Issue 7, Volume 49

thecurrent the student newspaper of green river college

Feb18.2015

www.thegrcurrent.com

issue07 volume49

Do You Know Who Greets You? Karl and Harold are Green River’s Greeters. Meet the Men Behind the Booth.

Page2

Cover By | Ian Lobdell

currentcampus

currenta&e

currentopinion

Teacher of Tomorrow Donate Books to a School in Namibia

Project Almanac: Could Not Predict Own Failure

Editoral: 522 Student Activity Fee Budget Recomendation

Epato Combined School gets support from Green River teachers and students.

Page3

Movie falls hard in to the realm of the cliche.

Page8

The editorial staff at The Current explains their recommendation on cuts to the budget.

Page10

2 2014-2015

campus thecurrent

Alina Moss | The Current

Campus Editor | James Ristig campus@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

Ian Lobdell | The Current

Harold Curd (left) greets students and faculty at the east entrance of the Green River campus. He likes to put on a friendly demeanor for the people that drive by. Karl Hamilton (right) helping someone find their way around campus at the west entrance. Hamilton is also a Vietnam War veteran. Both greeters enjoy their jobs at Green River and meeting the people at the college.

Behind the Booth By: Kate Stoutamore Staff Writer You see them every day as you drive through the Green River College parking lots. They greet everyone that passes through with a welcoming smile and a wave.

Lost drivers are given directions and they guide students and visitors in their search of elusive parking spaces. These men are Green River greeters.

Harold Curd mans the booth on the east side of campus near the security office. A big, friendly, bear of a man, he jokes around and relates his life story with an easy openness.

Whether speaking of his work, his hobbies, or his home life, Curd gives off the air of being perfectly happy where he is at.

“I’ve been married 44 years and lived the life of Riley,” Curd said, referencing a TV show where the main character lives an ideal, content life, having all his needs taken care of.

Curd started working at Green River six years ago, after retiring from his job of 35 years at the post office. He said that it was while working there that he started to enjoy forming connections with the customers he interacted with. Now, instead of customers, Curd has regular students and staff members that pass by his booth everyday.

Curd said he gets to hear bits and pieces of how their weekend went or how their day is going. Curd describes the relationship he has with these people as “frequent friends that you meet 15 seconds each day.”

Karl Hamilton is the greeter in charge of the west entrance near the welcome center and the library. Hamilton is more reserved despite having jobs that required him to put on a more extroverted face.

Before working at Green River, Hamilton spent 21 years in the US army and is a

Special Forces Veteran, Former Postman Welcome Visitors to Green River College

Vietnam War veteran. He couldn’t give many details, as he was a member of Special Forces.

He said that the organization he was with was “super secret.”

After his time in the military, Hamilton had a position at Bose for 10 years. He traveled all over from California to Alaska to Hawaii, and then an administration position at Devry University. He’s been working at Green River for three years now “It’s a very short interaction,” Hamilton said. “They talk to you, you talk to them.” In fact, many of his regulars are actually of the furry, four-legged variety: the campus squirrels. They pay him frequent visits, taking advantage of his hospitality and generous supply of nuts.

“I have no hobbies other than my wife,” Hamilton said. “She keeps me busy.” Hamilton mentioned that he enjoyed parachuting, which he took part in during his military days.

Hamilton pointed out that, many times, the greeters are the first faces people see upon entering the campus. They serve not only a safety role, but also one of public and customer service, making that important first impression on newcomers.

Hamilton said that the two decided to have a bit of a competition to see which parking lot received more cars. They kept track of the cars passing by with clickers and found that, just within one day, there were around 14,000 to 15,000 cars coming through in total.

Both Curd and Hamilton have an open friendliness that seems to come along with their position. They are also in agreement when it comes to the level of satisfaction they have with their work.

“It’s a good company with good people, and we enjoy what we’re doing,” said Hamilton.

“Why you can stay for six years and keep doing what you’re doing,” Curd said.

12912 SE Kent Kangley Rd NW Corner of Lake Meridian Market Place Shopping Center - Behind Shari’s -

James Ristig | Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

campus

thecurrent

3 2014-2015

Teachers of Tomorrow Support Students of Tomorrow in Namibia By: Nadine Ntibarufata Staff Writer

Courtesy | Nuunyango Sylvi Nelago

Kinholt said that when the tools arrive, children will hold them and have their pictures taken so that everyone who contributed to the project can witness the results of their work.

Photo | Stephane Teel

A group of mathematic students that helped with the fundraiser. Many of them are members of the Teachers of Tomorrow club. Mathematics Instructor Steve Kinholt (top left corner) is the one that organized the fundraiser.

Teachers of Tomorrow club are working to supply the children of Epato Village in Northern Namibia with the tools to succeed in school.

One of Steve Kinholts projects was to put together teaching tools created by his own students and send them to children at Epato Combined school, considered as “primary school” in Africa because it is from grade one to ten. Knowing that shipping these supplies would cost him as much as $240, Kinholt asked help from RJ Beck, the president of Teachers of Tomorrow, a student club that aims to promote educational careers to young students.

"He thought about selling candy bars. So he asked the club to help and we decided to help as more of his students than an organization," Beck said.

Candy bars were donated by Kinholt and Beck organized it so they could be sold by the Teachers of Tomorrow in three different buildings at Green River College.

"We set up the tables and we were the candy dudes,” Beck said.

All $240 earned from selling candy bars was used to ship two big boxes full of learning supplies to Epato. Even though the expected delivery period is two months, Kinholt has no doubts that no matter how long it will take, the supplies will reach the right hands.

Like Kinholt, Beck has never seen the school he is helping, but he said he did everything just for Kinholt. Beck said Kinholt is a very good teacher who personally inspires him.

Beck said,"Even though I organized it, I take no credit for anything that has been done. Kinholt did it all and he has done so much for me, so anything I can do to help him I will.”

Until then, both Beck and Kinholt said they are putting their complete faith in Nuunyango Sylvi Nelago, a student at Green River College and the original communicator of this idea to the two.

