the Current Issue ()

Transcription

the Current Issue ()
Welcome Back!
SCC’s international students take a tour
PAGE 4
TheEBBTIDE
The student news Journal of shoreline Community College n www.shoreline.edu/ebbtide n october 5 – october 18, 2007 n Free
The City takes it back:
“Pit” closed indefinitely
BY WES ABNEY
BUSINESS MANAGER
PHOTO BY DENNIE CHONG
Students were surprised at the beginning of this quarter to find “The
Pit” parking lot closed indefinitely.
Parking on the SCC campus
will be limited this year as the upper campus parking area known
as the “Pit” indefinitely closes
starting this quarter.
Overall congestion and a limited number of school-monitored
parking spaces are making parking on campus a major ordeal.
“I didn’t even bother coming
around the campus for parking,”
said current SCC student Jackie Foss. Her attitude has been
strongly reflected among both
students and staff at the college
this quarter.
With no prior warning of the
Pit’s closure, the parking lockdown is a surprise for the majority of people associated with the
school.
While it may appear as a snap
decision by both the city of Shoreline and SCC, the college administration has known of the closure
since the spring quarter of last
year.
There was nothing unexpected
for the administration as students
were turned away from campus
parking on the first day of fall
classes.
The Pit has been owned by the
city of Shoreline since its incorporation in 1995. Since then, the
school and the city have operated
on reciprocity regarding the Pit.
After over a decade of use by
the college as a monitored and
tolled parking area, the city of
Shoreline has repossessed the Pit
and denying campus use of the
facilities.
Signs listing the Pit as campus
parking have not been removed.
The same number of parking
passes have been made available
to students and no announcement was made to students before the first day of classes this
quarter.
“I didn’t realize what was going
on with the Pit,” said SCC student
Teela Ryan. “I didn’t know that
the city was taking it away.”
On the first day of fall classes,
traffic advisors were posted at
each entrance, turning students
away from the school lots. Each
was equipped with maps of campus parking and signs that read
“Parking Lots Full.”
“Many students have said that
parking spaces have been unavailable,” said SCC Instructor
Dr. Linda Warren.
“At least five to six students
have been coming in late to classes each day due to parking and
congestion. It’s been causing lots
of frustration.”
For students intending to
drive to school this year, there
are several options that do not
include fighting the SCC traffic
battle.
Shuttles are offered continuously from the Sears parking lot
and the campus. There are also
limited amounts of parking on
residential streets within walking range of campus.
“The shuttle does pick people
up… but it’s still awkward and
slow,” said Foss, “I paid for parking and I deserve to park on campus.”
Club budgets axed by a third
BY JONATHAN LAVIGNE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Clubs will have to make do with fewer funds
this year when the student government changes
the way that clubs are funded.
For the second time in as many years, the SBA
(Student Body Association) will cut allocated
funds, this time from $750 to $500. In previous
years, the budget for each club was $1,000.
As SBA members explained in a press conference held on Monday, October 1 the reason for
reducing the budget was to make the clubs more
accountable for their expenses.
According to a letter sent to club advisors on
August 31, clubs will still be able to request additional funding if the need arises. The money will
be placed in a “new and improved Club Supplemental budget,” said the letter. “This replaces
the old fall Supplemental Budget.”
This basically means that clubs still have funds
available to them, but they will just have to ask for
them. Fill out a few form, explain in detail what
the money is needed for and what the clubs will
get when the demands are met within reason.
“This process will provide our students with
the skill sets for applying for funding in their
personal and professional lives,” according to the
letter.
There are many stipulations to what clubs can
spend their money on. For example, Simi Gill of
SCCANS (the Shoreline Community College
Association of Nursing Students) explained that
there are many items that clubs cannot spend
their money on, “no gifts, no food and no celebrations.”
SCCANS, a very active club on campus with
approximately 200 members, gets guest speakers
to come to campus to talk to the students. Nurses
and medical professionals take their time, free of
charge, to come and educate the aspiring nurses.
As a thank you to the volunteers, a gift is usually given to them. This, according to the budget
regulations, is against the rules. “We ended up
paying for it from our own money,” said Gill.
Chris Simons, the club advisor to the photo forum, is rather outspoken on the subject.
“A few years ago, clubs used to get $5,000 a
year, which allowed us to do road trips, visits to
museums, even paying for travel expenses,” he
said.
“With clubs being limited to $500 a year, I don’t
really see clubs doing much stuff off campus.”
SCCANS tends to concentrate a great deal of
their efforts on community service. Last year,
they held a holiday fundraiser for families in
need. Nearly $4,000 was given to six families in
the form of Fred Meyer gift certificates.
“They (the SBA) have a reason for it (the budget cuts). We will just have to work harder with
our fundraisers. No doubt in my mind that we
will be able to keep up our work in the community
and within our club,” said Gill.
“It’s not like we can do much about it. We have
a great group of people in our club, we will make
do with what we’ve got.”
PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN
September has come and gone...
So where’s our PUB?
PUB still
not ready
BY SCOTT STILLWELL
STAFF REPORTER
The PUB is still being built,
but the delays haven’t been without cause.
A tight labor market has impeded the construction process
by forcing the school’s administration to wait for available
workers. Asbestos was discovered in the bottom level of the
PUB, which required the site
to be shut down while it was
cleaned up.
Also, our region was at the
mercy of an intense amount of
precipitation last year, which
periodically slowed all progress
while workers waited for conditions to change so they could resume construction.
The projected completion
date of the PUB is December
20, which offers over two weeks
of operation for the PUB utilities, ensuring that by the time
students come back to campus
in January, they will be able to
enjoy the services of a new and
improved PUB.
Though it has been a long time
in the making, the completion of
the remodel will be something for
students and faculty alike to look
forward to. Once finished, the
PUB promises a relaxed atmosphere with improved accommodations such as new furniture, more
study space and most importantly,
a large selection of new foods.
Chartwells, a worldwide food
distributor, has been negotiating
a contract with the school. Pending its resolution, it will provide
the new food services. Stuart
Trippel, the acting vice president for administrative services
describes the administration’s
Continued on page 2. See PUB
INDEX
OP-ED..... 3
FEATURE.. 4-7
A&E........ 8
TECH....... 9
SPORTS... 10,11
ETC......... 12
NEWS
Campus
Briefs
Honors program no longer a big question
Open Position
SCC’s Student Body Association is on a search for a Secretary—so what are you waiting
for?
Think you’re an extraordinary
note-taker? Enjoy discussing the
campus’ pressing issues?
Then apply for the Secretary
position in the Student Body Association (SBA).
Applications are currently
available in Room 2935 and
will be due at noon on Wednesday, October 15th. Interviews
with potential candidates will
be scheduled on weekdays from
Thursday, October 8th to Monday, October 22nd.
The year’s Secretary will be
announced at the Senate Meeting on Wednesday, October 24th.
By Janelle Kohner
Staff Reporter
Impending UCC meeting
The time has come again for all
SCC club representatives to convene and discuss questions, comments and concerns at the United
Club Council (UCC) meeting.
Although the location for the
meeting is still undecided, it will
most likely be held in the 2800
building from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
on Wednesday, October 10th.
All campus clubs must send at
least one representative to this
meeting.
Shoreline’s Honors Program
has managed to remain fairly
unheard of around the school despite its birth last year. According
to Kenny Lawson, founder of the
Honors Program, “The overall
goal is to provide students with a
more rich and deep experience in
their studies.”
The program this year will
consist of four classes taken over
the course of four quarters beginning in spring 2008 and ending in
spring 2009.
To be accepted into the Honors Program, it is recommended
that students have a GPA of 3.5 or
higher. Even so, Lawson says, “we
want the program to be relatively
open, we don’t want to make the
GPA a barrier” so as not to hold
anyone back from higher learning
just because of a slightly low GPA.
The program also accepts letters
from teachers recommending certain student to the program.
Students who qualify based on
their GPA will have letters sent
to their residences at the end of
the fall quarter so that they can
use the winter quarter to decide
whether or not they would like to
enter the program.
The Honors Program begins
with a five-credit Cornerstone
class taught by teachers from
around the school. In the class,
students are urged to think about
a big question. A two-credit Seminar class that requires students
to complete a project based on
the big question that they were
considering in the Cornerstone
course follows. Then the Seminar
transitions to Colloquia, another
five-credit class.
In Colloquia, students receive
instruction in speech, but the
class is more focused on analyzing
public speakers. The students are
expected to witness and properly
analyze public speakers around
the Seattle area. The final quarter of the Honors Program consists of a three-credit Capstone
course dedicated to building on
the student’s previous Seminar
project. This time, the student
works one-on-one with a teacher
on their project to ensure the best
results.
