Eastfield Et Cetera November 9, 2022

Dallas College Eastfield Campus

Midterm victories strengthen GOP

By MOIRA MCINTEE Managing Editor @TheEtCetera

Incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott has secured his seat in the Texas Capitol for another four years. Abbott sup porters were in high spirits Tuesday night as the state elections resulted in Republican wins across the board.

“Together, we will keep Texas the greatest state in the greatest nation in the history of the world,” Abbott said at a victory speech in McAllen.

Abbott secured 55% of the vote statewide with 79% of votes tallied. O’Rouke won Dallas County with 63% of the vote.

“We just want a state where people are free enough and healthy enough to be able to pursue their potential and rise to fulfill their true prom ise,” O’Rourke said in his concession speech from El Paso. “A state where we’re not defined or divided based on our differences but find the common interest for the common good right here on the common ground before us.”

Republicans initially predicted a red wave for the midterms. While the U.S. House of Representatives was poised to flip to a red majority, the race for Senate seats was still tight early Wednesday.

“Texas is gonna stay red for a very long time,” Dallas GOP chairwoman Jennifer Stoddard said at the Dallas County GOP watch party. “Dallas County has been blue for a while, but we see it starting to turn purple.”

Abbott’s campaign against Demo cratic candidate Beto O’Rourke fo cused on the importance of conser vative values being the backbone of Texas, according to the campaign. Restricting abortion access, enforc ing the Second Amendment and securing the Texas border were main components to Abbott’s platform.

O’Rourke rallied voters with the promise of overturning the state’s abortion ban, strengthening gun control and reforming the immigra tion process at the border.

“Companies are not wanting to come to Texas because of the abor tion laws and because of the lack of health care,” Dallas Democrats Chair Kristy Noble said. “He could change things.”

Dallas County has historically voted for Democratic candidates. However, there has not been a Dem ocratic governor since Ann Richards held office from 1991 to 1995.

“Let’s put aside any hard feelings

that we may have from this election and commit to each other to col laborate to continue making Dallas County and North Texas the best urban area in America,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins , a Demo crat who was re-elected to his fourth term Tuesday night.

The Dallas County Democratic watch party at Gilley’s emptied when O’Rourke’s loss was announced, while Republican watch party at tendees celebrated at Smoky Rose restaurant in East Dallas.

Fox News predicted Abbott’s win less than two hours after polling sta tions closed, and Republicans erupt ed into cheers when the news broke. Disappointment washed across the faces of O’Rourke supporters.

“It’s very frustrating as a woman that I genuinely have no rights over my body,” hairdresser and O’Rourke supporter Haley Dane said. “Plus, I’m sick and tired of men telling me what I can and cannot do.”

While the Dobbs v. Jackson Su preme Court decision that over turned the constitutional right to abortion ignited support for the Democrats, Republican voters were more focused on the economy and crime.

“You can see the damage that’s

been done to our country in 22 months under a Democrat agenda and it’s got to come to a halt,” said Antonio Swad, who lost the race for Congressional District 22 to incum bent Colin Allred. “It stops tonight.”

Tuesday’s election marks O’Rourke’s third loss in four years

– for Senate, for president and for governor.

“We’re disappointed because we could be moving in a different and better direction,” O’Rourke support er John Rodriguez said.

— Carmen Guzman contributed to this report

ELECTION RESULTS

Governor

Greg Abbott (R) – 55.5%

Beto O’Rourke (D) –43.2%

Delilah Barrios (G) – 1% Mark Tippets (L) – 0.3% 73% reporting

Lieutenant Governor

Dan Patrick (R) – 54.5%

Mike Collier (D) – 42.9%

Shanna Steele (L) – 2.6% 70% reporting

Attorney General

Ken Paxton (R) – 54.2%

Rochelle Garza (D) – 43%

Mark Ash (L) – 2.8% 71% reporting

County Judge

Lauren Davis (R) – 35.8%

Clay Jenkins (D) – 64.2% 100% reporting

Land Commissioner

Dawn Buckingham (R) –56.8%

Jay Kleberg (D) – 41.6%

Alfred Molison (G) – 1.6% 71% reporting

Agriculture Commissioner

Sid Miller (R) – 57%

Susan Hays (D) – 43% 43% reporting

Railroad Commission

Wayne Christian (R) –56.1%

Luke Warford (D) – 40%

Jaime Diez (L) – 2.8% Hunter Crow (G) – 1% 71% reporting

NATALI CALDERON/THE ET CETERA

Lola Cullivan, a former Eastfield student, reacts to Tuesday’s elec tion results.

RORY MOORE/THE ET CETERA

Dallas GOP members celebrate Republican victories at a watch party in East Dallas.

Early voting lags behind 2018 midterms

By CARMEN GUZMAN Editor in Chief @TheEtCetera

Fewer Dallas County residents voted during early voting for this year’s midterms compared to 2018.

This year 391,328 registered voters partici pated in early voting, according to the Dallas County Elections Department. During early voting in the 2018 midterm elections, state of ficials counted 535,257 votes because of gains in urban counties.

“I worked the 2018 election. That was a huge election with big voter turnout,” said Lisa The rion, an early voting election judge stationed at the Eastfield polling location. “For a midterm election, I think we’re doing pretty well.”

Residents cast 2,505 votes at Eastfield during early voting.

