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Vol. XXXIII, Issue 27 April 26, 2011 www.richlandchronicle.com

CHRONICLERichland

Cover: Is the gulf coast good as new?

Richland enrollment highest in DCCCD.Page 12

Japan’s nuclear crisis creatingworry in U.S.Page 3

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Twenty-five years after the world’s worst nuclear power plant disaster in Chernobyl, the Fukushima plant in ravaged Japan has reached the highest crisis level on an in-ternational scale, setting off concern over the safety of nuclear plants in the U.S.

The Associated Press reported that the rating was raised from 5 to 7, the same level the plant in Chernobyl reached after its meltdown on April 26, 1986.

Japanese officials say the radiation leaks from the Fukushima plant are only a tenth of what was emitted from the Chernobyl disaster.

U.S. Congressman Joe Barton of Texas continues to advocate for nuclear energy, despite recent concerns raised by the nuclear crisis in Japan.

“I’m a proponent of nuclear power; it’s providing about 20 percent of our elec-tricity here in the United States and there’s every indication in the next 10 years or so that we’ll begin to get new plants online,” Barton said for Luminant, a Dallas-based energy company.

One U.S power plant planning to bring

LINDSEY JUAREZEditor-in-Chief

two more reactors online is the Comanche Peak nuclear plant in Glen Rose, Texas.

Approximately 60 miles southwest of Dallas, Comanche Peak is the closest plant to the metropolitan area.

Few locals living near the plant have con-cerns over the safety of nuclear power.

“I was in nuclear power for a long time, and they are probably about the safest units

you could be at,” former plant employee Jerry Wait told the Star Telegram.

However, some residents feel differently about the plant’s future plans.

“I really don’t honestly [think] they should

be building two more reactors,” said Karen Uloth, who lives a mile from the plant. “I think that’s kind of crazy.”

Recently, the U.S. nuclear industry has

Nuclear crisis in Japan sparks concern in U.S.come under scrutiny as some plants are be-ginning the practice of uprating old reactors.

According to the Los Angeles Times, uprat-ing is the process of using more potent fuel rods in a reactor core to generate more heat, creating steam to drive electricity-generating turbines.

Comanche Peak’s Unit 1 reactor is one of the 20 reactors that has undergone uprating since the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commis-sion began approving the practice in 1998.

“The trend is, in principle, detrimental to the stability characteristics of the reactor, inasmuch as it increases the probability of instability events and increases the severity of such events, if they were to occur,” the Advisory Committee on reactor Safeguards told CBS News.

The operator of the Fukushima plant laid out plans on April 17 to stop radiation leaks and stabilize the damaged reactors within the next six to nine months, AP reported.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of evacuees remain displaced from their homes after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out power to the complex’s cooling systems.

The tsunami that hit Japan’s northeast shore has left approximately 28,000 people dead or missing.

Comanche Peak nuclear plant in Glen Rose, Texas.

Traditional financial aid sources are feeling the effects of leaner budgets as the government implements spending cuts across the national and local levels.

However, there are other options avail-able for different financial situations.

There’s a variety of options such as gen-eral scholarship contests like MyParkPhotos.com, which accepts anyone into the appli-cation pool and doesn’t have extensive fine print attached to the winner’s money prize.

There are also private grants that are only for working single moms with multiple kids and in exceptional financial straits, as approved by the organization or private donor.

Other common sources of financial aid are Web sites like fastweb.com and finaid.org that offer a number of options both traditional and nontraditional.

They also provide tips for filling out applications, calculating financial aid, and a page to sign up for email updates on the latest funding opportunities. (Brief by Mary Jane Higginbotham)

The first was Gregory Simmons, a volunteer firefighter out of Eastland, who died from blunt force trauma to the upper torso pre-sumably after another vehicle hit him while fleeing his flame-trapped fire truck.

The other was Elias Jacquez, a firefighter from Cactus, Texas, who died from third degree burns on his body from a fire outside of Amarillo.