The Honors Program started in
the winter quarter of 2006. Most
students who were invited into the
Honors Program found out about
their acceptance after they had
registered for other winter quarter classes. This year, “I think we
Dearest Fellow Collegians,
Cookies for blood
Free cookies for everyone! All
you have to do is give blood. The
human body contains on average
approximately 6 quarts of the
precious fluid, surely you can
spare a little to help those in need.
Blood donations will be accepted
in the upper west side parking lot
next to the Zero Energy house on
Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4p.m. Sign
up and give the gift of life! Contact Lisa Smith at 546-4654 or by
email at [email protected] for
more information.
The Ebbtide
is hiring!
Visit room 1502 or
email us at webbtide@
yahoo.com
have our timing down a little bit
better,” said Lawson. The Honors
Program had a mere 15 students
registered last year, but Lawson
claims that the size was appropriate since the program was in its
grassroots stage. “Now that we’re
more clear, I hope to get more
publicity,” stated Lawson.
For the students who are invited into the Honors Program, it
may be a concern that all of the
honors credits are electives. To
accommodate the desires of more
students, the Honors Program
has had one class eliminated since
last year, although the number of
required credits (15) remained
the same. Lawson would also
like it to be known that “We (the
Honors Program) do, at least for
this spring, have money available to pay for the honors credits.
We’re able to do that due to money
that was donated to the program
from someone in the community.”
For all interested students, this
spring will be the ideal quarter to
challenge oneself by applying for
SCC’s Honors Program.
Presidential Address
Coming Out Day
Come to the Board Room in
the 1000 building on Thursday,
October 11th to celebrate Coming
Out Day. The festivities will take
place from 10:30 a.m. to 11:20 a.m.
and 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
Barb Clark-Elliott, a PFLAG
(Parents, Families and Friends
of Lesbians and Gays) MOM will
be present to enlighten attendees with invigorating stories of
her personal experiences and
her never-ending support for the
PFLAG organization.
This event is free for all to attend.
Spindrift #1! Woot!
Shoreline Community College’s own Spindrift landed first
place yet again as best literary
magazine in the Pacific Western
division. This is a great and well
deserved honor for Cynthia Mullis, Hannah Olson, Jenica Sherman, Erika Rado, and Raven
Gildea, as well as their faculty
advisors, Deborah Handrich
and Christine Shafner who beat
out thousands of other eligible
colleges in seven states for the
coveted prize. The Spindrift has
placed in the top three for three
years running.
PHOTO BY LINDSAY GINN
Honors program founder Ken Lawson.
PHOTO BY DAVID KASNIC
Ivanhoe: Not your stereotypical fat-cat insistent on reinforcing the
capitalist hegemony.
My name is Ivanhoe, and I am
the Student Body Association
president. For those accusing me
of being a “one-namer” like Cher,
Sinbad or Esquivel, I actually do
have three names—Andrew Scott
Ivanhoe—with Ivanhoe being my
surname. But I have been going
by Ivanhoe for almost half my life,
and consider it my adopted first
name.
I ran for student government
because I love this school, the
quality of the education and student life we have here. My advice
to you is to take full advantage of
your time here. Shoreline Community College is not merely a
means of getting a certificate, diploma or a sweet university transfer, although this is certainly a
great place to do those. Shoreline
Community College is a place to
live in the present and experience
the excitement of learning and be
part of a dynamic community.
My goal is to help leave this
campus a more integrated, sustainable and vibrant place than
when I came to it. I want to give
you the opportunities to make a
difference in others’ lives, in your
immediate community and in the
world.
Academics is about more than
passing your classes and getting
degrees; it’s about taking charge
of your own education and mak-
ing it as personally fulfilling as
possible.
My job is to represent you
when I speak to the school administration and to members of
the community. But I am only
one individual. I am not Korean,
disabled, 19 years old or in the
CEO program, and I most certainly am not you. Therefore, it
is also my job to connect you with
ways to be active members of the
campus. Without your help, the
student government will only be
able to represent those of us in it.
Come to me and I can appoint you
to a college governance committee, help you start a club or pass
your opinions along to those who
need to hear them.
I am a Seattle native, 28 years
old, and pursuing a degree in
Library & Information Science.
I worked at a local independent
video store for 12 years and studied at a film school in Vancouver,
B.C. for one year. For fun, I love
playing badminton, speaking Esperanto, eating vegetarian food,
doing community service and
watching C-SPAN. Please drop
by Room 2935 and get to know
your student government.
Your humble servant,
Ivanhoe
[email protected]
(206) 546-6997
PUB continued from Page 1
“By the time students come back to campus in January, they will be able
to enjoy the services of a new, improved PUB”
dealings with Chartwells as “very positive.”
Trippel is careful to state that the contract is
still being negotiated, but he doesn’t believe
there is any reason why dealing with Chartwells should fall through.
Students will be able to look forward to a
wide selection of diverse, healthy foods in a
new cafeteria, which is specifically designed
to suit the many dining choices Chartwells
will provide. Trippel is aware of the need for
a healthy selection of food at the school, given
n THE EBBTIDE n OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007
past disapproval of cafeteria options.
“We want to be able to accommodate people as best as we can,” he states. The menu
Chartwells has put together for the school
is evidence of this, offering everything from
New York-Style pizza made available from
the Trattoria Pizza/Pasta menu, to the Outtakes ‘Grab-N-Go’ options, which provides
quick dining solutions, including sandwiches,
salads, bottled beverages, baked goods and
more.
For new students, the sight of a large, unfinished building, surrounded by caution tape
and detour routes is less than welcoming. For
returning students, the project is another
chapter in the renovation story that has been
an ongoing affair for over a year now. Either
way, few would disagree that the building of
the new PUB has been a long, drawn out affair, which has been the source of many annoying setbacks in campus navigation. The
remodel, which began in early summer 2006,
OPINIONS
A 40-year legacy down the drain?
By Lavi aulck
Sports editor
We don’t often know what we
have until it’s gone. Whether we
realize it or not, the city of Seattle
is primed to lose its oldest professional sports franchise, and along
with it, 40-plus years of tradition,
memories, and happiness.
In July of last year, the Seattle
Super Sonics were purchased by
an ownership group from Oklahoma City. Although they have
stated that their intentions are
to keep the team in Seattle, their
words slowly seemed to be getting farther and farther from the
truth. Soon, the ownership group
gave the city a deadline of October 31st to provide funding for a
new arena or else it will seek a
new home for the team.
The impact of losing the Sonics
can’t be understated. We must realize that we aren’t losing a sports
franchise–we are losing a proven
social and economic commodity.
We need to understand that the
impact of losing the Sonics will be
felt beyond the realm of sports; it
will also be felt in hearts and wallets of Seattleites.
According to a task force assembled by Seattle Mayor Greg
Nickels, the Sonics have a total
economic impact of about $235
million per year. This economic
impact is comparable to both the
Seahawks and the Mariners. In
addition, the task force concluded
that the Key Arena, the current
home of the Sonics, produces over
3,250 jobs and over $100 million find solutions.”
in labor income for King County
After the Sonics were sold,
alone.
Robinson and fellow businessman
Socially, the Sonics serve as Steven Pyeatt started the SOS
means through which citizens organization with a mission to
can connect regardless of race, “demonstrate the great cultural
gender, wealth and age. For kids, value and civic pride associated
the Sonics give something to hope with professional basketball in
for, a reason to stay out of trouble the Puget Sound region.”
and a positive example to look up
Having grown up near SCC,
to. For the city, the Sonics give Robinson believes that as a comimmeasurable charitable support munity, we need to “raise our
while holding our only profession- standards and demand to keep
al sports championship and all our amenities.” A valid argument
the memories that 40-plus years against him doesn’t exist, though
could possibly hold.
many may argue the points of fan
“They have a 40 year legacy,” support and the team’s lack of resays Brian Robinson, a local busi- cent success.
nessman and co-founder of the
We need to understand that evSave Our Sonics Organization. “I ery franchise goes through crests
don’t think we should let go of any and troughs, and as a city, we have
civic interests. It doesn’t make been too quick to abandon our
sense. Seattle is going to be ques- teams when they fail to succeed.
tioned whether it’s really a top
It only took one unsuccessful
tier city if we continue to fail to season for the ill-fated Seattle
Pilots to leave Seattle and change
their name to the Brewers and
our now-beloved, then-abandoned
Seahawks would be in Los Angeles had it not been for legal action
taken by the city in the mid-90s.
Whether directly or indirectly,
fan support played a major role
in both situations and the situation with the Sonics calls for no
different. We need to rally behind
the Sonics, not for the millionaire
owners and athletes, but for ourselves and future generations.
