Volume 48, Issue 11 by The Current

thecurrent the student newspaper of green river community college

may16.2014

www.thegrcurrent.com

issue10 volume48

ELECTION RESULTS TEVIN GLADNEY TO BE NEXT ASGRCC PRESIDENT PAGE 2

ian Lobdell | The Current

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Student Enrollment Down GRCC Risks Losing State Funding

KGRG FM Celebrating 25 Years of Green River Music Culture

GRCC Baseball Program Struggles

Station launches spring pledge drive with their new slogan “25 Years of Today’s Rock”.

The GRCC Baseball Program ends season 9-31, their third consecutive losing season.

President Ely plans to implement programs focusing on older student retainment.

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Jesse Torres| Campus Editor campus@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

Student President Announced By: Christin Peter Staff Writer

Ian Lobdell | The Current

Tevin Gladney, ASGRCC’s new President in the Student Life offices

The results for the student president and vice president were announced in a meeting May 7. Tevin Gladney will be the new president, and Dema Issa will be the vice president. Although Issa had no opponents, Gladney beat two other candidates in the presidential race, Mark Li and Evan Yu. “It’s a pleasure,” Gladney said. “You guys made the right decision.” Gladney said that he never considered participating in student government until he got involved with the community, leadership, education, and outreach (CLEO) program as an event coordinator. He knew that he wanted to be involved differently next year and saw joining student government as the perfect opportunity. Although he does not have many plans already made for next year, he knows that he wants to bring more attention to student government. “When I was trying to cam-

paign, most people didn’t even know we had a student government,” Gladney said. The role of the ASGRCC president is to be the students’ voice at Board of Trustees meetings and other important meetings with higher-up staff members. Gladney wants students to talk to him about what is important to them, so that he can help make their time at Green River the best possible experience. “Don’t be afraid to talk to me,” Gladney said. He campaigned for only a week, passing out fliers, pencils, water bottles, and even paper fans. He even parked his car in Kennelly Commons with campaign fliers all over it, a move that really stood out to competitor Mark Li. “I really liked that,” Li said. “[Tevin’s] campaign was pretty good; he was creative.” Like Gladney, Li campaigned for only five days, but rather than using fliers and pencils, he relied on word-of-mouth to get votes. Li said that he introduced himself to people on campus and in campus clubs, telling them about himself and his goals.

Although he did not win the race, Li said that he plans to find other ways to get involved with student government. He plans to apply for chief justice, a position that approves or rejects the formation of new clubs. “I’m really glad for this opportunity to run in this campaign, and I’m really glad for Tevin,” Li said. “I wish him good luck.” Candidate Evan Yu expressed similar feelings about the election results. “[Tevin] won, and he worked hard, it was fair,” Yu said. Yu said that he also plans to find other ways to get involved in student government, hopefully by running for another position. He also said that the results were not surprising. “I did not campaign at all,” Yu said. “The interesting part was that when the election results were announced, apparently it was close.” Out of about 8,400 students attending Green River, only 661 voted. Gladney led over Li 296 votes to 238. Yu had only 127 ballots cast for him. Issa received 597 “yes” votes and only 64 “no” votes.

Job Openings Available on Campus By: Madi Gessel Staff Writer Finding a job is a difficult task, but jobs here on campus might be the answer to many students’ problems. Around campus there are many job opportunities. Working in the writing center, the book store, or the tech center are just a few of the many options. "There are about 11 part time jobs during the regular quarter," said Gary Jones, manager of The Paper Tree Bookstore. "At the beginning of the quarter there are about 17." There are also jobs as a work study student. According to Jones, these students are on the floor cashiering and helping students with their ID cards and books. Once a student attains a job, it can last for as long as they need, or until their schedule changes causing the job to collide with school. GRCC student Anna Poley has worked at the Paper Tree Bookstore at GRCC since Winter quarter of 2013. She had moved

from another state and was in need of a job. Jobs on campus are very convent, “I just went into the Bookstore and asked if they were hiring, and, if so, if I could get an application,” Poley said. “I filled out the application then and there and then waited for a call. A couple of days later, I was called back and hired. I've worked there during the rush weeks since.” Poley also has a job at the writing center as a tutor. “I was directed to Jamie Fitzgerald, the Writing Center's director, and I ended up with an interview,” Poley said. “I was hired on for Winter Quarter of 2013 and have been a peer tutor there since.” Interested in pursuing a job on campus, Poley began asking around. She went to the tech center and cafeteria to see if there were any jobs available. “It was really just a lot of investigative work on my part,” Poley said. Hours for Poley were much better than expected. The Bookstore had her working typically during the rush hours of the quarter, the first and last weeks. The hours in the writing center

varied from 12-16 a week. The pay is only minimum wage, but that was better than nothing for Poley. “Minimum wage, baby. Living big, living large,” Poley said. The environments at the Bookstore and the Writing Center were fun and friendly. Poley said she had "amazing coworkers" at both places that made the jobs much more enjoyable. “At the Writing Center, I have the privilege of working with students, engaging them and watching them grow and learn. It's truly rewarding work. Also, I find that the more I work with students, the better of a writer I become. It's a two way street that's beneficial for everyone involved,” said Poley. Jobs here on campus can last for years. The Bookstore may vary, but Poley has had her job at the Writing Center for around a year. Asking around and investigating can help someone get a job just about anywhere on campus. Recommendations from instructors are a requirement for some applications. Pick up an application at the bookstore and ask around for other jobs here on campus.

Ian Lobdell | The Current

Students can find jobs at various locations around campus including the library, tutoring, bookstore and food services.

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Safety Ride Population Diminishes Number of Riders Drops as Year Progresses By: Renno Jeon Staff Writer

