February12 2014 issue

Etera

Eastfield College

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Eastfield reacts to the marijuana debate Pages 4-5 ➤

Volume 45, Issue 7

NEWS

2 Wednesday, February 12, 2014

PUT IT ON YOUR

Calendar February Wed

“Black in Vietnam,” a presentation by professor Matt Hinckley that is part of the Social Science, Human Services and Business Division Lecture Series, will be in C-295 at

Thu

Student clubs will be selling Valentine items from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday in the Pit. Come by and pick up gifts for your special Valentine.

Mon

The African American Stamp Collection Exhibit, “Stamp of Excellence: Who Should Be Next?” will be in the library until March 7.

12 13 17 Tue

18

“The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow: Plessy vs. Ferguson,” a presentation by professor Glynn Newman that is part of the Social Science, Human Services and Business Division Lecture Series, will be in C-135 at 9:30 a.m.

EFC Star Gazing, hosted by the Eastfield College Physics Department, will be on the south side of G building at 6:30 p.m. No viewing if temperature is below 40 degrees.

Wed

19 Thu

20

Tue

25

“Choices and Consequences: A Path to Prison or Success” panel discussion hosted by the Men’s Empowerment Coalition will be held in G-101 at 12:30 p.m.

“Students of the Black Panther Party,” a Social Science, Human Services and Business Division Lecture Series event presented by history professor Brett Wilkinson will be held in C-135 at 11 a.m.

The African American History Month Read-In with DCCCD Read-In founder Carla Ranger will be hosted by the Arts, Language and Literature division in the Performance Hall, F-209, at 4 p.m.

ABOUT THE COVER

ILLUSTRATED AND DESIGNED BY AKI OHASHI AND ANTONIO AUDIFFRED

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

Texas voter ID law creates confusion

By Billy Dennis etc4640@dcccd.edu

The new Texas voter ID law has sent officials, professors and students scrambling in an effort to comply before the upcoming elections in May and November.

Some see the current Texas Voter ID law as nothing more than partisan politics – a way to suppress the Democratic vote.

“It seems to me that there is a concerted effort to discourage voting among constituencies who are more likely to vote for progressive candidates,” history professor Matt Hinckley said. “I’ll go even further. established money interests very much fear democracy.”

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder challenged the law, passed in 2011, but due to the recent Supreme Court ruling that struck down key elements of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the Texas law became effective immediately.

The 1965 Voting Rights Act said states with a history of discriminatory practices must seek federal approval prior to changing their voting laws.

County election officials are struggling to make voters aware of potential problems with their registration.

On Jan. 24, the Dallas County Elections Department mailed 195,000 letters to registered voters whose driver’s licenses didn’t perfectly match the name on the voter’s registration list, costing taxpayers $80,000 in the process.

What is acceptable?

• Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) • Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS • Texas personal identification card issued by DPS • Texas concealed handgun license issued by DPS • United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph • United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph • United States passport PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY AKI OHASHI/THE ET CETERA

This means roughly 20 percent of legally registered voters could face challenges at the polls.

“It’s frustrating,” said Toni PippinsPoole, Dallas County Elections administrator. “I don’t think there was any voter fraud in Texas to necessitate this.”

One argument against the law is many people may not have the means to get the proper documentation.

“I oppose [current] voter ID laws because they impact differentially the poor, the minority voters such as African-Americans and Hispanics,” political science professor Dr. Cindy Castaneda said. “They are twice as likely not to have the right documentation.”

While some see the new law as a

clear-cut violation of people’s voting rights, others believe it is necessary to eliminate voter fraud.

“Some people argue that it’s discriminatory, but it’s not,” political science professor Dr. Stacey Jurhree said.

“I think you need a voter ID. I think everyone does. In fact, I never knew you could vote without your ID.” The law could prove problematic for women who have changed their names after marriage. However, supporters believe the impact will be minimal.

“I don’t think it will have much of an effect on the students at Eastfield because I’m sure they have driver’s licenses and the proper documentation,” government professor Phoenix

Source: Department of Secretary of state Rousseau said.

Proper documentation necessary, isn’t the only obstacle for some voters. The new law states that the name on their valid ID must “substantially match” the name on the official list of registered voters.

“I voted during the last election,” mechanical engineering major Carlos Torres said. “I thought all you have to do was show up and have your card and you were good. I had no idea that the law changed.

Students can visit the County Elections website at www.dallascountyvotes.org to make sure their information is correct before voting.

Eastfield student shot; Mesquite police searching for suspect

By Billy Dennis etc4640@dcccd.edu

An 18-year-old Eastfield College student was shot in the face on Jan. 8 as she left work near North Mesquite Drive and Towne Center Boulevard.

Marisol Bucio, a North Mesquite High School graduate, was taken to a local hospital where she underwent surgery to remove the bullet that became lodged behind her right eye.

She has since been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.

Police obtained surveillance footage of the incident that shows a four-door sedan, possibly a Cadillac, leaving the scene of the crime. They asked for assistance in locating the vehicle.

“That’s the big one that we need help with,” Mesquite Police Sgt. Brian Parrish said. “When you narrow a vehicle down like that, there’s not

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MESQUITE POLICE

that many in this area.”

Oak Farms Dairy, which has a long-standing tradition of offering rewards in local crimes dating back

to 1973, has put up a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the shooter.

“There’s not much to say about

Marisol Bucio, an 18-year-old Eastfield student, was shot Jan. 8 after leaving work in Mesquite. At left is a photo of Bucio taken after the shooting.

this really,” Parrish said. “It’s sad.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Mesquite Police at 972-285-6336.

NEWS

3

The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Students and faculty mourn chemistry professor

By Justin David Tate etc4640@dcccd.edu

Charter faculty member and chemistry professor Jerry McMahon died unexpectedly last week.

McMahon’s death left a hole in the Science and Physical Education division, where he befriended veteran professors and helped mentor young instructors.

When Sal Frisella arrived in 2002, McMahon took him under his wing.

The two became close and even went hiking together. Despite a 35-year age difference, McMahon was able to out-exercise an easily tired Frisella.

He referred to McMahon as a ball of energy, which made the news of his death harder to take.

“He was a fit guy,” Frisella said.

“When he passed away, it was a kick in the stomach.”

McMahon was popular with students as well.

Moments before his chemistry class started on the morning Feb. 5, computer engineering major Rommel Jensen received a text on his cellphone from a friend stating that McMahon had passed away. He assumed it was a joke.

Professor Jerry McMahon

When he arrived at his classroom, Dean Gretchen Riehl of the Science and Physical Education division shared the news that confirmed the earlier text.

“He’s part of the furniture; he’s been here forever,” Riehl said. “It’s always sad when we lose one of our own. … I spoke with the students.

They were rightfully upset. He was a good teacher and a nice person.”

McMahon, a hard worker and lover of science to all who knew him, died at age 79 in his home on Feb. 4.

He is survived by his wife Sylvia

and two adult children. He will be remembered by the thousands of former students he instructed over the course of his five decade-long teaching career.

The left many without the council of someone they respected, including McMahon’s son, John.

“My dad was a phone call away or there for me with an answer,” John said. “With his passing, the toughest thing to deal with is not being able to pick up the phone and talk to him. I got to lean on my memories of him and learn from all of the things he gave me during my lifetime.”