“Numbers aren’t exactly high here at East field, but overall, I hear [positive things about] what’s happening in other voting sites in the area,” Therion said.

An urgency to vote characterized the cam paigns for Democratic candidates, especially governor candidate Beto O’Rourke.

However, the numbers disappointed leftleaning voters participating in midterms.

“I’m surprised that it’s low. I’m surprised it wouldn’t be a little higher with everything that’s been happening before this election,” Ana Green, 26, said after casting her ballot Tuesday. “For example, the school shooting in Uvalde.”

O’Rourke’s uphill battle for governor was the centerpiece of the state midterm elections,

overshadowing races for attorney general and lieutenant governor.

“The governor’s race has sparked a lot of in terest in voting,” Therion said. “I think that de bate has been rather heated, and so that’s what’s driving voter turnout.”

Democratic candidates such as O’Rourke hosted voting drives at several colleges through out Texas, courting young voters to register for midterms.

Republicans mirrored young voter registra tion drives through events such as the Texas Youth Summit in October.

“We’ve had a tremendous number of a firsttime voters here, and I think that’s attributed to

the fact that they’re maybe college students or even high school students,” Therion said.

Although early voting numbers spelled un certainty, voters held out for gains on Election Day.

“I definitely have hopes for the younger gen eration and Gen Z,” history instructor Hayley Grammer said. “I hope that they turn out and try to help the rest of us save America.”

While left-leaning voters are passionate for turning the tide against conservative successes, such as the Dobbs v. Jackson decision ruling that overturned abortion rights earlier this year, right-wing voters anticipate a red wave.

“We shouldn’t make it an emotional elec

tion,” Eastfield graduate Joseph Hermesmeyer said. “I think a lot of the appeals for the left and the Democratic party are mostly emotional.”

Issues such as gun control and abortion gained attention on both sides, but right-wing voters are more concerned with the economy.

“[Gun control] should not be the only con sideration when people are actually dying be cause they can’t feed themselves,” Hermesmey er said.

Inflation has loomed over America as the Biden administration struggles to restore confi dence in the economy. Gas prices have become a primary talking point against the Democrats.

“A lot of things at stake right now are very real, like energy prices, gas prices, food prices,” Hermesmeyer said. “I mean, that’s all stuff they have to pay more and more attention to.”

Voters such as Hermesmeyer turned to Ab bott for his experience and political knowledge.

Texas Republicans have discredited O’Rourke for only serving as a U.S. representative from 2013 to 2019.

“A whole list of things [has to be considered]. Abbott’s experience is the biggest thing going for him,” Hermesmeyer said. “Beto doesn’t have the experience to run a state.”

While many were disappointed by the low er-than-expected turnout, voters pushed for participation up to the last hour to vote.

“Every citizen should be participating in democracy,” Grammer said. “If every citizen doesn’t, people who have nefarious plans can use people’s apathy against their own good.”

Paola Martinez and Blake Dickerson contrib uted to this report.

DACA recipients rattled as program cast into limbo

By CARMEN GUZMAN Editor in Chief @TheEtCetera

Francisco Obregon’s parents il legally brought him to the U.S. when he was a child, but the career and transfer specialist is allowed to work at Dallas College through the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals program. He is one of 600,000 im migrants protected from deportation through this program, but a recent ruling threw his future into uncer tainty.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit dubbed DACA unlaw ful in a partial ruling on Oct. 7, pro hibiting the approval of new recipi ents. The court upheld the status of current recipients and sent the case to a lower court for further review. No dates have been announced. Waiting in fear isn’t new to recipi ents – the program has been trapped

in political turmoil since its passage.

“[DACA] is all we have,” Francisco Obregon said. “There is no path to citizenship, no green card, no path to anything.”

Francisco and his brother, Gilber to Obregon, a KGNS sports anchor in Laredo, are Dallas College gradu ates on DACA. Although their status remains, they’re worried for their brother, Miguel, who is unable to ap ply for the program now.

Unprocessed applications filed be fore the ruling are currently on hold – with no change in sight.

“[Miguel] is gonna graduate in May, so what’s going to happen after that?” Francisco Obregon said.

After the ruling, Dallas College Chancellor Justin Lonon expressed his support for DACA recipients in a blog post. The college has over 750 students protected by DACA as of Fall 2022, according to Multicultural Affairs.

Multicultural Affairs organized an awareness campaign for DACA, starting with an advocacy training led by Francisco Obregon on Oct. 25.

Dreamers Solidarity Day on Oct. 27 became the centerpiece of the campaign, an event where Dallas College members gathered around Eastfield and expressed their support for DACA recipients. The event end ed with attendees making social me dia posts in solidarity with students in the program.

Although DACA students can ob tain scholarships as well as state and local financial aid, immigration sta tus narrows options and bars them from federal financial aid. Most have to pay out of pocket, including Fran cisco and Gilberto Obregon.

“Enrollment-wise…nothing changed,” Francisco Obregon said. “But I think motivation-wise, I feel that’s gonna decrease a lot once you

graduate from college. You want to transfer and get a bachelor’s, but it’s too expensive. You don’t have any way to receive financial aid.”

In his statement, Lonon reminded students the ruling did not affect en rollment status. Recipients are still considered in-state students.

“If your DACA expires while you’re in school, you’re considered an international student, which leads to paying international student tuition,” Gilberto Obregon said.

DACA supplies protection from deportation through a work permit. Recipients are required to renew their status every two years, a cycle that involves legal fees and applica tions.

