Budget cuts en-rage DCCCD faculty

Libya Riots: Rebels search for Gaddafi

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Vol. XXXIV, Issue 3, August 30, 2011 www.richlandchronicle.com

CHRONICLERichland

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A Member of The Texas A&M University System

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: Dr. Goranson. He motivates me to do well in everything I do. He will help you achieve your goals, as long as you are willing to try.

: I attend concerts and plays on campus. I also play the saxophone in the band. I want to join the Catholic Student Organization because they help you achieve your goals spiritually, and will not turn their back on anyone.

: I plan to continue pursuing music education, minor in computer science, and hopefully go to graduate school.

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Many Libyans have lived in fear under Muammar Gaddafi’s rule their entire lives, but after the rebel uprisings and international campaigns to overthrow the dictator escalated into a full-fledged civil war, Gaddafi’s 42-year regime is at present time on the brink of collapse.

The armed conflict began in February, when peaceful protests were met with brute force by Gaddafi’s army. The protests intensified and fueled violent uprisings throughout the country helping to establish a new anti-Gaddafi government called the National Transitional Council based in the rebel capital of Benghazi.

Gaddafi, who took power after organizing a mili-tary coup in 1969, called the rebels “rats” and re-sponded by launching a military campaign against the rebels.

After months of fighting which included NATO airstrikes, Libyan forces were able to seize Gaddafi’s demolished Bab al-Aziziya compound and take con-trol of most of Tripoli, the capital city.

“The real moment of victory is when Gaddafi is captured,” NTC head Mustafa Abdul Jalil told a news conference in Benghazi.

According to Abdul Jalil, the rebels have no idea where Gaddafi is currently. It was widely rumored that the dictator has fled Libya. However, Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, negated these claims when he

spoke to Western reporters outside the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli.

Gaddafi’s son, who was reportedly captured by opposition forces, made a defiant appearance in Tripoli on Aug. 22. He told journalists that the capi-tal city was still in the hands of the government and assured rallying loyalists that his father was safe.

“I find it funny how [Gaddafi] is in hiding after everything he has put his people through,” student game designer Keidrick Underwood said. “The rebels are brave. It took a lot of courage for them to stand-up against him. I think it’s great that they’re finally able to liberate themselves from his oppression.”

The Obama administration provided NATO air support for the Libyan rebels and authorized a no-fly zone over Libya. However, with the current eco-nomic crisis and tensions in Iraq and Afghanistan, US forces have decided to step back and merely play a “supporting role” to NATO and Libya’s Arab and European allies.

“Gaddafi has not yet stepped down from power, and until he does, Libya will remain dangerous,” President Obama informed Americans in his March 28 address. “The transition to a legitimate govern-

PATRICIA VILACINStaff Writer

Rebels seize Gaddafi compound, continue war

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ment that is responsive to the Libyan people will be a difficult task. And while the United States will do our part to help, it will be a task for the interna-tional community and – more importantly – a task for the Libyan people themselves.”

Others, like software engineering and pre-law double major Fareeha Shabbir, are a bit wary of the United States military intervention in Libya.

“I think that there is no real friendship between [Libya and the U.S.] – they just work for personal

interest,” Shabbir said. “I would say that the war in Libya is a phenomenon and [the U.S.] doesn’t have to do much with it. The U.S. did not [take the lead] in Libya, but we can see a sign of a positive relation-ship between Libya and the U.S. in the future.”

After four decades of suffering, six months of fighting and thousands of casualties, Libyans are more than prepared to leave the only life they have known behind and claim their basic rights as the end of the campaign to topple Gaddafi’s regime draws near.

“I really don’t know how Muammar Gaddafi was but I believe that everything that [has] happened today is far better than what has been happening for the last 42 years,” Shabbir said. “I echoed the senti-ments of the 19 year old on CNN that regardless of [the] thousands of people who lost their lives, whatever comes is better than what has been.”

Rebel fighters gesture and shoot in the air as they celebrate overrunning Muammar Gaddafi’s compound Bab al-Aziziya in Tripoli, Libya

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Libyans show their support for the rebellion.

Image courtesy boringnews.info

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When listening to Black Tide’s album, “Post Mortem,” I was very impressed by the talents displayed by all four band members. Black Tide is a relatively young band, but that did not stop it from surging in popularity among the hard rock and heavy metal crowd with its first album, “Light From Above.”

Now that trend continues with this newest release.

