on China’s part. It is unjust cruelty against the ethnic Muslim groups these camps are affecting. They do not deserve this kind of treatment for just living their own lives and being who they are. According to BBC news, startling documents were recently leaked which expose the immoral treatment of minority groups housed in the Chinese prison camps. Quotes from the document make the camps sound like an Orwellian nightmare come true: ‘Increase discipline and punishment of behavioral violations… Never allow escapes…. [Ensure] full video surveil-
lance of dormitories and classrooms free of blind spots’. The Chinese government passed this off as fake news, but even more evidence points toward the emotional torture that takes place at these camps. Aibota Serik, a Chinese Kazakh, reported to BBC that her father was taken away to these camps without a trial and she is yet to hear back from him. Innocent families are being torn apart because of these camps. Parents are getting split from their children. Spouses and siblings are getting separated from each other. It is a tragic mess that is ruining the lives of families. So far 23 governments have condemned the Chinese government and urged for the closing of the camps. On the other side, 54 governments have supported the Chinese Government and commended the government for their “protection” of human rights. It does seem strange that the majority of the governments that support the camps in China come from vastly Muslim centered countries. It would be assumed that these governments would be against China’s ruling; however that is not the case.
What the United States government has done so far in order to put a stop to China’s ways is several different senators addressing the issue to the American people by making various statements for the past two years. Another thing that the government has done was pass two separate acts; the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act in 2018 and the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act in 2019. It does feel as if there is nothing much the other world governments can do in order for the Chinese government to put a stop to the camps; however being informed about the camps in the first place is the right step to take. It is comforting to hear that other world governments are stepping up when it comes to dealing with the prison camps. However the Chinese government is a global powerhouse and it might end up taking more effort from the other governments in the long run in order for the camps to be shut down and stop existing altogether in the future.
Editorials reflect the opinions of the entire editing staff of The Current.
The Unnecessary Panic Revolving Around Novel Coronavirus By: Dee Senaga Layout Designer Since our Editorial about the virus, the panic around both the nation, and the world, has only gotten worse. As of writing this, the death toll from COVID-19 sits at 3800 globally, 28 in the United States, and all but 5 of those being from Washington State. Surely, we as a state should be the most concerned in the US about this viral infection. Think about it this way though; 28 people is smaller than the average elementary school class. 28 people is a number you expect to come to a meeting in an office. And these 28 people are all elderly, health condition having individuals. 28, in a state whose population sits at 7.5 million. That’s 0.00029333333333333% of our population as a state. Compare those numbers with the death toll of the current Influenza season. Nationwide, Influenza has caused 20,000 deaths, 74 of those in Washington State. Why are we not experiencing a similar outcry to our fear of COVID-19? The difference is that this number is completely normal. In fact, in Washington, this number is lower than usual. It remains, however, that Influenza is actively more dangerous than
COVID-19, but is not receiving even remotely the same concern. A concern that has absolutely devastated grocery store shelves across the globe; the mass hysteria around COVID-19 is out of control. Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, gloves, and face masks are all in high demand and limited supply. Online suppliers such as Amazon are running out of the alcohol wipes that those who need to do self-administered injections require for their health and safety. Toilet paper has become an item to fight over in the aisle. Urgent care centers, Emergency Rooms, and hospitals alike are all having their stock raided by those who fear for their health. The problem here is not that people are buying these items for their safety, but rather, that they are hoarding it to the extent that those who are not fast enough, or wealthy enough, cannot have any access to them. Secondarily, this hysteria is often grounded in racist undertones, whether the purveyors know it or not. Since the first reports of this outbreak, Asian-Americans (not just Chinese-Americans) have been under scrutiny and feared for their potential relation to COVID-19. Asian-run businesses have lost massive amounts of money across
the nation, from restaurants to medicinal stores, even non-food related businesses. Asian celebrations have been cancelled, people on the streets been avoided or given dirty looks, and their food insulted. Not only is it unfair to blame citizens who haven’t even been near China as a country in the past year at least, it’s unfair to blame and be scared of any Asian person for an illness that, apart from not being their fault, is not even inherent to them as Asian people. If anyone is to blame for this illness, it would have to fall down to the Chinese government and their current laws on meat production. For a quick history lesson, in 1959 the Great Chinese Famine was caused by food production being kept solely as a government based practice. To fix it, the Chinese government started allowing private farming, which was a huge success for the population. Amongst the private farming, exotic animals were starting to be farmed as well, and the government protected this and turned the other way to practices. To be clear, it is not the majority of citizens that eat these exotics either. It often falls down to those rich enough to buy. These animals, along with every other livestock, get brought to
wet markets or markets where live animals are butchered on site for maximum freshness. The cages are often stacked in a way that forces animals on the bottom to live in the waste of the ones above, which spreads disease between animals, and inevitably, to humans beings. Novel coronavirus is a zoonotic, or from animal, disease. This is the process that it gets transferred to humans, and despite the outcry, it remains on a small scale. The citizens of China, and the various Asian people around the world, are not to blame, and should not be feared by any definition of the word whatsoever.