The wildfires have spread statewide, some as far north as Amarillo and as far south as Kingsville.

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NEWS

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According to the Texas Forest Service Web site, the organization responded to 819 wildfires which have burned 1.4 mil-lion acres of land. As of April 20, about 370 structures have been lost and over 5,570 structures were saved.

An estimate by the Associated Press said the most recent fire outbreak near Possum Kingdom Lake in Graford, Texas is the fifth fire to consume over 100,000 acres of land in the past two weeks.

Gov. Rick Perry requested the president for federal aid in fighting the wildfires.

“Texas is reaching its capacity to respond to these emergencies and is in need of fed-eral assistance,” Perry said.

Only two people are reported to have been killed in connection with the wildfires.

MARY JANE HIGGINBOTHAMStaff Writer

A wildfire threatens a house near Possum Kingdom, Texas, Tuesday, April 19, 2011.

A deer runs from wildfire near Possum Kingdom, Texas, Tuesday, April 19, 2011.

Wildfires scorch Texas Alternative financial aid opportunities available for college students

Brief

Image credit - AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

EDITORIAL

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Staff meetings: Monday and Tuesday 2 p.m. and Wednesday 3 p.m. in E-020-------

Letter PolicyLetters to the editor may be edited for space. They will be edited for spelling, grammar and malicious or libelous statements. Letters must be the work of the writer and must be signed. For identification and verification purposes, letters also must include the writer’s classification (grade level), full name, address and telephone number, although address and telephone number will not be published.

Editorial PolicyThe Chronicle is the official student-produced newspaper of Richland Col-lege. Editorials, cartoons, columns and letters are the opinions of individual students and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other individual stu-dent writers, editors, advisers or the college administration.

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Last Wednesday marked the one year anniversary of the tragic Deepwater Ho-rizon explosion that resulted in the BP oil spill. The spill lasted three months, spewed over a million gallons of oil into the water, and ultimately changed the lives of the inhabitants of the Gulf of Mexico.

Countless animals’ lives were taken as a result of the spill, 11 men died from the explosion, and the environments and economies that were affected took a turn for the worse.

One year later, marshes in Louisiana still show the signs of the tragedy. Ferns and other vegetation that once thrived are now caked in an oily tar as birds and wildlife attempt to nest in what is now a wasteland.

BP and the White House are fool-ing themselves and the country if they believe that the gulf has been restored and that everything’s okay. Although BP claims on its Web site that they are continuing to work to revive the coast, it seems that efforts still aren’t good enough.

At the Chronicle, we believe that the efforts to restore the gulf are nowhere near over and that the environment is far from being healed. It has only been a year, which is far too early to claim that the coast is okay. In comparison to last

year, the status of the environment might be improved, but it’s not close to the condition that it was before the spill.

Although BP is almost finished reimburs-ing the victims of the spill, there’s no reim-bursing dead animals and eternally damaged wildlife. Those affects are irreversible.

Even though some fisherman have been able to return to their jobs and seafood from the Gulf has been approved as safe to eat, there are still skeptics of the seafood that comes from the coast.

Even though it may be deemed oil-free, the spill has jeopardized the reputation of seafood from the Gulf for citizens and hit the economies of the five bordering states hard.

BP says that funding for testing seafood for oil has been implemented to continue for three years. But, if you recall the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989, negative effects on the environment and marine life are still being uncovered today 22 years later. BP has to be kidding if they think three years of testing is going to be enough.

People who relied on their private fish-ing businesses to support themselves and their families lost everything they worked for after the spill. Even with compensation from BP, their lives will never truly be back to normal. For some, the spill has left them bankrupt and unemployed.

Just because tourists are returning and

fisherman are once again able to harvest, doesn’t mean everything is back to normal.

