May the Fourth be with you, 2016
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issue10 volume50
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50 th Year
thecurrent the student newspaper of green river college
ASGRC Presidential Election:
Your Only Candidate page 2
There is Only One Choice, But You Can Still Vote Alina Moss | The Current
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currentsports
Learn about the FFS Program
The Black Student Union Prepares for Next Year
Green River Soccer Club Continues Win Streak
Become a peer navigator and give back to your fellow students page3
President of the Black Student Union has big plans for students of color at GRC
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Soccer club members train and work hard to be the best they can be
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Riley Agnew | Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com
The One Candidate to Rule Them All By: Marie Kepler Staff Writer Spring elections are underway, though there is only one individual who is running for president and no candidate for the vice presidency. Although packets for the Associated Students of Green River College (ASGRC) elections have been out since the first week of spring quarter there does not appear to be any interest in running. According to Richard Maroon, Green River College student and senator since the beginning of fall quarter, it is the lack of advertising for the elections that is mainly to blame for this one candidate race. According to Article two section three of the ASGRC by-laws it is the role of the Public Relations Committee to “publicize the spring elections and selections process.” Yet Maroon said there has been very little advertising for spring elections has been visible upon campus, and what is present was only out for a short while. A similar situation occurred last year when Maroon was running for ASGRC president. He was the only candidate to turn his packet in on time, and as a result he was the only candidate running for the presidency. However, according to an email from Kathleena Ly, the previous chief justice of the ASGRC, “In fairness to the whole student body, the Judicial Board decided that it is
important to have a competitive election process.” “The student government is aware of the many mistakes we have made in our election process and therefore are reopening the election process to the student body.” Ly said in an email to Maroon. This year the student senate is straying away from a competitive election, and instead the election is moving forward with just one candidate. The deadline was extended for two days, which is one of the reasons why the student senate did not want to reopen the petition process. Instead of reopening the petition process, or allowing those who were disqualified to submit new packets, it has been decided that there will only be one candidate for the presidency. Maroon said he is concerned for the students of the future as it is unclear who this will happen to next as there is a “very huge lack of consistency” between the two years alone. “It is the by-laws committee that interprets and enforces the ASGRC bylaws,” Maroon said. “However, in no way shape or form has the by-laws committee been a part of the election process this year.” The election process and the roles of the Judicial Board and the Public Relations Committee are outlined in the by-laws. According to the by-laws, the Judicial
Board reviews the qualifications of candidates and the Public Relations Committee “shall conduct, supervise, and publicize the spring elections.” The by-laws do not give these two groups the authority to interpret and enforce the ASGRC by-laws, which occurred this last year when the deadline was extended. According to Article two section four of the by-laws, all candidates must file a petition by the dates printed in the candidacy packets. “The bylaws committee was never consulted on whether they could or could not extend the deadline,” Maroon said. Maroon brought this issue to the senate during the Apr. 28 meeting, and argued that the deadline should be extended because having only one candidate is unfair to students and that was the solution in the previous year. Maroon went on to argue that there was a failure within the Public Relations Committee with how the advertising for spring elections was handled. During the senate meeting Melisa Williams, director of Student Life, said in response to Maroon’s complaint, “We learn from our mistakes and have decided this year to not extend the deadline.” As there are no candidates for the vice presidency, it has been decided that Argie will be allowed to appoint her own vice-president. Maroon asked the senate to “hold a special election” in order to fill the vacancy of vice
president “which at this point could be somebody’s best friend and not an actual representation of the student body.” Allegedly there will be an option for a write-in candidate on the ballot, but the motion was not brought through the student senate so it is unclear at this time whether the write-in option will be implemented.
Photo Courtesy of Vote For Patricia Argie & Harjot Singh for ASGRC President & Vice President
Riley Agnew | Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com
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3 2015-2016
International Foundation For Success Continues to Grow Become a Peer Mentor, Help Fellow Students through College and Life in America By: Jiahao Wu Staff Writer Mary Butcher is the manager of Foundation For Success(FFS) program and FFS has expanded and changed since it was established. 52 year-old Mary Butcher has been working at Green River College for 10 years. She has 25 years experience in education. Mary established Foundation For Success(FFS) program for international students from all around the world attending GRC 5 years ago. Nowadays, FFS program has non-credit core classes for first quarter Intensive English as a Second Language(IESL) and first academic quarter international students who are under 24 years old. There are 5 levels in IESL. Students from other countries have to enroll in this class for one quarter and pass. Each of the classes in FFS consists of one instructor and peer mentors. In spring quarter, there are around 16 students in one class for IESL level 4 and level 5. In addition, a total of 92 students enrolled the academic level FFS program. Butcher is the instructor of academic FFS classes and Maggie Bollinger-snita is the instructor of Level 4 and Level 5 FFS class. Both classes have 5 peer mentors who are from different countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea. Theses peer mentors have their own groups which have three to five international students. Nowadays, Butcher wants to add some local students to be the peer mentors and Transitional Studies 101 (TS 101) which is two-credit course called College Link which
has been working to improve the relationship that class has with the FFS program. Native American students can take this course and become one of the peer mentors after Butcher’s training and taking TS 101 College Link. For every quarter, Foundation For Success program has different learning outcomes and different purposes for each of the FFS classes. “We use active learning to teach our international students,” Butcher said. “We have games in class and funny activities.” Students need to give presentations about their life goals or universities that they researched to classmates. For academic FFS classes, Butcher trained them to complete their personal statements or using Education Plan which is on the GRC website to plan their future classes or degrees. Likewise, all FFS classes offer the opportunity to answer any questions about daily life that international students have. “It is different in many parts between their home countries and America,” Butcher said. “That is the reason why the school has this program and you can even ask silly questions about life.” According to Butcher, the IESL FFS classes and academic FFS classes have different goals for international students. FFS helps the IESL students adapt to the studying environment in America. “We want the IESL students to have a better transition,” Butcher said. “IESL courses are different than academic classes.” According to her description, IESL students don’t have to register for classes on their own and they just have two instructors for each level.
