Eastfield Et Cetera September 28, 2016

Etera

Eastfield College

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Volume 48, Issue 2

Rolling in ecstasy The rise of Electronic Dance Music and rave festivals has set the stage for new, more potent MDMA. See page 8 ➤

2

NEWS

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

Police test emergency response in lockdown drill

By Brianna Harmon Managing Editor @BHarmonETC

As a recorded announcement ordered students and employees to lock down the campus, screams erupted in the Pit. “Put the gun on the ground,” a police officer yelled.

The Sept. 20 incident was staged, part of a lockdown drill to prepare students for violent activity on campus.

The scenario depicted a domestic dispute between two professors that erupted in violence when one pulled a gun on the other. Campus police worked to get the situation resolved as employees tried to get students to safety.

Such drills are common for campus police but have taken on new urgency after the July 7 ambush in Dallas that killed five police officers.

The shooter entered sister college El Centro, fired a fatal shot from a second-story window and injured two college police officers before he was killed.

“After the dust settles and the case is complete, law enforcement will go

ANDREW GONZALES/THE ET CETERA

DAVID SANCHEZ/THE ET CETERA

Police and college administrators watch the lockdown drill from the police station.

Police move in to make the arrest in their lockdown scenario drill.

back and look at the mistakes that were made,” Lt. Jose Hernandez said.

“We do this so we can learn where we can do better, where we need more training.”

During the drill, alarms that were supposed to go off around campus malfunctioned in G building.

First responder officers also experienced technical difficulties with their radios.

The officers kept hearing calls from other Dallas County Community College District police departments.

“We would rather test it and find out that it is not working now than to have an actual real situation and not be aware that it is happening,” Hernandez said. “So now we have to go back and look at those things and meet with the other entities in the

college who are responsible for that and try to resolve some of these issues.”

Education major Jedidiah Starr said having lockdown drills makes him feel safe on campus. He thinks Eastfield should have more of them.

“For me as a student, it makes me feels safe because you never what is going to happen,” he said. “Having these lockdown drills lets me know that they really care about this is-

with a traditional classroom learning experience.

Students taking part in the EQUIP program will complete up to 75 percent of their coursework through StraighterLine, then transfer those course credits to a DCCCD school to complete their degree or certificate.

StraighterLine will have to adapt their operations to fit into the requirements of the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools (SACS) Committee on Colleges, which evaluates and determines accreditation for Eastfield and the rest of the DCCCD and requires online classes to have professor-student interaction.

StraighterLine aims to offer selfpaced, entry-level courses using textbook publishers including McGraw Hill, Thinkwell, Rosetta Stone and Smarthinking, Pearson’s tutoring service, to build their classes.

While the company has been recommended by the American Council of Education and has been recognized by the Distance Education Accrediting Council, it has no official academic accreditation.

Because they are not accredited, they partner with colleges to ensure credits transfer.

Their accredited partner colleges include State University of New York Empire State College, City University of Seattle and University of Louisiana at Monroe. The University of Louisiana at Monroe is accredited by SACS. Burck Smith, CEO of StraighterLine, said the company uses textbooks, video lectures and assessments to teach students but will soon be hiring employees qualified to work as professors and interact with students. “[In most self-paced courses], the student is moving at their own pace and getting help as they need it, as opposed to it being proactively pushed to them,” Smith said.

Noble worries that by associating with StraighterLine, Eastfield may lose its SACS accreditation.

“We do not need to get into a situation where SACS, our accreditation board, can really say, ‘No, you’re taking a step backwards,’” Noble said.

“We just got off warning five years ago. That took us two years to do.

Things were bad, then Dr. [Jean] Conway came in and really righted the ship.”

Matt Hinckley, president of the Faculty Association, said that as long

as Eastfield and the DCCCD keep good records of the program, the results and the response, there would be no reason to worry about accreditation.

Up to 600 students, most from outside Texas and all from outside Dallas County, will be able to enroll in StraighterLine classes with a guarantee that their credits will transfer to a DCCCD campus.

Hinckley said that the Department of Education requires that both the DCCCD and StraighterLine complete reports detailing the results and experiences involved with the program.

The Faculty Association voted Sept. 21 to draft a letter to Chancellor Joe May as well as college president Conway, upper-level administrators, academic deans and the presidents of all DCCCD college faculty associations.

“We believe in rigorous inquiry through research, analysis and critical thinking for decision-making and problem-solving,” the letter reads.

“We do not pre-package intellectual development, manufactured by corporations. We cannot manufacture knowledge because it is not a prod-

sue. This is a very serious issue. We have to have these lockdown drills to know what to expect and what we need to do.”

Many students appeared confused and unsure about how to react during the drill.

Police ask faculty members to share safety information with their students, and videos and instructions are on the Police Department’s website.

During a lockdown, police advise people to hide in locked rooms and keep clear of windows.

Campus police also work with professors who are on the Community Emergency Response Team.

CERT members are trained to educate and assist students, staff and visitors in the event of an emergency.

Sandy Hampton, information specialist for Upward Bound, is also a member of CERT. “Our main goal is when a emergency does arise, we are prepared to help get students and staff in place or off the campus safely,” Hampton said.

“You just never know what is going to happen. It’s always best to overprepare than to not prepare at all.”

Partnership with online course company angers faculty

By JAMES HARTLEY Managing Editor @JamesHartleyETC

Eastfield faculty have raised concerns over a new partnership between Dallas County Community College District and StraighterLine, a provider of prepackaged, low-cost online courses that some faculty say do not encourage critical thinking.

Among their concerns are Eastfield’s future accreditation status, the quality of education offered and the fact that faculty were not made aware of the partnership until Sept.

12, three weeks into the fall semester.

“Can you imagine any other college that would enact something so important to education and not include faculty members?” history professor Mike Noble asked. “That’s why we’re so upset.”

The partnership between the DCCCD and StraighterLine is a part of the Educational Quality through Innovation Partnerships program.

EQUIP is a Department of Education experiment designed to test non-traditional forms of education, such as self-paced online education, to determine if it is fit to be paired

uct but a process, and deep learning requires a personalized touch.”

The letter asks why faculty were not included in the decision to partner with StraighterLine and expresses concern that students in Dallas County will opt for the “cheaper,” “less rigorous” classes, compromising the value of an Eastfield degree.

May responded Sept. 26 in a letter to the DCCCD. He said that the district wants to reach more students who would otherwise would not achieve college degrees.

May says that he found it “amazing” that 18 percent of adults in Dallas had started college but never received any degree.

“I recognize that new approaches can cause concern, and I appreciate the issues that have been raised by some individuals,” May wrote. “I am confident that we will work through these concerns and that our district will continue to be viewed as a place for innovative approaches to reach students in new ways, through new methods, to provide them with the skills they need to prepare them for the workforce.”

See StraighterLine, pg 16 ➤

NEWS

3

The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Voter ID law hashed out in discussion panel

By J. GOMEZ Contributor @TheEtCetera

Despite a court order overturning Texas’ controversial voter ID law, the issue remains in the forefront of the 2016 presidential election.

A judge last week ordered the state to reprint voter education materials because they misled potential voters regarding their ability to cast ballots without photo ID. Days later, the Texas attorney general asked the Supreme Court to reinstate the photo ID requirement.

Supporters of such laws argue that they prevent voter fraud. Opponents say they are designed to suppress minority voter turnout.

Faculty members debated the value of the law during a Sept. 16 panel discussion, one of a series of events this fall aimed at increasing voter participation among students.

“Blocking people’s right to vote on the pretense of rampant spread voter ID fraud – it’s just false, it’s not even true,” history professor Kat Reguero

said.

This summer, an appeals court struck down North Carolina’s voter ID law, saying legislators enacted it with “racially discriminatory intent.”

But courts don’t have to find evidence of bias by lawmakers to rule a voter ID law illegal. Under the Voting Rights Act, laws are illegitimate if they erect substantial roadblocks to voting.

“As a matter of law, it may be completely irrelevant trying to read their mind because the effect becomes what the effect is, regardless of what they intended,” government professor Cindy Castaneda said.

Reguero said that voter ID laws, regardless of their intent, tend to harm minority groups.

“What happens is that it tends to target groups, African-Americans specifically, people that are economically disadvantaged, and the elderly,” she said.

This means groups that traditionally don’t vote turn out in even fewer numbers.

“The problem with a lack of par-

ANDREW GONZALES/THE ET CETERA

Students pack a classroom to voice their opinions on Texas' controversial voter ID law. The interactive panel is one of many campus events leading up to the election.

ticipation in voting pre-existed the voter ID law in Texas,” Reguero said.