Students on DACA aren’t eligible for federal benefits, including FAF SA. Although Texas redirects recipi ents to TAFSA, a state-level financial aid program, the payout is a fraction compared with the federal level.

“Even if we wanted to take out a school loan, we’re unable to,” Fran cisco Obregon said.

Francisco Obregon’s DACA status temporarily expired in April 2021. Although he submitted his applica tion on time, delays caused by the pandemic ran out the clock.

“Overnight, your dreams can go away, and you can stop working,” Francisco Obregon said.

Due to living in Laredo, a border city, Gilberto Obregon grapples with the reality that DACA is the only safeguard against deportation. South Texas is littered with immigration checkpoints upwards of 100 miles past the border.

“If my DACA expires and I try to go up north to cover something, I’ll be in the same situation like my brother,” Gilberto Obregon said.

Recipients lack a direct route to

RORY MOORE/THE ET CETERA

Early voting for the 2022 midterm elections took place inside the G Building.

Nurse seeks adventure in all avenues of life

By LONDY RAMIREZ Staff Writer @TheEtCetera

For the last seven years, Eastfield campus nurse Nancy Abdo, her two children Sydney and Jonathan, and several members of her fam ily have traveled to her hometown of Chicago for what has become a Labor Day weekend tra dition: a 30-mile bike ride.

This past September, nine family members wearing matching jerseys were among the 16,000 riders in the Bike the Drive event that starts in the middle of Lake Shore Drive.

“It’s gotten smaller as the next generation has gotten older, married and moved,” Abdo said. “It’s just a fun thing to do. None of us ride at the same speed. I have to ride by myself, but whatever, Chicago is beautiful, the Lake Shore is beautiful. That was the thing that my mom always loved: Lake Shore.”

Abdo brings that same love and passion to her nursing job at Eastfield.

“I’ve been a school nurse my entire career and I actually kind of fell into it. Not sure it was what I wanted to do,” Abdo said. “But after do ing it I realized that this is really what I want to do because I love the teaching part, I love the helping, the education, the wellness part and being able to help the students figure out how to manage their health care.”

Abdo moved to Texas at 21. Then at 40, in spired by her siblings and children, she decided to go to nursing school.

“My brother and my sister are nurses. They talked about it a lot and how much they liked it,” Abdo said. “After having some stops and starts with what I wanted to do, I finally settled on nursing, and it turned out to be the right thing.”

She graduated in December 2007 from Tex as Woman’s University. She also took classes on four different Dallas College campuses: Brookhaven, Richland, North Lake and East field.

Abdo earned her license in January 2008. Getting her first job as a nurse wasn’t difficult.

“For as long as I can remember there’s always been a nursing shortage,” Abdo said. “The toughest thing for me was figuring out what I wanted to do. I had applied for three jobs. I got offered three jobs. I just had to decide which one to take.”

She applied for jobs at two hospitals and a middle school.

“My kids were 6 and 9 when I graduated from nursing school, and school nursing had the closest schedule that was closest to theirs; they would be in school while I was working,” Abdo said.“Both of the hospital jobs that I was offered wanted me to start on nights. It wasn’t really a tough decision.”

Abdo has been a nurse for 15 years now. She started working at Eastfield in the Health Ser vices Center as a college nurse in the summer of 2019.

Abdo’s goals in the center are to help stu

dents figure out how to manage their health care and provide them with any support they need.

“I want the students to know that if there is a barrier — if there is something that is making their education difficult, if there is something outside of education that is making education difficult — there’s not just Health Services, but all of the Student Care Network.

Our goal is the same goal that everybody in the college has: to do whatever we can to sup port our students and help them be successful,” Abdo said.

Robin Manuel, who also works in the health center, describes Abdo as a go-getter.

“When she has a belief or she has a thought that’s really going to help the students, she’s go ing to go for it,” Manuel said.

Manuel worked at Brookhaven for two months before transferring to Eastfield.

“(Abdo) was always my go-to when I first got here,” Manuel said. “Even when I was at Brookhaven, if I ever had issues, she was the first person that I would call. She’s always been the type of person that she’ll drop anything — as long as she doesn’t have a student right

in front of her — and say, ‘Hey, what do you need?’”

Jaime Torres, a professional counselor at Eastfield, has seen the care and passion that Abdo has for students.

“She loves working with students and loves to educate them. She loves to talk about careers in nursing,” Torres said. “Any student that is thinking about becoming a nurse, she would be happy to talk to them about the kinds of nurs ing there is out there, about the degree or de grees you’ll need.”

He describes Abdo as smart and fun. While working together, he said they are always laugh ing and exchanging new ideas.

“She is very much loved and appreciated here at Eastfield,” Torres said. “She makes work fun, and it’s not just in Student Care Network. I think a lot of instructors would say a lot of good things about her, and our student success coaches as well.”

Abdo loves nursing, but she is also passion ate about her family, pets, kids and the out doors.

This past summer Abdo and her son Jona than went on a three-week road trip. They

headed to the Northeast and explored some of the national parks. They hiked, camped and tried new food.

“We love trying new things, so the road trip was fantastic,” Abdo said. “I just loved it, and I love going with him because he’s the best navi gator.”

It was Abdo’s first trip to New York.