The album opens with the track “Ash-es.” It is a solid piece that demonstrates the band’s ever-growing skills, and it features

Matthew Tuck of Bullet for My Valentine. Drummer Steven Spence performs at a fe-

verish pace for the track “Honest Eyes.” His distinctive double kicks near the beginning of the song do not go unnoticed. Gamers may recognize this song from the trailer for the upcoming video game “Street Fighter X Tek-ken.”

“That Fire,” the album’s top single, does an excellent job of reeling in listeners with a deceivingly soft intro. The song then reso-nates with the aggressive sounds Black Tide is known for.

The track, “Walking Dead Man,” is eas-ily one of the heaviest on the album, but don’t let that deter you if you’re new to

TIMOTHY POTTERStaff Writer

Album review: ‘Post Mortem’

Six smartphone apps for students

As the number of students enrolling at Richland increases, so do the users of smart-phones. Although the smartphone has a repu-tation for distracting students who go on Face-book or play “Words With Friends” during class, there are many apps that can be highly beneficial during a student’s time in college. Amazon

Although the app is free, it provides valu-able information to students when purchasing textbooks and other school items. Students sign up for an Amazon student membership and receive one year of free two-day ship-ping with Amazon Prime. This saves students money, and they obtain timely delivery. The app can also scan barcodes, so students are able to compare prices on Amazon to those of their campus bookstore or other sellers.Dictionary.com

When students are writing essays, instead of taking out a bulky edition of the “Oxford English Dictionary,” they may simply take out their smartphone and go on the dictionary.com app to search for a word. In addition, the app contains pronunciations for those trying to ar-ticulate tricky words for a speech presentation. iStudiez Pro

With iStudiez Pro, college students are able to keep track of assignments by organiz-ing with this planner. The app also alerts

students of upcoming deadlines and exams. This app is excellent for those who want better time management and success in their classes. While there is an edition of iStudiez Pro that is free, the complete edition is only $2.99. Free graphing calculator Students taking mathemat-ics this semester who have no desire to spend $80 on a graphing calculator will be pleased to know that there is a graphing calcu-lator app that one may download absolutely free. This app includes the ability to calculate arithmetic functions and the capability of graphing up to four equations at once. There is also a unit converter that is helpful for those enrolled in a physics class.

RateMy-Professors.com

RateMyProf-sors .com con-tinues to be one of the primary sources for students when registering for courses. Pro-fessors are evaluated by students based on

helpfulness, clarity, easiness, and overall quality.

This app is most likely to be favorable to stu-dents who are wondering whether or not they should sign up for a specific online course.

Although registration for the fall semester has ended, one can

check it out to get a head start for future semesters.Lexcycle Stanza

While students are waiting in long lines at the advising center to register for classes or the financial aid center to check the status of their FAF-SA, they can pass the time by reading electronic books on the Stanza app. This app contains a vast collection of over 100,000 titles, nearly half being free, includ-ing prominent books

like Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in

Wonderland” and Jane Austen’s “Pride and

Prejudice.”

DENNIS Q. LYStaff Writer

this genre. This track also features one of the strongest performances by lead guitarist Gabriel Garcia.

One track that certainly stands apart from the rest of the album is “Into the Sky.” It is a much softer song that goes into new territory for the band. The lyrics are filled with mean-ing and carry deep emotions. From the acous-tic opening to a powerful ending, this track is a stunning example of the band’s versatility.

You can expect continued success from Black Tide as they tour with bands such as Avenged Sevenfold and Three Days Grace on the Uproar Festival. The band’s last visit to Dallas was at The Loft last November, but fans will have to trek down to Houston to see them live this year.

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COLUMN

CARLA DAVISKDUX web radio news director

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Remembering Katrina

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According to the National Geographic time-line of Hurricane Katrina, at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 29, 2005, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin issued a mandatory evacuation or-der. Tens of thousands residents of New Or-leans began streaming out of the city.

“We’re facing the storm most of us have feared,” Nagin said. “This is going to be an unprecedented event.”

Less than 24 hours later Nagin reported, “Water is flowing over one of New Orleans levees.” Two hours later the levee broke, and the city known for jazz, crawfish and gumbo began to flood.

A city once called “The Big Easy” would now be called “The City that Care Forgot.”

“I did not expect to leave, mainly because we had no money to leave and my Mom’s minivan would not carry all of us,” said Rich-land student Kischa Howard.