Joint Base San Antionio
This article is soley intended to inform readers about the current data and information surrounding the Novel coronavirus . It is not to say that we should not continue to keep ourselves safe by maintaining good hygiene, but rather, that the public feelings and actions relating to the virus are not backed by the data. Keep yourself safe and healthy , but additionally, let those around you do the same by letting them have the same supplies that are being hoarded. We all need to cooperate as a species in order to fight against the virus, which has the capability to cause a global pandemic.
Efrain Pardo | Sports Editor TheCurrent.sports@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com
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11 March 11, 2020
Gator Track & Field Team Ready with New Coach
Green River College
The Green River Men’s Track & Field team poses together for the start of the 2020 NWAC season with Coach Derek Slaughter.
By: Jase Wanlass Staff Writer The Green River Gators Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Team look forward to starting the season off strong and creating a new culture of success in the program behind the leadership of the new head coach, Derek Slaughter. “This year is different because this is my first year as head coach. In year’s past, the track team wasn’t always the first priority in some people’s minds. Between myself and our amazing athletics department, we are trying to change that,” said Slaughter. “We want to see a culture change and push for all of our athletes to succeed on the track, in the weight room, and in the classroom.” Slaughter, a USATF certified coach, who has a background in strength and conditioning, isn’t new to Green River College. During his previous three years at the school, he has worked as a member of the Track and Field Program specifically with athletes who throw the discus and the javelin. However, as he begins his first year at the helm of the program, he hopes his desire for a winning culture will transfer to everyone in the program, especially for the athletes. Slaughter feels confident in his athletes’ abilities this season and is excited for their opportunity to compete. “We’re looking to score points at our championships and get
athletes on the podium. They’ve been putting in a lot of hard work through the off-season and at the very beginning of the season, and I’m excited to see how they do at their first meet.” The program will take to the field for its first competition on Saturday, March 14th, at Pacific Lutheran University. The program consists of 30 athletes in total, between the Women’s and men’s teams. Slaughter hopes that if the team can perform
the way he believes it can, that number will undoubtedly grow, creating more opportunities for success. Among the current athletes are two sophomore standouts, Darian Hollis and Hailey Suit. Both are expected to do well during the upcoming 2019-20 season. As for individual talents in our team Slaughter sees a lot of potential in some categories “Darian Hollis has been a force. He initially just came out for long jump but has
quickly added the triple jump to his repertoire and is easily one of our fastest and most athletic athletes. I see him making a push for the podium in both of his jumping events,” said Slaughter. “On the women’s side, Hailey Suit is our most accomplished athlete.” The suit is the reigning 100-meter champion at Green River College. She also is the current record holder from last year and hopes to repeat her performance this year. “She’s also been a very hot commodity among four-year programs,” Slaughter said. Not only are these talented upperclassmen expected to make some noise during this season, but newcomers to the Green River College Track and Field Team like Meleana Mose and Dasani Robinson are already causing waves in their areas of discus and the javelin. According to Slaughter, both new athletes are expected to make a push and become major contenders by the end of the current season. “If they keep getting stronger and figure a few things out, they will be hard to beat,” Slaughter said. A current line-up of talented new and returning athletes, the hopes of growing the program, a new culture of success on and off the field, and an experienced and enthusiastic new head coach, are giving the Gators Track and Field Program fresh new hope for its 2020 season. A full track and Field Schedule is available online at GRC’s website.