“My son had been in New York once and he wanted to go back to New York, so we had res ervations there,” Abdo said. “And then I have always wanted to go to the Outer Banks, so we had reservations there as well. We had reserva tions for like eight of the 21 days. The rest of the time we just sort of wandered and we got to go everywhere. It was so much fun.”

When she retires, Abdo hopes to explore as she did on the road trip, buy herself a national park guide and start checking off more national parks and national monuments. She also wants to volunteer at a dog rescue.

“I was thinking I could combine those things because a lot of dog rescues need transport across the country,” she said. “National parks and dogs. I think they’re definitely going to be in my retirement somewhere”.

RORY MOORE/THE ET CETERA

Eastfield nurse Nancy Abdo assists Laura Trujillo with signing into the clinic on Oct.12 at Eastfield.

High Spirits

College observes Dia de los Muertos

Bright colors, music and members of the community came together Nov. 2 at Mountain View to celebrate Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. There was no absence of spirit as guests enjoyed performances, food and activities. Crowds gathered around to watch traditional Mexican dances and live bands. Children ran to show off their face paint resembling Calavera and other symbolic imagery.

~ Compiled by Moira McIntee

PHOTOS BY RORY MOORE/THE ET CETERA

Dancers perform La Danza del Venado (Dance of the Deer) on stage during the Dia de los Muertos celebration at the Mountain View campus.

Esli Marales Vazquez paints faces with themes of Dia de los Muer tos at the festival.

Dancers perform in outfits based on traditional designs from various cul tures for the holiday.

Yakibeth Guerrero sold dolls based on the holiday at the festival.

Ofrendas, or altars, were constructed in honor of deceased family members or famous figures as part of a contest.

Life &Arts

How COVID-19 reshaped the dating landscape

By MOIRA MCINTEE, Managing Editor

Romance isn’t dead, but it looks a lot different. Two years of social distancing changed more than just how we buy groceries

– it changed how we date. Being single during the COVID-19 pandemic was tough for many people. Most of the places people would go to meet others were closed, and even classrooms were virtual, which made it a lot harder to flirt with your crush in algebra.

“I was talking to a girl at the be ginning of the school year and then COVID happened,” pre-med major Hector Bahena said. “Time went on and we went to school on Zoom and Google Meets, but I still missed her because I couldn’t really see her.”

According to Tinder Newsroom, sixty percent of members came to Tinder because they felt lonely and wanted to connect with people dur ing the pandemic.

Forty percent visited because they wanted to see “new and different people.”

Dates went virtual, and texting for long periods of time before ever meeting became the norm. Estab lished relationships even felt the pressures of isolation.

“[My friends] thought it was going to be a break and they just wouldn’t be able to see each other for quite a bit of time, like two weeks or a

month. But it wasn’t a month, it was a whole entire year,” business major Criten Davis said. “They used online video chats every week, they played games and all that stuff. They made sure they checked in with each other and with their families.”

Not all relationships fared so well during this time, however.

“I dated a guy for a year, and we got engaged the Christmas before COVID,” TRIO peer mentor Bron wyn Banks said. “And then during COVID things got crazy. He lost his job and that really got to him. We were going out to a friend’s and he just went ballistic and ended up call ing me a few choice words. And I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s it. I’m done.’”

Now that restrictions have lifted and the pre-pandemic dating scenes are open to the public again, dating is trending differently and transpar ency is key.

“This time I feel like I’m a much healthier person mentally, physically and spiritually,” Banks said. “But I’m not forcing it, I’m not chasing after it.”

Phrases such as “see where things go” and “open to” reached all-time highs in dating biographies this past year, according to Tinder.

COVID-19 didn’t push a desire for marriage, and daters seem to be seeking more open-ended relation ships after two years of pandemicdriven uncertainty.

However, while the type of rela tionships might be more fluid, per sonal boundaries have been rein forced.

The word “boundaries” is being used more than ever in dating pro files, up 19% according to Tinder. Asking others to wear masks appears to have made people more comfort able enforcing other rules and expec

tations in their lives.

“I have two kids and one thing I don’t want to do is keep bringing multiple people into my kids’ lives,” Banks said. “When God is ready for me to date somebody then I’ll be here.”

Changes in online dating profiles aren’t the only transitions in the sin gle community. Many are choosing

to stay away from apps and websites entirely. Now that the opportunity to find love in real-life situations is an option again, many are interested in giving that a chance.

“I find [online dating] a little weird. I’d much rather find a per son just casually in my life instead of looking at them through my phone,” Bahena said. “But I just don’t see dat ing as a necessity.”

Bahena has urged his friends to stay off of dating apps as well. Mak ing connections through the internet and Instagram messages feels dis ingenuous to him and shouldn’t be used as the first point of contact.

“From my experience, it just did not work out,” he said. “My friends are all pretty happy now. Some of us aren’t dating and that’s okay, but not worrying about responding to mes sages fast enough makes dating way better.”

ILLUSTRATIONS BY MATTHEAU FAUGHT AND MICHAEL RAY

@TheEtCetera

The Et Cetera

By SARAH HOWSLEY Contributor

As a Dallas native, I pride myself on knowing where to find the best burgers in the city. This list contains a variety of nice chains and small, old, family-owned shops. Here’s my top five burger joints in the area.

Grub Burger Bar

4925 Greenville Ave.

The Best Burger Joints in Dallas

Known for: Awesome burgers and good drinks.

