Eastfield Et Cetera November 8, 2017

Etera

Eastfield College

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

See page 2 ➤

Volume 49, Issue 6

2

NEWS

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

#MeToo inspires women to speak out

By CAROLINE CEOLIN Staff Writer @TheEtCetera

Rocio Martinez, 9, once again stands in her bathroom facing the reflection in the mirror.

The girl staring back has tears rolling down her face. She hears a voice in her head telling her she’s crazy and that it was only a nightmare.

It sounds like her father’s voice. Those are the consequences of watching scary movies, he says. Scary movies give you nightmares, and that’s all this was, a hellish, cold-sweat inducing nightmare.

“This is not real,” she tells herself, over and over again.

The girl in the reflection gets a slap in the face, and then another. Similar to the one her sister had given her. The invading tears continue to stream down her cheeks. She hits herself again. Whatever reality everyone else seemed to be in, she thought it best to join them.

Martinez had encountered something like this before. While being baby-sat at the age of 5 by her 13-year-old cousin, the teen forced her to give him a hand job. Once her sister returned home later that day, she found Martinez crying uncontrollably. Her sister, at the time 15, gave her a hard slap that calmed Martinez down.

Following that incident, Martinez’s parents disregarded the young girl’s story of the man in the house as mere imagination.

Martinez is one of over half of women in the U.S who have experienced unwanted and inappropriate sexual advances from men, according to an Oct. 17 ABC News/Washington Post poll.

Women describe a wide range of abuse: rape, sexual assault, stalking, child sexual abuse, harassment, catcalling, groping and unwanted sexual overtures.

For many, the discussion of such instances is kept in secret. Martinez, now an Eastfield student, said she has had difficulty speaking about her abuse with anyone. The assault from her cousin was not the only case of sexual abuse.

She felt that the multiple incidents she endured happened because of the person she is.

“I know it wasn’t my fault,” she said. “I thought maybe I could excuse the first time that it happened, but the second time that it happened, I felt like something was wrong with me. Like they knew to come after me.”

The topic of sexual assault and sexual harassment, however, has recently shifted into the spotlight following the #MeToo social media campaign.

On Oct. 15, as the wave of rape and sexual harassment allegations were exposed against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, actress Alyssa Milano asked women on Twitter to reply “me too” to her tweet if they had ever been sexually harassed or assaulted.

By the next day, the phrase had been used

more than 500,000 times on Twitter and by 4.7 million people on Facebook.

The campaign had a clear goal: to let people know “the magnitude of the problem,” according to Milano. A conversation exploring the unwanted sexual advances that women face in their lives and in their workplace has begun as a result.

Among those who are sharing their stories are Eastfield students, faculty and administrators.

Friends that do not stand up Sarah Frichette was nicknamed jailbait at 16 by her friends while taking dual credit courses at Eastfield. Her friend group at the time was about 13 students whose ages ranged from 17 to 24. They regularly joked about sex, harassment and rape, she said.

Their treatment of each other reflected accordingly. Calling women sluts and whores was a joke. Overly sexualized women were funny.

So, when Sarah’s attacker, who was transgender and preferred female pronouns, assaulted her physically, it was no more than a slightly more obscene punch line to the group.

If anyone tried to stand up for another person, they were called prude and verbally attacked.

Frichette says she was humiliated one afternoon when she was walking toward the Pit and was greeted by her assaulter. She forced Frichette to give her a hug in front of a large group of friends.

When Frichette failed to respond to the hug, her harasser squeezed her butt with both hands.

She recalls other times when she was touched inappropriately and commented on sexually.

Frichette says there were many other victims within her friend group who were subjected to public sexual advances. In one instance, a friend lost her balance near a chair and was pushed over by the attacker into a “doggy style” position and dry humped in front of everyone.

She says many of the girls were clearly uncomfortable but didn’t want to make a big deal out of the physical advances.

“Whenever something happened to me, I never intended on telling anyone,” she said. “I planned to wait for that guy to graduate. I’d never see him again, I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.”

The harassment would likely have continued if Frichette’s best friend hadn’t witnessed the aggressiveness of an assault she had endured one day and pushed her to report it.

After reporting the incident to police, Frichette says she still feared the attacker would come back to do something worse since she had a tendency to hold grudges.

Frichette says she started attending the Baptist Student Ministry club after the incident and met new friends. She learned what healthy

Sexual Harrasment/Assault Facts

Six million sexual harassment at college

college students encounter

1 in 5 women are sexually assaulted while in college 1 in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college More than

90 percent of sexual assault victims on

college campuses do not report the assault

3 in 10 women have experienced unwanted advances from male co-workers

95 percent

of women who’ve personally

experienced unwanted sexual advances in the workplace say male harassers go unpunished SOURCES: ABC NEWS/WASHINGTON POST POLL (OCT. 17, 2017), NATIONAL SEXUAL VIOLENCE RESOURCE CENTER, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

friendships were from students who had respect for women and says they are now some of her best friends.

“It’s happened slowly, but I’ve been able to find power in myself because I went through that and I found those people to help me after,” she said. “When younger students or people my age or older are going through that stuff, I’m able to empathize with them and talk to them about it and I understand what they’re going through. It’s easier to mentor and band together through it.”

Harassed at school Dance program coordinator Danielle Georgiou first experienced sexual harassment in the seventh grade. It was the end of the school year and everyone in her band class was passing

around yearbooks. One of her classmates left a disturbing and unsettling message. In place of a playful signature or a few kind words wishing her a happy summer break were instructions on how she should give a blowjob.

“I was like 12 or 13 and I didn’t know what it meant, so I asked an upper classman and they explained to me,” she said. “That was the first time that I had ever dealt with sexuality before, or the abrasiveness of it. … I felt very uneasy and exposed because I didn’t even know this guy, and he was telling me basically what he wanted me to do to him, and I just didn’t understand.”

For Georgiou and many other women like her, the first instance of sexual harassment was followed by many similar occurrences throughout her lifetime.

NEWS

3

The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, November 8, 2017 in the face because I felt gross. I felt dirty inside.

I felt like it was my fault you know because I could have said, ‘No, I’ll just stay out here.’ ” Alvarado told no one, fearing that blame would be placed on her.

“I know people will say, ‘It’s her fault. She should have never gone to his house or even inside his house,’ ” she said.

Later that school year, Alvarado overheard her friends talking about her rapist. He had been arrested on rape charges.

Her friends believed the victim was partially at fault because she was high and provoked him.

Alvarado eventually told her best friend about her rape but never planned to tell anyone else, fearing criticism and blame.

“I couldn’t imagine my future husband hearing that something like that happened to me,” she said.

#MeToo

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DAN LUNA/THE ET CETERA

In that same school year, just before summer break, a different boy harassed her when he exposed himself when she was alone at her locker at school.

“I didn’t know what to do.” Georgiou said.

The incident, she says, opened her eyes. She no longer felt comfortable going to her locker.

“I didn’t know if the guy was going to come back, and I didn’t know what would be next if he tried to corner me because he got very close to me and exposed himself,” she said. “And I just stood there because I didn’t know what to do.”

Georgiou reported the incident to a teacher, who told her that the next time it happened, she should just tell him not to do it.

“Nobody was able to help me or give me any sort of advice about what had happened.”

I never told anyone until I was 24 “I disassociated from my body when it happened,” Executive Dean Judith Dumont said.

It was close to the end of the school year for Dumont and her younger sister when their mother went out of town for the weekend.

The teens threw a party at their house, where they played drinking games, danced and listened to music.

“I was super drunk. I went back to my bedroom to go to sleep,” Dumont said. “The party was still going on, loud music up front and I’m just back in my room. I didn’t lock my door. I wouldn’t think that I was at risk for anything.

I just woke up with one of my guy friends on me.”

Still intoxicated and unaware of what was happening, she asked the boy what he was doing.

She thought for a second that maybe he was

horsing around or taking photos of her passed out.

“It happened so fast,” she said. “I was confused and kind of swimming in my own body because I couldn’t really control my body. I was so drunk and he eventually took his forearm and laid it across my clavicle and pulled my pants off and had sex with me.”

Dumont recalls telling him to get off and then trying to crawl away from him.

He responded to her protests by digging his knee into the inner part of her thigh and covering her mouth.

“I never told anyone until I was 24 years old that I was raped,” she said. “It’s just one of those things that you don’t realize how twisted it is until you separate yourself from it. … I developed an eating disorder. I got really depressed. … My grades dropped. I ran away. All these things happened because I didn’t use my voice to talk about it.”

