Issue 12, Volume 50

June.1.2016

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50th Year

thecurrent the student newspaper of green river college

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2016

Alina Moss | The Current

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Faculty on Strike for Three Days

The Current Changes for Fall Quarter

Criminal Justice Club Fails to get Recognition

The Faculty went on strike for three days against the administrations program cuts

New editor-in-chief details what will be coming in fall quarter

Club is not featured on Facebook or given proper funding

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Riley Agnew | Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

Faculty Hold Strike, Demand Freeze on Cuts Classes Canceled for Three Days as the Faculty Strike Outside of College By: James Ristig Editor-in-Chief The faculty decided to go on an Unfair Labor Practice strike against the college and its administration due to concerns about potential program cuts and the handling of finances.

Jaeney Hoene, United Faculty Coalition president, said the plan is to strike for three days and then return to work.

Jamie Fitzgerald, English division chair, said the faculty were striking because of the administration’s refusal to communicate. All the faculty’s attempts to get the administration to listen to them have failed, and Fitzgerald said the strike is a signal to the state.

“We know the administration won’t do anything,” Fitzgerald said.

The faculty have a feeling of nervousness and fear, but have become energized for the strike, Hoene said. Over 100 people signed on to participate in the strike and another 100 adjunct faculty promised to honor the strike and not cross the picket line.

Kaite Mark, union representative for the campus, said Human Resources offered an ultimatum for the classified staff. They could take vacation days, go without pay, or work from home to honor the strike. Mark said many of the classified staff were afraid to show up to support the strike. The tenured faculty have job security and cannot be fired for the strike, but classified and adjunct faculty do not share that protection.

Ridwan Ibrahim, ASGRC pres-

ident, and Lavina Tang, ASGRC vice-president, were both concerned about the strike’s impact on students. Tang said the faculty have every right to strike, but they want the faculty to inform the students about the impact to their college lives. Ibrahim said there are going to be reactions to the strike and students are going to be mad. Some students went to the ASGRC student senate with questions about what the strike will do to their graduation, Ibrahim said.

“It is not our responsibility to take a side,” Tang said.

The ASGRC senate wanted to give the students a voice in the strike and that is the reason they spoke up about student’s concerns during the May 19 Board of Trustees meeting, Ibrahim said.

Amanda Bentz, a criminal justice student, said the strike has been a long time coming for the faculty and she helped get students to

support their instructors.

Michelle Marshman, history instructor, said the best case scenario for the strike is the Board of Trustees convinces President Eileen Ely to work with the faculty. The faculty want a freeze on all cuts to programs until all hard evidence of the college’s finances can be presented, Marshman said.

Lynne Dodson, secretary treasurer for the Washington State Labor Council, said the faculty were standing up for every working person.

“We need a leader who can set their ego aside,” Marshman said.

The Reduction in Force notices are cutting programs that make a profit, and Marshman said the history program, which was in Q5 during the Program Prioritization Process, generates over $500,000 thousand for the college.

The faculty were hoping the strike will get the government to

The faculty held signs of protest against the college’s proposed cuts, encouraging drivers to honk their horns in support.

All Photos Alina Moss

Though Campus Safety was respectful of the protest, the college called the Auburn Police Department to post officers around the college near President Ely.

pay attention to the issues at Green River College and help, Fitzgerald said. Though the college works fairly autonomously, Hoene said, the state is trying to assess the situation and are worried about the climate on campus.

Marty Brown, executive director of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, said there are fiscal issues, lost enrollment, and a decreased tuition that has impacted Green River’s finances.

This has been a long simmering issue, but Brown said he thought things would have died down when the faculty got their new contract.

“Usually strikes are over contract,” Brown said.

There is uncertainty right now, Brown said, and he is worried for the students and how the strike will impact them. He said he has received calls from students about the strike and he said this will impact Green River’s reputation.

There was no contact from the administration concerning the strike, Hoene said, but there was a special Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, May 23 to discuss the strike. Hoene said that no one could check their Green River emails, so communication with the administration is difficult.

During the board meeting, the Board of Trustees passed a resolution giving President Eileen Ely the power to take legal action against the faculty because of the strike.

According to the resolution, Ely also has the power to make all personnel decisions, including firing faculty members.

The Board of Trustees passed this resolution on May 23 during a special meeting with Tim Clark chairing the meeting while three other board members, Pete Lewis, Claudia Kauffman, and Sharonne Navas, participated over the phone.

The resolution was passed unanimously by the Board of Trustees.

“There’s no solid two-way dialogue, only proclamations,” Marshman said.

