Eastfield Et Cetera Oct. 10, 2018

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Eastfield College

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Volume 50, Issue 4

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NEWS

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

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College faces accreditation audit

By ANDREW WALTER Opinion Editor @AndyWalterETC

Eastfield recently submitted its five-year report to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the results of the evaluation, available in December, will determine if the school remains an accredited institution.

If the SACS Commission on Colleges determines that Eastfield does not meet adequate educational standards, and the college does not work to meet them within a set time frame, Eastfield would lose its credibility.

Kim Chandler, SACS liaison and dean of planning, research and institutional effectiveness, said a college not being accredited would have disastrous consequences.

A school that loses its credibility faces two issues: degrees given by the school become essentially worthless and the school won’t receive any federal aid money.

“Here’s why students should care: because it means their degree is worth something,” Chandler said. “If we failed this, no one’s going to take your degree.”

Chandler also said the reports that Eastfield submits are incredibly thorough.

More than 90 questions, such as if the school has degree-granting authority from the appropriate government agencies, must be answered describing how Eastfield meets these specific standards set by the SACS. “Any one of those 94 responses, in order to answer that standard, could be anywhere from three to 10 pages long,” Chandler said. “These reports can get easily 500-plus pages long, 1,000 pages.”

Chandler said the reports must include documentation of how each standard is met. Because of its length, the reports are submitted electronically. Eastfield began collecting data for the recent report two years ago.

These reports are also shared with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the government agency that oversees all public postsecondary education in the state.

One way that Eastfield collects data for its reports is by having students in core classes complete the core artifact assignments.

Eastfield evaluates students’ answers on the assignment to determine if they are retaining the material learned in their classes and demonstrating critical thinking skills.

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Eastfield made a separate report for SACS Substantive Change, an accreditation branch made for a college’s off-site locations, concerning Eastfield’s relationship with the almost 30 high schools offering dual credit programs.

Janice Hicks, dean of educational partnerships, said this report is made to ensure that dual credit programs also meet similar standards to Eastfield.

“Of the dual credit faculty at the high schools, the majority are high school teachers, but they meet the same credentialing standards as our faculty members,” Hicks said.

Hicks said the dual credit programs at these high schools need to have instructors with the same credentials as those at Eastfield, the same syllabi and textbooks with

similar material to those found in an Eastfield class.

SACS sent the substantive change committee of four members to visit Eastfield and three randomly selected high schools within the dual credit program from Sept. 17 to Sept. 20.

The schools chosen were Bryan Adams High School, Mesquite High School and North Mesquite High School.

Mike Walker, executive vice president of academic affairs and student success, said the substantive change visit would be instrumental for the longevity of the dual credit program.

Hearing good feedback from the committee could make Eastfield more attractive to potential dual credit enrollees.

“We need to make sure that everybody understands that a dual credit student is a student of Eastfield College,” said Walker. “They might be a student at Bryan Adams High School but they are fully an Eastfield student. It is up to us to integrate them completely into the Eastfield culture.”

The committee, made up of one representative from SACS and three representatives from other colleges in the southern U.S, spoke with some of each high school’s staff, faculty, administration and students to hear firsthand how SACS standards were being met.

After their visits, the committee would normally provide recommendations and feedback about how a college could improve their dual credit programs and coordination with the high schools.

Chandler said that before the committee left, they said Eastfield and the dual credit programs at the high schools had “passed with flying colors.”

Chandler, Hicks and Walker said the committee was particularly impressed by how well-maintained Eastfield’s and the high schools’ campuses and facilities were.

Hicks said that, as she understood, not getting any recommendations from the committee was shocking because SACS typically provides at least one recommendation.

“I think it’s a collaborative victory for the college and the high schools,” Hicks said. “Part of it is some improved processes and procedures that we’ve put in place. The other part is that the high schools support us in that and they comply with what we need to get done.”

This is a good sign for Eastfield See SACS report, page 4

COURTESY OF EASTFIELD COLLEGE

Candidate Eddie Tealer from North Lake College visits with an Early College High School student on his visit to campus, Sept. 11. Tealer was approved as the next Eastfield president Oct. 3.

Tealer approved as next president of Eastfield

By JAMES HARTLEY Digital Editor @ByJamesHartley

Eddie Tealer, current vice president of business services at North Lake College, has been selected as the next Eastfield College president.

The Dallas County Community College District Board of Trustees voted unanimously Oct. 3 to appoint Tealer after Chancellor Joe May nominated him Sept. 28.

“We spoke with outstanding candidates, which makes the final decision difficult,” May said in a statement. “I believe that Dr. Eddie Tealer is right for Eastfield College, right now and in the future.”

The search for the next Eastfield president started last spring when Jean Conway announced she would be stepping down from the position.

Tealer visited campus Sept. 11 for an open forum.

“I’m honored about this opportunity and I’m very excited to work with Eastfield and the community,” Tealer said. “I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone and working as a team as we ensure student success, faculty success and staff success. I’m sure we’ll be able to expand on the great things the college had done into the future.”

He said one of the first things he wants to do when he takes the position as Eastfield’s president is introduce himself to the executive team, the faculty association and students, whether they are at lunch or in the halls.

Tealer earned his doctorate in leadership studies from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio.

During his 10 years with the DCCCD, Tealer has worked in finance at the

Plan it Out Eastfield will have a special Fun Friday to celebrate Jean Conway’s retirement.

The Hive, Oct. 12 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

district level and at North Lake College and has experience in the private sector. He currently teaches a doctoral course about American community college at Southern Methodist University.

Tealer said at the Sept. 11 forum he has a strong relationship with people from Eastfield who he works with at the district level and has an understanding of the college from that perspective.

“I think before I set any new goals, I would like to listen and see what some of your goals might be and some of the things that you might want to approve of,” he said.

Tealer told the Board of Trustees after his approval about his grandfather saving to send him to college.

His grandfather worked in manufacturing, was active in his church and did plumbing work on the side. Tealer said his grandfather never spent the money he made doing plumbing work, instead saving it. His grandfather said he was investing in the future.

“So many years later, I get ready to go off to college and he calls me up to the house and he says, ‘you know that money I was saving to invest in our future? You are our future,’ ” Tealer said.

He wanted to take the same values his grandfather instilled in him through those savings into Eastfield students.

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Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Passionate part-time professors

For adjuncts, following dreams doesn’t always pay the bills

By CAROLINE CEOLIN and JAMES HARTLEY Staff Writers @TheEtCetera

Adjunct professors in the Dallas County Community College District do not have their own offices, benefits or guarantee that they will have a class to teach until the first day of class.

Some said all of these factors can make it difficult to provide their students with the best education.

Amber Pagel, a full-time English professor who at one point hired adjunct professors, said when a college doesn’t demonstrate that it values adjuncts by paying them what they’re worth they can feel unappreciated.

“There’s certainly a trend toward more and more classes being covered by adjuncts and I think that trend is somewhat a result of the decreased funding that the federal, state and local governments have put toward community colleges,” said Pagel.

Adjunct professors make up about 77 percent of faculty at Eastfield for fall 2018, according to numbers provided by Eastfield administration. In 2008, when the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools put Eastfield’s accreditation status on warning, 73.9 percent of Eastfield professors were adjuncts.

SACS told Eastfield at the time that the number of adjuncts compared to full-time faculty was too high. Mike Walker, executive vice president of Eastfield, said he is not worried about adjunct numbers affecting accreditation because eightweek terms have caused them to hire more part-time professors to keep up with enrollment.

He said that context will be important when SACS evaluates the college again this year. The quality of education is still high, Walker said.

And adjuncts are a critical group at Eastfield, Walker said. As an adjunct for seven years before he landed his first full-time job, he said he understands how difficult it can be.

“It is easy to feel unappreciated. I am very familiar with the struggle of being an adjunct,” Walker said. “It’s really important for me that our adjuncts know I am very aware of their situation. I did it a long time and it

can be a real struggle. They are greatly appreciated, and I’m always looking for new ways to let them know that.”

He said the quality of adjuncts at Eastfield shouldn’t be overlooked, either.

“Adjuncts are critical to our college and every other college,” Walker said.

In the DCCCD, adjunct professors are allowed to teach three threecredit classes per semester at $2,324 per class. If the professor is teaching three classes at Eastfield, they have to be one 16-week class, one first-term eight-week class and one secondterm eight-week class. Walker said the limit on classes is due to a state law.

The pay per class and limit of how many classes professors can teach mean that many are left piecing together a career across multiple colleges, including Tarrant County College and Collin College.

