Volume 33 Issue 1 October 31, 2016

Triton
The
Review
An independent student voice since 1973

Behind the Smokescreen: The Impact of a

Campus Smoking Ban pg. 6
A&E p. 8-9 Opinion p. 10-11 Sports p. 12
Coming Out A Survivor’s EdCC Athletes on
Day @ EdCC Story Social Justice
 2 News October 31,June
2016
1, 2015

Community honey creates a buzz

By Tara Pegasus
A&E Editor
EdCC’s mascot may be a trident from
the sea, but one group of students is fo-
cused on an insect in the air instead - the
honey bee.
Chemistry professor Mary Whitfield
brought bees from her personal hive onto
campus in April 2011, and the bees have
been providing honey for students ever
since. This year they produced 54 gallons
of honey sold by the Bee Club on October
26 during Sustainability Day.
On September 23 about thirty stu-
dents, faculty, staff and members of the
public participated in the annual honey ex-
traction in the Brier Kitchen.
The sticky process began by stripping
wax cappings from the honey frames. The
frames were then spun in a hand-crank ex-
tractor. Students held the vibrating extrac-
tor in place and cheered as honey slowly
spilled from the tap into the bucket.
“It’s just so exciting,” said Tifani
Chang, a student pursuing naturopathic
medicine. The extraction was a lengthy
process that lasted several hours.
All volunteers were rewarded with
Photo by Thomas Common
a bottle of honey and the chance to pick Student Summer Hanson prepares a honey frame for extration, stripping wax caps with a hot knife as others spectate.
Whitfield’s brain about beekeeping. The
involvement of biology professor and ex- Bees are threatened around the world about 70 gallons two years ago. include soap or candle making from the
pert entomologist Gwen Schlichta was an- due to a variety of causes, including com- For those who want more than a taste wax and participating in activism opportu-
other bonus. mon pesticides and herbicides. Beekeepers of honey, consider joining the Bee Club. nities.
“No one is more thrilled than I am also must inspect their hives for wasps, Bee Club meets once or twice a month on If you bought Community Honey on
about having Gwen on board,” Whitfield which prey on bees, and mites, which can Friday afternoons. Members have already Sustainability Day, save your bottle for a
said at the first official Bee Club meeting. spread a deformed wing virus. done most of the winter’s work by extract- $1 discount on next year’s honey. For more
Whitfield hopes the college will incor- One of the two hives at EdCC recently ing and bottling the honey. information about the Bee Club, check out
porate the campus hives into a beekeeping lost its queen, and Whitfield hopes the oth- Professor Schlichta plans to begin fu- their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/
class. For now, the bees rely on Bee Club er hive will survive. Honey production was ture meetings with a short talk on a bee- EdCCBees, or email Mary Whitfield at
volunteers and honey sales to provide bee also slightly down this year after a high of related subject. Other tentative club events mary.whitfield@edcc.edu.
suits, supplies and maintenance.

Have story ideas? Chief’s Notes
Is something going on around campus? Thomas Common
Comments on stories? Editor-in-Chief
- Letters to the editor are a good way to
Hello everyone! My name is Thomas
Common, the Triton Review’s new Editor
let us know what’s working and what’s not. in Chief.
I see this position as an opportunity
to guide the conversations on campus and
revedic@edcc.edu encourage dialogue between students.
Our natural tendency as humans is to
oversimplify topics and create ‘us vs them’
mentalities in order to define ourselves by
positions or stances. The problem with
this kind of thinking is that places bound-
aries on our sense of self.
I urge you to make the hard choices in
life. Living without regrets doesn’t mean
having none. It means making decisions
that are in line with who you want to be.
I look forward to getting to know all
of you better as time goes by. I wish you
luck this school year!

A Student Publication of Section Editors: Layout & Design Faculty Advisor

Edmonds Community College Ian Moffet - Opinion Todd M Clayton Jr Rob Harrill
20000 68th Ave W. Tritonopinion@gmail.com rob.harrill@edcc.edu
Lynnwood, WA 98036 Business Manager
425.640.1315 Triton Staff- News Justin Bisacky Staff Writers:
Revedic@edcc.edu revbusma@edcc.edu Cecil Touzet, Tallie Durland, Zarina
Editor-in-Chief Tolagayeva, Khina Kotriakhova, Liza
Triton Staff- Sports Copy Editor Efmovskaia, Denny Tan, Kasanita
Thomas Common Tritonsportseditor@gmail.com Rel Konot Lindell, Evan Walker, T.H. Sargent, Kyle
Revedic@edcc.edu Whitmer
Tara Pegasus - A&E Photographers
TritonAEeditor@gmail.com Triton Staff

The Triton Review is a student-written and -produced newspaper for Edmonds Community College and the surrounding community. The opinions expressed in the Triton Review
do not necessarily reflect the views of the Triton Review staff or of the college.
Mission Statement
The Triton Review is a student-run newspaper at Edmonds Community College that serves the student readership by reporting on issues and events as they relate to the campus
community and by supporting the open exchange of a diverse range of viewpoints and opinions.
The Triton Review strives to be impartial in its reporting and adheres firmly in its First Amendment rights.

Newspaper Policy
1. The Triton Review covers issues and events as they relate to the Edmonds Community College campus community and surrounding areas.
2. The Triton Review editorial staff reserves the right to comment editorially on any issues the staff finds newsworthy and important.
3. The Triton Review resists the influence of advertisers or special interest groups on the selection of news content or editorial expression.
4. The Triton Review will consider for publication signed letters to the editor or contributed opinion pieces reflecting student opinion on relevant topics, as well as those of other
on or off-campus constituents when submitted according to publication guidelines.
5. The Triton Review strives to uphold State and Federal Laws and Edmonds Community College policies, particularly the Office of Student Life Code of Ethics and the Society
of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics.

Letters to the Editor

The Triton Review welcomes letters to the editor. Letters submitted should be no more than 400 words, signed legibly, and accompanied by a phone number in order to verify
authenticity. Some letters may not be printed due to limited space, because they are similar to other letters received on the same subject, are potentially libelous, or are illegible. The
Triton Review reserves the right to edit letters.
 R
The eview
Quit clownin’ around!
By Denny Tran
Staff Writer
Clowns are ruining Charles Kraus’s
life!
Kraus, a professional clown of 50
years, said, “The creepier clown stories
there are, the less likely a parent will want
to hire a clown for a birthday party or
something, [and] that’s what I do for a liv-
ing.”
Kraus expressed concerns about over-
abundant creepy clown stories hurting the
market for professional clowns.
“We’re getting calls because people
know me; because I’ve been around a long
time... But I don’t know if new potential
customers might have called but decided
against it.” The media is slowly going to
exterminate clowns if the clown industry
continues in this direction.
It is not legal to shoot clowns! A man
dressed as a clown in Fort Wayne, Indiana,
was shot in the head and is listed in critical
condition.
If you have any kind of social me-
dia account, you’ve probably stumbled
upon an article online, or heard from oth-
ers about the scary clown epidemic going
around.
There have been mass reports of
clown sightings from states across the
U.S., including Washington. These clowns
are going around scaring people, with a
small number actually committing crimes
and hurting people. This is where enter-
tainment media took over.
WHY STOP
NOW?
Finish your bachelor’s degree
online at the UW.
SOCIALSCIENCESONLINE.UW.EDU
Charles the Clown performing for children at an elementary school with his puppet friend.
This circus started in South Carolina,
where one of the first sightings of crimi-
nals dressed as clowns was reported. These
criminals lured kids into the forest and into
their cars with candy.
Clowns have also been sighted loiter-
ing in sketchy areas at night scaring peo-
ple, some going as far as committing vio-
lent acts. It has gotten to the point where
clown costumes are being banned in cer-
tain places.
Jesse Dinh, an eighth grader attending
Voyager Middle School in Mukilteo, has
seen a clown at a Lynnwood gas station.
“He was just standing there tilting his head
a bunch of ways, but I wasn’t scared,” he
said.
Although the intentions of these cos-
tumed individuals are unclear at the mo-
ment, there are some stories of people get-
ting hurt or killed by a clown. Authorities
claim most of the reports are pranks, and
some people have been fined for reporting
a “fake” incident.
Fake articles have also made rounds
of the internet as entertainment news agen-
cies take advantage of the phenomenon to
generate web traffic. One example is The
Daily Finesser’s “Congress Has Autho-
rized Police Officers to Shoot and Kill Sus-
picious Clowns,” which is not credible in
any regard and unequivocally false.
This epidemic is a good example of
social media taking control of an issue and
blowing it up out of proportion. It’s really
not as bad as it seems, but many media
outlets are putting on the impression that
creepy clowns are everywhere.
Many rumors are flying around re-
garding this topic. Cops shooting clowns,
people being fined for dressing up as a
clown or clowns being made illegal; these
are all false rumors.
The best way to navigate this chaos
is to check reputable news sites. Don’t get
pulled into the abyss of social media ar-
ticles; although they’re interesting to read,
a lot of them are for attention and spread
false information on purpose. Use common
sense and reasonable skepticism.
Amidst the chaos, there are still good
clowns out there who only want to enter-
tain and not scare you. Among them is
Charles Kraus. Kraus, known as Charles
the Clown, is a professional who performs
primarily for children.
“I’ve been a clown for almost 50
years. Not a creepy one, not even a circus
one … As far as I know, the only person
who thinks I’m creepy is my brother-in-
law,” Kraus said. “He owes me money.”
If you look him up on Google or watch
any videos on his website, you will real-
ize today’s media has forgotten about good
clowns.
The risk of seeing all clowns as crimi-
nals is just as inhumane as any stigma.
Kraus has performed at hospitals, libraries,
schools and of course parties and festivals.
Kraus said, “I know the contemporary
history of clowns and how they’ve been
3
Photo by Catherine Cella
accepted in our country.” This separates
him, a professional clown, from the impos-
tors who are going around scaring people.
“Kids who have been frightened by
clowns have encountered those kind of
people, rather than professional clowns,”
Klaus added. “Professional clowns know
better; they wouldn’t do that.”
Kraus explained what can happen
when untrained people put on the costume.
“What happens is, somehow psychologi-
cally, I think, it gives them the freedom
to loosen up and get far too energetic and
wild, and wild to the little kids is frighten-
ing.” For many kids, this can create a pho-
bia of clowns.
Kraus revealed that he reduces the
chances of scaring kids in his shows by be-
coming a clown in front of them. One of
his reasons for doing this is because some
people are genuinely scared of clowns no
matter what, similar to other common pho-
bias like spiders or dogs.
During this process, he starts off as
himself; he has no makeup, goofy hair,
shoes or costume yet.
“I become a clown in front of them to
keep them feeling safe … it’s sort of clown
therapy,” Kraus said.
He becomes a clown as the kids get
more comfortable. A lot of this has to do
with Kraus being able to adapt to the kids,
a part of the art which amateurs aren’t like-
ly to understand. It’s not funny if the kids
are scared.
Kraus says it is essential to not ruin
clowns for kids. “Once you’re frightened
as a kid, it can last a lifetime. We get emails
from grownups who are fearful of clowns
… they lack the ability to enjoy clowns
[forever].” From just one event, someone
could be scared of clowns for the rest of
their life.
The next time they see a clown, “In-
stead of having a good time when the
clown comes to the party, or school or any-
where close, they’ll be frightened. They’ll
have feelings inside them that are tense and
upsetting.” Our perception of clowns can
go from silly to sinister quickly because of
these feelings.
With all this clown stuff happening
right now, our impressions of clowns are
being changed whether we notice it or not.
Before the series of clown sightings and re-
ports began, clowns had mainly been cat-
egorized as endearing and family friendly.
Clowns continued on back
 4 News October 31,June
2016
1, 2015