Many of those who attended McMahon’s funeral on Feb. 8 said they learned life lessons from him.

Frisella was mentored by McMahon for so long that he began to develop a McMahon-like personality. His colleagues call him a “younger version” of McMahon.

Frisella considers it a compliment, calling McMahon honest and open.

“You never had to guess what he thought,” Frisella said. “He would tell you.”

Around 1995, McMahon’s honesty proved critical in helping one of his students succeed. High school

straight-A student Christiana Bivins was taking chemistry in college — and failing miserably.

She went to McMahon in tears midway through the semester. “‘Why am I not smart enough to pass your class?’” Bivins recalls asking. “‘I know I’m smart.’”

McMahon responded kindly, “Yes, yes, sweetie, it’s not that you’re not smart. You had a bad teacher and a bad foundation in chemistry.”

McMahon worked extensively with Bivins after class to help rebuild her foundation. She eventually passed the class with a C. Bivins, not accustomed to earning a C, left the class proud of her accomplishment, she was excited to go forward with her next class, geology, after McMahon took the time to figure out which science would be right for her.

“I sucked at chemistry, but I enjoyed going to his class because I knew I was going to learn something and I knew he genuinely wanted [students] to be excited about that,” Bivins said.

McMahon even taught his future wife, Sylvia, at Navarro College in Corsicana before they began dating.

College seizes opportunity in recycling

By Justin David Tate etc4640@dcccd.edu

The college has taken its recycling into its own hands, and could save as much as $4,000 a year in the process.

When Waste Management terminated its recycling services with the Dallas County Community College District last month, Eastfield Director of Facilities Michael Brantley saw it as an opportunity.

“It doesn’t make good sense to pay somebody to pick up your recycling,” Brantley said. “I’m going to pay you, plus you can take the commodity and make some money off of it. Does that make sense? We don’t need to pay somebody to do that.”

Waste Management acquired the district’s previous recycling partner, Greenstar Recycling in September 2013. Although Waste Management was a different company, they still had to follow Greenstar’s contract.

“They viewed it as unprofitable and it didn’t work out,” math professor Terrance Wickman said. “[I think] they’ve found a loophole in the contract.”

Waste Management is accustomed to using a front-end loader, a truck

that would go to each campus to pick up one large mechanical dumpster for all the recycling. The recycling is separated later.

“When one company acquires another one, there are certain things that they have to go by legally,” Eastfield Purchasing Coordinator Dee Crawford.

Greenstar required Eastfield to separate its own recycling. Then picked up individual totes around campus. Eastfield’s main campus alone had 14 bins.

The fuel costs and extra manpower required to pick up totes from each campus prompted Waste Management to end the contract and attempt to renegotiate with the district, but that doesn’t matter to Brantley.

He has devised a plan for Eastfield to distribute its own recycling.

“When we lost the contract, it didn’t hurt us; it helped us,” Brantley said.

“We don’t use them anymore. Not only that, we’re better prepared because we separate our commodities to begin with, and we weigh our own stuff so we know what’s going out of our campus.

I’m glad they’re gone.”

Shredded white paper goes to a company called Iron Mountain. Scrap

metal and aluminum cans go to Lake June Scrap Metals. Cooking oil goes to a community program called Cease the Grease that turns the oil into biodiesel fuel. AbiBow Recycling pays the college to pick up its newspapers.

Eastfield’s cardboard goes to the city of Mesquite for free, but Brantley plans to get a bailer, a device that compacts cardboard for sale, so the college can start making money off cardboard as well.

The custodial team weighs the recycling weekly and takes down the numbers.

The only thing left to find a vendor for is books and plastic bottles, and Brantley believes he’s found a few potential vendors in Garland. He believes he’ll have that taken care of in about a week.

Even if he doesn’t, the recycling room in the N building is far from full, Brantley said.

He sees contract termination as a blessing to the campus.

“The only reason why we’re being charged for recycling is that they had to come out and pick it up,” Brantley said.

“Now if we have our resources in line, we just take the stuff ourselves.”

The two were married in 1968 after McMahon accepted a job at El Centro in 1967. In 1970, he came to Eastfield.

Of all the memories Sylvia had with him, their nights at Stickerburr Farm stand out the most.

“We went down and spent the night, roasted marshmallows by the fire,” she said. “This is pretty much every year the day after Thanksgiving. … Our children were smiling quite a bit.”

Though McMahon had hinted at retirement before to his fellow coworkers and students, Assistant to the President Sharon Cook believed he would probably never retire.

Before the spring semester began, she shared a laugh with him about his future.

“He asked, ‘So Sharon, when are you going to retire?’” Cook recalled.

“And I said, ‘Well, when are you going to retire, Jerry?’ And we both kind of chuckled and we said, ‘When Carl Knight retires.’ Carl has been here for 45 years. We always say Carl will die teaching here.”

Memorial contributions may be made to the Library Fund at Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall.

NEWS

Briefs College receives Tree Campus distinction Eastfield College received a Tree Campus USA designation from the State Urban and Community Forestry Program on Jan. 21, according to Terrance Wickman, head of the Green Team. The college has been working toward this achievement for more than two years.

Eastfield enrollment numbers rise above the district Eastfield registration numbers have increased 5 percent since the spring 2013 semester. Eastfield is the only DCCCD college to have shown an increase in enrollment this semester, rising from 10,381 to 14,529.

Deadline for The Alternative entries is Feb. 24 Eastfield’s literary magazine The Alternative is now accepting original artwork, essays and shorts stories for this year’s publication.

All entries must be submitted to the Arts, Languages and Literature Division by Feb. 24. For more information, contact Larissa Pierce by phone at 972-860-7315 or by email at thealternative@dcccd.edu.

Employees and faculty recognized for service President Dr. Jean Conway awarded 44 college employees for their years of service at the spring convocation on Jan. 16. Business faculty member Doug Richardson was recognized for 40 years of service with the district. The spring retirement of Dr. Lindle Grisby, Dr. Jay Justice, Cynthia Allen and Ruth Hale was also recognized.

— Compiled by Caitlin Piper

4

NEWS

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

www.eastfieldnews.com

REEFER MADNESS

The Et Cetera

Texas joins the marijuana conversation

By Justin David Tate etc4640@dcccd.edu

Colorado made history last month when it opened the nation’s first legal recreational marijuana shops.

No prescription is necessary. A potential consumer just needs an I.D. that says he or she is over age 21.

Washington is set to follow Colorado’s lead in June.

Oregon, Arizona and even the nation’s capital could join them if marijuana legalization legislation is pushed through this year.

So could Texas, a historically red state for the past 50 years, go green too?

John Hunter of San Antonio, attorney for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, is not optimistic.

“Texas was the first state to outlaw marijuana,” he said. “It’ll probably be the last state to legalize it.”

Texas adopted a policy banning marijuana in 1919, nearly 20 years before federal laws prohibiting marijuana emerged in 1937.

Sensationalized reports in newspapers such as the El Paso Herald fueled a perception that weed drove its users to psychotic episodes of violence. This eventually led El Paso to pass a city ordinance in 1915 that placed marijuana in the same category as cocaine.