Dumont faced sexual harassment during college when she worked as a waitress and bartender and again working for the Dallas County Community College District.

“I had a higher up administrator, a male higher up administrator, inappropriately touch me in an elevator,” she said. “He touched the small of my back and whispered in my ear things he wanted to do to me.”

Now will you be my girlfriend?

Karla Alvarado, now 18, was a senior in high school when she started hanging out with a guy who went to her school. A few times, he invited her to hang out with him at his house.

Alvarado, who had recently gone through a breakup, declined his offers, but the two occasionally met for meals.

One morning the guy called and asked if they could ride to school together and offered to pick her up.

“That morning that I drove with him, he dropped off his little brother, and I thought we were going to school but we weren’t,” Alvarado said. “He told me he needed to pick up some stuff from his house.”

He persuaded Alvarado to go inside with him, telling her that his parents were home and that he needed just a few minutes to he grab his stuff.

“I mean I trusted that someone was home. I was like, ‘Where is everyone?’ And he said, ‘Oh, I thought they were home,’ ” she said. “We started making out and whenever that happened he kind of laid me down.”

She then told him she did not want to have sex with him, but says that didn’t stop him.

He continued to lie on her and unbutton her pants and then pull them down.

“I told him a few times that I didn’t want to have sex with him,” she said, “He forced it. I pulled my pants up a few times, and he would pull them back down. He kept saying, ‘Come on. Come on.’ And I was like, ‘No.’ It was already happening, but I kept on pushing him off.

I told him to stop, that I didn’t want to have sex with him. … He just kept on going.”

Alvarado started to cry.

“I don’t know if he even noticed,” she said.

“He didn’t even think he did anything wrong.”

After the incident, Alvarado says the guy repeatedly asked, “Now will you be my girlfriend?” as if what he had done was somehow a token of admiration.

“For weeks, I was scared,” she said. “All those memories would come to my mind so I’d spend a lot of time crying. … I could not look at him

Blaming or ostracizing victims who come forward contributes to an environment in which rape is common, women are silenced, and rapists are not held accountable, victims’ advocates say.

Individuals who speak out about sexual harassment are often attacked, scrutinized and questioned about their choices and actions.

Georgiou says that victim shaming plays a significant role in silencing individuals who have experienced sexual assault and often prevents them from reporting abuse to authorities or even telling friends.

“It will take a huge cultural shift to be able to feel comfortable just to talk to another person, because we all know we can go to a counselor, we have services, but it’s you feeling able to go,” she said.

Every woman approached for this story, even those whose stories are not shared here, said they had been a victim of either sexual harassment or assault.

However, only 1 out of the 10 women actually reported the incidents.

Although rape culture and sexual violence has received more media attention in recent years, a long history of patriarchal power still holds sway in public opinion.

“I have experienced having men say things, do things that I never really checked in as harassment,” Executive Vice President Rachel Wolf said. “We’ve become so conditioned to seeing women portrayed in a certain way that we embrace it socially. Women embrace it and we forget to question it.”

Georgiou said both men and women must examine what’s taking place and talk about it instead of staying silent. She said speaking up is key to triggering social change.

“I hope that many men are spending some time looking back at their own actions to see what they have done … and really taking stock of their behavior or asking female friends of theirs, ‘What is harassment to you? Have I done anything?’ ” she said. “If we can start that conversation too at this personal level for someone to say, ‘I don’t like it when you do that and this is why, because it makes me feel this way,’ I think that’ll help move us in the right direction.”

4

NEWS

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

Media Literacy in the age of

MEDIA CONSUMPTION as of 2016 (Source: Pew Research Center) How Americans get their news: American trust in newspapers is on the rise after the 2016 election, but it is still at low levels, according to a recent Gallup poll.

Only 27 percent of Americans identified as having a great deal or quite a bit of confidence in newspapers, according the June 28 poll. It’s a trend that Selwyn Crawford, justice editor at The Dallas Morning News, attributes partially to low media literacy rates.

“I wish that was a course we would teach,” Crawford said.

“To be a United States citizen, you really need to understand what the media is and how it works.”

Media literacy is the ability to analyze and determine the val-

ue of information, sources and platforms. Often times, media literacy refers to knowing the processes behind the creation of news coverage and the ability to discern whether information is trustworthy.

Fake news, biased news websites and faulty reporting are prevalent in the internet age.

Facebook, Twitter and Google have recently taken steps to lessen the impact that fake news has on audiences by giving users the option to flag fake news. The platforms can also take down posts they consider fake news.

Journalists act as the fourth check and balance on government, but media illiteracy has led audiences to trust fake news over reliable sources, according

to the former anchor of CBS “Face the Nation,” Bob Schieffer.

Schieffer spoke on medial literacy Oct. 29 at a national convention for student journalists.

Schieffer believes the distrust in journalists bodes poorly for continued transparency and accountability in government.

“We have to understand that we will always be under attack by those who do not like what we report about,” Schieffer said.

“What we have to do is just keep doing what we’re doing.”

Schieffer believes educating non-journalists in the inner workings of news organizations can help restore trust.

27 percent of Americans have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence, according to a Gallup poll released June 28, a 7 percent increase from 2016.

Trust in mass media during the election:

14%

of all Americans trusted mass media

of Replublicans trusted mass media

51% of Democrats trusted mass media

Middle-aged Americans were more likely to trust mass media than younger and older Americans

30% of independents trusted mass media

38%

26%

of Americans aged 18-49 of Americans 50 and older trusted mass media years old trusted mass media

The Et Cetera is student-operated news organization reporting on topics important to the Eastfield community.

The staff decides on news coverage using qualities of newsworthiness, tips from our community and localization of national topics the Eastfield community may be interested in or impacted by.

Newsworthiness is determined consid-

ering proximity to our audience, impact on our audience, novelty or uniqueness of a story, human interest, timeliness and conflict.

To send us tips, contact writers on Twitter or send an email to etc4640@dcccd.edu.

Twitter handles are located in a writer’s byline, at the start of an article. Tips can also be called in at 972-860-7130.

57%

75

38%

25%

50

20%

25 TV

(cable, local, network nightly news)

Online

Radio

(social media, websites, apps)

Print newspapers

36% of online news consumers get news from news organizations “often,” versus 15% who rely on people they are close with.

Where 18-29-year-old Americans get their news: 60

27%

45

50%

25

14%

5%

10

— Compiled by James Hartley

TRUST IN THE MEDIA (Source: Gallup)

32%

100

TV

Online

Radio

Print newspapers

SIGNS OF FAKE NEWS • Buzzwords or phrases like EXPOSED, You won’t believe, This is not a hoax, (Blank) hate him/ her, anything with all caps or stories with an exclamation point in the headline.

• The story does not quote real people, cites only other media outlets or uses another unknown or unreliable news site as a source.

• Watch out for news sites Conservative Tribune, Occupy Democrats, InfoWars, DC Gazette, 70News and any site with a reliable name, such as “ABC News, that has a web address ending in .co or looks like a poorly built website.

• Does not line up with reports from known, reliable sources.

• Claims that seem too crazy to be true, such as Congress quietly passed a bill allowing warrantless searches of homes - only 1% opposed it, Creepy clowns play Halloween night purge, cops warn ‘Stay Inside’ or Obama signs executive order

1. Fmr. Manager of DOD aerospace threat program: ‘UFOs a r e r e a l ’ REAL

FAKE

2. DNA test confirms postman has over 1,300 illegitimate children REAL

FAKE NEWS

4. Addled in the Saddle? Woman charged with D U I on horseback REAL

FAKE

5. Attorney: Convicted tax schemer is ‘too fat for prison’

FAKE

3. Trump’s cabinet members to be determined

by Apprentice-style r e a l i t y s h o w REAL

declaring investigation into election results; revote planned for Dec. 19. Also look out for vague headlines.

• Low writing quality, rife with spelling errors, poor grammar or incorrect punctuation.

• A buried lead, the part of the story that holds the most important who, what, when, where, why information is not at the beginning of a news story, do not rely on the information..

• If the story starts with editorializing and is not an opinion piece, do not trust it.