Hundreds of endangered species con-tinue to wash up on the shore and are re-ported daily. They are coated in oil that has been traced back to BP’s well, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

There has been a drastic spike in dol-phin, sea turtle, and other marine animal deaths. Washed out by oil, habitats of pelicans and other marsh inhabitants have yet to be restored. Try as they might, worker sent by BP to clean the marshes have had no luck. To be able to clean out the marsh, workers would basically have to excavate the entirety of it, which would be pointless.

Although we don’t live on the coast, the spill still affects us. The Texas economy was crucially hit. The fishing industry is a large part of the economy along with tourism to the coast. Already facing critical budget cuts, finding money to put toward environmental cleanup is a challenge.

After one year, the full impact of the spill on the economy and environment is still unclear. To truly make a difference and help restore the Gulf, BP needs to commit for the long haul. They need to continue to contribute to any relief funds and do so for decades instead of making short-term financial commitments.

One year later, gulf coast still damaged

A cross with the words “promises made,” referring to promises made by BP PLC and government officials responding to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, stands in front of a pile of crosses symbolizing things that were impacted by the spill in a front yard in Grand Isle, La., Wednesday, April 20, 2011. One year after the nation’s worst offshore oil spill began, solemn ceremonies will mark the disaster Wednesday and underscore the delicate healing that is only now taking shape.

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Who is counting down the days to the royal wedding? Not me.

Image courtesty -http://www.curvygirlguide.com/girl-talk/the-royal-wedding-omg/

Joe StumpoStaff Writer

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US News & World Report “Best Colleges 2011”

As I write this column on April 17, it is now 13 days to the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Not that I am really counting.

Since I am a guy I’m not “gaga” over all we’ve been hearing since the announcement of the royal couple’s engagement Nov. 16, 2010.

For the life of me, I have never really understood all the excitement women have about getting married but that’s prob-ably just me.

I would be just as happy if the woman I propose to tells me she has no problem getting hitched in Las Vegas where I have an Elvis impersonator standing in as my best man.

I have to wonder if I am the only male in America who isn’t excited over the media frenzy.

Well, I know at least one other person who isn’t on board with the coverage -- CBS newsman Bob Schieffer.

“I’m happy for the boy and the girl – they seem nice – but on my list of things that matter, the love life of British Royals falls somewhere between other people’s golf scores and the recipe for airline food,” Schieffer said in an on-air commentary on Nov. 21, 2010.

Like Schieffer, I am happy for the couple but I have to wonder if maybe even both Prince William and Kate Middleton wish this wasn’t such a huge media event where on April 29, 2 billion people around the world will watch the two tie the knot.

I suppose if I were really that sick of all the media coverage and walking by the dis-plays of current magazines at bookstores about the royal family, I might find it com-forting to know that there actually are some Royal Wedding Barf Bags I could buy that I read about on the site thesop.org a few weeks ago.

I know those would come in handy if I chomp down on a bag of “Kate Middle-ton” jelly beans where the image of her face can be seen the way people see Jesus and the Virgin Mary on a tree or while making pancakes.

I know I’d probably need to take more than just one pill of Nexium after eating that Papa John’s Royal Wedding pizza which shows the happy couple in a mosaic with salami and peppers used to create the image of Prince William and mushrooms for Kate’s veil and cheese for her dress.

I do not do Internet dating but I have to say, if I did and the woman I was sup-

posed to meet, at some restaurant, arrived dressed up in the same blue engagement dress and heels Kate Middleton appeared in before the news media at their engage-ment announcement -- and has her finger nails painted with “Kate Middleton” nail polish -- I don’t know what I would do if she saw me.

I would have no way of slipping out of there.

What may be ironic is it seems Americans are more enthusiastic about the Royal Wedding than the British.

“America has gone royal nuts,” British journalist Martin Bashir told Matt Lauer on “The Today Show” the day after the 83rd Academy Awards Feb. 28. “Everybody is excited. I was in Britain and there is not as much enthusiasm.”