Fast forward nearly a century and Gov. Rick

Perry has openly said that he favors decriminalizing marijuana. Perry prefers alternate rehab programs and drug courts to keep Texans out of prison, but Hunter said this is not enough.

“A lot of people are not truly addicted to marijuana,” he said. “A lot of people are recreational users, or if they are habitual users, then they have a medical reason for doing so. So courts that put more probation-like community supervision conditions on them just exacerbate the problem.”

Hunter believes there needs to be less law enforcement and less involvement of the justice system in order to decrease the amount of tax revenue and law enforcement dollars being spent on marijuana.

History professor Matt Hinckley sees lobbying by the prison industry as a potential hurdle in the legalization of marijuana.

“The prison industry is going to hurt because they make money on a per-inmate basis, but I think we can’t make policy decisions based on what’s best for one industry,” he said.

“We have to make policy decisions based on what’s best for the greatest number of people.”

Hunter said the probation industry also generates a lot of money for the state. He refers to marijuana as a “cash cow” since most prosecutions require some probationary sentence.

“Probation requires people to pay money to have a urine test done on them with relative fre-

quency,” Hunter said. “It’s going to require them to go to classes. They have to pay for those classes.

It’s going to require them to pay fines and court costs. So each marijuana conviction generates a nice little chunk of revenue. And if you’re dealing with a large quantity of marijuana … the cash is seized. To some extent, there’s a lot of profit to be made from prosecuting people with marijuana, and it will take a little while to change the culture in law enforcement about that.”

Hunter believes law enforcement would likely oppose marijuana legalization in Texas because it would decrease officers’ ability to arrest people for other offenses. He said the pungent smell of marijuana is used often as probable cause to search someone’s car. From there, an officer can find guns, harder drugs and other contraband.

“It’s a very powerful tool for law enforcement,” Hunter said. “And they’re not going to want to give that up.”

Larry Nassau, owner of marijuana medical dispensary turned retail shop Colorado Cannabis Facility in Denver, said part of Colorado’s success in making marijuana legal was collaborating with law enforcement.

“I would imagine if Texas was going to head down this road, it would be wise to include law enforcement,” Nassau said. “Even though they’re part of the government, it should almost be looked at as a separate entity or arm of the gov-

ernment because they’re the ones making the arrests, so they need to be in on the process.”

One question, Nassau often asks reporters and the audience during newspaper and television interviews is, “Would you rather be building schools or would you rather be building prisons?”

Of the $100 million in tax revenue Colorado is on track to make from recreational marijuana sales, $40 million will be set aside the public education system.

Colorado has a 25 percent state tax on marijuana and an additional 2.9 percent sales tax.

Hinckley wishes Texas would legalize marijuana soon so the state can put the additional marijuana revenue to use.

“If it were done right, it could result in increased tax revenue which could support any number of different programs in this state — from public education to higher education to Medicaid to treatment programs for harder drugs, those who are addicted to heroin or meth,” he said.

History professor Mike Noble doesn’t believe the economic benefits will appeal to Texas enough to overcome the state’s conservative values. However, he believes geography could play a role in moving Texas to legalize marijuana. “[In] a few years, the drug war on the border might convince people legalization is a better route,” Noble said. “You’ve got to remember that the whole reason why [the cartel is] in business and the whole reason why they’re so powerful is because they have consumers.

And guess where the consumers are?

They’re north of the Rio Grande. … If we want to stop the drug war, it’s very simple. Quit buying the stuff. Cartels are out of business. That’s why if [we] legalize it, [we’re] now in competition with the cartels, and the cartels can’t be in competition with the government. They’ll lose.”

No matter what logic or campaign is used, Hunter believes marijuana will still require a wider level of acceptance before it is legalized in Texas.

“If we can get the soccer moms on board to the idea that if we put reasonable regulations on this like we have with alcohol and tobacco, then your fears about your 16-year-old child smoking pot in his room are going to be covered,” he said. “We’re going to try our best to protect our young people, but that doesn’t mean you have to impose your fears about your 16-yearold son on every consenting adult in the state of Texas.”

GRAPHIC BY ANTONIO THE ET CETERA

NEWS

5

The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Most students favor legalizing weed

By Gereneicia Foster etc4640@dcccd.edu

Teenagers are calling it Kush, Mary Jane, grass, green, bud, green monster, Bob Marley, wacky tabacky, hemp and chronic. The popular plant has gained a multitude of nicknames over the years, but it’s simply known as marijuana.

Currently, it is provided medicinally in 21 states for people suffering from a number of illnesses and debilitating diseases.

Marijuana has been causing quite a stir in the media after its recreational use was legalized in Colorado on Jan. 1. According to the Huffington Post, Colorado sold more than $5 million worth of marijuana during its first week, and business owners reported having lines out the door. The Dallas Morning News reported that many of the prospective buyers were Texas residents.

So, Is Texas ready for the pandemonium?

Many Eastfield students believe the state should legalize marijuana for recreational and medical use. However, some students can’t believe that any state would even consider allowing marijuana to be used legally.

Audio engineering major Mirna Roque said Colorado’s decision is “revolutionary” and this is something every state should consider.

“Look at the statistics from other countries, she said. “A lot of them said because they [effectively] legalized it and decriminalized it, it’s

“

“We are wasting a lot of money on taxes on keeping somebody in jail for possession of marijuana.”

—Teresa Santos

Sociology major

”

gotten to the point where people don’t really do it as much. So you kind of have to put that into perspective.”

Several countries have decriminalized the possession of marijuana, including The Netherlands, where it is legal to possess less than 5 grams of marijuana.

Under this policy, fewer adolescents use marijuana there than teens in the United States, according to the Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates for science-based drug policies.

Business major Rameez Sohail believes one benefit to legalizing marijuana is additional revenue, but he said legalizing it will ultimately harm our youth.

“It will have the [same] effect as alcohol and tobacco,” he said. “If we legalize marijuana, it will push our society further into drugs.”

English major Lauren Brandon agreed.

“I believe it opens the doors to many issues,” she said. “Everyone says prohibition brought about its own set of crimes, but with that being said, so does having it [legalized]. So I think that you have to choose the lesser of two evils in certain situations, and I think that by legalizing it you’re just opening the doors to young kids getting ahold of things that they shouldn’t.”

“Legalizing [marijuana] for Texas’ purposes would have a net benefit of increasing tax revenue but also having the FDA at least having a hand in what’s actually in marijuana,” speech instructor Nick Vera said. “[Knowing]that we aren’t getting things laced with all kinds of things would help control the quality of what people are smoking and what people are putting in their bodies.”

One of the biggest debates is whether marijuana is a “gateway drug.” The Drug Policy Alliance claims that most marijuana users never use any other illicit drug. Its website also notes that “marijuana is more of a terminus rather than a gateway drug.” Despite this argument, some believe that legalizing it could lead to harder drugs.

“You get that little bit of a feeling and you want more,” Brandon said. “People taste one thing and they want more. It’s just how we are.”

However, Vera said that a number of things could entice people to try new things.

“I can read a book that glorifies drug use from the 1920s and it might make me to go off and do something like that, but does that mean making movies about drugs is illegal?” he asked. “There are tons of things that inspire people to pursue new avenues of escapism. I feel like simply smoking marijuana certainly leads some people to wonder what other kind of highs are there out there. But I think that too, it doesn’t necessarily have to.”

