Vol. 46 Issue 5Feb 19 - March 5

DON’T PUSH ME, I’M CLOSE TO THE EDGE

FLAVORS

PG 3

SIDELINES

TWELFTH NIGHT

PG 10

NEWS STUDENTS RECEIVE EARLY ALERTS

HAWAIIAN FAST-FOOD

PG 5

The

ommunicatorSpokane Falls Community CollegeC

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FEATURES

OPINION PG 9

PG 7

CONTENTSEditor: Gage A. Lewis sfcc.gage.lewis@gmail.com

The Communicator 02.19.20152

OpiniOns 9

Staff members can be reached via email with the following format: sfcc.firstname.lastname@gmail.com. for any question, comments and corrections found in the paper

The Communicator is a student-run newspaper that hopes to maintain a forum in which students are able to voice diverse opinions on campus-related issues.

The Communicator also aims to inform students about important events concerning CCS, including sports and other fun activities that make their college days memorable.

Corrections for issue 46.4: Ron Ford wrote our Lumbersexual story. Gavin Andrews is no longer on our Staff.

Ad DirectorDesirae Knight

PhotograPher

Brittany Tolleson

editor-in-Chief

Gage A. LewisManaging editor

Mikayla Davisnews editor

Jeremy Logansidelines editor

Margaret Myhreflavors editor

Cassie Russellfeatures editor

Mallory BiggarPhoto editor

Thania Clark

PhotograPher

Kristina Johansonwriter

Isaac Gonzalez

AdviserJason Nix

InternatIonal FIlms pg.6 tea v. Common Cold pg.7

twelFth nIght pg.5 men’s BasketBall pg.10

35Features

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writer

Ron Fordwriter

Gunnar Werhanwriter

Jason Denniswriter

Grant Wengler

Want to join the paper contact our instructor at jason.nix@sfcc.spokane.edu

neWsEditor: Jeremy Logansfcc.Jeremy.Logan@Gmail.com

The Communicator 02.19.2015 3

Early alerts help students fi nd resourcesMikayla Davis | The Communicator

Connie Pittman is on the phone informing students they may be behind and helping them fi nd the resources that may help lead them to success.

SFCC’s Early Alert program is in progress.

Some students are beginning to receive calls from the Peer Services team at Spokane Falls Community College as part of SFCC’s Early Alert program.

Connie Pittman is the Student Achievement Manager at SFCC, and is spearheading the Early Alert program.

“The mission for the Early Alert team is to connect students to resources as early as possible so they

can be successful,” Pittman said. “We wanted to put in a system that helps us identify students who are having academic challenges early in the quarter.”

The Early Alert program is a system CCS has put in place where instructors and students can send in an alert when students begin to struggle. Those alerts get sent to Pittman, and Wendy Derain, the Student Development Program Coordinator. They and a team of 14 staff, faculty, and administration contact the students either through email or phone, and sometimes in person.

“One of the fi rst things we do is ask if they’ve been in to see a peer tutor,” said Pittman. “If we fi nd out early on in the quarter that it’s an issue with something like not having books yet, or not having a way to get to school, we can try to connect them with resources on campus to help face that before it’s too far into the quarter.”

According to data collected by Sally Jackson, the Director of Planning, the program is working in some departments.

In 2012, when the Early Alert system fi rst went into effect, the fi tness center credit-class success rates were at 69.8 percent. As of fall 2014,

success rates are up to 74.2 percent.“Our goal is to get that number

close to 80 percent,” said Keith Snyder, one of the physical education instructors submitting Early Alerts. “We’re getting closer.”

The number of instructors and departments using the Early Alert program has also increased since the program began in 2012.

According to data collected by Derain, only 11 departments were involved in the Early Alert’s fi rst quarter, and only 39 alerts were sent in. Last quarter that number increased to 19 departments and 251 alerts submitted.

Mikayla DavisThe Communicator

News

Editor: Jeremy Logansfcc.Jeremy.Logan@gmail.com

The Communicator 02.19.2015 4

SFCC’s Early Alert program is in progress.

Some students are beginning to receive calls from the Peer Services team at Spokane Falls Community College as part of SFCC’s Early Alert program.

Connie Pittman is the Student Achievement Manager at SFCC, and is spearheading the Early Alert program.

“The mission for the Early Alert team is to connect students to resources as early as possible so they can be successful,” Pittman said. “We wanted to put in a system that helps us identify students who are having academic challenges early in the quarter.”