During a rally held on Wednesday May 25, Mia Gregorson, Washington State representative, visited the college and the striking faculty.

The faculty returned to work on Thursday to ensure the students are not heavily impacted by the strike, Fitzgerald said.

“I feel like we accomplished what we set out to accomplish,“ Fitzgerald said.

The strike shut down the school, and Fitzgerald said that was an empowering experience for the faculty.

Riley Agnew | Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

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Eleven Programs Chosen for Reduction

Design Drafting’s Enrollment Results in RIF Early Childhood Education wants

Full Data Before Programs are Cut

By: Maria Garcia Staff Writer The design drafting technology (DT) program was recently notified that they have received a Reduction in Force (RIF) notice for the first time.

Like many other programs at Green River College (GRC), design drafting technology received an email regarding a RIF notice. A RIF notice essentially means that a program will be reduced in some shape or form, either by having some cuts made or eliminating the program altogether.

If the Drafting Technology program were to be completely eliminated then that would mean that the college would no longer have a DT program, Terry Waagan, design drafting technology faculty, said.

About two weeks ago, the administration at GRC sent out an email to both faculty and students. The email contained a list of programs that are being affected by RIF notices.

The email design drafting technology received is the “only formal notice,” Waagan said. “No information has been given to us formally.”

No other form of communication regarding the RIF notice, besides the email, has been sent out to the program by the college.

“We’ve been focusing on what our options are,” Waagan said. The design drafting technology program has two options in response to the notice. They can either find ways to cut liabilities or increase revenue.

The bigger issue is finding ways to increase revenue and increase student enrollment as well, Waagan said.

The email did not include the reasoning behind why the programs were targeted by RIF notices.

“All I know is what’s on the email,” Waagan said. “It did not specify.”

Waagan’s guess behind why design drafting technology got a

By: James Ristig Editor-in-Chief

Alina Moss | The Current

RIF notice is because the program’s enrollment has decreased.

Regardless of the program, if you don’t have students then there is no program, Waagan said.

The issue is getting enrollment to increase though that is something that design drafting technology is trying to work on.

Currently, design drafting technology offers five different degrees and they are having, “trouble keeping classes full,” Waagan said.

They would like to focus more on having fewer degrees that could be completed in two years. Limiting choices could mean more students, Waagan said. They are also thinking about reducing the amount of credits needed in order to finish a degree. They would like to reduce it down to 90 credits.

“It’s more in line with other colleges that have also reduced,” Waagan said.

Reducing to 90 credits could also be more attractive toward students being retrained through the workforce, which could complete their degree in two years or about six to seven quarters, Waagan said.

“I’m not sure that either side knows what it means,” Waagan said. “The matter of the process, the way it was done. It is hard to

respond,” Waagan said.

Design drafting technologyis trying to determine where they stand and what they can do about it.

We recently had a discussion with the division chair and president to give us an idea, but we still have no idea as to why design drafting technology is on the list, Waagan said. According to Waagan, they will have to assume that the list is complete and try to figure it out from there.

As for the students, all they can really do is, “keep questioning,” Waagan said.

Not too long ago, both the president and vice-president of GRC were answering questions during a forum. Students showed up to ask questions and voice their concerns. A number of design drafting technology students showed up to question about the position of their program.

Other than that, students do not really have many options.

We are not little children, we don’t need to be coddled, Waagan said.

Some clear answers could, however, come in handy and help design drafting technology and other programs better manage their resources and future position.

The Parent Education course has been available at Green River for 50 years and has received a Reduction in Force (RIF) notice.

Leslie Kessler, Early Childhood Education instructor, said the program has been re-worked to be more cost effective to the college.

Diana Holz, Early Childhood Education instructor, and Kessler said they want the program to continue even if it is reduced. The program supports at-risk children and offers help to parents who require assistance in raising their children.

Intructors of the program reach out to families and help prevents court orders.

Relationships with families and their children is critical, Kessler said. The Parent Education course helps to promote those relationships and make students aware of children with special needs.

“The program is the same age as spam,” Holz said.

Holz said by eliminating the Parent Education course the college is devaluing children and parents due to a lack of info.

The Montessori Track also received a riff notice. There are only three Montessori programs in the state Kessler said, but the one offered at Green River is the only track available at a college.

For the program to grow it needs accreditation but the college won’t support Early Childhood Education, Kessler said. National certification from Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education would help the program survive Holz said. Without the the accreditation it is hard to fight for the program. Even though it is small in America, Montessori education is big in China and international students find that the program is more useful to them, Holz said.