FBI data shows that 750,000 people were arrested in 2011 for marijuana, and the majority of the charges were for simple possession. Students believe one of the major advantages to legalizing its use is cutting down on enforcement cost. “[Legalizing] it is going to reduce crime because most of the people that are incarcerated right now are because of these charges,” sociology major Teresa Santos said. “We are wasting a lot of money on taxes on keeping somebody in jail for possession of marijuana.”

Associates in Science major Jonathan Montenegro’s agrees with the move to decriminalize marijuana.

“I honestly couldn’t tell you a disadvantage,” he said. “There are obviously medical advantages, there are the economic advantages, and reducing crime rate is always good. So I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

NEWS

6 Wednesday, February 12, 2014

www.eastfieldnews.com

‘Out-of-the-box thinker’

The Et Cetera

Dean Carter-Harbour integrates academics, student engagement in new OSER role

By Karina Dunn etc4640@dcccd.edu

The Office of Student Engagement and Retention, a new office at Eastfield, helps students complete their course work, graduate and transfer to a four-year university.

In January, Courtney Carter-Harbour was appointed the new executive dean of OSER. She previously served as associate dean for Arts, Language and Literature at Eastfield, and was a member of the Core 2009 committee, revising the curriculum to offer a more holistic experience across DCCCD campuses.

“I think it’s important for the college officials to hear what students’ experiences are in order to better strategize when to and how to offer different things to students based on feedback,” said CarterHarbour, who came to Eastfield in January 2007.

Her years as a grade-school student transformed the way she views education. Born in Austin, she moved with her family to DeSoto, then a predominately white community, as a toddler. Carter-Harbour credits her parents’ high expectations for her determination to succeed in her academic and personal life.

“Being a student of color in a predominantly white school system, up till sixth grade, gave me a challenge, a different perspective, when I taught in a predominantly African AmericanLatino populated middle school,” said CarterHarbour, who taught at O.W. Holmes Middle School in Oak Cliff.

She said honest conversations about personal challenges are key to student success.

Students should be able to admit to mistakes or face obstacles and grow from them.

“Many students believed education was a waste of time,” she said. “That inspired me as an educator to think of new and inspiring ways to motivate and teach those students. I think those four years at that middle school shaped me and defined my purpose in education.”

Carter-Harbour said her experiences reaffirmed the importance of collaboration and innovation. Her focus on perseverance, teamwork and student service resonates with the faculty and students she encounters.

“Courtney is a dynamic individual,” said Michael Gutierrez, vice president for Academic Affairs and Student Success. “With her interpersonal skills, she’s also one that can start and complete projects. We needed somebody that could create something that didn’t exist. She excels in that.”

Speech Professor Courtney Brazile described Carter-Harbour as an “out-of-the-box thinker.”

“In this new position, she will bring creativity to the program and new ways to engage the student body,” Brazile said.

Brazile also serves as an adviser with the Men’s Coalition Club, which engages minority males socially, culturally and academically. An extension of OSER, the club embraces OSER’s

PHOTOS BY JESSICA GARCIA/THE ET CETERA

Courtney Carter-Harbour was named dean of the new Office of Student Engagement and Retention in January.

Carter-Harbour works with Quality Enhancement Plan coordinator Kyle Barron.

mission to inspire self-improvement by inviting successful speakers to share their stories.

“Students see people who are doing great things, but who have not always made the right choices and decisions,” he said. “I think it’s important for students to know that there will be obstacles in working toward their degrees, but don’t let that discourage you.”

Aside from its connection to Student Life,

OSER offers classes through the Quality Enhancement Plan. The Academic and Cultural Enhancement classes place students in environments where professors and students rely on one another. Instructors and students use the library and other college resources to ensure classroom success.

Andre Williams, who is considering a career in education, said he uses ACE classes to

stay on top of his studies. He was referred to the program by QEP Coordinator Kyle Barron.

“The emails I get from all of my teachers and the teamwork of my fellow classmates help,” Williams said. “It’s an opportunity to get my name out there and be involved in the [community].”

Judith Dumont, associate dean of College Readiness and Mathematics, is one of Williams’ instructors. She agrees with Carter-Harbour’s approach to investing in college students.

“My favorite part about my job is getting to know students and students’ stories,” Dumont said. “They bring a rich background in culture and experience. You tap into who they are to better mentor them.”

Dumont said she is motivated by CarterHarbour’s focus and being a part of a program like OSER. “Dean Harbour is a powerhouse,” she said.

“She has high expectations, and her No. 1 ability is her ability to play fair but keep everyone on task and get the job done.”

Carter-Harbour said, she wishes, she had taken more community college courses at Cedar Valley and Mountain View prior to her studies at University of North Texas. Additional classes would have better prepared her for life and the work needed to finish her degree.

“I think I would have benefited from more preparation, smaller class sizes, more connections, attention, working with faculty,” she said.

“For me, it’s also about the idea of completion.”

Life&Arts The Et Cetera

7

www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

“Unspecific” is art professor David Willburn’s first solo exhibit at the college. The exhibit closes friday.

Willburn displays his recent work in art exhibition at Eastfield

By Emma Hahn etc4640@dcccd.edu

Meet art professor David Willburn, a man of complex humor and an artist with an eye for beauty in the most common things, such as a coffee pot or a television remote.

Willburn’s most recent work is currently on display in room F-219, the campus’ small art gallery.

The art displayed in “UnspeciFic” is subtle, abstract and very minimal. Willburn doesn’t have to smear paint over a canvas to make beautiful images. Small lines of pen or pencil move freely on the paper, turning and contorting into unfamiliar shapes. Bits of foam and cloth are glued on some of the works to add a 3D effect.

What the pictures portray is not entirely clear to the viewer, but it stirs a sense of longing to know what the pictures mean.

When asked what inspired his work, Willburn said he looks at the world around him and creates art that describes what he sees.

“My work is motivated by a desire to investigate how people inhabit domestic space,” Willburn said. “All of my work has been about the idea of domesticity and the rituals that occur within one’s home environment.”

He said before this exhibition, most of his works were realistic drawings of spaces in a home with embroidery stitched onto pieces of paper.

“In this new work, I’ve taken that exact same type of information and highly abstracted it,” Willburn said. “So, it’s there for me, that motivation and inspiration, it’s just been visually altered.”

Iris Bechtol, Gallery Director, describes Willburn’s personality as quiet, yet exuberant at the same time. His face lights up as he explains his work, and his hands are constantly moving to capture ideas that can’t be expressed in words.

Bechtol said the reason for Willburn’s solo exhibition is that he is leaving for a sabbatical in the fall.

Art professor David Willburn talks to a visitor about his current work in F-219.

Art display

David Willburn’s exhibition is on display from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday in the art gallery, F-219.

“He’ll be focusing on his work and studio, and not teaching,” Bechtol said. “Sometimes it’s good to acknowledge that the faculty, who spend all of this time in the program, are practicing artists too.”

Art professor Kathy Windrow taught Willburn when he attended Eastfield as a young

PHOTOS BY KEVIN CUSHINGBERRY JR./THE ET CETERA

adult. He was a student in several of her 2D design classes.