GRC Job Fair May 17 By: Lucas Duncan Guest Writer
Auburn, Wash. – Green River College, in partnership with the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, is holding a job fair from 1- 4 p.m. on May 17 in the Mel Lindbloom Student Union. The fair will feature a multitude of job opportunities for students interested in fields such as criminal justice/ law enforcement, drafting technology, natural resources, welding, medical/healthcare, manufacturing/ aerospace, automotive and carpentry. This provides a great opportunity for college students of all ages to learn more about, and apply for jobs inside and out of their fields of study. Evan May, a Green River college student, believes the job fair “gives people a chance to create a platform of security for themselves and their future.” Another student, Colby Thompson, agrees. “This gives us students a better chance to get the ball rolling for our future and to figure out what we would like to do” Thompson said. For more information about the upcoming job fair and other Green River job opportunities, as well as many scholarship opportunities offered by the college, students can go to www.greenriver.edu/workforceeducation, or email them at workforce@greenriver.edu. Efforts to reach employment specialist Julius Robinson of the college were unsuccessful.
“FFS is the program that actually helps international students,” Maggie Bollinger-snita who is an instructor of IESL FFS classes said. “I am happy to see that international students are growing up and know more about American culture and education.” International students who attended academic first quarter usually have more advanced ability in language, FFS program helped them to plan their future and educational plan. “We helped them to have a better understanding of the American educational system and their own goals for the future,” Butcher said. “Academic international students who enrolled in FFS program can use resources from GRC websites or services better.” Kirara Nagatsuka, who is the Japanese student from academic FFS program indicated that she made lots of friends and registered for some activities in GRC because of the classes and information offered. Likewise, FFS program has expanded and changed styles in these five years. At the first year of FFS program, there were only 45 students who are chosen to enroll this class. At the beginning, theses students all lived in Campus Corner Apartments(CCA) and GRC wanted them to communicate with each other. For the first two years of FFS program,
Butcher was the only instructor who created the learning outcomes and there were 10 peer mentors. However, in the third year of FFS program, Butcher decided to let students who attend FFS classes to think about their ideas of what they want to learn or know about America. Nowadays, the FFS program is getting bigger and more staff who are working for the program. Butcher is now training the peer mentors to get involved in the class ideas. Peer mentors have their own responsibilities in taking care of the international students who are in their group and make sure that they have a better understanding of American education and culture. Nowadays, there are 111 peer mentors and 100 local students in this program. And 868 international students attended classes. “It is a scary change.” Butcher said. “We do have some accomplishments. Students who attended the FFS classes usually have higher grades and our peer mentors are easier to transfer to top universities.” The application for being a peer mentor for international students will start in winter quarter. Students need one recommendation letter, one essay to hand to IVD building. Then Butcher will give students an interview and choose some to get the opportunities to train by her.
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Riley Agnew | Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com
Campus Crime Blotter Campus Safety responded to the following incidents from Apr. 19 to Apr. 25, among others. All information is from Campus Safety incident reports.
4/19 9:10 a.m. Student Housing Domestic Violence
Campus Safety received a report from the administrator of student housing. When safety officers arrived they were escorted to the suspect’s room. Housing staff were already speaking with the suspect when safety officers arrived. The safety officers conducted a search of the apartment and found a knife and pills. A student said to the safety officers that he had flushed the suspect’s pills down the toilet. The suspect asked the safety officers if she could have her pills back, but was informed that they would be confiscated because she could not produce a prescription. She said her dad was a doctor and that he had given her the pills. Before the safety officers left, she asked if she could have the pills when they were done with them but was denied again. An hour later, Campus Safety was informed that the suspect had become angry towards her boyfriend and hit him. The Auburn Police were called and the suspect was arrested for domestic violence.
4/23 2:37 p.m. Student Housing Assault
Campus Safety received an alert that 911 was called from an apartment in student housing. Safety officers responded and found the victim on the phone with the Auburn Police Department. When the suspect was finished with the call, safety officers asked him what happened. The suspect said he had been in his living room when someone knocked on the door. The victim’s roommate opened the door and the suspect came in and threatened the victim. At first the victim ignored him, but was then punched three times by the suspect. Auburn Police arrived and questioned the victim and his roommate. The victim did not know anything about the suspect except his first name. The roommate said he did not witness the assault and that he thought the suspect was only coming to get his stuff. The suspect’s last name and information was found on April 26 by Campus Safety.