Howard said she had not been paying close attention to the weather reports. “I worked two jobs and sold Avon. I was always busy. It was my younger sister, Kanecia, who said that we needed to leave. But how were we going to leave was the question.”

Fortunately for Howard she worked for a Fort Worth-based company and that was her weekend to have the company van. Hours before Katrina struck Howard received a call from her supervisor inquiring about her and her family’s safety. When she explained that she had no money to leave, he told her to take the company van and use the company credit card and get out.

With the extra vehicle, Howard and her five children, mother, four siblings and nephew headed toward Texas with only three days of clothing.

“We arrived at a friend’s house in Richardson just in time to see our street under water on CNN, and we all began to cry.”

The reality that they had just gotten out in the nick-of-time sunk in. “We went back about two weeks later only to find more than 80 percent of our be-longings had been destroyed. I had just furnished my home, and all was lost ex-

cept a few photos and few pieces of clothing. So we came back to Texas.”

Now six years later, Howard says, “I never had thought of living in Texas or anywhere else other than home, but we are here now and making the best of it.” The family has gone through some adjustments Howard says her youngest children had a hard time in the beginning. She says they missed their friends and did not find people in Texas as friendly, but they’ve adjusted well.

Howard who holds an associate’s degree in Business Administration, is a licensed beauti-cian and is currently pursuing an associate’s degree in social work.

When asked if she would return to Loui-siana, Howard said not now because of her involvement with the non-profit organization Diamonds of Distinction.

On an online social site Howard met up and befriended some women who wanted to do something to impact the lives of young women. So they created “Diamonds of Dis-tinction” for the purpose of mentoring at-risk young women into becoming strong moti-vated women.

The organization offers one course per year beginning in September thru April. The course touches on several topics, personal hygiene, etiquette, tutoring; how to develop a purpose in life and follow their dreams.

As a survivor of hurricane Katrina, Kis-cha Howard has found a purpose in her life by making a positive impact on the lives of young women.

Several boats, part of a large scale search and rescue mission into the flooded regions of the city, depart at dawn.

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When assessing the talent on an NFL ros-ter, be careful who you ask. Hopeful home-town fans can cloud the reality surrounding a local team. Local sports radio stations tend to optimistically project performance of av-erage players. Expectations often exceed ac-tuality.

Such is the case of the 2011 Dallas Cow-boys. Following a disastrous 6-10 season in 2010, the bar has once again been raised to an unreasonable level heading into 2011. Though the arrival of Jason Garrett has de-livered renewed hope to Valley Ranch, the player roster is largely the same. So how good are the Cowboys? Is the talent in place to meet the season’s lofty goals?

Though far from scientific, one entertain-ment source might just have the answer. Since its inception in 1988, the Madden NFL video game series has sold over 85 million copies worldwide. On Aug. 30, “Madden NFL 12” is set to be released. Ahead of this date, the Madden player and team rankings, which assess the talent of the individual ros-ters, have been made public.

So why not use those to assess the talent on this Cowboys’ roster?

Unbiased? Yes. Accurate? Maybe. It may prove fruitless, but let’s give it a shot.

The Elite (94-99)When identifying talent on the Cowboys’

roster, the conversation begins with DeMar-cus Ware. The five-time Pro Bowl linebacker has an overall score of 98, trailing only the Jets’ Darrelle Revis among NFL defenders. Ware has twice led the league in sacks and has been named a First Team NFL All-Pro three times in his career.

On the offensive side of the ball is Jason Witten, the ninth-year tight end out of the University of Tennessee. His rating of 96 is surpassed only by Antonio Gates of the San Diego Chargers. Witten is a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and the leading pass catcher among tight ends in Cowboys’ history.

The Above Average Standouts (88-93)After being drafted in the seventh round

of the 2005 draft, Jay Ratliff has been a rock on the defensive line for the Cowboys. His rating of 92 reflects the reputation he has built around the league. He is the lone Cow-boys’ defender in this category.

The quarterback position is the most criti-

cal and high profile position in today’s NFL. Tony Romo, in his sixth season as the Cow-boys starting signal caller, received a rating of 88. Of the 32 quarterbacks that will hold starting positions this season, Romo sits tied for ninth. This seems appropriate for Romo, who has yet to join the league’s elite.

Miles Austin, fresh off his second consec-

utive 1,000-yard season, checks in as the 11th best wide receiver with a ranking of 89.

