Eastfield Et Cetera April 28, 2021

Etera Dallas College Eastfield Campus

Marvel Cinematic Universe explores social themes with “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”

See pages 6-7 Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Volume 52, Issue 7

Weighing the verdict College responds to Chauvin’s murder conviction See Page 3

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Wednesday, April 28, 2021

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New scheduling system goes live, some flaws reported

By HARRIET RAMOS Editor in Chief @HarrietRamosETC

Current student registration for summer and fall classes began April 20 with the first fully Dallas College schedule.

The schedule was built with a new system using an academic scheduling team instead of going through individual departments as was done in the past.

Provost Shawnda Floyd said she thinks the new system helped create a more accurate schedule that reflects students’ needs.

“I called [the previous system] the scattershot approach,” Floyd said. “We threw everything at the wall and just said ‘put this in the schedule, put that in the schedule’ with no real data or no real sort of process for that, to just see what would stick.”

The summer and fall schedules were created using algorithms based on data from previous enrollment patterns and surveys sent out to faculty and students. Floyd said the goal is to prevent the massive class cancellations that happened with the old system and build a “student-centric” schedule.

Some faculty have reported problems with the new system.

“The new scheduling system is a little confusing for faculty right now,” said Eastfield English faculty member Shazia Ali. “But then all new systems may be confusing, and we did anticipate the first time might be a little messy.”

Eastfield biology faculty member Jessica Kerins described the process as “glitchy.” She said the initial schedule she received included a microbiology class with a two hour lecture and an 80 minute lab, the opposite of what it was supposed to be.

Another one of her courses was scheduled as a face-to-face lecture and an online lab which overlapped with the lecture at times.

“It made no sense,” Kerins said.

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Another problem with the system Kerins said she saw was that course sequences were not taken into consideration when building the schedule.

Course sequences are two or three courses that have to be taken in a certain order.

Students who take the first level of a course with an instructor often want to take the next level with the same instructor.

There was no place on the survey sent to faculty to request the sequence, Kerins said.

In the initial schedule she was given, she was assigned Anatomy and Physiology I for the fall, but not Anatomy and Physiology II. Any of her previous students who want to take that class with her will have to hope she is scheduled to teach it in the spring of 2022.

“I think we need to consider the entire school year, not just one semester at a time, when assembling schedules so we can accommodate

course sequences like this,” Kerins said.

Floyd said putting the new schedule together involved 20,000 classes for fall and between 9,000 and 12,000 for summer.

“Glitches I would say came in terms of . . . how we were working with one another as one college,” she said. “Deans and department chairs were all new, the process was new, coordinators were gone. So that’s a whole lot of new.”

In the past, faculty coordinators on each campus were responsible for putting together the initial schedule for each semester based on what they saw their students needed. Then the initial schedule was approved or changed by the deans as needed.

Floyd said in the new Dallas College leadership structure, they decided to take the faculty coordinators out of the process and turn the responsibility over to the deans and department chairs, who report to the Dallas

College academic scheduling team.

“We really wanted faculty to be able to do their role, which is teach students,” Floyd said.

“Not be quasi administrators.”

Even though Ali’s initial experience with the new scheduling system was confusing, she said the dean and the chair in the English department were in regular communication with the professors, which helped the process go more smoothly.

“They immediately reached out and individually emailed each faculty their correct schedules,” she said.

Kerins said her scheduling issues were finally resolved after communicating with her department dean and chair.

“I’m sure it will take a few iterations until this process is seamless,” Kerins said. “But I feel confident that eventually things will run more smoothly.”

old. Students claimed as dependents on their parents’ income tax did not qualify, according to the IRS website.

The third stimulus check, signed into law

by President Joe Biden in March as part of the American Rescue Plan, makes adult dependents, including college students, eligible to receive up to $1,400.

“I am going to use half of the check for things I need like groceries,” said Amber Avila, a diagnostic sonography major at El Centro.

“The other half, I plan to save it up just in case things end up closing again or get worse. I plan to keep adding more into my savings.”

In addition to the stimulus checks, college students can qualify for emergency aid from their institution.

The stimulus package provided nearly $40 billion as part of the Higher Education Emer-

gency Relief Fund, and colleges are responsible for spending half on emergency financial aid grants.

Dallas College received nearly $95 million from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, according to the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities website.