“I don’t really know Nelago well.

I have only met her about three times and I heard about her trying to collect books for Namibia and my thought was, maybe I can get my students to help collect the books for her,” Kinholt said. “I’ve never even had her as a student.

Another teacher who had her said she’s the most dynamic girl and the most giving person.”

Nelago said she was impressed by Kinholt’s willingness to help and the hard work put into the project by the Teachers of Tomorrow, considering they knew nothing about Epato Combined School.

Having been born and raised in Epato Village, Nelago said that nobody could understand the pain of the children better than she does.

Nelago said as a child she attended Epato Combined School, which was founded by her grand-uncle.

“All my siblings, cousins and nephews attend this school and by helping it, I am convinced that I am keeping and honoring the legacy left by the brother of my grandmother, and if he were here today he would be proud of me,” Nelago said.

Continuing the legacy is not her only wish. When she first came to the U.S. in 2012, Nelago experienced many of the opportunities that the residents of her village can only dream about. The village has no library, computers, internet or books that students need to learn.

“It’s not like here where children have everything to help them come up with an excellent research paper or where children go to school pretty much for free and ride in buses to school,” she said. Nelago believes that insufficient school supplies have contributed to a high rate of HIV/AIDS and other STDs, as well as unwanted pregnancies among young girls.

“When young girls fail grade 10, their future is finished,” Nelago said. “They have nothing else to do rather than just stay in the village and whichever man comes and offers them money in exchange for sex, they go for it.”

When Kinholt arranged to meet with Nelago, her ideas to help the school made him think that she was a “heartfelt angel.” Instead of books, however, Kinholt proposed math manipulative supplies that are meant to make mathematics fun and to help children visualize problems from a different perspective.

Namibia does have the Namibia College of Opening Learning, which is meant to support children who fail grade 10, but Nelago said this isn’t something most parents can afford.

Nelago said she has learned not to wait for other people to help her village. She believes that with support from Kinholt, the Teachers of Tomorrow, and Beck, she can make a difference in her village and help young children realize their dreams.

Kinholt believes that the Teachers of Tomorrow will want to do more for Epato Village, and although he is not 100 percent sure, he also thinks the Teachers of Tomorrow’s long term goal might be to adopt the Epato Combined School.

4 2014-2015

campus

thecurrent

Animal Rights Activist Detained by Safety By: Ian Lobdell Managing Editor

Ian Lobdell | The Current

“Mary Sammon” is restrained by campus safety after refusing to comply.

A misunderstanding between Campus safety and an animal rights activist resulted in police response.

A woman who identified herself only as Mary Sammon was handing out leaflets for Vegan Outreach, an anti-animal cruelty organization.

When Security Officer Jovon Hobson asked her if she had permission to hand out leaflets she said she did not.

Interim Director of Campus Safety Rom Riley said the confusion arose when campus safety assumed that she was working with a for-profit organization not a non-profit animal rights group.

Advertising on campus is regulated.

“I believe in challenging unconstitutional rules,” Sammon said.

“People need to know what goes on behind closed doors of animal cruelty.”

The safety staff member that took Sammon to the ground, Dena Sagria helped pick up the dropped leaflets once Sammon had calmed some.

“We just follow the rules,” said Sagria. “You gotta jump through the right hoops.”

Once Auburn Police arrived, safety realized their mistake and stood down.

Safety Wants Students to Report Problems By: Drew Monson Staff Writer

Green River College has an easily accessible way to submit reports of any kind via the Red Flag system.

Red flags are a number of different reports concerning students such as suspicious behaviors or signs of depression.

“It is up to students to be aware of their surroundings and let us know if they are concerned about something or someone,” said Interim Director of Campus Safety Ron Riley.

“The Red Flag system is a central repository of information,” Riley said. “To make a safer, better campus, not a disciplinary tool.”

Riley and Deb Casey, vice president of student affairs, are the only two people that review the Red Flag report initially. They consult with each other and then decide if they need to involve more people. If the red flag was a report complaining about a pothole in the middle of the parking lot, they would involve maintenance, for example.

Riley and Casey involve the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) for cases that involve students in

need of help. The BIT team is composed of Riley, Casey, a representative from International Programs, a judicial officer, and counseling staff members. The BIT team then collaboratively develop an assessment of the best course of action that needs to be taken to help the student.

This way, the people that need to get involved, will be involved. Liz Becker and Devon Klein, counselors and members of the BIT team, said that the Red Flag system is one of the best ways to prevent serious incidents from ever occurring.

Riley said he only gets a handful of red flags per quarter, which might not necessarily be a bad thing, but if students aren’t reporting on their findings if they are happening, then there is reason for concern.

Part of the problem could be because students have been concerned that they are “telling” on the person by sending a red flag, Riley said.

The BIT team is always striving to preserve the students’ safety and privacy above all else.

“Report anything that is concerning for any student, staff, or faculty member,” Riley said.

This is all made possible if students and staff are willing to take

a few minutes out of their day to send a red flag if anything occurs.

Riley wants to continue GRC’s culture of being able to report concerning behavior of any sort.

The culture of reporting is what makes the Red Flag system operate correctly, and without it we cannot prevent incidents from occurring.

Being able to express concerns to a group of people with the ability to act on it is what the culture of reporting is all about.

“If you have a concern about a person, there’s a reason why you’re feeling it,” Becker said.

The Red Flag system has been around for years, but students aren’t necessarily informed about what exactly this system is all about. International students are informed of the Red Flag system in their orientation when they first arrive at GRC. All members of the team work to get the person in contact with the correct personnel and resources, even if that means referring the person to a non-faculty source to get the help that the he or she needs.

Students can submit a report, or a Red flag, by simply going to the GRC website, and there is a link at the bottom of any GRC page reading, “Send a Red Flag.”

James Ristig | Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

Campus Crime Blotter

Campus Safety responded to the following incidents from Nov. 20 to Nov. 26 among others. All information is from Campus Safety Incident Reports.