4/25 11:10 a.m. Parking Lot Suspicious Person
While on patrol, a safety officer spotted a man looking into car windows in the parking lot. The safety officer followed the man since car prolwers have been an issue on campus lately. Another safety officer arrived on the scene and the two followed the suspect. When the suspect noticed he was being followed he became agitated and attempted to walk away from the safety officers. The safety officers followed, which only made the suspect angrier. The suspect began yelling out his student ID number and then presented his student ID for the officers. While producing his information the suspect never stopped walking away from the officers. The suspect stopped by an instructor and said, “this is bulls—, they’re profiling me.” The instructor provided the suspect’s name to the safety officers. The suspect then drove off campus. A safety officer managed to witness the suspect leaving the commons and attempted to talk with him. The suspect was still agitated and spoke to the officer in an aggressive manner. When the suspect was told why he had been followed by the officers, he angrily walked away from the officer.
A student posing with kangaroos on the Australia and New Zealand Winter Quarter trip. Photo courtesy of Cindy Card
Study in Spain this Summer By: Aubrey Casey Staff Writer This summer Green River College not only will be celebrating the day of Independence, but also the sendoff of a few chosen students. These students will be departing for Oviedo, Spain to spend four weeks learning about Spanish life and culture. Participants of this study abroad program will get the chance to live with a host family while attending the University of Oviedo, earning 17 college credits. The program is being led by Erin Fernandez Mommer, a Spanish professor at Green River for 14 years. Mommer studied abroad in Oviedo before coming to teach at Green River and said it was one of the best experiences of her life. Mommer said that students who study abroad return transformed from their experiences with living with their host families, speaking a different language, and immersing themselves in another culture. They are more mature and get a broader global perspective, and Mommer said by studying abroad students can bring an international perspective to their classes. The award-winning University of Oviedo was built in the 1600s and is one of the oldest universities in Spain, Mommer said. At The University of Oviedo, students will experience Spain’s different education format that focuses on their broad understanding of the classes. Mommer found this liberating when she was studying abroad because it places the education re-
sponsibility solely on the students. Students are taught by very experienced faculty members who had to go through an incredibly rigorous European process to become professors Mommer said. Sophomore Ross Pearson, an 18-year-old Green River student, applied to the program this year. He said he recognizes how important it is for students to experience cultures other than their own. Pearson believes that by expanding your vocabulary in the form of another language you can open up your mind to new interpretations. “The United States kind of finds themselves at the center of a lot of global issues and a lot of criticism and it’s worth understanding what other people’s point of view is and why the people think what they do about us and U.S culture,” he said. Pearson feels immersion is really important in the process of acquiring a new language. Students are not given a lot of opportunity outside of class to practice Spanish, but when they are studying abroad they have no choice but to speak the native language Pearson said. As a long time continuous visitor to Oviedo, Mommer said the city is calm and pedestrian. She said the whole town is alive with history and the people in Oviedo are very extroverted and kind. “It’s a European city, everything is made out of stone; you can walk everywhere, drink coffee in cafes - the lifestyle is a lot slower paced than it is here. There is time for reflection and thought which I really appreciate.” Mommer said. Mommer said she is willing to offer guidance to the students and
can give some options for towns to travel to, but really wants the students to explore independently and make up their own outcomes. “It’s a smaller city,” she said. “There are only 200 thousand people there so it’s really easy to meet up with your friends that you study abroad with. Like, you can pick a spot, meet together and then check out a new café every day.” By living with a host family, students will experience a situation in which they are the minority. Through this process, they can learn to be more accepting of diversity and better understand the impression the world has about American culture. Pearson was at first nervous about living with a host family, but is now really excited to get to be with a new family for a while. “My host family became my family. I’m still in contact with them. My host sisters were the same age as me, and we used to go out. I met their friends and we all hung out. It was wonderful,” Mommer said. Mommer recalled that there are lots of fun activities for the students studying abroad in Spain to do. Students will get two free weekends in which they could go on an excursion, tour the towns, go surfing, or check out one of the many white sandy beaches. Pearson said he is most excited to have real life experiences outside of class. “I want to sit in coffee shops and observe and talk with my host family and meet the people at the university. I want to experience people and experience humanity,” Pearson said.
Students, Don’t Forget to Register for Summer and Fall Quarter Classes! Some students have reported not receiving registration dates in their student emails, remember to double check online and to mark your registration date.
Riley Agnew | Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com
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Car Left on Campus for Over Six Months A car parked in parking lot one has been seemingly abandoned on campus. The car has collected pollen, trash, and other debris after being on campus, allegedly, for over six months. On the inside of the car mold and mildew are growing on the seats. No one has come foreward to claim the car and it isn’t the only one. There is another car in the gravel lot with a popped tire and collected pollen and debris.