College students who have children may receive money in the form of the child tax credit included in the American Rescue Plan. Parents of children under 6 years old will begin to receive $300 per child in July at least until the end of the year. If the child is 6-17 then the parents will receive $250 per child.

Some college students who didn’t get the first two stimulus checks still received unemployment through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act signed by President Donald Trump in March 2020.

Godinez said receiving unemployment helped her family.

“I feel like my family was one of the lucky ones,” she said. “We made more unemployment than my actual job.”

Even though parents supporting college students received the first two stimulus payments, some still struggled financially.

Jacqueline Fabela, a psychology major at Eastfield, said her father is the only one in the family who is employed.

She said the stimulus checks helped them pay bills and buy food.

“My family has been in the middle of a financial struggle since the start of the pandemic,” she said. “My father did not go to work for weeks. Now he tries to get as many opportunities as he can, but it just depends on if people call him into work.”

College students benefit from latest stimulus package

By LEAH SALINAS Contributor @TheEtCetera

College students who were not eligible to receive the first two rounds of stimulus checks received the third. Now they have to decide what to do with the money.

“This stimulus check will help me with tuition, car debt . . . and supplies,” Alexis Godinez, a veterinary technology major at Cedar Valley, said. “Then I’ll save some for future emergencies.”

Because Godinez lives with her parents, she did not receive the first two stimulus checks.

The first two rounds of stimulus checks, distributed in April 2020 and January 2021 as part of coronavirus relief packages, were only for adults or dependent children up to 16-years-

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‘A long way to go’

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Dallas College reacts to Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict

By HARRIET RAMOS Editor in Chief @HarrietRamosETC

Some Dallas College employees expressed relief at Derek Chauvin’s conviction, but others said more work is needed to improve race relations in the United States.

On April 20, Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, was found guilty of all charges for the killing of George Floyd.

Chauvin was charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

The second-degree murder charge is the most serious and carries a maximum sentence of 40 years. Chauvin will be sentenced on June 25.

Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020, when Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for over 9 minutes. Floyd was being arrested by Chauvin and three other officers for allegedly buying cigarettes with a fake $20 bill.

Floyd’s death, along with the fatal shootings of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor earlier in the year, sparked widespread Black Lives Matter protests over the summer. “[I’m] thankful and relieved that the jury got it right,” said Dallas College Police Chief Lauretta Hill. “They listened to the evidence and saw what the whole world saw — that Chauvin murdered George Floyd.”

History faculty member Liz Nichols said she was afraid the jury would acquit Chauvin. Her first response was “utter relief,” she said.

“I think the verdict means that our country is slowly coming to realize that Black lives do matter,” Nichols said.

Another Black man, 43-year-old Eric Garner, died in 2014 after being put in a chokehold

by New York Police Department officer Daniel Pantaleo.

Pantaleo was fired and stripped of his pension benefits five years after Garner’s death but did not have to face federal civil rights charges.

Former Attorney General William Barr ordered the case dropped in 2019.

Garner’s death helped spark the Black Lives Matter movement.

“I do hope [the Chauvin verdict] means that all figures of authority will take it as an indication that they have to consider their actions far more carefully,” music faculty member Eddie Healy said. “And that those who enforce the law comport themselves according to the letter of the law as it applies to them.”

Music faculty member Oscar Passley said he was relieved by the Chauvin verdict, but it’s only the beginning.

“This is just a drop in the proverbial bucket,” Passley said. “This country still has a long way to go to reform police practices when engaging minority communities.”

ET CETERA FILE PHOTOS

Clockwise from top, a protester following George Floyd’s death spray paints the words “Black Lives Matter” at the Dealey Plaza monument in Dallas on May 30, 2020. A protester holds up a cardboard sign during a rally at the Dallas Police Department headquarters during the first protest following Floyd’s death in Dallas on May 29, 2020. Three protesters stand on the roof of a building with their clenched fists raised in the air on May 29, 2020.

Black people make up 13% of the U.S. population, but a study released by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in June 2020 shows that Black people are three times more likely than white people to be killed in an encounter with the police.

Data from the Henry A. Wallace Police Crime database shows 140 law enforcement officers have been arrested since 2005 on charges of murder or manslaughter related to on-duty shootings. Only seven were convicted.