It’s the fans and the people of
Seattle that will ultimately decide
the fate of the Sonics and it’s for
the fans that the Sonics should
stay. It’s time to step up and speak
up. Robinson says that “(Sonics)
ownership wants to present that
people don’t care, that people
want to see (the Sonics) leave and
that’s not the truth. We need to
stay really vocal.”
Taking a quick few minutes to
visit saveoursonics.org and sign
up for alerts would be an excellent
first step. Voicing our opinions to
our councilmen, representatives,
and senators would be the next.
We need to understand that letting this team go will tarnish this
city economically, hurt this city
and have a drastic impact on its
social future.
Our ignorance can and will rob
future generations of an integral
part of our community that has
been at the heart of our city for
over 40 years. We need to respond
to this SOS. Please, people, Save
Our Sonics.
MAN ON THE STREET
“How do you feel about the closure of the pit parking lot?”
TheEBBTIDE
Volume 43, Number 1
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
JONATHAN LAVIGNE
DESIGN DIRECTOR
BILL FANARAS
COPY EDITOR
VIVIAN LUU
A&E EDITOR
STAFF
SPORTS EDITOR
LAVI AULCK
PHOTO EDITOR
DENNIE CHONG
WEBMASTER
SEAN MCCALLUM
BUSINESS MANAGER
WES ABNEY
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
AIMEE ZHANG
FACULTY ADVISOR
PATTI JONES
STAFF
DANIEL BERMAN
DAN GAYLE
LINDSAY GINN
DAVID KASNIC
JANELLE KOHNERT
GILLIAN LIM
JOE LOUIE
LACEY PENNER
SCOTT STILWELL
SPENCER WEINBENDER
ERIC YANG
The Ebbtide is the official
student newspaper of Shoreline Community College (SCC).
Opinions published within do
not represent the views of the
Ebbtide staff or it’s representatives of SCC.
Visit
www.shoreline.edu/ebbtide
The online edition of The Ebbtide
contains everything you see in
print, plus extra features, more
photos, and coverage of late
breaking events that occur after
the print addition goes to press.
Be sure to click by sometime!
David Deisenroth
“I honestly couldn’t care less because I dont drive, but if I did I
would be pissed having to search
around for a parking spot or having to walk up the stairs from the
Greenwood parking lot.”
Dan Henderson:
It’s making students’ life more
complicated. We have other things
to worry about than whether we’ll
be able to park in the morning.
Sang Lee:
I have to get here at 8am for my
11:30 class just so I can get a
parking spot.
EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO MY OPINION
“I have a parking spot. Do you?”
By dan gayle
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
I ride a motorcycle. You don’t. I get free
parking. You don’t. I have a nice parking spot
next to most buildings. You don’t.
But don’t worry, you do have an added benefit that I don’t: you get to park in the Sears lot
and catch a shuttle every morning!
Oh, pooh.
I SO wanted to have to catch a shuttle.
Okay, I know I’m being an ass, but the principle of the thing is sound. It REALLY is more
convenient for me to ride a motorcycle. I should
know, because I’m a convert myself.
I’d slogged through the parking mess for
two years until my trusted rusted Volvo finally
decided to call it quits. When that happened, I
decided to entrust my transportation to the #5
Metro Bus from Downtown Seattle.
(Never, never, never again. I actually like
riding the bus, but the #5 is an exercise in futility.)
Last spring, I decided that enough was
enough. I went down to Lake City Powersports and bought myself a nice, midnight blue
Kawasaki, and let me tell you, I’ve loved every
minute of it.
Sure, there are some downfalls of riding the
ole’ Kow. The rain, for instance, sucks. But get
yourself some wet weather riding gear and
you’re set. Speaking of gear, make sure it’s
warm, because you won’t be enclosed in a cozy,
warm cage like the rest of the birds (automo-
Miya Shoffit
“We need more parking.”
Contact The Ebbtide:
Shoreline Community College
16101 Greenwood Ave N
Rm 1502
Shoreline, WA 98133
[email protected]
206-546-4730
Submissions from students,
faculty, staff and administration
is welcomed and highly encouraged. All articles, letters to the
editor, artwork and/or photographs must include the contributors name and phone number for verification. Submissions
are subject to editing for clarity
and content. Articles and letters
should be 350 or less. Art and
photography should be submitted as high resolution .tif files.
biles) hogging the roads.
Ah, but the benefits! As I already mentioned,
your parking problem is no longer a problem.
Your wallet will also remain considerably
heavier, since you can go 100-200 miles on $12
worth of petroleum. (Compare THAT to your
To advertise contact us at
rust bucket car, I DARE you.)
[email protected]
By riding a motorcycle, you get to see more
sights, hear more sounds, smell more smells
and generally have a good time alone with
your thoughts. (Ed. Note: Unless you’re like
our dear Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Lavigne, and
you’re AFRAID of the voices in your head.)
Get yourself a motorcycle and some warm
riding gear. I guarantee that you won’t have to
Copyright © 2007
hustle for a parking spot. Plus, when it comes
The Ebbtide
to being on time, anything beats the good ole’
Metro #5.
OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007 n THE EBBTIDE n FEATURES
“It’s fantastic”
International students receive warm welcome to campus
BY VIVIAN LUU
COPY EDITOR
International Students from
campus recently ventured on a
tour of Seattle.
Co-sponsored by the SCC’s
Multicultural/Diversity Education Center and International
Programs department, the tour
provided students with an insight
into life in the Seattle area, and
brought students to Pike Place
Market, Westlake Center, Seattle
Center and Alki Beach.
Over 50 students marveled
at the astonishing views of the
towering buildings, appalling architecture and throng of active
pedestrians as tour buses came
to a stop on the busy streets of
Seattle.
Attendees were divided into two
groups in order to facilitate more
interaction between International
Program Mentors (a.k.a. “IPMs”),
Campus Ambassadors, Student
Advisors and International Students. One group started their
tour in the hustle and bustle of
Pike Place Market, while the other group began their adventure at
Westlake Center.
Later, members from both tour
groups came together at Seattle
Center to experience the famous
International Fountain and to
take group photos. Their day’s
journey came to an close when the
buses landed on Alki Beach, giving students and guides an opportunity to play group activities that
included a combination of Amoeba
Wars and Musical Chairs, in addition to enjoying a panoramic view
of Downtown Seattle.
When students were asked
about their impressions of Downtown Seattle and the Seattle Tour,
they remarked in astonishment.
“It’s fantastic,” says Tim Chen,
“It’s my first time here, so going
PHOTO BY HAKSON TEH
The SCC IPMs, College Ambassadors and Cecelia Martinez (head
of Multicultural Center), celebrate after a succesful international student orientation.
on the tour is very good.”
Several touristas also took mental notes on the Seattle aesthetics.
Claire Boediarto said, “It’s colder,
but cleaner,” as she perused the
eclectic boutiques in Pike’s Place
Market. Yuki Ho and Kaho Ng
also noted that “the view is attractive and the air is fresh.”
Overall, students received a
very friendly and welcoming impression of the city’s social environment. “You can find a lot of
different people (in Seattle),” said
Fung Cheung and Franco Wong
as they enjoyed live, upbeat street
music in front of a crowded Starbucks coffee shop.
When Andhika Pudjiadi compared his experiences in the U.S.
with those in his native country,
he said, “In Indonesia, people really stick with people they know.
Things are really different here
because everybody is willing to
get along with everyone else.”
The Seattle Tour served as an
pleasant finale to the International Student Orientation Program
(ISOP) orientation week. New
students from abroad are advised
through this comprehensive orientation one week before the start
of each academic quarter.
The program directs students
through a battery of placement
tests in order to guide them into
classes that are appropriate for
their academic standing.
Students also attend a 30-minute meeting with an advisor to
receive additional assistance for
their academic planning.
The orientation also familiarizes new students with the social
environment on campus, in addition to acquainting them with
other International Students and
student leaders such as the International Program Mentors and
Campus Ambassadors.
“It was very nice,” said James
Huang. “The IPMs care about the
new students very much.”
However, the orientation also
received quite a bit of criticism.
“It was boring, actually,” said
Ryan Fong. Several students
shared Fong’s views on the week’s
progression.
“We tried our best to make it
(the orientation) interesting by
breaking it up and having fun ac-
tivities that get the students moving,” says Colleen Ferguson, the
assistant director of international
education, “but by law, we have
certain things we have to cover
with them.” Ferguson asserts that
the orientation wasn’t all fun and
games.
SCC is required by state and
federal legislatures to provide
their International Students
with information on living in the
states, traveling and registration
requirements for maintaining
the status of their Visa. Sitting
through these presentations can
be rather dull.
On a happier note, Ferguson believes that students may have felt
bored because they were already
acquainted with the information
presented at the program.