FAKE

REAL

FAKE

6. Found! E l v i s ’ 7 secret love children REAL

FAKE

ANSWERS 1: Real 2: Fake 3: Fake 4: Real 5: Real 6: Fake

NEWS

5

The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Students explore consequences of alcohol abuse

By BRYAN PEREZ Assistant Design Editor @BryanPerezETC

In the United States, nearly 14 million adults, or every one in 13, abuse alcohol or have an alcoholism problem, according to Project Know Understanding Addiction.

Digital media major Travis Beasley says that, he comes from a history of alcoholism within his family.

“I wouldn’t say my dad is a super alcoholic, but I mean he does drink a lot, “ Beasley said. “It only bothers me when I’m actually trying to spend time with my dad, because I don’t get to see him a whole lot. Whenever I do get to spend time with him, I’ll probably get like 30 minutes of him being sober.”

More than half of all adults have a family history of alcoholism or problem drinking, and more than 7 million children live in households where at least one parent is dependent on or has abused alcohol, according to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.

“I still hang out with my dad, Beasley said. “It’s just he’s not serious and stuff, and sometimes he’ll say some [stuff] and I’ll be like, ‘I might as well just leave.’ My cousins’ dads were alcoholics. I just hope that it doesn’t rub off onto the rest of the family.”

The Providing Hope, Awareness, and Suicide Education Project, referred to as PHASE, hosted events Nov. 1-3 for alcohol awareness week.

Activities included a drunken driving simulation, games and videos with information of drunk driving and speakers sharing their survivor stories.

“Alcoholism is kind of a personal thing and can be hidden because of the shame of it,” said Courtney Pickens, program coordinator for PHASE. “I don’t necessarily think that we can say this person is an alcoholic unless you know the person.

You’d know it because you’re not doing it as a social thing. It turns into ‘I’m going out to have drinks because I don’t want to deal with something else.’ “ Pickens contributed to alcohol awareness week by organizing both campus events on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3.

“It’s very important to listen when the students say they need more activities that focus more on things that they’re going through or friends and family are going through,” she said.

Pickens said drinking alcohol to cope with mental health problems is

BRYAN PEREZ/THE ET CETERA

a dangerous route to take. Instead individuals should seek health alternatives like speaking to a professional counselor or even a friend who can guide you to wellness.

“I drink whenever I hang out with friends and it’s just there,” Beasley said. “It’s just an occasional thing. I don’t do it daily like that. I don’t really care for drinking a whole a lot right now. It’s just not something that I need to have.”

About four out of five college students drink alcohol, according to NCADD. The more students drink, the more likely they will suffer negative consequences which range in severity from having a hangover, performing poorly on a test, being hurt or injured or being taken advantage of, according to NCADD. “I do have friends who are of age to drink and I have friends who are underage who drink,” Beasley said.

JESUS AYALA/THE ET CETERA

Students and faculty participate in a drunken driving simulation at the Cops n’ Donuts event for alcohol awareness held Nov. 1.

“I’m not going to lie. Mainly everyone underage will drink eventually.”

Youth who start drinking before 15 are six times more likely to develop alcohol dependence or abuse later in life than those who begin drinking at or after 21 years old, according to

Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Beasley said that none of his friends are alcoholics.

“I don’t like to associate with them only because I don’t want it to rub off on me,” he said. “Stuff can go wrong at any point.”

Excessive alcohol use is responsible for an average of about 30 years of potential life lost for each death, according to the NCADD. “It’s not like I do it to avoid being depressed, you know, like some people might do,” Beasley said. “If you know everyone else is doing it, not that I am peer pressured to it, I want to be on the same level as everyone else.”

A common concern held by many alcoholism activist groups is drunk driving and its consequences.

“I would say that it is extremely important for students and everyone to be aware of how important it is how not to drink and drive,” said Jaime Torres, a counselor at Eastfield.

“It’s about knowing your limits and having an alternative if you decide to drink.”

If it’s becoming a habit and more of a crutch, it should tell you something is not quite right, Pickens said.

“Reach out to someone. Reach out for help, don’t take it for weakness,” said Torres. “Don’t think of it as something that you should be embarrassed about.”

Pickens said that people should not be ashamed to acknowledge that they are struggling with alcoholism or any kind of mental illness, but that they should get help.

“We are human, this is a human experience,” she said. You shouldn’t feel ashamed of your human experience, you can just find somebody to help you get through it.”

Torres said to make sure you don’t put yourself in a position when you’re out drinking that can lead to unwanted consequences.

When he was a teenager, Torres got into a side collision accident because of a drunk driver not paying attention to the stoplight.

He said that, fortunately, nobody was hurt.

Drunk driving is still the number one cause of death on roadways.

It is responsible for 29 deaths every day, or one death every 50 minutes, totaling 10,497 deaths a year, according to MADD. Pickens said that, if alcohol awareness is important to students, the college will continue to offer programs that cater to that.

“If you are dealing with any mental block, drug use or alcohol use that is not something you want to be part of anymore, your best bet is to seek counseling from a professional who knows how to help you with it.” She said.

6

NEWS

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

PUT IT ON YOUR

Calendar Wed

November

8

Recital series: Early Brass Ensemble, 12:30 p.m., F-117

Thu

Last day to drop with a W

9

Meet the Professor: Talk with instructors about classes for spring, 12:301:50 p.m., the Pit Microscopes with Murry: View items from Chilean mines with microscopy lab coordinator Murry Gans, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., library Speaker: Horatio Marull of Chilean Consulate in Dallas talks about Chile, immigration and the miners from the common book, “Deep Down Dark,” 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Pleasant Grove campus

Sat

High School Guitar Showcase, 6 p.m., Performance Hall, free

Tue

Priority registration for winter and spring starts

Wed

Recital series: Keyboard Department, 12:30 p.m., F-117

11 14 15

STEMinar: Careers in Natural Resources Conservation Service, 12:30 p.m., S-100

Thu

Honors Symposium, student research presentations, 12:30-2:30 p.m., S-101

Mon

Regular registration for winter and spring starts

Wed

Recital series: Guitar Department, 12:30 p.m., F-117

Thu

Campus closed through Sunday for Thanksgiving

Mon

Stress Busters: Activities to promote pre-finals stress reduction, all week, the Pit

16 20 1

23 27 Tue

28

Student art show opens, reception noon-1 p.m., Gallery 219, F-219

ABOUT THE COVER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MANUEL GUAPO AND YESENIA ALVARADO

www.eastfieldnews.com

NEWS

Briefs

The Et Cetera

Explosive week

Get help with FAFSA application Filing for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2018-19 school year is open, and students can get help filling it out from Financial Aid Office staff.

The FAFSA Café will be 2-4 p.m. every Wednesday in November and 5-7 p.m. every Thursday in November except Thanksgiving.

December sessions will be 2-4 p.m. Dec. 13 and 20 and 5-7 p.m. Dec. 14 and 21.

All sessions will take place in L-200 and will include door prizes for the first 10 students. June 30 is the deadline to file FAFSA for the next academic year.

Celebration for international students

Events celebrating international culture and education, including a game day, student exchange, potluck and documentary screening will be held through Nov. 17.

The celebration is designed to give insight into the lives of international students at Eastfield and provide an opportunity to learn about other cultures.

• • • • •

Nov. 13, Faculty and Student study abroad panel, 2 p.m., C-236 Nov. 14, Documentary Screening and Talk Back, 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., G-101 Nov. 15, International Student Exchange and Potluck, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., C-135A Nov. 16, International Student Expo, 10:30 a.m.12:30 p.m., Lower Courtyard Nov. 17, International Game Day, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the Pit

BRYAN PEREZ/THE ET CETERA

A week of fiery experiments, science fair competitions and lectures designed to engage students and increase interest in chemistry, geology and science fields at Eastfield marked the third annual celebration of Chemistry week.

The goal of the week was to demonstrate how chemistry is a daily part of life and get students interested in the field.

“They need to realize that what they’re studying in theory is something which is happening in their day-to-day lives,” chemistry professor Vinu Johnson said.

— Compiled by Colin Taylor

Arbor Day, Veterans Week celebrated In celebration of both Arbor Day and Veterans Week, Eastfield will gift a tree to the Buckner Children’s Home.

A ceremony will be held 10-11 a.m. Nov. 9 in the Lower Courtyard. For the third year, the Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Eastfield as a Tree Campus USA. For Veterans Week, the Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success is hosting a read-in at noon Nov. 8 in the Pit and a flag-raising ceremony at noon Nov. 9.

Student veterans will also March in the Dallas Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 10.

