Etera Dallas College Eastfield Campus
Explore obscure and
influential Italian giallo films this Halloween See pages 6-7
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Volume 53, Issue 3
A professor’s passion Ramos finds inspiration, purpose in writing See Page 8
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Wednesday, October 13, 2021
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Clubs, classes impacted by pandemic, one college By HARRIET RAMOS Editor in Chief @HarrietRamosETC
When Samanta Chirinos showed up for her first day of Eastfield choir this semester, the room was empty. Puzzled, the incoming freshman emailed her professor and was told that class had been canceled due to low enrollment. Music theory, another class the music major had signed up for, was also canceled this semester. “I was expecting those classes,” Chirinos said. “I was just excited to go to school to take those classes, and it was like a piece of me has been taken away.” Choir is being offered at Brookhaven and Richland and music theory at Richland and North Lake, but Chirinos lives 15 minutes from Eastfield. She doesn’t have transportation that allows her to take classes on other campuses. Melinda Imthurn, choir director and music faculty, said COVID-19 was hard enough on Eastfield’s music programs, and the cancelations of key classes have only complicated matters for students. Imthurn said due to the cancelations, there were students who couldn’t start their music field of study this semester and students who couldn’t finish. “I encouraged the administration to go ahead and let the [choir] class make,” Imthurn said. “It would be really hard to build from nothing. But they canceled the class. So it’s going to be probably hard to rebuild. I’m committed to rebuilding it, but it’s going to take some time.” Hazel Behning, a freshman and music major from Mesquite, opted to take music theory at Richland. The Spanish class she had been planning to take at Eastfield was also canceled, and the only option that would work for her schedule was an 8 a.m. Spanish class, also at Richland. Every Monday and Wednesday morning, Behning leaves her house in Mesquite at 7 a.m. After fighting heavy traffic and passing through three school zones, she arrives at Richland, hopefully by 8 a.m. Under normal traffic conditions the drive would only be 30 minutes, but during Dallas rush hour, it can be an hour or more. Once Behning forgot her laptop
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Left, Lauren Anderson, Eastfield’s student engagement coordinator, speaks with students at the Sept. 15 club fair. Only six clubs attended. Many clubs have not returned after the year-long pandemic closure. Right, harpist Naoka Nakamura performs at a recital series on Sept. 22, which was a regular series put together by music faculty member Oscar Passley before the pandemic and restarted this semester.
and had to go back home for it, almost causing her to be late for music theory, which begins at 9:30 a.m. When that class finishes at 11 a.m., she gets back in her car and heads to Eastfield for more classes. “On Wednesdays, I have to be [at Eastfield] by 11:45 … for private piano lessons,” Behning said. “And then I have recital immediately after and then ensemble immediately after that. I don’t get to eat until 3:30.” Behning said her schedule this semester has been rough, but her desire to be a music teacher or work in the music department of a publishing house motivates her to keep going. Oscar Passley, music faculty and Behning’s trumpet instructor, said students like Behning are having to work harder than usual right now when the college should be trying to make things easier for them. “I think things are harder than they’ve ever been for students to succeed right now,” Passley said. “Coronavirus, things are not getting cheaper and now looking at this whole restructuring where students are going to two or three different campuses, where in the past they only had to go to one.” The weekly concerts that Passley puts on for his students were can-
celed last semester, but they are back this fall. Passley said that is a positive sign, but the cancelation of vital classes like music theory makes it difficult for students in the area who want to attend Eastfield to study music. Passley said the college’s art and music programs are responsible for a lot of student engagement, and even though the classes tend to be smaller, those programs boost overall enrollment and give back to the college. “The impact is very big,” Passley said. “You start losing students if art goes away. Art makes people want to get up in the morning.” Eastfield’s clubs, something that typically draws students in and keeps them involved on campus, have also taken a hit this semester. “We’re really trying to get our clubs back up and running again with being out the last basically yearand-a-half for the pandemic,” said Lauren Anderson, Eastfield’s student engagement coordinator. “They’ve really kind of taken a downward turn, unfortunately.” The Dallas College website lists 25 clubs that at one time were offered on Eastfield’s campus. Only six clubs and student organizations attended this year’s Club Fair on Sept. 15 in
The Hive. According to Anderson, many of the clubs listed on the website are no longer active. There are procedures in place to get them reactivated if students express interest, but Anderson said if they no longer have an adviser, it’s going to be difficult to get them started again. The Communications Club is in that situation. At one time it was one of the largest clubs on campus, but once their adviser, Mary Forrest, retired over the summer, the club folded. Anderson said at times even when an adviser is available, there are no students who are interested in participating. And new students arriving after 19 months of remote learning don’t know what’s offered. Now that everyone is back on campus, Anderson said they are trying to figure out the best strategy to let students know about the clubs and encourage them to get involved. “It’s a little bit tricky trying to figure out what’s the best marketing strategies,” Anderson said. “Do we do posters and flyers again? Do we still send out all of those digital messages like we did [during the pandemic]? A combination of both?”
Clubs were formerly managed by the Office of Student Engagement and Retention, but that office has been replaced by Student Life and Student Engagement. Student Life handles leadership development, and student clubs and organization. Student Engagement is responsible for extracurricular activities like Welcome Week, Homecoming and stress busters. Anderson said those are two different divisions, but they report to the same associate dean who is over all seven campuses. Anderson is the Student Engagement coordinator but said she is pulling double duty because there hasn’t yet been a coordinator hired for Student Life. They are also trying to figure out how their department fits into the bigger picture of Dallas College as a whole. “We have staff on every campus, but it doesn’t necessarily mean we have both Student Life and Student Engagement staff on every campus yet,” Anderson said. “It just hasn’t happened yet. We’re still trying to get some staff hired and trained and up to speed with all of our stuff that we have going on. Sort of like building the plane as we’re flying.”