Ferguson emphasized, “This
group of students seemed more
responsible and savvy than past
groups.” Incoming students scored
surprisingly high on their English
placement tests. Some individuals
were actually placed into English
classes that were beyond the ESL
series offered at SCC.
In spite of this, the orientation
also needed to focus on students
who were still developing their
English skills, and thus proceeded in a slow and comprehensible
manner so that all incoming International Students will be able
to make the best of their time at
SCC.
The notion of living abroad and
being disconnected from our native culture is somewhat daunting, but this is reality for the International Students at SCC this
quarter.
When asked to give students
one piece of advice that will travel
with them for years to come, Ferguson suggested that they “get
involved... outside of their classroom.”
“A Wii for the wise”
By dan gayle
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
So you want a Wii, eh? Good luck.
If you’re like many people in the area, you’re going
to run up against a huge problem. Demand that has
outstripped Supply. If you’ve ever taken an economics class, you know that means one of two things:
Either you pay an exorbitant markup at one of the
few available merchants who just so happens to carry one of your prized Nintendo Wii consoles, or you
go home crying without one. Alone and lonely.
Ah, yes. That sucks.
Who’s
Wii-nning
the battle?
Console
August
(units)
Sales Total Sales
Wii
403,600
>4 million
Xbox 360
276,000
6.3 million
PS3
130,600
1.75 million
Stats according to the NPD Group
My friend’s wife decided that she needed a Wii. No
problem, right? Just head over to Best Buy and pick
one up.
Oops! Sold out!
Her devoted husband has an Excel spreadsheet
that lists most of the electronics retailers in the
Greater Seattle area, with nice little notes that say
“N/A” or “On Order.”
Not a single one of the retailers he has called has
the little-big console in stock. The demand is so great
that most stores simply won’t have one available no
matter how hard a person searches.
Trying online, you find many merchants, merchants that you certainly have never heard of, that
say they have the console available. Of course, you’ll
also have to pay this mysterious unknown merchant
about $200 more than list price, but hey, convenience
like this doesn’t come cheap, buddy.
But not to worry. I have found a possible way to
purchase a Wii, but it is not for the faint of heart. You
have your pen and paper ready?
First, you need to have a friend who is an editor
for a technology/geek culture website. Second, that
friend has to have a friend who just so happens to
work at Nintendo. Third, the console has to be purchased at the employee-only Nintendo store, sold to
your editor friend as a favor, with the console then to
be handed over from your friend for cold, hard cash.
Hey, I never said it was going to be easy.
The moral of the story? Start shopping now for the
holidays by making friends with editors at geek culture websites that are frequented by employees at
Nintendo.
You can almost smell that Wii, can’t you?
n THE EBBTIDE n OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007
PHOTO BY DENNIE CHONG
Wii Boxing aptly demostrated by Yuri Mizusawa of the Japanese Culture Club
FACES ON CAMPUS
Jane Winslow
“All women who wanted to enter the cathedral were required to have their heads covered. The only spare piece
of clothing she had on was a forest green REI raincoat.”
BY SARA MARTINELL
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
PHOTO BY DENNIE CHONG
Jane Winslow in her office with some of her prized possessions.
In a cozy office in the Communications Building sits Jane Winslow: photographer, professor,
globetrotter and opera singer.
The SCC Video Production instructor, who has a Bachelor’s
degree in Music Performance
and a Master’s degree in Mass
Communication. She expresses
her creativity in any way she can.
She travels around the world frequently, documenting landscapes
and cultures that most people will
never witness.
With her digital camera in
hand, she snapped a photo of a
pre-adolescent Tibetan monk lifting his deep red robes slightly
as he walks, revealing shiny new
tennis shoes. The photo hangs on
her office wall along with Tibetan
prayer flags and a large black and
white poster of “Thelma and Louise” the size of a small table.
Last year, Winslow trekked
through the Chinese province of
Yunnan, fending off landslides in
an area known as Tiger Leaping
Gorge.
One time, while roaming
through the streets of Yalta, a
Ukrainian city on the coast of
the Black Sea, Winslow spotted a
cathedral that she wanted to photograph. However, one problem
loomed in front of her: all women
who wanted to enter the cathedral
were required to have their heads
covered. The only spare piece of
clothing she had on was a forest
green REI raincoat, which she
tied around her head.
“I don’t think anyone noticed.
The cathedral was so crowded.”
she says, laughing.
Winslow funds such trips
through the frequent flier miles
that she racked up as a professional trainer for high-end broadcasting corporations like the
BBC. The rest, she says, comes
from her adamant financial savings—solely for the purpose of
traveling.
“The more I see, the longer my
travel list becomes for places I
want to go.” says Winslow, adding that she often holds a strong
desire to revisit an area after she
leaves it.
In addition to her love for photographing the people and places
she meets on her travels, Winslow
enjoys teaching women’s issues
workshops as well as video production classes, which is her main
focus at SCC right now.
“I enjoy the heck out of teaching.” Winslow divulges with a
grin.
With all the joys that Winslow
experienced in her teaching career, there have also been some
major disappointments. The most
significant and common one has
been lack of enthusiasm in a few of
the classes she taught. Winslow,
who describes teaching as a joy,
says that it’s extremely discouraging as a teacher to hear students ask, “How can I get a good
grade?” rather than having a general excitement for the subject.
“It’s like pulling a car with
brakes on through the sand,”
Winslow notes.
Despite a few disappointments
in her teaching career, Winslow
continues to hold a passion for
life. She recently channeled her
creative energy into submitting
some of her photography to the
Art Xchange in downtown Seattle, and was shocked when her
photos were accepted.
There, among the work of artists from all over the world, are
photos that, like Winslow, open
up doors—doors through which
views of faraway lands and cultures that can be witnessed by
those of us who could—but will
probably never see.
Amelia Acosta
“The water was undrinkable, the electricity only stayed on
for 12 hours during the day and there were definitely no
luxuries such as hair dryers and curling irons in sight.”
BY HOLLY HENDRICKS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
When you walk into the classroom of Amelia Acosta, a short
woman with long, brown hair
greets you with an “¡Hola!” and a
smile. A sense of comfort and familiarity overwhelms you. An upbeat, energetic and cheerful voice
fills the air from a friendly woman
in an Eyore sweatshirt and jeans.
This is the classroom of Spanish
professor Amelia Acosta.
Acosta had wanted to teach
since she was a little girl, living
in Los Angeles, California. Since
the days of forcing her brother to
play school with her as a young
child, Acosta knew that this was
always what she wanted to do.
Her grandmother, who was a
Spanish professor at a nearby college, always influenced Acosta.
She says, “I never contemplated
doing anything else.”
When Acosta was 18, she attended college at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, a
small town about 45 miles south
of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/
St. Paul). She later had trouble
deciding between majoring in
English or Spanish. In the end,
Acosta chose Spanish when she
attended the University of California Santa Barbra for graduate school, where she became a
teaching assistant.
After
graduating,
Acosta
started her Spanish career by
tutoring students in California.
She eventually moved to Seattle
because she was offered a teaching position at Shoreline Community College, where she has
been instructing for the past ten
years.
The requirements for a Spanish major include studying abroad
in a Spanish-speaking country.
Acosta chose to study in Santa
Domingo, a city in the Dominican Republic for one semester of
her final year at St. Olaf. While
she was there, she had many eyeopening experiences.
The water was undrinkable,
the electricity only stayed on for
12 hours during the day and there
were definitely no luxuries such
as hair dryers and curling irons
in sight. She couldn’t even wear
her contacts while she was there
because she didn’t know if she
would have pure enough water to
wash them in.
Overall, she counted it as a
great experience and a once-ina-lifetime opportunity. The experience helped her realize that
she took many things for granted
back home in the states.
Ever since studying abroad,
Acosta has wanted to design a
study abroad program to bring
this experience to students.
Shoreline Community College
works with other local community colleges to offer study abroad
programs for the students, but
even though Acosta would love to
instruct in one, she doesn’t seem
to have enough time to make that
happen.
Acosta also traveled to many
cities in Spain, and the Dominican Republic. Her favorite
destination was Mexico because
her father is from there and she
has strong emotional ties to the
country.
The two main cities she stayed
in were Chihuahua and Durango,
although she has also spent some
time in other areas as Mexico
City. “The bigger cities look just
like any other big city except the
billboards are in a different language,” said Amelia, “the smaller towns are where you get the
flavor.”
PHOTO BY DAVID KASNIC
Amelia Acosta peers from behind a book.
OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007 n THE EBBTIDE n TECHNOLOGY
A clear inequality
BY JONATHAN LAVIGNE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
One of the hot topics in the media
last year was the issue of net neutrality and how we had to protect
it. Arguments were filed, battles
were fought and petitions were
signed. On Thursday September
6th, the following happened:
“The Justice Department this
week issued its support for a
tiered approach to Internet service, and said that the imposition
of net neutrality laws would hinder the continued growth of the
Web.”-Chloe Albanesius, PCmag.
com (Sept ‘07)
“The Justice Department today
said Internet service providers
should be allowed to charge a fee
for priority Web traffic.”-Dibya
Sarkar, Seattle Times
“The Bush administration believes that government regulators should be “highly skeptical”
of net-neutrality regulations and
instead rely on competition to protect consumers.”-ZDnet.co.uk
To understand the implications
of this, one must first understand
what net neutrality is. When
people access the Internet, each
site gets to download at the same
speed using the same amount of
bandwidth no matter who you are,
and hence the neutrality. Thus,
when you open up a page like
bobs-hardware.com for example,
it should load on your screen at the
same speed as aol.com. Of course,
the speed at which a page opens
might make it seem like certain
pages load at different rates, but
that has nothing to do with bandwidth allowances. It’s all about
page content. Your friend’s page
on Myspace.com with images and
videos WILL load slower than
someone who just has a colored
background. Again, it’s all about
content.
That’s where the problem is
surfacing. A handful of major
broadband ISPs (Internet Service
Providers) (i.e., Comcast, AT&T,
Verizon) are lobbying congress to
allow them to sell faster speeds
to certain pages. So let’s say you
try and open a page for a certain
major electronics store. Let’s call
it store A, who does pay for the
service. But local electronic store;
let’s call it store B, doesn’t. When
a consumer is looking to purchase
a new home computer for example,
and he tries searching through
Store B, the page may take forever to load, so he visits Store A’s
site and everything is available
instantly. It creates a unleveled
playing field in the market place.
But the problems do not end
there. If the ISPs have control
over the rates that you can gain
access to certain sites, it can also
censor the sites you have access
too by giving you no access to it.
Let’s say that ISP-A is a relatively
conservative organization and
deems Internet pornography to
be indecent. All it has to do is shut
the bandwidth allotments and the
porn will no longer be accessible.
Another example of ISP-driven
censorship lies in politics. If ISPA believes that Candidate #1 is
better, it can simply deny access
to all of Candidate #2’s websites.
Everyone has his or her preferred search engine, whether
it’s Yahoo, WebCrawler, MSN,
Google or anything else. Without
web neutrality, an ISP can accept
money from a search engine to accelerate it and slow down or cut off
the bandwidths of other engines.
Revoking net neutrality is akin
to censorship on a very grand
scale. It allows the power and
freedom to choose, to lay not in
the hands of the consumer, but in
the hands of the companies. It also
creates an unfair and unbalanced
marketplace.
For more information, please
visit the following websites:
http://www.savetheinternet.com/
http://www.google.com/help/netneutrality.html
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/
net/neutrality.html
Now
Hiring!
Editor-In-Chief
The Ebbtide
Applications can be picked up
on the door of Room 1502.
For more information; call
Patti Jones at 206-546-5877
or e-mail the Ebbtide at
[email protected].
DEADLINE OCTOBER 10
n THE EBBTIDE n OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007
www.ppww.org 1.800.230.PLAN
3.75x5LCnew.indd 2
8/29/07 2:13:35 PM
ARTS & ENERTAINMENT
Sam Scott’s ceramics show at SCC
By Janelle Kohner
Staff Reporter
Sam Scott, whose work is currently featured in the College Gallery (located in
the 1000 building), has been working with
clay and porcelain for the past 39 years.
He was officially introduced to pottery in
high school when his mother advised him
to take a pottery class instead of typing.
Later, while Scott was spending time in
the ceramics room because of a girl, he was
forced by a teacher to make pottery. Since
then, he’s been thoroughly seduced by the
art of clay. Scott went on to have his work
displayed in countless galleries, including
the Smithsonian Institution, and to teach
first at Everett Community College, occa-
sionally at the UW and currently at SCC,
where he instructs ceramics classes every
Monday and Wednesday night.
His display in the College Gallery,
“Sam Scott: 36 years with Clay,” shows
work from 1971 when he focused on stoneware, in addition to his projects from this
year, when he worked mostly with porcelain.
Two porcelain plates inspired by
computers and the Mandelbrot set and created this year entitled “Global Warning”
and “Nation Building” show Scott’s more
developed political and modern style. The
abstract designs of tiny computer chips and
shooting soldiers stamped in black glaze
into the white porcelain of “Nation Building” send a straightforward message to observers about the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
“Global Warning” is also engraved with
computer chips, with the compounds of
greenhouse gases written near a ruler, all
in black glaze on the same porcelain white
background. According to Scott, the key on
each plate is “the key to success, it’s the key
to figuring out the problem,” though much
of his work can be interpreted in a more literal manner.
Among Scott’s favorite pieces displayed in the gallery is a set of tiles framed
by wood that are being displayed here for
the first time. “It wasn’t until this year that
I realized ‘yeah, I like that’,” he said. “I like
it because its indicative of that time and
style.”
The 31 years of growth in Scott’s work
between his 2007 porcelain plates and
1970s tiles are readily apparent. “The work
evolves in a stylistic genre, but then you
try something completely different,” Scott
stated. His career clearly demonstrates his
ability to change with his art and to gain
control over the unpredictable variables
that sometimes stand in an artist’s way.
After observing other artists struggle with
mistakes and after so many years of clay
crafting behind him, Scott realizes, “the
process is an inspiration.”
Scott’s pottery will be displayed in the
College Gallery until October 29 th and is
worth observing for anyone who values a
dynamic selection of art.
LEFT: SAM SCOTT PROUDLY STANDS BY HIS
POTS. BELOW: SCOTT’S MORE MODERN
WORKS USE BLACK GLAZE ON PORCELAIN.
PHOTOS BY DENNIE CHONG
4&"55-&8&&,-:1300''03:063"11307"1-&"4&$0/5"$5648*5):063$033&$5*0/4#&'03&1..0/%":
*'8&%0/05)&"3'30.:06#:5)*4%&"%-*/&8&8*--"446.&5)&3&"3&/0
$033&$5*0/4"/%:063"%7&35*4&.&/58*--36/"44$)&%6-&%5IBOLZPV
'03%&1"35.&/564&0/-:
O "11307&%CZ@@@@@@@@@@@@
8-08-07 Relationship Research Institute 2x6.25” (1/4V) BW Jessica/Neil 00001251
Are you experiencing
DIFFICULTY in your relationship?
...
d
e
n
i
e
r
’
o
t
i
u
Yo
Inv
to J
Come watch Brett Favre and the
Green Bay Packers as they take on the Denver Broncos
at our Monday Night Football Watch Party
and Info Session at Qwest Field. Learn about the
$15,000 Scholarship and meet faculty and
alumni. Score autographed Seahawks memorabilia,
while dining on restaurant cuisine created by
the amazing Chefs of Levy Restaurants.
Test your knowledge in a Sports Trivia Contest
and meet Seattle Seahawks players.
If you . . .
- Are at least 18 years old
- Are currently in a relationship that you have been in for at least a year
- And your partner have at least one child together who is 12 years
old or younger
- Experience some disagreement or conflict in your relationship
- And your partner have a total income less than $40,000/year
. . . we invite you to learn more about how to participate in the
Couples in Conflict: Creating Healthy Relationships Research Study.
Online Registration Required
(before October 23rd)
October 29th
Participants will receive:
- Tools and useful information developed by Dr. John Gottman about how to improve
conflict resolution and parenting
- Compensation for their time and involvement
- Referrals to community resources
Free Event!
To learn more, please contact the Relationship Research Institute
1-888-6Couple / (1-888-626-8753)
www.rrinstitute.com / [email protected]
un·der·grad schol·ar·ship
www.CityU.edu/watchparty
888-41-CityU
City University of Seattle is a not-for-profit and an Equal Opportunity institution accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
1924
Credits & Disclaimers
Funding for this project was provided by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families,
Grant: 90OJ2022
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.
OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007 n THE EBBTIDE n ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The Flaming Lips Roll in Seattle!
By dennie chong
photo editor
The Flaming Lips brought their
colorful, live show to a very receptive Seattle crowd a couple of
weeks ago. If you’ve never heard
about the Flaming Lips or their
live shows, then the sign on the
door at the Paramount Theatre
will give you a small hint as what
to expect.
“Strobe lights in use
throughout performance” might
have been an understatement for
the visually and emotionally rich
show that the Flaming Lips put
on. Not only were they backed
with strobe lights and a large
video screen, but their show also
includes costumed dancers drawn
from the audience, fake smoke,
lots of confetti and balloons and
the lead singer crowd surfing in a
giant plastic bubble.