Collin College allows part-time associate professors, the equivalent of adjunct faculty, to teach up to nine contact hours a week, paid $2,664 per three credit hours for the average lecture class. Part-time associate professors can teach up to three credit hours a term, coming to a maximum income of $7,992.

Tarrant County College also allows nine contact hours per week for adjuncts, with pay starting at $40.56 per contact hour. TCC pays up to 144 contact hours a term, amounting to a maximum of $5,840.64.

While adjunct compensation has been an issue of national debate for years now, it gained more traction in recent months.

The Chronicle of Higher Education explored New School history professor Claire B. Potter’s suggestion that all adjuncts with doctorates quit their teaching jobs and go into the industry to force education institutions to offer better compensation.

“If people refuse this labor and did something else with the Ph.D.s [SIC] — which according to studies done by professional associations is more than viable — institutions would be forced to adjust their hiring practices,” Potter argued in a Facebook post, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education in May.

ET CETERA FILE PHOTO

Adjunct professors teach up to three classes a semester, have no guarantee of work, no benefits and no office. It’s a career some said leaves them feeling unappreciated.

The New York Times reported April 5 that labor unions are stepping up to fight for adjunct compensation and many professors across the U.S., adjunct and full-time alike, are demanding a change.

Sometimes, these conditions push adjunct faculty to leave the profession.

Professor Sam Jubran left adjunct teaching to become a speech therapist but returned to teaching.

Jubran, an adjunct professor for six years, said teaching is what challenges and fulfills her the most in life.

“I absolutely love teaching,” she said. “It’s where my identity is. I see myself as a teacher.”

Jubran said adjunct teaching is a stretch on time and to do it, you have to learn to manage time carefully and be efficient by not lecturing on issues that aren’t going to affect the student’s learning.

“I think many of us teach as adjuncts for years hoping that we can get that full-time position because that’s what we love,” she said. “But, the reality is you have to pay those bills so I think many of us have other full-time jobs where we can get those benefits.”

According to the American As-

sociation of University Professors, more than 50 percent of professors today are part-time without a chance to receive tenure. The AAUP says on their website that while some parttime professor positions are filled with specialists or current practitioners in their fields teaching on the side, they are an exception rather than a rule.

In 2015, the National Center for Education Statistics found that 48 percent of faculty were part-time.

Professor Ralph Hendrickson, an adjunct professor for 13 years, has been on a search for a full-time position since he began. He said he knew the nature of the job very well when he chose it and understood it may be difficult to transition into full-time.

“When I took this job I knew what the pay was, I knew there were no benefits and I still took the job,” Hendrickson said.

He said he did that because of his passion for teaching.

Adjunct professors operate by teaching on a limited work contract, which means they are offered or not offered a contract on a semester-tosemester basis, which are subject to cancellation up to the very first day of class.

Full-time professors are required to teach at least five classes in the spring and five classes in the fall. If not enough students sign up for a full-time professor’s class, then a class is taken from an adjunct professor and given to a full-time professor.

Hendrickson said he’s had his classes cut down because of low enrollment. In some cases he has been left waiting until the last minute to find out if his class section will make.

“It might be the weekend before classes start because generally they wait because they’re waiting for kids to sign up,” Hendrickson said.

For wages to become more competitive, it would take part-time faculty walking off the job in protest, Hendrickson said, but he thinks that’s unlikely because they like what they do too much.

“I’d rather be part-time here at Eastfield than be a full-time teacher in Dallas with benefits and more pay because I like this,” he said.

He argued that colleges don’t have motivation to hire more full-time faculty because adjuncts bring the same passion and quality for a lower cost to the institution.

Compared to full-time faculty See Expectations, page 5

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JESUS AYALA/THE ET CETERA

Students do lunges in the Hive for OSER’s Exercise your Right to Vote event on Sept. 26, there were tables to register to vote, zumba training and a t-shirt giveaway. Bottom left, Eastfield officer Jesse Milbourn hands out whistles to kids in the community at National Night Out on Oct. 2. National Night Out is a yearly community gathering, there was a jump house, a balloon artist, a screening of Coco and food for the community to enjoy. Bottom right, volunteers went to a food desert for Day of Action: Food Justice service project on Oct. 5.

staying Active on campus While some students are getting ready for midterms and others are finishing up their finals, Eastfield is offering daily events to help keep that stress away. OSER organized events such as the Sukkot Jewish celebration, a self-care fun Friday and Ted Talk Tuesdays with discussions.

Plan for some fun on Friday, Oct. 12 for Conway’s farewell party at 11 a.m. in the Hive. For those still stressed about finals, Stress-Busters are planned from Oct. 15-17. Activities include chair massages, silent disco, and some therapy with cuddly animals.

JESUS AYALA/THE ET CETERA

Correction In the Sept. 26 issue in “College recycling searches for improvements,” Terrance Wickman was inaccurately attributed in the first paragraph. The story should have read “Terrance Wickman, math professor and sustainability coordinator at Eastfield, said the world has a lot of work to do with its green programs.” The Et Cetera regrets this error.

RORY MOORE/THE ET CETERA

SACS report on Eastfield expected by officials to be positive Continued from page 2 because some recommendations could put the college on warning status from SACS. While Eastfield has never lost its accredited status, it was temporarily put on warning status from SACS nearly 10 years ago for not having enough full-time faculty.

Walker said some professors’ credentials weren’t at the satisfactory level. Many professors had to show transcripts as proof of their credentials.

In 2008, Eastfield reported employing 110 full-time faculty and 296 adjunct, or part-time, faculty, meaning 73.9 percent of

professors were part-time. Eastfield hired more full-time faculty in 2010 and 2011 to combat this.

Eastfield currently has 140 full-time faculty and 477 adjunct faculty, meaning about 77 percent of instructors are part-time.

Walker wasn’t worried that Eastfield could potentially go back into warning status for that ratio.

He said that, while the new eight-week schedule has created problems for the traditional hiring and teaching methods, especially with having more adjunct faculty, he said that the quality of the education provided was what matters most.

“There’s sort of a negative thought about SACS because 10 years ago we got in trouble with them, ‘Oh my gosh, they’re coming after us,’ ” Walker said. “That’s not the way we’re viewing it now. We want to do what is best for students. That is what we’re here for.”

Sharon Cook, assistant to the president, has worked at Eastfield for 36 years. She said that there are no breaks between each report.

“It’s almost like once you get one complete you’re working on the next one,” Cook said. “SACS is a cycle.”

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Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Expectations for adjuncts create difficulty

Continued from page 3 “I think there are so many excellent teachers out there working under really difficult conditions and still making a huge impact on the lives of students,” Juran said. “I see this all the time and I think that it’s really a matter of teachers excelling and making a difference in spite of the conditions.”

English professor Emily Sallee said if her spouse did not have a job with benefits, she wouldn’t be able to get by.

She used to teach at both Eastfield and Tarrant County College, but now only teaches at Eastfield.

She said she would have to work three to four jobs just to scrape enough money together to pay the bills. She knows other adjuncts that are not as lucky as she is.

“It is a rather paltry sum to match with the amount of work that we do,” Salle said. “It’s actually absurd. I mean it’s absolutely insane, the lack

of compensation that we receive for the amount of effort that we put in and that’s not just Eastfield. That is across-the-board. That is everywhere I’ve ever worked. That is every adjunct I’ve ever talked to.”

Different textbooks, different requirements and just overall different courses can make it difficult for adjuncts to juggle jobs at different institutions, Sallee said.

Travel time and scheduling office hours don’t make it any easier, and that still doesn’t take in account the time required to grade student work, give feedback or plan lectures.

Whether they are full-time or adjunct, professors are required to attend meetings, training and other out-of-class events.

Sallee said she doesn’t know how she would manage everything without electronic communication like email.

Pagel said that because adjuncts aren’t given an office and therefore are not required to have office hours,

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the amount of time they can give to students and the quality of the education they can give, no matter how good of a teacher they are, could be compromised by the situation.

Full-time faculty are required to have office hours in their schedule, a time set aside for students to visit their professor and talk about concerns in the class, ask questions or discuss material.

Sallee said adjuncts as a whole are not as recognized and appreciated as they should be.

“There is this stigma that if you’re an adjunct then for some reason you’re not as good as a full-time professor and that’s just simply not true,” she said. “We are sort of treated differently. Just because we’re not fulltime doesn’t mean we’re not doing the same job.”

Pagel said the requirements on adjuncts can make it more difficult for them to teach their classes.