The Early Alert program is a system CCS has put in place where instructors and students can send in an alert when students begin to struggle. Those alerts get sent to Pittman, and Wendy Derain, the Student Development Program Coordinator. They and a team of 14 staff, faculty, and administration contact the students either through email or phone, and sometimes in person.

“One of the first things we do is ask if they’ve been in to see a peer tutor,” said Pittman. “If we find out early on in the quarter that it’s an issue with something like not having books yet, or not having a way to get to school, we can try to connect them with resources on campus to help face that before it’s too far into the quarter.”

According to data collected by Sally Jackson, the Director of Planning, the program is working in some departments.

In 2012, when the Early Alert system first went into effect, the fitness center credit-class success rates were at 69.8 percent. As of fall 2014, success rates are up to 74.2 percent.

“Our goal is to get that number close to 80 percent,” said Keith Snyder, one of the physical education instructors submitting Early Alerts. “We’re getting closer.”

The number of instructors and departments using the Early Alert program has also increased since the program began in 2012.

According to data collected by

Jump:From Page 3

Early alerts attempt to help students who may be struggling in their classes

There is much controversy over smoking e-cigarettes, or “vaping,” on school campuses.

Students at SFCC are not allowed to smoke e-cigarettes outside of designated smoking areas.

E-cigarettes are devices where smokers can vape nicotine as opposed to smoking tobacco.

“There’s a correlation between state or city funding to SFCC and if they allow e-cigarettes,” said Josh Jamerson, President of Smartsmoke, a Spokane-based electronic cigarette company. “The Opera House, the Convention Center, the Spokane Arena, those are government buildings paid for by the city and they don’t allow the use of electronic cigarettes.”

Concern rises from whether e-cigarettes are safer to use than traditional cigarettes.

“If you look at the specific ingredients, there are over 4000 known chemicals in tobacco,” said Jamerson. “If you look at the very minimal ingredients in electronic cigarettes, it’s a pretty smart decision as to which is going to be the better choice.”

According to Maciej Goniewicz of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y, e-cigarettes, when adjusted to a higher voltage, can produce carbonyls.

These carbonyls include formaldehyde. If the voltage is set too high on an e-cigarette, formaldehyde levels can potentially reach the same levels as found in traditional cigarettes.

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, formaldehyde is present already in both indoor, and outdoor air.

Formaldehyde has been known to cause irritation of the nose, eyes, and throat.

In 1987, the US Environmental

Protection Agency classified formaldehyde as a possible human carcinogen under unusually extreme or prolonged exposure.

With a mission to improve the smoking population’s health, Jamerson believes his work will simultaneously help the economy as well.

“The long-term effects of the electronic cigarette industry is economic change,” Jamerson said. “Let’s say, 50 years from now, everything continues to go as it already has. There’s going to be less deaths associated with tobacco smoking, and there’s going to be less hospitalizations.”

More than $96 billion a year are spent on health care due to tobacco, according to the Center of Disease Control.

“The healthcare industry is a very large financial industry in the United States,” said Jamerson. “If you have a

ton of people who aren’t smoking anymore, that money is being reinjected into our economy. People are feeling better

and being more active.”“I don’t want to spend money on

cigarettes,” said Satam Alwabli, a student vaper at SFCC. “Now that I have an e-cig I don’t want to smoke anymore.”

Jamerson believes the e-cigarette industry will destroy the traditional cigarette industry within the next decade, but fears government intervention, such as Washington State Bill #5573, which raises the legal age to buy tobacco and all e-cigarette products to 21.

“Raising the age on tobacco and vaping products is a pretty good debate,” said Travis Jent, president and owner of Vapor Lounge. “We’re having some trouble because these products are making their way into youth’s hands.”

“An 18 year old is an adult, obviously they can enlist in the military, they make their own choices,” Jent said. “If we are willing to put different adult responsibilities on them, why can’t they make adult decisions for themselves?”

Under Washington law, smoking is considered a privilege rather than a

right.“We have a double standard

here,” Jent said. “We have an 18 year old who can enlist and fight for our country; why would we take the decision to vape away from them? We have to determine if they are adults or not.”

Both Vapor Lounge and Smartsmoke have a strict policy against selling to minors, and even non-smokers.

“If an 18 year old walks into one of our stores and has never smoked cigarettes, we will send them away,” Jamerson said. “Our mission is to turn smokers into nonsmokers.”