“It is a problem that is systemic. The voter ID law did not help, but it is not the cause of our lack of participation, and it possibly made it worse.”

History professor Mike Noble warned the crowd to be careful what

they wished for concerning increased voter turnout.

“Absolutely we need more participation,” he said. “But what you also have to remember is the more democracy you have, the more idiots you have.”

Only 21.5 percent of Texas’ eligi-

Campus gets early voting polling place

By SARAH SANCHEZ Contributor @TheEtCetera

Eastfield's main campus will serve as a polling place for two days during early voting for the 2016 presidential election.

As in past elections, the Pleasant Grove campus will host a voting location throughout early voting, which runs Oct. 24-Nov. 4.

Election Day is Nov. 8.

“This is a great opportunity for making voting convenient for our very busy students during this important election year,” college spokesperson Sharon Cook said.

Dallas County commissioners last week approved the expansion of early voting sites from 32 to 41. In addition, the seven Dallas County Community College campuses will serve as voting locations for two days each.

The polling place at Eastfield’s main campus will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Nov. 1 and 2.

“We know that these students have a lot of difficulty with transportation,” said Eileen Rosenblum, president of the League of Women Voters of Dallas. “If the voting center is right there, there’s a good possibility they’ll vote.”

Members of the college’s LULAC chapter collected more than 200 signatures supporting an early voting location on campus.

President Herlinda Resendiz said too many young people don’t vote.

ble voters cast ballots in the presidential primaries in March, the secondworst turnout in the country. About 43 percent participated in the 2012 presidential election, one of the worst rates in the country, according to the secretary of state.

For the Nov. 8 election, voters will be asked for photo ID. Acceptable forms are a driver’s license, handgun license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety, an election ID certificate or personal ID card issued

by DPS, a military ID, a citizenship certificate or a passport.

Voters facing a “reasonable impediment” to getting one of these types of IDs may cast ballots by showing an official document with their name and address, such as a paycheck or electric bill.

The Supreme Court will not make a ruling on the state’s appeal until after the election. The deadline to register to vote in the presidential election is Oct. 11.

“If you’re upset with the way things are, by God, get out and do something,” Noble said. “Go vote.”

Where to vote early 41 locations including Eastfield College Pleasant Grove campus 802 S. Buckner Blvd., Dallas, Oct. 24-29, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Oct. 30, 1-6 p.m.

Oct. 31-Nov. 4, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Eastfield College main campus 3737 Motley Drive, Mesquite Cedar Valley College 3030 N. Dallas Ave., Lancaster North Lake College 5001 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving Nov. 1-2, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

JONATHAN WENCES/THE ET CETERA

“We are the future,” she said. “We’re not voting, and we don’t even know how to get registered or how to vote or what to do once we register. What does that say about us being the next generation?”

Resendiz said she hopes voter registration drives and a polling place on campus will make it easier for students to get involved.

“Most of my classmates, we have a really tight schedule this year,” science major Sonya Battle said. “Between work, classes, tutoring sessions, mentoring, club activities, all of that, we need [a polling place] right here so we are not trying to navigate to get to one.”

Dallas County Elections Administrator Toni Pippins-Poole said she expects high turnout for this election.

In the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, 64 percent and 58 percent of Dallas County voters cast their ballots early.

Oct. 11 is the last day to register to vote in the presidential election. Student groups are holding a voter registration drive in the Pit the week of Oct. 3.

For information on voting requirements, polling locations, sample ballots and more, visit votetexas.org.

— Martha Especulta contributed to this report

Brookhaven College 3939 Valley View Lane, Farmers Branch El Centro College main campus 801 Main St., Dallas Mountain View College 4849 W. Illinois Ave., Dallas Richland College main campus 12800 Abrams Road, Dallas Nov. 3-4, 7 a.m. -7 p.m.

For more locations and voting information, visit dallascountyvotes.org.

Correction

English professor Larissa Pierce's name was misspelled in a story in the Sept. 14 issue.

The Et Cetera regrets the error.

4

NEWS

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

PUT IT ON YOUR

Calendar Service learning offers students work experience September/October

Wed

28

E-Lead workshop: Cultural Competence, 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., C-237 Recital series: Kent Ellington Jazz Quintet, 12:30 p.m., F-117

Fri

30

New club orientation, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., G-101

Mon

Voter Registration, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the Pit and Fireside Lounge

Tue

Voter Registration, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., the Pit and Fireside Lounge

3 4

Brain Buster Chess Tournament, 12:30 p.m., the Pit National Night Out with Eastfield police, 6-8 p.m., Parking Lot 10

Wed

5

Voter Registration, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the Pit and Fireside Lounge Recital series: Carol Rengfio Latin Ensemble, Performance Hall

Thu

6

Voter Registration, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., the Pit and Fireside Lounge DACA workshop, noon2 p.m., G-101

Fri

7

By TAYLOR ROBERTS Contributor @TheEtCetera

Many students come to college with no clue about what their future careers might be. However, the Service Learning program at Eastfield helps match them to potential jobs through a simple task: volunteering.

“I think the [service learning] experience is eye-opening because you don’t necessarily know what you signed yourself up for,” biology major Brianna Moseley said. “You gain more experience more than anything, and it shapes the career you choose to be in.”

Moseley, who began volunteering in high school at the Balch Springs Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center, logged more than 800 hours of volunteer service during a threeyear period. She recently received the national President’s Volunteer Service Award for logging more than 250 volunteer hours within a 365-day period. Eastfield students Agustin Enriquez, Fabiola Chavez, Rameez Sohail and Aaron Sustaita also received national recognition for having 100 or more hours of service.

“You are going to gain experience,” Moseley said. “You are going to gain more networking. You are there for a purpose.”

Moseley realized she wanted a career in the medical field while volun-

ALBAMAR DOMINGUEZ/THE ET CETERA

Students participate in a trash cleanup project in Mesquite.

teering at the Balch Springs nursing home, where she currently works.

She plans to transfer to the University of North Texas to become a physician’s assistant in obstetrics and gynecology.

“Service learning is similar to volunteerism, except with service learning, we try to align students’ majors with their career goals,” Service Learning Coordinator Larry Jefferson said. “We catch them at an early stage to find out whether or not this is something they really want to do.”

When Jefferson took over the Service Learning program in 2015, he started with 16 students. Since then, it has grown by 100 students each semester. He says the program is important because it helps students grow individually and build networks for future employment while also giving them hands-on experi-

ence in their possible careers.

“If you like what you’re doing in Service Learning, then it would give you experience based on what you want to achieve in real life,” international relations and affairs major Aaron Sustaita said. “It allows you to discover new fields and see if you are interested.”

Sustaita was able to explore his major while volunteering as Justice of the Peace Bill Metzger’s assistant.

He completed paperwork, filed documents and sat in on court cases.

“Volunteering with him made me explore more about politics and explore myself to see if I really wanted to major in international affairs,” said Sustaita, who also earned volunteer hours through the Rotaract Club on campus. “Volunteering in general helped me grow. It helped me meet others and be more engaged.”

Many professors require students to volunteer and earn hours as part of their coursework. Others, such as speech professor Courtney Brazile, offer extra credit for service learning hours. Brazile said he strongly recommends that his students give back to the community. Not only will they gain professional development and networking skills, he said, but they might even find a career.

Last spring, one of his students participated in the Reading Partners program at Bayles Elementary School in Dallas, where he mentored

students by coaching them in reading.

“I have heard nothing but rave reviews about how they have enjoyed working with their selective agencies,” Brazile said. “They enjoy getting the extra credit in my class and earning that component of it and just really becoming self-actualized and more holistically well-rounded through the service to our campus and the community.”

Rameez Sohail, who graduated from Eastfield with an associate in arts in May, volunteered at the Dallas County Community College district office as a public relations intern for Vice Chancellor Justin Lonon.

“My job was to contact the state lawmakers and invite them to our meetings and to our events,” Sohail said. “Also, my job was to communicate with the students in different colleges.”

The Service Learning program has also partnered with organizations such as For the Love of the Lake, North Texas Food Bank, Mesquite Rotary, Carter BloodCare, Scottish Rite Hospital, Eastfield police and Sharing Life Community Outreach.

“Most of the agencies we partnered with are nonprofit,” Jefferson said. “They are busy giving back to so many different communities. So with our students being able to go lend an extra hand, it gives them someone else they can lean on.”

THE HOT TOPIC

What are you thoughts on the new iPhone 7?