“In Britain, we have been close to the royal family and have seen marriage failure, Prince Andrew, Prince Charles, the Prin-cess Royal – Princess Ann,” Bashir said. “Therefore it’s hard to imagine that another fairy tale will work. But in this case, I think we have reason to be optimistic. I think the Americans have it right. This is a relation-ship that has been developing, is being shaped properly and she (Kate Middleton) is being very, very well prepared for these public responsibilities.”

While I do admit I feel the media could find more important things to cover, I can understand why a lot of Americans may be excited for the happy couple.

When Diana died in 1997, I have always felt there was never going to be someone in the royal family who could replace her.

I have been around long enough, how-ever, to see a lot of things make a second comeback. I can understand why a lot of people are excited for them.

In a world where every day we hear nothing but bad news from natural disas-ters and the unrest in the Middle East to horror stories of a mother drowning her kids in New York harbor, at least the wed-ding of Prince William and Kate Middle-ton can be that one bright spot for people to watch.

Who knows? Maybe with this one, the world will finally get that fairy tale ending people never saw when Prince Charles and

Diana tied the knot in 1981. I, for one, am at least pulling for them.

If nothing else that will make all the exces-

sive unnecessary media coverage I have been exposed to since Nov. 16. 2010 all the more worth it.

COLUMN

Prince William and Kate Middleton are seen waving to the crowds

CAMPUS

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Image courtesty -http://www.curvygirlguide.com/girl-talk/the-royal-wedding-omg/

JOYCE JACKSONA&E Editor

Richland leads in enrollment for springOut of all seven Dallas County Com-

munity Colleges (DCCCD), Richland had the highest Spring enrollment, with a total of 19,242 students as of the 12th day of this semester.

Brookhaven and Eastfield came in sec-ond and third with about 13,000 students each.

According to the Office of Planning and Research, Richland’s 19,242 students in-clude those going both part and full-time, but not students taking courses beginning after that time period, such as FlexTerm and Fast Track courses, which would raise that number.

It also includes students from the Rich-land Collegiate High School.

Out of that number, 10,679 (55.5 per-cent) are female and 8,563 (44.5 percent) are male. The average age of a Richland student is 27.

Hispanics represent only 22.6 percent, or 4,344 and Non-Hispanic or Unknown/

Not Reported the remainder (students can now chose more than one race code).

Mary Darin, executive dean of Enroll-ment Management, said the number of contact hours is more important than the number of students in terms of our funding from the state.

The funding is not based on the number of students, but on the number of courses they are taking, or the contact hours.

Richland’s total number of academic con-tact hours is 2,876,016, or 90.9 percent.

Every course has a certain number of contact hours. For example, a one-credit hour class is 16 contact hours; a three-hour class is 48.

Darin said that 90 percent of funding comes from contact hours and the other 10 percent would be awarded based on enroll-ment at the end of the term.

Darin said the good news for students this semester is that there will be no tuition increase for the Fall, 2011 or Spring 2012 terms.

Tuition is one of the major factors that effects enrollment at universities and com-munity colleges. As tuition increases, Darin said, students come to community colleges because they’re cheaper.

Another factor, she said, is financial aid in

Texas. UT-Austin and Texas A&M have sent out their acceptance letters without financial aid packages. They are waiting to find out what happens with the budget and with Texas grants in the fall.

“If students intend to go there or any other school with a Texas grant, if that goes away, that will probably mean more of those students will attend community colleges,” Darin said.

Most of our students are transfer stu-dents, she said, and will go for an associate of arts degree because it’s a general pro-gram. It allows students to take courses that will transfer.

Also, Darin said, there are upcoming new standards of academic progress for financial aid recipients.

In the past, students always had to make progress by having at least a 2.0 GPA and completing 67 percent of the courses they enrolled in.

There was an appeal process so that if students didn’t make that standard, they could appeal it.

“The appeals are all going away. It starts July 1, 2011,” Darin said.