11/20 9:15 a.m.

Science Bldg.

Public Intoxication

A student arrived in class stumbling and smelling of alcohol. After class the teacher escorted the student to her office to talk. The student admitted to drinking and had threatened self harm. A counselor was called and she was escorted away.

11/24 9:25 a.m.

Pacific Raceway Complaint

Campus Safety received an email from a student concerning one of the safety officers at the raceway. According to the email, the officer greeted the student over enthusiastically. Sometimes when she doesn’t respond, he followed her until she acknowledged him. Sometimes he would greet her over and over if she did not respond. If she still did not respond he would talk loudly to other students about how important it is that he greets every single person. The student feels like she is being harassed by this officer.

11/24 11:00 a.m.

Student Housing Illegal Weapons Possession

Campus Safety was called to student housing after reports of gunfire. Safety officers arrived at the apartment and found BB pellets embedded in the wall. They also found bottles of pellets in the kitchen and living room. The owner willingly gave up his BB gun.

11/23 7:26 p.m.

Student Housing Robbery

Four students were waiting at the bus stop near Lea Hill Park when a group of seven males approached them. One of the members of the group asked the students for cigarettes multiple times.

One of the students said no and was then hit in the face by another member of the group. Another member hit a different student and she fell to the ground. The group took one of the students iPhone and ran from the scene. Auburn Police soon arrived at the scene. At 8:00 p.m. Auburn Police reported that they caught two of the suspects and got the names of some of the other suspects in the group.

11/21 3:00 p.m.

Parking Lot Personal Property Vandalism

A student reported to Campus Safety that her car had been vandalized in the parking lot. She also believed that it was done intentionally to her. A nail had been pushed into the sidewall of her back passenger tire.

11/25 9:00 a.m.

Parking Lot Personal Property Vandalism

A student reported to Campus Safety that his car had been vandalized. Safety officers arrived and saw a long scratch nearly 24 inches in length along the driver side door. The victim said that he might know who had done it. When he arrived on campus that day he had an altercation with another person in the parking lot. The suspect was upset that the victims lights had not turned off correctly.

Campus Safety investigated the car that the victim described but it was not registered to a student.

11/26 9:30 a.m.

Lindbloom Student Center Harassment

Campus Safety was approached by a student claiming that she was being harassed. The suspect was a former student and was sending her text messages that he wanted to date her. The victim had said she was not interested. The harassment had stopped until she received a message where the suspect said he would come to campus and, “hunt you down and make you my woman.”

EDUCATION IS NOT A CRIME Join us for the screening of the movie

“To Light a Candle” A film by Maziar Bahari

Iranian-Canadian journalist, film maker and human rights activist and subject of the Jon Stewart film- "Rosewater"

What would you do if your government banned you from education because of your beliefs?

What would you do if your computers were confiscated, your professors arrested?

Find out what a group of students experiencing these conditions are doing and how you can help them.

Be inspired by the courage of these students and their professors.

Don’t Curse the Darkness…Light a Candle - Chinese proverb In support of “Education Is Not A Crime” Campaign http://educationisnotacrime.me/ Followed with panel discussion and refreshments

Saturday February 28th - 3– 5 pm Green River Community College - Science Building - Room 101 Advertisement

2401 Southeast 320th Street, Auburn, WA 98092 For more information contact: ednacme@gmail.com

A Walkthrough with Walsh Taking a Tour Through the Future Student Life and Trades Building

Nick Goudken Foreman for Trades Building

By: Jesse Torres Editor-in-Chief “They’re by far the most organized contractor we’ve worked with” said Sam Ball the director of Capital Projects. It’s raining as usual, adding to the already muddy and treacherous terrain beneath our boots. Ball is addressing Walsh, the company in charge of building the new Trades and Student Life buildings.

Donning hardhats and fluorescent vests, we

Mike Samborsky Foreman for Student Life Building step inside a portable. Boot-prints coat the floor and we shuffle behind Ball to a meeting room where he leaves us. Replacing Ball is a man named Mike Samborsky. Samborsky is an overseer for the Student Life construction zone who works for Walsh. Introductions are made briefly. We start talking about the structures with Samborsky informing us that Walsh follows LEED- a type of energy certification- and that the buildings must meet silver.

Every building they make is a “prototype”, and because of this, there is no estimate for the

total energy savings.

Walsh also follows and tracks their material usage. They recycle every material they can, from breaking down drywall to melting down metal to be used again. The materials in question are sourced from within a 500 mile radius, in order to lessen transportation costs. Samborsky explains that because of this, deadlines are sometimes difficult to meet.

He also explains that in the current phase, the structures are moving from foundation to structural. These changes include HVAC systems in place to move air throughout the building efficiently, as well as exterior finishes, spray fire proofing, and interior ducts/ vents.

One of Samborsky’s co-workers interrupts us at this point and we retreat to the back of the meeting room. A swarm of people, wearing similar garb to us, step into the room at this point and take seats along the meeting table.

Ball, Samborsky, and another man name Nick Goedken enter.

They introduce themselves and then talk briefly about what the tour will entail for that day. It is time to leave. Everyone stands and trickles out the door, back into the rain and cold. We cross 320th and enter the construction zone through a chain link fence. “It’s a small job for Walsh” said Ball, gesturing at the buildings as we walk up to them. “They’re the most organized and safety conscious contractors we’ve worked with”.

Men are expertly maneauvering machinery throughout the site, metal giants rumbling

back and forth. Samborsky points out red concrete in a large ditch, informing us that red concrete goes over the power supply to let others know if they dig later on. Blue concrete is used to indicate water supply, while yellow concrete is used to show any kind of gas line.

We walk up a small slope into the building.

Steel strips hang from the sheet roofing. Water drips from the ceiling, smudging the paper I write on. The reverberating thud of some monstrous machine clanging into another echoes throughout the damp structure that will be Student Life. Samborsky points out the various features, like the fireproof foam that coats the steel beams of the structure.