“They might be excellent teachers,” Pagel said. “But, when you have

to spread yourself super thin running between three campuses, teaching eight classes, with very little support system from all three, different textbooks and curriculum at all of them, then how much can you really give back to the students?”

Pagel believes the consequences on our student population can also get very complicated because developmental programs and training are a problem. She said if adjuncts want to improve as teachers, they have to do it for free.

“If the district isn’t paying them for professional development or making it worth that time then how well are those professors going to teach those eight-week classes? …

Are the students going to suffer from the professors’ lacking their training?” Pagel said.

The lack of pay for prep time can make the job more difficult, especially when balancing eight-week terms and traditional 16-week semesters across campuses, Sallee said.

“Right now I only have one prep,” Sallee said. “Well, next semester I might have three preps because we’re going to have different speed of classes and different lengths so that’s going to make things even more tedious for us. It’s going to be more work than we’re already doing. For the same amount of money, too. Its doable, but again it goes back to, if I was at a couple of different campuses or districts trying to make ends meet, and then I’m going from one prep at this job to three here and then to another campus with two or three preps.”

There is hope for adjuncts dreaming of a full-time gig, Walker said.

With Eastfield’s enrollment on a steady increase and eight-week classes adding more class sections, Eastfield will need to hire more fulltime professors in the coming years to keep up with student demand for classes.

— Andrew Walter contributed to this report

Sports The Et Cetera

Oct. 12 Oct. 15 Oct. 18 Oct. 19

Soccer vs. Richland Volleyball vs. Richland Volleyball vs. Mountain View Soccer vs. North Lake

www.eastfieldnews.com

JESUS AYALA/THE ET CETERA

Volleyball holds 9-game win streak

By COLIN TAYLOR Reporter @ColinTaylorETC

The Eastfield volleyball team is riding a nine-game win streak, including a perfect 5-0 run in conference play at the halfway point. The Harvesters have a second match against each conference team remaining.

Eastfield has only dropped two sets, one to Brookhaven (4-1) and one to North Lake (2-3) and appears to be in the driver’s seat for the top seed in the Dallas Athletic Conference.

The Harvesters are No. 4 in the country and, if they continue to have success, should stay within the top 10 of the national poll.

“We need to make sure we execute and take care of business on our court,” head coach Brandon Crisp said following the North Lake contest Eastfield won 3-1 on Oct. 1. “If we do, then we should be fine.”

The roster is loaded top to bottom with reliable contributors from star players like Keishla Reyes and Alex McPherson to reserves that have provided valuable sets like Skylar Fowler and Shelby Browning.

Reyes, a sophomore outside hitter, is a two-time Metro Athletic Conference player of the week this year,

while sophomore middle blocker Chloe Hope has also won the award this season.

Reyes and sophomore libero Maura Munoz have both been named NJCAA Division III player of the week once this season.

As the defending national champions, expectations for the team are high. However, Crisp doesn’t want the ladies looking too far ahead.

“Coach preaches to us that we don’t need to talk about the championship and tournament as much because until we win these games we won’t be there,” Hope said.

Teams like North Lake, Cedar Valley and especially Brookhaven have played the Harvesters close.

Crisp believes that teams playing the Harvesters tough has forced his team to “focus in and execute.”

Hope thinks Eastfield has a target on its back. Eastfield was ranked No. 2 in the country last season before the national tournament and is currently No. 4.

“Everyone’s coming for us,” Hope said. “Everyone has given us their best game compared to other teams.”

Crisp expects teams like Brookhaven and Cedar Valley, who could greatly benefit having a higher seed than Eastfield, to bring their game up a notch this second time around conference play.

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Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Soccer even in conference play

By COLIN TAYLOR Reporter @ColinTaylorETC

The Harvesters volleyball team is on track to take the No. 1 seed in the Metro Athletic Conference tournament.

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The Harvesters are 3-3 in conference play after going 1-7 out of conference against a strong non-conference slate to start the season. “(The tough opening) built us, made us stronger as a team,” said Tate. “We were getting beat up and we knew it wasn’t going to get easier, so we just had to keep grinding as a team and keep working hard for each other.”

Tate said he was not able to recruit or tryout players since he was hired on after that period. He also had no say in the schedule.

The team also only has four returning sophomores of the 20 players on the roster. The comparatively small roster has made not only games more challenging, but practice as well.

“I would’ve liked to have 30 girls just to have a deeper roster,” Tate said. “I think that gives you more competitiveness. Brings a different mentality in practice knowing that there is a number one, number two or even a number three spot.”

It also allows the team to do full scrimmages in practice.

“You can get some 11 vs 11 games that we haven’t been able to do all year,” Tate said.

Eastfield opened the year with

JONATHAN DIAZ/THE ET CETERA

The Eastfield soccer team has a 3-3 record in conference play and 1-7 out of conference.

an out-of-conference schedule that included NJCAA Division I schools like Cisco College, Ranger College and Seminole State College. The team even faced off against some NCAA Division III schools like University of Texas at Dallas and Louisiana State University Shreveport.

With a group of primarily freshman and a new coach, there was no real established culture within the team.

“We’re almost starting from scratch,” Tate said. “Even though (the program) has been built up, it’s starting over again with new coaching staff.”

The Harvesters have been incon-

sistent in the early season, losing 10-1 to Richland College one day and then beating Southwestern Adventist University 10-0 the next.

The Harvesters have found more success against fellow NJCAA Division III schools than in their out-ofconference schedule. The team beat Cedar Valley (0-6) twice and Mountain View (2-4) once, while losing to Brookhaven (6-0), Richland (5-1) and North Lake (2-4).

The conference games, outside of the Mountain View game, have lopsided scores, with one team clearly outscoring the other. They have wins with scores of 4-0 and 3-1 and losses of 6-1, 10-1, and 3-0.

The game against Mountain View was a 1-0 win, with freshman midfielder Emily Garcia scoring the lone goal 57 minutes into the match.

The team faces Mountain View, Brookhaven, Richland and North Lake again before the end of conference play. “(I’d like to) finish out strong,” said Tate. “It would be great to get in the tournament and win a game or two.”

With his inaugural season almost at an end, Tate has begun looking towards his next campaign.

“We’ll have a good group of girls move on, that are looking to move on,” Tate said. “And have a good group of girls stay and we keep building on and adding with them.”

President’s lucky penny JESUS AYALA/THE ET CETERA

Jean Conway, outgoing president of Eastfield College, presented the volleyball team Oct. 8 a lucky penny she found during the last national championship. She wished the Harvesters good luck going into the latter half of the season. The volleyball team will go into tournament play with hopes of defending their national championship title achieved last year. The squad was the first women’s team from Eastfield to bag a national championship.

Life &Arts The Et Cetera

Professor shares teaching experiences

www.eastfieldnews.com

these challenges. They have more money, and they can go without having all this debt. They have a lot of help. Our students don’t have that, but we’re getting help for them all the time, so it’s getting better.

Q

What were some of your struggles when you were in college? Did you ever feel overwhelmed?

A

Mary Forrest, who teaches speech and is the Communication Club adviser. Originally from Corsicana, Texas, Forrest has been with Eastfield College since it opened in 1970.

Contributor Lindsay Merrell sat down with her to ask about her about her experiences and teaching philosophy.

Q A

How long have you been teaching speech?

I’ve been teaching speech about 56 years. I taught at SMU one year, while I was working on my graduate degree. I taught six years at Kimball High School, and then I have taught 48 years at Eastfield College. I was the first hired.

Q A

How many academic degrees do you have?

I went to community college first, and then I got a degree from North Texas in speech and theater. I also have a degree from SMU in theater, and then I have a degree in higher education from A&M Commerce.

Q A

What made you want to teach?

I just liked it. I like the community, and I like the students.

Q A

What is the most rewarding thing to you about being a professor?

Some of the students have come here after having a lot of trauma in their lives. I have always wanted to teach. I’m motivated to help students. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do. They’ve had a lot of difficulties. They come here, and I see them grow and change and become the very best they can be as students and then as young people going out into the world. They become leaders.

I like to see that. I like to mentor them.

Q

What made you want to teach at Eastfield instead of a major university?

A

I was talked to about going to SMU as a teacher and to Baylor University, but that was when I was really into theater and into doing contest speaking. I decided I was more into just teaching and not about writing articles and doing research. That does not do anything for me. What I like is the love for and connection with the students.

Q A

You like how it’s closer knit at a community college?

Yes, and then there’s the challenges that students face. A lot of university students don’t have

Oh yes. I was the same as my students now. I did not have the money to go to college. I graduated from high school and then I had to try to figure out a way to pay for it. I was able to, but of course it was very inexpensive then.