‘Northside Hollow’ opens on Nov. 16

The Harvester Theatre Company, following the theme of the common book, is presenting “Northside Hollow,” a play about a man who is trapped in a mine and is forced to examine his life.

Giavanna Ramos, stage manager and one of the actors, is excited for the show and the angle it takes on being stuck in a mine.

“Instead of him being worried about getting rescued, he’s having an existential crisis,” Ramos said.

The play will only feature three actors and the audience will be on the stage with them.

This play was chosen because it deals with issues that are similar to the common book, “Deep Down Dark,” the story of the 30 Chilean miners trapped from a cave in.

“Northside Hollow” will open Nov. 16 at 11 am and 7:30. It will also be performed Friday, Nov. 17 at 11:15 and 7:30. Matinees are free and evenings are $10 for adults and $7 for students.

EFC HEALTH CENTER

FALL EVENTS C-139

972-860-7190

Free HIV Testing Wednesday, Nov. 8, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., C-139 Wednesday, Nov. 29, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., C-139 Chair massages with appointment Thursday, Nov. 30, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., C-139, $15 for 15 minutes Healthy Food Choice Tuesday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Pit/Hive and Health Center

Life &Arts The Et Cetera

7

www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Author shares tips for stronger storytelling

By JESUS AYALA Photo Editor @AyalaETC

Author Andrea Amosson shared how she uses location, history and characteristics of those she has met in her lifetime into her stories at an Oct. 19 common book event.

Held during Hispanic Heritage Month, Amosson’s talk focused on her most recent book, “Las Lunas De Atacama,” a novel based on Chile and personal experiences.

She was born in Antofagasta, Chile, but moved to Pedro de Valdivia when she was 6.

Children in the small town did a lot of playing outside before and after school, as well as telling scary stories to keep entertained.

There was only one hour of cartoon programing for kids on TV, and it was during school hours.

This left the children with little else to do indoors.

“What I really took out of it is the lack of entertainment growing up and the lack of TV and stuff led to the culture that’s really rich in storytelling, you know with Pablo Naru and poetry,” Eastfield student Taylor Smith said.

Pedro de Valdivia held to the traditional class-based system of rights and privileges that is still prevalent today.

Amosson brings a character, Wyetta, to life within this atmosphere.

“My characters are fictional characters, but I do have some things that I take from some people that I have meet along my life,” Amosson said.

Wyetta is the daughter of British immigrants, who felt like an outsider from those around her.

Her appearance is not like her parents. Her father assures her that she is their daughter while her mother stays quiet.

She later embraces a rebellious personality and escapes via train.

The story takes place during a time that Chilena miners, who play a major role in the culture and economy, were rebelling against poor pay and hazardous work conditions.

Miners were paid in what Amosson calls “funny money” because of its appearance.

Plan It Out Nov. 9 Common Book Events Microscopes with Murry: View items from Chilean mines with microscopy lab coordinator Murry Gans, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., library Speaker: Horatio Marull of Chilean Consulate in Dallas talks about Chile, immigration and the miners from the common book, “Deep Down Dark,” 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Pleasant Grove campus

The currency was specific to each city, making it difficult to improve life and living conditions by moving to a Amosson better setting.

Miners would riot against poor working conditions and the use of the funny money.

Some of these riots would end in massacres, few of them leaving behind any official record, Amosson said.

Amosson said that in one recorded case in 1904, miners and their families were told to wait at a school “Santa Maria” for answers, only to have their demands answered by a firing platoon from the Chilean military. That’s where she drew inspiration for another character, Armando.

Armando is the son of a miner that may have survived a massacre that was not officially recorded. Altalaura, the narrator of the story, comes from South Chile for better conditions to work for Wyetta’s family.

She is a key to the story, representing the link between characters and social classes.

“What is the Atacama desert then?

A harsh place to live ... [but] to me is a good place to die,” Amosson said.

“Chileans are very nostalgic. Most of the authors living abroad keep writing about Chile. It’s just a way to solve our problems with this nostalgia. It is a source of inspiration. I think the lack of things is what calls for imagination.”

YESENIA ALVARADO/THE ET CETERA

Brandon Gonzalez participates in a live performance for the “Body Texture” performance art exhibit on Oct. 20 in the Performance Hall.

Artist uses motion as medium

By ALE PENA Staff Writer @AlePenaETC

The human body is always in motion — whether the movements are as simple as an absentminded twitch of a finger or as complex as a ballet twirl. What if we are forced to recognize the innumerous simple movements over the complex ones?

These are the questions raised by Brandon Gonzalez’s “Body Textures” exhibit.

“Body Textures,” a live performance art piece, is designed to challenge viewers to rethink the significance of everyday bodily gestures and movements using dance and visual props.

Gonzalez, who obtained his Master of Fine Arts from the University of California at Davis, has always been fascinated with the human form.

He studied sculpture for his undergraduate degree, which was when he decided to start making art about the human body becoming the material, rather than using art tools to recreate it.

“Part of the reason I liked sculpture is because it was a very physical process with working with physical materials and working with physical properties,” Gonzalez said.

“More and more my body became a part of that process.

And then at some point, I made this kind of jump where I was interested in my body becoming the material.”

The art piece Gonzalez staged Oct. 20 at Eastfield started off with nine dance students walking slowly under dark purple stage lights toward the audience, who shared their stage. The dancers’ movements then became even more simple: a lift of an arm, a half-squat.

The dancers were not synchronized in their slow movements, but this only added to the hypnotizing effect the piece had on the viewer. The dark-pop music playing in the background blended with the dark lights and shadows of the movement.

The audience joined in a trance with the dancers, which in turn made the performance feel deeply

personal to both parties.

“The performers can feel you,” the introductory pamphlet said. “Everything from the changing lights to the hanging curtains ... from your breath to the sounds playing from the speakers is a part of the event.”

The message of “Body Textures relied on mutual intimacy and the implications and outcome of it.

“The simple act of walking slow all of a sudden disrupts our normal pattern and way of being,” Gonzalez said. “That simple thing can be a political act in a way where you’re challenging notions of a how a body is supposed to be used.”

While this notion seems small, it can cause a big disruption.

“It was so much different,” said dance major Eddie Witherspoon, a performer in the piece. “I thought we would be everywhere, dancing around and everything, so it was so much different. He was like, ‘walk slow.’ And I was like, ‘how?’”

The end of the piece showcased Gonzalez, alongside a student dancer, holding a large piece of wrinkled plastic fabric and walking back and forth while occasionally twirling the fabric.

Then an image was cast on the plastic, which in turn reflected the image of what looked like a very up-close shot of a part of a muscle.

“It’s very revealing to see what’s inside you,” said dance professor Danielle Georgiou, who worked the projector and was also the stage manager of “Body Textures.”

Fascia, which was the type of muscle showed by the projector, exists in every human being.

This muscle, like the way the audience sat on the stage instead of below it, brought mutual unity between strangers.

“I think that intimacy is somehow connected to an interest in an empathy with each other,” Gonzalez said.

“And I think that the performance offers that opportunity for an intense encounter.”

Videos showing Gonzalez’s work are on display in the Performance Hall lobby until Nov. 30.

8

LIFE&ARTS

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

Art-repreneur’s mural adds splash on campus

By MACKS PREWITT Life & Arts Editor @MacksPrewittETC

Eastfield’s art collection just got a permanent addition in the form of a mural painted along the walls of the pool enclosure by local artist Brennen Bechtol. He was hired by the administration to provide some relief to the white walls of the pool.

Bechtol started drawing at an early age. He would sit in front of the television with a piece of paper and watch Saturday morning cartoons while drawing intricate battle scenes for classic shows like Transformers.

He attended Eastfield and was a student with now-professor David Wilburn. One of his professors, Kathy Windrow, still teaches here.

Windrow, a full-time painting and drawing professor, was very impressed with Bechtol’s work.

“He came already knowing a lot about contemporary art,” Windrow said. “He had a strong and unique aesthetic understanding as well. His work wasn’t like a normal student’s.

It was more like graduate work.

She even bought a piece of his art

MACKS PREWITT/THE ET CETERA

Brennen Bechtol “swims” beside the mural he painted for the pool.

that was being shown in a gallery and still owns it to this day.

“Brennen was my student in the 90s,” Windrow said. “He was probably the best student I had in the 90s, and in my thirty years of teaching he’s in the top five or ten.”

Now, he paints signs professionally for Dallas businesses.