Holz and Kessler said they will be fighting for their programs but they need to full data to properly explain why their programs should be saved. Early Childhood Education instructors gave a presentation for the Program Prioritization Process committee, but Holz said they have heard nothing about their program afterwards.

“We have been given no direction,” Holz said.

Holz said they want to go through the program review process, which is a difficult ordeal but reveals all the data and information about a program to the college. The program review looks at why there is a decline in enrollment or other factors that contribute to a failing program, Holz said, but it also looks at options to increase enrollment. Manufacturing went through a program review and became viable again after a severe decrease in enrollment, Holz said.

Cutting programs scares students, Kessler said, which impacts enrollment as students stop signing up for classes in fear of it being cut before graduating. The process is also too fast, Kessler said and they are worried programs will be terminated too quickly.

“Autobody was just gotten rid of instantly,” Kessler said.

The plan going forward with the RIF notices is for students to go into other programs, Kessler said. However, there are concerns that there wont be space in other programs for those students, and Kessler said that it will require the college to hire more faculty. This process will ultimately lose the college money, and it is a gamble that students will remain at Green River after their program is shut down, Kessler said.

“In society, you can’t just toss everything out because of money,” Holz said.

Occupational Therapy Attempts to Generate New Revenue Mati Lund Staff Writer The occupational therapy program at Green River College is at risk of potentially being cut along with many other programs due to budget issues and enforced by the Program Prioritization Process (PPP).

This program was employed to help make critical changes in order for the college to enhance its performance and allow programs to work at the highest quality of efficiency.

“I hope these programs, including occupational therapy, don’t get cut,” Lindsay Morris, a counselor at Green River, said.

Occupational therapy is a helpful and beneficial program, Morris said, but at the same time all programs at GRC will be feeling the effects of all the cut backs.

“We need to work together,” Morris said.

An Occupational Therapy Assistant is work in which people dedicate their lives to helping

persons that have experienced injury’s or massive disabilities to live productively normal lives relative to what it is they want to accomplish. Anything from assisting people in a variety of work related issues to just day to day leisure activities. All programs being threatened along with occupational therapy have the

opportunity to come up with new ideas to generate revenue and efficiency as a last chance before these cuts become finalized June 10.

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Campus Crime Blotter Campus Safety responded to the following incidents from May 11 to May 24, among others. All information is from Campus Safety incident reports.

5/11 10:15 p.m.

Parking Lot Driving Offense

While on patrol, a Safety officer observed a vehicle playing loud music in the P15 parking lot. As the safety officer approached, he saw the driver talking with students from the Campus Corner Apartments. The driver appeared to be trying to pick up some of the female residents of CCA. He was making some of the students uncomfortable, and they asked him to leave. The students asked the Safety officer to speak with the driver and ask him to leave. They said he was not a student of Green River or a resident of CCA. As the safety officer approached the driver, he began driving recklessly and doing doughnuts in the parking lot. When the Safety officer attempted to flag down the vehicle by flashing his flashlight, the driver exited the parking lot at high speeds.

5/17 6:30 p.m.

Off-campus Vandalism

Campus Safety was informed of grafitti on the benches on the trail. A safety officer was dispatched to the location and found three benches, a metal sign, and a wooden pole, all with grafitti on them. Two of the benches, the sign, and the pole had the word “Sicko” written on them, while “Guero” was written on the third bench.

5/21 1:14 a.m.

Student Housing Noise Complaint

A Safety officer was on his rounds through the Campus Corner Apartments when he heard a loud banging sound. He investigated and found a group of people banging on the door to one of the apartments. There was extremely loud music emanating from the apartment. With the aid of a Resident Assistant, the resident of the apartment was given a warning. After the warning, the music only got louder. After making contact with the resident once again, the Safety officer found alcohol in the apartment. Anyone who was not a resident of CCA was told to leave. Three of the remaining students did not meet the legal drinking age. The students’ information was gathered, and the Safety officer left the apartment.

5/24 6:37 p.m.

Kennelley Commons Student Conduct Violation

While on patrol, Safety officers noticed a student writing near the performing arts center in chalk.

The Safety officer did not know the procedure for this situation and contacted the Campus Safety office. He was informed to make contact with the student and take pictures of the scene. The student had departed by the time the Safety officer arrived and Campus Safety could not locate them. On the ground, the student had written “Ely lies,” “united we stand,” and “Ely must go.” The Safety officer contacted facilities to clean up any comments on the ground—specifically any directed toward a specific person.