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Wednesday October 13, 2021
May remains following vote of no confidence By HARRIET RAMOS Editor in Chief @HarrietRamosETC
Joe May will serve out his term as chancellor and retire as chancellor emeritus of Dallas College despite a vote of no confidence by some faculty members on Oct. 1. Out of 849 full-time faculty who received the poll, 190 voted in favor of the resolution of no confidence, 76 against it and 583 did not vote. According to Matt Hinckley, president of Eastfield’s Faculty Association, the vote was orchestrated by a small group of faculty who were preying upon the concerns some faculty members have over aspects of the consolidation of the former Dallas County Community College District into one college. One of the concerns is the dismissal of employees on all seven campuses to consolidate their positions. “The orchestrators didn’t work through the faculty associations,” Hinckley said, “At the Dallas College level or, to my knowledge, at any of the campuses.” Richard Menchaca, a developmental integrated reading and writing faculty member who has been employed at El Centro for 55 years, emailed a poll to full-time faculty members. In the email he encouraged them to cast a vote of no confidence against May. “A vote of ‘no confidence’ by the full faculty of Dallas College will provide the Dallas College Board of Trustees and the community of students and taxpayers we serve the data
ET CETERA FILE PHOTO
Chancellor Joe May
they need for swift action to remove [May] from his current position as chancellor and to ensure he never returns as chancellor emeritus or in any other capacity,” Menchaca said in the email. Monica Lira Bravo, chair of the Dallas College Board of Trustees, said in an Oct. 6 email to employees that the board is in full support of May’s leadership and he will serve as chancellor emeritus when he retires in August 2022. “Serving in this honorific role is a common practice that previous Dallas College chancellors have enjoyed in the past,” Lira Bravo said. “What is a little different in the case of Chancellor May is that he has chosen to do so while only accepting an annual salary of $1, whereas previous chancellors accepted a full or partial salary.” In an Oct. 5 board meeting, two faculty members spoke publicly in
support of May. Carlos Ojeda, a faculty representative from the School of Manufacturing and Industrial Technology and an auto body faculty member at Eastfield, said change can be hard, but he has seen positive results from the reorganization both in the community and at Eastfield. “I’m here to convey my support for the trustees’ vision and Dr. May’s implementation of the reorganization in Dallas College,” Ojeda said at the meeting. “As we look forward to the future, we see nothing but positive things.” Scott Sires, a geographic information systems faculty member at Brookhaven, said it would have been impossible to come up with a transition plan and carry it out perfectly, and ongoing corrections are needed. “I acknowledge the sense of loss in our transformation,” Sires said at the meeting. “It has been tough. … All of us have experienced something that is different than we thought, but if we keep our eye on the bigger picture, that’s the value, that’s what we’re needing to do, and that’s why I’m here. I want to make sure that we maintain what I have said and believe is the finest institution of its kind in the nation.” May himself did not comment on the vote at the meeting. Menchaca said in his email to faculty that May’s motive behind the consolidation was to cement his own legacy with Dallas College and personal financial gain. He cited May’s $424,360 salary for fiscal year 2020, an increase of nearly $100,000 since
2016, as proof of his allegations. Menchaca also accused May of enabling a culture of intimidation against faculty and using students as pawns while lowering their quality of education. In a written statement to The Et Cetera, May did not address the allegations, but said he is grateful for the support he has received from employees and the board. “Anything other than a relentless focus on our students is a distraction,” May said. “In my time remaining as chancellor, we will stay the course as charted by our Board of Trustees, who, in their ultimate wisdom, believed and continue to believe in everything Dallas College has to offer the students of today and tomorrow.” Trustee Diana Flores, who also spoke in support of May at the board meeting, said it was the board’s decision to consolidate to one college. “We’re in the community,” Flores said at the meeting. “We hear the good, the bad, the ugly from our constituents, and it was time for change. No organization can stay the same for over 55 years and expect to give the same outcome to today’s students.” Hinckley said pushing for a vote of no confidence was “a strategically and tactically foolish move.” “I understand that many wellmeaning people with legitimate concerns voted for the vote of no confidence,” Hinckley said. “And I understand that they voted for the vote of no confidence because they’re angry and upset and frustrated for
variety of legitimate reasons. However, I think a vote of no confidence was not the best way to express those concerns, much less try to solve them.” Hinckley said the distance between faculty and administrators has been exacerbated by the pandemic, but it is not new. Often the top college officials don’t understand what’s going on at the campus level, and faculty don’t have any idea what’s going on at the administrative level. He said the change to Dallas College has revealed problems and disconnects that already existed, and direct engagement is the best way to handle those concerns. As an example, Hinckley cited the Oct. 4 meeting between Eastfield faculty, Chancellor-elect Justin Lonon and Provost Shawnda Floyd. Hinckley said faculty gave him positive feedback about the meeting and the opportunity they’d had to express their concerns to the administration. Hinckley reached out to the other campus faculty associations and encouraged them to schedule meetings with Lonon and Floyd. “If we just sit down and talk with one another and listen to one another and assume the best of each other and proceed from the starting point that we are all here for the students and for their success, then solving problems isn’t difficult.” Hinckley said. The Et Cetera reached out to faculty members in 19 different disciplines for their reaction to the vote. Two declined to comment and the others did not respond.
Future of faculty contracts under discussion by board By HARRIET RAMOS Editor in Chief @HarrietRamosETC
The Dallas College Board of Trustees is talking about eliminating the three-year rolling contract for faculty and replacing it with a merit-based, three-year contract. At the Oct. 5 board meeting, Provost Shawnda Floyd said a merit-based, three-year contract is more practical for the new structure of Dallas College and will make it more competitive with other institutions. “A three-year contract would align our practices with colleges that offer multi-year contracts and opportunities,” Floyd said. “But it also gives us opportunity to compete in that space where we’re moving into the baccalaureate arena.”