Voter Registration, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the Pit and Fireside Lounge Student Government Association meeting, 12:30 p.m., C-295

Mon

Transfer Fair, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., the Pit and second floor of C building

Tue

E-Lead workshop: Suicide awareness and prevention, 11:15 a.m.12:15 p.m., C-237

10 11

ABOUT THE COVER PHOTO BY DAVID SANCHEZ THE BAND KREWELLA PERFORMS AT A RAVE IN DALLAS EARLIER THIS MONTH.

Steven Tunnell Education major

Bitia Espinosa Biochemistry major

John Wright Fine arts major

Natalie Quevedo English major

Alexander Brown Music education major

“I like charging my phone and listening to music at the same time. So the whole idea of getting another connector just to listen to music, that’s a little too far for me.”

“I like the iOS 10, the more emoticons in the text, the camera, the water resistance. It’s like the Samsung Galaxy but more updated.”

“There’s like a whole stereo in the phone. It’s going to sound like a real stereo. It’s probably legit.”

“Battery life makes it seem better, [but] I’d still pick Android. I can’t even figure out how the cloud works.”

“With the features they are doing, I think there is a little bit but not enough for me to be like, ‘Oh, wow.

I need to switch. This is totally innovative.’”

NEWS

5

The Et Cetera

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Enrollment bounces back up

Funding hinders Zika fight

By JULIO VEGA Reporter @TheEtCetera

Infected mosquitoes not found in Texas

By ESMERALDA OLGUIN and KILEE TOREZ Contributors @TheEtCetera

As Dallas reaches its 37th case of Zika, researchers continue to search for a vaccine and cure for the mosquito-transmitted disease, a health department official said.

“Zika is 100 percent preventable by using insect repellent, wearing longer sleeves and pants and mosquito-proofing your home,” said Julie Martellini, an epidemiology program planner for Dallas County Health and Human Services.

Martellini spoke about Zika and other viruses passed by mosquitoes, such as Chikungunya and West Nile, at a Sept. 20 STEMinar, a lecture sponsored by the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Division.

“Because Zika is the disease du jour, there is more public concern with Zika,” she said. “But we have emphasized to our team to not forget about West Nile.”

Only one in five infected people develop symptoms of Zika or West Nile, and death is rare, according to public health officials. West Nile illness can linger for months, but Zika is generally mild with symptoms including fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes lasting about a week.

Pregnant women with Zika can pass the infection to their babies, resulting in birth defects such as microcephaly, a potentially fatal condition where a baby’s head, and often brain, are smaller than normal.

“The bigger threat is convincing the public that this is a very big issue,” Eastfield nurse Cynthia Taylor said. “Education is the key, and we’re working on that.”

About 200 Zika cases have been confirmed in Texas, most contracted during travel to regions with large mosquito populations. In the United States, Florida is the only state where residents have contracted Zika from local mosquitoes.

“Texas is on alert for the possibility of local transmission,” the Depart-

www.eastfieldnews.com

LAUREN MESNACK/THE ET CETERA

ment of State Health Service said in an Aug. 15 statement. “State efforts have been underway since January to delay and minimize the impact of Zika on Texas.”

Zika is sexually transmitted and may possibly be passed on through blood transfusions.

“If you do have the Zika virus, abstain from sexual activity or at least practice safe sex,” Martellini said.

Health officials recommend precautions against mosquito bites to prevent contracting mosquito-transmitted viruses, but those who travel to active Zika transmission areas should be diligent in applying insect repellent.

An uninfected mosquito that bites an infected person can pass it on to other people.

“My family and I are always careful during mosquito season,” student Dishaila Turner said. “We make sure to set up magnetic screen doors that help keep them out of the house.”

Congress has been unable to agree on funding for Zika research and prevention. Martellini said the health department’s programs are restricted without more money.

“We are doing everything we can with the budget we have,” she said.

“The state of Texas had $1.5 million given to them by the federal government, but they decided not to give any of that locally. So we have actually switched funds from Ebola to work on Zika.”

— Rodrigo Mendoza contributed to this report.

This year, 15,105 students enrolled for the fall semester, an increase over 14,311 students in fall 2015.

Last year, enrollment dipped for the first time in five years. Enrollment is now back to fall 2014 levels and is expected to continue to rise.

“Our goal … is to reach 16,000 by 2017,” Vice President Michael Gutierrez said. “I think that’s a realistic goal for us.”

Enrollment numbers are constantly changing throughout the years, influenced by outside factors such as the fluctuating economy and rising interest in community colleges.

“We need our own numbers to keep growing if the college is going to remain sustainable,” Executive Dean of Student and Enrollment Services Mayra Olivares-Urueta said. “If we are going to be able to have enough income and revenue coming in, that means we need to have a lot more students coming on and staying on.”

Administrators are continuously adding and tweaking programs that attract and retain students, such as the First Year Experience, learning communities, the New Mathways Project and allied health training programs.

Workforce certificate training, which quickly move students into “high-demand, high-wage jobs,” are popular, said Judith Dumont, executive dean of workforce, corporate and continuing education “We are at capacity in terms of space,” Dumont said. “The Police Academy is filled up. We’ve had an influx of interest about becoming a police officer in light of some of the things that have going on in our current culture.”

Gretchen Riehl, executive dean of

SOURCE: EASTFIELD COLLEGE

science, technology, engineering and math, said her division faces a space crunch.

“I would love to see enrollment in developmental math go down,” she said. “That would mean we are doing a better job.”

The New Mathways Project was designed to match students with math courses that best fit their degrees and help them graduate on time.

“Seventy-seven percent of our students are part-time students,” Gutierrez said. “Our data shows that students who are going to school full time are more likely to finish their degree and/or transfer.”

Many students don’t realize how long their degrees could take if they attend part-time.

“If you are taking one course a semester, it’s going to take you 10 to 12 years to finish,” he said. “If you are taking two courses, it is going to take six to seven years.”

Online classes are also on the rise.

Riehl believes they should be used to alleviate some of the overcrowding on campus, especially during morning classes.

“For example, if you walk through campus on a Tuesday morning… there’s no empty rooms,” she said.

DAVID SILVA/THE ET CETERA

“But around 2 o’clock, there are rooms.”

Dumont said the overcrowding is a good problem.

“I think it’s a beautiful problem,” she said. “It’s a creative problem, and it’s a testament to the fine work we do here at Eastfield.”

Eastfield is the second-largest college in the Dallas County Community College District behind Richland, which has 18,828 students, equal to 2.7 million total credit hours for the semester. Eastfield follows with nearly 2.1 million.

The comparison is helping officials determine how much the campus is able to expand, since both campuses are roughly equal in square footage.

According to Gutierrez, the school has an initiative in place for all the faculty members to know the names of all their students.

He said this is to make every student feel welcome and more likely to stay in school.

Gutierrez said Eastfield is committed to helping students stay in school whether they are enrolled full-time or part-time. ”If we focus more on students completing their goals, then enrollments will take care of themselves,” he said.

Mission 22

JESUS AYALA/THE ET CETERA

Police Chief Michael Horak, front, leads police cadets in the Mission 22 Challenge on Sept. 22. Students, faculty and staff also participated.

Each person performed 22 pushups to bring attention to the 22 veteran suicides each day in the United States. The challenge was held in the Lower Courtyard. The event was part of Suicide Prevention Month.

Life &Arts

The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

6 Wednesday, September 28, 2016

DAVID SANCHEZ/THE ET CETERA

Students, faculty and community members attend a kickoff event for the district-wide M.A.L.E.S. program. Founder and adviser for the Eastfield M.A.L.E.S. club Courtney Brazile led the meeting. Brazile and the club will be releasing a documentary about prominent minority men in the Dallas area. It will premiere Oct. 22 at 12:30 p.m. in the Eastfield Performance Hall.

Documentary highlights prominent minority men

By KEVIN ORELLANA Reporter @TheEtCetera

The M.A.L.E.S. Mentoring and Retention Program is kicking off its fifth year with the debut of a documentary created to motivate male students to take control of their futures.

“I hope that this will be a piece that will have people think about where they are now, where they want to be and what resources they need to tap into to actually get there,” speech professor and M.A.L.E.S. Club adviser Courtney Brazile said.

The film, titled “Direct Your Future,” will premiere at 12:30 p.m.

Oct. 11 in the Performance Hall. It features interviews with students, alumni and community leaders.

Brazile said he wants to spark a conversation about helping young men of color succeed.