We walk back to the chain link fence, stopping to see Samborsky explain AHA safety, hazard forms that let people know what the workers are doing that current day. They use this system to mitigate safety hazards.

Crossing 320th again, we enter what will be the carpentry lab in the Trades building.

There’s a lot less activity in this building with only a few men lifting working on wooden panels around the outside of the building.

Goedken points out three of the walls, called “tilt up panels”, each weighing about 100,000 lbs. He informs the group that there are 123 tilt panels total, build from the ground then lifted with a crane.

The project is moving forward to completion, and soon students will have a new building in fall of 2015, Goudken and Samborsky said. It will be open to students in winter of 2015.

The double sided stage area will provide an open performance space to students and opportunities for event space. The current state of the stage is very bare-bones but it is promising to see its modern look and innovation in architecture.

The gym intramural area will have various weight lifting and cardio equipment as well as locker rooms and showers. An open gym next to this space will include a basketball court and various other facilities.

The lobby will provide an open air feel for students to enter Student Life.

The stairs leading to the upper level will have a casual seating area next to it for students to mingle and eat.

8

a&e

thecurrent

2014-2015

A&E Editor | Rachel Wood ae@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

Project Almanac: Could Not Predict Own Failure By: Jordan Teano Staff Writer “Project Almanac” is about a group of teenagers documenting their experience with time travel. The movie was directed by Dean Israelite and produced by Andrew Form. Israelite has directed several shorts and a TV series in the past, but “Project Almanac” is the first movie he has ever directed. Form on the other hand, has produced many other well-known movies

such as “The Purge” series, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (2014), and “Ouija.” Michael Bay also co-produced “Project Almanac”.

The plot primarily revolves around David, a teen with an IQ of a genius, who discovers his missing father’s unfinished time traveling device named “Project Almanac”.

Along with his sister and friends, they manage to get the machine to work and use it in numerous predictable ways. In fact, the film uses a lot of time traveling related clichés such as winning the lottery,

getting revenge on bullies, and using it to boost their popularity and grades. However, the film did portray these clichés in its own quirky and fun way. Attempting to be cautious, they’ve also set rules when using the time machine.

These rules include: not traveling alone and keeping the time machine a secret. Predictively, one of them starts breaking these rules causing a chain of terrible things to happen.

A big problem that “Project Almanac” suffers from is that it is

Courtesy | Paramount Pictures

Johnny Weston (second from right) portrays David Raskin in “Project Almanac,” where he and his friends discover and construct a time machine.

very predictable. The time traveling genre has been done numerous times. In order for one to stand out amongst the large crowd, it needs to have unique and interesting features within it. “Project Almanac” is lacking due to its predictable and boring plot as well as its use of the aforementioned clichés.

The camera work used in the film is called found footage, a filming style that uses amateur and homemade-like recordings used by the characters within the film. “Project Almanac” takes advantage of this filming style by using it as special effects. It uses ripples and cuts to clips from previous events when time traveling. The effects are an interesting way of portraying time travel, but are somewhat lackluster and can be annoying to watch, especially since this movie loves to shake the camera a lot.

The characters are entertaining.

The small cast of characters are witty and humorous and make several references to Doctor Who and other pop culture media. They act like your everyday teenage nerds.

However, the characters do lack any sort of defining or interesting trait to them. As a result, their personalities are somewhat bland. They may be funny, but in the end, they’re not very memorable.

“Project Almanac” did have potential. The trailers made the movie seem like an amazing sci-fi thriller.

However, the movie was devoid of any thrilling moments excluding the last 10 minutes. The film does have its quirks and funny moments, but it suffers with a predictable plot, bland characters, and use of clichés.

Overall, “Project Almanac” is just an average sci-fi film that might cater to those interested in time traveling, but will bore those who aren’t.

Movie Calendar Feb

Focus

Will Smith, Margot Robbie

27

Genre: Drama Rated: R

Feb

Olivia Wilde, Evan Peters

27

Mar

6

Mar

6

Mar

13

Mar

13

The Lazarus Effect

Genre: Thriller Rated: PG-13

Chappie

Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver

Genre: Action Sci-Fi Rated: G

Unfinished Business Vince Vaughn, Dave Franco

Genre: Comedy Rated: R

Cinderalla

Lily James, Helena Bonham Carter

Genre: Adventure Drama Rated: PG

Run All Night Liam Neeson, Joel Kinnaman

Genre: Action Rated: R

European Club Encompasses Students of All Nationalities and Backgrounds By: Walter Schinkelshoek Staff Writer

Over the course of the last few years, the Green River European club has won the award for both the best club of the year in 2013-2014, and an award for best advisor. The European club focuses on cultures from overseas and encompasses itself with members from all different backgrounds and nationalities.

Green River currently has 15 permanent clubs and 20 clubs that are renewed yearly. Although all of these clubs are very diverse and dif-

fer from one another, they all have the ability to bring the students of Green River together.

This year is the third year the European club has been an active club at GRC. Although many students may not be familiar with this club, it was valued by no less than two out of three annual awards last June. Compared to its first year as an on-campus club, a lot has changed. While not even one event was organized in the first year, six events have been organized this past year. These events varied from ice-skating to strawberry picking.

Lansing Bryan, advisor for the European Club, said the club distinguishes itself from others because of its diversity, the student

involvement, and also the members of the club.

"It is a fun group of people who like to go out, create new friendships and explore the area," Bryan said. The officers have been very important in contributing to winning the award of best club of the year.

"The officers reach out to students all over the campus to get involved and they are very good at organizing events. The paperwork is always done in time to get the events happen," Bryan said.

Kiki van Essen, former president of the club and important contributor to the club's success, said the club differentiates itself from other clubs on campus without losing its

goal.

"The main goal of the club is to bring people together and spreading knowledge about the European culture," van Essen said. The two awards the European Club won last year supports her opinion that the club stands out from the others at Green River.

Apart from the awards, the European club has a broad range of diversity that many of the other clubs on campus lack.

"Even the people in the board are not just European. They are from different countries from all over the world," van Essen said. "The club is open for everyone."