Police officers receive qualified immunity, which means they are protected from legal action in the discharge of their duty as long as they do not use excessive force. Qualified immunity has become increasingly controversial as it is viewed as one of the factors that make it difficult to hold police accountable for their actions.

Criminal justice faculty Patrick Patterson, himself a former federal police officer, said getting rid of qualified immunity would be a step in the right direction.

“The changes I would like to see are … the deletion of immunity and unions that [have] protected officers for decades, especially when they were in the wrong,” Patterson said.

“Changes at the local level would be just the same — better screening and deleting of the good ole boy network.”

Floyd’s death led for calls to defund the police in several places. Patterson said defunding the police is not the answer, but police reform is needed.

Nichols said she thinks the word “divest” is better than “defund.”

“I hope that the conversation about what policing should entail continues in earnest,” she said. “What we have currently is not working well. [Police] are not adequately trained to deal with mental health issues or domestic violence.”

Passley said the billions of dollars poured into “over-policing minority neighborhoods” should go into preventative measures instead.

“Hopefully money will be spent on educa-

tion, early childhood education, after school programs, music and arts programs,” Passley said.

When asked what she thinks Chauvin’s conviction means for the future of policing, Hill said policing is at a critical point.

“We must re-think and re-imagine how we deliver police services to the community,” she said. “We have an opportunity to come out stronger if we commit to working with not just our advocates but also our adversaries.”

In an email statement released after the Chauvin verdict, Chancellor Joe May said Dallas College will continue to stand with Black students and employees “to seek an equitable and just society for all.”

“The verdict is a reminder that we must continue to seek accountability for those who not only break the law, but for those who are also sworn to uphold it,” May said. “We are committed to fostering an environment that is supportive of all the diverse cultures that are represented across our seven campuses.”

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Wednesday, April 28, 2021

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The Et Cetera

COVID-19 vaccine myths still prevalent

By HARRIET RAMOS Editor in Chief @HarrietRamosETC

The COVID-19 vaccines have brought hope of a return to normal life for some, but misconceptions are still prevalent online.

These vaccine myths range from concern over side effects to fears based on conspiracy theories.

Daniel Ramirez, social work faculty member at Eastfield and owner of Real Solutions Counseling, said people don’t know what to believe about the vaccines.

“I think a lot of the problem is we don’t know if the information we’re getting is factual or not,” Ramirez said. “You hear one thing and then you go turn on the TV and you hear five other things.”

COVID-19 vaccinations have been available to everyone in Texas over the age of 16 since March 29, and according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, there have been over 14 million doses administered as of April 13.

Eastfield is a vaccination site, and even though Dallas College doesn’t provide the vaccine to employees and students, they partner with Parkland Hospital and other area clinics who let them know when doses become avail-

FAC TS

MYTHS

AMANDA ARAUJO/THE ET CETERA

able for college employees and students.

On April 22, Parkland began to offer the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine without appointment at the Eastfield site.

Speed of Delivery Ramirez said he has had numerous conversations with his clients about COVID-19 vaccines, and one reason people are hesitant to get vaccinated is because of how fast the vaccines

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were produced.

“We typically are used to hearing that vaccines take a while to get done,” he said.

Vaccines can take anywhere from 10-15 years to be developed, according to the History of Vaccines website.

Of the three vaccines available in the United States, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were rolled out in December 2020, just a year after the pandemic began.

The Johnson & Johnson Janssen vaccine came out in March.

In spite of being developed in less than a year, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were created using a messenger RNA technology that had already been in development for two decades, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, a non-profit organization that specializes in medical research.

No steps were skipped in the testing process, and social media played a part in locating volunteers willing to be vaccinated in the trial phases, thereby speeding up the research, according to Johns Hopkins.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses. The second dose of the Pfizer vaccine is given 3-6 weeks after the first, and the second dose of Moderna is given 4-6 weeks after the first.

In clinical trials Moderna was shown to be 94% effective and Pfizer 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection from the original virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

There are several variants of COVID-19 that have surfaced around the world. The CDC has classified at least five of these as variants of concern because of their high level of transmissibility or potential to cause severe illness.

See Navigating, page 9 ➤

Life &Arts Wednesday, April 28, 2021

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Student aims toward future career with FBI

Q& A

When Jaqueline Rea was growing up, she used to play “cops and robbers.”

The cops chased after the robbers, tagged them and sent them to a pretend jail.

Rea always played the role of the cop.