“The beauty of what we’re doing here is that this is the right time,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of serious things that have happened, that

we’ve seen in the media with police and race relations. What I hope is that this project speaks to the hearts of our young men, that it speaks to the hearts of parents that are raising young men, and to really begin to invoke change.

“Until we become change agents, we’ll continue to get what we’ve always gotten.”

Video filmmaker of Eastfield Angelica Peterson shot and edited the film and co-produced it with Brazile.

“I think this video is a wonderful representation of the hard work of our faculty, administration and staff to help these students get to where they need to be while featuring our wonderful students and all the great things that they do,” she said. “They work. They go to school. They participate in the men’s empowerment program. They volunteer. They’re a great example of what an American is and should be.”

Peterson believes the biggest goal of the documentary is to combat perception of male minorities in the media.

“We see these documentaries that talk about minority males, but they see them as an issue,” she said. “We need to stop treating them as something that’s like a symptom that we need to fix.”

Brazile and Peterson agree that images of violence, hatred and discrimination among male minorities have dominated the news.

“It’s kind of an upsetting subject,” Peterson said. “Folks of any minority deserve to have the same opportunity to succeed without having to automatically be cast as someone who just wants to party, or goof off, or just be a criminal. These students are working hard. They’re coming together to work in the community. They’re striving for the best, and I think it’s important for us to talk about it.”

The M.A.L.E.S. group, formerly known as the Men’s Empowerment Coalition, strives to engage and retain male students by involving them academically, socially, culturally and professionally on campus and in the community.

The group sponsors events and

participates in state and national leadership conferences.

Mentors strive to help members achieve personal and professional goals.

Brazile said it’s important that young men know how to adapt to hardships and keep themselves motivated as they follow their dreams.

“It doesn’t mean quit school or give up on your dreams,” he said.

“How can you encourage yourself and be around people who are going to encourage you to make it to the finish line? That’s what I hope people take away from this documentary.”

The documentary features students Rameez Sohail, Jarvin Lockett and Telvin Coumpy, alumni Aaron Fields and Nikhil Jeevaraj and community leaders state Sen. Royce West, Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and Paul Quinn College President Michael J. Sorrell.

As she made the final edits to the film, Peterson said she hopes the audience hears the message.

“I’m hoping that students will

JONATHAN WENCES/THE ET CETERA

Courtney Brazile addresses faculty, students and community members at a M.A.L.E.S. meeting.

watch this and know that it’s their turn,” she said. “It’s in their hands to make the future great. It’s in their hands to make the changes that we need to see.”

LIFE&ARTS

7

The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

TV REVIEW

‘Narcos’ second season erupts into bloodbath

By DAVID SILVA Editor in Chief @DavidSilvaETC

Editor’s Note: Includes season one spoilers.

How do you kill Pablo Escobar?

Don’t ask anyone in season one of the critically acclaimed Netflix original series “Narcos.” They’ve all tried and failed. Local police officers, drug enforcement agents and other drug kingpins have taken their shots to no avail.

When we last left our favorite drug-trafficker hunters Javier Pena (Pedro Pascal) and Steve Murphy (Boyd Holbrook), they were witnesses to one of the most embarrassing law enforcement fumbles of all time.

The Colombian government had captured the notorious Escobar (Wagner Moura). However, he turned himself in for a five-year sentence in his private resort-like prison protected by his sicario, or hitmen.

While this was an obvious slap on the wrist for the narco-terrorist, Escobar quickly got antsy in his isolated paradise.

With the recent death of his cousin and right-hand man Gustavo Gaviria (Juan Pablo Raba) and his opponents in the Cali cartel eyeing his territory, Escobar’s paranoia leads him to kill two of his closest associates. The Colombian government jumps on this and plans to surround his prison, capture him and extradite

him to the U.S. However, they manage to screw that up. Colombian Vice Minister of Justice Eduardo Sandoval (Manolo Cardona) goes into the sicario-filled prison with the mistaken belief that Escobar plans to cooperate. Instead, Escobar takes him as a hostage, tries to negotiate with President Gaviria (Raul Mendez) and then, with Sandoval as his human shield, escapes unharmed.

The first episode of season two highlights the almost unbelievable blunder that just occurred. Agent Murphy, our super-suave narrator, returns to inform us of the major lengths the government went in its efforts to extradite Escobar, including 4,000 soldiers, seven dogs and “four f***ing helicopters.”

What do Pablo’s enemies do now?

Unfortunately, I was still asking myself that three episodes into the season.

After the law enforcement misfire, the U.S. and Colombian governments change tactics, and this switch-up seems to drag on forever. I couldn’t help but think that the creators were stretching out the season on purpose just to fill up a 10-episode season. I was starting to feel like the second season wasn’t going to be worth it.

Then, in episode four, things blow up: dynamic character interactions,

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Boyd Holbrook stars as Steven Murphy, a U.S. drug enforcement agent tasked with capturing Pablo Escobar. The second season of “Narcos” is streaming on Netflix.

dramatic shootouts and things, well, literally blowing up. It’s just Pablo’s style.

From then on, it’s a nonstop array of action, betrayal and dangerous new allies. The pieces that began to develop in the earlier episodes now come together.

We also get new characters in the revolving door that is the narcotics war, including Limon (Leynar Gomez) and Maritza (Martina Garcia), who serve as good representations of the effect Escobar has on the Colombian community.

For better or for worse, we get more Escobar in season two. The character arc between him and wife Tata (Paulina Garcia) gets repetitive early on, but soon deepens our knowledge of Escobar as a family man. We also witness Escobar’s internal struggles as he deals with Gustavo’s death in a genuinely heartbreaking delusion.

The relationship between Agents Murphy and Pena is moved to the sidelines as Murphy deals with wife Connie (Joanna Christie) leaving Colombia out of fear while Pena

places himself in morally gray territory to stop Escobar.

Season two is much more character-driven than the first, giving the viewer a chance to know each player beyond his or her famous, or infamous, actions. As good as some character arcs may be, the show does have moments where it stumbles.

Events that likely had bigger real-life emotional impact are simply brushed away. Escobar’s interactions with his father; Murphy’s dive into alcoholism; the moral conflict that Limon and Maritza have with their actions and each other. All are lacking compared to their historical counterparts.

This is a shame, considering the marvelous acting. Moura absolutely shines as Escobar, and every supporting and minor character leaves a lasting impression.

The setting’s aesthetics don’t lose any of their magic in season two.

Shot in Medellin, Colombia, the show is showered with a genuine essence of Latin American pride, culture and humility complemented by a hypnotizing score.

“Narcos” season two ends with a peek of what’s to come, and with season 3 and 4 already in the works, we have a guarantee of more drug trafficking extravaganzas (whether or not it’s Escobar, I’ll never tell). Despite its slow start, season two delivers the goods and has me anxious for the next shipment.

MUSIC REVIEW

‘Feminine’ shines, represents turning point in Mac Miller’s career

By RODRIGO MENDOZA Reporter @TheEtCetera

Pittsburgh native Mac Miller has had a lot of hit songs including “Donald Trump” and his 2013 duet “That Way” with his now-girlfriend Ariana Grande.

Miller’s last few albums have not done very well commercially or critically, but I think that when the couple collaborate, they find a way to brilliantly play off each other’s voices.

In Miller’s newest album, “The Divine Feminine,” Grande provides backup vocals, feature vocals and voice over work in a spectacular fashion. But this isn’t just a Grande and

COURTESY OF WARNER BROS

Miller’s “The Divine Feminine” is the rapper’s fourth album.

Miller joint album. There are plenty of other featured artists such as Kendrick Lamar, CeeLo Green and Ty Dolla $ign.

“The Divine Feminine” has 10

tracks that span 52 minutes with the longest clocking in at eight minutes and 21 seconds. And that’s where I encountered my first issue with this album: the inconsistent lengths of the tracks.

The way some of these songs switch up the beat would often confuse me, and I had to constantly check my phone or laptop just to make sure I was listening to the same song I was four minutes ago.

Despite this, I never found myself bored with any of the songs, particularly the two longest songs in the album: “God is Fair, Sexy, Nasty” and

“Cinderella.”

The album is a lot like Frank Ocean’s “Blonde” in the sense that it has more singing than rapping and touches heavily on the concept of love. The album opens with the song “Congratulations,” and while it’s nothing mind-blowing, it’s a decent introduction.

“Dang!” featuring Anderson Paak is one of the album’s many strong points. Grande and Miller work together to make the incredible “My Favorite Part” with Grande providing her usual high-pitched vocals and Miller providing the lower-pitched vocals. One of my favorite songs was “Soulmate,” which perfectly utilizes Miller’s vocals and lines from

an iconic scene from the film “Good Will Hunting,” all tied together with a nice electronic beat.