The final member of this category is arguably the best special teams player on the team, punter Mat McBriar, who received a rating of 90. In 2010, McBriar led the league in net punting average at 42.3 yards per punt.

The Glue Guys (83-87)Much to the dismay of Cowboys’ fans,

wide receiver Dez Bryant is not viewed as an elite receiver, receiving a rating of 83. He received a downgrade for his lack of aware-ness and poor route running but is expected to be the Cowboys’ No. 2 option this season.

The offensive line is represented well in this group by two of the five projected starters. Left tackle Doug Free (84) and center Andre Gurode (87) are solid veterans at two critical positions along the offensive line.

Linebacker Bradie James (83) and corner-back Terence Newman (85) are returning veterans on the Cowboys’ defense and will be

expected to provide leadership to the young players at their positions.

The Rest (<83)The running backs are rated poorly overall

(Felix Jones 81, Tashard Choice 74, DeMarco Murray 69), though Jones and Murray pos-sess high marks for their speed (96 and 93, respectively).

After releasing starting guard Leonard Davis and starting tackle Marc Colombo in the off-season, the Cowboys’ offensive line is littered with questionable talents. Rookie Tyron Smith (77) and former backup Mon-trae Holland (69) are expected to be start-ers. Kyle Kosier (82) slid from left guard to

right guard during the off-season. Outside of Newman, the Dallas secondary is unproven. The starting safeties, Abram Elam (80) and Gerald Sensabaugh (77), could once again be the Achilles’ heel of the defense.

The kicking game could also struggle, as David Buehler (67), Shayne Graham and rookie Dan Bailey compete for kicking du-ties.

Madden’s ForecastThe Cowboys’ received an overall team

rating of 82, the 15th best in the league, the eighth highest in the NFC, and third best in the NFC East.

While elite talent is present on the roster, only four of 11 defensive starters are rated as average or better. It’s difficult to forecast much improvement on a defense that ranked 31st in scoring in 2010.

Offensively, the Cowboys should provide a challenge to opposing teams with Tony Romo and their dynamic receivers. However the Madden team has little faith in the stall of running backs that will lead the running attack.

By simply comparing the Cowboys’ team rating to the opponents on their 2011 sched-ule, Dallas is a 9-7 team. Though an archaic method, it provides insight into where the Cowboys’ stand in the Madden landscape.

So, in other words, in Madden’s words, the 2011 Cowboys are destined for mediocrity.

The 2011 Dallas Cowboys through Madden’s eyesADAM CROUCHStaff Writer

Image courtesy EA.com

Images courtesy IGN.com

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SPORTS

Intramural sportsavailable to all

Success breeds expectations for women’s soccer

A program’s success is largely dependent upon its expectations. For many teams, a successful season is defined by a sparkling re-cord or significant improvement. But for the Richland women’s soccer team, the standard of excellence is high. A successful season concludes with an NJCAA Championship.

Over the past seven seasons, the women’s soccer team has captured the national cham-pionship in 2004, 2006 and 2009. Despite maintaining an 11-7 record in 2010, the sea-son ended in a 1-0 regional finals defeat by North Lake.

“Last year, despite having a good record and playing well, it was kind of disappoint-ing,” said head coach Scott Toups. “With the success we’ve had in the past, we expect to be in the national championship every year.”

The expectations are no different head-ing into the 2011 season. The current squad is composed of a healthy mix of incoming freshman, returning sophomores, transfer students and international players.

“I like this team more than last season’s,” said Toups. “Talent wise, we are probably about the same, but this team has some en-ergy to them and some excitement that I haven’t seen since our last national champi-onship.”

Facing two-a-day workouts and battling the heat since Aug. 7, the players have been working hard to establish their roles on the team. Though the team is without a super-star, Toups likes the competitive nature of this season’s team.

“Everyone is pretty equal,” said Toups. “They all know that they have to fight be-cause no spot is guaranteed.”

Selecting the lineup has been a challenge, and Toups notes that many of this season’s bench players would have started every min-ute last season.

To reach their ultimate goal, the Lady T-ducks will first have to navigate through what is expected to be a difficult Metro Athletic Conference schedule. Brookhaven, Moun-tain View and North Lake are all expected to field competitive squads in the coming season. Though North Lake finished last season with a third-place showing at nation-

als, Toups believes that Mountain View will present the toughest challenge.