Her desire to impact the world and make it safer was the primary reason for enrolling in her first criminal justice class at Dallas College Eastfield Campus.

Rea sat down with Et Cetera contributor Alejandro Contreras to discuss her future career goals and the development of her personal life.

Q

Was community college your first choice, or did you want to attend a university?

A

No, community college was my first choice because I wanted to start with my basics and then hopefully transfer to a university.

Q A

Is there anyone in particular you look up to?

My aunt, because she finished college, and she has a good job right now. She works in a law firm office.

Q A

Do you see yourself working in an office?

Q

At what age did you get the idea that you wanted to become an FBI agent?

I want to be a crime scene investigator and it will be solving crimes while being out there in the field.

A

I was really young, honestly. I just always liked solving problems. With my siblings I always would play police officers. I understand it’s not the same, but it’s in the same area of interest.

Q A

What has your life been like since high school?

It’s just been school and work at the moment. I don’t really do much honestly, other than reading here and there. “Paper Town,” “The Fault in Our Stars” and the “Twilight” series books are my favorites.

Q

Have you ever thought of changing your field of study?

PHOTO BY RORY MOORE/THE ET CETERA

Criminal justice major Jaqueline Rea studies in her living room. Rea hopes to join the FBI after graduating from college.

A

When I was younger, I did actually want to be a lawyer, but personally I don’t really like speaking in front of people as much.

Q A

What are your goals after finishing college?

Once I finish college, I hope to be in the work field. I would have to do training in a lower workforce. Hopefully, after I finish, I’d actually have a job in the FBI.

Q

So, it’s a process that you have to build up from the bottom all the way up to get where you want to be?

A Q

Yes, you basically move your way up. I could start off as a police officer and do the police academy and start off there.

Do you ever want to have any connections in that field of study, so you can have a mentor to guide you through the process?

A

Yes, actually my mom had a client, and he was a police officer. She had me speak to him a couple of times, and he told me about the police academy and the program and everything on how I can move my way up to become an FBI agent.

Q

Do you plan on impacting the world? Is that your belief and priority, to make it a better place?

A

I know I’m just one person, but everybody counts, and hopefully I can make our world safer.

Q A Q A

Are you an only child or do you have siblings?

I have an older sister and a younger brother.

Your family has been in the medical field, correct?

Correct. My mom is a medical assistant, and my sister is a nurse.

Q

What about your younger brother? Have you been guiding him on a path to go to college?

A

Yeah, but he has his mind set on going into the Army. I feel like the way he’s talked to me he doesn’t feel like school is for him. For some people school is for you, and for others, it’s not.

Q A Q A

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I just take my dog to the park and walk him around.

What cop show do you enjoy?

I enjoy watching “CSI,” but “Criminal Minds” is my favorite. My favorite characters are Hotch, Spencer and Penelope.

Editor’s note: This interview was edited for style and brevity. Read the full Q&A online at eastfieldnews.com

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LIFE&ARTS

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

@TheEtCetera

“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” is the second Marvel TV show exclusively streaming on Disney +. In this six-episode series, we follow Sam “Falcon” and Bucky “Winter Soldier” after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.”

Captain America has just passed his shield to Sam, and the series starts with Sam feeling unworthy to handle the shield and struggling with the pressure of living up to Captain America’s legacy. Ultimately, the conflict motivates Sam to turn in the shield. This causes tension between him and Bucky as they try to stop a vigilante group of superheroes.

Marvel’s new story arc, also known as “phase four,” is the first time many of these characters’ storylines are played out on television instead of the big screen.

Marvel’s first television series to stream on Disney+ this year was “WandaVision,” which ran from Jan. 15 through March 5. It showcases Wanda Maximoff’s slow mental breakdown after losing the love of her life, Vision, during Thanos’ quest to acquire all six Infinity Stones.

Wanda’s chaos magic creates a world of her own where she and Vision live their lives just as they wanted, but at what cost?

“WandaVision” is a unique and refreshing introduction to Marvel’s new take on TV shows. Each episode replicates the aesthetic of the sitcom that inspired it while hiding a dark mystery that makes each chapter feel different and captivating.

“WandaVision” fleshes out the character of Wanda as she grieves the loss of Vision, which helps us understand, though not agree with, her decisions throughout the show.