EdCC hosts South Korean Consulate

By Laura Daniali
General for Veteran’s Day
Communications Specialist, College Rela-
tions

Edmonds Community College, in

partnership with the City of Lynnwood,
the Korean Consulate General, and the
Lynnwood Korean Sister City Association
will host a Veterans Day Celebration from
10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, on
campus in the Black Box Theatre.
Edmonds CC welcomes students,
staff, and faculty, as well as veterans from
our surrounding communities, who served
during times of war and peace to the cele-
bration. The public is also invited to attend
this free celebration.
“Veterans Day is a time to celebrate
the service and sacrifice of the men and
women who have worn the uniform of
our armed services and put themselves in
harm’s way on our behalf,” said Chris Sza-
rek, director of the Edmonds CC Veterans
Resource Center and retired U.S. Navy
Seabee.
This year’s event will honor veterans
of the Korean War from the community,
each of whom will receive an award from
the South Korean Consulate General Moon
Duk-Ho.
Photo by Chris Szarek
“This year our campus has a unique Veterans congregate in the Black Box Theatre to recognize Memorial Day.
opportunity to honor veterans of the Kore-
an War, most of whom are in their 80s and
90s,” Szarek said. “Our campus chose to opportunity to educate our students and served as an active military base during the and father-in-law both served in Korea, as
honor Korean War veterans as a way of en- ourselves about an often forgotten conflict Korean War, which is often referred to as well as the South Korean Consulate Gen-
suring that the brave men and women who that played a key role in the shaping of our “The Forgotten War.” eral and Edmonds CC President Dr. Jean
served there know their service is appre- history.” While veterans of WWII and Vietnam Hernandez.
ciated, while also providing an excellent Szarek said the Edmonds CC campus have received well-deserved recognition, The ceremony will feature musical
those of the Korean War have not garnered performances, a presentation by Edmonds
as much attention, he said, despite their CC staff and faculty who served, and more.

B a c h elor ’s rvices service under harsh conditions and the loss Refreshments, sponsored by the Ko-

t
our Se
t
of 178,426 soldiers, 566,434 wounded, and rean Sister City Association, will be served
Earn y ee in Human

Eve r e
an estimated 32,925 missing. after the event.
Degr The Korean War took place from 1950 The Black Box Theatre is in Mukilteo

in
to 1953, although historians can trace the
foundation for the war back as early as
1945. The war ended in an armistice in July
1953, and a demilitarized zone was estab-
lished and continues to be jointly patrolled.
Hall on the Edmonds Community College
campus at 20000 68th Ave. W, Lynnwood,
WA. For directions and a campus map, go
to edcc.edu/campus.
Edmonds CC has been designated as

c e
“Although America’s involvement in a military friendly school for three years.

d i f f e r e n foreign conflicts has faded from the head-

lines, the men and women of our armed
The college is also home to the Veterans
Resource Center that serves the needs of

ake a
services continue to serve 24 hours a day, over 200 veterans and their family mem-
365 days a year, both in our state and bers attending Edmonds CC by providing

M with people - in communities!

Professional employment in diverse

field-related settings including:
For more information or to
make an appointment, e-mail
abroad,” Szarek said. “It’s important that
our society honors their service one day
out of the year, whether it means attending
a ceremony, thanking a veteran, or simply
reflecting on the freedom we enjoy and the
people who stand ready to protect it.”
Veterans Affairs counseling and certifica-
tion, an on-site mental health professional,
career counseling, and an inviting place to
meet other veterans.
The center is funded by the Edmonds
CC Foundation’s Boots to Books and Be-
Guest speakers will include Lyn- yond Campaign.
nwood Mayor Nicola Smith, whose father

Black Box Theatre hosts

• Veterans
or call today!
• Eldercare
• Immigrants & Refugees
•
•
Case Management
Non Profit Management
• Advocacy & Public Policy
• Community Organizing
• Children, Youth, & Families
A unique major that blends theory
with practice preparing graduates
for careers in direct service delivery
and human services administration.
hs.everett@wwu.edu
425.405.1640
congressional forum
By Rel Konot “But we will soldier on.”
WEEKLY OPEN HOUSE
Copy Editor The districts represented on the stage
Drop by for program advising spanned the entire east side of the Puget
every Tuesday On October 11, Edmonds Commu- Sound, including the San Juan Islands and
nity College’s Black Box Theatre hosted our very own Snohomish County.
10:30 am - 5:30 pm
a handful of congressional candidates in a The 1st District, encompassing What-
in Gray Wolf Hall 253 debate forum, introducing plans for repre- com, Skagit and Snohomish County, as
on the EvCC campus! senting their share of Puget Sound if elect- well as a third of King, is currently rep-
resented by Democrat Suzan Delbene.
s
ed to Congress.

u . e d u /h Six candidates for Washington State’s Representing the 1st District since 2012,

ww 1st, 2nd and 7th Congressional Districts ar- she (fittingly) sat on the far-left side of the

n l i n e ! rived to speak, seated along a row of tables line of tables in the theater, running for re-

t u s o A T I
O N decorated with microphones. Jon Bauer, election.

Visi
U C on
E D Instituti Journalist and Editorial Page Editor for lo- Her Republican adversary, Robert
E O F A A /E O
L E G cal newspaper The Daily Herald, stepped Sutherland, sat one seat over. A U.S. Air
C O L
N G to the podium as debate moderator.
O O D R I
“I will tell you from the start that I am
W
a print journalist, and not used to being be- Politics continued on page 7
hind a lectern,” he warned good-naturedly.
 R
The eview
Energy management position sits vacant
EdCC struggles to coordinate sustainability efforts
By Evan Walker
Staff Writer
Edmonds Community College’s Sus-
tainability Initiative is holding strong with
the help of some dedicated individuals, but
it is suffering without the clear leadership
of a designated sustainability director.
Walking around the campus at Ed-
monds Community College you can’t help
but notice there is a dedication to being
eco-friendly, supported through what the
college’s Sustainability Initiative.
Pulling into the north parking lot
you’ll see some large greenhouses and a
grow area, squeezed behind the baseball
field, making use of whatever real estate
is available. Head up past the ball field to
Seaview and you can find one of the water
bottle refilling stations on campus, a sys-
tem to reduce disposable plastic bottle use.
As you walk toward the courtyard you
may notice the campus farm to your right,
across from the staff parking lot, a little
further and you’ll run into the solar panel
array that doubles as a shelter. Make your
way to the Brier hall cafeteria, which sits
just below the Green Team’s headquarters,
and you’ll notice a heavy emphasis on the
recycling program, a program that pro-
pelled the school to a seventh place finish
in the nationwide Recyclemania event.
It’s with initiatives like these and
many others that in 2013, with the help of
Energy Management Director Alison Pugh,
the college was awarded a Silver STARS
rating from The Association for Advance-
ment in Sustainability in Higher Education
(AASHE). At the time this made Edmonds
the highest-rated community college in the
state.
Pugh was the driving force behind
earning the Silver STARS rating. It’s a nice
capstone for her work done on campus in
the years prior. Surprisingly this success
did not lead to a permanent position.
In the fall quarter of 2014, after five
years, the position of energy management
director and sustainability researcher was
not renewed and Pugh was released. What
remains in her absence is a provisional
Sustainability Council with no dedicated
chairperson. The council is currently co-
chaired by Kevin McKay, vice president
for finance and operations, and Tim Hohn,
horticulture chair and instructor, and open
to all members of the campus. Neither co-
chairs primary position at the college is to
work on sustainability.
I sat down for an interview with Stew-
art Sinning, program manager for the Cen-
ter for Service-Learning and the Green
Team, recently back from the AASHE
Conference in Baltimore. His office over-
looks the East parking lot in the Center for
Student Engagement and Leadership’s of-
fice in Brier Hall.
Sinning, who is a regular attendee of
the Sustainability Council along with a
few “die hards” who are “passionate about
sustainability,” has some ideas that would
benefit the committee. “We’re trying to
work on a mandatory group of council
members so it’s not an option or ad hoc
committee, but one that is regularly at-
tended by departments on the campus who
have an impact on sustainability.”
The current Sustainability Council
does not directly represent any of the five
core themes of the college, which you can
find at http://www.edcc.edu/about/mission.
html. Pugh was working on adding an in-
dicator level for sustainability into Core
Theme Five: Encourage Innovation, Ser-
vice, and Lifelong Learning.
The indicators work as a goal for the
The 2015-2016 Green Team posing at the Cultural Kitchen, with Stewart Sinning standing to the right.
overseeing committee. After Pugh left
there was no one to push for this indica-
tor, “the winds came out of the sails,” said
Sinning.
One misconception is that Sinning,
as manager of the Green Team, took over
Pugh’s job. While he did take over her
work as manager of the Green Team and as
administrator of the Campus Green Fund,
there are many responsibilities that have
fallen by the wayside without a dedicated
director-level position in place.
“She [Pugh] was there to implement
sustainability, to get us further down that
road. She was an integral part of that, so
when she left there was no one to take the
vacuum. Some things kind of backslid,”
said Sinning.
On the college website’s sustainability
page, you can find pertinent information
about the Sustainability Initiative Mission
Statement and a link to five school values,
used to represent employees, students, and
the college’s Board of Trustees. A value
covering sustainability was added in 2012:
Responsibility and Accountability
• We manage our resources with ef-
ficiency and integrity to ensure the long-
term health of the college.
• We infuse sustainable and transpar-
ent practices throughout all aspects of the
college’s operations and programs
Prominently displayed on the sustain-
ability page is the AASHE Silver STARS
rating. This rating has since expired. There
is a Sustainability Assessment from 2007-
2008 and a carbon footprint report from
2008-2009. These reports are nearly eight
years old or more and contain data from
several years earlier. This area of the web-
site is in need of some updating. Something
that Pugh used to take care of according to
Sinning.
Still, Edmonds has made great strides
in improving sustainability since 2008
when former college president Jack Oharah
signed the American College and Univer-
sity Presidents Climate Commitment. This
commitment put the college on track to be-
coming carbon neutral.
One of the first big moves was hiring
Alison Pugh as energy management direc-
tor and sustainability researcher and in
years following, several impactful initia-
tives were put into place.
A sustainability fee was introduced in
2011. Many students may not realize this
but there is a 50 cent per credit fee added
to tuition. “Roughly half of it goes to the
Campus Green Fund,” said Sinning, “some
goes to Green Team operations.”
The Green Team is a team of four stu-
dents dedicated to outreach and education
for sustainable practices on campus. They
are part-time paid positions that renew
each year and are open to the whole stu-
dent body, added Sinning, whose job title
includes Green Team manager.
On similar sustainability focused
groups at other colleges, “a lot of positions
aren’t paid through other colleges but we
happen to be one that does,” said Sinning.
The Green Team puts on three sustainabil-
ity events each year with the help of the
Campus Green Fund.
The Campus Green Fund (CGF) is a
fund created to provide resources for proj-
ects that exhibit environmentally, econom-
ically, and socially sustainable practices in
accordance with the college’s overall Sus-
tainability Initiative.
The Green Team recently attended
the AASHE conference in Baltimore with
the support of the CGF. Opportunities like
these allow Sinning and the Green Team to
get ideas and make connections with other
schools and sustainability programs from
around the country.
The CGF has partially or fully fi-
nanced dozens of projects and initiatives
on campus since its inception five years
ago. Some of these projects are one-time
payments while others are ongoing or an-
nual, and include the Campus Lactation
Room, Celebration of Food Festival, Wa-
ter Bottle Awareness Campaign and the
Seaview Water Bottle Filling Station, TV
Studio Lighting Replacement, the Campus
Community Farm and many others.
The Campus Community Farm,
founded in 2012, has grown to host around
a half-dozen other related projects since its
creation. Rain gardens and raised grow-
ing beds, beehives, the Cultural Kitchen,
a hoop house, worms and compost and
even a scarecrow! It has become a hub for
green-minded activities on campus.
All of these initiatives have put the
college on a good track to receive the
AASHE Silver STARS rating again. With
5
Photo by Green Team
the college doing excelling in its sustain-
ability mission, why was Pugh released
and her position not renewed? Alison Pugh
shared her thoughts with the Review in an
email:
“We had a lot of administration turn-
over during this period, including a new
president, and naturally priorities will shift
during such turnover. Nationally, commu-
nity colleges started looking toward the
completion agenda, and all over, including
at Edmonds CC, new positions were be-
ing created in student success, completion
coaching, new deans in student services,
etc., all focusing on student success/stu-
dent completion. As well, the cabinet-level
position for Equity and Inclusion was add-
ed to the roster of permanent positions at
the college. There were new priorities for
EdCC, and sustainability was just not in
the mix even though we were innovators in
this area, not only statewide, but nationally
as well.”
Pugh went on to add, “A director (or
higher-level) position can bring focus and
cohesion to the work, and I hope that I did
that for a time at EdCC.”
I spoke with student and sustainability
activist Zach Bigelow, and asked how he
felt about the current situation. “Between
the Sustainability Council, which is mostly
detached from student concerns, and Stew-
art Sinning, who has a full-time job direct-
ing the service-learning department, there
are few institutional advocates for conser-
vation that students can turn to - in the ab-
sence of a sustainability director of some
kind it has become the task of the student
body to further conservation on the EdCC
campus.”
Bigelow continued in an email, “With-
out a director-level position of some kind
who can communicate with other de-
partments about sustainability without
overstepping the boundaries of their job
description and potentially putting them-
selves at risk, it is an uphill battle.”
Leadership at the college has made
ambitious commitments to sustainability in
the past, yet there is currently no dedicated
director-level position to manage the many
initiatives already in place or to ensure that
these missions and values are fully real-
ized.
 6 News October 31,June
2016
1, 2015