Gouresh Kamble, current president of the European club, thinks

the club defines itself by diversity.

"It is not just made up of all Europeans, this shows how much diversity the club has," Kamble said.

Attending a meeting, which is possible without registering, is a good way to expand your knowledge of a culture other than your own.

The Green River European club is active on Facebook, where they announce upcoming meetings and events. From there, students are encouraged to join and broaden their knowledge of a culture apart from just their own. A complete and current list of clubs and organizations with meeting times and locations can be found in the Student Life office.

Rachel Wood | A&E Editor ae@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

a&e

9

thecurrent

2014-2015

Ian Lobdell | The Current

Ian Lobdell | The Current

Lakin Serenades Students in Kennelly Commons Students (left) sat back and enjoyed Lakin Daie Saucedo (above) a folk singer who was invited to perform on campus Tuesday. The singer from Riverside, Calif., brought her neo-soul musical styling to Kennelly Commons on Feb. 17. She preformed to the casual enjoyment of the lunch-time listeners.

Ian Lobdell | The Current

Lunar New Year Marks Beginning of Prosperous Year By: Sabrina Chou Staff Writer

The first day of the 2015 Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, is on February 19, 2015. The Lunar New Year is largely celebrated in many Asian countries, although some Green River College students will be celebrating right here in the Auburn area. The Lunar Calendar presents twelve animal signs, all of which are assigned to a separate year. This year marks the year of the sheep. Which animal are you?

“Lunar New Year is really important for me,” Alison Chow, a Green River student, said. Chow mentioned that she would usually spend the day celebrating with her family when she was in Hong Kong during the New Year. Her older

family members would give her presents of money in traditional red envelopes. The red envelopes are typically given to young unmarried people by older married couples. They are meant to represent good prosperity.

Since Chow is currently in the United State, she will not be celebrating the Lunar New Year with her family back in Hong Kong.

However, Chow is currently living with her uncle and aunt, who she will celebrate with on February 19.

Duc Le is a Green River student from Southern Vietnam who usually celebrates the Lunar New Year.

As Le described, the festive time of the Lunar New Year is referred to as “tét” in Vietnamese. Le stated that his family would usually spend a couple days cleaning their home the week before the New Year, as it represented a fresh start.

Bánh tét is one of the traditional

foods Le’s family commonly cooked during this Lunar Year,” Wu said when he was in Vietnam. It is simiwith a smile on her face. For many families, the Chinese New Year lar to a rice cake, apart from a meat parallels Christmas in American loaf that is included in the dish. culture, which is why it is not un“It’s different without family here,” Le said. He decided to spend common for families to spend this time at his home with a group of day together.

“I am going to spend my New his friends. Le is planning to celeYear with my brate by cooking friends this year,” traditional food as “It’s all about well as going to a said Cecilia Chiu. celebrating a temple on the first The Lunar New day of the New prosperous year with Year is typically a time for family to Year. your friends and gather, similar to Jiaxuan Wu, family.”

Christmas in the an international - Emily Wood U.S., which is why student from China, usually spent Chiu will miss her family a little bit more on the time with her family watching the fireworks at midnight during the upcoming holiday. When Chiu was in Taiwan, her family always went New Year celebration. Since she is not currently in China, Wu decided back to her grandparent’s house for to spend Lunar New Year with her New Year’s Eve. They would cook meals that represented luck and roommates. smooth sailing for the upcoming “My mom will come to visit me

year.

Since Chiu is not in Taiwan with her family this year, she decided to gather with her friends at her house and celebrate the significance of the Lunar New Year.

Former Green River running start student Emily Wood had the opportunity to experience the Chinese New Year festivities in Singapore in 2013 while she was on a mission trip through her church.

“I spent the evening with a group of my friends,” Wood said. “We visited their family members at their homes and nearly all of them gave us red envelopes with money. It’s all about celebrating a prosperous year with your friends and family.”

Although some students at Green River College are away from their families during the Lunar New Year, many of them have planned for a fun and festive evening to kick off a prosperous year.

10

opinion

thecurrent

2014-2015

David Price | Opinion Editor opinion@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

Editorial: Improving Student Activity Fee Budget On March 2 student government will work on finalizing the 522 budget for next year. These meetings will determine how the 1.6 million dollars in this budget are allocated.

The 522 budget is funded by student affairs fees when students pay tuition. The money is exclusively from students, none of it is from the state.

For this year, the 522 budget will remain at roughly 1.6 million dollars, the same as last year. No programs are requesting cuts. If any program is to expand, then cuts must be made.

Being in control of such a large amount of money is a huge responsibility on part of student government. In an ideal world all programs that need the money would be given what they request but this is not a perfect world. Distributing it in a way that benefits the most students is the goal, but this is also a real challenge.

The 522 budget goes to many student affairs program including

athletics, various work grant programs, clubs and organizations.

The process for determining the allocation of these funds is a three step process: First are the proposal meetings where clubs and organization come before the Student Life Budget Team (SBLT) to propose either sustaining their budget or increasing their funds. Second, the SBLT recommends their version of the budget, taking into account the funds available and monetary needs of any one organization.

Third, is the financial committee budget, which is student government’s final call on budget allocation.

During the last academic school year student government did many of great things but there are a number of points that could be improved upon in the allocation of money. This years student government could learn from these points.

Student government spent approximately $13,000 on leadership training trips. A total of $18,500 is

budgeted towards leadership training. A lot of money could be saved by finding cheaper alternatives.

A budget of $60,000 in supplemental funds went to Vice President of Student Affairs Deb Casey.

It’s unclear what these funds went towards, but none the less, they came from students funds which should be allocated towards student programs. We don’t know how she is using this money, and for all we know she could be using it for a good cause.

Student Government spent approximately $28,000 on a spring concert and made exactly $2000 in revenue. That is less than a ten percent return from what they spent.

The year prior they spent $36,000 on two concerts and made $5000 dollars in revenue.