“He was a character from the very beginning, so he stood out in my class.” Windrow said. “He was very serious, and he did all of the work brilliantly, with this kind of quirky sense of humor.”

Windrow said her relationship with Willburn grew into a long-lasting friendship.

“He is one of my top favorite people in the world that I have ever met, which is saying a lot because I’ve been on the planet for a long time.”

Windrow said. “He is an amazing individual.

There is no one else like David Willburn.”

“

“My work is motivated by a desire to investigate how people inhabit domestic space.”

—David Willburn Art professor

”

life&arts

8 Wednesday, February 12, 2014

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

How to eat healthy on a budget

By Morgan Corley etc4640@dcccd.edu

When you’re a student, your diet is one of the easiest things to ignore. Grabbing a bag of chips and a soda between classes is way easier than packing your own snacks.

Unfortunately, this is a poor dietary choice. You need to take care of yourself during your college years, and one of the best ways to do that is to maintain a healthy diet. The following is a list of tips for healthy eating that will help you make good choices without breaking the bank.

1. Make a meal plan Plan out your meals a few days in advance. Try to plan meals using some of the same ingredients. That way, you can use every bit of what you buy and reduce food waste.

2. Invest in storage containers Freezing food and saving leftovers is a great way to save money and prepare for a later meal. Making large amounts of food and portioning it out may seem like a daunting task, but it gets easier with time. If you are dieting, freezing food is a great way to control portions. By freezing individual meals, you make it easier and more cost effective to stick to your diet and reach your goal.

3. Buy in bulk Many grocery stores have bulk sections where you can buy as little or as much as you want. You can buy a large portion of dry goods – flour, sugar, rice, beans and nuts, for example – and save a decent amount of money.

4. Avoid convenience foods Buying convenience foods such as instant oatmeal or frozen dinners is much more expensive than buying the individual ingredients and making it from scratch. Many convenience foods are also loaded down with extra preservatives, which greatly im-

pact the nutritional value of what you are putting into your body.

5. Buy according to the season Certain fruits and vegetables are more readily available at certain times of the year. Make use of as much in-season produce as possible. If you don't know what is currently in-season, look it up online or ask someone working in the produce section of your store. If you don’t plan on using the produce you are buying right away, make sure it isn't fully ripe when you buy it. If you want to speed up the ripening process, many fruits will ripen faster if you leave them in a paper bag for 12 to 24 hours.

Now here is a healthy recipe for you to try.

Spaghetti squash with tomato sauce and ground turkey (serves three) You will need: 1 pound of lean ground turkey 1 jar of spaghetti sauce 1 spaghetti squash, approximately three pounds

Spaghetti squash with ground turkey and spicy tomato sauce is good on a budget.

Cut the squash and lay it on its side. Hold one end and insert the point of the blade straight down with the sharp side pointing away from the hand holding the squash. Then push down on the knife so that it cuts through the flesh.

Next, remove the seeds and fibrous insides. Use a fork to rake the inside first.

After your squash is clean, there are several methods of cooking it. One way is in the oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place the spaghetti squash cut side down in a glass-baking dish.

Add about ½ inch of water to the pan. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the squash from the dish and cool for five minutes.

Another way to prepare the squash is to place the squash cut side down on a microwave safe plate and cover it with a wet

paper towel before microwaving it on high for five minutes per pound. If your whole squash is around 3 pounds, you should microwave each half separately for about 8 minutes.

To remove the meat of the squash, stab a fork into one end of the sliced side and rake it downward breaking it into spaghettilike strands.

To prepare your sauce, brown the ground turkey in a large pan with olive oil and spices of your choice. Salt, pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes are some good seasoning options.

When the turkey is browned, drain off as much excess liquid as you can. Add the spaghetti sauce and simmer.

When you are ready to serve, pour the sauce on top of the squash and enjoy!

MORGAN CORLEY/THE ET CETERA

‘Two Brothers’ hides true colors beneath flashy coat of paint

By Caitlin Piper etc4640@dcccd.edu

‘Two Brothers’ forced me to ask myself a lot of questions. What is the true nature of life and death? What is the meaning of color? How do we comprehend that which we cannot explain?

Unfortunately, the questions didn’t stop there. Over the course of my 12-hour journey with the eponymous sibling duo, I asked more and more questions.

Can a preference for style over substance work in an interactive medium?

Can fun little nods to the titles of yesteryear make up for a lack of polish and a myriad of technical problems?

Can a combination of nostalgia and an above-average script transform what is an otherwise average adventure game into an enjoyable and memorable PC classic?

Set in an ill defined but imaginative fantasy world, “Two Brothers”

COURTESY ACKKSTUDIOS

follows brothers Roy and Braville as they journey to find the meaning of color, which only exists in the afterlife. Having just returned from the afterlife himself (sans his recently deceased wife), Roy searches for vindication after his brush with death, as even he has difficulty comprehending what he has seen.

“Two Brothers” is a thinly veiled pastiche of numerous 8- and 16-bit favorites, such as ‘Final Fantasy’ or the early “Zelda” titles. Though many of the tropes and game mechanics

utilized in “Two Brothers” are largely derivative, make no mistake – these were chosen with the utmost care by the developers, who are clearly fans of the adventure games of old. Much of its appeal lies in the discovery of gaming references and fourth wallshattering jokes. Here’s one for the “Zelda” fans: chop down tall grass to get some free items.

Other major sources of the game’s appeal lie in its plot and characters, which are largely well written and richly developed. The game’s bizarre

world also does an admirable job of unnerving and immersing the player in its antics.

Despite this, “Two Brothers” is difficult to recommend when it comes down to it, even for the hardcore retro gaming crowd.

It is riddled with glitches, chief among them a tendency for the game to freeze when the player tries to open a treasure chest, and when combined with the lackluster combat, weak enemy AI and a plethora of spelling and grammatical errors, this

otherwise stylish and well-plotted game is bogged down by mistakes which could have been remedied with a little extra polish. It’s rather sad to see such an ambitious labor of love fall flat, but that’s just the way things go sometimes.

If you are a fan of retro games or new games disguised as retro games, ‘Two Brothers” probably isn’t for you.

Do yourself a favor and check out “Undertale” or “Nanashi no Game”, which were far more successful in their attempts to emulate the games of the past.

However, if you are willing to overlook its faults and just want to experience a good story firsthand, “Two Brothers” is worth a look.

Though far from perfect, there are flashes of brilliance in this nostalgic little adventure, and $15 isn’t much to ask for when it comes to a deeply flawed but interesting game. There’s certainly a lot worse out there for more than double that price.

Life&Arts Wednesday, February 12, 2014

at th e

CLUB FAIR

Students gathered in the Pit on Jan. 30 to participate in the Spring 2014 Eastfield Club Fair. Various clubs on campus set up booths to recruit new members. At right, Judy Schwartz talks to students about Student Life on Jan. 30 at the Pit. Top left: Ra’Shawnda Umobit, Chris Pescador and Wesley Tran play video games. Top right: Joella Broadway, a member of the Sigma Kappa Delta Honor Society, speaks with fellow students about her club. Below left: Salsa Club member Junior Vega talks to interested classmates. Below right: Danny Garcia is served a taco plate.