But it’s not just the stage show
that helped the band gain so many
faithful fans. Despite odd sounding
songs and album names like “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots”,
the Lips’ blend of catchy beats,
interesting music and optimistic
lyrics have fans following them
around parts of the country.
The Flaming Lips’ biggest single and video was probably “She
Don’t Use Jelly” from the early
nineties. However, this is a band
that’s been around for over 20
years. They have morphed from
their early career of punk/guitar/garage band songs to parking
lot experiments with boom boxes,
and now into what some would call
“pop orchestral masterpieces.” At
the Paramount Theatre show, they
performed a variety of songs from
their career and it helped make
the show sonically interesting. Although they are currently touring
to promote their recently released
live DVD “U.F.O’s at the Zoo: The
Legendary Concert in Oklahoma
City,” it was great to hear them
play songs from older releases like
“Zaireeka” and “In a Priest Driven Ambulance.”
Another attraction to their live
shows is the audience “sing-along”
aspect that has been added during certain songs. At times it
was encouraged by lead singer
Wayne Coyne, like for “The Yeah
Yeah Yeah Song… (With All Your
Power),” but at other times it was
done from the fandom of songs like
“Free Radicals” or “Yoshimi….”
One of the few criticisms that I’ve
heard about the Flaming Lips’ live
show is that Coyne’s singing voice
is a little weak. At the Paramount
show, I thought that Coyne’s voice
was in great form. Steven Drozd
displayed his musical versatility
and genius as he played the guitar,
keyboard and sang vocals. Drozd
was very subtle and creative with
his singing and noise making, but
that didn’t overpower or ruin any
of the music.
PHOTO BY DENNIE CHONG
Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips surfs the Seattle crowd.
To finish the evening’s set, the
Flaming Lips played a surprisingly good cover version of the
Rolling Stone’s “Moonlight Mile.”
Although the Lips have often covered other classic rock bands in the
past such as Queen and Black Sabbath, I didn’t think that Coyne’s
voice would have been well suited
for this song. I was happy to be
proven wrong when their straightahead version of the piece became
a great ending to a very memorable night.
For more info on the Flaming
Lips, check out their official website at www.flaminglips.com. The
website contains a wealth of back-
ground history, band merchandise, music and video streaming.
If you find yourself hooked and
want further insight into the band,
there is an incredible documentary DVD about them called “Fearless Freaks,” and it was done over
their career by their hometown
friend Bradley Beesley.
Nikki Sixx wakes up at Sixx: A.M.
By daniel berman
Staff photographer
Raise your hand if you’ve heard of Mötley Crüe.
Keep it raised if you would read the bassist’s autobiography. How about the soundtrack to that sordid
tale? Sound confusing? Just wait until you listen to
Sixx: AM’s The Heroin Diaries.
This album is the side project of former Mötley
Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx, and chronicles the musician’s struggles with heroin in the mid-1980s. Each
song reads like a journal entry in Sixx’s day. Some of
the tracks, which were written by Sixx but vocalized
by James Michael, begin with a monologue and the
sound of a pencil scratching paper. While listening
to the music, I imagine Sixx sitting, hunched against
a wall, screaming, “When you’ve tasted excess, everything else tastes bland,” in the sixth track titled
“Heart Failure.” It only takes off from there.
Drug habits are frequently discussed in
the album, as are death, women, the future and love.
But don’t worry and consider this: as much as Sixx
loves his heroin, he also warns the listener about real
life. As confusing as that may be, the track “Tomorrow,” Sixx says, “everything you do is coming back
to you… you can’t outrun what waits for you tomorrow.”
The defining part of this album is in the evocative
and challenging lyrics. The opening track “X-mas in
Hell” begins on December 25 1986 in Van Nuys, CA
(as the narrator notes), and as Christmas bells start
to ring, we hear Sixx scrawling busily in his diary,
“Merry Christmas,” he says, “that’s what you’re supposed to say on Christmas right?” Sixx pauses and
adds, “When you haven’t been crouched naked under
a Christmas tree with a needle in your arm and your
Christmas spirit coagulating in a spoon.”
Some of the more interesting songs are the ones
about Sixx’s preoccupation with life and death. On
the track “Life After Death,” he asks, “Why he had
to go down a dead-end street at 200 mph, screaming for vengeance, and embracing death?” Later on
in “Pray For Me,” a cut that sounds like a rock version of She Wants Revenge’s “Tear You Apart,” Sixx
speaks of his funeral date, singing, “he will die before the best day of his life.”
Ultimately, the reason to purchase this album does
not lie in the music at all, but in the interludes between songs. When Sixx speaks from the heart and
wonders why he didn’t die from that drug overdose
or car accident, we are there with him. All throughout his rock opus, Nikki Sixx makes sure that we are
there with him. After all, as he sings with a chuckle,
“that’s where the fun is.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF SIXX: A.M. / MYSPACE.COM
Metro Station quirkily blends emo with disco
By daniel berman
Staff photographer
PHOTO COURTESY OF METRO STATION / MYSPACE.COM
n THE EBBTIDE n OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007
If Blink 182, Duran Duran and Fall Out Boy decided to have a love child, they might produce the
unlikely band known as Metro Station.
The band blends a variety of music genres for their
unique sound: lyrics that recall current pop dynasties, drum kits that recall the early 1980s and keyboards that sound like they are permanently set to
The Rocket Summer setting. Their self-titled debut
album, however, is consistent. Each song manages
to find a quirky hook, jazz it up and electronically
beat the hell out of it. I wonder if the band is insecure
about any part of their music, because it all seems to
flow together and jumble.
The opening track “Seventeen Forever” quickly
lets the listener know that they are embarking on a
love story, the singer crooning, “I can feel your heartbeat…you know where to take me.” As the bouncy
electropop surges forward, one can’t help but think
that this would be apt as the soundtrack to some yet
unseen teen TV drama.
Listening to the lyrics in each song proved to be
the most fun. At best they are fun and witty, and
at worst they manage to recall the likes of Britney
Spears. A few gems include “I wish we were older”
and “Whoa, she’s dancing at the disc-oh.”
I found my head bobbing to the sixth track, “Now
that We’re Done” thanks to its United States of Electronica-like chorus, and fun play-on words within the
lyrics. This is the first song on the album where vocals are clear and discernible over the drum kit and
keyboard.
The good news about this album is that it is extremely catchy and danceable–and the bad news being that the singer sounds eternally trapped in the
eighth grade. In their first album, Metro Station has
penned ten songs that manage to sound like everything out there today. For this band to succeed to
perhaps a sophomore album, they must find their
voice, their style and definitely a new lyricist. Only
deep guys can write, “I can’t get enough of her, I
need her pumping through my veins.”
Field Report on ‘Halo 3’ from
Freelancer Lawjick
‘Halo 3’ release
BY JOE LOUIE
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Within the first 24 hours of release, “Halo 3” became the
highest grossing media product of all time, beating “Spiderman 3” ($151 million) with $170 million in sales and only
beaten by “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” (approx
$207 million).
Four major releases were held for the game: New York
City, Miami, Los Angeles and Bellevue, with throngs of fans
in lines wrapped around buildings. Microsoft Chairman Bill
Gates made an appearance at a Best Buy in Bellevue. He
signed the first copy of the game, which was sold to Issaquah’s
Ritesh David.
PHOTO BY: JOHNATAN LAVIGNE
COURTESY WWW.BUNGLE.NET
BY JOE LOUIE
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
I must have hit my head or had the worst
case of déjà vu ever. My visor reset as the
gravel fell from above, a brief blip as the
video uplink established itself once again.
The ground below me started shaking as
the sky suddenly dimmed.
“Incoming Scarab,” the voice over my
intercom announced. I looked up at one of
the gargantuan, four-legged beasts that
had caused so much destruction in the past
towering over me. Balls of unstable, supercharged particles erupted from the mouth
of a mechanical creature, while a small
group of alien warriors fired at my partner
and me. I looked over at my partner in the
battle, raised my plasma cannon, and ran in
to join the fury.
I have to admit that in the past, I really
disliked “Halo.” Yet this time around, I’ve
totally enjoyed myself. I haven’t had this
much fun playing with friends since the
days of “You Don’t Know Jack.”
Graphically, the game is superb. Crisp
sharp figures and detailed backgrounds
contribute to a very visually immersive experience. Be careful when playing this on
a non-HD TV. Some of the text and minute
details will blend in with the background,
especially on the desert levels. The physics
engine makes much of the objects around
you interactive, and the general feel while
you’re playing is very real. A great deal of
attention to detail has gone into the game.
There are a few Easter Eggs to look for
as you’re playing, along with some choice
lines if you pay attention to the world
around you.