Student Government spent $40,000 on author and speaker Lisa Lang, and made only $1500 in revenue. Their return was only 3.7 on this investment.

In the real world, any business

with such a low return would fail.

She was a great speaker but good speakers can be found for less money. This is an entire year’s worth of money for artists and speakers on one person.

Hire two or three speakers for $40,000 and then even if you’re in the hole as far as investments are concerned on one speaker, there is still a second to hopefully pick up some of the losses.

Having 1.6 million dollars to distribute, student government could enact real changes on campus. They do not have to keep the budget the same as last year or even almost the same. Student government should look at how student government used money last academic year and then based on this, spend money on productive programs that benefit students and make revenue for the college. They should try to reduce the amount of spending on events which might not yield as high of a return as expected in favor of smaller events that make a profit.

Editorials reflect the views of the editing staff of The Current

Green River Wastes a Valuable Resource Every Day By: Cassandra Houghton Staff Writer You may not know it, but the bowls and cups that you drink from in the cafeteria are specially designed to be compostable.

However, none of these products ever get composted.

A compostable product is one that can decompose in a relatively short amount of time. Through decomposition, the product then turns into soil.

When we finish munching on that scrumptious soup or sipping on that warm coffee in the Green River’s cafeteria, we throw the container away in the trash. If the these containers are compostable, then why don’t we compost them?

There’s about 900 lbs per week of compostable materials that goes into the cafeteria trash, said Terry Standford, capital projects documentation manager for the Facilities Department. This is

Editorial Policy

simply unacceptable. That is a lot of material that is simply wasted by being sent to the landfill where lack of oxygen keeps them from decomposing.

These materials should be composted instead. They should be sent to a commercial composting facility where they will be turned into soil. Composting turns what is usually a wasted resource into something valuable that adds to the economy. I have used compost as part of many garden projects at home and even in planting projects here at school.

Ovations Food Service, the school’s new food provider, is slowly phasing in more compostable materials.

“It would be helpful if we had a composting program,” said Tommy Wright, a staff member for Ovations.

Green River staff have been trying to get composting going at the school for over two years now Stanford said.

The Current is a public forum for student expression. Student editors make all content decisions without censorship or advanced approval. Editorials reflect the views of the editing staff of The Current. Opinion articles reflect the opinions of their writers.

“I’m really disappointed we couldn’t get it going,” Stanford said.

The school tried doing composting for awhile, Standford said.

Compostable containers and uneaten food was added to the school’s yard waste container that is taken

by Allied Waste, Green River’s trash provider. These items were then composed at a local commercial composting facility and turned into soil. Kitchen staff had quite a few challenges with the composting.

“The bins would get so full that the staff couldn’t lift them,” Stanford said. Then squirrels would eat through the plastic bins that were outside. After these challenges, school staff gave up on the process for awhile.

Many schools across the state are switching to compostable materials and composting in the lunch room to help reduce waste. With successful composting programs at schools like the University of Washington and Bellevue College, I would think that Green River could find ways to

Theft Policy

overcome some of these challenges.

There are ways to make the process more manageable. For example the school could use smaller bins and get outside bins made of metal rather than plastic.

Often times, the school Administration doesn’t like the idea of extra costs, Stanford said. If financial cost is part of the challenge, it shouldn’t be. Why? Because composting saves money. It’s much cheaper to send the materials to get composted than to send them to the landfill.

Stanford said the school will be getting composting soon. The design for the new student center includes a set up for composting.

That means that the school should have composting by next fall.

If the school does get composting, it will be a great move to reduce waste and save money. All we need to do as students is put out food and containers in the right bin. This could be the biggest challenge of all.

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

thestaff Jesse Torres Editor-in-Chief 253-388-3457

Ian Lobdell Managing Editor Ads Manager Design Editor 253-833-9111 x2376 James Ristig Campus Editor

Rachel Wood A&E Editor Copy Editor

David Price Opinion Editor

Alina Moss Sports Editor

Staff Writers: Cassandra Houghton, Drew Monson, Jordahn Nelson, Jordan Olson, Jordan Teano, Kate Stoutamore, Mitchell Johnson, Nadine Ntibarufata, Nicolas D’Ambrosio, Nicholas Rasmussen, Olivia Ringhiser, Phanthipa (Bell) Sae-tae, Rahma Abraham, Sabrina Chou, Sawyer Lane, Taylor Lopes, Walter Schinkelshoek Photographers: Ian Lobdell and Alina Moss

Corrections

As much as The Current would like to think we are perfect, we are not. Because of this, we welcome our readers’ thoughts and comments on our work and it’s accuracy.

If you find an error in our facts or simply a name spelled wrong, please contact us at: editor@thegrcurrent.com 253-288-3457 or come in to our office in: OEB room 16

Join thecurrent Take JOURN 100.1 or stop by OEB 16

Learn and get experience in: Reporting, Writing, Design, Photography, Illustrating, and Editing

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.

David Price | Opinion Editor opinion@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

opinion

thecurrent

11 2014-2015

Mass Surveillance Doom Bringer Foretells Damnation for All Unbelievers Still Relevant By: David Price Opinion Editor

A lecture on the history of the surveillance state in literature was given by two English department faculty members.

Nearly two years after Edward Snowden leaked thousands of top secret NSA documents, few changes have been made to make the information of Americans more private. It is vital that this debate on the topic of security versus personal liberty continues.

Considering some recent developments such as a new Samsung Smart T.V.’s which has a voice recognition feature that sends voice commands to a third party source, this debate is still very much relevant to our daily lives. Samsung even warns people not to discuss private matters when near this T.V. Unfortunately this debate has simmered down quite a bit. You don’t see very many items in the news on the NSA anymore. I Google searched for news articles on the NSA and I mostly found articles by alternative media outlets and magazines.

Richard Potsubay, an English instructor, said the issue has faded away from the spotlight.

In a day and age when our information is rarely private – think Facebook, Google, Twitter – people have grown accustom to infringements upon privacy.