I got a Rotary scholarship that helped me a little bit, and when I was at North Texas I got a debate scholarship. Then, at SMU, I got a scholarship to write articles about the theater department for the Dallas Morning News.

So I figured out a way to get through and pay for it. But our students now, they struggle because of the money, and the books are so expensive now.

It didn’t used to be like this.

When I was in college they were reasonably priced.

When I was working on my doctorate I was working full time here.

I was trying to write textbooks, and I had two children and a husband.

I was teaching so much, and I had a mother, too, that I wanted to be with, and friends.

I didn’t have time to really study for my doctorate. So that took me 15 years, but I didn’t give up. My mother unfortunately died when she was 69 of cancer, and I remember one of the last things she said to me before she died.

She said, “I hope that you will finish that doctorate, you promise me.” And I said, “I promise you, Mom.” She died in 1982, and in 1984 I got the doctorate.

Q A

So that kind of pushed you to finish?

That kind of pushed me because I made her a promise.

And it was hard because I had to find time to do the work. I had to go to Commerce, and that was a long drive. I’d have to get up very early on a Saturday morning to get up there for those classes. But I don’t regret it. I’m glad I finished it. I’m glad.

7

Q

What advice would you give to new students who are nervous or students who have been here a while and are feeling burned out?

A

I think I would tell them to join a club and to get connected in some way with other students.

In my classes I group students into three groups and I encourage them to exchange phone numbers, emails and to make an effort to get in touch with each other. Because they can do study groups, they can work together, and they can ask each other questions. Now that we’re doing online classes they have to do so much work on their own, and they don’t have a teacher to help them. If they can have each other, they can meet at a Starbucks or in a study room and they can get these things worked out together. They can have some peers to talk to and ask, “did you understand how she wanted us to do this?” I think it would build their confidence.

We have clubs here at Eastfield and study groups, tutors. I would also say don’t overload yourself, and if you can, learn time management skills very early so that you don’t procrastinate. You can do more than you think you can. But you have to learn to organize and not procrastinate.

Q

If you could send a meaningful message out to every student at Eastfield, what would it be?

A

Well, two things. One, I would say that you cannot have near as rich or full of a life if you don’t get an education. Learning, to me, is invaluable. And then the other thing I would say is once you get your degree and you get a little money, I would reward yourself with traveling. I think traveling opens so many doors to you. It makes you aware that there’s another world out there and lots of other cultures, and they’re all wonderful. It gives you a chance to expand your knowledge.

And travel is just fun. It’s just great to get out there and start seeing and doing things in other countries and in other states. The states are all different, even though they’re in the United States. People are different.

Keep your mind open to all these new experiences and new people and never, never allow yourself to be prejudiced. Believe all people can win.

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

PUT IT ON YOUR

Calendar Wed

10

October

Recital: Mariachi Lone Star, 1 p.m., F-117 Healthy Living Fair, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the Hive LULAC meeting, 1 p.m., G-218

Thu

11

National Coming Out Day, 12:30-2 p.m., S-101 Gallery opening: “West Tejanx AF”, reception 6-8 p.m., artist lecture Oct. 30, show runs through Nov. 8, Gallery 219

Fri

Dr. Conway Farewell Fun Friday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., the Hive

Mon

Lecture: Holocaust History and Stories of Rescue & Resistance, 11 a.m.-noon, G-101, a “Maus” common book event

12 15

Stress-Busters: Free chair massages, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., and 2-5 p.m., C-135

Tue

Stress-Busters: Silent disco, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., C-135

Wed

Recital: Oscar Passley and Keith Meek, trumpet and trombone, 1 p.m., F-117

16 17

Stress-Busters: Therapy dogs, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., library

Thu

18

Common Book Keynote Speech: Art Spiegelman, author of “Maus,” 11 a.m., Performance Hall Financial wellness seminar: budgeting and financial aid, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., G-101 First eight-week term ends

Tue

23

Second eight-week term starts I Donut Know Where to Go information table, 7:30-11 a.m., VIBee Lounge

ABOUT THE COVER PHOTO BY JESUS AYALA

8

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Wednesday, October 10, 2018

@TheEtCetera

The Et Cetera

Beer business: Eastfield grad opens brewery

By ARIA JONES Editor in Chief @AriaJonesETC

Two years ago, Richard Womack returned to school at 48 to pursue his dream: making craft beer. And only a year and a half after completing the Journeyman Brewer Program at Eastfield College, he opened his own operation in Waxahachie.

He officially opened Railport Brewing Company with his wife, Shannan Womack, on Memorial Day weekend. After spending more than a year building their brand, he said they instantly saw the demand. ”We went through 31 kegs in 3½ hours,” Richard said. “There were over 600 people here and they wiped us out. We couldn’t open for two more weeks because we had to brew more beer. … It was sad to tell everyone, “We ran out of beer.’ But it was pretty cool.”

The brewery is now open to the public 4-8 p.m. Fridays and noon-6 p.m. Saturdays.

Richard’s decision to go into beer came after being affected by the recession. He was part of the natural gas and oil business when it took a dive, and he asked himself if he wanted to have the same experience in the technology industry.

“He was getting really tired of doing computers, networking, and he wanted to try something new,” Shannan said. “We talked about it and I wanted to support him because I

Railport Brewing Co. Open 4-8 p.m. Fridays Noon- 6 p.m. Saturdays railportbrewing.com 469-716-0038

ARIA JONES/THE ET CETERA

JESUS AYALA/THE ET CETERA

Top, Richard Womack gives a tour of Railport Brewing Co. Bottom, Womack pours a beer at his brewery.

know he loves doing it and it makes him extremely happy.”

Richard still works outside of the

brewery, but Shannan said he spends time every day of the week there, making beer or cleaning. Shannan,

who works a full-time job, also visits the brewery two or three days a week to help keg beer, clean or taste new beers.

Shannan credits Eastfield for giving Richard the extra boost of knowledge he needed.

“I think it really affected the way that his beer is coming out now,” she said. “I think he uses that knowledge every single day. I think that’s one of the best things he ever did.”

Eastfield has the first brewing program of its kind in Texas, teaching the processes of beer making and the chemistry of the ingredients. Richard learned the technical aspect of making beer from being in Peter Boettcher’s brewing class at Eastfield.

He said returning to school was a struggle at first.

“I’m sort of older, so my first week I was having a hard time learning how to study again and staying awake,” he said. “Cause it’s so much at one time, but it’s essential. It’s everything you need, and you just are able to apply it.”

The internship offered by the program, where he worked in a local brewery two days a week, allowed

him to see the different processes each brewery has when making beer.

“Really what I took away from it was that you have to make it your own,” Richard said. “A lot of the breweries have different equipment, different ways they brew beer, all of that stuff.”

The Business Richard said going into the brewing industry can be tough and he has faced setbacks.

“You definitely have to have a passion for it because you’re going into one of the most highly regulated industries,” he said.

He said that he and his wife spent about 11 months just going through the permitting process.

While Richard and Shannan had investors initially, he said the long process caused them to leave.

“They just didn’t want to wait,” he said. “Plus, there are a lot of things that could go wrong along the way so they didn’t want the risk.”

Most counties in Texas fall somewhere in between wet (allowing sales of alcohol) and dry (banning sales of alcohol), with precincts inside the counties allowing alcohol sales and others prohibiting them outright, according to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

Richard said when he tried to open a brewery in Midlothian, where he lives, he found out that the street they were on was part of a dry precinct. In January of 2017 See Brewery, page 11 ➤

Brewing program planning to expand, offer 2-year degrees

BY CAMERON R. COOK Reporter @TheEtCetera

Students could soon be brewing beer on-site at Eastfield as part of the Journeyman Brewery Program, which organizers are hoping to expand in 2019.

A new online beer-marketing course for product packaging will begin this January.

“The idea will be on logo creation and labeling for advertisement,” Angie Cook said, the new associate dean of programming for continuing education.

There will also be a class on homebrewing, which will be hosted at a local brewery, she said.

Program director Ryan Ouellette

said that eventually he wants to offer a two-year degree in beer brewing in a partnership with the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math division.

The craft beer industry has seen growth in the past few years. There are now 6,655 breweries nationally, and 251 in Texas, according to the Brewers Association.

Growth has steadied and become less vigorous than the 2011-2015 boom, with a fewer number of breweries opening per year, Peter Boettcher said, instructor and co-founder of the Eastfield Brewery Program.