Safety Ride starts early before dark because Safety Ride staff is in place, in advance, every night at 5 p.m. "We can start whenever As the day ends for most people need arises," Brenden said. As the number of students the day of GRCC Campus Safety utilizing the safety ride has risen, Rides known as Safety Ride betheir route has been expanded gins in favor of mainly students' about 3 times the area, running safety and convenience. up to north: SE 304th street, Crimes and robberies, mainly West: Lea Hill Condos, Amber targeting international students View Apartments, South: SE walking alone at night, occasionally occur “It gets really heavy, of course 327th street/ SE 326th/ SE close to camFriday nights and Saturday 323rd places, pus, especially nights, but we transport them East: 132nd 124th street. It initiated for all night long... The main goal isAve SE, and SE student's safety we don’t want them walking,” 308th St. "We can expand it so when there is a student who needs a ride, Safety if need be," said Brenden. Safety Ride usually runs a van Ride that is stationed at CCA and a driver on weekdays when (Campus Corner Apartment) need is low but they run two vans takes riders to local stores, nearby and two drivers on weekends. apartments, the library and home Sometimes, depending on the shares and brings them back. number of riders, they can go all "When they want to go their the way up to three vans. friend's house, we take them "It gets really heavy, of course there, that's what we do all night Friday nights and Saturday long," said Judy Brenden, a pronights, but we transport them all gram coordinator transportation. night long because the main goal Safety Ride officially starts runis we don't want them walking," ning from dusk to 11 p.m. Sundays Brenden said. through Thursdays and to 2 p.m. As dusk comes later with warmFridays and Saturdays. However, er weather, the number of users depending on the calls for rides, has gradually decreased. 3732

students used Safety Ride in Jan. with the average of 113 on weekdays and of 132 on Fridays and Saturdays. 3588 students rode in Feb. with the weekday-average of 128 and 142 on Fridays, Saturdays. 3500 rode in, March with averagely 81 on weekdays and 93 on weekends and 2099 for April with the weekday-average of 83 and the weekend-average of 71. Whenever new international students come, Safety Ride staff does presentations in Lindbloom Center and put up cards and fliers on students programs to encourage students to use the Safety Ride. Enesha Oveznepesova, an international student, said, "I take the Safety Ride every single day and I feel safer than any others because we are not taking random cars," Considering the number of international students utilizing Safety Ride, it is not widely known to domestic students. Though Safety Ride is for the whole school population, it is mainly used by international students who stay within the area and who need to get around. "CCA students utilize the rides because we are right there, it's convenient for them," said Ronald Motley, a dispatcher.

Farewell, Jakob

Former ASGRCC President Passes the Torch

Courtesy of: GRCC

Jakob Oehrner, former ASGRCC president

By: Chase Lawrence Staff Writer Jakob Oehrner, the current student body President, has completed the student 522 budget. This was his last big project as president because he is graduating this year. “As President I tried to be an objective voice for all students,” Oehrner said. This is exactly what him and his colleagues did while creating the next years student 522 budget. They looked at the previous mistakes made on the budget and made sure not to make the same mistakes. All of the clubs were looked at and asked questions to ensure they would have enough budgeting for the next year Oehrner said. When they reached a

conclusion the budget was set at 1.6 million and brought to Green Rivers Board of Trustees on Wednesday, May 14. There have been some challenges associated with being student body President Oehrner said. A big challenge is being a representative of such a broad population and finding an adequate channel or channels for receiving information. It has been especially hard to hear actual concerns from the student body. Being the student body President is a very strange sensation. You are faced with a lot of responsibility. “To me that was a completely new experience,” Oehrner said. You the perfect opportunity to mature and grow into a role where you actually have a voice. Oehrner has started a couple of side projects that he started with the Vice President and the Chief of Justice. With which they all hope to get the ball rolling on and leave as legacies for the next incoming student government elects Oehrner said. At the end of the Board of Trustees meeting Oehrner hand the Trustees each an invitation to the awards ceremony. Near the end of the meeting all the Trustees said their goodbyes and wished Oehrner luck, even President Eileen Ely.

GRCC Experiences Decline in Student Enrollment By: James Ristig Staff Writer

Green River Community College is experiencing a decline in student enrollment and risks losing state funding. Vice President of Instruction, Derek Brandes said Green River needs to address this problem or the college could be in trouble. Brandes said that enrollment at Green River is down 8% and the college is losing $140,000 in tuition every quarter. GRCC is funded by the state and is getting closer to not meeting the enrollment quota the state requires. If the number of enrolled students at GRCC drops below a certain limit the state will pull the funding for the college. The President of the College, Eileen Ely called a meeting with the deans and directors of the various departments to address this problem. Their decision was to create a group of teams who will be investigating methods to

improve the retention of students. The goal is to unify the different divisions to working towards this common goal of retention. Brandes said, “We do the same thing for all the students.” The college needs to focus on helping the individual students who might be struggling. There is a growing population of students who come to GRCC and then leave after a quarter or a year. Brandes said GRCC could become a “revolving door” of students coming into the college and leaving immediately. Brandes said, “We need to get students to be college prepared.” Some students who come to GRCC just aren’t prepared for college level work and the amount of time and effort needed to be successful. These students either advance too fast or they came to college too early and then immediately leave. The college is trying to provide more advising for struggling students and services to help them succeed such as tutoring.

Brandes said the college is going to, “Give the students the tools they need to do well in college.” One of the new challenges facing GRCC is the changes in the population of the school and the state. Washington is becoming more diverse and more groups of people are going to college. The faculty and staff are working towards reaching out to the newer populations of students entering Green River. Brandes said that Green River is accepting a lot of “first generation college students”. These are students from families who never could go to college but now have the means to get a higher education. As the population of Green River becomes more diverse, the faculty and staff unfortunately have not changed to reflect this. Brandes said the college is looking into hiring a more diverse faculty to better adapt to their changing demographics. Daniel Najera, a biology instructor at Green River said the goal is to bring diversity to every

part of the college. The college is focusing on the total picture and not just the teachers. Najera said the hope for more diverse instructors is that the students will more identify with them. This will hopefully help them stay enrolled at the college. Another trouble facing international students is that most of the faculty cannot speak their language. Najera said that this is more of a practical problem for the college and one that can be easily addressed both inside and outside the classrooms. Another population of students is slowly growing at GRCC. While the amount of high school students is slowly dropping, the amount of 30 or older students continue to rise. Traditionally GRCC has catered to students who enter straight out of high school. As that population dwindles, the college is looking for alternatives to retain more of the older students. Brandes said that the college is looking into reducing the amount

of morning classes and replacing them with ones in the afternoon. This would help students who either work or have families to take care of during the morning. Another population of students that will be affected by this are Running Start students. Sydna Dickey said she still takes classes at high school while coming to GRCC during the afternoon and that more class choices would be beneficial to her schedule. Brandes said the college is looking to contact students who frequently miss class and understand the reason behind it in hopes of preventing it. Registration is also a big target for these reforms at GRCC. Brandes said that some students might not know when it is time to register or have trouble with the process. This is one of the most important things the college is working on. These changes are very drastic but they are needed if the college is to survive. Najera said, “The goal is very noble.”