Green River College
The Green River Women’s Track & Field team stands ready to compete in the 2020 NWAC season alongside the new Coach, Derek Slaughter.
12 March 11, 2020
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Efrain Pardo | Sports Editor TheCurrent.sports@mail.greenriver.edu www.thegrcurrent.com
Meet Ariel Otton, Green River’s Brightest Thrower
Ariel Otton
Ariel Otton competing in the women’s shotput category at Peyton Scoring Meet, March 15, 2019.
By: Mustafe Abdulahi Staff Writer A person needs only to spend a few moments with sophomore thrower Ariel Otton and her contagiously radiant smile as well as a happy demeanor to find themselves grinning. In fact, this perennially cheerful aspect of her personality is just one contributing factor to be the recipient of the Captain’s Award at last year’s Track & Field’s year-end banquet. Her first venture into track and field was in her sophomore year during high school. “One of my teachers was a track and field coach and he encouraged me to come to try out and see if I liked it,” Otton said. But she explained that her first year was really rough for her as “I didn’t have any form whatsoever and could not throw at all. But there was something about it that I just could not let go and I just kept on improving and improving so I could pursue it at the collegiate level,” Otton said Otton is originally from Coachella Valley, CA. So, what made her decide to come to a
college in Washington, specifically Green River? “I didn’t really apply to any Cal States or UC schools because you needed to take the SATs and I wasn’t able to,” Otton said. She later decided to research schools in Washington State that offered track and field programs as she had family here and found Green River College. “I found this school and reached out to the coaches and the rest was history,” Otton explained. Otton is also the Vice President of the Student-Athlete Committee Leadership Group. She decided to run for the position when she saw it available. “Every month we have a meeting and it was put up on the door and it just seemed like a great opportunity to get involved on campus”, Otton said. Otton had to write a speech and present in front of the Student-Athlete Committee members to win the position. As of right now, her goal is to complete an AA degree in business and wants to get noticed by four-year colleges “because it’s my sophomore year, I want to get noticed other colleges so I could transfer and continue to be competing at a collegiate level,” Otton said. She also explained that it is her will to hit new personal records for the upcoming track and field season and place at the
is a sophomore. But one thing I can say for NWACS (Northwest Athletic Conference). sure is that wherever she goes next they will Coach Derek Slaughter, who is the Head be getting a smart, dedicated, high character Track and Field Coach at GRC, talked about teammate,” Slaughter said. how Otton is on and off the field. “Ariel is At the 2019 Saint Martin’s Jay Hammer the best kind of athlete a coach could hope Open, she hit a personal record of 31.90 yards to have. She is committed to the program, in the discus she listens throw and hit a extremely personal record of well, she is “One of my teachers was a track 9.71 yards in shotsupportive of and field coach and he encouraged put. “Last season her teamwas really tough mates, and I me to come to try out and see if I for me,” Otton don’t think liked it,” said. “It was my I’ve hardly ever heard her -Ariel Otton first time throwing the hammer complain,” and that was Slaughter really different for said. me because they don’t have it in high school. As for her level of commitment during So I didn’t do well early in the season last year practice when they are preparing “She’s usubecause of it. But it was a learning expeally pretty calm and collected during pracrience. My first year, in general, was really tice... getting to meets there are always some nerves. She’s not one to get too much into her tough because as a freshman, you’re coming head. She goes out and tries to perform to the into a higher level and that means you have higher standards,” Otton said. best of her ability that day. Sometimes she Otton also does a pre-ritual before every has a good day and sometimes she doesn’t. hammer throw. “When I step into the ring, I It’s all about keeping her (as well as her have to always start on my left side and just peers) in a positive mindset. Find the little take a deep breath and move to my right side wins even in failure,” Slaughter said. and then back over again. For Discus throws, Slaughter added how much the team is goI like to take a second to just release it right ing to miss her next year when she transfers. out of my hands just so I can get the feeling “We’re both California kids and I’m going of it leaving my hands,” Otton said. to be sad to lose her after this year since she
Green River College | The Current
Ariel Otton (top row on the far left) has been a bright student-athlete during her time at GRC.