“If we just blindly submit to it there is no limit to the kind of surveillance that can be enforced upon us,” Potsubay said.

It seems to me that many people nowadays have the attitude in regards to surveillance that if it catches terrorists, they don’t mind being monitored. This is a very naïve way of thinking, all too common in this post 9/11 era.

Jamie Fitzgerald, an English instructor, said the U.S. Congress was way too reactionary after 9/11.

He said they past the Patriot Act far too quickly and there was no way politicians could review thousands of pages in a few days.

The Patriot Act gave way too much power to different government agencies, opening the door for the NSA to collect email and phone call records of millions of Americans. Due to law changes since the leak they now have to delete this data after five years if it is irrelevant. Some laws are slightly undermining the NSA’s power but this still is not enough. The NSA shouldn’t be allowed to collect any bulk data of phone call records at all. According to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board as discussed in an article on PBS

Frontline’s website, President Obama could end the NSA’s bulk metadata- metadata is all of the information about a call or email except its content- program as it currently exists at any time but so far he hasn’t for some reason.

Government officials tell us we need mass surveillance to keep us safe from terror attacks but in truth mass surveillance has nothing to do with catching terrorism and everything to do with control.

According to Glenn Greenwald in his book “No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State”, mass surveillance actually makes it harder to catch terrorists because analysts are unable to sift through such large amounts of metadata effectively.

Surveillance needs to be targeted in order to be effective. Security is important but mass surveillance doesn’t make people more secure.

How can people be secure if the government is the enemy?

Fitzgerald said people are so mired in the present that they don’t look at the future and critically analyze what mass surveillance could be used for and who it could target.

He mentioned that people of certain religions, races or political ideologies could become targets.

It is true we still have a long way to go before reaching the bleak oppression as portrayed in George Orwell’s “1984” where people were afraid to do anything that seems suspicious for fear of being captured by the thought police but if the government ever did become tyrannical – some say it already is – then pro liberty organizations and other organizations which may be perceived as threats to the status quo could be easily found and eliminated. Historically it has been dissenters who have had to fear their governments. Those who are supportive of their governments and are good citizens have nothing to worry about.

Many people have probably grown accustomed to intrusion on their privacy and submit to it become they don’t know what to do. This sense of powerlessness is understandable. I feel it too. But there are things you can do to move our country in the right direction.

Potsubay recommends going out and voting and participating in the democratic process. The only issue here is making sure you vote for the right people. So do your research and find out which candidates are on the side of the American people and which ones are on the side of power. If the American people vote for the right leaders and these leaders make the right changes then we can see some good change.

By: Jordahn Nelson Staff Writer

Green River prides itself on being a diverse, multicultural haven where people are brought together for the pursuit of higher education. Differences are celebrated, or at least well respected. Despite this –for the most part– encompassing tradition of acceptance here at Green River, we have recently been faced with strangers, who are not students, staff, or faculty, coming onto the campus loudly –and somewhat annoyingly– expressing their prophecies of eternal damnation for all who do not follow their “traditional” –circa 450 BC traditional– ideologies.

When a white Christian male comes to an internationally minded campus and exercises his freedom of speech all over the courtyard, it begs the question of whether we stand united as individuals with different backgrounds, or if our differences are too large to reconcile. While this man and the friends he has brought to our courtyard recently are not there every day, they are certainly not hard to miss, sporting large, colorful, and strangely sleek signs. Was this man a graphic designer before being saved by the Lord and Savior? Also brandishing a handy app to bring up any of those pesky bible verses too hard to remember, he has come to bare us a dire message. Unless you are born again and follow every command of both Testaments new and old, you will burn in hell-fire for eternity.

This intrusive, judgmental dialect with which he engages students has unsurprisingly led to passionate debates and protests from those who are not in this man’s eyes going to be saved. The LGBTQ group here at Green River organized multiple protests, and at any one point he is out there, at least one person is interacting with him.

“I respect him as a fellow Christian but my God is a God of love, not vengeance,” said TJ Scanson, a Green River student.

LGBTQ Alliance protests Doom Bringer’s protest of GRC students.

When in heated debate with another student with a similar message, Doom Bringer –who has refused to state his name or where he came from– chose to simply say he “disagrees” and his god is a wrathful one.

“I don’t care what he believes but he needs to keep it to himself,” Chaz Ramirez said, another student, who preferred not to share which faith he belongs.

Not all students seem to have similar feelings. Observing his desperate pleas for attention, many just walk on past with blank distant stares mistakenly aimed in his direction. Their minds were likely analyzing similarly important things like exactly how many curly fries are served in the Green River cafeteria. Such things in life often leave little room for thinking on another’s valiant quest to save their souls, or bring the flock to the Sheppard. Between students and

Doom Bringer, there appeared to be very few who were swayed to or identified with his cause.

However, his presence is not a total misfortune. In a strange way, the End of Days has a funny way of bringing us all together despite our differences, to discuss our individuality. When we begin discussion, we also begin to question and challenge one another in ways that lead to better understanding of each other. This understanding allows us to more fully accept one another, potentially with the Brimstone-Burning consequences of celebrating the beauty in human faith and ideology. Perhaps this is not the intended consequence Doom Bringer had in mind but it is the most positive. We can’t make sense of the world around us if we refuse to learn about and tolerate the people within it. Keep the signs and rhetoric coming, and let us start a discussion.

sports

12

thecurrent

2014-2015

Alina Moss | Sports Editor sports@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

Lady Gator Shoots Down 16 Year Record By: Sawyer Lane Staff Writer From 1998-1999, Green River women’s basketball team member Kemo Savage made a record setting 62 three-point shots in 176 shooting attempts in that season.

For the first time in 16 years we may have a new record holder.

Currently, Nicole Qualls, number 13 for the Lady Gators basketball team, has tied the record this season and still has four games left. According to the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) statistics, Qualls has an average of three three-point shots per game.

If she continues to shoot as she has previously in the season, it is likely that she will break the record for the most three-point shots in a season.