In 2012, the Center of Disease Control estimated that 14 percent of high school students smoked cigarettes, while 2.8 percent vaped.

“For someone who isn’t a smoker, I’d really have to ask them why they want to start,” said Jent. “It’s a subject I’ve always really been troubled with.”

Despite Jent’s wish to keep non- smokers away from vaping, one in ten high school students have reported trying e-cigarettes, according to the CDC, and the number of high schoolers using e-cigarettes doubled between 2011 and 2012.

“For 18-year-olds it’s a good rule, but if it becomes 21 then they will have to work to hide their cigarettes,” said Alwabli.

Another bill associated with vaping is Washington state Bill 1458, which includes making product sampling and online purchases illegal within the state of Washington.

According to Jamerson, if the bill is successfully passed, all currently listed e-cigarette flavors will be banned, and only tobacco flavors will be allowed. On top of this, a 95% fair market value vapor tax will be added to all vapor related devices.

“When it comes to banning flavors, I think it’s absurd to say that adults don’t like the flavors,” Jamerson said. “They assume they are only a way to market to younger people. If there wasn’t a demand from adults for these flavors, and they didn’t enjoy them, then we wouldn’t have them.”

“The rule that you can’t smoke cigarettes around campus is good so the buildings don’t smell,” said Alwabli.

E-cigarettes: pros, cons, controversiesPotentially raised tobacco regulation may affect vapers

“Our mission is to Smokers into non smokers,”

-Josh Jamerson President of Smartsmoke

Sfcc.Mikayla.Davis@gmail .comtwit ter: @SFCCcom

Sfcc.Grant.Wengler@gmail .comtwit ter: @SFCCcom

Grant WenglerThe Communicator

FeaturesEditor: Mallory Biggarsfcc.mallory.biggar@gmail.com

The Communicator 2.19.2015 5

The SFCC Revelers will present Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night as part of its 2014-2015 Perception and Decep-tion season.

Bill Marlowe, director of the play, said the comedy of gender identities fits perfectly into the season’s theme.

“Twelfth Night is the perfect clas-sical choice for our Perceptions and Deceptions season because it involves a woman disguising herself as a man in order to survive in a man’s world,” said Marlowe.

Twelfth Night tells the tale of twins, Viola and Sebastian, who are sep-arated in a shipwreck and believe each other to be dead. Viola assumes the identity of her brother in order to not be taken advantage of in the male-dominated society.

It is a play Marlowe is very familiar with.

“This is my favorite Shakespeare play,” Marlowe said. “This is now my ninth time working on this play. I do it because I love it, I love this play, and I think it’s very accessible for today’s

audience, because a lot of it is written in prose, not in poetry.”

It is common for modern theatres to present “concept” productions of Shakespeare plays by setting them in different times and places than spec-ified in the plays. This time, however, Marlowe decided to stage the play as traditionally as possible.

“We’re trying to recreate as close as we can the en-vironment of what a Shakespeare audience member would have expe-rienced,” Marlowe said. “All of the costuming is Eliz-abethan in nature. All of the music in the show is Elizabethan. So we are trying to do as authentic a recreation of the historical period as we possibly can.”

One convention of Shakespeare’s time not being embraced by this production is the casting of men in the women’s roles. The women here are played by women, in spite of the plot’s gender confusion.

Shakayla Hacker returns to the SFCC stage after her debut in last quarter’s Rashomon.

“I play Lady Olivia, and she’s lost her brother and her father and isn’t really in the mood for male attention,” Hacker said “This poses a problem because it seems that several men in the show are crazy for Olivia! Creat-

ing this in-charge, uptight persona for her is challeng-ing but extremely rewarding.”

Hacker joins a cast praised by the show’s director.

“I have an outstanding cast,”

Marlowe said. “I’ve got some just terrific new people, and there’s some of our mainstays in it as well.”

Blake Krueger-King is happy to be returning to the SFCC stage for the fourth time.

“I play Sir Andrew Aguecheek, the foolish knight,” Krueger-King said. “He’s very over-the-top, very foppish, a bit feminine. He pumps himself up to be this great fighter that he isn’t. I

do a lot of pratfalls, a lot of physical comedy because he thinks he’s greater than he is. It’s fun, but it’s fun with the cost of bruises and painful joints.”

Marlowe has encouraged his cast to improvise physical bits for the raucous comedy.