As a whole, the DCCCD had a total of 72,415 students enrolled this semester at Brookhaven in Farmers Branch, Cedar Val-ley in Lancaster, Eastfield in Mesquite, El Centro and Mountain View in Dallas and North Lake in Irving.

For a continuation of this story, go www.richlandchronicle.com.

“...Richland had the highest Spring enrollment, with a total of 19,242 students...”

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Image courtesy - wix.com

JAIRO MORENOLAURA ROMEROStaff Writers

Upcoming Events

Graduation is soon to arrive, but the time to sign-up is soon to depart. Students seeking graduation are running out of time to file the form called Application for a Certificate or Diploma. Whether students decide to attend the academic ceremony or not, this yellow form must be filed to receive a certificate from Richland.

Administrators are trying to reach potential graduates to fill out the yellow form and so they can receive a degree/certificate. Graduation audit specialist Erinn Farrell wants to encourage as many students as possible to graduate.

“When students graduate, that is a credential that they will always have in their resume to show an employer or university,” said Farrell, “Students never know if life circumstances can cause them to drop out of the universi-ty and to have that associate degree credential is always helpful.”

Farrell advises the students to go see her or the academic advisors, if they are unsure about their eligibility for graduation.

Students from around campus shared their views about the graduation process and whether or not they want to walk across the stage.

Human development and family major Nicole Enilari said that obtaining her diploma was extremely easy.

“Basically, you just have to fill out a form and then all I had to do is sign,” Enilari said. “I’m not walking across the stage because even though the cap and gown are 29 bucks, you can put that in gas.”

Nursing major Euphemia Fdoghoty rated the process of filling out the form as very easy. “I’ve not bought the cap and gown yet but it’s on my to-do list” Fdogo-thy said. “And yeah, it took two years to finish and I’m going to walk.”

In order to graduate, students have to meet a set of requirements. First, students must complete the course requirements for their degree or certificate within five years

of their entrance to the college, as outlined in the catalog in effect at the time selection.

Second, 25 percent of the total credit hours for their degree/certificate (15-16 credit hours) must be completed in residen-cy at the college awarding the certificate. In other words, if students are attending other Dallas County Community College District and they want to graduate from Richland, 15-16 credit hours have to be completed with Richland in order to receive a certifi-cate here.

The most important step to remember is to fill out the Application for a Certificate or Diploma. Students can find this form in the Admissions Office or online at rlc.dcccd.edu/graduation.

This form is fairly simple to fill out. Students just need to provide basic information, such as name, address, I.D. number, as well as how they would like their name to appear on their certificate/diploma. Students then submit the form to the Admissions office in Thunderduck Hall.

If students want to attend the gradu-ation ceremony, they need to confirm as soon as possible by contacting a Degree Audit/Graduation staff member at the Admissions office.

The graduation ceremony will be held May 12 on Naaman Forest Boulevard at the Special Events Center. This ceremony will honor the Fall 2010, Spring 2011, and Sum-mer 2011 graduates. No ceremonies are held at the end of the fall or summer semesters.

Students who anticipate completing degrees or certificates in the summer are eligible and encouraged to participate in the May ceremony. For further questions, please contact the Graduation Office at 972-238-3717. Students may also contact Erinn Farrell, at 972-238-6103 or visit her in Thunderduck Hall, Room T-170B.

The only cost associated with the cer-emony is the purchase of the cap, gown, and graduation tassel. These items can be purchased at the campus bookstore located in Sabine Hall. Students cannot purchase their cap and gown if they have not com-pleted the ceremony confirmation. Class and personalized graduation invitations are also available at www.herffjones.com/col-lege/graduation. Students are not required to purchase anything else.

Graduation deadlines coming soon for students Music Events:

Each week, the Music Department of the School of the Division of Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts will present its Recital Series on Tuesdays. All performances are free and open to the general public. For more information, contact Dr. Michael Crawford, associate dean of Performing Arts, at 972-238-6284.