The next day, the student was approached by Safety officers in the Administration Building. The student was informed they could not write derogatory statements on campus property. Though the student said there were more people writing on the ground, they took credit for the incident and said the writing would continue, despite being warned by safety officers. Similar chalk messages were found later.

Riley Agnew | Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

Graduation Approaches for Students By: Ceser Leori-Gonzalez Staff Writer

Graduation approaches, and many students are not fully aware of what the commencement ceremony will be like.

The commencement ceremony will begin promptly at 7 p.m. on June 10 at the Kent ShoWare Center.

Graduates are welcome to begin checking in at 5:30 p.m. at the north entrance, the loading dock area, though graduates must be present by 6 p.m. The main entrance doors will open for guests to begin entering at 6 p.m.

The ShoWare center is a large indoor venue with plenty of seating space—tickets are not required for family and guests of the graduates.

The seating is also very close to the floor, providing a great view of the ceremony. Though there is plenty, it should still be noted that seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For preference in seating, do not arrive late.

Dani Chang, dean of Campus Life, encourages students who can participate in the ceremony to do so.

“All students who meet the requirements to graduate should certainly participate in the commencement ceremony,” Chang said.

“They have worked hard and long to accomplish this milestone in their lives.”

For those students who are graduating, an email should have been sent to your student email if you have notified Encrollment Services of your intent to participate in the commencement ceremony by the week of May 2.

Upon completing the graduation application, after it goes through the processing steps, the student’s graduation card has been available since beginning Monday, May 16 at the Records Office of Enrollment Services in room 277 of the Student Affairs and Success Center. A signature from the graduate is required on the graduation card, in order to verify their degree/certificate and honors. Students need to remember to bring photo identification because it is required.

Graduation attire such as caps, gowns, tassels, and related materials have been available for sale since the first week of May in the PaperTree Bookstore. Graduates should keep in mind items are limited. The graduation items may be purchased after the graduate has picked up their graduation card from Enrollment Services.

There ceremony does give an honor for military personnel. Green River College wants to provide a special recognition to Green River’s graduates, faculty, staff and administrators for their military service to

Alina Moss | The Current

our country, Chang said. Therefore, a red, white and blue military service cord will be available for sale at the PaperTree bookstore. Any graduating student, faculty, staff and administrator who are presently serving or who served in the military service, or any graduating student who has been accepted into a military service delayed entry program are eligible for the military service cord.

“Commencement is the culmination and celebration for graduating students to honor their accomplishments,” Chang said. “It truly is the most powerful event for me to cap off the year and celebrate our incredible students.”

There will be no ceremony rehearsal at the Kent Showare Center.

Though there will be a substitution of, two graduation information sessions for all graduates. The sessions cover all the important information that graduates should be aware of for the ceremony including, graduation cards, processional and diploma ceremony and general venue information. Graduates are highly encouraged to participate in the sessions, the commencement ceremony will be more fun and enjoyable for the graduates if they know what is going on. The first session is at 11 a.m. to noon June 7 in the Lindbloom Student Union, River room. The second session

is at 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. June 7 in the Lindbloom Student Union, River Room as well.

There will be a photographer present at the ceremony. Graduate portraits will be taken at the Kent ShoWare Center by Darel Roa Photography. Email and brochure are available on the Green River website under Student Affairs and Commencement 2016.

Transportation is available by shuttle bus for Green River students on a first-come, ticket-only basis from Student Life, on the second floor in the Mel Lindbloom Student Union. At 5 p.m. on the day of the ceremony, buses will depart from the AD Building Traffic Circle and return back to campus after the event. Student identification is required and the deadline to reserve bus tickets is June 8.

Kent ShoWare Center has free parking available onsite, as well as in many lots within close walking distance. Onsite parking spaces are limited and go by first-come, first-served basis. Arriving early is advised since the only parking restrictions for the ceremony are parking at Kent Station’s patrons.

As a courtesy it is asked to not park your car there. Disability parking for graduates and guests is available with proper state identification onsite and also follow the first-come, first-serve basis.

FACULTY

The Pieces of the Puzzle STUDENT The Various parties involved in the strike

At the heart of the strike is the United Faculty Coalition, led by Jaeney Hoene. The United Faculty Coalition used this strike to show that they mean business when it comes to the proposed program cuts.

GOVERNMENT

The United Faculty Coalition went on strike through the days of May 23 to May 35. The faculty lined the streets shouting chants like “Ely must go,” and “We are the union!” The United Faculty Coalition chose to strike for three days to limit the impact on students.

With support from students the sidewalks were packed full of people. The college administration was reported to be on campus, but they were not seen near the picket line.