Haystack is a family-friendly burger spot. With cute wall décor and bright lighting, the aesthetic is sure to make you feel welcome. The large porch is a great spot to eat when the weather is cooler.

Stationed in Hillside Village Shop ping Center, Haystack receives atten tion all week long, whether it’s from

customers shopping in nearby stores or families looking for a good dinner spot.

The menu includes many signa ture burgers such as the barn burner and the avocado ranch burger. The restaurant also serve good drinks and alcohol as well. The fries are good too.

Haystack is a fun spot because of the light and exciting vibe, as well as good eats.

Known for: Cute spot with burg ers and a bar. Grub is a chain in Dal las that serves excellent burgers and yummy shakes.

Located in Energy Square, the spot receives a lot of attention during lunch hours on business days. It is also a popular spot on the weekends due to the warm atmosphere and good drinks.

With it’s new patio, it boasts an abundant amount of seating. The walls and ceiling are covered in warm woods and aesthetic lights.

The menu recommends the signa ture classics such as the guacapotle burger and the mac ‘n’ cheeseburger. For dessert options, try the worms and dirt shake or kitchen sink shake.

Grub promises not to disappoint and lives up to it. As a fun restaurant with good food, it’s a no brainer.

Known for: A lovely patio and good burgers and shakes.

Shady’s is a family-friendly spot located in the Lake Highlands Plaza. Surrounded by small shops and oth er local restaurants, the atmosphere is lovely and inviting.

The spacious dining room is ac companied by an excellent porch covered by tall trees. Some nights there is live music. Shady’s also has a large bar in the middle of the open restaurant.

The restaurant serve delicious burgers, both signature and custom. Yummy shakes and fries also appear on the menu.

Shady’s is a wonderful spot for dinner with the family, and the food doesn’t disappoint.

Known for: Delicious burgers as sembled before your eyes

Dugg Burger is a no-brainer when it comes to choosing a good burger spot for dinner.

Located in the Preston Hollow area, the nightlife around the res taurant is happy and relaxing. With easy-access parking right outside the front door and an inviting patio, Dugg Burger is a wonderful place to spend an evening.

The easy menu has an option for everybody, including salads and al ternatives to the normal beef patty. Staff take your order, write it on butcher paper and pass it down.

The name comes from the fact that staff dig out the inside of their yummy buns to make more room for all the tasty toppings.

Dugg Burger is a nice and simple place to enjoy a burger and catch up with friends.

Known for: Good burger spot decorated with antiques.

JG’s is nestled between other small shops in an old strip mall.

Walking in, you are greeted by old Coca-Cola signs and photos of peo ple long gone. Walking around the wooden condiment bar, one can find the counter to make orders. Hanging signs sport old quotes about mothers and deals on certain meals.

Upon ordering, you’re given a small strip of paper with a number that is assigned to your order. There’s a small balcony to the right of the counter, but it’s always blocked off. The tables are covered in red-check ered tableclothes made of heavy, yel lowing plastic.

The food is announced as ready over a loudspeaker. After adding your desired toppings, get ready to bite into one of the juiciest and bestquality burgers you’ll ever have.

JG’s high quality comes from its ability to stick to the simple things and do it well.

SIRGIO RUVALCABA /THE ET CETERA

The Haystack burger is one of the most popular dishes on the menu and goes great with seasoned fries and chipotle ketchup.

RORY MOORE/THE ET CETERA Grub Burger Bar has been serv ing customers since 2013 on the ground floor of Energy Square in Dallas.

NATALI CALDERON/THE ET CETERA Shady’s popular “Tailgater” with onion rings.

NATALI CALDERON/THE ET CETERA

Old Fashioned Hamburgers displays antiques and awards.

RORY

Snake it till you make it

Engineering student tames anxieties, exotic pets

Some people might run away in fear from snakes, but mechanical engineering major Chistopher Alanis chooses to give them a home. A natural interest in biology eventually led him to own a room full of reptiles as a college student. Alanis sat down with Et Cetera contributor Paola Martinez to discuss this unique hobby as well as life on campus.

Why did you choose mechanical engineering as your major?

I’ve always enjoyed working with mechanical parts with my hands and just learning how physics works in our world.

What kind of dream job would you like to have with your degree?

I’ve always wanted to learn how to build robots that automatically make things or maybe fix airplanes at an airline or something of that nature.

Are you planning to get your associate degree here at Eastfield and then transfer over to a university?

I’m planning to be at Eastfield for two years and then transfer to UT Dallas.

What are some of the challenges that you have faced while at Eastfield?

Definitely being scared to go to school. Doing that whole thing, being uncomfortable with trying new stuff.

What about school is intimidating to you?

Being around people I don’t know. It’s very anxiety-inducing.

How have you overcome that situation?

I’m just kind of doing it. I’m having to do it no matter what. So slowly just putting myself out there. Talking to people definitely helps.

Outside of school, is there anything that you like to do? What are some of your hobbies?

I love gardening. I love my plants and also love to take care of my animals. I have some snakes, some fishes, some tortoises and a turtle. And I do have to feed them every day and make sure they’re clean.

I also like to play video games and spend time on my computer. I like to go to the gym. I try to go almost every day, but that usually doesn’t happen. But I do go every week.

You mentioned having snakes and other pets. What made you decide to have snakes and how many do you have?

When I was younger, biology always fascinated me, and I’d go look for lizards and snakes in my backyard and then just check them out. Learning about them was fun, other niches and stuff like that. I have 13 snakes, and they’re all ball pythons.