The Lady T-ducks began their season Aug. 23 in impressive fashion with a 1-0 vic-tory over visiting Cisco College, a Destina-tion Imagination scholarship school. After a

ADAM CROUCHStaff Writer

Are you looking for an opportunity to connect with other students on campus? Do you miss competing in athletics?

The intramural sports program at Rich-land gives students an opportunity to do both. Each year, more than 500 men and women participate in the program, which includes sports such as tennis, basketball and flag football.

The inaugural event of the 2011 fall season, singles tennis, begins on Sept. 6. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:Who is eligible to play?

All Richland students, faculty and staff are eligible and encouraged to participate. This includes non-credit and distance learning stu-dents.How do I sign up?

Go online to http://www.richlandcollege.edu/intramurals to sign up as an individual or team. Alternatively, participants can just show up on the event start date to sign up.

I want to play, but I don’t have a team. Can I still play?

Yes, just sign up as an individual and you will be placed on a team.I am not the most athletic person in the world…

There’s a place for everyone, regardless of your athletic ability. There are competitive and non-competitive divisions for each

sport, and the rules are designed to accommodate all ability levels.When do the games take place?

All intramural activities are held Tuesday and Thursday from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. How much does it cost?

It’s free! There is no cost to participants. Each partici-pant will also receive a free Thunderducks intramural T-shirt and be invited to a free pizza party at the end of the year.Can students get credit for participating?

Yes. Students can enroll in PHED 1107 Intramural Athletics. Those enrolled in this course are required to participate.What can I win?

Intramural championship shirts will be awarded to first- and second-place finishers in individual events and to all members of championship teams. What is Almost Golf ?

ADAM CROUCHStaff Writer

Almost golf is a 9-hole competition playedentirely on campus. A plastic golf ball and irons are used to limit the ball’s trajectory. The hole is the size of a hula hoop, so no putters are required. Participants can bring their own clubs or use those provided by the intramural office.Where can I find out more information?

Go online to http://www.richlandcollege.edu/intramurals, call the intramurals office at 972-238-6266, or stop by the Intramural Office in G-136. Important messages will also be posted on the bulletin board, across from the trophy case in the gymnasium.

Image courtesy John Stanson

Image courtesy John Stanson

Image credit Angel Mendoza

mediocre first half, the team controlled the second half by playing well-disciplined and organized soccer.

“This team just fought and worked until they won,” said Toups. “There’s something special about this bunch.”

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CAMPUS

Professor: Michelle Navarro Student: Jennifer BetheaDENNIS Q. LYStaff Writer

DENNIS Q. LYStaff Writer

Originally from New Jersey, Jennifer Bethea, communications major, moved to Texas in 2007 for her husband’s job. Attend-ing Richland College in 2008 when she was pregnant with her son, she took two classes because she had many doctor appointments. Now a full-time student at Richland, she en-joys meeting people from different countries and learning about their culture.

“The diversity is something I can really enjoy [at Richland College],” said Bethea. “I come here and I feel like I’m at a meeting in the United Nations.”

With a GPA of 3.5, based on 46 credit hours, Bethea is a member of Phi Theta Kappa. One of the reasons she joined was because she wanted to get a transfer scholar-ship. Now, however, it is about the camara-derie and being a part of something that is nation-wide and life-changing.

After obtaining her core credits from Rich-land, Bethea plans to transfer to the Univer-sity of North Texas. She really likes the com-munication program they have there.

“My family and I are tired of this Texas heat,” said Bethea. “So we are contemplating a move back to the East Coast, to be closer to relatives.”

Aside from being a full-time student, Bethea’s other job is being a mother and wife. She said it is difficult at times because she has deadlines at school, but also has to be “super-mom” for her children, ages 2 and 4.

“I have no sick days, vacations days or hol-idays off,” said Bethea. “My family expects a home cooked meal at least four times a week. I have to buy groceries, do laundry for four people, maintain my home and keep up with the relationships I have with my loved ones.”

Bethea’s parents are her role models. They came to this country from Guyana in South America about 42 years ago and worked hard to establish themselves in this country.

“It was not easy for them but they saved all their money and bought a two-familyhouse, and began to buy and flip houses to make their successful living,” said Bethea.

In her time outside of Richland College, Betheta volunteered at New Beginnings, a center in Garland ending domestic violence. She was also a member of Mike Rawling’s volunteer army during his campaign for the Dallas Mayoral Election in May and June.

“After meeting him and understanding his vision for Dallas, I knew that he was the right person to have for the mayor position,” said Bethea. “I did as much as I could to contrib-ute to his campaign.”