ASGRC student government are in support of the students and attempt to give them a voice in matters such as the strike and program cuts. The ASGRC senate read a statement during the May 18 Board of Trustees meeting showing their opposition to the faculty striking.

GRC fac

The Administration consists of President Ely, the Vice-Presidents, and the board of trustees.

The college administration is in the difficult postition of having to cut programs with the a looming deficit. The estimated number is $4.5 million.

ON ST R I K E “ UN FAIR L ABOR PRACT ICES “

ADMINISTRATION

ulty

STUDENTS

The “Save Green River College!!”

Facebook group took a firm stand with the United Faculty coalition in the face of the proposed budget cuts.

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Raghav Mandhana | Opinion Editor opinion@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

The Future of Green River

The Current Ponders Over What Comes Next

Editorial

The historical second strike of Green River “Community” College has come and gone. On this, the college’s 50th anniversary, the faculty took to the streets with picket signs in hand and told the president to leave.

As the dust settles, we can look back and give our thoughts on what has this strike accomplished and what can be done going forward. The first question that needs to be answered is was the strike a success? So far, keeping in mind it has only been a week, the strike has been met with criticism.

Even though the strike was only three days, students were still affected by the hiatus. The faculty were told not to check their work emails or participate in any work related activities. Students who needed help in a class for something as trivial as a homework question to something as important as a graded assignment, could not contact their instructors for help. We at The Current believe that even though the faculty would have tried to avoid this event, students were still left without instructors to guide them.

The decision to only strike for three days was a noble one as it minimized the damage done to students. Was that the right decision though?

In terms of faculty’s message to the college, the short duration of the strike watered down the impact of such a historic event. If the administration knows that you are going to go back to work in three days, why bother reacting. The administration strategy appeared to be waiting out the strike in their bunkers while also trying to scare the faculty with vague and pointless proclamations.

However, we as students appreciate the faculty’s concern about our futures.

Keeping the strike to three days, while probably not the easiest decision to make, was the right one to ensure the students’ continued support and their students’ continuing education.

The strike was successful in that is garnered support of not only the faculty and staff, but also from the students. Less faculty were on the streets during the second day of the strike, but their space was filled by students chanting and yelling at cars to honk their support.

Still, some students chose not to attend their classes or went on campus to support the strike. This ensured that the college was empty for those three days. Though most just used those three days to catch up on their sleep.

It is disheartening that President Eileen Ely did not show concern for the strike during the special board meeting. She was silent to the students talking to her about concern for their instructors.

The strike did not impact her in the long run, but the strike did garner attention, and that will definitely hurt her in the long run.

Our college has a public relations problem, and the strike did not help that image. Ely said in letters to the editor and to the press that the faculty are being irrational and the college is just addressing a money issue. When you look deeper, which some news outlets have been doing, the college has $12 million in reserves and that money can be used to offset the deficit. There are other factors such as the state’s new allocation model that stops the college from doing this, but it could at least be used to save programs from being cut.

The strategy going forward for the college is to cut some of these programs and look like heroes as they save others such as Occupational Therapy. Some of these programs may be in trouble, but no one can really tell when the data is not readily available, even to the administration. Freezing these cuts for now is not an unreasonable request when you learn that not even the heads of the programs can get all the information about their own programs that the administration is supposed to gather.

The administration is supposed to make decisions on how to save money and the faculty are supposed to make recommendations on ways to save that money. Right now, the administration

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

Alina Moss | The Current

is proposing cuts to save money and ignoring the faculty like they did with the autobody program.

Back to the main point of this editorial, what did the strike accomplish? It made Green River and the faculty’s issues with the president widely known across the state. A strike is a big deal for our small school that has enjoyed a good reputation for a number of years. Who knows if the government will take notice and try to do anything, even though our college governs itself autonomously.

The next step forward for the faculty is successfully blocking the re-appointment of Board of Trustees Chairperson Pete Lewis. Green River’s Board of Trustees is in a state of potential flux right now, with people who potentially support the faculty taking the majority from Board of Trustee member Linda Cowan and Lewis who are the most vocal of the group against the faculty.

Staff Writers: Marie Kepler, Mati Lund, Cesar Leori-Gonzalez, Maria Garcia, Aubray Casey, Jiahao Wu, Emilio Jimenez, Michael Milat Photographers: Alina Moss

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

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

Editorial Policy

The Current is a public forum for student expression. Student editors make all content decisions without censorship or advanced approval. The opinions of the opinion stories are that of the writer and the writer alone. If you have an opposing viewpiont feel free to write The Current a Letter to the Editor at editor@thegrcurrent.com

Theft Policy

Each individual is permitted one free copy per issue. Additional copies may be purchased with prior approval for 50 cents each by contacting The Current. Newspaper theft is a crime.