“The Divine Feminine” showcases Miller’s love and respect for music as well as his musical variety. For example, “We” has a more unorthodox instrumental arrangement while “Planet God Damn” featuring Njomza has more of a hip-hop vibe to it.

Overall, “The Divine Feminine” is a return to form for Miller.

From start to finish, the album is sure to make some heads turn. While the runtime can be a little long for some tracks, it’s only a small hiccup in the grand scheme of things. Miller deserves all the praise and hype coming his way.

8

NEWS

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

As rave culture re-emerges, so does ecstasy

By DAVID SILVA Editor in Chief @DavidSilvaETC

Editor’s Note: Some names have been changed to protect the identities of those involved.

Jeremy goes through the same routine every time. As he sits in his car and prepares to enter the concert hall, he runs through his checklist of essential items.

Tickets? Check.

Cash? Check.

ID? Check.

Next, he pulls out a pair of mirrored sunglasses, a pack of mint gum and a little bag containing an orange pill. Check, check, check.

He takes the pill out of the bag, splits it in two and swallows half without hesitation.

“Security pats you down,” he said.

“So I take it now.”

After he gets through security and enters the venue, the bass begins to vibrate under his feet. The DJ’s platform is at the end of the hall, surrounded by large screens and an assortment of lights that follow the beat of the music. Everyone is standing around, talking to one another while more people come in.

Jeremy buys a bottle of water.

Check.

Jeremy is a 20-year-old Eastfield student. He’s going to school, working part-time and has become an avid fan of electronic dance music concerts and festivals, commonly called raves, in the last year or so.

He’s one of many young Americans immersed in the “new rave generation.”

As EDM dominates the pop charts, radio waves and music festivals, more and more millennials are flocking to see their favorite DJs at raves.

Jeremy is also one of many rising consumers of mood- and perception-altering MDMA, or ecstasy. The love for EDM and rave counterculture has brought the use of ecstasy and Molly, slang for MDMA pills mixed with other chemicals, to a mainstream audience. This has set the stage for an increasing supply of highly potent ecstasy, something that has law enforcement concerned.

JONATHAN WENCES/THE ET CETERA

Ravers at a Dallas event dance under the venue’s lightshow.

“I think I’ve gone to about seven or eight [raves],” Jeremy said. “Some really big festivals, and then some like [tonight].”

After about an hour, the energy in the room begins to change. As more people pack the open floor, they start to dance, jump and sway. Jeremy pops a piece of gum in his mouth and puts on his glasses. “[The gum] keeps your teeth from chattering,” he said. “The glasses are for when your eyes wiggle.”

Soon after, more and more people put on glasses or begin to dance with their eyes closed. Others move to the music with their eyes rolling back.

The room’s humidity rises, and several people bump into one another on the packed dance floor. Jeremy finds a dance partner. He’s not

bothered when someone suddenly shoves him.

The limited elbowroom only concerns the few sober faces in the crowd. Everyone else seems completely blissful with the company they’re in.

In this sea of people, many find it pleasing to find this form of escape. The interaction among “rolling” individuals appears genuinely and overwhelmingly warm. Then the beat builds, the bass drops and everyone jumps up with their hands in the air. To some, the experience is almost spiritual.

“I started going because it seemed like fun,” Jeremy said. “When you’re there, everyone’s happy. It’s like a big family.”

In the early 1980s, the introduc-

tion of ecstasy and the rising experimentation with synthesizers collided to create Chicago house and techno music, genres explicitly created to enhance the high of ecstasy, according to Dr. Douglas Rushkoff ’s book “E, the Incredibly Strange History of Ecstasy.” From the increasing popularity of acid house music parties, a new rave counterculture emerged and spread to New York, Dallas and Europe.

These electronic house parties, along with ecstasy usage, became so popular in the United Kingdom that the summer of 1988 was labeled the “Second Summer of Love.” The members of these intricately lit, bass-boosted communions drew parallels among the hippy ideals of unity and escape.

“You don’t ever have a bad trip,” Jeremy said. “Everyone [is] on it, so we’re all together, just vibing.”

Acid house parties peaked in the U.S. in the 1990s. However, deaths related to mixed MDMA, a decrease in quality of the drug and the crackdown of parties by law enforcement subdued ecstasy use.

Despite the decline of the nightclub scene, EDM continued to rise in popularity in the U.S. during the 2000s and soon displaced hip-hop as the template for pop music. Seven of the top 10 Billboard songs in 2005 were hip-hop songs.

By 2009, more than half of the most su c c e ss f u l

NEWS

9

The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Festival/MDMA Facts

32 million people go to at least one

U.S. festival every year.

14.7 million millenials attend at

least one U.S. festival every year.

903 miles

People travel an average of per year to attend U.S. festivals.

The Electronic Music industry in North America is worth Rave-goers crowd the dance floor as they wait for the headliner.

songs were EDM tracks.

In 2011, EDM disc jockeys such as Deadmau5, David Guetta and Avicii introduced the contemporary form of EDM. Soon, pop musicians and rappers began to include EDM elements in their music. That year also saw the birth of huge EDM festivals, and thus the birth of the new rave generation.

According to a Nielsen report, there were more than 30 million annual attendees at U.S. music festivals by 2014 with nearly 15 million millennial attendees.

“Everybody uses the generalization that you can’t have a bad trip,” counseling professor Daniel Ramirez said. “I understand the hype, but that’s a misconception.”

Ramirez referred to his experience in college, when friends would take ecstasy and be left in dangerous positions.

“I’ve had many friends in college who had a bad trip,” he said. “Later we found out there was a bad batch going around.”

A year after he entered the rave scene, Jeremy has taken ecstasy at every rave he’s attended.

He said the stuff he took for the rave is the “real

deal,” not weak or altered pills.

The massive popularity of EDM has set the stage for a new age of MDMA consumption, and drug producers are taking advantage of it.

A 2016 report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction has cited a recent resurgence in popularity for the drug, noting that suppliers are meeting the demand with a much more potent product.

This new supply is being pushed out in an attempt to “improve perception of the drug after a lengthy period in which poor drug quality and adulteration had resulted in a decline in use,” the report said. Suppliers are also utilizing gimmick designs to increase their popularity, such as glow in the dark pills and UPS logos.

What Jeremy took is called an Orange Tesla, a new high-dosage pill with the Tesla company design.

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, ecstasy pills contained up to 80 mg of MDMA per pill during the early 2000s. The Orange Tesla contains 240 mg of MDMA, producing feelings of “increased energy, pleasure, emotional warmth and distorted sensory and time perception” by increasing dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine levels. The drug also affects mood,

JONATHAN WENCES/THE ET CETERA

trust and sexual arousal.

Jeremy said it is important to only take sips of water while rolling, since overhydrating your body without replenishing sodium or electrolytes can result in a hospital visit.

Health effects of ecstasy include increased heart rate and blood pressure and negative effects on the body’s ability to regulate temperature.

“There’s an invincibility aspect of it,” Ramirez said. “But if it’s stronger and made with different product, you don’t know what the adverse effects are going to be.”

Jeremy took half of the pill and left the rest in his car.

“I would be worried if I took more than half,” he said. “I’d rather just be chill.”

The venues in Dallas that host raves have tried to regulate the use of ecstasy at events.

A security officer for the event that Jeremy attended said that his team tries to keep each venue safe.

“We have to deal with some people that are on all types of stuff,” he said. “But I make sure to not allow anything in.”

The night was a marathon run, with Jeremy entering the concert hall at 10 p.m. and the dancing continuing well past 2 a.m.

By midnight, the place goes com-

$1.9 billion.

Calvin Harris, the top-earning

EDM DJ, made $66 million in 2015.

11.8 percent

Last year, of law enforcement agencies in the Southwest said that MDMA availabilty was at high levels, up from 5.5 percent in 2014.

2.5 million people use MDMA every year.

Sources: Nielsen, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, International Music Summit

pletely dark, and the crowd starts to scream. They wait in anticipation for the headliner of the show. Through smoke and darkness and the murmuring crowd, the DJ positions himself behind the turntables. The room is rumbling. The crowd has reached a unified pleasure. When the first chord fills the air, they sing along to every word.

The beat builds, and the room climbs up with it. As Jeremy prepares for the drop, there’s a moment when

his face shows a heightened relationship with the crowd, where those around him bond together like longtime friends. His trance, caused by the dancing, the music and the little orange pill, seems to create a sense of belonging in his raver community.