“When I first started it was a lot of knocking on doors,” Bechtol said.

“I’d go into construction sites where I saw a restaurant opening and give them my business card.”

Once he got a few signs completed he would include them in his portfolio, and his body of work now spans many businesses including High and Tight barber shop in Deep Ellum, the family-owned BBop restaurant chain in Dallas and a multitude of businesses in Oakcliff.

TRANSFER CONNECTION 8:30 a.m. – Noon SATURDAY, NOV. 18 Denton Campus

Learn about completing your bachelor’s degree •

Get admissions, scholarship and financial aid information

•

Meet advisers and faculty, and receive sample degree plans

•

Receive information about the Touchstone Honors Program and other services tailored to transfer students

Enter to win a $1,000 award for Fall and Spring 2018-19 tuition and fees Register today at twu.edu/transfer

He painted the walls of the pool with a mural with different shades of blue reflecting the water.

“I had the idea to paint waves, but deconstructed,” Bechtol said. “I didn’t want to paint typical waves. I wanted something a little more abstract. I also wanted to relate it to the architecture here, like those triangular shapes on the tops of the older buildings.”

Dr. Jean Conway, president of the college, appreciated his take on waves for the mural.

“I really liked it, I liked the fact that it emphasized the whole idea of water,” Conway said. “It seemed to just take the color of the swimming pool itself and move it up the wall.”

Dr. Conway also liked how it made the pool feel less institutional and more inviting, something the college administration is attempting to do through the mural, resurfacing the pool and adding furniture that fits with the blue color scheme.

Judith Dumont, the Executive Dean of Workforce Development and Community Education, drafted the proposal to paint the pool walls.

“I call it the prison pool,” Dumont

said. “The whole area needed to be painted because it looked like a prison yard.”

She asked the art faculty at Eastfield for a list of artists they know.

One of the reasons she chose Bechtol was she believed his artwork would best reflect the campus.

“I believe that he would best represent Eastfield,” Dumont said. “You have Dr. Conway who is very classy and tries to bring that to the college. But then, I believe, our student population has some edge to it. I love to walk the halls and pick up on the energy of the students and when I found out he’s an alumni it was even better.”

Windrow believes that Bechtol was a great choice for Eastfield.

“Eastfield has a great collection of artwork on display, and that’s largely due to his wife Iris Bechtol,” Windrow said. “For Eastfield to have a huge mural painted by Brennen Bechtol is a great.”

Dumont said Bechtol is a example on how to make art a livelyhood.

“He’s an ‘art-repreneuer,’” Dumont said. “I think that’s a great thing for students to see.“

LIFE&ARTS

9

The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

DAN LUNA/THE ET CETERA

Spooky freaky fun Students and staff celebrated Halloween by participating in the OSER-sponsored costume contest.

Various characters from popular movies, cartoons and TV shows were showcased during the contest.

“All Hallowe’en” activities also included the telling of various scary stories. Campus clubs held fundraisers, selling Halloween-related sweets.

The Pit was also decorated with balloons, spiderwebs and LED lights by the theater department.

The event was held on Oct. 31 in the morning and repeated again in the evening. ­— Compiled by Yesenia Alvarado, Jesus Ayala and David Silva

YESENIA ALVARADO/THE ET CETERA

LESLEY REYES/THE ET CETERA

Clockwise from top, Korey Parker participates in the costume contest as a magician along with her service dog, Rusty, dressed as a lion. A participant in the costume contest grabs a sweet chocolate dessert at the All Hallowe’en event. From left, Jennifer Ruiz and Celeste Canales enjoy snacks given at event. Computer science professor David Kirk plays with his BB-8 model. The Digital Media Club held a Monster Mash fundraiser where they sold halloween-themed candy and other items.

LESLEY REYES/THE ET CETERA

LESLEY REYES/THE ET CETERA

10

LIFE&ARTS

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

MOVIE REVIEW Celebrating 50 years of Social Work Education

Bachelor of Social Work Take classes in Arlington, Fort Worth or Online Make a difference...

Join one of the fastest growing career fields in the country*

COURTESY OF A24

Scooty, left, and Moonee, played by Christopher Rivera and Brooklynn Prince, share an ice cream during a scene in “The Florida Project.”

‘Florida Project’ delivers heartwarming performances

By JON AGUIRRE Staff Writer @JonAguirreETC

I was first introduced to Sean Baker’s work with his 2015 film, “Tangerine.” I found myself mostly impressed with the ambition and execution of the movie. The small budget film tackled issues of the transgender community and the troubled life of sex workers. And even though it was shot on an iPhone 5s, it managed to remain visually stunning.

More than anything, I was excited to see what Baker was capable of with a bigger budget and better production.

“The Florida Project” exceeded every one of my expectations.

“The Florida Project” follows Moonee, played by Brooklynn Prince, and her young mother, as they try to simply survive with the threat of homelessness looming over them.

Baker places you in a near-fantasy world full of colorful buildings and strange landmarks that make Orlando, Florida. The film presents its setting like a magical land that parallels a child’s observation of the world. And really, that’s what this film is all about.

Every element of the film is made to complement the childhood experience. The cinematography moves in a way that feels frantic and sometimes confused, yet seems extremely calculated and intentional.

The story is mostly told from Moonee’s perspective, a carefree child who runs through the world with an energy that is incredibly heartfelt.

There is a scene where the two girls go on what appears to be a dollar store shopping spree, and it shows the two embracing their situation with happiness and enthusiasm. That

perfectly encapsulates the tone of this movie.

If nothing else, this film serves as a portrait of childhood. It shows that no matter what the conditions are, a child will try to find happiness.

I usually avoid movies with 6-year-olds as the main characters. Oftentimes children can’t grasp the necessary emotions to perform as a character, making their presence an annoyance.

Not once did I doubt Moonee’s actions. She acts and talks just like a kid does. When there is dialogue between children, it’s hard to tell whether any of it is scripted.

This is not exclusive to the children, however. Every character is believable, unique and well written.

Moonee’s mother, Halley, played by Bria Vinaite, is an irreverent force. The manager of the motel they live in, played by Willem Defoe, is a stern father figure who honestly wants the best for the two girls.

I never thought I could say “awww” while a poverty-stricken mother and daughter flip off an ascending helicopter.

Moonee and Halley’s connection is so sweet you can’t help but fall in love with everything they do. This will be the most heartwarming movie you’ll see all year.

In “The Florida Project,” Baker has shown his strength as a writer and director. Nearly every aspect of this movie is flawless.

The only real problem I have is with the ending. I won’t spoil anything. I’ll just say it feels like a copout.

If you want to see a movie that might literally make you laugh and cry, see this movie as soon as possible.

Accredited • Affordable • Top Ranked Program • Full Time or Part Time

With a Bachelor of Social Work degree you can work providing services in: • Mental Health • Substance Use/Addiction Recovery Counseling • Education/School Counseling • Employee Assistance Programs • Disability Advocacy/ Compensation • Family and Children • Aging and Gerontology • Human Services • Military and Veteran Care • Public Health • Healthcare • Equal Opportunity/ Diversity

• Take classes in Arlington or in a cohort model in Fort Worth or completely online • Supportive environment as a cohort of students who start and finish together with guaranteed class offerings • Flexible class schedule for full-time or part-time students • Transfer your credits from community or junior college or a four-year college/university • Earn a degree that is in demand*

*Ranked #1 School of Social Work in Texas for Veteran Friendliness by College Factual *According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of social work is projected to grow 12 percent by 2024, faster than the average for all occupations For more information, go to our website uta.edu/ssw or contact the UTA School of Social Work Admissions Office at 817-272-1044 or 817-272-9488 or email sswadmissions@uta.edu

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

The Et Cetera

11

Sports The Et Cetera

Nov. 8 Nov. 11 Nov. 13 Nov. 15

6 p.m.

Noon 6 p.m.

6 p.m.

Basketball vs. Texas Wesleyan Basketball vs. Jarvis Christian Basketball vs. CYM Prep Basketball at Paul Quinn

www.eastfieldnews.com

12

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Volleyball to vie for national title for second straight year

By JULIO VEGA Senior Staff Writer @JulioVegaETC

The No. 2-ranked Eastfield women’s volleyball team (25-7) returns to the national tournament hoping to make history as the school’s first women’s team to claim a national title.

They traveled to Minnesota and will face No. 7-ranked Jamestown Community College (30-0) in the quarterfinals of the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III championship at 11 a.m. Friday.