Tuesday, April 26: 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. All music events will be held in the Fannin Performance Hall, Room F-102The Richland String Orchestra will be per-forming today.

Tuesday: 8 p.m. Symphonic Instrument Music Concert

Thursday, April 28: 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Sabine Hall, Room S-117The World Language Lab will show foreign language films throughout the semester. Faculty, staff and students are invited to these free events. Those who attend will receive free popcorn. Faculty and staff will also receive TOLI credit.This week’s movie: Set OffSet Off concerns a guy named Cui, who is forced to return to Beijing to sign his divorce papers. He’s soon informed that his restaurant in Cyprus is about to be sold by his partners without his consent. As he makes plans to return to Cyprus, he meets a drunken girl, Xia, and everything goes

downhill from there – soon he finds him-self embroiled in a deadly chase involving U. S. cash.

Thursday – Saturday, April 28-30: 7:30 p.m. Arena Theater, Fannin Hall, Room F-108Theater Student ShowcasePresented by Richland College and Delta Psi Omega, drama students will perform a variety of both comical and serious monologues and scenes. Some of the works have been written by students specifically for the showcase. No reserva-tions are required and the performance is free and open to the public.

Saturday, April 30: 7:30 p.m. “A Musical Tribute to Dr. Jerry Wallace” Everyone is welcome to this concert featur-ing Richland’s wind symphony, orchestra and chamber singers. Tickets are $10. All proceeds form ticket sales and donations benefit the establishment of the Richland College Dr. Jerry Wallace Music Scholar-ship. If you cannot attend the concert, please donate through the Dallas County Community College District Foundation. Visit http://www.foundation.dcccd.edu and click on “Donate Now!” All donations are tax deductible.

Tuesday, May 3– Next edition of The Richland Chronicle

Drumming Up Support

GET ON BOARD!!!Looking For Steel Band PlayersMembers Wanted C.C. Island House is Seeking Talented Steel Band Members and Drummers.All Interested Candidates Please Contact Trini

Phone: 214-622-7819Or mail resume to: 2205 Foreman St. Dallas, TX. 75210

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CAMPUS

Image courtesy - Michelle Navaro

JOYCE JACKSONA&E Editor

All performances are free to the public in Fannin Performance HallConcert Schedule is tentative and subject to change

For more information call Derrick Logozzo (972.238.6254) or Dr. Michael Crawford (972.238.6284)

Mar. 29, 8:00p.m. Richland Wind Symphony, String Orchestra, Chamber Ensembles

April 12, 8:00p.m. Richland Guitar Ensemble & Early Brass Ensemble

April 15, 8:00p.m. Richland Choral Concert: Chorale, Chamber Singers, Gospel Choir

April 16, 8:00p.m. Carnival of Steel Festival COS Guest Artist Steel Drum Concert$15 Admission (Guest Artist Clinics, 3:15-6 p.m., Fannin Hall, $5 Admission)

April 19, 8:00p.m. Richland Jazz Showcase: Jazz Combo, Lab Band, Jazz Singers, & Jazz Ensemble

April 21, 7:30p.m. Richland Evening Jazz Ensemble, Directed by Phares Corder

April 26, 8:00p.m. Symphonic Instrumental Music Concert: Wind Symphony & String Orchestra

May 3, 7:30p.m. Student Composer’s Concert: Works composed by students of Dr. Mark Carlson

May 5, 7:30p.m. World Beat Concert: Richland Percussion Group [RPG], Steel Bands & World Drumming Ensemble

Go to www.richlandcollege.edu/music for latest updates.

Richland College Music Department Spring 2011 Evening Concert Schedule

Richland’s 23rd Annual Student Success Awards will welcome rock stars this year.

It’s anybody’s guess as to what they’ll be wearing for the festive event. The only rule – leave your jeans at home. The gala evening, which will take place Tuesday night, April 26, at the Granville Arts Center, will be rocking with some good food, speakers and awards.