“How often can you say you’re a part of something like this?” Jeremy said as he left the venue, a big smile on his face and sweat covering his shirt. “It’s not going to last [forever], but right now, it’s our thing.”

10

LIFE&ARTS

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

MOVIE REVIEW

Burton’s ‘Miss Peregrine’ lacks any redeeming qualities

By KEVIN ORELLANA Reporter @TheEtCetera

It’s been some time since I’ve watched, much less enjoyed, a Tim Burton film.

Faced with the task of keeping my eyes in their respective sockets during a screening of Burton’s latest vision of spirals, white make up and sunken eyes in “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” I decided to do some well-deserved research on the film.

However, upon realizing the project placed me between a rock and a hard place, I quickly decided against it. Instead, I opted to go in blind and pray that I would not come out the same.

This movie has absolutely no redeeming qualities.

Despite source material that was fairly well received, a director who was – for a time – tried and true, and a screenwriter with more than a few hits under her belt, “Miss Peregrine” falls flat on every level.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and I should have known to avoid the flames of Burton’s formulaic film philosophy before I was burned.

I would have rather watched YouTube ads past the five-second mark

for two hours on loop than to have watched this movie.

“Miss Peregrine” follows Jake Portman (Asa Butterfield), a darkhaired introvert who has a not-sorock-and-roll relationship with his dad and just can’t seem to fit in anywhere. When he finds himself on a mysterious island that hosts the bedtime stories of his youth, Jake realizes the stories may have been more than just tall tales.

What began as a garbage first act quickly developed into an unfortunate mid-section that was thankfully followed by dark and quirky end credits.

I have no clue who the intended audience is. Fans of “Beetlejuice” and “Edward Scissorhands” have learned over the past decade to be wary of anything hovering below the Burton moniker.

There isn’t a single instance of humor that carries over to an adult audience, and this probably isn’t one for the kids, unless of course the goal is to freak them the hell out.

The only shared trait among the audience members was that we all were facing the same direction and wanted very badly to be facing an-

COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX

Tim Burton’s “Miss Peregrine” stars an ensemble cast.

other.

The film’s failure to find an audience isn’t the byproduct of poor direction alone. The failure is instead built atop a by-the-numbers screenplay and a safe carousel of frequent Burton collaborators.

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” is truly and unforgivably boring.

Every beat of the film from our hero’s introduction to the villain’s comeuppance is more predictable than the last.

With the promise of Butterfield in the leading role, “Miss Peregrine’s” fails to take full advantage of the

cast at its disposal. Butterfield, with a track record including “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” and the Scorsese-directed “Hugo,” does not live up to his capacity as an actor.

Butterfield’s performance instead follows the trend of phoned-in, paycheck performances we’ve come to expect of an actor in a film based on young-adult fiction.

The titular Miss Peregrine (Eva Green) is on screen for a cumulative 20 minutes, while her foil, Mr. Barron (Samuel L. Jackson), occupies only half the amount of screen time afforded to Green.

Thankfully for the film’s budget,

both characters are gifted with the ability to change form, allowing less expensive actors to take their places for a majority of their time in the film.

While the few minutes in which Jackson appears are a pleasant and welcomed distraction from the shabby production surrounding him, he inevitably delivers a performance so bland, he gives me the impression he wanted to be in the film as little as I wanted to be watching it.

There’s not much to be said on the subject of peculiarity, as the film features little to no gratuitous or super-powered peculiar child-related action.

While “Miss Peregrine” attempts to recapture some of that old Tim Burton lightning in a bottle, any moment of true peculiarity comes across as downright disturbing.

The film proves once and for all that lightning does not, in fact, strike twice.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Boring Kids Who Don’t Do Much of Anything is set for wide-release Sept. 30.

The weekend, unfortunately, would be better spent revisiting “The Nightmare Before Christmas” for the 16th time — a film that proves Burton’s ideas are best served with a better director at the helm.

MUSIC REVIEW

‘Splendor and Misery’ paints picture outside conventional hip-hop lines

By JON AGUIRRE Staff Writer @TheEtCetera

When you think of experimental music, you may think it has to be weird, inaccessible or unpleasant.

But experimental hip-hop trio clipping shows that innovation in music can be enjoyable and accessible.

Clipping. has mostly been categorized as “noise rap,” a genre which is pretty self-explanatory, and clipping. provides a refreshing take on hiphop through the label.

“Splendor and Misery,” released Sept. 9, is clipping.’s second fulllength album.

This concept album tells the story of an intergalactic runaway slave and his journey through the unknown universe.

The sci-fi hip-hop concept album idea is reminiscent of Deltron 3030’s self-titled record, but where that fo-

cused on a larger futuristic society, “Splendor and Misery” focuses on the specific subject of slavery and a man’s journey.

Being a concept album, it makes sense that the lyrics are one of the most important parts. They tell the story from two perspectives: the runaway slave protagonist and the narrating AI of the ship he’s commandeered. The ship AI refers to the main character in the third person and has a notice monotone tone. The

protagonist raps about himself and his own experience.

The ship AI has a lot more rapping time than the protagonist. Where the protagonist has mainly braggadocios lines, the ship offers a deeper and more introspective viewpoint of the protagonist’s mental state.

The instrumentals also play a part in the storytelling. In “The Breach,” they represent the action when the protagonist takes control of the slave ship. In “Break the Glass,” the instrumentals mimic the sounds of the spaceship.

The instrumentals also mirror the emotions of the protagonist. Dissonant and erratic, the music shows that his mental state is uneasy, to say the least.

The future that clipping. paints draws parallels with the history

of slavery in America. The album makes use of slave hymns and connects them to modern freestyling.

In “All Black,” the narrator suggests that he raps all day to himself until his throat is sore. All the protagonist has is his freestyling to pass the time.

There are two freestyles on the album that serve as interludes. In the first freestyle, just after the protagonist takes control of the ship, he uses basic diction and wordplay.

After drifting in space for what we can assume is a long time, the second freestyle comes up. This time, the protagonist has had ages to practice his hobby. He has a much larger vocabulary and gives more thought to his raps.

In the story we’re told, he never finds a new home, continuing to drift through space. The album suggests that the price of his freedom is loneliness.

The album does start to drag after

“Air ‘Em Out.” This might be intentional to parallel the meandering of the protagonist who goes nowhere.

Even when the album does drag with tracks that don’t advance the story, the songs are still enjoyable.

I recommend listening to “Splendor and Misery” while reading along with the lyrics. There is much more to be dissected from this ambitious album than it initially appears. All of the noise and sounds in this album are constructed masterfully and arranged perfectly.

There aren’t many noise rap groups out there. More specifically, there aren’t many groups that come near the sound or expertise of clipping. But perhaps they can pave the way for more innovation to come.

While so many artists seem eager hop on musical trends, clipping. continues to produce original ideas. clipping. are a breath of fresh air in a genre that so greatly needs it.

LIFE&ARTS

11

The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

PHOTOS BY MACKS PREWITT/THE ET CETERA

From left: Books are hand-selected by the owners. A mural in the back room. Owner John Walsh tells a customer the joke of the day.

Serj Books creates novel, laid-back environment

By MACKS PREWITT Reporter @TheEtCetera

The smell of coffee, jazz playing softly in the background, a purple door and books galore. This place isn’t in Los Angeles, New York or San Francisco, but right here in Dallas at Serj Books, a bookstore and café that sells products made by Texas-based companies.

I walked in and was immediately struck by how cool this place was.

Unlike Starbucks, whose atmosphere is all hustle and bustle, Serj is more

relaxed. Because it doesn’t try to act cool, it manages to pull off a cool atmosphere effortlessly.

The problem with so-called “hip” places is that they often take themselves too seriously. Serj does not have that problem. Cat videos play on loop in the back sitting area. Coloring tables line the front wall for customers to doodle on. Customers give their orders to puppets at the purple door when one of the owners isn’t telling them jokes.

Serj makes a connection with each person who walks through that door. Editor in Chief David Silva and

I walked up to the counter to talk with John Walsh, one of the owners. During that time, Walsh asked if we would like to hear the joke of the day. “What’s the best way to fall down the stairs?” We were stumped.

John looked at us half-smiling and replied: “Step 1, Step 6, Step 8, 9, 10.”

We couldn’t help but smile.

One of the things that will keep you coming back is their coffee.

Noble Coyote Coffee, Serj’s supplier, is hands down the best coffee I have ever tasted.