Anyone who removes, discards or destroys more than one copy to prevent other individuals from reading that issue may be subject to civil, criminal and/or campus penalties.

Letters to the Editor

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

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The Current Today and Tomorrow By: Riley Agnew Editor-in-Chief As the incoming Editor-in-Chief I feel like it’s important to address some of the changes that will be coming in the near future and what they mean for The Current.

The biggest change that’s coming is an online focus. One of the visions I have for The Current is an enhanced online experience. The Current has been the voice of Green River College for the past 50 years and for it to continue to be, we need to move into the digital age.

The first step to this was to recreate our website from the ground up.

Our web editor, Kartik Sarda, did a fantastic job creating a sleek looking design for The Current’s website. The next step in the revitalization of this student run newspaper was creating a new app which would update with new stories.

Unfortunately the funding for our

app, which was approved by the ASGRC, has not gone through yet and we are uncertain at this time when the app will be available to the public.

The motivation to release the app and the new website stems from the editorial staff wanting to be able to upload content in-between issues. A system such as that is what we hope will draw more readers to our paper.

Of course, there will still be a print edition of our newspaper.

In my opinion a complete shift to an online newspaper would kill our readership, which is why I am maintaining the print editions of The Current.

Being handed this position is an honor and I hope to maintain what the previous editors have created, while still improving upon their groundwork.

My main goal is for The Current to have an increased presence on campus. I want my editing staff to be easily recognizable and easy to

talk to. The Current is here to be a voice for the college and our door is always open to the community.

As the Editor-in-Chief my office hours will be from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. each day. During this time any member of the community may come and find me to discuss inquiries about The Current. Of course, anyone interested in an editorial position may come to my office and introduce themselves in person.

It’s unfortunate that I will have to replace so many editorial staff members, but with so many leaving I don’t have much of a choice.

There are five open editor positions at The Current. Managing Editor and Campus Editor are the first to open up, and campus editor is the first position I want to fill.

Campus and Managing editor is the position I held, but I now realize that the two positions are too much to be filled by one person. The other open positions are Copy Editor, Sports Editor, and Ad Manager.

Campus is our biggest section,

which is why I want to fill the position as fast as I can. Campus being the biggest sections means that it requires double the work of the other sections, and the editor needs to have a good amount of knowledge about happenings on Green River campuses.

Following Campus Editor, Sports Editor will need to be filled. Sports is an easy section to manage due to its size of two pages and availability of content. The only caveat for this position is having a wide knowledge of sports, which for many people, isn’t an issue.

Ad Manager is an important role at The Current because without an Ad Manager we wouldn’t have any advertisements to put in the paper. While having zero ads might appeal to some people, it’s how we afford to go to award shows.

Managing Editor is an interesting position as whoever is in that position is Editor-in-Chief lite. The Managing Editor and Editor-in-Chief work together to

assign stories to the writers and run the newspaper. In the event that the Editor-in-Chief is out of the office, the Managing Editor steps in to run the office. Anyone may apply to be the Managing Editor, it’s also one of the higher paid positions.

And the last open position is Copy Editor. Copy Editors make the job of producing The Current a much easier task than it would be normally. Ideally we would like to have two or three Copy Editors so that one person isn’t shouldering all of the work.

The last thing that I want to make clear in this article is that The Current is an unbiased source of information and it will continue to be an unbiased source of information. From some of the responses I have gotten on campus, some people think that the editorials and opinions of our editors reflect what The Current actually feels. I would like to remind everyone that editor opinions don’t directly reflect what the newspaper thinks.

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M. Kienan Briscoe | A&E Editor a&e@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

2015-2016

Annual Student Art Exhibit Comes To A Close

*

TOO LONG. DIDN’T READ.

* There are more possible iterations of a game of chess than there are known atoms in the universe. * At launch, the iPhone had the same computing power as NASA in 1969 (the year the first man landed on the moon)

M. Kienan Briscoe | The Current

* As far as we know, lobsters cannot die from old age, only external causes.

By: M. Kienan Briscoe A&E Editor

* If an ant encounters a drunk comrade, they will carry them home to sleep it off. * One of the only activities that uses and stimulates the entire brain is music. * People that walk fast tend to live longer than the average walker.