Ouellette said the classes typically see a certain type of student.

“Most of our students average at age 25-40 and are men with beards,” he said. “We do get more and more

interest from women for the online part. We would like to gain more females for the in-person classes.”

There are many veterans who sign up for the program, he said, who looking for a way to get jobs at breweries.

Eastfield’s program offers lower cost than many other programs becoming available around the country, such as Siebel, Cicerone and American Brewers Guild, making it more accessible to potential students.

There are new online offerings, in addition to a recently started Level 2 Technical Program, geared toward students with prior experience who are looking to start their own brewery business.

Level 2 courses for the second fall term will begin Oct. 22.

All programs teach foundations of beer-making science including the chemistry of ingredients and the processes of fermentation and carbonation.

“I update the programs consistently, teach from A-Z, telling students the reason for why. Why in brewing we do this or do that,” Boettcher said.

Boettcher has worked in beer as a Headmaster for 30 years since earning a Bachelor of Brewing Science from the World Brewing Academy in Germany.

He works as a Consultant Brewmaster, advising breweries on scheduling workers, training and manual writing.

Four years ago, he saw a need for more highly educated workers in the beer-making field and sought a

founding partner. Eastfield became that partner.

“We tailor the curriculum toward backbone for the industry. I’m an industry guy,” Boettcher said. “Our focus is on quality and people skills. We have room to expand and grow.”

With program students coming from as far as Peru, Costa Rica and Alaska, Ouellette said Eastfield is staying ahead of the curve.

The program has a 94 percent to 96 percent job placement rate for graduates, according to Ouellete.

Distilling would be a possibility, in the future, as well, Ouellette said.

“Looking to next steps, an incubation center and testing lab would be a dream,” he said. “That way students could have a place to try their own recipes.”

LIFE&ARTS

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www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Not the stereotypical college party booze Revolver — Blood and Honey As a golden ale with a blood orange, Texas honey and spice finish, the Revolver Blood and Honey has a clean, crisp taste. It’s great for hot summer days, and since we live in North Texas, hot winter days, too. This beer has a slightly bitter side to it, but it’s full of refreshing flavor.

ABV: 7 percent Available in bottle, can and on draft

➤

VAYLAN JACQUES/THE ET CETERA

DFW craft brews for your inner Beer Snob

— Compiled by James Hartley and David Silva Community Beer Co. — Mosaic IPA

Austin Eastcider — Texas Honey ➤

By now a Texas classic, the Dallas-based Mosaic IPA is the first step in transitioning from a casual drinker to a seasoned beer snob. Defying the American-brewed Indian Pale Ale motto of overpowering bitterness, the Mosaic’s malt base softens the beer, even giving it a fresh aftertaste.

If you’re a first time IPA drinker, the beer will still knock you back at first sip, but its balance and sweet aroma will bring you back.

Technically not a beer, this East Austin semi-sweet staple will convert any cider skeptic. The blends of sweet and tart apples give this cider the perfect neutral base.

Bringing honey into the mix nudges at your taste buds with a sweet and crisp aftertaste.

This too-easy-to-knock-back drink also mixes well for cocktail options.

ABV: 8.6 percent Available in can, bottle, keg and draft

Lakewood Brewing Company — Temptress

➤

College students are famous for their love of booze, especially beer.

Practically every movie about college culture involves at least one scene with beer pong and a keg. But not everyone recognizes the refined palate of many modern-day college students.

Sure, plenty of college parties still rely on a keg of cheap beer to get a lot of people drunk, but the number of students looking to show off their beer snob with an ale full of flavor is growing and the explosion of popularity in DFW craft beers is here to help.

Here are five beer that every college student has to try.

VAYLAN JACQUES/THE ET CETERA

This imperial milk stout has lower carbonation and a rich, smooth body that makes it easy to drink. Unlike a lot of stouts, the Temptress isn’t bitter. Brewed with chocolate and caramel malts, it has a subtle sweetness and comes to a chocolate milk head. Nothing about this beer is overwhelming, except the alcohol content. The brewers suggest sipping this one.

ABV: 9.1 percent Available in bottle and on draft Rahr and Sons — Paleta de Mango Talk about a unique mix. Rahr and Sons Brewing, stationed in Fort Worth, takes the classic German Kolsch and blends it with Mexican pequin chiles and mango and lime flavoring to serve up a thick beer that tastes like summer. This beer may be the least known on this list, but its easy and unique taste will definitely make this a beer you’ll crave.

ABV: 5 percent Available in can and on draft JESUS AYALA/THE ET CETERA

ABV: 5 percent Available in can, bottle and on draft

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Wednesday, October 10, 2018

@TheEtCetera

The Et Cetera

TAKE A RIDE Part 1 of a series on places students can go with DART

Trinity Mills Station

Korean culture on the light rail DCCCD provides free DART passes to most students. But you can visit many destinations besides the Eastfield campus. Reporter Alexis Rodriguez, photographer Yesenia Alvarado and videographer David Silva hopped the rail and headed northwest.

First stop: Trinity Mills Station in Carrollton.

YESENIA ALVARADO/THE ET CETERA Downtown A cosmetics advertisement features members of Dallas

world-famous K-Pop band BTS.

YESENIA ALVARADO/THE ET CETERA

H Mart in Carrollton carries foods commonly found in other U.S. supermarkets, as well as groceries, goods and treats from Korea and other Asian nations.

A mile away from the Trinity Mills station is Furneaux shopping center on Old Denton Road, which serves as home to Carrollton’s Asian centric stores, like H Mart, a major Korean supermarket chain, Online Exclusive bookstore BookNara, Tom N Toms Coffee, and stores Video story of cool spots focused on Korean popular to visit by DART train. music, known as K-pop. eastfieldnews.com H Mart serves as the centerpiece of the shopping center and is probably the most recognizable. The Korean supermarket is filled to the brim with Korean and Asian food, clothes and merchandise.

Despite it being a simple supermarket at first glance, it serves as a cultural touchstone for Asian Americans living in the areas around H Mart, according to Korean native Winter Garr.

“I think it’s a good thing to have, especially because Carrollton doesn’t really have a ‘Koreatown,’ ” Garr said. “It has enough for Korean native people to get what they need, but everything else is super cutesy.”

Further into the center lies a BookNara, owned by Korean immigrant Jin Lee, who has operated for a decade at the Furneaux center.

“Nowadays a lot of people are trying to learn Korean with all of the Korean drama’s or K-pop,” Lee said.

Lee said that the center isn’t as an authentic representation of Korean culture as some may think. It’s “very Westernized and is not as accurate as my home.”

American culture is represented in Furneaux Center by an IHOP and a burger joint.

Carrollton resident Gonzalo Calvo visits the center and H Mart regularly due to the quality of the food and the Asian delicacies that are unavailable anywhere else.

“I really like Korean food like Kimchi, and even some of the sweets they have here,” he said. “I really don’t know much of anything about Korea, but I hope it’s like this over there if I ever go.”

A few mom-and-pop restaurants like Musiro serve up authentic Korean dishes for a relatively affordable price.

Whether you’re an American K-pop fan or Korean looking for a piece of home, the DART rail can take you to one of the most popular places in North Texas to engage in Korean culture.

Next Stop: Bishop Arts Station in the Oct. 24 Et Cetera

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Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Retropalooza draws fans of games, comics, movies

By ALEXIS RODRIGUEZ Reporter @TheEtCetera

One of the only constants in the ever-shifting technological age is the appreciation of old media and old media formats. For as long as there have been advances in media and the way it’s consumed, there have been people who stick to their guns and say that the old way is better.

From those who miss how records sound on a turntable to those who are simply stuck in the past, the definition of what does and does not count as retro is always changing.

Retropalooza, an annual convention for all types of retro media ranging from borderline archaic to the nostalgia fueled, celebrates that love affair with the past. Cosplayers, youtubers, vendors, collectors, historians and all types of fans gathered at the Arlington Convention Center from Sept. 29 to Sept. 30.

From rare vinyl pressings of Led Zeppelin’s seminal “Led Zeppelin IV” to sealed copies of cult classic games like “Conker’s Bad Fur Day” to custom Pokémon inspired terrariums, Retropalooza serves as the re-emergence of retro geekdom.

Among the various vendors at the convention was Eastfield alumna Cassandra Small, owner of Random Smash Customs.

“I think people come to retro (conventions) to remember all the great times they had when they were kids,” Small said.