EdCC balances smoking, social responsibility

Inside the tobacco-free discussion and its impacts
By Thomas Common free campus next year,” Dr. Hernandez is the corner, he will definitely pull over and to know and lean on one another. Students
Editor in Chief quoted as saying, “We are in a unique po- check our passports,” said Markov. “If I don’t feel comfortable talking to their pro-
Edmonds Community College Presi- sition to not only train tomorrow’s work- don’t have my passport, I’m going to jail.” fessors or resident assistants about some
dent Dr. Jean Hernandez sparked heated force, but also to empower that workforce That incident would go on his record and topics.
discussions last month about a tobacco- to move seamlessly into tobacco-free jobs, interfere with an attempt to renew his visa “My social network is actually smok-
free campus that upheld a common idiom: housing and other environments.” next year. ing,” joked Markov. “I’m 100 percent sure
There’s no smoke without fire. Workplaces pay more on their em- Luke Botzheim is the housing direc- that at a certain time of day I’m going to
Dr. Hernandez personally hosted three ployees’ health insurance premiums for tor here on campus, and also raised safety meet them in the smoking area. Whether
tobacco-free open forums where she invit- each employee who is a smoker. Under concerns about a smoking ban in an email. it’s about homework or just general ques-
ed students to share their thoughts. “What pressure to reduce healthcare costs, many “We don’t want a 17-year-old walking out tions, I’m able to.”
is the best cultural environment for our employers are prohibiting employees from in the dark to find a place to smoke.” The designated smoking areas facili-
campus?” she asked participants. smoking on company time or property. Botzheim also foresees a spike of tate chance meetings and friendships be-
Student opinion varied widely. Some The Affordable Care Act included in- residents smoking indoors, which damages tween international and domestic students,
brought up the health risks of smoking vestments in the health and well-being of buildings and poses harm to residents with a feat many departments at EdCC struggle
and secondhand smoke. Others thought a Americans. Strategies focused on tobacco smoke allergies. to replicate artificially. A complete smok-
smoke-free policy would unfairly burden use as a contributor to chronic disease ar- Cigarette butts are the most common ing ban would remove public assemblies
low-income and minority students, which guably received the lion’s share of atten- piece of litter, both at EdCC and world- students rely on to feel centered and sup-
runs contrary to the college’s mission of tion and funding over the past three years. wide. If tobacco use on campus is banned, ported in the midst of studies.
empowering students to succeed. Public institutions, such as technical and the number of butts dropped on our neigh- “People like to call each other and
Dr. Hernandez’ office also distributed community colleges, stand to gain a lot of bors and streets will rise. just say, ‘Hey, let’s have a cigarette at the
a survey to the campus community. 757 grant money if they enact smoke-free poli- Botzheim also pointed out an in- smoking area,’” Lea said between drags.
responses came back, 454 of which came cies. creased risk of fire hazard during dry sum- “If there’s no smoking area, it would be,
from students. Only 28 percent of students, “It’s kind of under the table,” said stu- mers. A ban would outsource the college’s ‘Okay, where do we smoke?’”
and 36 percent of dent Wessel Pieters on environmental responsibility to make sure No Butts About It
overall respondents, the local and federal its students and residents have an acces- The International Agency for Re-
supported removing Smoking ... is not a right; dollars EdCC would sible and safe place to toss their litter. search on Cancer defines first and second-
the designated smok- it is a privilege that can acquire by going Patti Pollardo is a chief shop steward hand tobacco smoke as Group 1 carcino-
ing areas from cam- smoke-free. “Not a of the Washington Public Employees Asso- gens; there is sufficient evidence it causes
pus.
be fully controlled by lot of people know ciation (WPEA). She represents the union cancer in humans.
Feedback from state rules. about it. But it’s not at EdCC and helps protect its employees. Taking a closer look at the Group 1
the discussions and -Dr. Gary Goldbaum within our choice, The WPEA is still waiting for the carcinogens reveals other common pre-
surveys was present- right? It’s within our Board of Trustees to make a decision be- ventable health dangers, including pro-
ed to EdCC’s Board say, but not choice.” fore taking action. “Whatever the college cessed meats, sunlight and car exhaust. Re-
of Trustees at a meeting on Oct. 13. Ex- Potential Impact and Concerns decides with the smoking policy, we’re gardless, tobacco smokers are singled out
ecutive Director and CEO of Snohomish Students juggle many priorities in concerned with the impact it might have on as a minority whose lifestyle is a primary
Health District Dr. Gary Goldbaum attend- life. With family responsibilities, home- interactions between employees and [secu- threat to public health and safety.
ed the meeting, and shared his personal and work, studying and work, it is normal to rity] staff,” Pollardo explained with a nod. A number of private and public orga-
professional beliefs on tobacco use. feel stretched thin. Student smokers admit Daniel Guerrero is the director of nizations offer colleges the institutional
“Smoking, alcohol use, the use of any to their addiction readily, well aware of the Safety, Security, and Emergency Prepared- support and funding required to implement
drugs, is not a right; it is a privilege that grueling impact withdrawals have on their ness at EdCC. He understands Dr. Her- smoking bans and cessation programs. Dr.
can be fully controlled by state rules,” Dr. mind and body. If EdCC bans smoking, nandez’s tough role in this discussion, and Goldbaum and the Snohomish Health Dis-
Goldbaum instructed. “I think that any in- more stress will be added to those students’ commends her direction. trict are ready to provide EdCC the signs
stitution of higher education has an abso- lives. “I do think the school has gone the ex- they would need to enforce a ban, pictured
lute responsibility to implement norms on “You can’t focus,” said Associated tra mile to make sure everyone has been on the front cover.
a campus that make clear, ‘Yes we are an Students Administrative Liaison Nathan heard on this matter,” he said. Guerrero EdCC Board of Trustees member Carl
inclusive society, but there are limits to that MacDuff, addressing the Board of Trust- understands nicotine’s addictive property, Zapora also serves as the superintendent of
inclusiveness. We will respect your right to ees. “If I tried to quit smoking right now, if and doesn’t plan to ticket every infraction Verdant Health Commission, a local hospi-
privacy; smoke where you please in the I didn’t have the access to smoke, my brain right away. tal district that has pledged to help the col-
privacy of your own home. But not here on wouldn’t be able to function when I’m “It wouldn’t be an overnight matter. lege go smoke-free. “Our mission is to help
the campus, because it is not a norm that in my anatomy class, or when I’m taking We’re here to support the school, not en- make Snohomish County the healthiest
we embrace.’” medical terminology.” force every single law.” Guerrero stated community in Washington,” Zapora said
While smoking is not a right, it is Unfortunately, cigarettes are routinely offenders will be met with education and at the October Board of Trustees meeting.
a civil liberty as defined by the Supreme marketed towards those in the most vul- warnings at first, until a smoking ban be- Challenges such as the Tobacco-Free
Court: “An interest rooted in the history nerable positions. The lower one’s income comes a part of the culture at EdCC. College Campus Initiative connect schools
and collective conscience of the people.” and level of education, the more likely they Got a Light? with state and federal tobacco control pro-
Although many students feel they have no are to be a smoker. Dr. Goldbaum is all too Proponents of the ban see another un- grams to help craft smoke-free policies.
Constitutionally protected right to smoke, aware of this trend: “It is quite intentional- derlying danger of tobacco use on campus. According to their website, “The TFCCI
they have a right to make their own health ly focused on those who are the most likely “People in this age group, from about 16 to Challenge’s ultimate goal is to ensure that
decisions. to smoke, to become addicted, and frankly 25, are the most likely to initiate smoking all colleges and universities are 100 percent
“The college should firstly promote a who have the least resources.” and then become committed smokers,” Dr. smoke- or tobacco-free and to continuous-
healthy lifestyle, but also give us the op- To that end, Dr. Goldbaum feels Goldbaum said. As long as administration ly encourage and recognize campuses that
portunity to be ourselves,” said Aleksandr strongly about the college’s duty to make allows tobacco use on campus, they will are working on comprehensive policies.”
Markov, a resident international student. the right choice for students. “Equity here be normalizing smoking and facilitating Nationally, many colleges have en-
“It’s sort of our own freedom, to smoke.” is not about enabling a behavior that’s go- initiation. acted smoke-free policies, pressured to
The Workforce of Tomorrow ing to kill. It’s about enabling success in a Even so, the majority of smokers in- reduce costs and fall in line with state and
Dr. Goldbaum asserts the college future where they will be healthy.” terviewed believe smoking is an individual federal recommendations. It seems ironic
would do students a disservice by allowing The majority of student smokers do choice, just like deciding to attend college. when very human college policymakers
tobacco use on campus. Many companies, not plan to quit smoking if a ban is imple- All students, including minors, attending succumb to the same peer pressure they are
including Washington’s largest employer mented. “We’ll just go on the street, or EdCC aren’t forced to be here - each one so afraid guides students’ decisions.
Boeing, are introducing entirely smoke- anywhere else we’re allowed to smoke,” chose to enroll of their own volition. Tobacco use is becoming aggressively
free workplaces. said Lea, a resident international student. “They’re well aware, I would hope, regulated at an unprecedented rate. Ex-
“Surprise, every employer is starting “Smoking is an integral part of my that they shouldn’t be smoking cigarettes,” perts and laypeople alike have known for
to care a lot about health care costs,” said daily life,” explained Markov. He enjoys said Pieters. “But again, that’s another decades that smoking is addictive and un-
Dr. Goldbaum. “This is a college that has going out for a cigarette at 11:00 p.m. be- choice on them.” healthy. Why is the push to ban tobacco use
a mission to prepare its students for the fore retiring for the night. “I’m always on Markov agrees, and gives fellow stu- in public places gaining so much traction
workforce of tomorrow. The workforce of cameras. I know that, if something hap- dents credit. “We’re not like 14 or 15 years now? Who stands to gain from these bans,
tomorrow is largely smoke-free.” pens to me, there are 24/7 security guards old, we’re not going to be easily influenced and who stands to lose?
He and others have expressed heartfelt around.” by someone else saying, ‘Oh, you don’t A handful of students are cynical
concern over the college’s responsibility Markov worries if he goes off campus smoke? You’re no longer my friend.’” about the discussions and suspect EdCC