Is there a reason why you specifically chose ball pythons over other snakes?

I feel like they’re the most unique looking snake. They are very cute. Their patterns are very nice. Also, their metabolism lets some go prolonged periods of time without eating, which definitely helps on food costs.

You mentioned you had other pets. What other pets do you have, and which ones are your favorites, besides the snakes, of course?

I have a softshell turtle. I don’t know his gender, or its gender, but he’s pretty cool. He’s unique looking, kind of ugly — but in a good way. I also have an Oscar fish. He’s very sassy. He’s by himself. He eats a lot every day, always hungry. I have two tortoises. They are nameless, but they’re slow and just fun to look at.

Snakes are commonly feared. Since you have them as pets, what’s something that you’d like the general public to know about them?

Snakes are never aggressive. The only time they ever strike at somebody is if they think that person is food or they’re a direct threat to the snake. I’ve never been chased by one of my snakes. I’ve only ever been bitten once, and that’s because I had a mouse or a rat. My hands just smelled like rats, and they thought my hands were food, but never have I ever been scared of my snakes. Also, a lot of people think snakes are poisonous, but snakes are venomous. Poison needs to be ingested and venom is injected.

Photos by Rory Moore/The Et Cetera

LGBTQ+ summit fosters conversations about identity

By MOIRA MCINTEE Managing Editor

@TheEtCetera

Cheyenne Murray always knew something about her was different.

“I didn’t have crushes the way that they did,” the program leader of In clusive Excellence said. “I liked peo ple differently from the way that they did, but I never had a word for it.”

It wasn’t until Murray got into college and became involved with her school’s LGBTQ center that she started to learn about sexuality and gender identity. She now identifies as biromantic asexual.

“What that means is I am roman tically attracted to people of multiple genders, and I am sexually attracted to no one,” she said.

Murray was a host and moderator for an event Oct. 14 for the LGBTQ community at North Lake. Panelists shared stories about their journeys of self-acceptance and answered audi ence questions about how to navigate their own.

Murray said college is an impor tant time to provide resources to stu dents about gender and sexual iden tities. Greater exposure to a larger variety of people can be eye-opening to those questioning their own iden tities.

“[College] was the first time that I really heard someone actually say that there’s research out there that shows, for women in particular, that our understanding of our sexual ity can really change over time,” said Katy Launius, strategy officer for stu dent success at Lumina Foundation.

Other panelists found gender af firmation in their Saturday morning cartoons.

“Bugs Bunny was the first person that told me that gender and sexual ity were fluid,” said Steve Benezue, former Dallas College gallery di rector. “Sometimes Bugs was a boy, sometimes Bugs was a girl. Bugs would dress up in clothes of both genders and would act as both gen ders to the antagonist.”

However, Benezue struggled to express himself as effortlessly as the cartoon could.

“For us older queens, you were really told to keep your head down and keep your mouth shut back then,” he said. “I’m so happy that today you don’t. But back when we were young, we really had to blend in, don’t stand out and don’t make waves. But now, I think what really matters is for LGBTQ youth to vote, to be visible and to fight the good fight.”

Ms. Penny Cost, a guest host and drag queen, talked about the impor tance of chosen families and drag houses to the LGBTQ community.

“These drag houses are in lieu of the houses that many were kicked out from and so it is very much like fam ily,” Cost said. “Not only does a drag mother teach about drag, but also how to navigate the world as a queer person and their authentic self.”

Dressed in a 1950s housewifeinspired ensemble, accented by a glittering rainbow, she described the hourslong process it takes to get ready for a show. Drag is an enter taining performance act. Their out fits and makeup could be considered a form of art. But there is a deeper meaning for Cost.

“I believe that drag is any act that bends the traditional view of self or other through intentional space tak ing, subversive system shaking and joyful community awakening,” she said. “Because the art of drag, for me, has historically just laughed in the face of injustice while wiping the tears off the face of the oppressed.”

After a childhood of having to hide who he was, comedian Jasper Lightsey remembers his first experi ence of seeing people like him un apologetically expressing their love.

“I come from a small town: Shut up. Go to work. Find a wife. Get mar ried. But that was not in me,” he said. “I went on a trip with a gay guy that worked with me at KFC to Dallas. And oh my God. Men holding hands. Men dancing. Women dancing. It took me two months to pack and get my ass back to Dallas.”

Social adoption and the creation of found families is significant to many members of the community. If a young LGBTQ person finds them

selves exiled from their biological household, people like Lightsey are there to accept them into their own.

Lightsey decided he wanted to do what he could to make sure other young LGBTQ people didn’t have to experience the struggles he did grow ing up. So, he became a father. And then a grandfather.

“I have 20 gay children, 100 and something gay grandchildren,” he said. “I don’t know if y’all know what that means but that’s when a young youth finds a gay older person that can enlighten you, can lead you and can listen to you instead of your biological parents. That’s what a gay parent is, and that’s what I am in the

community right now.”

An important step to acceptance and understanding is continuing to learn and grow within the commu nity as well as having hard conversa tions with those outside, the panelists said.

“We learn from history, we learn from cartoons, we learn from people around us and we learn from each other,” Murray said. “That level of self-acceptance is something that is so powerful. It’s something that the queer community is always striving for and always striving to improve. And so as we look to the future and we look for acceptance, we always want to look to the past as well.”