Small said her business “makes nerdy stuff for geeky people”

JESUS AYALA/THE ET CETERA

Retropalooza attendees could freely play retro games and compete in tournaments on Sept. 29 and 30.

and has benefited greatly from retro franchises like Pokémon staying in the mainstream. One of her most impressive custom products are the Poké Ball terrariums that include little Pokémon inside.

At the convention there were also many popular YouTube content creators like Steven Jay “Boogie2988” Williams and Jirard “The Completionist” Khalil, who share a passion for all things retro and more specifically retro gaming.

“It’s so funny because having grown up with the original eight-bit ‘Legend of Zelda’ game, I like it still to this day, just as much as I enjoyed ‘Breath of the Wild,’ ” Williams said about his preference between retro and modern video games.

The convention floor was also used for the many con-goers to show their love for all things retro, with some simply wearing a shirt with their favorite retro game, and others going as far as cosplaying as their favorite characters.

Convention attendee Juan Duran sided with retro games in the age-old debate between modern and retro. “I go for retro,” he said. “I’ve been playing a lot of classic games from the NES all the way to the GameCube.”

Professional cosplayer and co-host of the cosplay contest at Retropalooza, Taffeta Darling, said the feeling of being surrounded by a multitude of nostalgic, retro video games was astounding.

“I think it’s finding something random that you’ve been looking for, but you didn’t find anywhere else, and that you couldn’t find on Amazon,” she said.

Darling and other co-host Christina Glitters said that it wasn’t just the selection of retro products that made the convention fun but also meeting other people who love retro culture.

“Getting to see people in their excitement and in their element, and knowing that as soon as you walk into a building, you’re surrounded by people with shared interests,” Glitters said.

“There’s something really special to be said about that.”

Former student opens brewery in Waxahachie Continued from page 8 he said he drove out to Waxahachie after Shannan got an unexpected email about a space for lease.

The building, he said, was once one of the world’s largest cotton gins back in the late 1800s and there is an area for the gin under the building.

The process, from that point on, sped up. He said 20 minutes after walking in, he was in front of the city manager and the mayor. A week later, he went in front of the 14-member Planning and Zoning Commission, and six weeks later the zoning was changed to allow a microbrewery.

“Just like that we were off and running,” he said. “The rest of it was federal and state stuff that we had to go through.”

Richard and Shannan said they have a distribution license in the works. Their ultimate goal is to sell the beer in stores and restaurants.

The Beer Railport has four flagship brews.

The Honey Hush is what Shannan said is the No. 1 requested beer. It’s a blonde ale with a malt base and includes earthy and spicy citrus notes from local Texas wildflower honey and paradise seeds. It’s what she recommends to customers who’ve never tried a beer.

ARIA JONES/THE ET CETERA

The Railyard Ghost is wheat ale that includes German pilsner, oats, coriander, orange peel and chamomile. The Caboose, a smash Indian pale ale, uses pilsner malt and citra hops. The Bandit is an American sweet stout with notes of whiskey, vanilla bean and cocoa nibs.

Nick Petrichenko, who is a home brewer from Ovilla, said he enjoys the atmosphere in the brewery and it’s nearby, so he doesn’t have to go to Fort Worth or Dallas.

“My favorite was the Caboose,” he said. “I’m definitely coming back to try some more.”

Richard said his competition isn’t

other craft breweries but big brewing companies like Budweiser and Coors.

“A lot of us don’t even worry about that because we like doing our own thing,” he said.

Local breweries, he said, work with each other to brew different types of beers. Richard said some of his favorite beers from other breweries are from Lakewood, Deep Ellum and Revolver.

Shannan said Richard spends a lot of time at the brewery because the biggest part of brewing beer is cleaning.

“It’s the hardest part. It takes the longest,” she said, “It really takes a lot of dedication. Because if you’re not really into it and you just want to brew a beer, but you don’t want to clean up and sanitize, it’s probably not going to work out for you.”

The Brew House The name, Railport Brewing Company, refers to the railroad that runs through Ellis County.

“We’re like 100 yards from the railroad,” Richard said. “The train comes by two or three times a day. So it’s perfect.”

Located at 405 W Madison St. near downtown Waxahachie, the space itself needed a lot of work so that it could open for business. It had

been vacant for a year and the previous tenant used it for storage.

“The roof out there was terrible,” he said “The concrete was terrible.

This was all sheetrock in here, but I saw what it could be.”

Richard said he exposed the original brick in the tasting room and made repairs so the brewery would be a space that could be used. The ceiling, he said, still included some of the original beams from when it was built.

The tasting room allows natural light to spill through large windows.

Edison light bulbs, maps and photos of old Waxahachie, and a dark wood finish give the brewery a rustic feel.

A few modern touches, with televisions, photos and maps of old Waxahachie adorn the walls.

In the main area of the brewery Richard had fresh concert put down.

Picnic tables and wood chairs are set out to sit and watch Saturday football.

The doorways are industrial size, allowing in the outdoor air. Along the walls Richard has a towering brewing system with large drums and a mill for crushing grain.

Richard uses a smaller brewing system for experimentation to avoid $500 mistakes from bad brews in the larger one.

Guests can play cornhole and giant Jenga in a large backyard-style area and the business can host live bands on an outdoor stage.

The Community Kids and dogs can be found in the brewery when it’s open to the public.

Richard said they give Capri Suns and kids drinks out for free, have games for kids to play and offer milkbones at the bar for dogs.

Mitchell Smith, who is part of the Good Shepherd Rescue, said the dog friendly atmosphere has been helpful, allowing them to network and show that German Shepherds are good family dogs.

“In fact, some of our dogs have even been rescued or saved or adopted just because of the networking we’ve done up here,” he said.

Shannan said she and Richard enjoy meeting people and being part of the community. She said she likes to raise money for issues that are close to their hearts.

For October, the brewery is selling pink shirts for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They host charity events for people in the community.

“That’s what’s great about craft beer,” Richard said. “It just brings people together, by enjoying something that was crafted, made by somebody’s creativity, really.”

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Wednesday, October 10, 2018

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The Et Cetera

Make your visit to the Texas State Fair worthwhile

By JOCYLN VENTURA Reporter @TheEtCetera

The State Fair of Texas is upon us. But can broke college students afford the festivities? If you want to get a turkey leg, you practically have to sell one of your own limbs.

But it is possible to enjoy the fair on a tight budget.

My budget was $50. The fair has lots of free attractions once you’re inside the gates, such as pig races, cooking tutorials, magic shows, exhibits and some music performances. But I also wanted to eat some fair food and ride the Ferris wheel. Those plus admission and parking would eat away my cash.

I started by looking for disounts at BigTex.com Skip parking by using the DART Student GoPass, free for Dallas County Community College District students, and take the train or bus to Fair Park.

I decided to go on a Wednesday for the $4 admission when you bring four canned foods. Regular admission costs $18. I mean, come on. At such a great deal, how could you pass it up? Especially when you know the canned food goes to the North Texas Food Bank.

Tally so far Transportation and parking: Free Admission: $4 Remaining: $46

As I walked in, I was greeted with a big hello and given a guidebook. It’s filled with all sorts of information, coupons, a map and this year’s top food choices. Use it.

Especially since it shows where all the free attractions are.

My first stop was the Texas Auto Show to check out some of the sweet rides on display this year. Make sure you pay attention to the Chevy cars — you could have the opportunity to test drive them later.

Then I made a trip to the Creative Arts Building, where a huge butter sculpture of Big Tex is on display.

You’ll also see award-winning arts, crafts and food plus cooking demos.

Next stop was the chainsaw wood

carver. From owls to dogs to exotic animals, Burt Fleming can make just about anything from a log.

By this time I had walked up an appetite, so I went for my first big purchase of the day. I got 60 coupons, that’s $30 worth.

That left me with $16.

For my first meal I went with the classic Fletcher‘s corny dog, smothered in mustard, for 12 coupons.

Then I got the cheapest funnel cake I could find for 14 coupons. I needed a drink, so I went for the Big Tex Souvenir Cup for 20 coupons since you can get a refill for 6.

My first meal took me from 60 coupons to 14, but I still had some cash in case I need to pick up some more.

Tally so far Exhibits: Free Food: 46 coupons Remaining: $16 in cash and 14 coupons

I walked to the Texas Discovery Gardens ($6 entry fee), where they have a beautiful butterfly release show. After this, go get a selfie with Big Tex or hit up one of the free exhibits in the park.

There’s one attraction that everyone has to ride: the Texas Star Ferris wheel.

This is by far the best fair experience at the State Fair of Texas. It gives a fantastic view of the the fair and the Dallas skyline. The line is almost always long, but it’s worth it.