to enable students to lead a healthy and to smoke, he may be robbed, assaulted or For almost every smoker at EdCC, the will continue to conduct reports and sur-
successful life. If the college models an worse. Because he and other international simple act of smoking has become a social vey the student body until they get results
environment where smoking is tolerated, students often look and sound foreign, activity. The designated smoking areas that justify a total smoking ban. “As a state
students may be ill-prepared for the new Markov is also concerned they will face draw in a diverse array of students, who college, we will get a fund if we eliminate
tobacco-free workplace. undue discrimination and harassment by use their smoke break as an opportunity to smoking completely,” Pieters said. “If we
In a 2013 My Edmonds News article the police. decompress and chat with others. know Edmonds that well, if it gets us mon-
titled “Edmonds CC to become tobacco- “If [an officer] sees us smoking on Throughout the quarter, students grow ey, we’ll do it.”
 R
The eview
Positioning prisoners for success
By T.H. Sargent
Staff Writer
The drive along I-522 in the fall is
breathtaking, with crimson and gold leaves
clinging to branches on densely packed
trees along a small highway, occasionally
dancing along the Snohomish River.
I arrived at the Monroe Correctional
Complex right on time, which means I’m
actually running late. After speaking into
a metal box surely connected to the guard
tower looming above me, I parked my car,
grabbed my notebook and sprinted across
the parking lot. It half occurred to me that
in some strange version of reality there’s a
possibility I might get shot.
The Monroe Correctional Complex,
or MCC, about 30 miles outside of Seattle,
was built in 1910 and sits on 365 acres.
It currently has approximately 2,400 in-
mates. The correctional complex is public
and funded by taxes; there are no private
prisons in the Evergreen State.
Only since 2004 have inmates in
Washington stopped working for private
companies, when the state Supreme Court
deemed it unconstitutional. The prison
has five separate units that cover minimal
to maximum security, including units for
mental health and sex offenders.
Inside is Kristyn Whisman, dean of
corrections education for the Edmonds
Community College. She oversees pro-
grams that range from basic skills to one
year certificates in areas such as building
maintenance technology, entrepreneurship
and small business management.
Her career began as a volunteer at the
Washington State Penitentiary in Walla
Walla. After hearing about programs there
she inquired about volunteering at the
prison, which led to her participating in a
work-study program. She received her de-
Politics continued from page 4
Force veteran and biochemist, he ran once
previously in 2014 and lost by a small mar-
gin.
Candidate brochures had been handed
out in the front hall before the forum, list-
ing each contestant’s ideals and strengths.
Delbene’s pamphlet folded open to reveal
insights on women’s rights, agricultural
legislation and local issues.
“No men in girls bathrooms,” was the
start of Sutherland’s focus points, listed on
the front of his candidate brochure, fol-
lowed by multiple other bullet points such
as, “Peace through strength,” and, “Honor
the U.S. Constitution.”
Washington State’s 2nd Congressional
District covers Island County and San Juan
County, as well as neighboring Bellingham
and Lynnwood areas.
Republican challenger Marc
Hennemann, an Air Force veteran and
high school history teacher, sat next to in-
cumbent Democrat Rick Larsen, who was
elected to Congress in 2000 and has been
dependably re-elected in his six subsequent
campaigns.
Hennemann leaned back in his seat,
Larsen forward. Their ideals and personali-
ties clashed throughout the night.
At the third table, Democrats Pramila
Jayapal and Brady Walkinshaw, neither in-
cumbent, were running for the 7th District.
Jayapal, a Washington State Senator,
represents the 37th Legislative District and
is a major advocate for women and people
of color.
Walkinshaw, in comparison, repre-
sents the 43rd Legislative District, with
gree in 2005 from Whitman College, then
started graduate school in Arizona.
Quickly Whisman realized that wasn’t
her path, and she returned to teach basic
skills in spring of 2007 at Monroe Correc-
tional Complex. She earned her Master’s of
Education at the UW Bothell campus and
became dean of corrections education at
EdCC in 2011, which made Whisman the
youngest of her colleagues at 28 years old.
Seated in her office at the prison,
Whisman discussed misconceptions soci-
ety still has about prisons and the enormous
challenge of securing funding for programs
aimed at inmate’s reentry to society. Her
enthusiasm for education is clear, which
complements one of her core values, “that
all people are redeemable.”
The law requires inmates to pursue a
G.E.D or a high school diploma if they do
not already have one. Whisman feels in to-
day’s world, “that isn’t enough anymore.”
There are approximately 350 inmate
students in EdCC programs. The course
material offered at the Monroe Correction-
al Complex is taught “exactly the same as
it would be on campus, other than the fact
that they all wear the same clothes and are
all men.”
I have to ask about orange jumpsuits.
“They only wear those on the first day until
their clothes, khaki pants and white shirts,
are issued.” She adds, “At one point in-
mates were allowed a certain number of
personal garments, such as a button-up
shirts for class, but that policy doesn’t exist
anymore.”
There are eight community colleges in
Washington that offer basic skills and vo-
cations to state prisons: Centralia, Clark,
Edmonds, Grays Harbor, Peninsula, Spo-
kane, Tacoma and Walla Walla.
Whisman has weekly meetings on
the Edmonds campus and meets with the
major political focuses in mental health,
drug reform and environmental steward-
ship.
The 7th Congressional District in-
cludes Vashon Island, Edmonds, Shoreline,
parts of Burien and Normandy Park and the
large sum of Seattle. It’s also known as the
most democratic district in the northwest,
accounting for the lack of a Republican op-
ponent at the table.
The candidates were asked multiple
questions, many of which were given to the
hosts by the audience and better formatted
in order to ask the best possible question.
For each question, the candidates had one
minute to respond.
Unlike the infamous presidential de-
bates of this election, the time limit was
respected and upheld throughout the night.
Questions fielded such topics as Citi-
zens United, the costs of pharmaceuticals,
the carbon tax, Obamacare and gun vio-
lence.
Delbene supported access to afford-
able healthcare for all citizens and con-
tinuing progress on Obamacare. She also
emphasized the need for a conversation
in Congress regarding climate change and
renewable energy, which she stated was a
hugely important issue, although she did
not directly state her stance on Initiative
732, regarding the carbon tax.
“Our region economically can be a
leader in clean, green, renewable energy
and the innovation that goes into that,” she
added.
Sutherland was vastly in contrast. “I
am completely against the Affordable Care
Act,” he said in his first statement of the
night. “Never should our federal govern-
ment be dictating or mandating that we
purchase a product on the marketplace;
An aerial photograph of the Monroe Correctional Complex.
seven other deans every three months to
discuss issues and “talk about pretty much
everything.” They have targets, data, facts,
figures and opinions to present for the De-
partment of Corrections to consider, which
authorizes the state’s funding.
Whitman said right now the state is fo-
cused on inmates reentry to society. When
asked if she is the only female dean, Whis-
man noted there were, “three other female
deans already when I was hired.”
“Being a corrections teacher is a
unique skill,” she said. “You’re either there
for a very short time or you stay for a long
time.” Those unique skills are rewarded
every June when the inmates graduate,
with caps and gowns, family and friends
present. The keynote speakers are often
program alumni who return to talk about
some of the challenges and successes
they’ve had on the outside.
According to Washington state’s Pris-
on Program website, “Most of the men and
women entering correctional facilities lack
the literacy and employment skills needed
to succeed in our communities upon re-
they do not have that authority under the
U.S. Constitution.”
Sutherland also stated he was unfa-
miliar with Initiative 732 but was against
special interest groups taking advantage of
climate issues in order to tax citizens.
Jayapal believed in a single-payer
healthcare system and continuing to fine-
tune the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in re-
gards to women’s contraceptives and low-
ering prices for pharmaceuticals.
She also called for extreme action on
environmental issues and supported a car-
bon tax.
However, she stood against Initiative
732. “It’s because it cuts a billion dol-
lar hole in the state budget, and it simply
doesn’t allocate resources to the most af-
fected communities that need the help the
most.”
Jayapal also supported “sensible gun
reform” such as universal background
checks and banning assault rifles.
Walkinshaw promoted single-payer
healthcare, as well as other points already
mentioned, with an additional focus on
mental health care.
“We have 40 million Americans today
who struggle with mental illness,” Walkin-
shaw said. “17 million of those are adoles-
cents. And Secretary Clinton has put for-
ward a very strong plan on mental health
coverage that I would be a partner on in
working to pass.”
He also strongly believed in climate
change action, supporting both the carbon
tax and Initiative 732.
Larsen, from the 2nd District, sup-
ported both changes and progress in the
ACA as well as huge environmental action
and regional renewable energy. He noted
that he hadn’t yet familiarized himself with
7
Photo by brewbrooks
lease.”
The website continued, “There is a
direct correlation between education level
and recidivism: the higher the education
level, the lower the recidivism rate. A de-
crease in recidivism reduces long-term
costs to taxpayers. Offenders who attain
literacy and job skills are better equipped
to find and keep employment, take care of
their families, and contribute to their com-
munities.”
That certainly supports a fair educa-
tion, which is under attack. The Washing-
ton state legislature is currently being fined
$100,000 a day for inadequately funding
K-12 public school education, which the
state Supreme Court deemed unconstitu-
tional. Since Aug. 13, 2015, the State owes
over $36 million in unpaid fines.
More and more Americans are looking
for a new approach to their prison systems.
Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Corrections
John Wetzel was quoted saying, “More
Prison continued on back
Initiative 732 but supports the carbon tax.
Larsen also called to reinstate bans
on assault weapons and promote stronger
regulations expanding upon background
checks.
Hennemenn focused a portion of his
night on highlighting his thoughts on the
flaws of his opponent Larsen, including his
distaste for Larsen and Delbene being two
of the representatives present at the Con-
gressional House Sit-In back in June in a
push for greater gun control legislation.
When asked about gun regulation, he
answered in support of the 2nd Amend-
ment and right to bear arms.
In regards to climate change,
Hennemenn seemed to be a firm denier.
“While humans may be contributing to the
current changes, it’s nowhere near saying
that we are causing them.”
He added in regards to Initiative 732,
“What a carbon tax will do is to raise pric-
es on just about everything, and we don’t
know if it’ll do what the proponents want
it to do.”