PHOTOS BY JESSICA GARCIA/THE ET CETERA

9 www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

opinion

10 The Et Cetera

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Etera Caitlin Piper

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

Eastfield College 3737 Motley Drive Mesquite, TX 75150 Phone: 972-860-7130 Fax: 972-860-7646 Email: etc4640@dcccd.edu

Punishing children on the Internet can have a lasting effect

Editor In Chief Kevin Cushingberry Jr. Managing Editor Justin David Tate News Editor Billy Dennis Opinion Editor Caitlin Piper Online Editor Miguel Padilla Photo Editor Jessica Garcia Design Editors Aki Ohashi DeKayla Horton Staff Writers Gerenecia Foster Karina Dunn Emma Hahn Robert Burns Photographer Luzette Portillo Cartoonist Alex Hernandez Graphics Antonio Audiffred Advertising Manager Allison Slomowitz Student Publications Manager Gary Piña Faculty Adviser Lori Dann Editorial Policy The views expressed on the opinion pages and other opinion pieces and cartoons in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of The Et Cetera, Eastfield College or the Dallas County Community College District.

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

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

The content will remain that of the author. Letters considered for publication must be 250 words or fewer. Letters may be delivered to Room N-240 or sent to etc4640@dcccd.edu First Amendment Right Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

OUR VIEW

Marijuana legalization will cut down on crime, increase revenue in Texas Now that recreational marijuana usage has been legalized in Washington and Colorado, advocates are pushing for legalization in other parts of the country, including Texas.

Although it may seem hard to believe that a largely conservative state — the same state where more than 20,000 people were arrested for marijuana possession and usage in the previous decade ­— would ever legalize or even decriminalize the drug, recent events show that public opinion is rapidly changing in its favor.

A survey conducted in October by Public Policy Polling revealed that more than half of Texans support marijuana legalization.

Even Gov. Rick Perry said he strongly supported decriminalization at the 2014 World Economic Forum in Switzerland, saying he would introduce policies that would prevent people from “going to prison and destroying their lives.”

We support these stances, but where can Texas go from here?

Colorado’s laws regarding recreational marijuana use provide an excellent blueprint for other

states to follow. Residents age 21 and older can only have an ounce or less in their possession, and having anywhere from 2 to 6 ounces is a mere misdemeanor — the same as a traffic ticket. A license is also needed to sell marijuana, just as one is required to sell alcohol.

If marijuana is legalized in Texas, we also believe it should be taxed, which will increase revenue for the state.

Regulating the THC level in each plant would be a good idea, as well.

From 2001 to 2010, Texas spent more than $20 million arresting and prosecuting people for marijuana use and possession. In addition, thousands of people have been sent to prison for using a drug that has been proven to be less harmful than alcohol, which is perfectly legal.

The decision to not legalize marijuana is doing far more harm than good.

We must continue to fight for marijuana decriminalization and legalization in Texas, and if recent public opinion is anything to go by, we are getting closer to this goal.

On Jan. 5, a redditor known only as AngryCommGuy posted a photo of a frowning teenage girl holding up a sign and an iPod, claiming it had been taken by her mother. Among other things, the sign relayed that the girl was a cyberbully and that she had to sell her beloved iPod and donate the money to an anti-bullying organization as punishment.

This is only the most recent of a rapidly developing trend on the Internet: public shaming of misbehaving children through social media.

An Ohio mother recently posted a photo of her daughter alongside a brief paragraph instructing readers to ask the girl why she was banned from all forms of social media, and we’ve all seen the video of the father who was less than pleased with his daughter’s disrespectful posts on her Facebook page, shooting her laptop with his gun several times on camera and posting it online.

Public shaming is certainly nothing new.

Humiliating signs existed long before the Internet, and dunce caps haven’t become a cliche for nothing.

However, the Internet has made it easy for information to spread quickly. While posting a humiliating photo may seem like a good idea at the time, these parents don’t seem to realize just how far-reaching the world wide web has become.

They say nothing is ever truly gone from the Internet. This is especially unfortunate for the children subjected to this type of punishment, as these photos and videos will continue to circulate long after the child has supposedly learned their lesson. They can even cost them a job or lower their chances of being accepted into the college of their choice.

While shame can be used to instill empathy or obedience in a misbehaving child, public shaming — especially on the Internet — does them more harm than good.

It is not about teaching the child a lesson, but about upholding their mother or father’s reputation. The fact that these parents seem so proud of their actions when these stories go viral is proof enough.

opinion

11

The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

My kids should grow to outlive me

My children must bury me. This was all I could think about as I watched my beautiful children on the playground one sunny afternoon in Denver.

I refuse to be a part of a future where I must bury my son or any of my three daughters. I saw my grandmother, age 77, bury two of her own — one taken by disease in her 40s and another at age 50 to diabetes.

No parent ever wants to go through that.

Now that I’m a parent of four healthy and smart kids, ages 8 through 15, I seek to keep them active. Any sport they want to enter, I let them. Tennis? Football?

“You damn right you can play,” I say.

The previous generations of men in my family, while wise in spiritual matters, were foolhardy with their bodies.

My father, a diabetic for decades with an amputated foot, died of a heart attack in August at age 58.

My grandfather died a few months before I was born due to lung cancer. He had been smoking cigarettes since he was a teenager.

I am taking steps toward being a healthier adult as I approach 30. My words won’t be effective if I do not live a healthy lifestyle.

I encourage my children to put down the sweets, eat healthy and be active, not stagnant in front of a television, watching five-hour “Powerpuff Girl” marathons.

But at the same time, I want to have fun.

Justin Tate

I’ll still buy them Voodoo donuts. I’ll still make pancakes and waffles with them in the kitchen. I’ll still buy them corn syrupenriched Arizona teas. But we will be an active family, one who moves too much to become obese.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, child obesity has more than doubled in the past 30 years. Seven percent of children were obese in 1980. That number rose to 18 percent in 2010.

Of the factors the CDC suggested could be the cause of child obesity, one stuck out to me — environment.

My home state, Texas, has one of the highest obesity rates in high school-age children at 16 percent in 2011. Colorado’s rate of obese children in high school is 7 percent.

The state my children moved from, Oklahoma, is 17 percent.

It’s the culture that adds pounds and shaves years off the lives of our children. My

family has fed its young pork meat for over a century. Such an unhealthy meat was fed to them during slavery. Pork was continually cooked until it became a dominant course on the dinner table through family tradition.

This wasn’t such a horrible thing when our family had less to keep them indoors.

But with the invention of television, the computer, that 100-plus-channel devil that is cable and its wicked accomplice, DVR, I have to be a role model.

Today, I walk more than two miles a day.

Not much compared to the three miles my mother used to walk in the mornings, but it’s a start.

I’ve declared a war on excess corn syrup in my diet. Gummi bears and Sour Patch Kids have become victims in the battle.

Most important of all, I gave up pork and other red meats, a decision I have upheld for the last six years and counting.

I started a workout regimen that includes stairs and using my arms to lift something heavier than the remote. Hopefully, my own embrace of the outdoors and veggies will inspire my children to live to their fullest potential as well.

Then when the inevitable comes and I am laid to rest, my daughters will speak fondly of me, and my son, strong and healthy, will be one of my pallbearers because I never want to be one of his.