“If we actors have an idea, Bill doesn’t want to hear us talk about it, he wants to see us do it,” said Nicho-las Fortner, who plays Sir Toby Belch. ”We get up on stage if we have a bit in mind, we’ll do it for Bill, and if he likes it, then we’ll keep it in the show. And if not, then it’s back to the draw-ing board.”

In the heat of all the creative ener-gy, personal bonds are being forged as well.

“I’m really proud of the cast; we’re growing at every rehearsal,” Fortner said. “These trusting bonds that we’ve built for each other on stage rehears-ing, we will take with us to perfor-mances. I guess a special family is growing here. That’s all I can think of to call it really.”

Ron FordThe Communicator

Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night the Spartan

Sfcc.Ron.Ford@gmail .comtwit ter: @SFCCcom

“I love this play, and I think it’s very accessible for today’s audience.”

-Bill Marlowe Deriector of twelfthNight

Kiki Johanson | The CommunicatorSamuel Peters, Mikyla Bordner, Nicholas Fortner and Robert Johnson rehearse a scene for opening night. Twelfth Night premiers March 5 at 7 p.m. The last showing will be on March 15.

FeaturesEditor: Mallory Biggarsfcc.mallory.biggar@gmail.com

The Communicator 2.19.2015 6

Q&A: BSU President Hassanatou Barry

WHAT DOES THE BSU DO? WHAT IS THEIR PURPOSE?The Black Student Union holds events just like any other club, events that we try to relate to “black culture,” but also that of other groups represented at SFCC. Its purpose is to serve and entertain as much the SFCC student body as we can.WHAT EVENTS HAS THE BSU DONE SO FAR? So far this new year, we had the poet Saul Williams come over to SFCC for a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. To our relief and amazement, it drew a large, diverse crowd. We even had to close the doors because of maximum capacity allowed in the SUB lounges. Our esteemed SFCC President Dr. Jan-et Gullickson and Dr. Darren Pitcher came over to support us as well mem-bers of faculty and staff. In collabora-tion with the Wire Harp, we also held the “Slam Off” contest in February in honor of Black History Month. WHAT OTHER EVENTS ARE THEY PLANNING?February has been a busy month for our members and advisor, but we have been discussing what events to hold next; we would like to keep the momentum going. A talent contest has been proposed so far, as well as a karaoke event. On March 18 we are planning to serve food to the homeless with the Blessings Under the Bridge charity; it was proposed to us by Carl whose New Year’s resolu-tion was to volunteer more and we thought that was a cool idea.WHO CAN JOIN THE BSU?Anyone is welcome to join the BSU! There is a saddening misconception circulating that you have to be black to join and there has not been a club day this year where we have not discussed that. We would love to have as many members as possible from

diverse backgrounds. I am from Guin-ea (West Africa) and I feel like if I, as an international student, can join and serve as President of the Club there is no reason why anyone else could not.HOW CAN STUDENTS BECOME A PART OF THE BSU? Usually, the way students join is by signing up during Welcome Week at the beginning of every quarter. However, we meet every other Friday at 12:45 in the Multicultural Room (sometimes the VIP room of the caf-eteria) in the SUB and anyone who would like to join could just stop by and join us then!WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE BSU (STUDENTS, ADVISER)? Our adviser is the uber-cool Carl Richardson. I was elected president almost midway last quarter, having taken over from club veteran Marc Wynn. He literally handed me the position in the most courteous man-ner as he thought younger members should be more involved. Jeremiah is our treasurer who did that fantastic introduction piece to Saul Williams. Kira Prater is the secretary and Canjar-ri McKinley -who introduced Saul and who, as we all have learned that day, wishes she were Oprah Winfrey- is our habitual representative to the Ac-tivities Board meetings every Tuesday.WHY SHOULD STUDENTS JOIN?Students should join if they are interested in participating in college life at SFCC. That is why I joined. The BSU, and other clubs for that matter, exist for that very reason. Moreover, students who are planning to transfer to a four-year would want to join to “beef up” that resume as well.WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE BSU?I am a “newbie,” but preparing the MLK Jr. celebration was definitely great fun and I am looking forward to holding events such as that one.WHAT HAVE YOU GAINED FROM BEING A PART OF THE BSU?A newfound love for poetry and conscious hip-hop. It is a rather small club; a tight-knit group of traveled students who care about international politics and current events.

Mikayla DavisThe Communicator

Sfcc.Mikayla.Davis@gmail .comtwit ter: @SFCCcom

SFCC organizations will be spon-soring a diverse variety of movies during the winter and spring quarters for students, faculty and staff to enjoy free of charge.