Another forum was held on October
18, continuing debates between congres-
sional candidates for Washington State
elections.
The forum was hosted in coordina-
tion with the Black Box Theatre, Edmonds
Community College, The League of Wom-
en Voters, American Association of Uni-
versity Women, The Daily Herald, SnoIsle
Libraries, the NAACP Snohomish County
branch and Snohomish County Elections
and Voter Registration.
Voting day is November 8, and early
voting has started in Washington State.
Remember to fill out your local ballot and
vote!
 8 A&E
Coming out three ways at EdCC
By Tara Pegasus
A&E Editor
Coming Out Day in Brier Lobby
On Tuesday, October 11, EdCC stu-
dents celebrated National Coming Out
Day in the Brier Lobby. Activities included
face painting, fishing for condoms, sharing
anonymous coming out stories and testing
one’s queer knowledge for a prize.
The Center for Student Engagement
and Learning, campus library, Student
Diversity Center, Wellness Center and re-
cently reinstated LGBTQIAP+ Club had
booths at the event.
“It would be boring if everyone was
the same,” second-year student Salsabila
Ainina said as she handed out rainbow
cupcakes arranged to spell LGBTQ.
Michelle Domingo, the director of eq-
uity and inclusion, echoed the sentiment
during a short presentation in the middle
of the hour-long celebration.
“I hope that every day is a coming
out day,” Domingo said. “Coming out as
your authentic self, you’ll feel better, safer,
healthier.”
ASEdCC Diversity Officer Skylar
Schaum encouraged students to sign a
Pledge Poster to show their support for the
LGBTQ+ community. The event coordi-
nators wanted feedback and ideas for next
year; surveys were handed out along with
the cupcakes.
Domingo also offered Transgender
101 and 102 training for interested class-
rooms and clubs. The administration wants
to hear your voice, so consider what would
make you feel safer at EdCC.
All-gender Bathrooms Slated
for Lynnwood Hall
Right after the coming-out celebra-
tion in Brier Hall, college President Dr.
Jean Hernandez, advisers, faculty and in-
terested students gathered for a public fo-
rum in the Clearview Building to discuss
EdCC eateries balance cost, sustainability
By Kasanita L. Lindell
Staff Writer
If hunger compels you to head to any
of the four different places to eat on cam-
pus, take a closer look.
You may discover some interesting
details about the movers and shakers who
operate these vital self-funded services.
They provide us sustenance and reasons
to congregate around tables with food and
drink. The old adage of ‘supply and de-
mand’ remains true for this profit-driven
necessity.
Former EdCC culinary arts student
Kelli Geiger Cain runs a tight ship as di-
rector of Food Services and Catering. She
oversees management of Brier Grill and
the two espresso stands on campus. She
also works closely with the Culinary Arts
Department.
When asked if the food used at Bri-
er Grill was locally sourced, Cain said,
“When we can, but we can’t always get it
in our price range. We are a self-support-
ing department, meaning all of our salary
and labor we pay for ourselves, and we are
not funded by the college.” Cain said stu-
dents grab and pay for the first thing they
see instead of looking at healthier options
available.
Administrative Liaison for Student
Government Nathan MacDuff said, “Why
not make the first thing they see healthy?”
MacDuff is not a vegetarian but reckoned
Brier Grill should offer cooked vegetar-
ian dishes as a healthy alternative to the
The LGBTQ+ Club Advisor Christie Santos-Livengood talking to people about the club during the Coming Out event in
the Brier Lobby.
a related issue—the addition of all-gender
bathrooms on campus.
Currently the campus has one all-
gender bathroom in Brier Hall. Open to
all, the one-stall bathroom under serves the
diverse student body.
One attendee mentioned a college sur-
vey of 1700 students, where 200 students
said they avoided the bathroom because of
anxiety and fear. To address this problem
at Edmonds administrators plan to convert
one or two existing women’s restrooms in
Lynnwood Hall, which are easier to con-
vert than men’s restrooms, into all-gender
bathrooms. Future conversions will use
men’s rooms as well.
The goal isn’t to decrease a certain
gender’s access to bathrooms but to al-
low students a choice of using a bathroom
where they feel comfortable. The adminis-
french fries, fried chicken and the overly
processed, dry-as-cardboard cheeseburger.
Culinary arts students in their first
and second quarters do rotations through
the Brier Grill kitchen helping build sand-
wiches and salads and run the front lines.
Cain has two executive chefs and a cater-
ing manager under her. They work with the
Culinary Arts Department to ensure that
some part of whatever goes on the Brier
Grill menu is a learning experience for the
students in the curriculum.
“Well, you know I think we do a pretty
good job,” Cain said. “I don’t think we are
the worst or best; we’re working on it.”
When asked if dialogue existed be-
tween Student Government and Food Ser-
vices and Catering, MacDuff answered,
“Not at this time.” He believed there are
many issues that need to be addressed and
wished the student government could do
more.
Perry Ells, who describes herself as
“adjunct faculty,” teaches in the Horticul-
tural Department. Ells talked about food
sourcing as she and a student sold produce
from the Sustainable Agriculture Educa-
tion (SAgE) farm in the courtyard in front
the library.
In her explanation on the benefits of
sustainable agricultural education, Ells
emphasized the difficulty that educational
institutions face when making decisions
on locally purchasing fresh produce from
farms practicing sustainability.
“There is a new federal program that
tration wants to implement the new bath-
rooms as soon as possible but is still open
to feedback.
Kristo Gobin at
the Black Box Theatre
On Wednesday, October 12, coming-
out festivities continued with a dramatic
performance by Kristo Gobin at the Black
Box Theatre. Kristo’s one-person show,
That’s So Gay!, offered a humorous, cul-
turally colorful narrative of coming out to
his noisy Croatian-American family. Kris-
to discussed sex, gender, sexuality and the
power of words.
“The average high school student
hears ‘That’s so gay!’ 26 times a day,”
Kristo said. In a powerful moment, he re-
moved his jacket to expose a plain T-shirt
scrawled with the slurs and derogatory
names he’d been called.
helps fund for subsidizing of purchasing
local, mostly because of Michelle Obama,”
Ells said. “What emerged as a program on
a federal level is some price support for
purchasing organic, which costs more, be-
cause unlike the big crops, it is not subsi-
dized and the nutrition level is totally dif-
ferent.”
Ells mentioned College Café Chef
Kevin Fogarty as “a key person who really
believes in freshness, flavor and nutrition
and how great it is to show his students
how to work with locally sourced [ingre-
dients].”
The SAgE Sammamish Valley student
farm is located in one of the last contiguous
areas of farmland in metro King County. It
is a major part of the Edmonds Community
College SAgE program and falls under the
EdCC Horticulture Department.
Ells talked about how there is less
funding all the time. “The farm is also a
site for classes, so we conduct classes out
there so the sales actually make the farm
and horticulture department more finan-
cially sustainable.”
SAgE farms are also supported by the
Campus Green Fund. Ells said she had ap-
plied for the sustainability grant through
the college. The yearly grant is highly
competitive, and six programs earned eli-
gibility last year. Find out more at www.
sagestudentfarm.weebly.com.
The food, ambience and student ser-
vice at Campus Café are wonderful and
could easily be identified as world-class
October 31,June
2016
1, 2015
Photo by Todd Clayton Jr
He shared how his high school foot-
ball team bullied and beat him, how his
family’s enthusiastic cultural celebrations
estranged him from potential friends and
how he made the mistake of coming out
to his parents first, and not to his friends.
It took nearly 20 years for Kristo’s family
to rally behind his sexuality, but now, he
complained with a smile, “They’re obnox-
ious,” asking him when he’ll bring home a
husband.
After the performance, Kristo opened
the floor to questions. Moved by Kristo’s
intimate sharing of his journey, students
opened up about their struggles on how to
raise children, how to deal with their fam-
ily’s rejection and how to find a supportive
community. A recording of Kristo’s perfor-
mance is available at edcc.edu/tv under the
Triton Talk Lecture Series.
cuisine under the guidance and leadership
of Chef Fogarty and his colleagues teach-
ing EdCC students excellence in the culi-
nary arts. Fogarty is proud of his students
and the healthy meals they crank out from
scratch.
The Café is not subsidized or funded
by the campus. Fogarty explained that al-
though his staff salary is paid for by the
school, they work hard at running the Café
so that it makes enough money to be fi-
nancially independent. He commended the
campus for the support it gives the Café
and the Culinary Arts Department.
Everyone works extremely hard and
manages to beautifully orchestrate their
delivery of healthy food on campus. Ells
pointed out, “Cost is such an issue with
institutions and this being a state-funded
school. Institutions have a special chal-
lenge; they really don’t have a lot of price
support options.”
With Fogarty, every day is a fine bal-
ance between keeping prices low enough
to encourage people to frequent the restau-
rant and making enough profit to continue
giving his students the best exposure pos-
sible in Culinary Arts.
Sustainability programs within other
institutions also face similar problems.
EdCC has all the parts under one roof,
which is a huge advantage that calls for
all involved parties to coordinate more ef-
ficiently and fine-tune the availability of
healthy food on campus for all.
 R
The eview
International students embrace Halloween
By Zarina Tolagayeva
Staff Writer
Naol Daba Debele has never celebrat-
ed Halloween.
But the international student from
Ethiopia is making up for lost time by
participating in preparations for the Hal-
loween Dance at Edmonds Community
College.
“We actually made a real boat for Hal-
loween,” he said. “We also put a magnet
inside the huge ball. It was so much fun.”
Debele is one of hundreds of interna-
tional students on campus experiencing
Halloween for the first time. While their
plans to celebrate the spooky holiday vary,
all said they are looking forward to an in-
teresting new experience.
Many international students don’t
celebrate Halloween in their native coun-
tries. But here in Edmonds, their Hallow-
een dreams can come true. Naol is excited
about the upcoming event, but he and other
students don’t know the history of this un-
canny holiday.
The Celts, who lived 2000 years ago
in the area that is now Ireland, the UK and
northern France, celebrated the new year
on November 1. They believed that on the
night before the new year, the boundary
between the worlds of the living and the
dead became blurred.
On October 31 they celebrated Sam-
hain, the night ghosts of the dead returned
to Earth. During the celebration, the Celts
wore costumes, typically consisting of ani-
mal heads and skins, and attempted to tell
each other’s fortune.
Many international students have nev-
er experienced an American Halloween,
but often think it is the best and funniest
holiday to celebrate. Why is that?
On Ki Grina Mai Cheng, an interna-
tional student from Hong Kong who goes
by Omaira, said that she never celebrated
Halloween in her country: “I love Hallow-
een because the celebration of this festival
is so exciting, plus I love creepy stuff.”
In Hong Kong there is a celebration
called ‘Yue Lan’ (Festival of the Hungry
Ghosts). Some people burn pictures of