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One Book Offers Free Reads to Bring Students Together By: Taylor Lopes Staff Writer

The One Book program is designed to bring students together in discussion by having as many people as possible read the same book at once. A library committee chooses one novel each year which all students are encouraged to read. Many classes implement the One Books into their curriculums and the school gives out copies of the book to students for free. The One Book for the 2013-14 school year was “When the Emperor Was Divine” by Julie Otsuka. The One Book program has been in place since the 2008-09 school year. One Books that have been read in the past include “Persepolis”, “Three Cups of Tea”, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” and “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”. The One Book for the 2014-15 school year will be Homeland by Cory Doctorow. The committee

wants to choose books that students can relate to easily and that teachers can apply to different disciplines while teaching. Jody Segal, who coordinates the One Book committee, said that by making the One Books teachable in different subjects more students are exposed to the book at the same time. "This creates a broader community of readers," said Segal. "The One Book has the ability to break down artificial barriers between disciplines", said English teacher Marcie Sims. Students who read the same One Book in two or more classes have to take the same information and apply it to different areas. "This makes them think about the text in broader terms, which, in turn, broadens the book's discussions," said Sherwood. In order for the One Book to be widespread on campus, the committee must also make sure that the majority of students on campus are able to read the book. The committee tries to find a balance between simplicity and meaning. They want to find

meaningful books that you don't have to be a genius or an English major to understand. Another way of making the One Books available to students is by giving them out for free. "In the last three years, we've given out about 1000 free One Books", said Segal. This is also one of the main reasons Criminal Justice and Reading teacher

Mary Jane Sherwood likes the One Book program. Text books can be expensive and the One Book can alleviate at least a little of the financial burden students carry. "Reading novels also helps students to connect more with a subject," said Sherwood. Students are often better able to fully understand a subject when they have related it to a novel instead

of a text book. Provoking meaningful conversation is one of the main objectives of the One Book committee. "The more students at Green River read the book, the broader and more meaningful the conversation becomes," said Segal. The One Book must be able to raise important questions and get people on campus talking about issues of significance.

programming involved and are better able to work with developers. They do scripting and developing work at smaller companies. Those who complete the systems degree are better equipped to go into the Software and Development bachelor’s because they have the prerequisites for it. These degrees require that the students learn a lot of administration and programming and this allows them to become an extremely adept IT worker. With these degrees they would be able to do anything the IT department requests. Some might be wondering what influenced the decision for IT to offer bachelor’s degrees and how precisely this will benefit the college. As it turns out bachelors programs allows students who’ve completed an Associates of Applied Science IT degree at other community colleges to come to GRCC and continue into the bachelor’s programs here; all of their credits will be accepted. A barrier that many GRCC students run into when trying to transfer their AS to a four year university was that in many instances not all of their credits were accepted. “We felt it was unfair to students in the community college system to do all that work and

have a limited amount of transfers,” said IT instructor Kendrick Hang. People in the industry have voiced excitement about new IT bachelors programs. An instructor from MIT who teaches Software and Engineering for Internet Applications said the curriculum looks great. “Those were his words, looks great,” said Alan Carter the manager of the IT Network and Administration Security Program. “People who I look up to in the industry can’t wait to see it get started.” Growth should help to generate more interest but this does not necessarily seem to be the case. The Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County estimates that there will be an annual shortage of 3631 IT job candidates in King County from 2014 to 2019. Lack of candidates to fill IT positions is not only a problem in King County but across the entire state of Washington as well. There are only about 150 students who are enrolled in the program at GRCC. “IT often has a stigma associated with it. Someone who works alone, someone whose antisocial, that couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Hang. “It is all about working in a team, its being cre-

ative, its thinking outside the box and solving difficult problems. It’s a very rewarding profession as well and I think that’s something were trying to show to the rest of the community as a whole. We’re looking to bring in people who are excited about technology, people who might not have ever considered technology as a profession before.” The IT department is working hard to create a positive hand’s on learning environment where students are free to learn and enjoy without being judged. “People sometimes feel a lack of confidence because they don’t feel like they know anything, “said Hang. “Well the whole purpose of coming to college is to learn something. So if you don’t know something will help you learn it. We don’t expect you to know it all coming in.” IT tries to avoid power point lectures and get students more actively involved in the task at hand. They actively perform the requisite tasks such as the configuration of equipment for example, as they are being instructed. “I think that’s what makes our program different from a lot of the other ones out there,” said Hang. “It’s not let’s sit there in a lecture hall for fifty minutes and

watch power point slides go by. Its let’s turn this thing on, let’s try with our own two hands, see if it works. If it doesn’t work we’ll figure it out.” In terms of salary IT is a very rewarding profession. The salary for an entry level position as a programmer or software developer is 50,000 to 60,000 dollars per year, with entry level salaries for a Networker at 40,000 to 60,000 dollars per year with a bachelor’s degree. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, some workers can make around 94,000 dollars per year. Culturally and ethnically the IT program is very diverse. “People come into IT and it’s not cliquish. It’s not like you don’t belong here because you’re not like us – oh you’re different from us,” said Carter. “How are you different? Oh that’s really interesting to learn.” Students from all over the world are enrolled in the IT program and from all different age groups as well. They have students ranging in ages from 16 to 60. There are over five students from the Middle East, some students from Russia and two Vietnamese students. However, there are fewer women who are involved in IT than men and that’s something that the

Ian Lobdell | The Current

Jody Segal, a GRCC librarian, holding two books available in the One Book program

IT Program Set to Expand By: David Price Staff Writer

Information technology (IT) specializes in utilizing telecommunications equipment and other technological tools to translate, transmit, manipulate or store information. As technology advances and is continuing to advance IT jobs will continue to become more in demand. Due to growth in the industry the IT department at GRCC will be expanding their program. Currently there are four Applied Science IT degrees at GRCC. The degrees that are associates in science (AS) are IT Systems, IT Networking, and IT Programming or a bachelor’s degree is IT Network Administration and Security. Soon both Programming and Networking will be expanding to bachelor’s degrees. A new degree with be added as well, Software and Development. The state has approved this degree and it is supposed to be added in the fall, though there are still various steps to take. As technology advances between 2010 and 2020, IT is expected to grow about 23 or 24 percent. The systems degree has a lot of

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International Students Discusses GRCC By: Jaelyn Colley Staff Writer

Student life activities, recreational sports teams and organizations. Experience all UW Bothell has to offer.