Teaching history 1301 and 1302 as a full-time professor at Richland College, Michelle Navarro describes her experiences as truly transformative, both personally and profes-sionally.

Born in San Antonio, Navarro considers herself to be a true Dallasite, but the only home she has known is in Carrollton. She earned a bachelor’s of arts in general stud-ies, in the concentration of history, English and anthropology at the University of North Texas in 1997. She also earned her master’s of liberal arts in humanities at Southern Melodist University in 2002, and is currently expecting to earn her doctorate in humanities at the University of Texas at Dallas in 2012.

Navarro started her professional career in the tech-nology field in the mid-1990s. She had a variety of technology jobs, including technical support, call center supervisor, consult-ing and web page programming. She previously worked for Accenture and had the joy of traveling all over the world.

Before teaching at Richland in the fall se-mester of 2005 as an adjunct faculty member, many of Navarro’s graduate peers at UTD, who worked at Richland, kept suggesting she come teach at this campus. She heard about the strong reputation of Richland when it comes to the education of students and sup-portive faculty.

“I will never forget the time period, be-cause I was hired right after Hurricane Ka-trina hit the Gulf Coast and a few instructors were not able to teach classes due to the hur-ricane affecting their families,” said Navarro.

In the past, Navarro taught English 1301 and 1302, American literature, creative writ-ing and Chicano studies.

“Teaching is the reason why I gave up my lucrative computer career, because I wanted a career that really hit the very center of my heart and soul,” said Navarro. “I truly enjoy supporting and educating students by helping them foster new directions for their future careers. I always wanted to be a teacher like the ones I had when I went to university.”

Aside from her role as professor, Navarro is proud to have helped co-sponsor the new

student club Achieving Latino Academic Success and to be a positive role model for the Latino community and Richland stu-dents. In addition, Navarro started a new event on campus each semester called the Student History Exhibit which showcases creative projects by students in her history classes and how they creatively express what history means to them.

“The Richland community really supports and fosters new ideas and initiatives,” said Navarro.

Of the many people who have inspired Navarro, she points to her parents. She said that she would not even be here at Richland without the love and support of her family.

“To my father who taught me the word, tenacity,” said Na-varro. “And to my mother who stressed the value of educa-tion. They continue to be the most im-portant mentors of my life.”

Other significant role models who have inspired Navar-ro during her time as professor include Dr. Kay Eggleston, Dr. Zarina Blankenbak-er, Dr. Sherry Dean and Professor Paula Eschliman. She said that not only do they represent strong fe-male role models for

faculty, but also for all women.

“I have such admiration for their educa-tional endeavors, professional successes, and just how down to earth and humble they are with regard to their accomplishments,” said Navarro. “These are the women I strive to emulate in my professional work ethic.”

As a graduate, she spends her free time on her dissertation, which is a creative project. She is also writing a novel that is loosely based on the life of her grandfather, Chucho Na-varro, who was one of the original members of the music group “Trio Los Panchos.”

When she is not writing, she takes yoga classes, and enjoys hobbies such as jewelry making, ballroom dancing and practicing music.

“I live my life as if every moment were sig-nificant,” said Navarro. “Everything counts in this world, the good as well as the bad. I just hope that when students complete my classes at the end of the semester, that I have made some kind of significant impact. If they can still remember my name and the class they took with me 20-plus-years later, then perhaps I have done something worthy in this life.”

Image credit Dennis Q. Ly

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The hunt is on for parking spacesPatrIcIa VILLacINStaff Writer

Finding a parking spot at Richland during the first weeks of school is like bobbing for an apple in a pool of sharks. You thrust your-self in a cramped space with other cranky students who don’t care about who has the right of way or who spotted the parking space first. You think of different strategies to win the hunt and circle the different park-ing lots multiple times, only to find yourself taking the walk of shame from the outskirts of Kiowa.

Richland is the largest Dallas County Com-munity College District campus. With too many students and too few spaces for cars, parking has always been a big problem with-out a good solution.

I have turned to other students for advice and asked them how they deal with the cam-pus’ parking issues throughout the year.

First of all, I found out that whatever you do (and no matter how tempting it is), you should not resort to parking in the handicap spots without a valid handicap license or per-mit. This sort of illegal parking could cost you more than $700 in fines.