Alina Moss | The Current
5 2015-2016
Annual Color Run 5K Coming Soon By: Maria Bracamontes Guest Writer
Green River College is offering students a chance to participate in what is being called the “Happiest 5K on the Planet.� The May 8 event is also known as The Color Run, an annual event that is hosted to promote happiness and health, and to bring the college community together. Cost is $35 for a student and $65 for a non-student. The Color Run is popular because sponsors make running a fun thing by including creative obstacles while still running a 5K race. Although the college is not hosting this event, Green River gives the students an opportunity to get involved as a community. Runners will meet at 6:30 a.m. at the bus circle near the administration building. They return about 12:30 p.m. For more information be sure to visit their website www.thecolorrun.com/about
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Alina Moss | TheCurrent
M. Kienan Briscoe | A&E Editor a&e@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com
Upcoming Events May
The BSU leading a Black Lives Matter demonstration through the Student Union building as they all join in a variety of meaningful chants.
Cinco De Mayo Celebration
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The BSU Continues To Serve the Community of Black Students on Campus By: Maria Garcia Staff Writer Keith Beasley, president of the Black Student Union (BSU), has held the position for the past two quarters. “I was the only one that stepped up at the moment,” Beasley said. He ran for president because he wanted to “help and encourage people of color that they can, instead of can’t.” According to Beasley, some people at Green River College do not influence people of color, and therefore he wants to be the one that does influence the black community. He would like to “be the role model” for black students on campus. Though Beasley has to deal with a lot of paperwork as BSU president, there is a bright side to the job: “One of the best things about the job is getting to know people, Beasley said. “The job is to focus on people and learn about them and their background.” Beasley can relate better to students as he is a GRC student as well, currently in his last quarter of his second year. After GRC, he will transfer to Seattle University to major in English with a minor in political science. After Seattle University he plans on attending law school. Other than handling his presidential duties, he also enjoys going for runs, writing poetry, and meeting people. Nationwide, the formation of BSU goes a long way back during the sixties, when white people and people of color were separated by being placed in different sections under the Jim Crow laws. “People of color felt excluded and could not integrate with white people,” Beasley said.
Strict laws like these caused the formation of organizations such as BSU, which help empower people of color. Since then, SBU can be found in many schools throughout the United States. Beasley said BSU currently has about 75 members, while GRC has about 800 black students. According to Time Magazine, Green River College was ranked the most diversified college in the U.S. Diversity on campus has increased, but Beasley said, “Do we feel like we are part of diversity?” It is not just the looks, but also the actions of people that matter, Beasley said. This is in the case in deciding how diversified the college is. A big accomplishment for BSU is conducting a successful protest for the Black Lives Matter movement. This specific movement fights for justice and freedom for the black community nationwide. The protest took place this past winter quarter. BSU members decided to join the tons of other people around the world in speaking up for the movement. BSU members tried to deal with the protest in a positive manner, and received positive feedback. In fact, “BSU got 110 emails in one day, all coming from people that wanted to join in on making a difference,” Beasley said. It was good news to BSU that a majority of the non-black staff members of GRC wanted to march with BSU in the protest. “Fortunately, BSU has not faced any notable obstacles in the past,” Beasley said. BSU has hosted events in the past,
though Beasley was not president at the time for those events. A goal for BSU right now is to spread the word about their upcoming event, the Harlem Renaissance Dance. The dance is in honor of Juneteenth, celebrating the end of slavery in the month of June. The dance was pushed to May 6, because having it on the last week of the quarter would interfere with finals and therefore affect attendance. The dance will take place in the Mel Lindbloom Student Union and it will go from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Costs are $10 for GRC students and $15 for non-students. Beasley said there will be music, such as jazz, and food, of course. Both the theme and dress code are “fancy”. Beasley said to dress as “fancy as you can be.” BSU works and communicates with other organizations and clubs on campus, such as the Latino Student Union and Queer and Allies.
May
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Music, Art and more
@ Student Union Building History of Cinco de Mayo 12pm-1pm Art Gallery 11:30am-1:30pm Free Event
Harlem Renaissance Dance
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@ Student Union Building 5pm-9pm $10 GR Students, $15 non-GR Students
Student Philosophy Conference @Salish Hall Room 254 9am-4pm Free Event
Diversity & Equity Conference
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@Student Union Building 11am-7pm $5 GR Students, $25 non-GR Students, Lunch and Dinner included with admission
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@Student Union Main Dining Room 1pm-4pm Free Event, catered by Panera Bread
2016 Spring Career Fair
M. Kienan Briscoe | A&E Editor a&e@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com
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The Philosophy Club Prepares For its Sixth Annual Conference