The Secular Association will pres-ent “Kumare” on March 4 in SUB

Lounge C.“Kumare” tells of the rise of an

Eastern holy man, who develops a following in the West. But Kumare is actually an American filmmaker conducting a social experiment on the nature of belief and how it is influ-enced by others.

“[This] winner of South by South-west's Audience Award, Kumare is an insightful look at faith and belief,” Kino Lorber, a critic for the site Rotten Tomatoes, wrote.

Viginia Hodges, president of the Secular Association, said the movie was selected for its poignancy and humor.

“This movie has a good lesson, a ton of laughs, and brings up a lot of questions that are interesting to dis-cuss,” Hodges said.

SFCC has sponsored an Interna-tional Film Festival each spring for the last nine years. This year will be no different.

Five films will be screened on Tuesday evenings between April 22 and May 20 at the Garland Theater, located at 924 W. Garland. All shows

begin at 7:15 p.m., and are free to SFCC students, staff and faculty.

The films are selected by a diverse committee each fall.

“There is a committee comprised of faculty, staff and students from ASG and Student Clubs that come togeth-er in the fall,” Gabriel Valenzuela, a Spanish instructor at SFCC, said. “We find at least three films in each fol-lowing category, prioritize them, and finally vote on them based on cost and availability. [The categories are] Japanese, French, Spanish, Alliance, Chinese and Other.”

According to Valenzuela, the festival is one of SFCC’s most high-ly-attended student events, in spite of being held off campus.

“An average of 250 students each Tuesday for five weeks benefit from it,” Valenzuela said.

For many students, it is their first exposure to the cinema of other cul-tures.

“The films we show are very edu-cational, and for many students it is their first exposure to international cinema,” Valenzuela said. “In many surveys that were turned in we read comments along the lines that the individual had ‘never seen such a powerful movie,’ or ‘it was their first international film and they cannot wait to see more,’ and many other reviews that really do attest to power of this festival.”

Thania Clark | The CommunicatorSpokane’s International Film Festival will begin on April 22 and go until May 20.

Sfcc.Ron.Ford@gmail .comtwit ter: @SFCCcom

Ron FordThe Communicator

International Film Festival

Kiki Johanson | The CommunicatorThese fantasic ingredients will help you get back to your normal self in no time when you are feeling under the weather.

FlavOrsEditor: Cassie Russellsfcc.cassie.russell@gmail.com

The Communicator 02.19.2015 7

It’s that time of the year where people may be getting sick, this simple easy tea recipe will have you feeling better. All the ingredients can be purchased at your local grocery store, and in the fridge it will stay good for months.With soothing honey, invigorating gin-ger, and refreshing lemon, this simple jelly is a cost effective, high powered cold remedy.

Ingredients:

• Two lemons (washed) • Two ginger roots (washed) • A cup (8 oz.) of raw honey• A 12 oz. mason jar • How to make it: • Slice lemons thinly • Slice ginger into coin sized pieces

In a place where convenient stores serve daily fresh sushi instead of slushies, and where McDonalds serves a teriyaki burger with a side of white rice, the local Hawaiian favorite is a meal called the Loco-Moco. For a taste of something that is easily made, cheap to create, and will fill your stomachs, try a Loco-Moco.

Time to make: 20 minutesServings: 4 (very filling)

Ingredients:• 4 cups white rice• 4 hamburger patties-You can add

in flavoring of your choice, but teriyaki is preferred)

• 4 eggs• 2 cups brown beef gravy (you

can make your own or use store bought)

• Sriracha sauce to taste (optional)

Directions:Cook rice as directed boil water and add in rice. Heat up gravy (or if mak-ing your own, start the process next.)Grill hamburger patties to desired lev-el of doneness (keep warm). Fry eggs over-easy—Don’t overcook yolk. Plate the meal starting with rice first. Add hamburger on top. Add gravy, Top-Crack egg open with fork and enjoy!

Kiki JohansonThe Communicator

The Tea That Kicks a Cold Into Low Gear

Hawaiian Fast-Food

Brittany TollesonThe Communicator

Directions:Distribute lemon and ginger evenly throughout the mason jar, leaving a half inch of space at the top Slowly pour in the honey, letting it seep completely through the lemon and ginger, filling the jar.