It’s easy to play through the solo and
campaign modes in about ten hours, but
you’re going to miss out on a lot that’s going on. The campaign mode allows players
to go through the solo mode storyline with
partners, either sitting next to you or over
Xbox Live. If you’re playing it alone, you’re
really just doing the storyline for fluff and
practice. Where the game shines is in multiplayer mode. With several new maps that
are larger and more spacious than previous
incarnations of the “Halo” series, there is
a lot to do. New weapons and vehicles that
populate the game can be ridiculously powerful.
“Halo 3” doesn’t redefine the genre of
first person shooters, but it is a gleaming
example of them. But be forewarned: if
your Internet connection isn’t strong, you
can lag yourself to death or make the game
unplayable. I give “Halo 3” a 9 out of 10.
Penny Arcade Expo 2007
BY JOE LOUIE
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
This year’s Penny Arcade Expo,
as predicted in the summer issue
of the Ebbtide, was huge. The
three-day event started off with a
keynote address by Wil Wheaton
from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” that was both engaging
and well spoken. It spoke to gamers, families and politicians, while
being witty and endearing.
Over the course of the weekend,
a five-round tournament known
as “the Omegathon” was held.
The Omeganauts, a group of 20
contestants, were chosen at random from a list of pre-registered
attendees. They battled against
each other for the grand prize: a
trip to Japan for the Tokyo Game
Show and $5,000 cash (previous
years prizes included every 8-bit
Nintendo game and peripherals,
and fully decked out gaming cars).
This year’s games included “Jenga,” “Calling All Cars,” “Quake
III,” “Karaoke Revolution” and
“Puzzle Quest.” The final round of
the Omegathon each year is kept
a secret until the round actually
starts, and in the past has been
blasts from the past with “Pong,”
“Tetris,” and “Tanks.” However,
in a shocker that we haven’t seen
since “Super Mario Bros. 3” was
shown in the Wizard, the final
round of the ‘07 Omegathon included the unreleased “Halo 3.”
Despite the efforts of Penny Arcade to not be another Electronics
Entertainment Expo, the sheer
size of the exhibition hall denies
this notion. Game developers
such as Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft
and ArenaNet showed what they
had coming down the road with
plenty of demos and swag. Other
companies brought plenty of mer-
chandise to take your well-earned
summer job money and school-detailed curriculums to get you into
the video game industry. Little
known fact, Shoreline CC has
a game development class, you
just have to look hard to find it.
With over 64,000 square feet and
87 exhibitors, it’s paying decent
homage to the fallen gathering.
Inside sources have told us that
next year will probably be bigger,
utilizing all of the floors of the
convention center.
Penny Arcade is just part of a
growing trend in Seattle subcultures, gaining notoriety as well as
a louder voice, with other conventions such as SakuraCon, Northwest Con and Emerald City Comic Con. Enjoy what the city has to
offer and don’t worry about what
others think.
OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007 n THE EBBTIDE n SPORTS
Sports in action!
Women’s volleyball slams it past Olympic
Jamilee Kempton
Jamilee Kempton
Caitlin Swift
Olympic College
Clockwise from top left: Jamilee Kempton slips
it past Caitlin Swift from Olympic College. Christy Cochrane bumps the ball back . Tashayla Ray
serves it up.
Christy Cochrane
Tashayla Ray
PHOTOS BY DANIEL BERMAN
10 n THE EBBTIDE n OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007
Dave Palmer: Sportsman-like conduct
PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN
Cutline needed here. Cutline.
By lavi aulck
Sports editor
Having been SCC’s athletic director for over nine months now,
Doug Palmer has constantly
tried to keep his eyes on the future. After all, strengthening
community relations, boosting
dying enrollment, and completing an overhaul of a college gym
is no overnight job.
I recently had a chance to sit
down with Palmer to discuss the
past, present, and future of our
schools athletic department and
couldn’t help but come out of this
hour-long sit-down impressed
with the foresight and realism
with which Palmer approaches
his daily chores. (“We’re going
to keep on doing as much as we
possibly can and over time, it will
get better,”) Palmer said of his
efforts at SCC.
Palmer came to SCC in January with the mission of sculpting
the Athletic Department into one
that is equally respectable and
successful. So far, he admits, he
underestimated how long it will
take to achieve his goals, but not
the goals themselves. “I certainly
overshot myself in what I can do
in a certain amount of time”, he
said, “but the goals, no. It’s just
going to take longer. It’s a situation where you don’t have enough
support, and I don’t mean that in
terms of people not wanting to
support you, but in terms of bodies that can get things done”.
Upon arriving, Palmer stated
his first priority was opening up
gym space by both giving the
floorplans an overhaul and doing major renovation. (“We have
enough things here that we can
spend the next decade improving this building,”) Palmer said
of the gym. “We’ve brought some
architects in to take a look at
it. (First thing we’re going to
is spruce up the women’s locker
room. We literally have toilets
falling off the walls and showers
that are rusted.) That’s where
the first shot of money will go, to
do as much as we can in there to
get it to a higher level.”
Palmer also says that he
has big plans lined up for the
men’s locker room. “The men’s
locker room was built for football
and we’re never going to have a
football team again”, he says, “So
there’s a lot of space down there
that maybe we can turn into a
free weight room or turn some of
that into offices and classrooms.”
Besides that, Palmer also wants
to renovate the main gym in the
future, citing the bleachers and
scoreboard as another high priority.
Strengthening the relationship
between SCC and the neighboring community and businesses
has also been high on Palmer’s
to-do-list. “I’ve joined the rotary
club, I’ve joined the (Shoreline)
Chamber of Commerce, and I’m
on the ‘Scholar for Dollar’ board”,
he said. “That should hopefully
pay dividends. (I’m) talking (to
the city) about Shoreline, the college, and Shoreline athletics.”
Palmer has also kept to his
word about helping the athletic
department become more financially self-sufficient, promising
ways in which both SCC alumni
and the Shoreline community will
have opportunities to support
athletics. “We will have a booster
club up and running. There will
be flyers (for the booster club)
this fall quarter”, Palmer promises. “That’s my number one
project once we get through the
first week of school”.
Palmer wholeheartedly believes that a booster club will
help the athletic department with
their financial troubles while
generating a sense of school spirit and pride. “The booster club,”
Women’s soccer
kicks it up a notch!
he describes, “is a grassroots
movement in the athletic department to build a relationship with
your alumni and that’s going to
be very long term”.
Intramurals are another topic
of interest to Palmer as he has
already brought his ideas up at
previous SCC Senate meetings
and he hopes to continue to do so.
“First thing I plan to do once the
student government gets back
to meeting,” he tells, “is go show
them the schedule for fall and see
what they what.”
The biggest fear Palmer has
with intramurals centers around
the lack of campus activity after
lunchtime. “We could potentially
do intramurals at night,” Palmer
rationalizes, “but there are no
dorms and no one is going to come
back here at night to play an intramural (game). When you are
on a drive-in, drive out campus,
basically once people leave, they
are not going to come back.”
Despite this, Palmer is looking to possibly start intramural
basketball this coming quarter.
“Maybe we will try a basketball
league”, he envisions. “If we have
four teams and they play twice
a week for four weeks, that will
be successful as far as I’m concerned.” Palmer has also been
considering creating a cross
country team for SCC and has
also looked over the idea of possibly adding archery, golf, and
wrestling to SCC’s list of sports
activities sometime in the future.
Palmer hopes offering more
rewarding scholarships and having a more variety of sports will
help resolve the school and athletic department’s problem of
declining enrollment. (“We have
scholarships to offer,”) he tells,
“the NWAACC, our conference,
made things a little easier this
past year. Before, the most you
could give was $200 a quarter
(per athlete)…but now we can pay
for about 65% of (the athlete’s)
tuition. (We want to use athletics
to bring in more people…athletics are a pretty big part of enrollment.”)
Now, with close to one year under his belt, Palmer realizes that
his task here at SCC is larger
than what he first anticipated.
“I don’t think I’ve gotten accomplished a lot of the stuff I wanted
to accomplish”, he explains, “but
I also came to the realization
that I’m not gonna get as much
accomplished as fast as I wanted
to”.
Yet, Palmer continues to stand
firm in optimism and would like
to let Shoreline students know
that the Athletic Department
“is here for the students. (We
have people who care about the
students and really are trying to
work with the students to make
them better people in three different levels – academically,
health wise, and in their sports.)
(That’s what we are here for– to
benefit the students.”)
MEN’S SOCCER
SCHEDULE
By lavi aulck
Sports editor
October 5, 4pm
@ Treasure Valley
The women’s soccer team has
gotten off to a superb start over
the summer, winning seven of
their first 12 games. Despite
playing with 11 players, the bare
minimum for soccer, the team
has climbed to the top of the
NWAACC (Northwest Athletic
Association of Community Colleges) North standings by leading the division in both goals
scored and least goals allowed.