Students, teachers, staff and administra-tors are invited to share the spotlight as rocker look-alikes.

Wilfred Manyango, assistant director of the Office of Student Life, said it’s up to him and the staff to pick a theme every year – so they picked “Rock Chic.”

He’s hopeful that he’ll see some Lady Gaga or Cindy Lauper wannabes, or perhaps imitations of Alice Cooper, Kiss, Ozzie Osborne or Stephen Tyler,

“The event is to thank students for doing a good job,” Manyango said. “It’s not only good academics, it’s for high achievements in sports and other disciplines.”

Richland Collegiate High School students and staff, as well as Dr. Kristyn Edney, principal, will be included, and members of the Student Government Association.

Dr. Kay Eggleston, Richland interim president, and Tony Summers, vice presi-dent of Student Development, will give the introduction, opening and closing remarks.

Richland and the Office of Student Life sponsor the Success Awards each year under the direction of Bobbie Harrison, director.

Success awards welcome rock star students

FATIMA GOMEZStaff Writer

The newly formed Achieving Latino Academic Success Club of Richland (A.L.A.S) raised over $1,000 for scholar-ships with a recent garage sale.

“Faculty members, parents, students and members of the club donated items to sell,” Luz Villegas, club advisor and direc-tor of Richland’s Community Programs said. “Everybody was of great help.”

“The group will be establishing scholar-ship criteria in the upcoming meetings,” Villegas added.

The garage sale was only the beginning. “We want to encourage students to pursue their education, despite financial difficul-ties” Pedro Urias, club president said.

According to the Office of Student Life (OSL), A.L.A.S is one of the more than 45 student organizations Richland students have to choose from.

“Educational research shows that students who join a club, or otherwise get involved in campus life, tend to succeed in their studies. Plus, meaningful involvement in extracurricular activities can give you the needed edge when competing for jobs and scholarships,” Jason Barr, Richland student program specialist, said.

Villegas says that while the club has Latino in its title, “the club does not require that members be of a specific race back-ground.”

Students can go to E040 or OSL on Richland’s Web site for a detailed list of clubs and information on how to start a new club.

ALAS club raises over $1,000 for scholarships

Registration Dates Term DatesContinuing Education Students: May Term: April 19 – May 15 Summer I: April 19 – June 5 Summer II: April 19 – July 11 New, Former & Transfer Students: May Term: April 25 – May 15 Summer I: April 25 – June 5 Summer II: April 25 – July 11

May term: Classes begin Monday, May 16 and end Wednesday, June 2.

Summer I term: Classes begin Monday, June 6 and end Thursday, July 7.

Summer II term: Classes begin Tuesday, July 12 and end Thursday, August 11.

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There was a retirement ceremony and dedica-tion of the GREEEN commons for Steve Mittlestet, Richland’s former president who served for the past three decades, on Wednesday April 20 in front of Sabine, the new science building that he helped make possible.

The Intercultural festival is one of Richland’s annual traditions where students celebrate their different heritages coming together in peace. It took place April 20 on the Breezway, though it spilled over to most of the campus. Many groups per-formed native dances and rituals and a peace pole was planted by the lake

Evenmark, a Dallas rock band which includes Richland staff member Jack Fletcher on the bass, performed for the Earth Day festivites on Thursday April 21 between Lavaca and Fanin halls. They performed on the campus until an unknown faculty member from the library complained about the noise enough that the band’s performance was cut short.

A steel drum festival, Carnival of Steel, took place Saturday, April 16 at Richland with many local high school and univer-sity steel drum bands in attendance. pictured on the left are students from Plano West High School, and on the right is Chris McWilliams from the UNT steel drum band.

What’s been going on around Richland?CAMPUS

Images Credit - Jason Barry

Images Credit - Jason Barry

Images Credit - Glen Sovian

Images Credit - Fatima Gomez