Dallas College currently uses a three-year rolling contract — the practice of giving faculty a one-year contract for the first three consecutive years of their employment. From then on the contract annually renews by one year, essentially giving the faculty a perpetual contract that cannot be terminated without a due process hearing, retirement or death. If the board votes to eliminate the rolling contract, it will be replaced with a regular three-year contract that will be renewed on the basis of an evaluation tool that has not been finalized yet. The board did not say when they will vote on this issue. As of the end of August, there were 737 faculty on a three-year rolling contract, according to information shared at the meeting. Tricia Horatio, associate general counsel for Dallas College, said among two-year insti-
tutions, the rolling contract is unique to Dallas College. Collin College uses a multi-year contract after three consecutive, one-year contracts, and Tarrant County College offers tenure on terms unique to that institution. Floyd said a merit-based contract would have a positive impact on faculty morale. “This is a great way to acknowledge and also retain high-performing faculty who exceed our expectations routinely,” Floyd said. Erin Kelley, faculty of literature at Richland, is against changing the system. She told the board at the meeting that rolling contracts provide stability for faculty and are vital to student success. “Good teaching is done when whole, wellsupported professors have resources, time and stability to maximize their potential,” Kelley said.
Texas law requires that faculty receive a written contract but does not regulate the type of contract. According to Dallas College records, the rolling contract has been in place since at least 1987 when the college began keeping records. In addition to the discussion on contracts, the board also swore in a new trustee for District 1 to fill the vacancy left by the death of J. L. Sonny Williams in July. Gretchen Minyard Williams will finish out her late husband’s term, which expires in 2022. Williams said it is an honor to take over her husband’s responsibilities, and Chancellor Joe May praised her commitment to the community. “We are very grateful for you to continue not only his legacy and work, but yours as well,” May said.
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TRIO guides students on their academic journeys By HARRIET RAMOS Editor in Chief @HarrietRamosETC
When Elizabeth Vargas enrolled at Texas A&M University-Texarkana in the fall of 2013, she thought her biggest challenge was being a firstgeneration, low-income college student. She was wrong. Vargas’s mother and stepfather separated during her freshman year, and then her half-brother attempted suicide. “I felt like my happy family, my happy home was falling apart,” she said. “And that was just the beginning of everything.” The next year Vargas’s grandmother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and Vargas was in a car accident where her boyfriend and two friends died. The accident was the final straw. She was ready to give up on college. “I was done,” Vargas said. “I told my mom I was coming home, and she said ‘No, you’re not.’ But she also didn’t realize the emotional, mental and physical toll that incident had on me.”
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Program Coordinator Elizabeth Vargas.
Vargas, now a program services coordinator with TRIO Student Support Services at Eastfield, said her friends and university staff members helped her push through. She graduated from A&M-Texarkana with a master’s degree in communications in 2018. Vargas’s experiences in college gave her the desire to be a support system for students and help them
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navigate their academic journey. She joined TRIO in May of this year with that vision in mind. TRIO, located in C-100, helps students who meet certain qualifications get the academic support they need to thrive in their studies. To be eligible, a student must either be low income, a first-generation college student or have a documented disability. Students are only accepted after an application and interview process. “I know that sharing my story can impact a lot of students,” Vargas said. “Letting them know that there are obstacles, but this obstacle that I’m facing, I can get through it. It’s just about having faith, having strength, and sometimes it’s not even about being strong. Sometimes you have to remember it’s OK not to be strong, but I have these people that still have my back.” Vargas said what makes TRIO unique from other programs at Eastfield is they offer a variety of services in one place, including advising, tutoring and transfer assistance. TRIO also makes students aware of financial aid and scholarship options and refers them
to counseling services as needed. Vargas said the program coordinators and peer mentors make an effort to bond with the students and give them the individualized support they need. Rochelle Mitchell, 39, a peer mentor and former TRIO student, said the one-on-one support was what propelled her through school and allowed her to graduate with an associate of science degree in June. Mitchell was introduced to TRIO by one of her classmates. At the time, she was in her mid-30s and disillusioned with her career as a hairstylist. She was taking her basics at Eastfield and planned to transfer to Brookhaven to get her associate degree in nursing. “What made TRIO stand out is … that you’re not just a number anymore,” Mitchell said. “It’s much smaller. When [the adviser] sees me, she remembers me. I don’t have to redo the whole story all over again.” Mitchell said her adviser told her what classes she needed to take and when to take them. She also encouraged Mitchell to work toward a bachelor’s degree, something she had not seriously considered.
Mitchell is now working on her bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas at Arlington nursing program. Samantha Ortiz, 21, is also a former TRIO student who now works part time in the office as a peer mentor. Her role is to help students with time management and study skills. “It’s pretty nice to help them out,” Ortiz said. “Make it easy for them, make it less stressful and remind them that we’re here for them as well.” Ortiz graduated with an associate of science degree in June. She recently applied to the University of Texas Dallas and University of Texas at Austin. Ortiz said she plans to study chemical engineering. Ortiz said TRIO supported her during the application process and motivated her to move ahead with her studies. Vargas said that is what TRIO is all about: getting students the education they need and preparing them for a productive career. “I want to be a support system for the students,” Vargas said. “Students are our future, and I want to help them.”
Life &Arts Wednesday, October 13, 2021
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Windrow reflects on creative career Q& A
Kathy Windrow is an Eastfield art instructor of 35 years who has exhibited her work in a national gallery and in Peru, Hungary and Italy. Windrow recently sat down with Et Cetera contributor Aimee Jimenez to discuss her career and the joy she has found working with Eastfield students.
Q
What kind of art do you create personally, and what are your favorite pieces?
A
I make paintings, and I have a favorite painting of all the paintings I’ve made. It’s a painting of a tropical rainforest place that I visited on the border of Guatemala and Belize. It is about 22 by 30 inches, made with watercolor. I was standing next to this muddy river in this dense forest, which I just thought was one of the most beautiful places that I’ve ever been. It was mysterious and dark in there, and the forest was thick. And for some reason, with that painting everything just went right. I didn’t have any areas that I thought of as mistakes. I just painted from the start to the finish in several days’ time. So, it’s in our bedroom, and I won’t ever try to sell it. And I also do installation art using found objects and things that I have made. Those installations are organized depending on the place where I’m putting them.
Q A
What does your creative process look like?