After being left in the fridge scoop a large tablespoon or two (depending on your taste) into a mug of hot water and enjoy!

Brittany Tolleson| The Communicator

Sfcc.kiki .Johanson@gmail .comtwit ter: @SFCCcom

Sfcc.Bri t tany.tol leson@gmail .comtwit ter: @SFCCcom

FlavOrs

Editor: Cassie Russellsfcc.cassie.russell@gmail.com

The Communicator 2.19.2015 8

Brittany Tolleson| The CommunicatorJonathan Shumate enjoys sugary Coke.

Jeremy LoganThe Communicator

Sugar diets

Ron FordThe Communicator

Ron’s slow cooking home chili

Beyond the waistline and into the hearts of Americans everywhere, add-ed sugars have found themselves in nearly everything we eat.

According to The American Heart Association - added sugar was not a significant component of the hu-man diet until the advent of modern food-processing methods. Since then, the intake of sugar has risen steadily.

Keri Smith, a dietician at Chas, said that most people aren’t aware of how much sugar they are eating.

“I will pull out a few facts about your typical can of regular cola, and it is going to run about 41 to 44 grams of sugar,” Smith said. “The recom-mended intake of sugar for women is only 6 teaspoons [30 grams] a day, and for men it’s 9 [45 grams]. When I start telling people those types of comparisons it really surprises them.”

A recent Documentary titled, “Fed Up,” claims that added sugars in our diet, is the main culprit in the obesity epidemic, and that they can be found in everything from soda, to diet, non-fat foods.

“From my experience its having a huge impact,” Smith said. “I see everything from kiddos, to elderly, and everything in between, and often times when I am seeing a patient because they are interested in weight loss or they have diabetes, anytime I am doing an initial assessment, there is some sort of processed sugars that make up a large amount of their diet.”

David Reed, a student at SFCC who is enrolled in the Health and Fitness Technician program, said that he lost over 100lbs, in part, by taking sugar out of his diet.

“I took a nutrition course and I had weight issues before I started and I just saw results,” Reed said. “Refined sugars, gluten, soy and dairy. I don’t have any wheat. Mostly I eat rice flower if I have a bread or a flower.”

Wheat flour and other empty carbs are a form of simple carbohydrate, and they break down in your body the same way that added sugar does.

“No matter how you get a form of a sugar or carbohydrate they all break down into glucose in the blood, but depending on what type of carbo-hydrate it is,” Smith said. “There are the simple carbohydrates, which are the refined processed ones, and the complex ones, which are your whole grains and so on. They do affect the body differently, being that whole grains have higher amounts of fiber, or occasionally higher amounts of pro-tein and that will affect how quickly the body will break down a carb into sugar.”

According to Smith the important thing is to read the labels of your food and understand what they mean. There are a number of other ingredi-ents in your food that can break down into glucose.

“They [people concerned with their health] need to look at the sugar alcohols which are anything with an OL at the end of it,” Smith said. “Sor-bitol, mannitol, those are all a type of sugar, they are low in calories so they are like a sugar substitute you could say but the problem with those is that when eaten in large amounts those calories can add up and they can cause digestive issues.”

She warns people not to be tricked by clever labeling.

“We had a carb counting class, and we had an example of Ritz crackers and the front of the package is plas-tered with, ‘whole grain Ritz crackers, 5 grams of whole grains per serving,’ but when you look at the ingredients the first ingredient is unbleached, enriched, wheat flour.” Smith said. “The easiest way to know a true whole grain is if the first ingredient has the word whole grain or whole wheat in it. The very first ingredient has to have the word whole in it to be a true whole grain product.”

You have classes all day and your job in the evening. You don’t have time to cook dinner in between. What can you do?

You could grab a greasy burger on your way, or you could prepare this simple recipe in your crock pot the night before. It only takes 15 minutes.

Then, refrigerate the covered crock overnight. Take the crock out in the morning before you go to school, put it back in the cooker, and plug it in.

Then come home hours later to the smell of hot, delicious chili, ready to be devoured.