The series begins and ends with a completely different version of Wanda, setting her up for her next appearance in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” which is scheduled for release next year, and advancing Marvel’s timeline to “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”

Despite being a television series, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” has many of the same qualities you would expect from a movie. The action and fight choreographies are always at their best, reminding viewers of Sam and Bucky’s first appearance in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”

The Et Cetera

Passing Of

Marvel shows on Disney+ launch a n

By Anthony Contri @TheEt

Upcoming Marve

Black Wido Shang-Chi and the Ten Rin Eternals Spider-Man: N (Dec Loki (Ju What If..

Ms. Marv Hawkey

LIFE&ARTS The Et Cetera

7 eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

the torch:

new era for the cinematic universe

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Marvel made a great call by releasing new episodes weekly, allowing for the hype and the enthusiasm to build. Shows like “Stranger Things” usually drop all their episodes at once, which can lead to people forgetting about them after the first couple of weeks.

The series has a total of six episodes, with each episode lasting for 5060 minutes.

Marvel is not afraid to use real social issues in their shows. “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” shows the experience of a Black man in the United States and explores who can truly represent Captain America.

Even in a fictional Marvel world, the tough reality of today’s America is not avoided.

After Marvel dominated the big screen for the last ten years, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” gives an opportunity for lovable side characters like Sam and Bucky to lead a story of their own. The series furthers their characters’ previous roles and prepares them for journeys ahead.

Other characters familiar to MCU fans will make an appearance on Disney+ this year. “Loki” is scheduled to premiere on June 11 and “The Black Widow” on July 9.

The Hollywood Reporter also confirmed a fourth Captain America movie is in development, leaving us with the expectation that “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” might not be Sam and Bucky’s last time together.

OPINION Wednesday, April 28, 2021

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 Harriet Ramos Graphics Editor Mattheau Faught Opinion Editor Jordan Lackey Photo Editor Chantilette Franklin Production Manager Skye Seipp Senior Photographer Rory Moore Reporter Jasmine Rodgers Graphic Artists Amanda Araujo

Alice McCallie

Contributors Alejandro Contreras Anthony Hernandez Additional Staff Alfredo Diaz

Eddie Williams

Publication Adviser Elizabeth Langton Student Media Manager Sarah Sheldon Faculty Adviser Lori Dann 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 by a student staff.

Each member of the college community is entitled to one free copy of The Et Cetera.

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 should be no longer than 250 words.

ABOUT THE COVER Illustration by Mattheau Faught

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The Et Cetera

OUR VIEW

It’s time to hit the target on gun control After a significant drop in mass shootings during 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 has already seen more than 100 deadly cases of gun violence, including the recent high-profile mass shootings in Boulder and Atlanta.

On April 7, the Biden-Harris Administration announced six initial actions to address the “gun violence public health epidemic.”

These initial actions address “ghost guns,” kits used to make unmarked firearms, and stabilizing braces for pistols. They also encouraged community violence interventions, annual reports of firearms trafficking and “red flag” laws. These would allow family members or law enforcement to petition for a court order temporarily barring people in crisis from accessing firearms if they’re a danger to themselves or others.

Also included was the nomination of David Chipman to serve as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The ATF has not had a confirmed director since 2015.

We find most of these measures to be logical, but also lacking in detail and objective. We believe these actions do not address the larger problems.

Many of us at The Et Cetera are strong supporters of the right to bear arms, but we also believe that right must be executed with responsibility and common sense.

Why is the Justice Department making plans

to address ghost guns when they haven’t even perfected a system for registering legal firearms on a national basis?

For instance, Texas allows for the private sale of firearms between individuals. Many other states allow this also, but most at least require a gun store clerk to act as the middleman throughout the transaction.

As the law stands now, Texans are legally allowed to find a stranger on the internet, meet that stranger in a Walmart parking lot and instantly buy a gun from that stranger. There is no legal requirement to reregister the gun under the new owner’s name or undergo any sort of background check. Arizona, Oklahoma and a few other states allow this as well.

Due to state laws like this, maintaining a universal national gun registry is close to impossible.

Even 52% of National Rifle Association members agree with background checks for private sales and at gun shows, according to a 2017 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center.

We believe that gun violence will continue at the same pace throughout this country until there is some sort of universal registration and federal background check process nationwide.