Brothers dream of path to citizenship

Continued from page 3

citizenship or permanent residency, and activists have pushed for citizen ship since the program’s creation.

“It would be nice for DACA stu dents if there was some kind of spe cial route to become citizens,” LU LAC adviser Alfonso Garcia said.

LULAC, or League of United Lat in American Citizens, is a Hispanic civil rights organization. The group’s Eastfield members have been shaken by legal blows to DACA and similar immigration programs.

As an immigrant, Garcia speaks to his experience when advising the student-run organization. He used to lead DACA support campaigns with former Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez in Chicago.

“Hopefully we can see something by the end of his year and perhaps the next,” Garcia said.

The Biden administration showed its support for DACA by reinstating the program last year after the Trump administration failed to repeal it.

“DACA students are brilliant, tal ented, future leaders of this country,” Garcia said. “We need to provide the best resources for them – for in stance, here at Dallas College.”

Where federal benefits don’t reach DACA recipients, Dallas College tries to supplement through student resources.

Francisco Obregon feels he can’t rest easy until a path to citizenship becomes available, but he finds com fort in doing what he can for Dallas College’s DACA recipients.

“Keep pushing because there’s somebody looking behind you,” he said.

PHOTOS BY RORY MOORE/THE ET CETERA

Students attend the LGBTQ+ Student Summit on Oct. 14 at the North Lake Campus.

Cheyenne Murray,

First

Amendment Right

ABOUT THE COVER

Greg Abbott wins the 2022 governor election. Photos courtesy of Rory Moore, Gabriel Tovar, and the Abbott Campaign.

Illustration and design by April Calvo.

OUR VIEW

Your support drives student success

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we, The Et Cetera staff, have a lot to be thankful for.

Since 2020, Dallas College has experienced so much turmoil from the pandemic and consolida tion. Student life was low on our campus, but we’re grateful to see our administration working closer with student organizations.

At The Et Cetera, we felt this strain firsthand. Despite our ongoing struggle to rebuild our team, our publication does its best to provide news.

Dallas College student journalists won 15 na tional journalism awards this year.

Two weeks ago, our editorial team was able to collect some of these awards at MediaFest 2022 thanks to funding from the vice chancellor of stu dent success.

Our editorial team attended presentations with media figures such as former Washington Post

reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Berenstein. They returned to our newsroom feeling inspired to work.

But we’re not the only students Dallas College recently supported.

Organizing a week to support DACA students was a meaningful gesture for recipients who might feel worried about the future of their education af ter an October court ruling paused the acceptance of new applicants.

Embracing various cultures through dedicated celebrations help minority student groups feel val ued by our administration.

The inclusion extends to student identity too. Our reporters were amazed by the amount of work that went into the LGBTQ student summit at North Lake. We’ve seen additional events crop up for our

LGBTQ students, helping them know they are welcome at Dallas College. The administration is doing an excellent job promoting dialogue about gender and sexual identity.

Even displays such as the ofrenda in The Hive show the sincerity in representing our diverse stu dent body.

These demonstrations are needed, and we must include students from all walks of life. It’s impor tant that Dallas College reaches out to students who might feel underrepresented.

This is the path Dallas College should follow moving forward – for the good of our student body.

We are thankful for Dallas College’s work in promoting and bringing back student activities. We’ve come a long way since the pandemic, and we’re excited to see life returning to our campuses.

Imagination is important for adults too

Kids play in their little worlds, and we old folks see it as something “cute” from the past, thinking, “I’m too old for that.” We don’t see it for what it is- a serious learning experi ence that’s still available to us.

I used to spend hours imagining games with my brother. My favorites are when I’d be a swing-set astro naut and he the alien “Horna” (it had horns) or I a tourist trying to learn Sandman language and he a cryptic Sandman. I refuse to let go of imagi nation and creativity, which is imagi nation turned to action. These gems of life continue to teach and build us if we let them.

Creativity is an outlet. I’m a pia nist, and during 2020, a lot went on in my head. I wrote songs whenever I had a strong emotion to express. When I’m overwhelmed, this expres sion of every sentence in my head helps me relax. When my head is clear, I return to logic and to my typi cal attitude.

You can make your own music or write lyrics to a tune you already know. It doesn’t have to be a pop hit, just something fun and honest. Creativity releases all the thoughts bouncing against your forehead and building up tension.

You rule your emotions and vices, not vice versa. In rapper NF’s song “Intro III”, he says, “I thought [fear]

had me in prison this whole time, but I’m the one holding the key.” For NF, writing raps is a survival technique, using imagination to get thoughts and emotions out while also bringing hope to listeners.

Imagination prepares you for the future. Albert Einstein said, “It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” You may say you “don’t have an imag ination”, but if you’ve ever studied for a test, you’ve proved you do.

Studying involves imagining what might be on a test and what you would have trouble with, and then practicing.

You can lay out your study area to mimic the anticipated test environ ment. Set any aids you won’t be al lowed to use aside and put a timer on if it will be a timed test. You can even grab an extra Scantron to practice filling answers in.

Voilà- you’re hard-core imagin ing! I saw a YouTube ad for an online game using this same idea by simu lating various financial decisions

people come across when first mov ing out.

Imagination provides an inter esting way of analyzing situations and ideas. Anxiety can prevent us from thinking clearly, leading us to a flawed idea of wishful thinking.