Sfcc.Jeremy.logan@gmail .comtwit ter: @SFCCcom

Ron Ford | The Communicator

sfcc.ron.ford@gmail .com twit ter: @SFCCcom

Ingredients:• 2 lbs. ground beef or turkey• 1 large onion, chopped• 2 minced cloves of garlic• 2 Tbsp. chili powder• 1/2 tsp. salt• 1/2 tsp. pepper• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin• 15.5 oz. can of kidney beans

(undrained)• 14 1/2 oz. can of diced tomatoes

(undrained)• 15 oz. can of tomato sauce • 10 3/4 oz. can of Rotel tomatoes

(undrained)

Directions:Cook the ground meat with the chopped onion on medium heat. Crumble the meat as it cooks. When thoroughly cooked, drain the fat. Coat the inside of your crockpot with cook-ing spray. Put the meat and onions in the pot with the rest of the ingredi-ents. To cook your chili, set the slow cook-er for six hours, and go about your day. Dinner will be waiting when you get back.

OpiniOn Editor: Gage A. Lewis sfcc.gage.lewis@gmail.com

The Communicator 02.19.2015 9

The human species seems to be on a mission to make the earth uninhab-itable, but with a little awareness of the consequences, better decisions can be made.

The food industry and Standard American Diet (SAD) may play an even bigger role on the health of our ecosystem than any other factors com-bined, playing a major role in prob-lems like climate change, pollution and deforestation.

“The California University of Sci-ence found in a study that a family that gives up meat is equivalent to owning a hybrid car,” Scott Rollins, instructor and department chair of Life Sciences at SFCC, said.

Greenhouse gasses are largely re-sponsible for climate change.

“Livestock contribute largely to greenhouse gasses by producing CO2, as well as the more potent greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxides,” Rollins said. “ 75% of nitrous oxide comes from livestock, and it has near-ly 300 times the heat trapping capa-bility of CO2.”

Livestock also requires tremendous amounts of resources.

One of the reasons Inland North-west Vegans promote veganism is to protect the environment. The society also educates people about other harmful effects of an animal based diet, as well as how to cook healthy and tasty vegan foods. They also host a vegan potluck at the Spokane wom-an’s club on the third Sunday of each month.

“Regarding water alone, just one hamburger requires 660 gallons of water to produce,” Tessa Trow, co-founder of Inland Northwest Vegans, said. “1,000 gallons of water are required to produce just 1 gallon of dairy milk.”

Producing 1 kg of animal protein requires about 100 times more water than producing 1 kg of grain protein according to “Water Resources, Agriculture and the Environment” published by Colorado University in

2004.Wasting water can have catastroph-

ic results since only a fraction of earths water is drinkable. According to “World Water Resources at the Be-ginning of the 21 Century” published at Cambridge University by Shikloma-nov and Rodda, 2003 more than 97% of the Earth’s water is in the oceans

“As we waste water on animal ag-riculture, we are also creating deserts, poisoning millions of hectares of land with salt, killing entire lakes such as the Aral Sea and wiping out entire species,” Trow said.

Not only are the food industries using incredible amounts of water, they're also polluting water and soil.

“The top two water pollutants in the US are Pathogenic (disease caus-ing), often from livestock manure, and nutrients from fertilizer,” said Rollins.

Although fertilizer is used to enhance the growth and nutrition in plants, too much is not good and can pollute water and soil.

“In Spokane, one of the things we see on Long Lake is harmful Cya-nobacteria blooms,” said

Roll-ins. “These can be harm-ful to humans and animals, often causing death in pets.”

The patho-genic pollutants usually come from livestock’s urine and feces.

“A farm with 2,500 dairy cows produces the same amount of waste as a city of 411,000 peo-ple,” Trow said. “It is drained into entire lakes which then contaminate surrounding land.”

“Although I prefer to eat this way,

it’s not always possible.” In addition to using and polluting

tremendous amounts of water, raising animals for food also destroys huge amounts of land.

“30% of the earth’s land mass or 17 mil-lion square miles are used to raise

animals for food.” Trow said.

“The moon has less area than that, at 14.6 million square miles. More than 260 million acres of U.S. forest have been cleared to for cropland to grow feed for farmed animals.”

The animals eat way more food than they end up pro-ducing, so eating meat requires a

lot more land for growing food than growing food for human con-sumption.

“1 kg of beef requires 20 kgs of grain,” Rollins said.

Eating animal products at the typ-ical amount for the western

countries is not sustain-able, and is caus-

ing irreversible damage to the

ecosystem.

Margaret MyhreThe Communicator

Sfcc.Margaret .Myhre@gmail .comtwit ter: @SFCCcom

Livestock contribute largely to greenhouse gasses by producing CO2, as well as the more potent greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxides,”

- Scott Rollinsinstructor, department chair of Life Sciences

Facing the consequences of consumption“The planet could only feed about

36% of the current population on a typical American diet consisting of 25% of calories coming from animal

products,” Edward O. Wilson, biolo-gist and chronicler of the science of sociobiol-ogy, wrote in his book “The Future of life”.