2015-2016
KGRG Spring Pledge Drive
Kienan Briscoe | TheCurrent
Alina Moss | TheCurrent
89.9 FM Ty Barnes, Head of the Philosophy Department, leading the Philosophy Club in a discussion on Free Will.
By: M. Kienan Briscoe A&E Editor
Ty Barnes, head of the Philosophy Department, intertwined his fingers and sat on the desk in front of the Philosophy Club. He spoke on the mysteries of consciousness with such clarity as if he had contemplated the subject for a great deal of time. Every Tuesday, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., hosts the club where all the big questions are discussed: What is the meaning of life? Does God exist? What is the nature of right and wrong? They are questions that many of us have asked under late night stargazing sessions, or sharing a beer with a friend, but within these hours in the walls of SH258, they are discussed in great detail. From any science from Biology to Politics, they could not have existed without beginning with Philosophy. “This is my fourth week,” a club member said. “I started getting into philosophy through psychology” “And Ty is probably the best teacher there is”. Although grateful for the opportunity to have a club, Barnes expressed some disappointment that it could not be taken further. “We can never have a Philosophy organization” Barnes said. The Philosophy club not meeting the requirements to be an organization is a difference of $500 in funding and having to rally for its existence every year with a case. Given the tumultuous conditions of the College’s politics, Ty Barnes
seemed as collected as his speech. “I think the Philosophy department is safe” Barnes said. “We fell into the fourth quintile, but really I have no idea what that means”. According to Barnes, the Philosophy department hosts several necessary courses for obtaining a degree, such as Ethics for a BA in Engineering. This Saturday, May 7, marks the sixth annual Student Philosophy Convention, where students from all over the state participate in presenting new ideas ranging from ethics, political theory and existence itself. In seven years, there has only been one year without a Student Philosophy Conference, where, due to a family matter, Barnes was unable to host. In the past the conference was called The Pacific Northwest Philosophy Conference, where students from schools as far as Yakima traveled to attend, but has lately become a more local affair. However, that does not mean it is exclusive. “I still send invites to all 30 schools every year” Barnes said. Even GR alumni, whom have gone to graduate as Philosophers from schools such as the University of Washington, have attended for presentations in the past. “I try to go every year,” Andrew Jeffrey, Philosophy Instructor, said. “I think they’re a lot of fun. The discussions are stimulating and interesting and it’s a really good first experience to philosophy.” Philosophy Club member Ian Daus agreed, “it was a lot of fun”. He plans to attend this year to present a topic on the ethics of circumcision.
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Tune into KGRG to hear about the events for the Spring Pledge Drive The KGRG tent will be out in the Commons every school day from now till May 13 with fun activities to participate in and music to enjoy. Come out to support your school’s very own radio station and enjoy the entertainment. Some of the events will be: -A Trivia tournament will be at noon, May 5th -The KGRG race car on display. -The car bash will be on a date yet to be determined. -Show at Real Art Tacoma on May 14 @ 6 PM
ICA In Search of Volunteers By: Mati Lund Staff Writer The Interurban Center for the Arts (ICA) is an arts enrichment program that brings monthly art lessons to elementary schools, currently within nine districts. For many elementary school students, this brings an opportunity to artistically work hands on in an active and friendly environment that they wouldn’t usually get a chance to experience. Currently, on the Green River campus, the ICA has an office in need of volunteers interested in working with kids, making art, or just gaining general experience for just three to four hours per month. Volunteering for this program would mean that the participant
would work as an art docent or assistant while working with children and does not require any previous experience in teaching children or the arts. This opportunity opens an outlet for enhancing the minds of young people and provides volunteers a chance to learn new skills through free and affordable lessons. The ICA works for students, faculty, and volunteers, with hopes that the program can benefit everyone. “[Volunteers are] getting that hands-on, real-life experience that they don’t get in the classroom.” Monica Tolas, program coordinator for the ICA said. “It’s almost an environment of guaranteed success, to a certain extent.” Regardless of what field potential volunteers are attempting to major in, Monica encourages anyone interested to give the program a shot.
While reaching about 1,700 children and obtaining around 600 parent volunteers, the ICA receives grant money from a number of gracious hosts, including, just recently, the Auburn Arts Commission, who awarded the ICA a generous fund. With the money appointed from the Auburn Arts Commission, the ICA was able to sponsor eight elementary schools in Auburn, allowing it to offer the schools a paid membership. In addition to obtaining grant money, the ICA holds an annual fundraising event every February, right here on campus. In years prior, the ICA held silent auctions at which local artists would donate artwork in hopes of bringing a substantial turnout to an influential cause, but have hopes to make the auction more of an artistic experience for the participants next year.