Meet with an advisor today! We have an outstanding team ready to help you choose from our exciting degree offerings. 425.352.5000 | www.uwb.edu

classes at Green River. International student Cynthia Chau came to GRCC from her home in Hong Kong, China. Chau will have been at GRCC Green River Community Colfor one full year in the fall. Chau lege is home to many internation- doesn’t visit home as frequently al students from various parts of as Jeon does, but she does stay at the world. home for the entire summer with Students from all over the world her family. “I don’t want to stay at flock to America to go to college home,” said Chau, “there’s always for various reasons. A better edsomething to do, always work ucation, cheaper education and to be done.” Chau says that the more job opportunities are just a lifestyles of the USA and Hong few examples from the ever-grow- Kong are very different and that ing list. she enjoys the relaxing environRenno Jeon ment here at “To be honest, I don’t miss is one internaGRCC. Chau tional student anything. I go back home on also comat GRCC who breaks and then come back here mented on comes from how much to go to school more.” South Korea. easier it is Jeon has been in America for to study here without all of the one and a half years. He went added pressure of extra chores to New York before coming to and duties. Washington state in order to Chau said that she has not better his English speaking skills. faced any issues in coming here In an interview about his home and said that coming here was Jeon said, “To be honest, I don’t one of the best decisions she has miss anything. I go back home on ever made. “In Hong Kong there breaks and then come back here is a huge population and there are to go to school more.” Jeon said only seven universities. It’s really that he likes it here and has had a hard to get into one,” said Chau great experience because of all of while she explained why she came the people that he has met here. to the USA. She said that there However, Jeon has faced many are some schools similar to GRCC obstacles on his way to getting in Hong Kong but even those are a better education. “The biggest hard to get into because of the issue,” he said, “has been the lanlarge population. Chau is studyguage barrier.” Jeon has overcome ing to be a biochemical nutritionthis obstacle as much as he can ist and is contemplating staying and has been successful in his in the USA to find work in this

Teacher Spotlight: Bev Baker, Making Connections By: Rikki Hinderson Staff Writer

Bev Baker is the Program Coordinator for Adult Basic Education(ABE) and GED Preparation. Joe Kephart, a current math student, said “Ms. Baker has a way of making you feel comfortable, when I took the compass test and I ended up here I was very anxious. I mean some people have math anxiety I know I do, but Ms. Baker helps you to feel at ease to learn.” “When I first started I didn’t think I could do math, now five weeks in and I find myself happy to go to her class and learn” said

Kephart.” If all my teachers were like her I would be doing better”. When asked how it was to work with Baker, “Oh she is kind and generous” said Anne Dolan, instructor for ABE/ GED, “she is also efficient and knowledgeable, the combination of which makes it lovely to work with her.” A former student of Baker said that she teaches students to be courageous in the face of the unknown

and has a quiet, firm resolve to teach her students. Baker said “I try to make my students feel comfortable, I want them to experience success in math because this helps builds confidence and we need confidence to succeed.” Baker went on to say “Generally speaking so many Adult Basic Math students Rikki Hinderson fear math, even though they use it everyday. Just coming to grips with math terms

can be scary I want my students to feel safe to learn”. Monica Rojas, a former student of Baker, said “In 2013, I took a basic arithmetic class instructed by Ms. Baker. I was not looking forward to having to do this class, I just wanted to get on with the college classes. Once I started her class, I quickly realized she was patient and very compassionate. She lead us through the quarter with laughter while still teaching us what we needed to succeed. It was very easy to follow her teaching style and helped me remember all of the basic skills I had forgotten. For me, college was intimidating, it had been so long since I was in school. Ms. Baker eased that anxiety and replaced it with knowledge and confidence”.

Board of Trustees Pass Civility Policy By: Dominic Yoxtheimer Editor in Chief

GRCC Board of Trustees voted and passed the civility policy on May 14 at their monthly meeting. The civility policy at its simplest form is attempting to create a standard of civility to which all people of GRCC are held to. During the meeting, trustee Tom Campbell lead the group in discussing the policy by questioning meeting presenters. The Current will present more information in its next issue when more details of the civility policy become known.

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Laura Gray | A&E Editor ae@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

KGRG FM Celebrates 25 Years of Music By: Brennen Moe Staff Writer

KGRG is celebrating 25 years of today’s rock. The radio station started its 25th anniversary on May 2 with the “25th Anniversary Spring Pledge Drive.” Following the Pledge drive is alumni week in which many of the “illustrious alumni” will return to 89.9 FM daily from 3-10 pm May 19-23. Also, on May 26 KGRG will be paying tribute to Nirvana for their fundraising concert for the station on May 26, 1989. On June 6, KGRG will be hosting an all ages “today’s rock” concert at Louie G’s in Fife, Wash. Student Alex Lau said, “KGRG is such an important part of the college, and the 25th anniversary is something every student should take part and pride in.” KGRG FM’s Music Director Katen Burgess explained that he was very excited for the 25th Anniversary spring pledge drive. Burgess said the Pledge Drive will have a car bash where students will be able to donate to KGRG to get a chance to literally bash a car with a sledge hammer.

Lau commented that KGRG’s idea to smash a car for donations is not only one of the best promotional ideas he has ever heard, it also perfectly captures the grunge movement that KGRG was founded on. A promotional tent will also be set up on campus which will be playing KGRG’s music. The tent will also have a donation bin and pledge forms. Students who donate certain amounts of money will be able to receive KGRG merchandise such as travel coffee mugs, baseball T-shirts and embroidered crewneck sweatshirts. Burgess explained that during Alumni Week many of the DJs whose professional radio careers where launched from KGRG will be returning to record radio breaks, and do live shifts on the campus radio station. This will also include a one night KGRG reunion of past specialty shows which were formerly broadcast over Green River’s FM radio station. Burgess went on to say that KGRG will be having a tribute to Nirvana for the concert they played in the Lindbloom Center

Ian Lobdell | The Current

KGRG DJs fundrasing at their booth in the Commons.

on May 26, 1989. Tickets to the show only cost $5, and Nirvana did not even headline. Burgess explained that KGRG all started 25 years ago when GRCC completely rebranded and reformatted its old radio station to that of “todays rock” as the Pacific Northwest moved into its grunge movement in the early

1990s. KGRG played music that was often local and new. KGRG prides itself in discovering new and up-and-coming bands such as Presidents of the USA, MXPX and Modest Mouse. KGRG continues to live up to these standards and play on average at least one new song a day. KGRG not only keeps its music

new and fresh, but also its staff, by completely replacing all KGRG staff members every year. Lau stated that he was excited to hear some of the original DJs and hopefully hear some of their stories about the history of KGRG. And that hopefully KGRG will stay around to entertain us for many more years.