It’s not cheap. A ride is 20 coupons. Since my lunch brought me down to 14 coupons, I headed to a ticket kiosk and picked up 20 more coupons. I’ll still have a few left over when I’m done with my go-round on the Ferris wheel.

Another tally check Discovery Gardens: $6 Ferris Wheel Coupons: $10 (for 20 coupons) Remaining: $0 in cash and 14 coupons

After the ride, I’m beat. Pro tip: Be sure to wear your best walking shoes.

I was on the tail-end of my budget, so I took advantage of some freebies. My guidebook included a coupon for a free cookie from Stiffler’s Mom’s Cookie Factory. On my way there, I picked up some free cloths at the Chevrolet Ride and Drive, where where you can pull out for a spin around a test track in a Corvette and other vehicles. The test drive is also free.

After I picked up my cookie, I decided to spoil myself with a fried PB&J. I’d earned it with all the walking today. I stuck around long enough to see the night parade and after dark concert. When that was over, I waved bye to ol’ Big Tex and headed back home.

My feet hurt a bit, but my bank account didn’t. I had been able to enjoy all the traditional fair activities without spending a small — or large — fortune.

End of day tally Cookie: Free Parade: Free Concert: Free Fried PB&J: 14 coupons Remaining: $0 in cash and zero coupons

JOCYLN VENTURA/THE ET CETERA

ARIA JONES/THE ET CETERA

Top, one of the State Fair delicacies is fried PB&J. Bottom, Burt Fleming carves intricate wood art with a chainsaw.

Monday through Friday Half price admission after 5 p.m. with a Dr Pepper can Tuesday $9 admission with a Dr Pepper Wednesday Donate four canned food items to the North Texas Food Bank for $4 admission Thursday Bring a 20 ounce Coke and get halfprice admission Friday $5 off admission coupon from the 106.1 KISS FM website

GRAPHICS BY ESTHER MORENO AND DAISY ARAUJO/THE ET CETERA

LIFE&ARTS The Et Cetera

13 www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

JOCYLN VENTURA/THE ET CETERA

Top, people enjoy the ride LoveBugs.

Bottom right, A child rides the Carousel at the Texas State Fair. Bottom middle, Fairgoers Swing into Action as the Lights Come Alive at the Texas State Fair. Bottom left, Big Tex is shown trough a pair of glasses.

JOCYLN VENTURA/THE ET CETERA

KATE ENOIRE/THE ET CETERA

KATE ENOIRE/THE ET CETERA

opinion

14 www.eastfieldnews.com

Etera

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Letter to the Editor

SUPERHEROES RETIRE TOO

College makes massive strides in sustainability

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 Aria Jones Managing Editor Yesenia Alvarado Photo Editor Jesus Ayala Opinion Editor Andrew Walter Digital Editor James Hartley Graphic Design Editor Mateo Corey Multimedia Editor Esther Moreno Senior Videographer David Silva Senior Graphic Designer Manuel Guapo Staff Writer Macks Prewitt Photographers Jonathan Diaz Rory Moore Niels Winter

Ayme Smith Jesua Sandoval Yeny Gomez

Graphic Artists Anthony Lazon Sean Watkins Daisy Araujo

Abednego Leal Aldahir Segovia Brice Washington

Reporters James Eyre Samuel Farley Rebbecka Villagomez

Aji Mariam Alexis Rodriguez Jocyln Ventura

Editorial Assistant Marie Garcia Student Media Manager Sarah Sheldon Publication Adviser Elizabeth Langton 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 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.

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

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

The content will remain that of the author.

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

OUR VIEW

ANTHONY LAZON/THE ET CETERA

Farewell Conway, welcome Tealer Eastfield’s knight in shining pantsuit, Jean Conway, is retiring after serving as president since June 2011.

Lovingly referred to as the “queen bee” by Eastfield employees, Conway has worked tirelessly for the good of the school. While she is Eastfield’s VIBee and an incredibly busy person, it’s always a pleasure to see her visiting students and employees during her campus walks.

When she first started as president, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools put Eastfield on warning status for not having enough full-time faculty.

More than seven years later, Eastfield enrollment numbers are approaching 16,000 and the college is expecting to hear (mostly) positive feedback from the SACS accreditation committee. Conway has worked to make Eastfield a more sustainable campus, promoting better recycling and after The Et Cetera reported malpractice in recycling programs, working to immediately fix any problems with sustainability efforts.

The Et Cetera also holds Conway dear to our hearts.

We haven’t faced censorship by the school, even when we’ve published less than flattering pieces about campus issues and policies. To the contrary, our reporters have received phone calls from Conway letting us know what would change or asking for our suggestions.

Many other student newspapers throughout the U.S. are belittled as “fake news.” College journalism programs receive harsh cuts in funding. Unlike some of those newspapers that face censorship, The Et Cetera has enjoyed its freedom during Conway’s reign as “queen bee.”

As a parting gift to The Et Cetera, she’s finally knocking down “the wall” and expanding our office space. You didn’t think we’d forget about that, did you Conway?

So, before you leave us and enjoy cruising the Baha-

mas, sipping wine whilst reading a novel or whatever retired people do (as students we can’t begin to fathom what it’s like to have free time), all of us at The Et Cetera would like to say thank you, Dr. Conway. Thank you for everything you’ve done for Eastfield student journalists.

Now we’ll find out what President Eddie Tealer will do for Eastfield and, to our concern, student media.

Tealer started his career working for a corporate bank but quickly discovered that making boatloads of money and the perks of corporate America weren’t fulfilling.

When starting out at the Dallas County Community College District, he went from a DCCCD senior financial analyst to vice president of business services at North Lake.

From everything we’ve seen and heard, we expect Tealer to take time to interact with students and listen to feedback from the college community in making decisions. With the executive team he has and the extra guidance from Conway in his early days, we believe we will see Eastfield continue to improve.

Tealer has already been friendly with Eastfield’s student media, taking time on the day of his nomination to give us a call and make a comment. We look forward to continuing a good relationship and hope that any future Et Cetera coverage will be met with the same regard.

Tealer, we at The Et Cetera believe you’ll defend student media just as well as Conway has, but know that you’ll have some enormous shoes to fill in that aspect.

We hope you’ll give us the support student media needs. We can say now that we, and any staff that comes after us, will do our best to provide fair, balanced coverage of news important to the college community.

Welcome aboard, Dr. Tealer.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the article “College Recycling searches for improvements” published in The Et Cetera. Regarding the quote, “the overall success of Eastfield College recycling is dismal” is incorrect.

Recycling is a component of the Sustainability Program and is progressing well. EFC is always looking for improvements.

Eight years ago, EFC had no formal sustainability program until Dr. Jean Conway, president, recognized that we could make a difference in our community by being more concerned for our environment. Some accomplishments made with a near zero budget are as follows: 1. Trees are almost everywhere on campus. EFC is a Designated Tree Campus by Tree Campus USA (five years). Leadership, Mr. Michael Brantley and Mr. Cliff Mauvais have made this a beautiful campus.

2. Carpet patches are on many of the floors allowing for tiny repairs instead of wasting huge lengths of carpet.

3. There are water machines on campus enabling people to fill personal water bottles and minimize wasteful plastic bottles.

4. We have low-flush toilets, electrical sensor light saving switches, a station for the Cease the Grease Program, drip sprinkler systems, two solar arrays and an electric power producing windmill. Subway has eliminated plastic bags. We’ve added an on-campus community garden, brick sidewalks allowing for the earth to move and breathe, protocols for saving energy, solar picnic tables and an Arbor Day event. A Sustainability Scholar academic certificate is being developed.

The Et Cetera is viewed as a partner with EFC for improving sustainability. Together we can improve our environment. Thank you for this partnership.

Sincerely, Dr. Terrance J. Wickman Sustainability Coordinator and Mathematics Professor

OPINION

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The Et Cetera

www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Politicians: ‘We’re really just here to screw around’ Editor’s note: This is a satirical piece and should not be considered a credible source of information. As satire, some information and quotes are fabricated or exaggerated to make a point. Yes, this is fake news.

On a sunny morning on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, the Grand Old Party and Democratic National Committee released a joint statement assuring the American people that they are more committed than ever to ensuring nothing at all gets done in Washington.

The statement comes as part of a bipartisan attempt at transparency in government, something that has been a voter priority for decades now.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan at a press conference in an unprecedented show of governmental honesty.