If you live close enough to the college, you might want to consider riding your bike. The campus has several bike racks set up, so you won’t have to waste gas and time aimlessly searching for a space. Also, you will help lessen the congestion in the parking lots. However, because we live in the most unpre-dictable state, weather-wise, carpooling with friends or utilizing the DART bus system might be a better option.

While several students are fretting about their upcoming fall classes, I am more anx-

ious about actually showing up to those classes on time. The peak parking time at Richland is between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. You need to make an effort to show up on campus at least 30 minutes before your class starts to find a spot and still make it to the classroom before your professor.

Richland has taken a few steps to improv-ing the parking situation. Parking lots such as the one by the Kiowa building have been added and the college is also in the process of increasing the number of exit lanes to make it easier for students to get off campus.

When the back-to-school rush calms down and the parking lot congestion lessens, maybe students will be able to concentrate more on their studies rather than finding a parking spot.

Images credits Sean Dunbar

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Raymond Thomas PRonkstaff Writer

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Obama’s approval rating on economy hits new low of 26 percent

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In Feb. 2009, President Barack Obama’s Gallup Poll approval rating on the economy was at its highest at 59 percent and his dis-approval rating was at its lowest; 30 percent. The official unemployment rate was 7.8 per-cent in Jan 2009. In Aug. 2011, Obama’s Gal-lup Poll approval rating on the economy was 26 percent, a new low, and his disapproval rating was 71 percent, a new high. The July 2011 unemployment rate was 9.1 percent. The unemployment rate has been over 8 per-cent for the last 31 months.

Obama’s overall job approval rating ac-cording to the Gallup’s daily three-day rolling average tracking poll of Aug. 11-13 dipped below 40 percent for the first time when it hit a new low of 39 percent. It fell again on Aug. 20 to 38 percent.

In the Rasmussen Reports daily Presiden-tial Tracking Poll for Aug. 23, Obama also hit a new low on the Presidential Approval Index of -26 with 45 percent strongly disap-

proving and 19 percent strongly approving. Rasmussen Reports stated on Aug. 23 that among likely voters, Obama was at 39 percent and Texas Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul was at 38 percent. In a matchup between Obama and a generic Republican candidate among likely voters, Obama was at 43 percent and the generic Republican at 48 percent.

The so-called Misery Index is an economic indicator that is the sum of the unemploy-ment and inflation rates. When Obama entered office, his Misery Index stood at 7.73 percent. Today it is over 12.7 percent. Obama’s average Misery Index is 10.52 per-cent; that is greater than George W. Bush’s average Misery Index of 8.11 percent and Bill Clinton’s average of 7.8 percent.

Should the U.S. economy enter another recession, the unemployment rate will most likely again exceed 10 percent. Obama’s ap-proval rating on the economy will likely fall even lower and his Misery Index will rise even higher.

Jobs and the economy will be the number one political issue in the 2012 presidential election. The leading Republican candidates, former Massachusetts’s Governor Mitt Rom-ney, Texas Governor Rick Perry, Texas Con-gressman Paul and Minnesotan Congress-woman Michele Bachmann have been very critical of President Obama’s performance in terms of job creation and the growth in the economy measured by the Gross Domestic Product.

A television attack ad paid for by Romney ends with the tagline, “Obama isn’t working,” with a photo of an unemployment office with a long twisting line of Americans looking for jobs. This is one of a series of one-minute attacks ads where the phrase, “Obama isn’t working,” is repeated and the employment situation prior to the Obama administration is compared with the employment situation today in a particular city or state.

Another attack ad in the series is directed at college students. It begins with Obama promising students at the University of Mary-land a better future in 2009 and ends with the questions, “Where is the opportunity? Where are the jobs?”

Obama announced that he will release his new jobs plan after Labor Day. He said, “I will be putting forward when they come back in September a very specific plan to boost the economy, to create jobs, and control our deficit.”

Two of the specifics of Obama’s plan that have leaked to the press include an extension of unemployment benefits and extension of

the payroll tax cut. In a Gallup Poll released

Aug. 22, President Obama was running neck and neck with the top four Republi-can candidates. Romney led Obama 48 percent to 46 per-cent. Perry and Obama were tied in the poll at 47 percent each. Obama led Republican candidates Paul, 47 percent to 45 percent, and Bachmann 48 percent to 44 percent.