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Raghav Mandhana | Opinion Editor opinion@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com
The PPP Leaves Questions Unanswered
Editorial
The Current staff got an up close and personal taste of the Program Prioritization Process. John Knowlton, journalism instructor and the advisor for The Current, and James Ristig, editor-in-chief of The Current, met with the PPP committee on Apr. 28 to speak about efficiency of programs. The meeting went well, with both sides speaking about how The Current is improving and how it can be further improved to make the program more efficient. “Efficiency” was the key word of the meeting. After all, the PPP is meant to save the college money. While the process was painless for both The Current and KGRG, the question of why we were brought into the PPP lingers in the air. The Current is funded almost entirely through the money from student fees, with the only money from the college’s student support services budget going toward Knowlton’s stipend for advising. If all the college wanted to do was create a dialogue with their various student services to try to improve them, then why was that not made clear earlier? The Current staff were worried for their program, wondering if they could get cut due to various articles and editorials about what happens between the faculty and administration. This is still a fear, but after the hearing, that outcome seems unlikely. Though who knows what will come of this vague process? Still, the question remains: Why were The Current and KGRG asked to participate? If it was merely an attempt to help these programs function more “efficiently,” then the PPP committee were very po-
lite and asked good questions to help get a better understanding of The Current. However, if the college wants to be more involved with the newspaper, then that could be seen as a breach of freedom of the press. We are a newspaper, and thus we are protected in various respects thanks to the First Amendment. Now, the college does help us by providing information and access to certain people and places on campus, but nothing gives them the right to tell us what to write about or how to run the newspaper. If we suddenly decided to write all about puppies and nothing else, we would still technically be a newspaper (until the students decide to shut us down). We serve the students on this campus and it is the students who decide if we survive, not the college. Some of the editorial staff believe The Current was in the PPP because of the things we have reported on. We haven’t exactly painted the administration in the best light. The administration says The Current is in the PPP because all programs are being looked at. That’s interesting because The Current isn’t even in the general fund because we are funded entirely out of the 522 budget. So, why is the buzzword “efficiency” being thrown around so much? Every time the administration has talked about the PPP, it has been stated that it would not be used to influence budget decisions. But, then, what else is the term “efficiency” supposed to mean? The thinking behind the PPP is if we make these programs more efficient we can save money, except the college is going about this in the entirely wrong direc-
tion. We have discussed why the PPP does not work already, so this will be discussed from The Current’s perspective. How can the college judge a program’s efficiency from a report and a brief hearing? The PPP committee tried to dig into the working of our newspaper but it was too short a time frame, even if we did request the full 45 minutes, to discuss every aspect of how the paper is run. We did not even discuss the staff during the hearing or how the paper is actually produced. All the committee wanted to know was how we were trying to be more efficient and we gave them those answers. As previously stated, efficiency was the buzzword for the meeting. Well if the college wants to focus on efficiency, that is something they could definitely work on in the future. Right now we are in a situation where the inefficiency of the PPP made the faculty question their futures. The inefficiency of the administration resulted in a building that does not hold water. The inefficiency of the administration to be open about the PPP resulted in the faculty protesting with the students in the commons. If efficiency is the buzzword of this whole process, then the college needs to look inward instead of outward. We participated in the hearing out of fear, the same fear that almost every faculty member is feeling right now. The results of this process are a mystery until the end of May. The committee could recommend the college try to cut The Current. Cutting our program would be a bizarre occurrence, but stranger things have happened. Just look at auto-body.
Editorials reflect the opinions of the entire editing staff of the Current.
Common Safety Incidents on Campus and Prevention By: James Ristig Editor-in-Chief Every two weeks, the campus editor receives all of the safety reports from the last few weeks. Looking at every single safety incident that occurs on campus, you get a birds eye view of the most common crimes at Green River. I want to make it clear that this is not an indictment of campus safety. The safety officers do their job and respond to incidents happening on campus to the best of their abilities. Sometimes, the students need to stand up and understand what they
Editorial Policy
can do to be safe. The most common incident I come across in the safety reports is drug use. When writing the blotter, drug use is a boring incident to write about because nothing happens. Sometimes the students will be punished, usually I do not actually find out the consequences. All I know is that safety regularly checks the campus apartments for drugs and other illegal paraphernalia. The lesson to be learned, do not do drugs in CCA. All kidding aside, during the month of April there have been almost 10 drug related incident on campus, usually in the CCA. Campus safety cannot catch
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everyone that does drugs in the apartments, but you should probably think twice before attempting because your apartment may just be the one getting checked that day. Getting off the drug topic, property theft is a big issue on campus and there are numerous reports to safety about stolen property such as wallets and laptops, costing students hundreds of dollars. Being aware of your belongings is important, and you just know that the next time it could be your wallet that was taken. On April 25 a students laptop was stolen because he did not lock the door to his apartment. The
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residents were told multiple times by the apartment administrators, but they never listened and their property was stolen as a result. A student on April 18 left her bag out and noticed her wallet and checkbook were missing. What I have learned from reading all of these incident reports is that a little awareness goes a long way. We are a big campus, and there are some students who are desperate for cash. Keep your belongings close and within arms reach. Also, if you see a strange person on campus, do not engage because they may throw a blue newspaper stand at you.
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Letters to the Editor
thestaff
James Ristig Editor-in-Chief 253-833-9111 x2376
Riley Agnew Managing Editor Campus Editor 253-833-9111 x2377 Kienan Briscoe A&E Editor
Raghav Mandhana Opinion Editor
Alina Moss Sports Editor Ad Manager
Logan Hoerth Copy Editor
Kartik Sarda Web Editor
Staff Writers: Marie Kepler, Mati Lund, Cesar Leori-Gonzalez, Maria Garcia, Aubray Casey, Jiahao Wu, Emilio Jimenez, Michael Milat Photographers: Alina Moss, Mati Lund
In the April 28 issue of The Current, we misattributed a person speaking with Lavina Tang, ASGRC vice-president, as an instructor. He was actually a student.
If you find a factual error or simply a name spelled incorrectly, please contact us at: - editor@thegrcurrent.com - 253-288-3457 - or find us OEB 17
The Current encourages its readers to be involved and will accept letters of 400 words or less for publication. Anonymous letters are not accepted and the editors reserve the right to reject or edit letters for space, taste and legal concerns. All letters become property of The Current. Send letters to editor@ thegrcurrent.com.