Aloha Spirit Visits Green River By: Patrick Daly Ad Manager

Dani Chang | Student Life

The tenth annual Sounds of Hawaii took place Saturday May 10 from 6 pm to 10 pm. This event is final event in the Artist and Speakers Series.The event took place in the cafeteria of the Lindbloom Center. The main organizer of this event is Dani Chang, who is the Dean of Campus Life. Before the Makaha Sons performed there was a medley of Hawaiian songs and dances accompanied by some Polynesian history. Ke’ala ‘O Kamailelauli’ili’i and Manawai’opuna performed with Hawaiian instruments and Hawaiian Dances. They danced a history of the story of Pele. Pele is the Hawaiian Goddess of volcanos. She is known for being powerful, passionate, jealous, and capricious. She is a promeinet figure in Hawaiian Mythology. This is the 10th annual Sounds of Hawaii concert here at Green River Community College. The Makaha Sons were the first Hawaiian band to play at the original event in 2004, and they returned to GRCC a decade later

to bring back their Hawaiian style. The band is made up of three men, each of whom play an instrument. They take turns singing certain parts of the songs. There are two other bands that have played at the Sounds of Hawaii event at Green River. The Makaha Sons were the first and return every other year. The Makaha Sons play many other venues besides Green River. We are very lucky that they would come to our small venue, considering their global experience. The Makaha Sons play large venues in Mexico and Japan. Fairly recently, last September they played a sold out show at the Seattle Emerald Queen Casino. At the back of the cafeteria Mike Goodknecht, Sean Menza (aka DJ Kalei), and his son Kawika Menza did the sound engineering for the whole event. According to Goodknecht these shows usually last from one to two hours, but if the audience is very active then it could go on for longer. Although there were many students there, the audience was mostly made up of older people.

Some of them are just fans of the music and some lived in Hawaii. Both the band members and the sound engineers are used to playing events of varying sizes. At the Seattle Emerald Queen Casino the sound engineers have a lot more equipment to work with, but they still put on a great show with what Green River had. The atmosphere of the event was very relaxed. The lights of the cafeteria were dimmed and the tables were all set for dinner. The stage had a blue light cast onto it. There were also blue banners with Hawaiian markings hanging on both sides of the stage. This was the first time that the event served food. Dinner was served for all paying guests. It was a traditional Hawaiian meal. According to Dani Chang there is a large Polynesian population at Green River. This event helps connect members of this community with one another, and with other students at GRCC. This event is a tradition that has been going on for a decade now. It only makes sense that the tenth annual celebration of this event would be performed by the band that started it all.

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SIFF Kicks Off 40th Festival By: Laura Gray A&E Editor The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is currently holding its 40th annual festival. SIFF is the largest film festival with the highest attendence in the US. This year’s festival includes 435 films from 83 countries. SIFF’s Managing Director Mary Bacarella says, “This year’s Festival is an incredibly meaningful milestone for SIFF.” SIFF was founded in 1976. Two years are missing for the 40th anniversary to be in 2014. Those mathematically inclined will realize this does not add up correctly. Petra Warren, SIFF public relations intern, commented that the founders were superstitious and therefore skipped the 13th year. The other missing year is as of yet unaccounted for. The festival kicked off on May 15 with their Opening Night Gala featuring the film “JIMI: All is by my Side.” The director, writer and executive producer of the film, John Ridley, attended along with actress Hayley Atwell. “We’re all so excited to bring this outstanding lineup of films, guests, forums, and events to our wonderfully supportive and enthusiastic audiences” said Bacarella. “We’ve created a program this year with moments that will fondly revisit our history and moments that will take us into the future of SIFF.” Being the 40th anniversary, SIFF is bringing back some films that previously premiered at the festival. One of these was a showing done on May 16 at midnight of “The Rocky Horror Pic-

ture Show.” “Rocky Horror” has had the longest theatrical run in history since it first premiered at the first festival in 1976. SIFF’s Artistic Director Carl Spence said, “This year, SIFF continues to be a festival of discovery, with more than 100 new directors making their debut. Richard Linklater was one of those filmmakers back in 1990 with the premiere of ‘Slacker,’ it’s fitting to have him return for our anniversary with his masterwork ‘Boyhood’ - unlike any other film I’ve seen.” “Boyhood” is premiering May 1 at 5 pm. There are going to be several horror films shown throughout the festival as part of the Midnight Adrenaline series. “The Babadook” is an Australian film that was a unique take on the boogyman on June 6 and 7. For a more humorous horror film there is aptly named “Zombeavers” on May 25 and 26. There are 60 different documentaries being shown at SIFF. One of these is “A Brony Tale” which follows voice actress Ashleigh Ball at BronyCon. Ball is the voice of both Rainbow Dash and Applejack in “My Little Pony” and will be at the May 24 showing along with the director. If comedy is more appealing, there will be the romantic comedy “They Came Together” that makes fun of the conventions of rom-coms on June 7 and 8. There will be two chances to view “How to Train Your Dragon 2” before it comes out in theaters, on June 7 and June 8. SIFF will end with a Closing Gala featuring the film “The One I Love” on June 8 at 6 pm.

Ian Lobdell | The Current

Ceramic art on display in gallery.

GRCC Gallery Displays Student Art By: Ashley Wallace Staff Writer Until June 5, Green River Community College’s Helen S. Smith Gallery will be hosting the Annual Student Art Exhibition. Located on the first floor of the Holman Library, the gallery is currently home to hundreds of art pieces, ranging from drawings and paintings to 3D art and silk screening. Paul Metivier, the gallery director for the Helen S. Smith Gallery said that, “We collect student work from all visual art classes at GRCC, and put them on display to showcase the talent our school has.” Each year during the Spring Quarter, these art pieces are displayed for the final month of the quarter. Metivier said that though he does not have exact numbers, “...if you take all the artwork – about 75 percent of that equals how many students contribute to the show.” One might look through the artwork, wondering why some pieces are included but, “We’re trying to show all levels of art,” he said. “For some students, this

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could be the first drawing class they took in their lives.” Inside the gallery, the wall displays are separated out by classes: graphic design, drawing, painting and photography. All the work is representative of the collective talent from each art form, of all skill levels and different instructors, so the subject material can be vastly different from piece to piece. “The ceramics students start out on the pottery wheel, and later move up to more contemporary pieces,” Metivier said. Much is the same with other classes. The drawing students start out with basic still life, and move on to self-portraits. “The advanced photography students are required to write an artist statement about their work,” Metivier added. Metivier also talked about the process of screen printing, “You really don’t see all the work that went into it here. Each color is a separate layer on its own screen. It’s a complicated process.” Gary Oliveira, a black and white photography instructor at GRCC said, “We have some

strong work this year...I like that there’s some experimentation [in different techniques].” Oliveira explained the process of gathering work for the show: “We collected work for the show from the Spring 2013 and Winter 2014 quarters.” The photography works displayed are pieces from the intermediate and advanced students’ final projects – themed portfolios of photographs, Oliveira said. “The students work on a theme all quarter for their final project.” “This show tends to be a favorite among faculty,” Metivier said, “It’s fun to see the final products of everyone’s work” Alena Honda, a GRCC student commented while she was walking through the gallery, “It’s really cool, I love seeing all the art, but I wish there labels for each piece with the artist names,” she said. On Thursday May 29, the gallery will be hosting a reception to acknowledge the contributing artists in the show. The reception will take place from Noon to 1 pm, and light refreshments will be served.