Middle blocker Payton Costlow said she looks forward to returning to Minnesota and topping last season’s third-place finish.

“I expect us to be in that championship game and expect us to be fighting for first place,” she said.

In the Metro Athletic Conference tournament that earned the Harvesters a ticket to nationals, they held off Cedar Valley 3-2 (27-25, 24-26, 25-17, 23-25, 15-10) in the semifinal and dominated the championship match against Brookhaven 3-0 (26-24, 25-9, 25-16).

Coach Brandon Crisp said the team deserves to be at nationals for persevering and pushing through the tournament.

“I know [the semifinal] was a tough night for us because we went for five [sets],” he said.

“They kept going and kept their foot on the pedal. This team is resilient.”

In last year’s national tournament, the Harvesters won their first match 3-0 against North Hampton before falling 3-2 to Ridgewater in the semifinal round. They topped Central Lakes College 3-0 to take finish third in the tournament.

Libero Alyssa Tomlin said she’s proud of the team for returning to nationals and looks forward to playing again in Minnesota.

“I haven’t felt this since last year when we won [the MAC final],” she said. “All I know is that we have to do it again at nationals. I think we’re going to win and completely beat Harper [College] in the championship. That’s what we were trying to do last year.”

At the end of the regular season, Eastfield was ranked No. 2 in the country behind the defending national champion Hawks from Harper College in Palatine, Illinois.

Crisp said the team has more depth this year and some have the advantage of knowing what it’s like to play in Minnesota.

“We’re more evenly balanced as compared to last year, where we had two or three strong players versus this year, where they are all strong players,” he said. “We know what the breaks are like, what the format is, playing in the facilities at nationals.”

MANUEL GUAPO/THE ET CETERA

The volleyball team celebrates claiming the MAC title Oct. 28. The team did not drop a set during regular conference play and swept Brookhaven 3-0 in the final game.

He said because the team put itself through a tougher preseason schedule, they are ready to face tough teams.

“Our only losses this year are to Division I schools, and we’ve actually beat two Division I schools and Division II schools,” he

said. “I think we have a great shot because we’ve done fantastic this year.”

Tournament games can be livestreamed at NJCAA TV at njcaatv.com. The tournament bracket and other information is at rochsports. org/njcaavolleyball.

Kills

Players to watch

1,343 3rd

Kills per set

12.44 2nd

Hitting Percentage

.260 9th

Service Aces

3.0315th Assists

#2 Alyssa Tomlin libero

Alyssa Tomlin and Maura Munoz both excel defensively as liberos, but Tomlin’s stats edge her over Munoz. With 556 digs and 5.2 digs per set, her play in the back row helps the team transition into offense seamlessly.

Find exclusive content online at

eastfieldnews.com

#8 Kalli Caddell setter

Kalli Caddell is influential in dictating play and is involved nearly every time the team attacks. With 868 assists to her name, she contributes more than twice as many points for her teammates then everyone else combined. She is also solid defensively with 216 digs.

#17 Keishla Reyes outside hitter

With nation-high 104 service aces going into the national tournament, Keishla “Kiki” Reyes leads the way offensively for the Harvesters with her powerful serving and strong hits. She also leads the team with 330 kills and has a hitting percentage of .247 and provides a good defensive presence with 383 digs.

1,2233rd

#7 Kerstin Fredrickson outside hitter

A reliable player overall, Kerstin Fredrickson excels in several aspects of play, with 309 kills, a hitting percentage of .249, 354 digs and 43 service aces. She was a part of last year’s squad as they went to nationals and her experience makes her a commanding figure on the court.

Staff writer Julio Vega is traveling with the volleyball team to the national tournament.

Follow his coverage on twitter @JulioVegaETC or at the etceterasport.wordpress.com

Points

1,807.5 3rd

Points per set

16.71st

Digs

2,1718th

Digs per set

20.10 8th

Block Assists

213 7th

Blocks

1,3837th

ILLUSTRATION BY MANUEL GUAPO

SPORTS

13

The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Semifinal loss to Richland ends season

By JULIO VEGA Senior Staff Writer @JulioVegaETC

The 1-0 loss to Richland in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region V tournament semifinal took a moment to sink in for the Eastfield soccer team.

As the final whistle signified the end of the game — and their season — the players trudged off the field, looking exhausted and distraught while others broke into tears.

More than a week after Eastfield coach Dustin Stein said the feeling still stings more than normal.

“It’s still kinda that, ‘you-can’t-believe-it’s-over’ type deal,” he said. “It kinda seems like we’re living in a bad nightmare that you’re just waiting to wake up from.”

After falling behind to an early strike by Richland’s Jessica Dowse, the team was unable to score an equalizer in the physical matchup.

The players created chances in both halves but couldn’t break through to score.

In the previous round of the tournament, the Harvesters came from behind to top the North Lake Blazers 2-1. The Harvesters have yet to win the conference tournament and make it to nationals.

Last year, they lost to Brookhaven in a penalty shootout in the semifinals. In 2015, the team made it to the championship match after going undefeated in conference but lost to

JESUS AYALA/THE ET CETERA

Norma Lopez, center, is consoled by her teammates following the 1-0 season-ending loss to Richland on Oct. 26.

Richland 4-3.

Eastfield (18-4-1) ended their season with a record number of wins but finished third in conference on 8-2-1.

They scored 75 goals in 23 games, the highest tally in school history.

Freshman forward Arianna Dunsworth broke the single-season and all-time scoring record after netting 24 goals. Sophomore midfielder Emily Juarez broke the all-time school record with her 10 assists this season and 11 last year.

Freshman goalkeeper Gabriela Roa, who started every game this season, recorded 10 shutouts and made 94 saves, with a .839 save percentage, equaling Eastfield’s best defensive record from 2015.

Defenders Aileen Hernandez, Adriana Arzola, Naomi Rivera, midfielder Juarez, and forwards Viviana Aguayo and Yesmin Gabino have all played their last game for the Harvesters.

With 32 wins over two seasons,

they became the class with the most wins in the program’s history.

After the loss, Stein said he understands how the veteran players on the team felt.

“Right now, I feel for my sophomores,” he said. “They’ve given everything to this program for the last two years.”

Stein said coaching a junior college makes it difficult to move on because around half the roster is lost every year, but he knows the squad

will reload nonetheless.

“We have some really good pieces coming back,” he said.” I feel like we have the core there to build around the players so we can build something special again. We have to completely rebuild our backline because we’re losing three of our four starting defenders.”

Juarez said she wants the team to learn from the season-ending loss .

“I want them to remember this feeling for next year so it can motivate them and hopefully go on to finals,” she said. “I had a great season with them. I feel we did really good.

We broke records as a school and I’m really proud of my girls.”

Arzola struggled to find words to describe her disappointment after the game but said these past two years were the best of her life.

“Hopefully next year they kick some butt,” she said. “I love these girls and I’m really glad I got to play with them.”

Stein said the season felt like a roller coaster and said this is one of the most fun groups he’s coached.

“You’d love to return every single one of them, but I’ve been doing this long enough to know that’s not possible,” he said. “Soccer is a very cruel game. You put all this work into it. Blood, sweat, tears. Everybody knows that the season will likely end with a loss and it’s going to rip your heart out. But, for whatever reason, we’re stupid enough to load up and go do it again.”

Player balances school, volleyball, mother’s health

By JULIO VEGA Senior Staff Writer @JulioVegaETC

Following the volleyball team’s win at Brookhaven on Oct. 12, Eastfield coach Brandon Crisp, expecting a good mood throughout the team, instead sees volleyball players Kalli Caddell and Alyssa Tomlin consoling their teammate, Maura Munoz, crying on the bleachers.

Fearing a potential injury, Crisp asked Munoz if she was OK but she didn’t want to talk about it.

Later that evening, in the Eastfield parking lot, Crisp again approached her and asked what was wrong.

Munoz was calmer then and was able to talk without breaking down.

Munoz told him that her mother had been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.

Veronica Munoz, 34, was diagnosed the day

before. Munoz said she struggled to take it all in and was deeply affected by it in the following days.

Munoz began thinking of leaving school to focus solely on trying to help her mother and her family get through their difficult time.

“Some nights, I stay awake all night,” she said. “I won’t go to sleep just because I’m thinking about her and in the morning, I don’t want to get up.”