fruit or money at this time, believing these
images will reach the spirit world and
bring comfort to the ghosts. Fires are lit,
Small audience, big laughs
By Kyle Whitmer
Staff Writer
The few, the proud and the brave who
took a chance attending this Halloween’s
season premiere of Haunted Doorways by
Unexpected Productions at the Black Box
Theatre witnessed a great act by the Seattle
improv group.
After tossing up $12 for a ticket to the
8:00 p.m. show, I found the scariest part of
the performance to be the lack of an au-
dience. When asked after the show how
many people he thought were there, audi-
ence member Ryan Mydske asked, “What
audience?” Laughing a little while shaking
his head, Mydske started counting on his
fingers and said, “16.”
Although fewer people attended than
expected, the audience was as good as
they could be when it came to throwing
out hilarious ideas for the cast to work
with. Also, it was comforting to know they
served beer for $6. Take that price as you
will, all was well when one realized less
audience meant more beer for the people
who did attend. There were also snack
foods for sale, which was nice to see.
and food and gifts are offered to placate po-
tentially angry ghosts who might be look-
ing for revenge.
Tsz Yuen Wong (Chris) is also from
Hong Kong, but he told me that he cele-
brated Halloween with his friends. “Some
people dress up, because they want to cheer
up and to scare their friends. I usually go
to a haunted house in Hong Kong with my
friends.” He is going to continue his ‘tra-
dition’ of going out with friends to scare
other people.
In Kazakhstan there is an event called
the “Autumn Ball.” It is not Halloween,
but they always organize this festival on
October 31. Teenagers dress up in differ-
ent costumes. Student Latifa Toike used
to put on a beautiful dress and take part in
the Autumn Ball’s competitions. There are
many different teams, and in each of them
a queen and a king.
There are three stages of the competi-
tion. The first stage is called ekibany. Each
team must make a bouquet of autumn flow-
ers. The second stage is a photo or video
competition. After teams make a video or
a photo of their couple, a jury chooses the
best one.
The final stage is a dance battle. Last
year’s theme of the dance was Fairy Tales.
Latifa’s team choose Aladdin. They made a
great performance and earned a silver med-
al. “It is really hard to set up a dance in one
week,” she claimed. “Well, we start prepar-
ing for this when we have one day left.”
In the Philippines Halloween is mostly
focused on the dead and celebrating their
lives. Though the influence of the United
States Halloween is gradually spreading in
the Philippines, the tradition of Panganga-
luluwa is still being celebrated.
People go from house to house and sing
songs about the souls trapped in purgatory,
and in exchange ask for food or money. It
is said that during Halloween, loved ones
manifest themselves by taking items. These
items are then supposedly found in the yard
the morning after.
In Sweden, Halloween is known as
Alla Helgons Dag and is celebrated from
October 31 until November 6. As with
many other holidays, Alla Helgons Dag has
an eve which is celebrated and is a short-
ened working day. The Friday prior to All
Saints’ Day is a short day for universities
The show started promptly once the
audience settled in. To kick it all off was an
outgoing, pale undead lady who engaged
the audience in preparation for the other
seven performers in a ghoulish game show.
She instructed the audience to come
up with some creative prize ideas for the
game winners and wanted one person from
the audience to come up on the stage and
use pen and paper to draw out some of
these ideas. No one took the bait. So in-
stead, she had us yell out the prize ideas
and she drew them.
There was no lack of suggestions from
the audience. The prizes we came up with,
as a group, included a car, washer and dryer
and a shrunken head. These prizes would
not only be awarded to the winners of the
game show but would be used to work with
for the rest of the performance.
The seven other performers lined up
to try to win the prizes. These three prizes,
now drawn on paper, were placed behind
three separate closed doors. The competi-
tion consisted of challenges for the com-
petitors, such as making the scariest noise
they could.
International students at WSU celebrate their first Halloween with a pumpkin
carving activity.
while school-age children are given a day
of vacation.
Speaking of the history of Halloween,
most international students know the story
of the jack-o’-lantern. This is an old Irish
legend about the drunk Jack. One day he
was out in the woods and tricked Satan into
a tree to throw down some fruits. Once Sa-
tan had helped him he carved a cross into
the tree and trapped him there. He then
struck a deal that Satan would leave his
soul alone when he died.
This backfired when he died, since
heaven would not take him either. When he
kept bothering Satan to let him in, the devil
gave him a burning ember.
He carried the ember in a hollowed out
turnip (sometimes described as rotten) to
light his way as he wandered through eter-
nal darkness on the earth. Eventually this
was replaced with the pumpkin in America
and became the modern jack-o’-lantern.
One of the highlights of Halloween is
costuming. I asked a few people what they
planned to wear, and most answers were
It still makes me laugh remembering
the first contestant up, Tim Harahan. His
scary noise included him running down
the row consisting of the other contestants,
while making a horrible roar. When he got
to the end of the line he pointed at the last
man in line and yelled a phrase at him that
would scare anyone, “You’re being audit-
ed!”
Once the three lucky, or unlucky,
performers won their not-so-articulately-
drawn prizes, they had the task of im-
provising a plot line based on each of the
prizes. One of the plot lines was about an
insane coroner with a haunted car, who
kills everyone in sight.
If that didn’t intrigue you; then maybe
a washing machine that shrinks people to
doll size will do your fancy. If neither of
those worked, perhaps a headless horror
of a man who came spreading fear for the
return of his shrunken head will do you in.
Haunted Doorways gave the lucky few in
the audience all of this and much more.
The vast majority of students missed
this particular performance of Unexpected
Productions but may have attended other
9
Photo by Angie Veith
disappointing.
Almost everyone said they do not plan
to wear any type of costume. One reason
is that some students find it weird to wear
costumes; another is that many students are
not really interested in wearing costumes.
They just want to have fun.
Khina Kotriakhova, a Russian student,
is really excited about her costume: “I’m
going to wear Harley Quinn’s costume, but
I actually decided to change it and make it
less frank. In my version the image will re-
main Harley’s T-shirt with the words ‘Dad-
dy’s Lil Monster’, her make-up, hair and a
baseball bat. The weather is cold enough,
so I will also add jeans, a red leather jacket
and white sneakers.”
To some international students Hal-
loween is the most important holiday in the
world, and the first time they will celebrate
it is in America.
For them, the point is to have fun,
pretend that you are someone else and, of
course, scare other people.
showings of Haunted Doorways. These oc-
curred on the evenings of October 22 and
28.
If you missed your chance to see these
hilarious acts, you shouldn’t be too wor-
ried. There is another promising perfor-
mance coming this December to the Black
Box Theatre at Edmonds Community
College by Unexpected Productions. On
Fridays and Saturdays at 8:05 p.m., from
December 2-17, you can come join in the
fun at their next, sure-to-be funny perfor-
mance, “Womb Escape X.”
Unexpected Productions has a few
performances at Edmonds Community
College each year. Instead of keeping your
eyes glued to the EdCC events calendar,
you can go to unexpectredproductions.org
and see all of their events and show times
at their studio in Seattle, in the midst of the
gum wall near Pike’s Place Market. Unex-
pected Productions performs 10 shows a
week at their Seattle studio.
On a phone interview Marketing and
Theatre continued on back
 10 Opinion
A Strong Survivor’s Story
By Liza Efimovskaya
Staff Writer
Editor’s Note: This article is writ-
ten by the victim of the Gold Park sexual
assault that occurred earlier this year. It
may distress readers sensitive to stories of
sexual abuse.
Every two minutes a girl in America is
raped. Last January was my turn.
It was just another Monday. I was
walking home from my evening class, lis-
tening to music and thinking about what I
should cook for dinner.
Out of the blue I felt somebody grab
me from behind. Before I knew it, before
I could even take my headphones off, I
found myself on all fours in a dark park on
the side of the road. I was trying to stand
up and all I could see were hands, a lot of
hands, trying to hold me down.
Even though everybody knows per-
fectly well that a girl has no chance against
four fully grown men, I was still trying
to break free, kicking the air, disoriented,
shaking my head, and finally - screaming.
Apparently that is what I did wrong,
or maybe just not good enough, because
right after that I caught couple of punches
in my face and throat. After that, breathing,
let alone screaming, seemed impossible.
Gasping for air and drowning in my own
blood, I abandoned any further rebellious
ideas - at least for some time.
I felt that I was moving, but it was
hard to tell because my head was cracking
in half from the headache. Everything was
spinning. I could hear voices. I could feel
bush branches cutting my face, and the dirt
I was desperately trying to hold onto disap-
pearing from under my hands.
It all stopped when I hit the ground.
Without any time to rethink the situation,
I felt my hands and legs being forced to
the ground. It’s even harder to breath when
someone’s sweaty palm is pressed to your
mouth. A belt flickered in the dark and
clicked. More sniggering.
It was only then that could I see the
full picture of what was going to happen,
and a new rush of resistant wiggling over-
came my body. Believe me, the thought
that resisting at that point was, well, point-
less, didn’t come even after I caught a good
dozen kicks to my stomach, but at least it
left me powerless. I was trying to swallow
the metal taste of blood, but somebody’s
hand was pressing my throat down so tight
I could feel his fingernails going into my
skin.
I heard a zipper going down and ev-
erybody went quiet. The longest 30 sec-
onds of my life started when he was taking
his boxers off and making his way down to
me. I tried to scream, to bite the hand that
was blocking my mouth, to get him off me
with my legs.
Right after the moment I felt the
weight of his body on me I stopped mov-
ing. I didn’t scream or cry out loud, I was
trying not to be there at all. I was empty, I
was just a body, just a shell.
I could feel him moving, and I hated
my own body for rocking repeatedly back
and forth in some kind of animal-like con-
vulsions of Neanderthal dance. I was afraid
that if I closed my eyes I would disappear
completely, and that miserable remain-
der of control I had left over the situation
would slip away, so I kept my eyes open.
Through a window in the trees I could
see the LA Fitness sign shining vaguely
through the cloud of my tears. So I focused
on that. I let all of my other feelings fade
away. I thought that if I survived this, I
should probably cancel my gym member-
ship…
October 31,June
2016
1, 2015
I was awakened from my miserable
stupor by voices. They were louder than
before. I tried to tune back to the reality and
catch what they were saying, but I couldn’t
tie familiar words into sentences. After
about half a minute, I started to hope that
they would leave me alone, but right after