The Ballroom Thieves 7:30 pm Green River Community College

Maleficent A Million Ways to Die in the West Spring Concert Mat Kearny w/ Naomi Wachira and Carson & Tess Henley $8- 12 Student, $15-20 Public; 7 pm Lindbloom Center: Main Dining Room The KGRG 25th Anniverary Show Moneta, Peace Mercutio, Lo There Do I See My Brother, and The Home Team $13 or $12 with canned food donation; 5 pm Louie G’s Pizza

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Haley Curl| Lifestyle Editor life@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

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Combining Coffee and Mexican Food By: Evan Yu Staff Writer Secretos Coffee Shop is located seven minutes from Green River’s Auburn campus at 514 E Main St, Auburn, WA 98002, would be the perfect place for a coffee date or a relaxing reading session. This unique coffee shop has Hispanic cuisine as well as affordable coffee. I ordered their $2.50 quesadilla, which had green onions, cheese, chicken, and jalapenos. The quesadilla was one tortilla folded to make a half. It wasn’t too large or too small, and had nice compliments of spice and crispness. Other items included on the menu was a tostada for $2.00 or the $5.00 torta. The food menu, along with the drinks available, lack the variety you would find at a Starbucks. However, Secreto Coffee Shop makes up for that with quality ingredients and effort. The 12 oz iced latte I ordered for $2.25 was excellent. Many coffeehouses make lattes that are too sweet or bitter, but Secreto Coffee Shop

balanced the two opposites, making for very nice latte and quesadilla combo. The coffee beans used at Secreto Coffee shop are from Malaysia and roasted in Canada. The quality of the beans was apparent in both of our drinks. For an idea on prices the 20 oz hot drinks are from $3.50 to $4.50, excluding steamers and black coffee. Smoothies and Italian sodas are also sold at Secretos Coffee Shop. Barista Rosario stated that her favorite aspect of the restaurant was, “All of the restaurant.” The coffee shop is small and cute. Secretos has walls with paintings from local artists that are available for purchase from $50 to $750. The paintings give the shop an affable atmosphere as does the black marble floor and little teacups filled with coffee beans. My overall experience at Secreto Coffee Shop was positive and I felt like I got my money’s worth. Try to go to Secretos on a sunny day, when the windows illuminate the restaurant, for an iced coffee drink in these coming summer months.

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Many students on campus don’t know the basics of alliterative diets here on campus. As a vegetarian myself, I hear questions on the topic all the time. “Can you eat this?” “Can you eat that?” “Are hamburgers a vegetable?” Many questions are simply in jest but a few are genuinely unknowing or curious about it. The chart you see to the left answers much about these questions. It shows different alliterative diets and what those who practice them can eat, from the common Omnivore to the rare Fruitarian. The next question an alternative dieter eventually gets is “Why?” While answers range very widely, reasons come from all places: Animal Cruelty, Medical, Religious, and even environmental reasons.

currentlifestyles

May19.2014

GRCC Living Creatively By: Jean Pierre Garcia Staff Writer

Appreciating Our GRCC Veterans By: Rachel Wood Staff Writer Month was established to honor, remember, recognize and appreciate those who have served and those who are now serving. May was selected because it has most days set aside for celebrating and commemorating our military’s achievements. The best known of these days is Memorial Day, which will take place on May 26 this year. This month marks the 15th annual National Military Appreciation Month. There are currently 279 veterans collecting benefits at GRCC, although Green River’s campus is home to far more than that. In addition to nearly 300 students, approximately 10 percent of Green River’s faculty are veterans as well. GRCC Professor Dan Bush was drafted into the marines at the

age of 19. He served for two years, six months of which were spent on a tour of duty in Vietnam. After an honorable discharge, it was nearly 10 years before Bush considered pursuing education and becoming a teacher. After earning his doctorate at the University of Washington, Bush was informed of a job opportunity at Green River. Bush has now been a professor here at Green River for 15 years. “After ten years of schooling at the UW, I really got attached to the campus atmosphere,” Bush said. GRCC student and veteran Terry McIntire served in the Navy for just over eight years before attending Green River. “I grew up in Covington and I was able to move back home and go to school,” McIntire said. The Veteran’s Office, which was originally upstairs in the Lindbloom Center, has recently been moved downstairs to what

is currently known as the Adams Room. According to Timm Lovitt, Director of the Veteran’s Office, their previous office was too small for the demand of the students. With nearly 300 vets per quarter, a bigger office was at the top of their list in order to better provide for GRCC’s veterans. “One of the great things that we offer to our vets is the VET Fund,” Lovitt said, “which stands for Veteran Emergency Transition Fund.” The VET Fund provides funding for the emergency needs of Green River vets. The VET Fund has helped our vets to restore their homes as well as pay for books and resources for their classes. The new Veteran’s Office location became fully functional on May 12, although renovations will not take place until this summer. A grand reopening is scheduled to take place at the beginning of Fall quarter.

Creative Crossword

Whether it was modifying eating utensils, playing in a band, painting furniture, or taking pictures on days they didn’t feel lazy, students say they enjoy making things when asked how they live creatively. Nic Tuggle plays bass in a rock band and works as KGRG 1’s Promotions Director. Strumming an acoustic guitar he admitted that there are weeks where he won’t even touch an instrument but preferred making things when the mood suited him. “You need to balance creating with other things,” Tuggle said. “The more you experience the more it shows in your work, which makes it more interesting.” Michael Lucero was cutting photography matting and laughed saying that he didn’t consider himself a photographer, but there was a reason he stuck with photography beyond the introductory course. “I’m lazy as hell. I don’t force myself to take pictures,” Lucero said. “But when I’m finally ready, I prioritize my photography over other homework.” His classmates help push him and teach him new techniques, whether it’s a framing a subject to cast a silhouette from a setting sun or how to find inspiration whenever and wherever he can. When he set out on one assignment, he couldn’t believe that his friend just sat on a bench, people watching instead of searching for that creative spark. Other outlets that you normally

wouldn’t expect to fit the creative category had a nice practical twist. Andrian Melnichuk, studying to be a medical professional in the Salish Hall atrium, lit up right away and said that when it comes to his creative side he’d rather be fishing, painting lures, and considering the conditions of his surroundings. He stated that you can’t spend all of your time cramming or you’ll get exhausted. Everyone needs something to do to take their mind off things. Occupational Therapy student, Laura Faber, focuses her creative energies on making it easier for people to eat. She has rubberized and added grips to cups, silverware, you name it. For Faber, she prefers to seek out a need and fill it, whether it’s listening or processing food into smaller pieces. Helping people is a part of who she is. When it comes to getting started Faber thought that what tends to stop people from pursuing their interests is fear of failure. Megan Smith laughed and agreed that she hasn’t had time to collage or add her twist to the stories she enjoys since she’s been at the college and that a fear of mistakes might be discouraging for some. Smith has felt ashamed when she hasn’t done well, and thought it might be a cultural value for perfection that discouraged people from making their muse a priority. She compared failure to the learning process. “You have to fall off your bike to learn how to ride it,” Smith said. “We have to be open to mistakes. It’s the only way we can learn.”