Raghav Mandhana | Opinion Editor opinion@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com
opinion
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9
2015-2016
Election Hidden from Students
New President Already Decided by Senate By: Riley Agnew Campus Editor This quarter student body president and vice-president elections are being held, there’s just one small problem. There is only one candidate. Patricia Argie is the only candidate who turned in an election packet on time. Argie is a member of the Public Relations Committee within the student senate. The PR committee’s main job is to publicize the spring elections which it didn’t fulfill to the best extent. When the election packet was first released to the public there was no advertising or knowledge of it outside of the student life office. The fact that for the first week there was no publicity for the election packets shows that the PR committee failed at their near sole purpose for existing within the student senate. Now, I want to put a small disclaimer here. I have nothing against the people within any of the committees on the student senate. In fact, I am well acquainted with many of them. What I do have a problem with is the decisions made within student government. More specifically the decision to run with a single candidate this quarter. Now at some point the question needs to be asked: Why isn’t a proper democratic process being followed?
In a truly democratic election process the people get a choice between two or more candidates and the one that gets the most votes from the people gets elected. What student government has decided to do is a farce and an insult not only to the student body, but the democratic process. To explain what I mean by that, let’s look at this first from the standpoint of a student voting in the elections. When the student goes to vote and sees the ballot, there is only one name and a box that says “write-in.” This student wouldn’t know anyone else who is running and there is only one other option. The choice to vote for Argie wouldn’t be a difficult one to make. This of course robs students of their voice in the student senate, the governing body that is supposed to represent them. The choice to run with a single candidate seems to me, more like a dictatorship. We get the illusion of choice with a write-in option but Argie has an extremely unfair advantage compared to the potential write-in candidates. Of course, at this point it’s uncertain whether there will be a write in option as a vote wasn’t cast by the student senate. This means that if the Student Life office doesn’t feel like including it, then they don’t have to. The students aren’t the only ones who are being punished by this single candidate election. Anyone who would have wanted to run can
no longer run due to the deadline not being extended. Though Harjot Singh, an ex-officio on the Finance Committee, actually is running in tandem with Argie, so a vote for Argie is a vote for Singh. The reason for this is the lack of any vice-presidential candidates. Argie has been told that she gets to appoint her VP when elected. It would appear that Student Life anticipates a victory for Argie and Singh, even with the possible addition of write-in candidates. One of the biggest issues I have with this idiocy is that if someone wants to run for a write-in position then they don’t have to follow any of the rules and there is no check to see if they meet the criteria. For example, the campaign spending limit is $700 but if I wanted to run for write-in, I could spend as much as I want. Of course, there is also the restriction that no campaign materials may be created on campus. Since I haven’t turned in the election packet and am not an official candidate I don’t have to follow that rule either. The worst part is, out of all of this, if the write-in candidate does win there wasn’t a GPA check to see if they were even eligible to be the student body president or vice-president. The GPA requirement is 3.0 and if they don’t meet that they can’t be in the position. Another thing that annoys me is that the student government isn’t even following their own prece-
talking to me,” Edgecomb said. “In large crowds I felt invisible.” All Edgecomb could do to feel better was to listen to music and try to go into his own universe. Austin Long, another student at Green River, felt the same way. He used to feel nervous when people would come up and try to talk to him. He said his hands would get sweaty and clammy, and he would start to wonder “why is this person talking to me?” He said that whenever he found himself in large crowds he was always alone in the corner, and whoever he was with would disappear or leave his side. Edgecomb and Long got over their shyness with help from people around them, as well as their own ability to change. “I asked myself ‘Why don’t I have any friends?’” Long said. When he realized he was alone
and wanted to change, Long reached out to people to try to be more open. Edgecomb, on the other hand, said that he began to open up when he surrounded himself by “the kindest people.” One class and club at Green River that allowed him to do this was the Drama club. “At first it was just a fun class to me, but it helped a lot overtime,” Edgecomb said. Everyone is different and certain things may not work for you as well as they work for others. However, there is no end to the number of things that you can try until you find something that works for you. Saying “hello” to someone every day, talking to someone sitting alone, or just studying together with classmates are all great ways to make friends and open up. Another thing you can try to do is
Riley Agnew | The Current
Richard Maroon, by-laws chairperson, was the only candidate in last years’ election until student senate extended the date for new candidates. dents. Last year when this happened the deadline was extended and it was a competitive election. One would think that the same process would be followed but I guess holding a competitive election for the student body to voice their opinion wouldn’t be as easy as putting a candidate on a pedestal . It appears clear to me that the Student Life office doesn’t truly care about what students think.
In the act of presenting a single candidate the voice of students has been ripped away and instead the illusion of choice has been given to us. This is in no way fair to the students of Green River College. In my opinion, if they wanted to appoint a successor to the current student body president and vice-president they should have just appointed them in-house instead of holding a mock election.