With painting, I usually start with an idea and then a drawing, and then I develop the painting in layers of color with an installation. I start by collecting materials and transforming them and storing them, thinking about different ways to organize them. I have to do all the preparation before I come to the place to install them. I move them around until I feel they are just in the right relationship to each other. You have to keep an open mind and really be willing to respond to what you see at the moment and not be afraid to take that chance.
Q A
What are some of your favorite mediums to work with? I love working with found objects
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Art professor Kathy Windrow instructs her class on how to take photos of their art on Oct. 4.
more than anything, and in installation. In terms of paint, I have fallen in love with watercolor. Oh my, I used to love oil paint. I don’t have good ventilation in my studio at home, so I don’t use an oil tank there. I have to deal with turpentine, which is a solvent, and the fumes can make you sick. So watercolor is safer and it’s very easy to clean up.
Q A
What accomplishments are you particularly proud of?
Well, I’m very proud that I’ve been teaching at Eastfield for 35 years because when I was in high school nobody, including myself, would have predicted that I would do anything for 35 years. I’m proud that I found the right place for me to be. I found the right profession. I found just the right community
of students for me as a teacher. I’m proud of dedicating that much of my life to this place.
Q
What has been your greatest obstacle and how have you overcome it?
A
I think one of my obstacles has always been fear that I wouldn’t be able to do something well enough. The way I’ve overcome it is to just keep doing it. To keep trying, to keep saying yes to everything’s that’s offered to me and give it my best shot.
Q A
What are your biggest achievements in terms of art? I have designed, planned and run study abroad programs for SMU in
southern Mexico, Italy and Spain. It was a huge amount of work and research to set up, but also a wonderful experience because I still take students to other countries and teach them about those cultures and works of art in the regions on site. I’m proud of that work.
Q A
Is there anything you would like the readers to know about you?
Know I’m thankful to be here with the students of Eastfield. I’m very thankful for this community. In my classes I have students of any age with every kind of background and interest. And it’s the perfect place for me to be. Editor’s note: This interview was edited for style and brevity. Read the full Q&A online at eastfieldnews.
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Wednesday, October 13, 2021
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The Et Cetera
Words and Design by Mattheau Faught In the early ‘60s to late ‘80s, Italy was a powerhouse for cinema. One genre often forgotten today is the giallo. Translated to “yellow,” they were inspired by pulp-mystery novels popularized in post-fascist Italy. Giallo films blended murder-mystery with proto-slasher set pieces and were known for their beautiful women, complex storylines, stunning visuals and overindulgent violence. Many directors, starting with Mario Bava in the early ‘60s, would uniquely contribute to what became giallo. Though it was phased out in the late ‘70s, giallo continues to live on in many iconic horror films. These are the five films that stand out to me as the best giallo gave us.
Bay of Blood (1971) Directed by Mario Bava, this sordid classic was a gamechanger for horror. Opening with eerie shots of the bay setting, the film begins when Countess Federica Donati is murdered by her husband in a staged suicide. Her death sets off a chain reaction of brutal murders perpetrated by members of her family, all with unique motives. Each death becomes increasingly violent with standout gore effects by Carlo Rambaldi. Given the high body count and extreme violence, it’s often considered the original slasher. Due to its content the film was very controversial, going through various name changes to avoid censorship in
The Str of Mrs. the United Kingdom and Italy. It was harshly criticized for brutality uncharacteristic of Bava’s earlier works. Despite initial controversy, its influence is far-reaching. “Friday the 13th Part II” directly lifts two murder scenes from this movie, the most iconic being where a couple is impaled in bed. It’s stalkerish direction style can be seen in other American horror films like “Halloween” (1978), particularly in its POV shots. With extreme violence, amazing practical effects and a hilarious ending to boot, this film stands out as the giallo that defined a generation of horror.
A razor-wielding sex maniac is on diplomat’s wife, believes her sadistic Also known as “Blade of the Ripper first giallo, and, in my opinion, one of h even stronger cast, including the lovely Ed Mrs. Wardh perfectly. One aspect of this film that stood out to m a harrowing feature with te red herrings and terrify portrayin forced
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What have you done to Solange? (1972) Directed by Massimo Dallamano, this entry is the first in his “School Girls in Peril” trilogy. It follows Henry, a gym teacher at an all-girls Catholic college, who is sleeping around with his students. One afternoon Henry and his student Elizabeth unknowingly witness a violent murder, and Henry becomes the prime suspect. As more girls are murdered, it’s revealed these crimes are connected to a missing girl named Solange. Henry and Elizabeth work together to solve this bizarre mystery and clear Henry’s name. Tropes in this film will be familiar to those who’ve seen films like “Prom Night” (1980) and “I Know What You Did Last Summer” (1997), where the killer is targeting a group of young adults for a perceived wrong done in the past. This film carries a theme present in many gialli of sexual freedom and disturbing power dynamics, which have become more relevant with time. In 1976 Dallamano was killed in a car accident, leaving behind a short but sweet legacy of giallo masterpieces. With its violence, suspense, mystery and a tragic twist ending, “What Have You Done to Solange” is a standout member of the genre.
range Vice Wardh (1971)
n the loose in Vienna, and Julie Wardh, a c ex-lover Jean is to blame. r,” this is one of director Sergio Martino’s his best. Its strong story is carried by an dwige Fenech, who fits into the role of
me is the suspenseful atmosphere. It’s ense relationship drama, an array of ying kill scenes. It does a good job of ng Wardh’s shame and paranoia as she’s d to revisit her illustrious past with Jean. The film is methodically slow-paced up to the final act, when the story spirals out of control with shocking twists and disturbing revelations. An intense sex-thriller oozing with intrigue and mystery, this classy production is a mustsee for giallo newcomers.