Facts from knowable.com

Event Calendar

Jun

1

Concert & Jazz Choir Concert @ GR Performing Arts Center 7:30 p.m. $8 students $9 public

As spring quarter comes to an end, the Annual Student Art exhibit prepares to follow suit with its closing reception.

Directly through the main entrance of the Holman Library, the Helen S. Smith Gallery will host the event from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, June 1, as a last opportunity to view the student artwork before the exhibit closes on June 2 for the year.

The gallery is a collection of the best work chosen from class-

Jun

3

Pride Prom Featuring Brandon Lentz and Abbey Drake @ SU Gator Hall 7 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. $10 GR Students, $15 Public

es such as 2D Design, Drawing, Ceramics, Painting, Photography, Screen Printing and 3D Design.

“The exhibit is essentially the outcome of what is taught and learned in our classes,” Paul Metivier, gallery director, said. “The Helen S. Smith Gallery is interested in community outreach and creating a campus culture by exhibiting student art, emerging artists, and artist[s] with established careers from the northwest.”

Refreshments and food will be provided and guests will be given the opportunity to talk to the artists about their work, and any purchasing options that may exist.

Jun

3-4

M. Butterfly @ Bleha Performing Arts Center Fri: 7:30 p.m., Sat: 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. $9 Public, Free for GR Students

If students are interested in displaying their work in the next Student Art Exhibit, Metivier recommends taking one of the variety of art classes GRC has to offer. Art 180, in particular, is only offered in the Fall Quarter and deals specifically with preparing artists with organizing their work in a portfolio, either to be used to transfer to a university, to present their work for gallery exhibition, or simply just to organize their work.

“The Annual Student Art Exhibit is often referred to as the best show of the year because of the variety of the artwork exhibited by our wonderful GRC students,” Metivier said.

Jun

6

Vocal Showcase Featuring singers from Music 125 vocal coaching @ Performing Art Theatre 1 p.m. Free to Public

The Fingerprints Are Hard To Follow For The Criminal Justice Club By: Marie Kepler Staff Writer

Green River College offers a variety of clubs to its students, although not all of them get the same amount of attention.

In fact, one club in particular tends to remain in the background, despite high involvement with students and the college community. This is the criminal justice club headed by club president Amanda Bentz, a GRC student in the criminal justice program. Mary Jane Sherwood, a teacher in the same program, advises the club.

The club was reformed during winter quarter by a few students involved in the criminal justice program in response to a teacher’s suggestion, according to Bentz.

Although the club is not very large, it has five executive members and

three to five additional members.

Bentz said the club allows members “to bond and network, sharing connections within communities.”

“I’ve met a lot of police officers, firefighters, and other civil servants, and that can really help you in this field,” Bentz said.

Bentz also went on to state that another primary goal of the criminal justice club is to “inform students of their civil rights, and what they are legally allowed to do.” the club intends to promote civil action on campus by raising students’ awareness of their rights.

For instance, the strike of GRC’s faculty has been a main topic during club meetings. The club uses public records and relevant laws to put their education to the test in determining what are practices legal or illegal on campus.

The club is also very flexible as it allows those who cannot attend meetings, due to work or school

schedules, to stay connected through email and notifications.

Despite the valuable nature of the club, it faces challenges both internally and externally. Bentz said the club has been “flaky” in the past, being strong one year then gradually decline the next, in attendance and involvement on campus.

To combat this gradual decrease in membership, Bentz has restructured the club’s contract and goals and provided a list of contacts for making it easier to start the club up next year. Although Bentz isn’t looking to be president of the club next year, she plans “to be active in the club,” which will provide the club with an experienced member.

Yet the club also faces a lot of challenges in terms of technicalities and a lack of publicity.

Many do not even know the club exists as it is not included in the list of clubs on the college’s Facebook page. In addition, there are no signs

or advertising for the club, nor are there likely to be any in the future.

In fact, Bentz said the college “won’t approve any of their signs to hang up, even though they were printed by the school print shop and were already approved.” As well, Bentz said paperwork that has been submitted is oftentimes lost, club events are cancelled for no clear reason, and technicalities are used to prevent the club from reaching its full potential.

To Bentz, who was a major participant in the strike, a vocal attendee of the Board of Trustees meetings, and a major opponent of budget cuts, these actions from the college seem personal.

“We got word that programs were getting cut back at the end of March, and [the criminal justice club] started telling everyone about it, Bentz said. “And as soon as we started talking about the PPP and attending the BOT meetings, ...

they completely shut us down.”