Alongside a national registry, we also believe in the importance of proper universal training that depends on the class of firearm a person is try-

ing to obtain. We do not necessarily object to an individual’s right to have military grade firearms, but we do object to an untrained individual being in possession of any weapon.

In order for a Texan to obtain a license to carry a handgun, only about 10 minutes of actual range time is required. We find little comfort in the knowledge there are individuals among us with guns they’ve possibly only fired once and hardly know how to use.

Texas is considered a “shall issue” state. What that means is that as long as an applicant meets basic requirements, like being 21-years-old, local law enforcement is mandated to issue a license to carry. This differs from “may issue” states where law enforcement has the discretion to deny an application even if the applicant meets all requirements. We believe there are extenuating circumstances that may mean just because someone is eligible for a firearm does not necessarily mean they should be able to carry one.

To own and carry a firearm is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly and we’re slowly starting to see that the vast difference in regulation between states is having a huge negative impact on the country as a whole.

It’s time for universal, common sense gun laws on a federal basis.

Speechless ramblings of a grieving heart We don’t often hear about the struggles of the people that make this publication, and we often don’t try to advertise them either. But lately this editor hasn’t been coping well.

Aside from the obvious stresses of being alive this past year or so, I’ve lost something very precious to me.

And that’s wreaked more havoc on my world than any virus ever could.

I feel as if my words have lost all meaning and impact without this precious thing.

How can I explain beauty when I can’t see it anymore?

I believe every writer wants to be able to convey a certain feeling to anyone who reads their work, no matter their background or belief.

We want to inspire passion.

Whether it’s anger, joy, frustration, sadness: damn it, we want tears on the page!

We want, I want, to make someone else feel a slight fraction of my emotions.

I want a reader to feel my happi-

Jordan Lackey @JordanEtc

ness, but a crueler part of me also finds comfort in making a reader feel my pain…

But what is a would-be writer to do when they can’t comprehend, let alone explain, the emotions they’re feeling? What good is a writer when they can’t put their feelings into words?

Therein lies my dilemma.

Without this thing, for perhaps the first time in my life, I’m truly out of meaningful words.

I’m struggling, and Lord knows I’m breaking all the rules.

The proof is laced throughout this piece. I’m sure any editor reading this has already cringed half a dozen times.

I’ve used the forbidden Oxford

comma, ellipses, and the dreaded italics. For God’s sake! I’ve officially wasted two out of the three exclamation points a journalist is afforded throughout their entire career!

Whoops, make that all three.

So, if a writer is blocked and they find themselves breaking the rules, should they not be encouraged to just roll with it?

That’s a rhetorical question.

I’m going to do it anyways.

And since I’ve already established a pattern, I might as well break one more rule while I’m at it.

Writers, especially columnists, often adhere to the standard that a piece should not be solely about addressing a problem; a column also requires a “call to action.”

To put it simply, we can’t just complain about a problem, we have to offer a potential solution.

Well, my friends, I have no solution for loss.

She was the woman that raised

me. She kept my hands warm during the winter days of my early childhood.

She was the woman that inspired me.

She was the most beautiful person I’ve ever had the privilege to lay eyes upon, and I’ll never have the words to eloquently describe her.

She showed me the gorgeous landscapes that can only exist in the furthest corners of my imagination and those landscapes have grown dark and clouded while my imagination weeps.

Now she’s gone, and I’m the thing that’s lost.

I have no words. Only explanations for my lack of them.

So, here’s my only advice. When your words have lost all meaning.

Maybe, if the situation is right, we can find a little relief … in simply breaking a few rules.

— Jordan Lackey is opinion editor and a journalism major

Sports The Et Cetera

9 eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Soccer team looks ahead to fall

By ALEJANDRO CONTRERAS Contributor @TheEtCetera

The Harvesters spring soccer season was canceled due to lack of players, but instead of quitting they are already preparing for next season.

The Harvesters only had eight players at the beginning of the spring season. Their fall 2020 season was canceled by the National Junior College Athletic Association because of COVID-19. Some team members didn’t think there was going to be a spring season, so they made the decision to go elsewhere.

“A few players transferred out to other schools,” Coach Paul Tate said. “Other schools still played their seasons. It is what it is, but we’re moving forward. ... Being a junior college, it’s a revolving door. You’re always recruiting.”

Tate said this is the first time in his 15 years of coaching that he has had a season canceled for any reason.