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Don’t torture a Duckling (1972) In a remote small town in South Italy, young boys are being strangled to death by an unknown assailant. The investigation is impeded by rampant immorality and superstition among the townsfolk. Newspaper reporter Andrea Martelli teams up with city girl Patrizia to identify the true culprit behind these murders while dealing with an isolated community that’s distrusting of outsiders. Director Lucio Fulci is best known for his supernatural horror films like “The Beyond” (1981) and “The House by the Cemetery” (1981). Out of any film Fulci has done he considers this his favorite. “Don’t Torture a Duckling” stands out with its haunting story and shocking violence. Fulci does not hold back in confronting the viewer with disturbing imagery that sticks with them long after initial viewing. Like many giallo films, it touches on themes of past shame, distrust of institutions and vigilante justice, tying neatly into its wayward small-town setting.
Opera (1987) Giallo in the ‘80s gets a bad rap. Due to funding cuts and lack of interest, giallo was on life support. Renowned directors of gialli were releasing some of their worst films, but Dario Argento, against all odds, released some of his best films during that time. “Opera,” released in ‘87, is one of my favorite films from him. “Opera” follows a soprano named Betty who is brought in to replace an injured singer for a production of “Macbeth.” She finds herself trifled by an obsessive stalker who murders her lover and forces her to watch. She realizes the man stalking her is somehow connected to her late mother. Out of any Argento film, I consider “Opera” to be the culmination of his best work. “Opera” has a tight script, thick atmosphere,
outstanding set design and the best climax of any giallo/slasher film to boot. Betty stands out as one of my favorite giallo protagonists. She’s afraid of being thrust in the limelight with the curse of Macbeth. On top of that she finds her sense of comfort stripped from her by her murderous stalker. The actress, Cristina Marsillach, really sells the performance of Betty losing control and being deeply traumatized by the unfolding events. Argento is renowned for a reason. His early films influenced horror films like “Halloween” with its skulking cinematography. Well into the ‘80s, with the conventions of the slasher genre established, Argento still hadn’t lost his ability to innovate with “Opera”.
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A new chapter
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
English professor Rufel Ramos overcomes rough childhood through writing By JORDAN LACKEY Opinion Editor @JordanEtc
Rufel Ramos was 10-years-old when she boarded a plane bound for Hawaii from Guam with a first-class ticket. She was surrounded by complimentary champagne she couldn’t drink and the hope of a bright future in a new place. However, her world stood still and the cacophony of noises around her seemed completely mute. Even though she was accompanied by a temporary guardian, she couldn’t help but to feel alone. Her parents weren’t with her. Flying 36,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean, the life she’d known for the past 10 years crumbled beneath her feet. “I felt like I was an abandoned, unwanted, nobody that was passed on to a complete stranger,” Ramos said. “I just didn’t want to exist. If the plane were to drop from the sky at that point, I’d have been OK with it.” She was supposed to fly with her parents a few days earlier as they were immigrating from the Philippines to the United States. But, due to issues with her paperwork, Ramos had to stay behind for 3 days. Ramos couldn’t understand at her young age. She hardly knew the meaning of the word adopted. “They would have kept it secret to the grave if it weren’t for the fact that they had to explain why my paperwork was messed up,” Ramos said. Until then, Ramos thought she was the oldest daughter to Philipino-American couple Ruben and Fely Ramos. She knew that she’d been born in Taipei, Taiwan, but she was led to believe she’d been born on a U.S. military base. “I always thought that I was a U.S. citizen,” she said. “As it turned out, no, I was an abandoned baby at a poor Catholic-run orphanage in Taipei.” Ramos is currently a professor of English with Dallas College. She’s been with Eastfield for 15 years, has a Ph.D in philosophy and is the lead advisor for the English honor society, Sigma Kappa Delta. She’s also a self-published author with an autobiography, two textbooks and three novels under her belt. She didn’t realize it until years later, but that 10-year-old girl sitting on a plane with her life in ruins, would find her life’s calling tucked within the confines of a magazine wedged in the pocket of the seat in front of her. It was an excerpt from “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” by C.S. Lewis. She read a small portion of the book describing a young girl named Lucy who had gone into a magical world only to come back and be called a liar by her siblings. “I connected with Lucy,” Ramos said. “Her story made me forget about me. … That was
CHANTILETTE FRANKLIN/THE ET CETERA
PHOTO COURTESY OF RUFEL RAMOS
such a relief. That felt so great. … That’s when I felt for the first time the power that a writer can do.” Ramos couldn’t put her thoughts into words back then, but sometime later she knew exactly what she wanted. “I wanted to have that power,” she said. “Because I felt totally powerless.” Looking back, Ramos has been able to cope with the experiences of her early life. When it comes to the subject of her biological parents, she says she understands. “I don’t blame them,” she said. “It was a different time. … I’m the product of an affair. The whole ‘illegitimate bastard-child’ thing, those were terms that were thrown around like normal.” Ramos would eventually find out that she was the result of an entanglement her biological father had with a Chinese maid. In 2012 she exchanged letters with her father and learned more about her own story, but she’s never had any contact with her mother. In 2007, Ramos became a mother to her son Daniel. She takes great pride in him and gladly describes him as a “boy version,” of herself. Once becoming a parent, Ramos vowed to give her son the honesty she never received. “The one thing I do that my parents didn’t do, is that I don’t keep secrets [from my son],” she said. “I don’t keep things hidden.”