But while fear clouds reason, imagination rooted in virtue can promote it.

Fictional characters do whatever is “characteristic” for them. We don’t have control to make them do what we want, no matter how much we yell at the screen or the page.

However, if I imagine walking around Minas Tirith and telling my dilemma to noble King Aragorn (my

favorite example), my mind fills in an answer based on how I understand him. This creative thought process allows truth to pass from the back of my mind to the front without fear and pride clouding it.

Adulthood is not a different di mension from childhood like we thought. Imagination and creativity aren’t “gone.” All the movies, litera ture, and games you love were gifted by people who understood them as part of human nature and capable of helping in every age of the world and in every phase of our lives. You’re not “too old for that”.

Use imagination to guide you on your next adventure.

NATALI CALDERON/THE ET CETERA

Sports

Nov. 10 Basketball vs. Paul Quinn JV 7 p.m.

Nov. 11 Basketball vs. Loyalty College Prep 7 p.m.

Nov. 14 Basketball vs. SAGU JV 7 p.m.

Nov. 16 Basketball vs. Cedar Valley 7 p.m.

Nov. 18 Basketball vs. Tribulation Prep 7 p.m.

Nov. 21 Basketball vs. CYM Prep 7 p.m.

eastfieldnews.com Wednesday, November 9, 2022

New coach finds familiarity at Eastfield

Young hopes to lead Harvesters basketball team to national title

By BLAKE DICKERSON Contributor @TheEtCetera

Anthony Fletcher has passed one of his titles on to a former player.

With 13 years of coaching experience, Dex ter Young is stepping up as Eastfield’s new men’s basketball head coach and hoping to build on Fletcher’s success.

“They’ve been to the championship,” Young said. “Our goal this time is to win it.”

The Harvester Bees are off to a strong start in Young’s first season with a 3-1 record. On Nov. 1, Eastfield set a new school record for most points in a game in Young’s debut, beat ing Creating Young Minds Prep 186-91 behind a school-record 13 3-pointers from freshman Tylan Harris.

Fletcher, who has been Eastfield’s basketball coach and athletic director for 16 years, was an assistant coach at Angelo State University when Young was a player.

Their relationship since then has guided them to the positions they have now, and Fletcher said he believed in Young from the start.

Young has over a decade of experience coaching at various levels of college and high school basketball. In 2013, Young was the spe cial assistant coach at NCAA Division I Chica go State under Tracy Dildy, who is now Detroit Mercy’s head coach.

He was also an assistant coach and recruit ing coordinator at NCAA Division II Fresno Pacific University, where he helped coach John Taylor, the JUCO National Player of the Year, as well as Malcolm Griffin, a transfer from Toledo University who is currently playing profession ally in the biggest league in Greece.

In 2021, Young was the head coach of Pre mier Academy Prep, which played against some of the top high school teams in the nation. However, he decided to make a change when he saw the opportunity to work with Fletcher again at Eastfield.

Last season, Eastfield posted a 27-8 record overall and an 8-2 record in conference play. Eastfield lost twice to North Lake during reg ular-season conference play and then got a rematch in the district championship game. A back-and-forth game between the two top teams ended with Eastfield winning by one point, 84-83.

“Everyone thought we were going to lose to

North Lake in the championship because they were the only team we lost to during confer ence play,” sophomore guard Jacore Williams said.

Eastfield has been busy recruiting this off season as Williams is the only returning player. Williams posted 7.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game last season.

Williams hopes his playoff experience will rub off on the incoming freshmen.

Fletcher’s success as a coach was based on a run-and-gun offensive style. Although Young appreciates Fletcher’s offense, he says he wants everyone on the team to be able to contribute offensively.

“I really liked Kentucky under Rick Pitino back in the day,” Young said. “Any position on the court can shoot the ball.”

Under a new system and coach, some of the players are adjusting to different roles.

Young is already familiar with one player at Eastfield. Weeny Rutherford played at Pre mier Academy Prep last season and is now an incoming freshman. He committed to the Har vesters before learning that Young would be the head coach.

“For him to help me so much as a kid and mentor me, it’s truly special for him to be my college coach,” said Rutherford. Young says Rutherford, nicknamed Motor, is a great addi tion to the team.

“We want hustle, and we want grit. That’s Motor,” he said.

Young is excited to see what the other in coming freshmen can do as well.

“We have a lot of talent, so we should win a lot of games if I do my job right” Young said. “I think we have enough firepower.”

“Not 6 or 7 guys but 9, 10, 11, 12 guys that can actually play. So I hope I’m able to add something to Fletcher’s greatness and take the guys to a championship level to win it. That’s the only thing I’m thinking about. Why am I here if I’m not trying to win the national cham pionship from Day 1?”

We have a lot of talent, so we should win a lot of games if I do my job right.

— Dexter Young Basketball coach

RORY MOORE/THE ET CETERA

Dexter Young is the coach of the Eastfield Harverster Bees basketball team.

Fun in the sun

Students and employees enjoyed activities such as Connect Four, frisbee, sack races and bounce houses during Eastfield’s Field Day on Oct. 21.

PHOTOS BY RORY MOORE/THE ET CETERA

Clockwise from far left, Clarissa Mancha tosses a flying disk. Students and faculty participate in a sack race on the tennis courts. Geneva Lawson and Louis Gonzales compete in checkers. Edwin Corona, Bianca Ramirez and Diana Torres play Connect Four.