“They have earned themselves a new regular,” first-timer Silva said.

They offer a wide variety of coffees, teas, Italian sodas and milkshakes. They also offer soups, salads, cookies and sandwiches from local companies. Everything they sell is organic. Their full menu is available on their website, as is the information on the local companies whose goods they sell.

Serj offers a wide selection of books on wood-paneled walls, covering topics such as pop culture, art, cooking, fiction and children’s literature. Or as I like to call it, every college student’s reading list except they added art, pop culture, cooking and

fiction.

The owners choose books based on what they would like to own or give as gifts. I saw several works of Russian fiction translated to English as well as a book on women in design. The collection is eclectic and enlightening, meaning it will lighten your wallet.

Serj Books, 400 N. St. Paul St., is a 20-minute drive from Eastfield.

If you are in the mood for relaxing, laughing, coffee, reading or doodling on a table with a crayon, head over and check them out. You won’t be disappointed.

At TWU,

more than half of our undergraduate students are transfers from other institutions. Our small class sizes, beautiful campus environment and easy transfer process provide a pathway into a welcoming university setting. We have partnerships with DCCCD to help ensure your college coursework will transfer toward your bachelor’s degree. We provide quality academic programs and scholarships at a campus that encourages everyone to be successful.

TEXAS WOMAN’S UNIVERSITY Learn more about completing your bachelor’s degree. twu.edu/transfer

opinion Etera

12 www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

North Dakota oil pipeline not worth it

Award-winning member of: • Texas Intercollegiate Press Association • Associated Collegiate Press • Texas Community College Journalism Association

Eastfield College 3737 Motley Drive Mesquite, TX 75150 Phone: 972-860-7130 Fax: 972-860-7646 Email: etc4640@dcccd.edu Editor in Chief David Silva Managing Editor/Sports & Features Brianna Harmon Managing Editor/News & Opinion James Hartley Copy Editor Caitlin Piper Presentation Editor Jonathan Wences Photo Editor David Sanchez Staff Writers Jon Aguirre Emily Martinez

Winston Easy

Staff Photographers Ahmad Ashor Isabel Espinoza Jesus Ayala Timothy Nicholas

Jasmin Jimenez Alejandra Rosas Andrew Gonzales

Designers & Artists Emylee Lucas Lauren Mesnack

Donna Mann Alec Ogle

Editorial Assistant Martha Especulta Reporters Bryan Crady Kevin Orellana Julio Vega

Rodrigo Mendoza Macks Prewitt

Contributors Tanya Uhrich J. Gomez Albamar Dominguez Esmeralda Olguin

Sarah Sanchez Taylor Roberts Kilee Torrez

Advertising & Marketing Keturah J. Hill Student Publications Manager Elizabeth Langton Faculty Adviser Lori Dann Editorial Policy The views expressed on the opinion pages and other opinion pieces and cartoons in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of The Et Cetera, Eastfield College or the Dallas County Community College District.

The Et Cetera is published every two weeks—except December, January and summer months—by a student staff. Each member of the college community is entitled to one free copy of The Et Cetera. Additional copies are available in Room N-240.

Letters to the Editor Letters must be typed, signed and include a phone number. Letters will be edited for profanity and vulgarity, Associated Press style, grammar, libel and space when needed.

The content will remain that of the author.

Letters considered for publication must be 250 words or fewer. Letters may be delivered to Room N-240 or sent to etc4640@dcccd. edu.

First Amendment Right Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

BY JONATHAN WENCES

OUR VIEW

Presidential candidates should disclose medical conditions In a presidential race built on insults and sensationalism, American voters are rightly finding it difficult to trust their candidates.

Recent allegations of hidden health problems by both major candidates are only complicating matters.

In a job as bitterly stressful as president of the United States, voters deserve to know if the person they are electing into office is physically capable for the position.

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton was carried from a New York City 9/11 memorial after she collapsed unexpectedly in the street.

Her physician later released a statement saying the 68-year-old former secretary of state had been diagnosed with pneumonia the previous Friday. This was after, of course, her campaign insisted that she had been in the peak of health.

The reaction is certainly nothing unique.

During his first term, Grover Cleveland retreated to a friend’s yacht for a “fishing trip” which curiously involved the removal of a disfiguring mouth tumor.

John F. Kennedy took steroids daily to combat crippling back pain and Addison’s disease — a rare endocrine disorder that could negatively affect his ability to handle stress. As long as the press has been there to report it, presidents have been hiding their

health problems from the public.

While presidential hopefuls shouldn’t be required to release information from every little visit to the doctor, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to ask that they receive an annual evaluation from an independent panel of doctors to find any ailments that could limit their ability to do their job.

Would we really want another Woodrow Wilson, who knowingly entered the Oval Office after several strokes and was secretly crippled by an even bigger stroke in 1919, leaving him unable to work for several months?

Though there are currently no rules or regulations concerning government officials and the privacy of their health records, some presidential candidates have cast a light on their own health problems.

Former Republican candidate John McCain released selected medical records to journalists for a few hours before the 2000 and 2008 elections with the agreement that there would be no photos or video recordings.

A little bit of honesty goes a long way, and when the current system allows us to have such gems as Republican candidate Donald Trump’s gastrointestinologist, who proclaims the 70-year-old fast food addict would be “the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency,” we think we’re in the right to be asking questions.

Water is essential to life, which Martha is why the North Dakota Access Especulta pipeline created

by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners Oil Company should be discontinued.

Thousands of Native American tribes including the Standing Rock Sioux, who started the movement, have been fighting to protect their sacred land, ranging from ancestral burial grounds to reservation land of Lake Oahe and the Missouri River, from the destruction a segment of ETP pipelines could cause. The fear is that the pipes could break and contaminate the local drinking water.

Since 2014, ETP has developed an underground crude oil pipeline that will transfer oil from Patoka, Illinois, to Nederland, Texas. This will initially allow the Dakota Access Pipeline to transfer oil service from Bakken and Three Forks in North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois.

The Dakota Access Pipeline alone would cost $3.78 billion and would transfer up to 570,000 barrels of oil every day. A segment of ETP’s pipeline has been put on hold because the pipes were getting close to Lake Oahe, but the oil company continues to support the pipelines.

Regardless of the planning that went into the pipelines, ETP is not respecting Native American reservations or the environment.

America should move away from non-renewable energy such as fossil fuels to benefit the environment and conserve the limited energy sources we have left. A possible solution is to commit more time and money to developing and converting biomass into renewable biofuels. We need to respect our natural landscapes and use the renewable energy Earth has already given us.

Critics are camping at Sacred Stone located at the edge of the Missouri and Cannonball River of the Standing Rock Sioux reservations to support the tribe and put a stop to the pipelines. Although these demonstrations are peaceful, police and security have retaliated with dogs and armed forces.

All around the country, there have been rallies, sit-ins and peaceful marches as well as lockdowns for the banks (Citigroup, TD and Mizuho) that are funding the pipeline process. Supporters are risking arrest and undue violence from police.

These people are protectors, not protestors. They have the right to protect their land and have clean water. ETP has money, power, police and government support while the protectors have peace, faith and supporters looking to protect the environment.

Capitalism is playing a huge role in this, but the Native Americans will not give in to the destruction of the North Dakota Pipelines.

The Standing Rock Sioux now has united thousands of tribes and outside supporters from all around the country to put a stop to the pipelines, and their devotion to protecting their beloved land and water is respectable and remarkable.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

www.eastfieldnews.com

CONTRIBUTOR

13

Sports

The Et Cetera

Sept. 29 Sept. 30 Oct. 3 Oct. 4

www.eastfieldnews.com

Volleyball vs. North Lake Soccer vs. Mountain View Volleyball at Brookhaven Soccer at North Lake

7 p.m.

6 p.m.

7 p.m.

4 p.m.

14

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Rangers: Don’t go breaking our hearts The Texas Rangers have clinched the American League West title, and while they’re known to play some sound baseball during the regular season, they usually blow it when they get to the playoffs. Now is the perfect time to dig up and relive all the moments where the wheels fell off.

— Compiled by Brianna Harmon → Two hands to catch the ball Do you ever have those moments where everything is so good that you just know things are about to hit the fan? The bottom of the ninth inning in the 2011 World Series against the Cardinals was that moment for me. The Rangers were one out from winning their first World Series. But with runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Cardinals had other plans.

David Freese hit a two-out triple that ended up tying the game 7-7. The Rangers lost 10-9 in extra innings. It’s sickening to think we were one out away from winning the World Series twice.