Ramos and her son share as many experiences together as they can. Whereas Ramos identified as a “latchkey kid,” she said she would never be able to do that with her son. “I’m a single parent and he’s my only kid,” she said. “He sees me as his best friend.” The dedication Ramos shows as a parent is also mirrored in her working relationships and reflects what some people describe as an incredible work ethic. “She works insanely hard and she makes it look easy,” said Nina Lambert, an English professor and co-advisor for Sigma Kappa Delta. Ramos was Lambert’s mentor when she joined Eastfield in 2013. Since then, they’ve developed a working friendship. “She’s my definition of a good human,” Lambert said. “She was fun and sweet and absolutely approachable. We hit it off immediately.” Lambert said that during her mentorship with Ramos, she learned not to be afraid of asking questions. She also admired how Ramos would teach while using herself as an example. This admiration was echoed by Maryjose Garcia, a freshman business major. “She talks a lot about being an oldest daughter in an immigrant family, which I can relate to,” Garcia said. “The pressure that she feels on her is something I can pull from my own
Left, English professor Rufel Ramos and her son Daniel take a selfie together. A collection of some of the books Ramos has written, which include an autobiography, three novels and two textbooks.
personal experience [and put] into the essays I write.” Garcia said Ramos has been welcoming since the first day of class and learning directly from the self-published author of her textbook has made a tremendous impact on her experience as a first-year college student. But Ramos hasn’t limited herself to just academic publications. In 2012, she decided to build an entire world all her own and enter the realm of fiction. “I knew that if I wanted to do justice to the story I had in my head, it had to be a novel,” Ramos said. “I was scared of it.” While writing her first novel, “Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones,” Ramos was dealing with a lot of those feeling from her childhood. Her own story was only given to her in small pieces, spaced out over the course of years. The subject of her adoption, as an unspoken rule, was not to be discussed. She said she learned to “lie and keep secrets” from the age of 10. Her desire to know her own story compelled her to build a world she could call her own. A world built by angels and “celestial engineers.” She said her first book was a means of catharsis, while her continuing novels were an exercise in her newfound power and control. She is already working on her fourth novel. “It feels good to be the god of your own world,” Ramos said.
Sports The Et Cetera
Oct. 15 Oct. 16 Oct. 18 Oct. 22 Oct. 26
eastfieldnews.com
Change in position brings hardships, rewards to Jones
Soccer vs. North Lake Basketball vs. Dallas Christian College Volleyball vs. Cedar Valley Volleyball vs. Arlington Baptist Basketball vs. Arlington Baptist
6 p.m. 1 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m.
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Harvesters fall short this season
By ALEJANDRO CONTRERAS Contributor @TheEtCetera
Before her freshman season with the Harvesters, Allie Jones had spent her volleyball career as an offensive outside hitter. Then Eastfield coach Brandon Crisp told her it was time to focus on a defensive position and she started as a libero, where her biggest struggles weren’t just learning the new position, but also leading her team on the court. “My biggest challenge was obviously learning the new position last year and being open to learning this new position,” Jones said. “But also, [it was difficult] because I’m very hard on myself. So, trying to overcome things like getting out of my head and doing it right but also if I need help ask for help.” At the end of last season, she was named the Defensive Player of the Year for the Dallas Athletic Conference. Jones currently leads the conference and is ranked 11th in the nation in digs per set. Jones was also named the NJCAA Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 16. Jones is from Splendora, just north of Houston. At 5 feet, 6 inches, she isn’t the tallest on the court, but she makes up for it with her commitment and attitude. Jones has lived her entire life in the gym. Her mother, Jennifer Jones, coached basketball, volleyball and track, and her father, Travis Jones, was an athletic trainer. “My mom, she kind of coached everything. At one point she got to coach me too. It was a great time,” Jones said. “My dad was our trainer at our school, so he was always there watching our games. He would take me to games, stuff like that, so he was always making sure I was well for our games.” When Crisp was recruiting for Eastfield, he visited Xcel Volleyball Club, where Jones was playing. “When I came to visit (Eastfield) it just really caught my attention, because the teams were doing so well and the dynamic just seemed so great,” Jones said. “I was like, ‘This is the place I want to be.’” Kailey O’Neal, who is Jones’ teammate and roommate, said Jones’ competitiveness carries over to the team. “She wants to play to win,” O’Neal said. “She wants to play for the team. She plays for everyone else, not just herself, so I think that’s a good strength of hers. And she’s a fighter. No matter what, no matter if she’s tired, she’s always going hard.” Jones’ job as a libero is to promote ball control, give passes to her teammates and be involved in the servereceive pattern during games. Her other job on the court is to lead her team. “My role as the captain is to make sure if anything’s going wrong that I can help them and get to the bottom of what’s happening,” Jones said. However, Jones and the Harvesters are off to a rough start, with a record of 1-10.
PHOTOS BY RORY MOORE/THE ET CETERA
RORY MOORE/THE ET CETERA
Allie Jones serves the ball against Cedar Valley on Sept. 30 where the Harvesters won 3-2.
“It’s been a little difficult but I’m trying to stay positive,” Jones said. “The teams we’re playing should beat us because they are bigger schools. But we just have to keep pushing so that when we get to our conference, we can play the teams in our division and be ready for it.” Crisp said Jones is vocal and takes charge, but that she is too hard on herself. “You’re not going to win or lose from one play,” Crisp told her. “Just do your best and that’s all we can ask. You may lose some, but if you do your best, that’s all we ask.” The adjustment to college life for Jones has come with a lot of new responsibilities and difficulties. “This is the first time I’m living on my own and having to pay rent and get my groceries cooked for myself,” she said. “It was a big change. Jones said she knows her family is still with her even though distance separates them. “My parents come support when they can,” Jones said. “My sister is the most likely to come because she lives the closest.” Jones said she plans to move to a four-year university and play volleyball. But if it doesn’t work out, she plans to pursue a career in education at Tarleton State University. “It’s my dream, but … it doesn’t happen for everybody,” Jones said. “But it is my dream, and hopefully this year (we will) go to the national tournament.”
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Above, Andrea Marentes defends the ball against a Brookhaven player on Oct. 8. Desiree Padilla kicks the ball during the game against Brookhaven where the Harvesters lost 6-0. Eastfield has gone 3-11-1 overall this season and 1-5-1 in conference play at the time of publication.