Munoz found out when her younger sister, Monica, texted her Oct. 5 about some medical documents that she found in their mother’s purse. The papers said a tissue sample and a biopsy test were taken from her breast.

Munoz called to question her mother about the incident. She began to fear the worst after her mother confessed she had been seeing the doctor for some time now. The final results would be given in about a week.

Munoz said the days leading up to her mother’s diagnosis affected her volleyball play. She

had off-days while at practice and couldn’t focus during drills. Her team noticed her change in mood and that she wasn’t being her usual, cheerful self.

The following Wednesday, the cancer was confirmed.

Crisp said he was heartbroken and taken aback when Munoz first explained the situation to him.

“It’s tough when you go through this,” he said. “I haven’t gone through this myself but I’ve had other players go through this before.

We want to do whatever we can to support her.”

Munoz pondered the possibilities of what would come after the diagnosis. She didn’t know how the family would cover costs. She didn’t know what would become of her mother’s health and the issues that would come along with it.

“I was just thinking, ‘What’s next?’ I wanted See Mother, page 14 ➤

COURTESY OF MAURA MUNOZ

Maura Munoz, right, signs her letter of intent to play volleyball at Eastfield as her mother, Veronica, watches on.

14

SPORTS

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

Basketball reloads for new season

By COLIN TAYLOR Reporter @ColinTaylorETC

The Eastfield Harvester basketball team has started its journey to avenge the heartbreaking loss from last year’s conference tournament.

The team expected to bring home a national championship, but fell to a Brookhaven team, who went winless in conference play, in the first round of the conference tournament.

Sophomore guard JJ Murray believes the team took their opponent too lightly and slipped up.

“We didn’t go into the game as mentally prepared as we should’ve been,” he said.

Coach Anthony Fletcher knew that Brookhaven didn’t play like an 0-10 team, which added to the disappointment of the loss.

“We let an opportunity slip,” he said. “We let something get away from us that shouldn’t have.”

Only six players from last year’s team have returned this season. Only two of those are starters, Murray and sophomore guard Sean Odum. The team has brought in a new class of freshmen who will be asked to perform prominent roles in the team.

“We need some of them to come and help us pretty quick,” Murray said.

The freshmen’s role will largely determine the team’s success. Freshman guard Anthony McGee, who was the district MVP last year

from Mesquite High School, is second on the team in scoring through the first two games of the season with 13.5 points per game. Freshman guard Danny Salamah came off the bench hot against Tomball Junior College, dropping 21 points in 21 minutes en route to a 120-83 win on Nov. 4.

Fletcher believes the mix of veterans and with the freshman will be beneficial to the team. His system consists of more than 70 plays, which the sophomores have already learned. Murray said their experience with the system will help the new players learn it.

“They can kinda help show some of the new guys just how we like to play here,” Murray said.

The team plans to play the same fast-paced style that powered their attack in previous seasons. The team led the nation in scoring last season, averaging 109 points per game. Eastfield was one of only two teams in the nation to average triple digits in points. They also were second in 3-pointers made last season and aim to do so again.

Fletcher says the team plays a very similar style to the Golden State Warriors of the NBA, who are the defending champions. Their ball movement and quick transition plays lead to plenty of open shots, making the game much easier as opposed to long isolation possessions.

This play style helped get nationally ranked in the top 10 for most of last season, including a peak position of No. 1 in the country during the week of Dec. 6.

JESUS AYALA/THE ET CETERA

Freshman guard Anthony McGee goes for the layup in the Harvesters’ win over IQ Hoops Prep 94-75 on Nov. 3.

Fletcher believes this is one of the most complete teams he has coached over the past nine years.

“This team has every type of player,” he said.

“Whether it’s shooting, a hustle guy, a rebounder, a team leader running the offense or a hard hat guy that’s going to go out and do everything

coaches ask. We have every single piece covered.”

Eastfield is already on track to get back to the tournament, having beaten two four-year colleges in the preseason.

They started the preseason against IQ Hoops Prep, beating them 94-75. Murray went off for 28 points and the team collected 18 steals on defense.

They followed that with an easy win over Tomball JC 120-83, scoring 16 3-pointers at 46 percent efficiency. The team is currently fourth in the nation in scoring.

In past years, the team has proven they can compete with Division I schools and is on track to prove that this year as well.

Murray said this year’s team is hungry and determined. Those who remained from last year’s squad are seeking redemption, while the freshmen are looking to establish themselves as legitimate college basketball players.

They have goals of following players like D’Angelo Streeter, who transferred to Division II school Angelo State University last summer.

They host a match against Jarvis Christian College, a four-year NAIA college, Nov. 11.

The team will hold a “Orange Out” game Nov. 28 for school spirit.

Conference play begins in January, featuring a home rematch with Brookhaven on Jan. 27.

The full season schedule can be found online at eastfieldnews.com/2017/11/02/basketballsched/.

Mother fights breast cancer as daughter heads to nationals

DAN LUNA/THE ET CETERA

The volleyball team has come together to support Munoz as her mother fights breast cancer.

Continued from page 13 ➤ to move on from that day, from that week. I just couldn’t believe it,” Munoz said.

Munoz knew she had to tell the team eventually. She first told Tomlin, a teammate from high school in Haltom City.

“Right away, Alyssa cried,” Munoz said. “I thought to myself, ‘If I tell everybody, is this what it’s going to be like?’ I didn’t want them to feel bad or to think different of me. I just wanted to move on from it.”

When Tomlin was first told about her teammate’s difficult news she broke down.

“My heart just broke,” she said. “I couldn’t even say anything to her. I just held her in my arms and cried. That was the only thing I could do.”

That Friday, she talked with Crisp and decided that she would tell the rest of the team the next day, Oct. 14, following the game at Dallas Christian College. When she finally told them what was going on, they all hugged her and promised to be supportive.

“They told me, ‘We don’t care if you miss practice. Do whatever you have to do,’ ” Munoz said. “That really helped because I know they won’t get mad if I miss practice or judge me for not wanting to go because I’d rather

go to my mother’s appointments. I love them so much and they know me so well.”

On Oct. 31, Veronica Munoz underwent surgery and it was discovered that the cancer had moved to the lymph nodes. She’s since been at home and Munoz often visits and stays the night to take care of her mother.

The team has since bounced around ideas of starting fundraisers and awareness campaign for Veronica Munoz’s diagnosis to help with the cost of treatment. Munoz even started a GoFundMe page for her mother, which has since raised nearly $3,000 out of a $15,000 goal.

Crisp said that he believes the situation has brought the team even closer together as they prepare to compete in the NJCAA Division III national tournament. He hopes they have also given Munoz the help she needs.

“She realizes that we’re here to support her,” he said. “We want to do whatever we can to support her. We’ve let her know that we’re here for her.”

Crisp said he is amazed by how much Munoz has handled the past few weeks.

“Maura has so many things that are on her plate right now,” Crisp said. “It’s forcing her to be so mature and grow up quicker. She’s

living on her own, going back to work again, playing volleyball, schooling.”

The volleyball team had two pink-themed games for breast cancer awareness this season.

The second of the two on Oct. 16 was special because Munoz’s family made the trip to Eastfield. Veronica Munoz was called down to the court where the team vowed support for the family.

Assistant coach Lisa McGuire quickly made up some custom pink shirts the weekend before with a breast cancer awareness ribbon for the team. They were also given pink shoelaces and pink athletic tape to use in games.

On Munoz’s left shoe, she wrote “MOM” on the pink duct tape near her toes. The team continued to wear pink accessories throughout playoffs.

Tomlin said now everyone has a more personal reason to go along with the pink color scheme of the month.

“It really hit us that when we play and wear pink it wasn’t just for breast cancer awareness month,” she said. “It’s for her mother, too. It brought us together, and we realize that we have to be there for each other.”

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

Eastfield College 3737 Motley Drive Mesquite, TX 75150 Phone: 972-860-7130 Email: etc4640@dcccd.edu Editor in Chief James Hartley Digital Managing Editor David Silva Life & Arts Editor Macks Prewitt Design Editor Manuel Guapo Asst. Design Editor Bryan Perez Photo Editors Yesenia Alvarado

Jesus Ayala

Senior Staff Writer Julio Vega Staff Writers Jonathan Aguirre Alejandra Pena Caroline Ceolin Karol Kilgore

Jon-Mark Tamez Kathryn Higgins Samuel Farley

Senior Staff Photographers Lesley Reyes Andrew Gonzales Photographers Dan Luna Narely Martin

Niels Winter

Graphic Artists Aldahir Segovia Sean Watkins

Jesse Lay

Cartoonist Caylin Gaines Editorial Assistant Marie Garcia Advertising & Marketing Keturah Hill Publications Adviser Elizabeth Langton Digital Media Adviser Sarah Sheldon 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.