→ Bat flip failure

I’ve never been a big fan of Jose Bautista, but after Game 5 of the American League Division series last year, I can’t stand him or that bat flip of his. In a COURTESY OF THE TEXAS RANGERS 53-minute seventh inning where the Rangers had the 3-2 lead over the Toronto Blue Jays, it seemed like all hell broke loose. Security had to stop the game at Veteran shortstop Elvis Andrus swings at a pitch. Andrus is currently leading the team with a .302 batone point because Blue Jays fans were throwing water bottles and beer on the ting average and a .362 on base percentage field. Veteran Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus made two costly plays that end→ The biggest choke in Rangers history ed up tying the game, bringing Bautista to the plate. At this point I wanted nothing more than for The Rangers lost the 2012 Wild Card game against the Baltimore Orioles 5-1. The loss is not him to strike out, but I knew it wasn’t going to happen. Bautista hit a home run to left-center and why I placed this game here. I placed it here because for the entire game, I couldn’t help but think threw his bat higher than ever. The Rangers ended up losing the series, but the pain of that game that it would be the last time we saw that specific team together. I can’t even say I was surprised seemed to go away when Rougned Odor punched Bautista in the face during a game this season. that they lost. The Rangers had led their division for 156 games but then lost the last 7 out of 9 and ended up losing the division title to the Oakland A’s. The team just fell apart, and I knew we were → We hate the Yanks going to trade some beloved athletes.

Let’s go back to the good ol’ days when Rusty Greer, Mark McLemore, Ivan Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro played for the Rangers. The 1996, 1998 and 1999 post-seasons are frightening. Yes, → The curse of Nolan Ryan they won the AL West each season, but if losing to the Yankees three years in a row is acceptable, Though the franchise is looking to clinch the division and return to the World Series, I think then you might want to find a different team to support. If you didn’t hate the New York Yankees letting Nolan Ryan leave for the rival Houston Astros is a huge blown moment by the Rangers. already, there is a perfect reason to. In the 1998 and 1999 post-seasons, the Yankees swept the Growing up a Rangers fan, I looked up to a team great like Ryan. To this day, I still have a signed Rangers in three games and only allowed them to get one run across the plate. In those series, they photo of Ryan punching Robin Ventura hanging in my house. For me, a Rangers organization played Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Orlando Hernandez. without Ryan is empty, but that’s how baseball goes.

Harvesters receiving awards for conference play

By Brianna Harmon Managing Editor @BHarmonETC

The Eastfield soccer and volleyball are on a roll, picking up national and division Player of the Week awards as they start conference play.

Volleyball started conference picking up two big wins on the road against Mountain View and Cedar Valley. They ranked fourth nationally.

Middle blocker Courtanae Calhoun, previously named a conference Player of the Week, earned the National Junior Athletic Association Player of the Week title. Calhoun had a .406 attack percentage and averaged

three kills per set.

Eastfield soccer fell to conference rival Richland in their conference opener but regrouped to beat Cedar Valley in their next game.

The Harvesters soccer team started off the season unranked but are now No. 8 in the nation. Freshman midfielder Yesenia Calvillo was named Player of the Week after she recorded her first collegiate hat trick and scored the game winner over Jacksonville College.

Goalie Karla Corchado was named NJCAA National Goalkeeper of the week for Sept. 12-18. Corchado had 10 saves out of 14 shots on goal.

AHMAD ASHOR/THE ETCETERA

Freshman Yesenia Calvillo looks down field as she makes a fast break to the goal.

JESUS AYALA/THE ETCETERA

Kerstin Fredrickson tips the ball over the against Cedar Valley on Sept. 22. The Harvesters beat Cedar Valley 3-0.

Wrapup The Et Cetera

15 www.eastfieldnews.com

ExtrEmylee By Emylee Lucas

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Getting ready for opening day

JONATHAN WENCES/THE ET CETERA

FOLLOW US ON

TWITTER

From top: A worker secures Big Tex’s shirt as the mechatronic cowboy is installed. Patsy Caropresi, an Eastfield employee, visits the Big Tex installation. Workers make sure Big Tex’s legs are secured.

Big Tex will wear a ribbon this year to honor the officers killed in the July 7 Dallas police attack. The State Fair of Texas runs Sept.

30-Oct. 23.

Sudoku

@TheEtCetera

n Fast, real-time updates kdul n Links to local and national articles

DAVID SANCHEZ/THE ET CETERA

DAVID SANCHEZ/THE ET CETERA

16

WRAP UP

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

StraighterLine partnership stirs controversy

Continued from page 2 Smith, CEO of StraighterLine, said there is no reason for concern about the value of the education provided by the EQUIP program.

“What we do in our current model is we have about 105 colleges with whom we have formal, guaranteed credit transfer,” Smith said. “There are another thousand or so that our students have told us award credit for our courses, but we can’t guarantee it there. … Credit acceptance is expanding rapidly, which is also, I think, one of the justifications for [the Department of Education] starting this experimental program.”

Smith said he believes the credits will be more widely transferable when students earn degrees from a DCCCD institution.

However, some faculty believe Eastfield will be devalued through its association with StraighterLine.

“You’re lumping us in with them,” Noble said. “It’s going to diminish what we do here, and we’re going to be associated with the lowest common denominator. That’s why we’re objecting to this so vehemently. …

This is poisoning our district. It’s

turning us into something that is nothing different than ITT Tech, than Remington College, than all of these programs that the government is shutting down.”

History professor Liz Nichols said she is worried that the courses won’t provide a quality education because of their format.

“The courses have been created by publishers, so they are canned,” Nichols said. “A lot of them do not promote different levels of learning.

It’s very much basic knowledge and rote memorization. You basically read and you take a quiz. We couldn’t find a lot of expectation for writing in all of this.”

Smith said the courses offered

by StraighterLine encourage critical thinking through tests and that writing courses, which are graded

by StraighterLine employees, require students to develop critical thinking.

“It has all the elements of a difficult college class,” Smith said. “The only difference is there’s not a professor marching a cohort of students through a course in a specific timeframe. … It allows students to move at their own pace, and if they’re con-

fident or motivated, they can do it very quickly. And if they’re less so, then they don’t have to.”

Many Eastfield online courses require writing and interaction between students as well as with the professor. Neither is required with StraighterLine courses. Noble said this means the classes don’t measure up to those offered at Eastfield.

“It’s graded by computer,” he said.

“Now, some people will say ‘Your online courses are like that.’ No, they’re not. I grade their writing assignments. It’s half writing and half multiple choice. These StraighterLine classes do not challenge the students. … I’ll be the first to admit it: If I were in college, if I had an easier alternative that was cheaper and I didn’t have to write, yeah I would have taken it. Is it benefiting me? No.” StraighterLine charges $99 a month plus a fee averaging $45 per course, according to Smith.

He said that because the courses are self-paced, this system can either give students a cheaper education or could become more costly, depending on how quickly they work and how confident they are.

Eight traditional, accredited colleges and universities and eight nontraditional online education options were paired up for the experiment, according to the Department of Education. Other accredited institutions chosen for the program include the University of Texas and Northeastern University in Baltimore.

For the DCCCD, books, lab kits, proctoring services and support fees are included, according to the letter from May. All DCCCD college presidents agreed to send the application to join the EQUIP program in December 2015.

Conway was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

Hinckley said he did not know of any attempts to gain faculty input at the college or district level while the invitation to join EQUIP was being considered.

“I wish there had been [attempts], but I’m not aware of any,” Hinckley said. “That doesn’t mean it didn’t take place. It’s just that it didn’t involve me.”

Tommy Thompson, president of the Cedar Valley College Faculty As-

APPLY NOW NEW PROGRAMS GREAT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE HEART OF FRISCO unt.edu/newcollege

AA/EOE/ADA

URCM

9/16

(17-210)

© 2016 UNT

sociation, said in an email that while former college president Jennifer Wimbish may have known about the partnership agreement, the vice president of instruction did not.

Thompson wrote that the faculty did not learn about the partnership until early September.

Cedar Valley started accepting StraighterLine credits this semester.

According to a summary provided by the DCCCD, the partnership at Cedar Valley is not related to EQUIP. According to the summary, there were no transfers to Cedar Valley between Aug. 1 and Aug. 31. Only one potential student contacted the college.

Hinckley said the fear over what this partnership means could have been avoided with better communication.

“My preference would always be for faculty to be involved at the earliest possible stages in any initiative,” Hinckley said. “In large measure because we’re on the ground interacting with students directly, we know in much more detail how proposals will affect our students and will affect our faculty.”