OPINION Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Etera Award-winning member of: • Texas Intercollegiate Press Association • Texas Community College Journalism Association • Associated Collegiate Press • College Media Association
Dallas College Eastfield Campus 3737 Motley Drive Mesquite, TX 75150 Phone: 972-860-7130 Email: etc4640@dcccd.edu Editor in Chief Harriet Ramos Graphics Editor Mattheau Faught Opinion Editor Jordan Lackey Photo Editor Chantilette Franklin Production Manager Skye Seipp Senior Photographer Rory Moore Photographers Eddie Williams Vera DeJohnette Reporters Alejandro Contreras Contributors Leah Salinas Eduardo Chavez Valery Tinajero Jamie Salgado
Sergio Valenzuela Carlos Guzman Mikaela Harkins
Graphic Designers Adamaris Sanchez Ricardo Rivas Stephanie Kircher Publication Adviser Elizabeth Langton Student Media Manager Sarah Sheldon Faculty Adviser Lori Dann The views expressed on the opinion pages and other opinion pieces and cartoons in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of The Et Cetera, Eastfield College or the Dallas County Community College District. The Et Cetera is published by a student staff. Each member of the college community is entitled to one free copy of The Et Cetera. First Amendment Right Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Letters to the Editor Letters must be typed, signed and include a phone number. Letters will be edited for profanity and vulgarity, Associated Press style, grammar, libel and space when needed. The content will remain that of the author. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.
ABOUT THE COVER English professor Rufel Ramos poses next to the books she has written, which include an autobiography, three novels and two textbooks. Photo by Chantilette Franklin
10 @TheEtCetera
The Et Cetera
OUR VIEW
Program, staff cuts hurt students Ever since the consolidation to one college began, the administrators and Dallas College Board of Trustees have said the changes being made are for the students. A very rosy picture has been painted as to how students are in line to benefit from the reorganization of Dallas College, but it has not been rosy for all of us. We do not pretend to speak for all Dallas College students, but we would like to give you a snapshot of how the consolidation is affecting us. On Friday, we helped our student media manager clean out her office. She was on maternity leave when she found out her position with Dallas College had been terminated. She had been expecting it and so had we, but that did not make it any easier as we watched her go through desk drawers and listened to her wonder aloud where she should go to turn in her key and employee name tag. We are sad for her, but we are also sad for us. And angry and worried. As students pursuing careers in journalism, we are wondering how the loss of our full-time adviser is going to affect our future. The Et Cetera is a finalist for the Pacemaker in print and digital this year, the highest award available in college journalism. The newsroom walls are lined with Pacemakers from other years, six in all, as well as individual awards given to our editors, photographers and graphic artists. This summer The Et Cetera was named to the Associated Collegiate Press’s Pacemaker 100 list, meaning we are one of the most decorated student news organizations in the entire country. Recent graduates have gotten jobs at the Dallas Morning News, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, NBC Universal, the Arkansas DemocratGazette, the Amarillo Globe-News and Estrella Media. Many others are working in public relations, graphic design and social media management. There is no denying we have talented students in our newsroom but having full-time advisers has been absolutely crucial to our success. They look over our shoulder and
this isn’t working for me
RICARDO RIVAS/THE ET CETERA
show us what we could have done differently to make our photos and graphics better. They give us suggestions on what information our news stories lack and where to get it. They open doors of opportunity for us by recommending us for scholarships and submitting our work for national awards. North Lake’s only student media adviser was laid off Oct. 1, as was the only staff member at Richland who oversaw the radio and television studios. What is going to happen to students who want to study broadcast journalism? We understand that the idea behind the reorganization is that positions that were duplicated on multiple campuses all be consolidated into one or two individuals who will travel from campus to campus. We can see that working well in some areas, but journalism is a highly specialized field. How can a handful of individuals traveling from campus to campus effectively provide the support that was previously provided by full-time staff dedicated to a single campus? If sports are allowed to retain fulltime staff on each campus, why can’t we have that privilege too? As we see the mentors we have looked to for guidance on how to turn our raw talent into marketable
skills disappear, with no replacement in sight, we see our opportunities slipping away. We do not blame any one person or group of people, we are simply trying to share the realities of our new normal. The people who knew our area and all the ins and outs of how it worked were taken away. The system that we used to be able to navigate has changed, and we don’t know to whom we can turn to help us find our way. We feel like we are being reduced to numbers and statistics instead of real-life students who need support with our goals and dreams. The Et Cetera was in existence for over 40 years before winning its first Pacemaker in 2011. Building programs takes time, and we feel like we have been sent back to square one. We have chosen to speak about the effect the reorganization has had on student media because it is the area we know best, but we are not an anomaly. The layoffs that affected student media also affected the drama program. The technical theater director at Eastfield and her assistant were laid off on Oct. 1, leading us to assume that the large theatrical productions Eastfield put on for so many years are a thing of the past. How will drama students be affected by this?
We have talked to music students who have told us the classes they need for their field of study were canceled or moved to other campuses this fall. The enrollment was low, considering we are all returning to campus after being away for a year-and-a-half, and the classes didn’t fit into the algorithms of the new scheduling system. Music students who live 15 minutes from Eastfield are having to travel more than half an hour to other campuses when those courses used to be accessible in their own back yard. We do support the vision for Dallas College. We are excited about the opportunities one college will afford to many students. But we are concerned that in the execution of the reorganization process, small but successful programs are falling through the cracks. Dallas College trustees, can you help us? Instead of simply saying the reorganization is for the students, can you sit down and talk to us and hear our views and our needs? Please don’t send us a survey that might get lost in our inbox and will only make us feel more like a statistic. Come to our campuses. Meet with students. Ask them what they need, and then be willing tweak the vision if needed.