Down 1. University located in Bellingham 3. The season after Spring 4. “The ____ is half full.” 5. the month after May 7. Ben&Jerry’s is a brand of this 8. _____ Mouse 9. A University located in Ellensburg 10. ____ Place Market 12. The Current’s Photo Editor 13. Post/ KGRG’s newest radio show Across 2. Seattle’s baseball team 6. University of _______ 9. The ______ is GRCC’s Newspaper 11. GRCC has a campus in this city 14. Seattle’s soccer tea

Answers Down Across 1. Western 2. Mariners 3. Summer 6. Washington 4. Glass 9. Current 5. June 7. Ice Cream 11. Kent 14. Sounders 8. Modest 9. Central 10. Pikes 12. Ian 13. ThePost

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Dominic Yoxtheimer Editor-in-Chief 253-833-9111 x2375

Jesse Torres Campus Editor

Laura Gray A&E Editor

Haley Curl Lifestyles Editor

Aaron Bales Opinion Editor Copy Editor

Jesse Maiwald Sports Editor

Ian Lobdell Photography Editor

Editorial: Improving Student Elections Voter turnout for the election last week was six percent. 661 people voted out of roughly 8,400 full time students. The turnout of six percent compares poorly to the turnout of the 2012 U.S. presidential election which was about 57.5 percent according to the Center for the Study of the American Electorate. This year’s candidates were Tevin Gladney, Mark Li and Evan Yu. Votes were collected on April 29, April 30, and May 1. On May 7 Tevin Gladney was announced as the new president, and Dema Issa as vice president. This embarrassingly low turnout indicates that students may not realize how important the position of president is. According to the 2011-2012 Student and Activity Fee Budget, the ASGRCC is in charge of around $1.4 million. This money comes from the

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Correction: In the May 5 issue, the byline for the Sports article, “Young and Sick Fastpitch Team Struggles to Build Momentum,” was incorrect. Taylor Lopes wrote the story.

S&A fee every student at Green River pays with their tuition. The president and other student government officers decide how much money each program, such as KGRG, Athletics, student events, and The Current itself, is allocated each academic year. The election received poor turnout in large part because it was not publicized well enough. Surely the ASGRCC wants students to feel involved in the process, and feel like their votes really count. If they want students to really care who becomes president, candidates need to adopt a much more aggressive and accessible style of election campaign. So how do we get students to feel more involved and less detached? Where does this feeling of detachment come from? “We have to take into consid-

eration that it’s still primarily a commuter college, and students go to class, and go home,” current ASGRCC President Jakob Oehner said. An easy solution to this outreach problem would be e-mail notices and class announcements that the election is going on. E-mails could be sent with links to election information and the actual voting ballots. These would reach everyone, commuters and residential students alike. E-mails aren’t the only changes we would like to see next year. Voting stations are usually set up in the Lindbloom Center, library, and TC. More computer voting stations could improve turnout. If Online voting was more accessible and better advertised on the school’s home page, more students would be likely to vote. Colorful banners around cam-

pus might seem tacky, but they certainly draw the eye. Public speeches could be held in the commons maybe, rather than in the cafeteria where people just ignore the debates while eating. Candidates could address the student population over the radio on KGRG. Past elections offer little in the way of ideas for the future. According to Oehner, “A lot of the candidates last year, we had a bigger turnout,” Oehner said. “But this year we have had a majority of sophomore students in student government,” Oehner said, “So a lot of them are not returning.” Editorial board members are Aaron Bales, Dominic Yoxtheimer, Jesse Torres, Laura Gray, Haley Curl, Jesse Maiwald, and Ian Lobdell

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Editorial Policy The Current is a limited public forum for student expression, in which student editors make policy and content decisions. Green River Community College delegates editorial responsibility for the content of the publications. The college acknowledges the dual free purpose of student publications as instructional tools and as vehicles for free inquiry and free expression in the academic community. The views and opinions expressed in The Current do not necessarily reflect those of the college or student body.

Theft Policy A person commits the offense of publication theft when he or she willfully or knowingly obtains or exerts unauthorized control over more than three copies of The Current that is distributed on campus (with the intent to prevent other individuals from reading that edition of the publication). A “publication” includes any periodical that is distributed on a complimentary or compensatory basis. In addition to the imposition of other campus disciplinary penalties, a person who violates this provision is responsible for compensating the publication for all reasonable costs incurred, including, where appropriate, the refund of advertising fees.

Letters to the Editor The Current encourages all its readers to be involved and will publish letters. Anonymous letters are not accepted and the editor reserves the right to reject or edit letters on the basis of length, libel, or propriety. All letters become property of The Current. Send letters to thecurrent@greenriver.edu.

By: Aaron Bales Opinion Editor

The Current’s editorial board has stated its position that the proposed civility policy should be further reviewed and not adopted by the Board of Trustees at this time. Voices of students and faculty alike sounded in protest at a public forum on April 24. Yet an amended version of policy was voted on and approved in a board meeting on Wednesday May 14. While this was probably inevitable, and may not cause the dire effects some have voiced concerns about, it is worth asking, “Was there enough discussion?” Throughout the meeting, Trustee Tom Campbell asked many presenters how they and the groups they represent felt about both civility and the participatory governance policy which answers the complaints of the faculty union. They had little to say. In general, responses were cautiously skeptical of civility and cautiously optimistic of participatory governance. As the board prepared to vote on the civility policy, Board Chair Linda Cowan opened the topic for questions and comments. Trustee Campbell then recounted his experience attending the open forum. He hoped the forum would be the starting point for discussion.