David Van Laningham @TheEtCetera

“We are committed, now more than ever, to counterproductive infighting, dishonesty and laziness,” McConnell proclaimed as he blew a line of cocaine off his podium.

Schumer nodded in agreement as he cried uncontrollably. Ryan stared blankly into the sky.

The public statement drew in large crowds of supporters and protestors. Several members of Antifa were arrested for the destruction of private property after they smashed the window of a Starbucks and began looting it while chanting, “Show me what democracy looks like, this is what democracy looks like.”

“Nothing shows resistance to the fascism of government like destroy-

ing a private business,” a D.C. Metro police officer said.

There was opposition to the statement on both sides of the aisle. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kent., both declined to sign on with the joint statement.

Moulton’s response was a colorful string of Marine Corps-inspired profanity, while Paul simply stood with a look on his face indicative of an approaching aneurism.

Other dissenters were Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Cruz declined to comment so he wouldn’t break his focus while he waited on the debate stage for his opponent Beto O’Rourke, who showed no interest in debating at all, and Sanders could not be reached because he was asleep in his multimillion-dollar lake house.

When asked for a comment, Hillary Clinton responded that she had deleted the memo from her

computer and didn’t remember what it was about.

A large swath of the public stared eagerly at their smartphones awaiting a response from the executive branch on this statement. President Donald Trump showed great interest in the matter, which he expressed with a series of all-caps tweets.

In a press conference later that day, Trump again asserted his support for the resolution, calling it “fantastic” and stating, “everyone thinks it’s great, just great. It’s the best resolution we’ve seen so far.”

When asked what specifically he liked about the statement, Trump offered a plan for the newly minted Space Force to investigate what the 23 flavors in Dr Pepper are.

There’s still a long road ahead in ensuring government productivity.

With a $21 trillion debt and a gridlocked Congress and a Supreme Court trying to understand the meaning of its existence, it certainly

Travel is life’s greatest teacher Life’s greatest gifts come between the pages of a passport. That little bluebound book has taken me on many adventures and has shown me who I am.

The greatest education I have ever received in life has come with a passport stamp.

It can take you to every corner of the world, from the Northern Lights to the Patagonia, and on to Antarctica.

These years of young adult life should be spent with a passport in hand, with a new destination waiting to be stamped.

As an avid traveler with 6 passport stamps in the last 10 months alone, travel blogger and owner of a concierge travel service creating unique itineraries for affordable travel, it is a lifestyle that has taught me my most important lessons.

Traveling teaches you confidence.

Ordering a coffee, asking for directions or hopping a train in a country where you don’t speak the language requires you to be bold.

Traveling forces you to address your fears and listen to your intuition.

Confidence breeds and it carries over when you return home. If you can hop trains for two weeks in Europe or hop on the back of a moto-taxi in Southeast Asia, you can do anything back home.

Traveling teaches you to be resourceful.

If you wait until you have money,

you’ll never travel.

Later in life, job demands, purchasing a home, marriage and kids all will come first and you will never see the sunset over Cinque Terre.

Traveling early taught me how to budget.

Even now, at 43, I still travel on less than $100 per day including flight, lodging and food.

Traveling has taken me to cities where whole apartments would fit into an American bedroom. My needs are less and my wants few because of travel.

If I can live for a month out of a backpack, do I really need 20 pairs of shoes?

Traveling has enlightened me.

The world is a big place, but guess what? People are more similar than they are different.

I’ve admired the beauty of a Greek Orthodox church as well as a Muslim mosque. I’ve eaten traditional meals and been gifted with their significance.

Traveling has opened my eyes to different cultures and made me appreciate all they offer.

Traveling has taught me more than any school, course or textbook.

History comes alive when traveling.

Language sows itself into your conversation. Cultures immerse you into their rhythm.

The lessons I have learned from traveling have carried over into my

Tonya Wilson @TheEtCetera

coursework, major and employment.

Writing a paper for an art history class becomes a cherished moment when you refer back to the hours you spent in the Louvre.

Italian becomes more than a required credit when you anticipate deep conversations with locals on your next trip to Florence.

History becomes real when you have touched the stone steps of a 15th century site.

Life is short. I can tell you this without question as a 43-year-old woman returning to college. 25 years since graduating high school passed in the blink of an eye.

Friends have passed away. My son was a baby yesterday and a dual credit student today. What has never changed for me is the love of travel.

Travel has given me the person I am today and the person I want to be.

I encourage you to spend your youth chasing that next stamp.

It will change your life too.

— Tonya Wilson is a journalism major and a reporter for the Et Cetera

lends some comfort to the taxpayers that the two parties can set aside their differences for at least 30 minutes to give the people a promise that might actually be fulfilled.

It’s not like the public has any real expectations for the elected officials in D.C., who seem more concerned with their bank accounts than actually leading the nation.

It’s not as if our elected representatives don’t already receive millions from lobbyists who make it rain on the bicameral legislative body, all on top of the trillions in revenue generated by the wide variety of taxes collected by the government.

Yet, hardly anything gets done by our full-time Congress. Hopefully, someday in the future, we’ll be able to look toward Washington D.C. with the full faith that our representatives are actually working.

— David Van Laningham is a journalism major and a reporter for the Et Cetera

Wrapup The Et Cetera

16 www.eastfieldnews.com

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Sus Comics By Aldahir Segovia

Awkward Avocado By Abednego Leal JESUS AYALA/THE ET CETERA

From left, Jacob Drum, Kellee Ash, Zac Cooper and Max Morris Jr. rehearse their roles for “She Stoops to Conquer.”

Comedy play explores victorian society, love

By YESENIA ALVARADO Managing Editor @YeseniaA_ETC

Big Hair. Rock ‘n’ Roll. Women’s empowerment. Lots of love.

These are just some of the elements you’ll see in ‘She Stoops to Conquer,’ a romantic comedy or comedy of manners set in late 1700’s London.

“It’s a comedy about behaving in polite society,” play director, Lori Honeycutt said. “It’s a romance. It’s a comedy about mistaken identity.”

This play will be part of the ‘She Has a Story to Tell’ theater series, which is focused on women’s perspectives said Honeycutt.

The main character Kate Hardcastle pursues Charles Marlow, who is known as a playboy amongst the servants and women of the lower class.

Unfortunately for Hardcastle, Marlow is unable to communicate with and pursue high society women.

The contrast in Marlow’s character and unique way of connecting to his love interest is what stood out to theater major Victor DeTerra.

Actors normally face and direct their lines to their scene partner, but because of Marlow’s mannerisms, DeTerra doesn’t follow this tradition.

“One scene, he could be this stumbling buffoon that’s stammering and stuttering, who can’t get cohesive sentences out, but in the next scene he was so confident,” DeTerra, who plays

Plan it Out Play: “She Stoops to Conquer” Performances Oct. 10-13 in the Performance Hall On Thursday, the performance will be at 11 a.m.

On Wednesday, Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m.

Contact: dreasons@dcccd.edu

Marlow said. “He sees them [higher class women] as the finest creature of all creations.”

The cast consists of Eastfield students and actors from the community.

Honeycutt said after the casting process, she likes to let actors develop their characters.

“Because theater is so creative and collaborative, if the cast isn’t allowed to create to their own character, they’re not going to be invested in that character,” Honeycutt said. “It will be harder for them to learn the lines because they don’t care about the character. You’ve got to let them take on their character and make it whoever they want them to be, within reason obviously.”

Honeycutt has added some of her comedic style and personality to the play with lines and mannerisms to otherwise mute characters.

She also wanted to include rock ‘n’ roll to the

classical performance.

Large ruffles, glitter, dramatic makeup, and 5-foot tall hair will be worn by characters in the cream painted-walls living area with traditional props in the tudor style home of the Hardcastles.

“Every year, Lori makes these amazing sets for every single show. Absolutely stunning,” Julissa Hernandez, theater major and stage manager said. “Her directing style really shows in the play as well. You can see part of her comedy sense coming through the actors. Amazingly funny.”

DeTerra appreciates Honeycutt’s directing style because she physically demonstrates her vision to them.

He said she knows what she wants, how to

ask for it and get the potentential out of each actor by understanding their strengths and weaknesses.

“She’s not afraid to get involved, get up on that stage and show you just what she’s envisioning,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve had a day of rehearsal with her where I didn’t like it.”

They said students should expect a light, almost slapstick comedy with memorable characters.

DeTerra described it as a frustrating comedy where characters get stuck into a heap of trouble because of other devious characters.

“It’s so much fun to watch it play out,” DeTerra said. “You’re rooting the whole time for these characters just to open their eyes and see the big picture.”