For a club whose purpose it is to appraise the legality of actions on campus and keep students informed of their civil rights, it seems counterintuitive that the president of the club would be barred from student senate meetings. The reality, however, is that Bentz is not permitted into the meetings, as she has been informed that she does not “sit well with the senate.”

Although Bentz said it is permissible for students to be removed from meetings in the case of disruptive outbursts, she said she has not been disruptive, and her exclusion has been preemptive.

Despite the challenges it faces, the criminal justice club intends to stay intact. Bentz said, “(the) school isn’t willing to work with (the club),” and although that is not ideal for them, the club intends to fight the system the best they can with the support of its members.

10 2015-2016

features

thecurrent

James Ristig| Editor-in-Chief editor@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

Paid Positions Open to Students

ODEI Keeps Applications Open for Fall Student Employees By: James Ristig Editor-in-Chief The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) has open positions available for students for fall quarter.

There are three parts of ODEI students can be a part of when applying for a position.

The first position available is as an Office Assistant, where the employees main job is to help other students with questions they might have and provide support. They also plan and attend diversity-related programs and services.

As an Office Assistant, employees are required to work up to 19 hours per week and attend a bi-weekly Office Assistant meeting.

There is also training provided to employees on how to successfully work as an Office Assistant for ODEI. Office Assistants must be enrolled in 12 credits and have a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher for the last two quarters.

The second position is as a Peer Navigator and help under served and underrepresented

students at Green River who need help. Peer Navigators help their assigned students navigate the college system and with any clerical work they cannot complete. There are weekly study tables where Peer Navigators help students with homework and other work that they need assistance with.

Like Office Assistants, Peer Navigators must be enrolled in 6 to 12 credits and have a minimum GPA of 2.5 or higher for the last two quarters.

There is a new position available in ODEI called Diversity Student Commissioners whose job is to help ODEI access and respond to the needs of the diverse populations on campus. Like the previous two positions, a Diversity Student Commissioners must provide service to students and help with diversity events on campus. Diversity Student Commissioners also serve on college councils and committees.

Diversity Student Commissioners must have completed coursework in diversity studies such as American Minority and Ethnic Studies or Women Studies. Potential employees must also have experience serving diverse or underrepresented populations.

Positions Available in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Office Assistant

Work 19 hours a week to help students and perform clerical work.

Peer Navigator

Spend 12 hours a week helping students in need with classes and assignments.

Diversity Student Commissioner

Spend 19 hours a week to help ODEI reach out to the diverse population of Green River.

“Working here is like you are a part of change,” Michael Tuncap, director of ODEI, said.

Tuncap said working for ODEI helps to bridge the gap for students and helps them build a career. They help people get benefits and services such as citizenship and visas.

Previous ODEI employees such as Marycarmen Barcerra have used their experience working in ODEI to go onto other jobs in education. Barcerra now works as an admission adviser for the University of Washington Bothel.

The work environment is flexible for em-

ployees, and Tuncap said he does not try to dictate the direction of the student employees.

“I needed a brotherhood, a support system,” Marquis Blackwell, out of state Green River student, said. “ODEI is like a family.”

Applications for ODEI employment are available in the Campus Life office and there is no deadline to apply, but it is on a first come first serve basis. To apply, you must write about your academic background and previous work experience, include an essay answering three questions about yourself, and provide two letters of recommendation.

TOGETHER

WE WILL Members of ODEI during their recent Diversity Conference, an event that employees of ODEI participate and help coordinate with their fellow ODEI employees and students.

Attend A trAnsfer InformAtIon sessIon! To register visit: www.uwb.edu/admissions/transfer

www.uwb.edu Members of the The Multi-Cultural Student Congress (MSC) which is a part of ODEI.

425.352.5000

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thecurrent

Mind Bend

Maze

2015-2016

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F I N I S H

S T A R T

There are 5 houses in 5 different colours. In each house lives a person of a different nationality. The 5 owners drink a certain type of beverage, smoke a certain brand of cigar, and keep a certain pet. Using the clues below can you determine who owns the fish?

The Brit lives in a red house.

The Swede keeps dogs as pets.

The Dane drinks tea.

The green house is on the immediate left of the white house.

The green house owner drinks coffee.

The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.

The owner of the yellow house smokes Dunhill.

The man living in the house right in the middle drinks milk.

The Norwegian lives in the first house.

The man who smokes Blend lives next door to the one who keeps cats.

The man who keeps horses lives next door to the man who smokes Dunhill.

The owner who smokes Blue Master drinks chocolate.

The German smokes Prince.

The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.

The man who smokes Blend has a neighbour who drinks water.

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