Are you sure that’s what our forefathers said?

One of the most damaging side effects of social media is the proliferation of misinformation. Spreading like a virus, it has begun to infect our society as a whole.

One recent phenomenon caught my eye: misquoting our founding fathers.

I’m sure both factions of our political ideologies participate in some degree, but the lion’s share of these erroneous quotes comes from the conservative and Tea Party crowd.

Here, I have decided to tackle a few of their favorites.

“The Bible is the source of liberty.”

I find this one to be particularly puzzling since Thomas Jefferson was a Deist, and as such, did not exactly revere the Bible. Since Jefferson didn’t believe in the divinity of Jesus, he created the Jefferson Bible, which took out all mentions of miracles attributed to Jesus as well as any references to him being the Son of God. The earliest source I could find that attributed this quote to Jefferson was from the 1952 book, Our Public Schools – Christian or Secular, by Renwick Harper Martin. Basically, we can blame this quote on America’s new religiosity in the face of Soviet atheism.

At the time this quote became famous, we were even amending our Pledge of Al-

Billy Dennis

legiance to include the words, “Under God.” “Never trust a government that doesn’t trust its own citizens with guns.”

I’ve seen this quote numerous times as a result of the recent mass shootings and calls for stronger gun regulations. The only problem, Benjamin Franklin never said it. I have scoured Franklin’s writings looking for this quote, and it has proven to be quite elusive.

It’s not found is any of his Poor Richard’s Maxims and cannot be found in the digital archive of The Franklin Papers, a website sponsored by Yale University. The genesis of this quote appears to be a meme circulated on social media.

“When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.”

Sorry Libertarians, but Jefferson didn’t say this one either. It is one of those quotes

we can all imagine him saying, which is exactly why it’s so pervasive today.

The earliest known appearance of this quote in print was in 1914. However, this quote was not attributed to Jefferson until 1994. Like the other quotes, this one can be directly tied into the politics of the time.

In 1994, two years into the Bill Clinton presidency, many Conservatives and Libertarians believed the government was becoming too intrusive and overreaching. This quote was used to bolster their point of view.

While we all enjoy reading and hearing our favorite quotes from the founding fathers, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to take quotes from the 18th and 19th century and superimpose them onto our politics today.

For example, one actual quote of Franklin’s that I hear all the time is, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

This quote made a lot of sense when the chief threats of the day were cannons and muskets, but something tells me Franklin would amend this quote if he lived with the threat of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons in the hands of rogue states and stateless terrorist groups coupled with our own jingoistic nature.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Keturah Jones

Pimping on TV in name of Jesus

One night, I was awoken by a loud voice on my television, prompting me to order a baggie of water that would make all of my financial troubles disappear. I thought I was dreaming. If I drank this water, would my student loan fees magically disappear?

It is sad that religion has resorted to gimmicks to get people to give money to their ministries. Growing up I was taught that you must give 10 percent of your earnings to the church — which was called “tithing” — and give an offering.

Not being able to take another minute of this socalled prophet, I grabbed the remote and began flipping through the channels. Next was a popular local televangelist advertising one of his “mega” conferences. He had a celebrity lineup of entertainers for his conference, which resembled being on the red carpet at the Grammys. Oprah, Jennifer Hudson, Brandy, Tyler Perry and a host of others were featured as guests. I wanted to go. But after calling the 800 number, I was asked to pull out my credit card. I quickly hung up.

Since when did hearing the word of God come with a price? I don’t recall Jesus charging the large multitudes who followed him around to hear the word of God. If anything he gave it to them for free.

Now please don’t go get your wallets or Bibles all twisted up. I’m not saying that your pastor is a pulpit pimp. However, there are preachers who are more concerned with money, power and prestige than saving souls. They stand in our churches and appear on our televisions claiming that if we give money to the church, then we too can have wealth, healing and power. They give out water, special prayer cloths and ink pens in exchange for your money. They are pimping these things in the name of Jesus.

My father fell prey to one of these schemes. He gave $100 to get a “miracle” ink pen. The preacher promised that whatever he wrote with this pen would come true.

My dad got home and thought he would give it a whirl.

The ink inside the pen had dried up. I laughed and asked if he could get his money back.

My father laughed it off, but he too was trying to find an explanation. He told me that, whether the ink pen worked or not, it was his faith and belief in God that was going to bless him. If the preacher was crooked or lying, God would punish him. I asked, “Dad, couldn’t you just have taken an ink pen out of your pocket and believe the same thing for free?” He never responded.

I am convinced that you never have to pay for a blessing from God, nor do you have to pay to hear the word of God. Preachers have assumed the role of pulpit pimps.

They take our trust in God and pimp it through material and carnal things for their own gain.

So next time you are approached by a preacher to buy an ink pen, prayer cloth or baggie of water, remember to check for hidden cameras.

Because you just might find yourself on the latest episode of “You Just Got Pimped.”

Life&Arts

12 Wednesday, February 12, 2014

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

Sports

Feb. 12 Feb. 15 Feb. 14 Feb. 17 Feb. 21 Feb. 22

Basketball at Mountain View Basketball vs Richland Baseball at Texas Wesleyan Baseball vs Kansas City CC Baseball at Cedar Valley Baseball at Cedar Valley

A winning spirit

The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

7 p.m.

2 p.m.

1:30 p.m.

2 p.m.

2 p.m.

11 a.m.

13

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Captain Shockey looks to finish his career on a high note

By Kevin Cushingberry Jr. etc4640@dcccd.edu

A win was on the line every night in the Shockey family’s front yard in Haltom City.

The one-on-one basketball battles became so competitive, twin brothers Josh and Aaron hung a poster on their bedroom wall keeping tally of each victory. More than 100 slashes on each side of the poster reminded them just how important every game was.

The basketball court wasn’t the only special place for the Shockeys. From a young age, Mike and Deborah Shockey instilled faith in their children. The family would charter buses to take students from local schools to Fellowship Church in Fort Worth.

“Faith was a big part of my life growing up,” said Josh, now a guard on the Eastfield basketball team. “Since my redshirt year, I pray with the team after every team event. That’s a big thing for me.”

While redshirting, Shockey transferred from Fellowship Church’s Fort Worth campus to a satellite site in downtown Dallas. There, he became an intern under Pastor Kevin Batista, leading more than 40 volunteers every Sunday.

“Josh is a young man of great character,” Batista said. “He’s a leader, and it takes a lot for a 21-year-old to lead a group of adults. That definitely says something about him as a person.”

Former Harvester all-American Semar Farris suggested that Shockey play for Eastfield after they met at 24 Hour Fitness. Shockey contacted head coach Anthony Fletcher and joined the team in fall 2011.

“It’s always helpful when one of your players recommends a guy,” Fletcher said. “Depending on the situation, some of those guys can help out a lot, and Shockey turned out to be one of them.”

Following summer workouts in 2012, Shockey became a team captain alongside Farris and another guard, Brock Hunter. The 2012-2013 team went 29-5, including 9-1 in the Metro Athletic Conference, and advanced to the national championship where they would lose by six points.

Shockey still remembers the sting of watching Brookdale accept the championship trophy.