that I was brutally rolled to the side, moved
face down and the party continued. I didn’t
bother trying to keep my eyes open.
After I came home, I told my friend
what happened. I repeated over and over
like an incantation: “I am not going to the
police. I am not telling my family.” I knew
that I should definitely see a doctor, but
other than that nobody should know.
A girl who decides not to report a rape
crime has basically three reasons. First,
Photo by Rebecca Mullinnix
depending on the circumstances, she feels
Gold Park is commonly traveled by students and citizens of the surrounding cities. It
threatened to speak up because the attack-
contains many secluded pathways away from the sidewalks and nearby apartments
ers may come after her again. Let me re-
raped me.” You need to physically name Finally, the third reason standing in
assure you, after you have spoken with a
every body part involved. You recount ev- the way of reporting rape is that no other
police officer, you are safe. If you have any
ery single hit you took, every hickey they crime is looked upon by our society with
concerns, voice them, and police depart-
placed. such doubt and suspicion. There are many
ment will issue a protective detail.
It sounds pretty horrifying, but the reasons for that specific mixture of feel-
The second reason is victims don’t see
thing is, by the end of the day I stopped ings, one of which is self-protection. It is
a point in it – reporting the rape will not
caring about saying it all out loud. Psy- easier to think that the world is a fair place
make them feel better. Your dignity is not a
chiatrists have proven reporting a rape to where everybody gets what they deserve.
wallet; police cannot return to you what the
the police and going through all that hell If you close your eyes and keep tell-
attackers have taken. It is extremely hard to
after the attack is enormously helpful in the ing yourself that all those poor girls put
talk about your experience with rape at any
healing process. themselves at risk, or were simply asking
point. Doing so right away, or the day after,
When a rape happens, there are some for it, it does not mean you or someone you
is excruciating.
parts of your story, the most physical love will not get raped. You know better
I asked my friend to sleep with me in
ones, that you will never talk to your par- than that. Too often, the victim is selfishly
the living room downstairs that night, but
ents about. It just doesn’t feel right. You blamed so that we can feel safe.
I couldn’t close my eyes. At about 5 a.m.
wouldn’t describe it to your closest friends Rape can happen under any circum-
I couldn’t bear it any longer, and I skyped
either. You just state the fact that it hap- stances. At night and during the daytime,
my mom. After seeing her face I knew I
pened. in a dark alley or in your own apartment,
couldn’t not tell her. Besides the under-
My story sounded like this: “I walked while you are getting drunk at a party or
standable mixture of shock, concern and
home alone. Then four people attacked me, when you are walking home from work.
pain she voiced, she insisted on calling the
beat me up, took all the money I had and Makeup versus no makeup. Revealing
police.
raped me. I ran home in one shoe.” Even dress versus baggy sweat pants.
This idea was frightening, but I prom-
though it is clear that the rape part is the Why do the circumstances matter? I
ised I’d do it for her. The next day I went to
one that torments me the most, I squeeze can walk naked down the Pike Street for all
college seeking the comforting and famil-
most of the horrible experience and details I want and nobody has a right to touch me.
iar faces of EdCC’s International Student
into one word. Believe me, no matter what she is doing
Services advisers. My academic adviser
My Compass Health counselor works at the time, no woman wants to be raped.
Elizabeth Lyon heard me out and, with my
with people who deal with consequences of No woman is “asking for it.” No circum-
permission, called campus security and the
sexual abuse and rape. The counselor said stances make rape more excusable or the
Lynnwood Police Department. The first
that when victims are asked to describe the victim less innocent.
time I gave a statement was horrible. Eliza-
incident, they will go on and on about what About 65 to 84 percent of rape victims
beth and Lisa Thompson, director of Inter-
they ate that morning and how they ended choose not to report the crime. In turn, that
national Student Services, were practically
up in the place where it happened, but will means over 65 percent of rapists are not
holding my hands the whole time.
say just few words at the end about the rape known to police, and will never be held ac-
After that, a police officer took me
itself. countable for what they did.
right away to the crime scene. Detective
We tend to be afraid of the dark, of By assuring victims of their safety
Arnett arrived shortly and made me go
things no one dares to speak about. In order after reporting, teaching them that the re-
through the story again, visually demon-
to stop being afraid of a monster under the port will help them heal faster and stop-
strating where I walked, where the attack-
bed you need to bend down, take a look, ping rape victim stereotypes, we can help
ers dragged me and who ran in what direc-
identify and fight it until the monster goes more of them come forward. If the number
tion afterwards.
away. How can you fight something that of reports goes up, the number of rapists
Gold Park looked so deceivingly inno-
you refuse to look at? stalking the streets in search of new prey
cent at daytime. All that was left from the
When you don’t speak about rape it will go down.
previous night’s violence were some marks
creates a dark corner in your heart. You Statistically speaking, five rapes oc-
on the ground and my second shoe that I
know it is there and you are constantly re- curred while you were reading this article.
gave up looking for after the attack in the
minded of it. But you avoid it - you don’t Is this a reality you will tolerate quietly? Is
dark. After that, the detective and I picked
dare to come closer and turn on the light. this a world you want to live in?
up the clothes I was wearing during the at-
When you report a rape you are forced We cannot get into the head of every
tack and went to the hospital.
to face all the dreadful details which you rapist and change the way they behave.
The day after was definitely the most
would have never said otherwise. You will But we can change the way we as a society
horrible day of my life; somehow it then
repeat them over and over until they lose look at this crime. We can make victims
seemed even harder than the attack itself.
their power over you. In the end, you will feel sufficiently safe to come forward with
I was asked to repeat my story at least 10
feel better, lighter. Maybe you will never their stories, and not ashamed or judged.
times to every new person who got in-
speak of them again, or maybe that will The world cannot be changed in a day, but
volved – officers, detective, nurses, doc-
help you open up and be able to talk about we can trigger change by acknowledging
tors…
it later on with family and your loved ones. the topic and speaking openly about rape.
My main statement lasted two and a
Reporting the rape won’t cure you I refuse to be a powerless victim. I am
half hours, recorded by Detective Arnett in
of all the suffering, but it is a first step in a strong survivor, and I am proud of that.
the waiting room of the hospital. She made
regaining control over your life. You are If you, or a close one has been raped,
me voice out loud what was happening ev-
proving to the world and most importantly or you’ve witnessed a rape, please call
ery second of the attack, going into every
to yourself that you matter. What you think 911 right away. If you are a rape survivor
small detail from what everyone wore to
and want matters. Nobody can come and and you need help or somebody to talk to,
what I could hear and smell when my eyes
do what they want without asking you. You call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at
were closed.
are making a decision to take a stand and 800.656.HOPE, available 24/7.
And of course when getting to the
fight for your rights.
main part you cannot just say, “and then he
 R
The eview
Journalism under fire
By Ian Moffet
Opinion Editor
Whether it be on the forefront report-
ing on the civil war in Syria, covering a local
story in suburbia, or interviewing a politi-
cian, journalists and the stories they report
are essential to a free and informed society.
Without journalism and the freedom of the
press, society goes backward and progress
cannot be made in an efficient manner.
Sadly, this happens to be the case in
many countries across the world. Accord-
ing to the Committee to Protect Journalists
(CPJ), worldwide “from 2011 to 2012 the
number of journalists that are behind bars
because of their work increased from 53 to
232.”
The study goes on to say that, “...over
the past two decades a journalist is killed
once every eight days.” Since 1992, 1129
journalists have been killed in the field.
These are somber statistics. Journal-
ists are very lucky in the United States
compared to countries like Eritrea and
North Korea, deemed the two most cen-
sored countries in the world by CPJ, or Iraq
where over 167 journalists have been killed.
Around the world, the state of jour-
nalism does not look good. CPJ deputy
director, Robert Mahoney, said this on the
censorship of journalists: “When journal-
ists are silenced, whether through violence
or laws, we all stand to lose because per-
petrators are able to obscure misdeeds, si-
lence dissent, and disempower citizens.”
Journalism and ethical reporting on
issues the public deserves to know are too
important to allow injustices like this. Cen-
driven to
discover
Attend A trAnsfer InformAtIon sessIon!
To register visit: www.uwb.edu/admissions/transfer
www.uwb.edu
Police seize a photographer during an anti-government demonstration in Santiago, one of the many places that censors the press.
sorship of journalists does not just cheat
reporters, but the people and the public
as a whole. The people deserve to know
about what is going on locally and world-
wide unhindered, whether that be from the
civil war in Syria to what a local politician
425.352.5000
is saying.
Freedom of press is not something
unique to just the United States. This right
should be an international right.
The World Press Freedom Index re-
ports that the United States is 49th in the
world in press freedom. Censorship does
not just occur in countries like Iraq and Er-
itrea, it happens right here in America too.
This is a scary idea to process. Here, in
the United States, we censor our journalists
and our citizens.
We need professional journalism
more than ever. We have an ever-expand-
ing and intrusive government. Every day,
people are becoming less aware of factual
news and less concerned about news and
information. This deterioration of the state
of journalism mirrors the state of our so-
ciety in America; we are turning into an
ill-informed people that are spoonfed mis-
leading information.
Pew Research Center conducted a
study called ‘State of the News Media,’
which found that even on social media
when people look at the news, they are be-
coming less engaged with the news media
they’re looking at.
Journalism isn’t just taking a physical
A Smoker’s Experience
By Kyle Morin
Student Contributor
I picked up smoking in the fall quarter
of 2011 when I was 21 years old. At that
time, I was enrolled in the culinary pro-
gram here at Edmonds Community Col-
lege. It was my third quarter in the program
and I was beginning to lose interest in my
studies. I felt isolated from my peers and
considered leaving the program.
The way the culinary program was
structured back then consisted of six hours
of coursework and a single 20 minute