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.

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.

15 www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Female writers deserve proper acclaim In my four years of taking high school English classes, I was assigned to read only two books written by women out of more than 16.

Women are often unfairly forgotten in the literary world, although they have played significant roles in the history of literature.

For example, Mary Shelley is considered “the mother of science fiction.” Virginia Woolf is one of the most famous modernist writers because of her unique prose and use of grammar. Maya Angelou, who was a black woman who rose to fame during the Civil Rights movement, is widely considered as one of the best poets of all time.

Yet, young women are often not presented this talent and diversity. Instead, the same male narrative is read over and over again. The stories of women are told through men’s ideals. This inaccessibility can become problematic.

The female characters in novels written by men are often not accurate representations of actual women.

They often exist as a cruel love interest, like in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” a simplistic object of sexual desire, like in any Jack Kerouac novel, or as a fragile and innocent creature, as seen in Ernest Hemmingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls.”

Women are simplified to objects that somehow add to, or relieve, the male protagonist of whatever conflict he is going through. Because

Ale Pena @AlePenaETC

that is what all women are good for: either fixing or torturing men.

Young impressionable girls read about the cookie cutter roles of being a mysterious, elusive object of desire for the purpose of enlightening everyone except themselves. They read about fitting the narrative of a caregiver or an unreasonably strong and tortured woman. The sexuality written in books about them is not theirs. A man always is in control of it.

Young women grow up without a voice in mainstream literature. They have no accessible coming of age stories to base their youth off of.

There is no “The Catcher in the Rye” for women.

No “Perks of Being a Wallflower.”

Coming of age stories written by women exist, but they have to be individually sought out, which can be difficult. “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath,is considered a revolutionary work of literature.

Plath wrote openly and unapologetically about female sexuality and mental illness in a time where women were encouraged to be elegant housewives.

Although released in 1963, the book was banned until 1977 due to its profanity, sexuality and its overt rejection of the woman’s role as wife and mother. In the 2012-2013 school year, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas reported that the state attempted to ban it. They failed but managed to restrict it based on age and parental permission.

“I Know Why the Bird Caged Sings,” a coming of age novel written by Angelou that mentions rape and teen pregnancy, was the third most banned book between 1990-2000. In 2010, the novel fell only three spots to sixth.

Female writers exist. Female poets exist. Their experiences and their words are just as valid as any male writer’s. Women should be allowed to shine in their talent — and find grace in their failure — like male writers have been allowed and encouraged to do for centuries.

A woman should not have to be a first-ofsomething or an exemplary writer for her work to be acknowledged in the literary world. This degree of excellence is not demanded from men.

Women writing their own narratives is still controversial and revolutionary. Young women still struggle in finding their own unique voice as human, sexual and emotional beings in the media and in literature.

We deserve for our stories to be told and for them to exist on paper.

Marvels of universe can be found microscopically It’s common knowledge that there’s a universe that surrounds us. Most people don’t know that there is also a universe within us.

There are two known universes: the macro universe and the micro universe.

The macro universe is everything that we know or don’t know that exists outside of our planet, solar system and galaxy. It’s an unimaginable spectacle of life far from what our eyes can capture when we look up at the sky.

Picture yourself leaving Dallas, leaving Texas, traveling outside of the U.S., shooting into space with the stars. You pass by the moon, but that isn’t the stopping point.

Flying past the Kuiper Belt to exit the Oort cloud and boom, you’re entering interstellar space. You know, those swelling white dots in the sky at night that are surrounded by infinite darkness.

Journey past the Sagittarius spiral arm, looking back at the Milky Way swirling towards Andromeda. In this voyage, when you finally flow outside the super cluster and past the cosmic web, you’ll see the aftermath of the nuclear explosion that is our creation. Absorb that vision of the universe.

If you ever wondered, “What is life?” this is it.

Now, let’s go backward.

Travel down from the universe past the infinite

Aldahir Segovia @TheEtCetera

galaxies and forms of life. Crunch back into the Milky Way’s spiral arms, avoiding the dwarf planets and migrating back inside the Kuiper Belt.

Move toward Earth and see the rest of the planets rotating around the center of life. Finally, you get to Earth and back to Dallas. Now you’ll discover the micro universe.

This is quite a different universe than the one we know about. It lives inside of us.

Let’s start at your eye, zoom in past the pupil into the retina. Closing in on your veins separating the white and red blood cells that transport the oxygen and nutrients to your lungs. This is the source of your living; keep digging inside to see what else we can find inside this hidden universe.

Check the chromosomes living inside the white blood cells. You can see that the chromosome is a 10-nanometer tube with a twisted ladder at the end of it. This is deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA. Let’s return to the chromosome to access

inside. We find atoms, oxygen atoms. These atoms are electrons with protons and neutrons inside of its abyss.

We see quarks, which are particles that carry an electronic charge. There are trillions of these inside of your body.

For you to even move your arm upward it takes trillions of these microscopic forms of life to work together for you to make that gesture. That is absolute insanity, but it’s reality.

We can think about how mad it’d be to see an image of everything outside of Earth and beyond because of how enormous the universe is.

We, the human species, are such a small factor of actuality inside this everlasting enigma that we call life.

That’s mind-blowing. But imagine being a particle inside a living being feeling the same way to then realize that the person you live inside of is not the grandest life form.

There are objects that are larger and full of life.

Take that knowledge back into our reality. The universe we live in may not even be the most imposing force. There may be others like it or even more magnificent.

It could be a multiverse. But what if that’s not even the biggest living thing out there?

Man, science is fun.

Wrapup The Et Cetera

16 www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Sus Comics By Aldahir Segovia

ET CETERA FILE PHOTO

The Et Cetera staff celebrates their Pacemaker Awards during the National Media Convention on Oct. 29.

Et Cetera staff receives top award in student journalism

By JAMES HARTLEY Editor in Chief @JamesHartleyETC

Native American Heritage Month

NARELY MARTIN/THE ET CETERA

Keenan Springer performs a Native American dance on Nov. 3 in the Lower Courtyard. The group “Young Culture Krew” travels through colleges throughout the United States to educate students about Native American culture. This is their third time at Eastfield College.

For the third time in six years, The Et Cetera has been awarded the Pacemaker award for general excellence, the highest honor bestowed upon student media organizations from across the nation.

The Pacemaker was first awarded to college newspapers in 1927 by the Associated Collegiate Press and is the oldest award in student journalism.

The Et Cetera was recognized Oct. 29 at the National Media Convention in Dallas.

“There is no greater honor for a student newspaper than to win the Pacemaker Award,” said Lori Dann, a journalism professor and faculty adviser for The Et Cetera. “To say that you won a Pacemaker is the equivalent of saying you won a Pulitzer in journalism. It’s what every college newspaper strives for.”

Judges look for leadership from the publication — that the newspaper takes a stand on important issues on the editorial page, covers campus issues in news and looks at issues important to students, faculty and staff— the quality of visuals, such as photographs, graphics and page design, and writing.

David Silva, former editor in chief, said the combination of visuals, writing, coverage and depth were all necessary to make the paper worthy of the award.

Silva and the current digital managing editor, said coverage of the 2016 election impacted the decision of judges to recognize The Et Cetera.

“We were able to present a lot of different things in a lot of different ways,” Silva said.

“We did not want to do the same thing every single time, and we did not want to do the same thing everybody else was doing. We said ‘We can do this, but how can we do it different?’ ” Silva said The Et Cetera is always striving to find the best way to present information to readers.

Beth Langton, student publications adviser for The Et Cetera, said the staff should be pleased with their accomplishments.

“This award recognizes The Et Cetera staff as some of the best student journalists in the country,” Langton said.

“It’s a testament to their dedication, hard work and enthusiasm. I am extremely proud of them.”

In addition to winning the Pacemaker, the ACP and the College Media Association, recognized Et Cetera staff members for individual accomplishments, with four national awards earned by six student journalists.

Honorees were current students Manuel Guapo, David Silva and James Hartley and former students and graduates Katrina Bond, Martha Especulta, Emylee Lucas, Taylor Roberts and David Sanchez.