OPINION
11
The Et Cetera
eastfieldnews.com
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Founding fathers didn’t think vaccines were tyrannical Unfortunately, it appears that our worries of contracting COVID-19 don’t end after getting the vaccine. As the rise of breakthrough infections has shown, the unvaccinated are serving as a petri dish for harmful mutations. The sad truth is that the national effort for immunization will fail unless more pressure is placed on those who have yet to vaccinate. If COVID-19 continues to mutate and cause damage in vaccinehesitant populations, there’s a good chance we won’t return to pre-pandemic life for a while. We’ll see the rise of strains that threaten to undo everything we’ve done to move past the plague. Even though both sides want to move past the pandemic and continue with their lives, the nation is divided on a solution. Unless we reinforce our efforts to
help the hesitant change their minds on vaccination, we risk undoing the history our nation has of immunizing for a common goal. Vaccines have played a major role in America’s success, and the U.S. Government recognized this in 1905 when the Supreme Court voted that vaccine mandates were constitutional, conveying the view that individual power was not absolute when there’s a public health risk involved. Unlike our ancestors, who fell prey to illnesses like smallpox and polio, our vaccinations eliminate the worry of contracting dangerous illnesses. We haven’t seen polio in the U.S. since 1979. And with the power of herd immunity, those who are unable to get vaccinated can live without the risk of getting a preventable disease. This lack of danger we’ve grown blissfully ignorant to results from a
Carlos Guzman @TheEtCetera
long history of vaccination endorsement. According to the Mount Vernon Organization, the Revolutionary War was almost sidelined by smallpox. To ensure the survival of troops, George Washington ordered every troop to get inoculated. No matter one’s personal stance toward inoculation, no one could be immune until they all were, and they had to be on the same page to succeed. This form of collaboration would culminate in the 20th century with the eradication of smallpox. Once an illness that brought the Aztec Empire to its knees, smallpox
is now an afterthought, thanks to everyone understanding the need to get the smallpox vaccine. Individual actions affect society at large, and harmful influence can spread faster than COVID-19. Not many anti-vaxxers understand how their actions affect people other than themselves. Convincing the unvaccinated is at its best when the pressure to take the vaccine is massive. And as said before, vaccination efforts are only successful when everyone does their part. While some vaccine skeptics quote high COVID-19 recovery rates as an argument against the vaccine, they refuse to account for the secondary effects present in many survivors. Survivors’ stories, combined with the stories from frontline workers, should be taken as cautionary tales of inaction during a pandemic. If
we don’t learn, the toll could be much higher if a disease worse than COVID-19 appears. Some point and laugh at antivaxxers who face the consequences of their actions. But mockery fails to acknowledge that the success of vaccination falls upon those least likely to receive it. When it’s a matter of life and death, it’s no longer about freedom of choice. There’s a duty that falls upon us to get ourselves and our peers vaccinated. We can’t mock the anti-vaxxers when we depend on them to get vaccinated. Instead, we need to work together again and confirm the longstanding truth that vaccines do work. Political division shouldn’t bring centuries of American immunization efforts to a halt. — Carlos Guzman is a contributor and an English major
Get the vaccine, save lives Hey lawmakers, stay away from our kids’ curriculum Mikaela Harkins
@TheEtCetera
Many people still do not feel they need to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but with vaccines available it is unnecessary to be putting your life and your family’s lives at risk. Getting vaccinated is the one thing that can make everything close to normal again and prevent more deaths from this virus. Ryan Dare, a doctor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, told NBC News in July his unvaccinated COVID-19 patients say “if they could do it all over again, [they] would have had the vaccine in a second.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the vaccines are “effective at protecting you from COVID-19, especially severe illness and death.” In March 2020, just a few months after we learned about COVID-19 in the United States, I started to feel ill. My throat was sore. I lost all my energy. I became fatigued easily and out of breath. I felt like an elephant was pushing down on my chest. After telling my physician the symptoms, he told me that I needed to get a COVID-19 test. The thought of having this new virus was scary for me. While I waited for my results to come back, the fear of having COVID-19 and what could happen haunted me. Then the results came back positive.
Thankfully, the people I had been in contact with tested negative. But I was out of work for three weeks. As my illness continued, I began to lose my sense of taste and smell and developed an excruciating headache. The fatigue dragged on for almost the whole time I was sick. I could not even fold an item of laundry without being out of breath and having to take a break. I was frightened I would never get better, and I questioned how I would be able to pay my bills since I didn’t know how long I would miss work. I eventually had to be put on a leave of absence and my paycheck was reduced. Then my medical expenses started to pile up. After about the second week, things started to look better for me. My sore throat and headache went away, and I started to get some energy back. However, my sense of taste and smell were still gone. I was worried that they would never come back, but eventually they both did after three weeks. Now I am vaccinated and do not have any lingering side- effects of COVID-19. If the vaccine would have been around when I caught COVID, I probably would not have missed as much work and I would not have felt as horrible as I did. Now I know if I catch COVID-19 again, the vaccine will stop me from getting severe symptoms. Everyone wants to go back to how it was before the pandemic. Getting vaccinated is the only way to do that. — Mikaela Harkins is a contributor and a science major
At the beginning of September, 666 new laws went into effect in Texas. One of these was House Bill 3979 which states “Teachers will be limited from discussing current events and systematic racism in class.” The bill also prevents students from receiving credit from participating in civic engagement and bans the 1619 Project. The 1619 Project is an essay written by Nikole Hannah-Jones to bring awareness to African American suffering and the consequences of slavery. Through HB 3979, the system is taking out elements that are key to our education. We should not be modifying anything in our curriculum because every piece of information is important. It helps us learn from our mistakes and be well-informed citizens for the future. Our schools should not shy away from our history. Every kid has the right to know our country’s past, and the effect it has had on current events. From there we are able to form our opinions and take stances on topics we are passionate about. How will the younger generations know who to entrust their votes to? It’s good that the students should learn everything in our country’s past so we can break cycles of ignorance. School is designed in order for the students to learn basic skills, strengthen them and through them develop interests that will hopefully lead to potential career opportunities.
Jamie Salgado @TheEtCetera
Our education should be our stepping stone to a brighter future instead of another obstacle, like the one found in HB 3979. I attended Lakeview Centennial High School in Garland, and I was lucky enough to have multiple class options for different career paths. One of those was our law/government magnet program. I attended this school precisely because the variety of programs would help me earn plenty of credits and get ahead. I am a first generation college student after all. Students take pride in their education and will go to any lengths to get ahead. It is not fair that these choices are being taken from us. Decisions such as what classes to take or what interests to develop help our generation start thinking about what our future should be. The United States Department of Education only wants us to see the successes of our country, but not the ugly parts that can help us become stronger. We need to see these ugly parts of history so we can make a serious change. — Jamie Salgado is a contributor and an art major
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