“When we were on the other side of the court, the whole time I was thinking it’s time to move on to next season,” Shockey said. “It felt so bad to lose such a close game. I knew we had to work harder than ever to come out on top.”

Fletcher said he sees passion in the returning players’ eyes whenever they talk about

KEVIN CUSHINGBERRY JR./THE ET CETERA

The Harvesters have a combined 51-10 record in Josh Shockey’s two-year career.

KEVIN CUSHINGBERRY JR./THE ET CETERA

Sophomore captain Josh Shockey shoots during halftime of the Harvesters’ game against North Lake. Eastfield will play host to Richland at 2 p.m. on Saturday for the MAC title.

making it back to New York and competing for a national championship.

“We were inches away from the top of the

mountain and didn’t get there,” Fletcher said.

“We came back hungry, starving, thirsty …

You want it so bad because you felt the experi-

ence of falling short.”

In his second season as captain, Shockey has helped Eastfield to a 22-5 record while averaging 10 points a game and shooting 40 percent from behind the 3-point arc. The Harvesters have sustained a top 10 national ranking throughout the season and Shockey has improved his career record to 29-4 when playing at home.

“He’s a true leader,” Fletcher said. “He’s a guy that’s going to be side by side with his teammates and always try to do things that’s best for the team.”

In January, Shockey was announced as one of six Eastfield athletes named to the Chancellor’s Award list, having maintained at least a 3.75 GPA throughout the fall 2013 semester.

With just one class left on his associate’s degree plan, and one semester of eligibility, Shockey’s time at Eastfield is coming to a close.

The Harvesters are tied with Richland for the lead in the Metro Athletic Conference and if they advance, will be only the second team in school history to make back-to-back national championship runs.

For Shockey, after this season he hopes to play basketball at a four-year university while finishing up work on his bachelor’s degree.

After college, Shockey wants to have his own business. His coach thinks possibilities are endless.

“Sky’s the limit for Josh,” Fletcher said. “He’s motivated, he’s smart, and he’s a hard worker.

He can go anywhere he wants to go. He can do anything in his life he wants to do. He just has to go out there and do it.

sports

14 Wednesday, February 12, 2014

www.eastfieldnews.com

The Et Cetera

Baseball team hopes for bounce-back season

By Kevin Cushingberry Jr. etc4640@dcccd.edu

Just six months ago, one swing of Michael Fredoboelling’s bat clinched the regular season Metro Athletic Conference title for the Eastfield Harvesters baseball team.

The win against Richland rewarded the Harvesters with their fourth consecutive conference title. They finished with a conference record of 21-9 and were the No. 1 seed in the Region V postseason tournament.

Little did they know that at the time, the hit would be the last one of the season for the Harvesters. Because a player was found academically ineligible, Eastfield forfeited six wins and dropped to fifth in conference with a 15-15 record. Only the top four teams advance to the regional tournament.

“I wasn’t at practice that day because I was sick,” catcher Taylor Empkey said.

“My roommates came back and they let me know. They told me something was up because Coach Martin and Coach [Travis] Graves had to leave practice early to go to a meeting. That was weird because that never happens.”

Martin said the fact that an off-field issue ended the season was disappointing because the Harvesters never reached their

full potential. He believes it will be a learning experience.

“Hopefully, it will help us if we face adversity in the future,” he said. “If we take a tough loss somewhere down the road, we’ll have last year’s adversity and that will help us overcome those situations. The only way you can look at it is to take some positives out of it and move forward.”

The Harvesters return 16 players from last year. Martin said many still have a bad taste in their mouths. One key player returning is center fielder Gavin Gregory.

“My first response was anger,” Gregory said. “I was mad because we put in so much hard work to win the conference, and then found out our season was done.”

Gregory took a month off from baseball activities at the end of the season. He then turned his focus toward weight training.

“The offseason was a time for growth for me,” Gregory said. “I got bigger, I feel stronger. I’m ready to get the season in full swing.”

Sophomore pitcher Will Birge, who Martin said will contribute greatly from the mound, said he feels good about new teammates that have joined him and the other 15 returning players.

“I feel good about our team, everyone’s real excited and expects to go all the way

Soccer player signs with Eastfield

coming off of last season,” pitcher Will Birge said. “Coach Martin went out and recruited well to add to the guys coming back.”

Gregory said this team is solid.

“We’re going out and we’re winning it this year,” he said. “I want to put a ring on my finger, and then my ultimate goal as an individual is to become and all-American.”

Empkey said the chemistry is equally important to him.

“A national championship would be phenomenal,” Empkey said. “The way I really look at it though is how awesome is it to get to meet all these guys. You’re in college for four years generally, ideally playing baseball all four years so you meet a lot of cool guys.

Personally, meeting guys and building relationships is huge for me, that’s what I’m all about.”

So far, the team is 2 - 0 after starting the season off on the right foot, winning a doubleheader against Bossier-Parish.

Freshman Dalton Brewer said the team’s chemistry has been great.

“With this team there’s just a bond,” Brewer said. “Everybody gets along, everybody’s best friends with each other. If I make an error or something, they might mess with me but then they’ll tell me to fix JUSTIN YANGER/THE ET CETERA it. That really helps me out. We all are here Sophomore Gavin Gregory and the Harvesters ended their season off of the field last season. for each other. I’m excited for the season.”

Where preparing to return to the workforce balances with

© 2014 National University 13818

“I have two young kids.”

KEVIN CUSHINGBERRY JR./THE ET CETERA

Heidee Perez, a senior at Rowlett High School, signed a national letter of intent on Jan. 31 to become a scholar athlete at Eastfield in the fall. Here, Heidee is pictured with President Jean Conway, coach Dustin Stein and her mother, Patricia. She chose Eastfield because it will allow her to stay close to home while playing soccer and getting a college education.

• • • •

Students can transfer at any time Transfer scholarships are available One-course-per-month format 28 campuses plus online programs

Learn more at nu.edu/transfer

6 Campuses in San Diego County NU14_13818-29_CC_PrintAd_SD_Palomar_5p25x6p5_K.indd 1

Where quality meets flexibility™

(855) 355-6288 1/31/14 11:20 AM

Wrapup The Et Cetera

www.eastfield.com

Short Thoughts BY ALEX HERNANDEZ

Trivia Bits

1. Who co-wrote Michael Jackson’s posthumous single “This Is It”?

A) Muhammad Ali B) Paul Anka C) Justin Bieber D) Johnny Cash 2. Before his breakthrough role as a mopey werewolf, who played Sharkboy in “The Adventure of Sharkboy and Lavagirl”?

A) Taylor Lautner B) Robert Pattinson C) Ian Somerhalder D) Paul Wesley

15

3. Who does Springsteen want to run off with, because “tramps like us, baby we were born to run”?

A) Jenny B) Laurie C) Sherry D) Wendy 4. What show was launched with a pilot titled for the show’s working name: “Not the Cosby Show”?

A) “Beavis and Butthead” B) “Married ... With Children” C) “Roseanne” D) “The Simpsons”

Sudoku

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Trivia Answers 1.Paul Anka co-wrote the Michael Jackson song.

2.Taylor Lautner played Sharkboy.

3.Wendy, we were born to run.

4.“Married ... With Children” was definitely not “The Cosby Show.”

16

The Et Cetera

Wednesday, February 12, 2014