Mark Milbauer, president of the Green River United Faculty Coalition, acknowledged the civility policy forum and Campbell’s presence there. Campbell and Milbauer both referenced The Current’s Editorial, “Civility Policy Proves Unclear.” Campbell regretted that more people didn’t respond with specific ideas on how to improve the policy. The board opened the meeting to discussion, but it didn’t seem that anyone there had much to say. Perhaps they were too shy to speak up, or maybe there really was nothing left to say. The policy raised a lot of commotion from students and faculty, but in the end it passed quietly into law without objection. For better or worse, it is now an official policy. This doesn’t mean that the Board and Green River administrators will start policing people on their manner of speech. It means that they can, but in all likelihood this policy will be a gentle reminder to, “Please be nice to one another.” We can panic about a worstcase scenario of the policy opening the way for Orwellian thought police at Green River, or we can remain vigilant about how the law is being enacted and remember that it can be amended in the future if the need arises.

Jesse Maiwald| Sports Editor sports@thegrcurrent.com www.thegrcurrent.com

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Jesse Maiwald | The Current Above: Andrew Sansom taking a pitch while Brandon Christiansen warms up in the on deck circle.

Finding the Core of the Baseball Team’s Struggles By: Jesse Maiwald Sports Editor

After finishing 5th in the Western region, coach Brian Embery’s Gators baseball team ended with a third consecutive losing season. With a record of 9-31, this is the highest rank the Gators have finished a season within the last three years. To find the problem you need to get to the bottom of this team’s practice, game, and preparation rituals, getting to the core was necessary. Talking with Embery about his teams practice schedule showed that it wasn’t the most extensive of practice rituals for college level baseball. “We are here for no more than 90 minutes,” Embery said. Embery’s son, Brian Embery Jr., is the assistant coach on the team, and often leaves Embery Sr. to do a lot of the coaching. “My son is the assistant, he only coach-

es during the weekends,” said Embery Sr. Coach Embery’s rap sheet does include a five time MIAA Coach of the Year award recipient. However, he tries to do to much at times. Being understaffed is taking its toll on the team. One of the things Embery’s teams have struggled with is having good structure and leadership. Players during practice were often found stretching, drinking water, or taking bathroom breaks instead of working in the cages. “We haven’t had strong leadership within the team,” Embery said. When asked to talk to a couple players, coach didn’t give me captains, rather I was just speaking with, “The kids who drive the vans,” said third baseman Billy Hernandez. “There’s a lot more autonomy because we’re more responsible,” said catcher Blake Collins. While players like Collins and Hernan-

dez who also are the ones who drive the vans to away games may use that self-governing practice style to get the most of their time, other players take advantage of it. Some of the things Coach Embery does to help prepare for games includes spending a moment in the outfield 15 minutes before a game. To keep his players performing well down the stretch, he said he just asks them to play their best. “It is important that they’re able to look in the mirror and feel comfortable with their play,” Embery said. They took these rituals to their last games, a double header against Centralia in Lacey. One of the things Collins likes to do before the games is to keep things on schedule and follow his quiet personal routine. “Every morning I wake up to pancakes, make a lunch, Rockstar, three ibuprofen, running, stretching, sit in dugout,

eat half the sandwich, visualize, throw my gear on, hit, visualize, throw gear back on, warm up pitcher, water, than go into the game,” said Collins when asked what his pre-game day looks like. The game started out slowly for both teams but Centralia was able to score first. Their first run came in the 3rd inning. The score stayed the same until the 8th inning when the Trailblazers were able to score another 3 runs. Going into the ninth the Gators brought in relief pitcher Matt Seeley when down 4-0 with one inning left. Andrew Sansom was able to score in the ninth after being driven in by an RBI from Travis Johnson. Then Brandon Christiansen was able to score the Gators second run. Seely came up to bat with the bases loaded and battled hard with Centralia’s pitcher. Working the count up to full, he finally got a hit which

was a ground out to shortstop. However, he was still able to get an RBI with Johnson crossing the plate. Justin Burns was at bat next and worked the batter up to a 1-2 count with the tying run on second, and the winning run on first. Centralia’s pitcher threw a curveball that Burn wasn’t able to get a piece of, the Gators lost 3-4. “They just outplayed us offensively,” Kekoa Nahaku said. Luckily there was a rematch after the team was feeling like they rallied back hard, but just didn’t quite bring it in and finish. The second game started similar to the first with all three of Green River’s runs coming in the sixth inning. The Gators were able to win this game 3-2. “Their pitcher pitched well, our pitcher pitched well. The relievers went in and we got some advances, but it was just a little too late,” Athletic Director Bob Kickner said.

currentsports

May19.2014

GRCC’S Karate Program big hit with new students By: Brad Xinyu Li Staff Writer Green River Community College opened two courses of Karate this spring quarter, Karate and Advanced Karate. The instructor is Sensei Penor with over 20 years of Karate teaching experience. The Karate class focuses on the basics of traditional Shito Ryu karate. Students learn the proper movements and self-defense techniques. In Japan’s terms, the traditional “shape” (form), are basic self-defense techniques, comprising of basic blocks, kicks, and punches for a package of exercise. Advanced Karate class focuses on the traditional Shito Ryu karate’s advanced technology, the traditional form, and other technologies. Students receive instruction in competitive sports technology, rules, and boxing. Japan’s term gives you self-defense and basic technology understanding, as well as

martial arts experience. Sensei Penor has pictures with medals and trophies he has accumulated throughout his tournament career, winning trophies and medals at all levels from white belt to Blackbelt. After 30 plus years, Penor has accumulated more than 100 medals and trophies. His training began in the mid 70’s during the Bruce Lee popularity years with the Washington Karate Association. He was a teacher and competitor with Northwest Shitoryu in the late 80’s and early 90’s, then he formed his own organization, Unified Shito-Ryu Academy in 1994 in Kent and Bellevue. He has trained with many of the foremost martial artist of our time: Takayuki Kubota, Akio Minakami, Toshiro Oshiro, Kenzo Mabuni, Bill Superfoot Wallace, Fumio Demura, and Chuzo Kotaka, to name a few. The dojo is associated with The International Karate Association led by 10th degree Founder, Takayuki Kubota . Sensei Penor holds the rank of 6th Degree Blackbelt with

Sensei Penor back row 2nd from left, surrounded by student medalist.

the organization, and recently promoted to 1st Degree Blackbelt in a unique weapons style called Yamanni Ryu by Shihan Toshihiro Oshiro. Oshiro is the highest ranking practitioner in the United States. “The class is just awesome and I learned a lot from the

class, even though it is only a one credit class,” said karate class student Wai Lam Chui. “I chose the Karate class not only for my AA degree, but I am quite interested in Karate really. The physical practice is tough sometimes. Sensei Penor is a nice person, and he is always happy to teach us move-

ments. I was enjoying the class, and Sensei was really friendly to teach us, Our class begins every Tuesday and Thursday at 9 am to 9:50, and it is not really hard for me,” said Chui. “I have learned Karate for six months before, it has been lots of fun, really,” said Cajun Ko.