Qualls said she plans to transfer to a fouryear university after completing her school at Green River College.

“That’s the plan, I’m not sure where yet but they need to have a good basketball program,” Qualls said.

With Qualls having played basketball her whole life and wanting to play more in college, the pressing question remains whether she should go pro, or not.

She said clearly that a professional career was not in her future. Although she does not wish to go beyond college sports, her love for

GRC Sports Spring Early for Bright Season Ahead By: Alina Moss Sports Editor sports@thegrcurrent.com With new seasons comes new sports and new opportunities for athletes.

Green River College is not specifically known for its athletic programs.

The athletic department hopes to overcome several challenges with the coming spring season.

The first task on the agenda is focused on boosting the number of student athletes on their spring roster in track and field, baseball, fast pitch softball, and golf to remain competitive in the region and nearby practice space that Gators can call home.

In years past, the program struggled without the necessary players to compete in games and meets. That could be changing very soon.

Track and field is one of the GRC teams that has been improving. During the 2013-

Bob Kickner talking to his women’s basketball team in the last seconds of the game. The Gators won the game at the score of 67-54.

Women’s Basketball Improves GRC wins Against Pierce College By: Mitchell Johnson Staff Writer

Nicole Qualls, number 13 for the Green River Gators playing in the game against the Pierce College Raiders where she broke the GRC record for most three-point shots made in a season. basketball and her team is what drives her to continue to improve both herself and the team as a whole.

Qualls was happy about the record, but overall what mattered was the team. “[Tacoma Community College] or Pierce,” Qualls said were the teams biggest rival.

It has been a challenge for everyone on the team to up their game and better themselves.

“At the beginning of the season I told

Nicole if she wants to be a great shooter she needs to shoot 40 percent, she is currently shooting at 36 percent,” said Head Coach Bob Kickner. “She is a real competitor and a valuable member of the program and I am pleased for her to set a new record.”

Qualls will have her first chance to make a three-point shot and break the record on Feb. 14 at The Swamp during the game against Pierce Community College at 3 p.m.

SPORT

FIRST GAME

TRACK & FIELD BASEBALL SOFTBALL GOLF

Mar. 14 @ Spanaway, WA vs. PLU Feb. 28 @ Vancouver, WA vs. Clark Mar. 6-8 @ Lacey , WA vs. West Inter Region To be announced

2014 season, the Gators only had nine men and four women. This season will start with 34 men and 19 women on the roster. A full team allows Green River to compete with other schools as a contender in the North West Athletic Conference (NWAC).

Last year, despite not having enough members on the track and field team, the Gators would not quit. They continued to run at meets even though they did not have a full team, and they are starting to see the fruits of their labor.

“We are a deeper field this season. We will see [how the team does] in spring,” said Jeff McGlocklin, new GRC track and field coach.

“We are definitely better than last year and we intend to bring home some hardware.”

The track and field Gators will hit the ground running for the first time as a team this season in Spanaway on March 14.

The softball Gators will also be stepping onto the dirt of the diamond with the season opener against the West Inter Region in Lacey from March 6 to the 8th.

The baseball and softball players are also deprived of a home court advantage, traveling to Puyallup for all of their home games and practices. Despite that, both teams are optimistic about the upcoming season.

“The team is doing very well,” said Kaylee

Powell, head coach of fast pitch softball.

“We have been practicing hard and we are ready to start fresh and get things going.”

With a new coach at the helm, the softball team is headed in a new direction.

Men’s baseball is looking to improve this season as well.

“We worked hard since fall to be here,” said Erik Van Tuyl, Gators first basemen.

“We have the right group of guys in the right positions, with coach [Brian Embery] leading us. We are in a spot where no one will expect us to so much, but we might.”

Possibly considered this year’s underdogs, the Gator baseball team will first step up to the plate against Clark College in Vancouver on February 28 at noon.

This number boost in sports affects the entire college. Whether it’s new college students or students from other colleges, prospective students have been taking notice of Green River athletics, bringing the spotlight to the Auburn campus.

There will be opportunities to go out and support the Gators as they progress in their athletic fields this season.

GRC spring sports will include track and field, fast pitch softball, baseball, and golf.

To find more about the sport schedules and the teams, visit the Green River website.

The Green River Lady Gators beat one of their closest rivals the Pierce College Raiders 67-54.

Pierce College got off to a fast start going up 5-0 one minute into the game, but GRC came back to tie the game at 7-7 with 15 minutes left in the first half.

After GRC took a 12-9 lead with 14 minutes left in the first half they never lost the lead again.

Pierce College cut the lead to 25-17 with six minutes left, but GRC outscored the Raiders 14-8 to make it a 39-25 GRC halftime lead.

The game concluded with the Lady Gators keeping the lead till the finale with a score of 67-54.

“I was just happy the team chemistry was going great,” Jessica Norlander, number 30 for the Lady Gators, said after the game. “I felt like we played one of our best games we’ve played this season.”

Nicole Qualls, number 13, scored 16 points, shooting six for 10 overall, including four of six from the three-point range.

“My team just gets me the ball, so it’s easy to do it,” Qualls said about her three point shooting performance. “Some games they don’t give the ball to you right away, but this game they were getting it to me at the right time and it was just flowing, it just worked.”

The first time that Qualls was handed the ball during the game she made a three-point shot, breaking the school record. When the time was appropriate, the record breaking was announced over the gym speakers and congratulations was given.

As a team, the Lady Gators shot 49.1 percent from the court including seven for 10 from three-point range. This is a great improvement from the first time that the Gators faced the Raiders.

“The first time we played [Pierce College], 37 minutes of good basketball and lost in the last three minutes. This time the girls took it further,” said Head Coach Bob Kickner. “I was proud of the team for avenging that earlier loss. But what was better is we’re getting better, we’re playing with a team mind set, chemistry was good, we had balanced scoring, and made good decisions.”

GRC is now sixth in the western division, while Pierce fell to seventh place.

The next team to visit The Swamp will be Tacoma Community College on February 18 at 6 p.m.