Amanda Zueger and Amber
Grable provided fuel for the offense, combining to score half
of the team’s 36 goals and the
defense has been solid around
goalkeeper Sarah Hartsell and
her four clean sheets.
The men, however, have
struggled out of the gates. Drawing a schedule loaded with games
against teams from the difficult
NWAACC East region, the
men’s side has struggled to find
both goals and wins, going 1-8-0,
good for second-to-last place in
the region. Casey Berlin leads
the team with four goals, including two in a victory over Skagit
Valley last Saturday.
October 6, 2pm
@ Walla Walla
October 12, 4pm
Columbia Basin
October 13, 2pm
Spokane
October 17, 4pm
Wenatchee Valley
STANDINGS
North
Division
W
L
D
P
Whatcom
5
3
1
16
Everett
4
5
1
13
Edmonds
2
6
2
7
Shoreline
1
8
0
3
Skagit Valley 0
9
0
9
W Wins
D Draw
L Losses
P Points
WOMEN’S SOCCER
SCHEDULE
October 5, 2pm
@ Treasure Valley
October 6, Noon
@ Walla Walla
October 12, 2pm
Columbia Basin
October 13, Noon
Spokane
Captain Amanda Zueger
dribbles by a defender in
the Shoreline Women’s
10-0 blowout of the
Skagit Valley Cardinals.
October 17, 2pm
Wenatchee Valley
STANDINGS
North
Division
W
L
D
P
Shoreline
7
2
0
21
Green River
3
6
0
9
Everett
2
5
2
8
Edmonds
1
8
0
3
Skagit Valley 0
9
0
0
W Wins
D Draw
L Losses
P Points
PHOTO BY DENNIE CHONG
OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 18, 2007 n THE EBBTIDE n 11
etcetera
ILLUSTRATION BY VIVIAN LUU
Modern chivalry in action
The noble sport of parking lot jousting
By Sean McCallum
Webmaster
This year, with “The Pit” closed, student parking at
Shoreline Community College is looking more haggard in
the morning than Bea Arthur after a night out with Lindsay
Lohan. There are, of course, some alternatives to driving
to school that could save you this daily parking hangover.
Students can carpool or take the bus.
Not being much of a swimmer myself, I don’t carpool, but
I’ve taken the bus and it’s not such a bad prospect except
that I have to walk ten blocks, which gets miserable as the
weather turns foul. Also, the round trip on the bus currently costs me more than gas for the same trip, so I’ve cast
that option into the fire.
Another alternative is to park in the Sears lot and take a
shuttle to campus. That’s a bad option for me because the
closer I get to Sears, the more likely I am to apply for credit
there so I can finance that $1500 uber-BBQ that easily fits
a small family on the grill. Nope, I’m too much of a sucker
for long-pork to risk it. Short of cannibalism, what can I do
to solve my parking problem?
A motorcycle would probably help, but even a used vehicle is not in my budget, let alone the sidecar I’d need for my
overstuffed calculus book. I’ve also thought about joining
the throngs that set up their tents in the best parking stalls
at night, but I’d have to purchase a generator to run my laptop in order to do my homework while camping. I figured
that if I had to run down to Sears for a generator, I may as
well just park there and get the Barbara-que instead.
No, my best bet, like that of many others, is to do whatever is necessary to secure a spot in one of the on-campus
lots. My personal schedule prohibits getting here early
enough to park near the tent city, so with these options out,
I suppose it’s time that I joined the growing number of student drivers involved in the sport of Parking Lot Jousting,
or as it’s called locally, “Lot Jousting.”
Lot Jousting has no hard and fast regulations or on-field
officials to mitigate disputes, but follows localized, dialectical rules. As it’s played here at SCC, it is not the actionpacked spectator sport that its horse-faced ancestor was.
In fact, it’s mostly a waiting game; an elite contest of patience generally only watched by other players and those
that are filthy-rich enough to be smoking cigarettes at the
ringside shelters.
Lot Jousting tournaments begin when all of the most
sought-after parking spaces are full. Each player craftily
maneuvers into place so that each row contains two opponents facing each other from opposite ends in a one-on-one
face-off. In longer parking rows, additional contestants
can edge in a fair distance ahead of an occupied launch pad,
effectively cutting the playing field in half for the player
behind him.
While putting the new player in the running for a parking space, this also puts him or her in double-jeopardy as
there is risk of being lanced not only by the front, but also
from the rear, which sounds like an uncomfortable prospect
at best.
Once in position, competitors wait in place until an “Occupier” comes forth to claim a parked car from a stall in the
contested row. Instant wins often occur without a “Challenge” if the now-vacant stall is noticeably closer to one opponent. A Challenge occurs when the Occupier is arguably
parked equidistant from the viable opponents.
When the Occupier begins backing out, all Challengers
lower their lances and rush at each other to converge at
the contested stall, leaving the departing Occupier feeling
like a bleeding sheep standing on a raw T-bone between two
rabid lions.
The result is that all contestants except for one yield at
the last moment before any lances actually connect with
their targets. The remaining driver is declared the winner
and awarded the parking space, while losers gracefully acquiesce by rapidly flashing their headlights, loudly reciting
select entries from a slang dictionary while making digital
appeasement gestures or laying on the horn. The pre-contact deferment is crucial to the sport of Lot Jousting and
what actually makes it a sport, rather than vehicular assault.
Because there are no on-field officials, this civil pastime
relies on its well-mannered players to follow the many nuanced and even tacit regulations as opposed to committing
the sort of mindless incidents of road rage that you might
read about in off-campus newspapers for the unwashed.
New players are always welcome. In fact, you’ll often see
novices practicing without lances, but for anyone still considering participation in this refined collegiate competition,
it is recommended that you observe the veteran players in
action first and familiarize yourself with the etiquette of
the thing before you go quixotically charging in.
Dolphy’s Advice
Dating • School • Work • Sex
Dear Dolphy,
My girlfriend is smothering me. Any advice?
Dear Smothered,
It sounds like you are drowning in the over-excessive girlfriend department. You need to take a step back and assess the situation. Are
you two married? Did you spend half of your life’s savings on a ring for
her yet? Didn’t think so. If the late night check-up calls happen more
than once an evening, you might be getting smothered.
If you are in love with her, buy the ring and sign yourself up for life.
Assuming that you’re not crazy in love, talk to her about the smothering situation. If she doesn’t want to listen and ease off, seriously consider dating other people. If the late night phone calls and weird everyday
sightings persist, you should think about a restraining order.
Dear Dolphy,
My boyfriend is constantly sitting around on the couch
with his friends doing nothing. How do I get him to pay attention to me?
Dear Attention-deprived,
If your boyfriend is stuck on Pete’s couch, tell him to put down the
bong and the video game controller. If this doesn’t work (which it usually doesn’t) it looks like signs of deeper relationship problems. If he
always ditches you to be with his friends, it means that the relationship
has stalled.
To fix the stall, spicing up your sex life is always a good idea. Threatening abstinence will put a charge under any guy and get him off the
couch. If the problem is deeper than that, try going on a shopping spree
at a lover’s boutique for ideas and toys. If he still chooses the couch,
then leave him on it and don’t look back.
12 n THE EBBTIDE n Septmber 10 – September 23, 2007
Excerpts from the
Hakagure Analects
Every morning, the samurai of fifty
or sixty years ago would bathe, shave
their foreheads, put lotion in their hair,
cut their fingernails and toenails rubbing them with pumice and then with
wood sorrel, and without fail pay attention to their personal appearance . It
goes without saying that their armor in
general was kept free from rust, that it
was dusted, shined, and arranged.
Although it seems that taking special care of one’s appearance is similar to showiness, it is nothing akin to
elegance. Even if you are aware that
you may be struck down today and are
firmly resolved to an inevitable death,
if you are slain with an unseemly appearance, you will show your lack of
previous resolve, will be despised by
your enemy, and will appear unclean.
For this reason it is said that both old
and young should take care of their
appearance.
Although you say that this is troublesome and time-consuming, a samurai’s work is in such things. It is neither busy-work nor time-consuming. In
constantly hardening one’s resolution
to die in battle, deliberately becoming
as one already dead, and working at
one’s job and dealing with military affairs, there should be no shame. But
when the time comes, a person will be
shamed if he is not conscious of these
things even in his dreams, and rather
passes his days in self-interest and
self-indulgence. And if he thinks that
this is not shameful, and feels that
nothing else matters as long as he is
comfortable, then his dissipate and
discourteous actions will be repeatedly regrettable.
Yamamoto Tsunetomo