Among independents, Romney and Paul lead Obama by 3 percent and Per-ry leads Obama by 2 percent. Obama beats Bachmann by 6 percent among indepen-dents. The Gallup Poll was conducted on Aug. 16 and 17 and has a margin of er-ror of 3.3 percent. For the American people, jobs and the economy are the leading issues of the 2012 presiden-tial election.

[Raymond Thomas Pronk is host of the Pronk Pops Show on KDUX web radio from 3-5 p.m. Wednesday and author of the companion blog www.pronkpops.wordpress.com with links to past show podcasts.]

Unemployment Rate Percent from Jan. 2001-Aug. 2011

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President Barack Obama Image courtesy AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

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Poll: GOP votersfeeling better about prez choices

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican par-ty elders are still grousing about the GOP choices for president - but the voters who will choose the nominee are growing more satisfied with the possibilities with Texas Gov. Rick Perry now in the race.

Party leaders have been looking for a new contender who is strong enough to take on President Barack Obama. As recently as last week, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Wis-consin Rep. Paul Ryan and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush - again - insisted they weren’t running for president despite urging from supporters.

But an Associated Press-GfK poll released last week found that Republicans and Re-publican-leaning independents are coming around to the choices already on the table: About two-thirds are pleased with the party’s presidential field, compared with just half in June. And they’re paying more attention, with 52 percent expressing a “great deal” of inter-est in the GOP nomination fight - compared with 39 percent earlier this summer - after a period that saw Perry enter the race and Mi-chele Bachmann win a test vote in Iowa, the lead-off caucus state, threatening Mitt Rom-ney’s standing at the top of the pack.

The poll shows Perry, who has never run a national campaign and is just now introduc-ing himself to most people, benefiting from wall-to-wall news coverage over the past few weeks as he became a candidate and jostled the until-then sleepy contest.

Just 12 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents have a negative impres-sion of the Texas governor. And 63 percent of Republicans view him in a positive light, compared with 33 percent in June.

Beyond that, Republicans didn’t change their impressions much about Romney. Nearly 2 in 3 still view the former Massachu-setts governor positively, while just under a quarter see him negatively as he runs a cau-tious, methodical campaign that’s facing its first true test in Perry.

Bachmann, the Minnesota congresswoman who won the Iowa straw poll, got roughly the same marks as Romney now that she’s boost-ed her national profile. Both her positive and negative ratings rose in the two months since she entered the contest and became better known.

Broadly, the results suggest that Republi-cans are coming around to the idea that there may be a winner in the bunch after being less than enthusiastic for months.

Sarah Palin, the GOP’s 2008 vice presi-dential nominee, says she’ll announce in late September whether she will run.

Stay-at-home mom Jennifer Bevington of Toledo, Ohio, is among those Republicans who like what they see, saying: “Out of the top three - Michele Bachmann, Perry and Romney - of who’s running, they should be able to come up with a good candidate.”

Mary Parish of Troy, Tenn., had doubted for months that any of the candidates in the field were strong enough to run the country or topple Obama. Now, the retired conve-nience store manager says: “I like Rick Perry. I think he’s a Christian, a good Christian per-son. I like what he stands for, and I think he’s strong enough to beat Obama.”

Still, while Republicans like them are warm-ing up to the field, the overall population still has significant doubts and is largely unim-pressed, which could bode well for Obama come the general election.

Just 41 percent of all those surveyed ex-pressed satisfaction with the official and un-official GOP candidates, about the same as in June. Among certain or possible presidential contenders, only Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor toying with a candidacy, gets significantly higher favorable marks than unfavorable ones.

And no Republican candidate - declared or otherwise - is viewed favorably by a majority of people.

This GOP field has been remarkably slow to form as Republicans look to challenge a politically vulnerable Democratic incumbent saddled with high unemployment, rampant foreclosures and soaring debt.

Now, five months before the Republican nomination contests are to begin, the field is largely set with Romney, Perry and Bach-mann clustered near the top of many surveys, followed by Texas Rep. Ron Paul. Nearly ev-eryone else is languishing far behind, includ-ing former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former pizza executive Herman Cain and former Pennsyl-vania Sen. Rick Santorum.

The poll was conducted Aug. 18-22 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Com-munications. It involved landline and cellular telephone interviews with 1,000 adults na-tionwide and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points. The poll included interviews with 408 Republi-cans and Republican-leaning independents; the margin of error for these results is plus or minus 6.4 percentage points.

Poll results: http://www.ap-gfkpoll.com Associated Press writers Ken Thomas and Stacy

A. Anderson and News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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