break. I didn’t really have enough time for
a decent meal or much of anything. It was
about that time that I realized that many of
my peers did something to get around this
- they smoked.
I picked up my habit only socially at
first. I found it was a good way to relax
from the stress of kitchen work and a good
11
Photo By: Chris Hondros
blow mustered through oppressive govern-
ments and censorship. It has taken an eco-
nomic blow too.
Another Pew Research study called
‘Losses in Legacy’ reported, “According to
the annual American Society of Newspa-
per Editors survey, the number of full-time
newsroom jobs in 2012 (the last year for
which complete data are available) slipped
to 38,000. That is the lowest number since
the society began counting in 1978. In the
decade from 2003 through 2012, a total of
16,200 jobs were lost according to the edi-
tors group.”
On almost all fronts, it seems as if the
concept of ethical journalism is being at-
tacked, at a time when we need unbiased
journalism the most.
From Benjamin Franklin to Bob
Woodward, journalists influence society
in revolutionary ways. So it is a terrifying
reality when such a significant job in our
society is being relegated economically and
physically, as well as being censored.
On the whole, we need to realize the
vital role journalism plays in any society,
and start giving journalism the credit and
respect it deserves, in the U.S. and world-
wide.
chance to make conversation with other
people doing the same work I was. Soon
enough I found that the peers I had worked
around but didn’t get to know had become
acquaintances, and in time I called a few of
them friends.
I met more students in different pro-
grams, with backgrounds and ambitions
removed from my own that were just keen
as I was to unwind in good company and
swap stories about their lives.
I love the fellowship of people who
choose to smoke here on campus. To me,
students of all ages and from so many
walks of life coming together to enjoy a
shared experience and make easy conver-
sation is a vital and meaningful part of
my life here at the college. I’m saddened
to think that this may be something that
future students may never get to see for
themselves.
 12 Sports
Student athletes to stand
for national anthem
By Trey Caraco
Staff Writer
At the beginning of Edmonds Com-
munity College sporting events, you can
always expect the Star-Spangled Banner to
be played.
Student athletes Guthrie Morrison
and David Woodward said they would not
compromise their values to support social
injustice against African Americans. They
plan to stand and remove their hats during
the national anthem.
The issue with people kneeling during
the anthem is political and partially genera-
tional. Younger groups are more support-
ive of protests and don’t view kneeling for
the anthem for political reasons as disre-
spectful. It is almost to the point where Re-
publicans are more aggravated by protests
of the Star-Spangled Banner than veterans
or active military are.
Recently athletes such as Colin Kae-
pernick and other NBA and NFL players
have been seen kneeling and raising fists to
bring awareness to the injustice of unarmed
black men being killed by white cops. The
United States of America is a free country,
where the citizens have a right to the free-
dom of speech. These protests don’t violate
any amendments.
In Texas, a youth football team had
their coach suspended, followed by their
Theatre from page 9
Development Director Kent Whipple was
asked if he was a performer. He laughed
and said, “No, I leave that to the talented.”
When asked about the turnout of au-
dience for their shows Whipple said, “We
get an audience of 200 some nights, and I
would say we average 120 people a night.”
He added, “In 2015 we performed for
30,000 people total.”
Unexpected Productions also offers
Clowns from page 3
But with all the articles from entertainment
media spreading false information, percep-
tions of clowns are changing fast.
Many people in America have instant
access to social networks, making social
media a huge factor in terms of spreading
news (or lies). This is exactly what’s caus-
ing the clown issue to escalate out of con-
Prison from page 7
now than any time in the history of our
country we have the right and left agree
that we’ve, frankly, screwed up the correc-
tions system for 30 years and it’s time to do
something different.”
“It really starts with understanding that
a human being’s value isn’t diminished by
being incarcerated,” Wetzel added.
A 60 Minutes special reported Amer-
ica spends $80 billion a year to incarcer-
ate about two million offenders. Although
the United States has only 5 percent of the
world’s population, it has about 25 percent
of the world’s inmates. The Bureau of Jus-
tice reported in 2005 that within five years
76 percent of inmates are rearrested.
Many are looking to other countries,
which spend less money on corrections sys-
tems and have lower rates of recidivism. In
Germany, prison guards are key. They’re
well paid and highly trained. They spend
two years learning psychology, communi-
whole season being canceled after the team
decided to take a knee during the national
anthem. Kids at the age of 11 and 12 were
willing to take a knee during the national
anthem. If these people are just exercising
their rights of freedom of speech, why are
their games being canceled?
“My grandfather served in World War
II so I will stand with my hand over my
heart to honor the soldiers,” EdCC baseball
player Guthrie Morrison said. He added, “I
do still think that what Kaepernick is fight-
ing for is an issue.”
Riketo Sokoli, a full-time student at
Edmonds Community College and former
high school soccer player, would kneel if
given the opportunity.
“Racism is still alive and blacks are
always being killed by cops in America,”
Sikoli said.
The national anthem has a different
meaning for everyone. “My mom is a cop
in the city of Seattle, and I know she goes
to work everyday to protect citizens of the
United States,” said Woodward, an incom-
ing player on Edmonds Community Col-
lege’s men’s basketball team.
“So every time growing up whenever
the national anthem was played, she made
sure I was standing and didn’t have my hat
on.”
In the United States, there have been
quarterly improv classes in Seattle lasting
eight weeks, each with a different level of
class to fit one’s level of experience. The
classes offered are all $225 per quarter.
Whipple said, “The classes happen
Saturday through Thursday in groups of
12, so it would be you and 11 others meet-
ing up on one of those days every week for
eight weeks as a group.”
The Unexpected Productions web-
site claims, “Thousands of students have
passed through Unexpected Productions’
trol right now.
As an aftereffect of all this absurdity,
Kraus’s career recently took a hit. “The
more interest the media has in the topic, the
more frightened young children become
when they come across it.”
This is taking away business from
Kraus as a professional clown, and more
importantly, people’s love for Charles the
Clown. Although some of the information
cation skills and conflict management.
German Prison Director Joerg Jesse
said, “If you treat them as if they are your
enemy, they will react as enemies.”
“It’s an extremely difficult environ-
ment,” says Whisman of current prison
standards. “It’s not a positive place; it’s
not a place of hope. It’s not meant to heal
people. But you can’t punish inmates by
isolating them, and at the same time try
to rehabilitate by having a conversation
with them. They are at opposite ends of the
spectrum.”
A 2012 report by the state government
concerning reception centers states, “One
of the problems with putting three people
in an 8 by 10 foot cell is the person on the
floor is apt to be stepped on or splashed
when someone urinates while trying to
avoid the prone body on the floor. These
inmates spend about 22 hours per day in
their cell.”
Whisman is unsure there is a silver
bullet that can make prisons or the correc-
tions system more well-rounded. “It’s very
EdCC Triton baseball team warming up before a home game.
other historical instances where athletes
have used their position to fight for racial
and social justice. For example, in 1968
African-American athletes stood with their
right fist raised on the podium at the Olym-
improv classes.” They also list examples
of how improv can teach individuals valu-
able life skills. Practicing the art can help
people with public speaking, overcoming
shyness, creativity and much more.
The website also states some posi-
tive outcomes of their classes. They’ve
had, “Thousands of success stories, from
groups of friends to stand-up-comedians,
from successful improvisers to hollywood
stars, and from local-business owners to
vice presidents of Fortune 500 compa-
is true, much of social media “news” can
be made up in an attempt to go viral.
“Clown shooters and creepy clowns
are damaging to clowns and to children,”
Klaus said. Although Kraus is suffering
from this anarchy, you can tell he really has
passion for what he does. He manages to
keep the kids in mind despite everything,
which authenticates his clown heart.
More and more people across the U.S.
singular in its approach,” she says.
“Perhaps where you find the humanity,
or as you might say being well-rounded, is
where different areas overlap … There’s
medical, police, educational, religious, cu-
linary, office, technical and maintenance
staff all confined within these walls: They
all have one purpose in mind and when
those influences interact that’s when the
humanity happens.”
As Whisman walked me out, we pass
inmates in the yard. Some hang out in
small groups and tell stories while others
exercise. Every correctional officer I’ve
come across during my visit seems good-
natured with a welcoming smile and laugh
to match.
There’s so much time spent waiting on
necessary safety precautions, such as steel
doors opening and closing and signing in
and out, that if you don’t enjoy the civil-
ity of small talk you probably wouldn’t last
long.
When I get back on the outside, this
time walking to my car, another breath-
October 31,June
2016
1, 2015
Photo by EdCC Athletic Department
pics.
“I like the idea of sports having an in-
fluence on politics,” said Morrison, refer-
ing to Kaepernick’s recent protest against
racial and social inequities.
nies!”
If you feel like your life is a little dull
and want to spice things up, throw in some
spontaneous and energetic fun with im-
prov. Whether you want to go up on stage
and make a fool of yourself or shoot ridic-
ulous ideas for performers to work with,
improv as entertainment is a great way to
feel engaged while laughing like a hyena
on crack.
have jumped onto this bandwagon. Judg-
ing by what news has reported, this may
just be a prank that went a little too far. It
should have stayed in South Carolina.
We don’t know how many more clown
stories or rumors we will stumble into. One
thing is for sure: Safety this Halloween
won’t be a joke.
taking sight greets me. A slow mist rising
from the forest that almost surrounds the
prison, something I didn’t notice behind
the overbearing walls.
On the drive home my mind was load-
ed with so many thoughts about ideals and
obstacles. It’s clear the state wants pros-
perity for those who wish to seek it. We’re
now all participants in the conversation of
how to fund such causes and how we spend
that moral and economic currency.
It’s a big ship that moves at a glacial
pace in arctic waters. Like an iceberg,
we’ve only seen the surface, which starts
with how to rehabilitate those who, from
their own choices or perhaps a lack thereof,
can buck their own fates.
The inmates certainly deserve the op-
portunity to make their lives better. Whis-
man, EdCC and Washington state are
providing some of the tools to make that
happen.
As a society it’s up to each individual,
incarcerated or not, to inspire and shape the
necessary changes ahead.