So what can some-one do to

eat a more responsible diet?Carolyn Stephens, instructor and

department chair of Fine Arts, enjoys gardening when the seasons allow, where she can control the pollutants. She also tries to support businesses who practice responsible farming.

“In the nice weather months I buy produce from farmers markets,” Ste-phens said.

If eliminating meat seems to daunt-ing, Trow suggests eating vegan or vegetarian until dinner. Reducing the amount one relies on this industry will also reduce the negative impacts the industry has.

“Reducing the amount of meat is not only better for the environment but also our health,” Rollins said. “That doesn't mean give up meat, I’m not vegetarian, but try to reduce the amount.”

sidelinesEditor: Margaret Myhresfcc.margaret.myhre@gmail.com

The Communicator 02.19.2015 10

Men’s basketball plan: fi nish season strong

Thania Clark | The CommunicatorSetting preseason goals along with intense preseason games, practice, and conditioning have helped Dean Richey and his teammates play well so far during the season.

The Men’s Basketball Team has just finished preseason play and is looking forward to NWAACC league play. The team is confident in what is to come.

“We are hoping all the time we put in through preseason games, practice, and conditioning has put us at the po-sition to be ready for League,” Coach

Jeremy Groth said.According to Groth, team goals are

a part of any sports team that want to be successful.

“Just get better everyday with a young group who are growing better each day,” Groth said.

The CCS team started the season with a 6-1 record but ran into some hiccups.

“We’ve faced a little bit of adversi-

ty and some challenges and our guys have done a great job responding to those,” Groth said.

According to Groth, the team is able to overcome these challenges and move on.

“Our guys do great at being pos-itive,” Groth said. “Sometimes shots go in sometimes they don’t. Pushing through is something we can do.”

The team continues to keep up with

Isaac GonzalezThe Communicator

the league standings. They are in 3rd place with a 5-8 league record and 15-8 total games played. With five games left in the season they look to finish out strong.

“Competing and having a great energy as a young team is exciting to see moving forward,” Groth said.

sfcc.Isaac.Gonzalez@gmail .com@SFCCcom

SidelineS

Editor: Margaret Myhresfcc.Margaret.myhre@gmail.com

The Communicator 02.19.2015 11

Team sports involvement prepare students Mallory Biggar

The Communicator

Playing organized sports is proven to make people more physiologically healthy, but it also builds character, and prepares participants for life as an adult.

The True Sport Report, a journal put out by the Canadian Center for Ethics in Sport, reports that students who play sports make higher grades, have higher expectations, and higher attainment. Students who play sports also have a greater connection to the school and stronger peer relation-ships.

SFCC coaches say that playing sports teaches students how to set goals, communicate, understand roles, and trust.

“I believe that sport helps build, form, and develop a participant’s character,” said Jeremy Groth, men’s basketball coach at SFCC.

“The benefits that come with partic-ipating in sports are abundant.”

There are many parallels between

student athletics and life after college. “Every team you coach, you set

goals,” said Bruce Johnson, coach of the women’s basketball team at SFCC.

Justin Ryan spent three years coaching youth soccer in Spokane. While there are many benefits in team sports, he pointed out that there are also disadvantages.

“A negative effect can certainly stem from expectations placed on the kid from their parents, relatives, friends, even themselves,” said Ryan.

“Further, even if a kid reaches all of their goals, they will quickly realize that this won't fulfill their desire. As with other pursuits, sports must be placed in their proper place as a

means to some other goods (friend-ships, physical shape, etc.), rather than being the end to which life is directed.”

In sum, sports offer myriad advan-tages both physically and mentally, but pose potential problems when expectations are too high and pres-sure is too great. Taking both factors into account help lead to a balanced and happier life.

sfcc.mallory.biggar@gmail .com@_Communicator

Thania Clark | The Communicator CCS Women’s Basketball team benefits from working together for a common goal.

Benefits of regular physical activity according to the Center of Disease Control:• control weight• reduce risk of cardiovascular

disease• reduce risk for type 2 diabetes

and metabolic syndrome• reduce risk of some cancers• strengthen bones and muscles• improve mental health and mood• improve ability to do daily

activities• prevent falls for older adult• increase life expectancy

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