Breaking out of Your Shell in College By: Emilio Jimenez Staff Writer
Being a shy, timid, introvert can be tough in day-to-day life. The outside world seems scary and intimidating. However, this is no reason for one to stop from trying to build worthwhile connections with others. Humans are naturally social and we crave each other’s company. The inherent disadvantage of introversion and diffidence makes it difficult to connect with those who share our passions. Yet all hope is not lost. There are many ways to extrovert yourself and to open up to those around you. Nick Edgecomb dealt with being a shy introvert during his first few years of high school. “If I didn’t know them I would instantly just freeze if they started
to figure out the comfort zone that you may have built for yourself and how to break through from that. If you feel uncomfortable around too many people, then go out and join a club, meet someone, learn about their perspective and let them show you something different and intersting. You could even come to the gaming room, otherwise known as the “Evergreen Lounge” in the Student Union building, to play a game of pool, some random card games, or a videogame. There are a lot of great people who common the gaming room, and there are plenty of chances to make new friends. It may seem frightening, and you may freeze up, but trust in people. Trust that the new friends you meet will stay by your side and show you some good times, that they won’t reject or ignore you, and trust that
you can talk to people and won’t feel upset or frozen. At the end of the day you will still feel alone sometimes and still struggle with shyness, much like Edgecomb and Long, but you will be able to talk to more people and open up. You won’t feel so nervous about people or your surroundings, and you’ll be able to relax. Find yourself around friends who want to help you have a good time, because isn’t that what college is about? You’re not only here to learn new things, but to make friends, form relationships, do a few stupid things, and have a blast. Take a little time for yourself, or grab a friend and walk around campus, just the two of you, to calm your nerves. There are many of us feel unsure and anxious about ourselves or others but we have friends and loved ones to help us through that.
sports
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2015-2016
Alina Moss | Sports Editor sports@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com
Green River’s Soccer Club Continues to Make Its Own Way By: Michael Milat Staff Writer
The Green River soccer club played a great match against league rival United Nations FC. With a final score of 3 to 1, adding yet another win to the GR Soccer Club score board. Leading up to the game, the Green River “Monday Club”, also known as the “Titans,” has maintained a solid record of 3-2-0, WinsTies-Loses. While the club can be proud of its record, it also acknowledged that such a winning season was not always the case. The college’s soccer club was founded earlier this year by soccer enthusiast Marc Milsten, recreation director, and student Gouresh Kamble. “I found out that there was a men’s soccer league, but they used to just play against each other," said Kamble, who was instrumental in creating the current league. "Now the team is much more organized.” Some of the newer players like Qasim Alqasim, remember the growing pains from prior seasons. According to Alqasim the fall quarter team had lost almost every single game. Alqasim, a lifelong student of the sport, said that the current winning season is due to huge improvements made in dribbling and passing. He said now the team actually works together, as opposed to the fall quarter where just wanted the ball to make the winning play. Monday night's game was a great triumph for the GR Titans. It started out rough but they pulled together and continued their 'no loss' season. Although the team has come a long way, there is still more to be done. In the first 10 minutes of the game the ref had to stop everyone due to lack of uniform conduct. A handful of the GR Titans were on the field without shin guards which is against the league regulations. Because of this, the GR Titans were scrambling on the sidelines looking for an extra pair of shin guards so that they did not have to sit out the game. If there were not enough shin guards to go around, the GR Titans would have had to forfeit the game. They were lucky enough to have
just enough shin guards to share between the subs. They may be getting more organized on the field, but the GR Titans need to realize that they are a team off the field as well. At the half, the GR Titans were down 0-1, but the team huddle was positive as they regrouped. Despite the missing shin guards and being down at the end of the first half, the beginning of the second half of the game the GR Titans caught up to their opponents and put three goals on the scoreboard, taking and keeping the lead for the rest of the game. The game was high intensity as the players on both teams fought for control of the field. The league that the GR Soccer Club is currently playing in, only has one referee on the field. This can often lead to disputed on the field over missed and misread calls. In many cases this can lead to fights with the ref or other players, but Green River can be proud of the Titans for being respectful to the refs calls even when they are against the team. Even though there were some questionable calls, the Titans pushed on and won with integrity.
Photos of the game on Monday night. The Green River Titans worked together as a team to win the game from a losing position during the first quarter. Photos by Alina Moss.
Game Calendar May
6
Men’s Baseball GRC vs. Grays Harbor
@ Aberdeen 1 p.m.
May
8
Men’s Baseball GRC vs. Grays Harbor
@ Heritage Park 1 p.m.
May
13
Track and Field
NW Regional Championship
@ Saint Martin’s University Lacey, WA
May
14
Men’s Baseball GRC vs. Pierce
@ Mt. Tahoma 1 p.m.
May
15
Men’s Baseball GRC vs. Pierce
@ Heritage Park 1 p.m.
games
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This game is known as Kakuro. The goal is to fill all the empty squares with numbers ranging from one to nine. You want to make each horizontal block equal to the clue on its left. The sum of all vertical blocks should equal the number on the top. No mumber may be used for a clue twice. For example, if you are trying to solve the horizontal clue of 16, you cannot use an eight and an eight. The answers must always be using different numbers.
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9 This weeks answers can be found in the next issue and at thegrcurrent.com.