In early fall the team was able to go out for four or five weeks of training. Then they got shut down due to COVID-19 and again during the winter storm in February. Tate said this made it hard to go back to campus.

“We were all thrown for a loop together,” he

CHANTILETTE FRANKLIN/THE ET CETERA

Eastfield’s soccer season was pushed from the fall to the spring, but a lack of players caused the team to cancel its season.

said. “The girls that are still here have stuck it out with me and said, ‘We are with you, Coach.’

They will re-sign and are really excited to move on and move forward.”

Tate said he is committed to recruiting enough players for the [fall] 2021 season.

He has been hitting the road looking for talent, as well as asking faculty to share a flyer

with their students about the team’s requirements to join.

Four players have signed to play next season, and Tate said he plans to bring in another 10 or more to complete the roster.

Tate said the freshmen on this year’s team will not lose a year of their eligibility. This means everyone on the team next season will technically be classified as a freshman in terms of eligibility.

This will give them three more years of college eligibility and allow them to go on to a four-year university and play there.

Anthony Fletcher, Eastfield’s athletic director, said he has kept himself optimistic that the Harvesters will be competitive again next season.

“We’ll build a team for next year,” Fletcher said. “[I’m] excited for next year and I think the recruiting philosophy will be a bit different.”

Tate said practicing for next season has helped the players keep their dream of playing soccer alive.

“Moving on to the fall, we’re trying to not look at the negatives,” Tate said. “The players don’t dwell on it. We’re all in it together, and the eight girls … plus the other four [we signed] are excited to be a part in the open campus fulltime.”

Navigating COVID-19 vaccine myths Continued from page 4 One of these variants, the B.1.1.7 from Great Britain, is now the dominant strain in the United States as of April 7, according to the CDC. Studies by Duke University have found the Moderna vaccine provides effective protection against the B.1.1.7 variant.

The researchers didn’t test the Pfizer vaccine, but they said the results should be the same since the same technology was used in both vaccines.

The study also found Moderna was less effective against the B.1.351 variant from South Africa, and a study by Tel Aviv University released April 10 found similar results for Pfizer.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is given in a single dose but was put on pause by the Food and Drug Administration and CDC for 10 days in April after six individuals developed blood clotting disorders after receiving the vaccine.

More than 7 million people have received the

Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

No such side effects have been reported from the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Infertility Another myth surrounding COVID-19 vaccines is that they will cause infertility.

Ramirez said one of his clients opted not to get vaccinated for that reason. Ramirez said she planned to start a family soon, and said she was concerned the vaccine would affect her ability to conceive.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine issued a joint statement on Feb. 21 in response to this misconception.

“As experts in reproductive health, we continue to recommend that the vaccine be available to pregnant individuals,” the statement said. “No loss of fertility has been reported among trial participants or among the millions who have received the vaccines since

their authorization, and no signs of infertility appeared in animal studies.”

DNA Manipulation and Microchips Another vaccine myth is that the messenger RNA technology used by Pfizer and Moderna will change the DNA structure of vaccinated individuals.

According to Johns Hopkins, the mRNA enters the cells and instructs them to make a protein found in the coronavirus which stimulates the immune system to fight off the virus. The mRNA, however, does not affect the nucleus of the cells where the DNA is located.

Unlike typical vaccines which use a weakened form of the pathogen to provoke an immune system response, the COVID-19 vaccines do not contain the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus., according to Johns Hopkins.

Contrary to social media rumors, the vaccines also do not contain microchips or tracking devices, according to Johns Hopkins.

The vaccines do contain fats to protect the mRNA, salts and a small amount of sugar.

Age Ramirez said another reason some people aren’t getting vaccinated is because they think they are too young to get a serious case of COVID-19.

Even though it is true older people are at a higher risk for serious COVID-19 illness, there have been instances of young people getting seriously ill also. A study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association in September 2009 showed that out of 3,000 young adults ages 18-34, 21% ended up in intensive care.

Iris Bechtol, the director of Eastfield’s art gallery, said even though she isn’t in a high-risk age group and has been vaccinated, she is still concerned that those who don’t get vaccinated are putting others at risk.

“We need to be wearing masks as long as we can so that people who aren’t vaccinated aren’t exposing us,” she said. “Say 50% get [the vaccine] and 50% don’t get it. That’s not going to be good for the outcome of herd immunity.”